A few things on my mind....

I don't want summer to end. This has been one of the greatest summers with the kids. Maybe it is because they are getting older, but I love it. I just want another month or two. Is that too much to ask?

Cache will be starting kindergarten this year. He will be going to his new school, JMS, which is an all sign school. It will also be all day long. So many things I am worried about there. I can't even count them right now, it needs to be a whole other post. Just thinking about it can bring me to tears. I am going to miss him and I know his sister is going to miss him more.

Karma, I am a full believer. What goes around comes around, so try to be good to others and be a good person. It will come back to you! Of course, you will always have your trials but it is the little things that get you through them.

Our little family, I love it and I think we are pretty cool. We have our flaws but I think we are darn near close to as good as it gets!

Missing the extended family. I wish we could be there more but it is just not possible. I would love to have G-ma Patty and G-pa John see the kids more and in the daily grind of things. Play cards with Aunt Robin and Uncle John. See Rylee rock the V-ball court and Jake graduate from the fire department school. Have Aunt Sue be late, loud, and lots of crazy fun, while Uncle Frank just shakes his head. Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathy roll in on their awesome Harley's. Only 2.5 more weeks till we see them all again! I can't wait to sit on the beach and spend the little time we have with all of them. It is always a great time.

Wishing I could be a part of others lives more. I guess you can't make people want to hang out with you and get to know you as well.

I love where I live and we really lucked out. I could not have pick a better place. I love ALL my neighbors and I have made some really great friends.

I have a pretty great life. I think of all the things that could make it better but they are so little. I feel pretty blessed to have my amazing husband and four wonderful pain in the butt kids!

Family Pics by Fotofly

Fotofly is an awesome new photography studio in Draper. They take some great pictures and do it and a very affordable price. I will post all the pics of the kids on another post soon. I would highly recommend them for pictures if you are in the market.

Dylann's Dance Recital

Dylann's first dance recital was probably more fun for me then her. Of course she did fabulous! She performed a hip-hop dance to a song called Big Bad Wolf. She was so excited to go up and dance she kept asking if it was her turn. I thought for sure she would freeze when she saw all the people because the place was packed. It was a Cottonwood High School and the whole bottom was full of people. She didn't freeze in fact she went right up and shaked her booty! It was so fun and I can not wait till next year!

Cache's Birthday

Another wonderful time. We raised an insane amount of money for SADS in honor of Cache. I am amazed at how many good people there are in the world, and that many more that is inspired by my little guy! On Cache's birthday we went to his school and had a huge pizza party for the class. It was so fun and he had an awesome teacher that let us crash his class. That night we ate at Chilli's for his fundraiser. When we got home it was so late, but he opened his presents and ate cake. We all still managed to get up in the morning.

Mason's Birthday

It was the best birthday party ever! It was so much fun. I am sure we will never ever have another one like that. It was great because even G-ma Patty got to be here. Mason was completely spoiled and invited his whole class. Scales and Tails is awesome and if you have a little boy wanting a cool birthday party, I totally recommend them. Here are a few pics, I have 400 but I just pick a few.

Help Me Save Lives!

I received an e-mail last night from the SADS Foundation. It was a letter (see below) from Dr. Michael Ackerman, President of the SADS Foundation, requesting help to raise money for a $50,000.00 match Medical Educational Grant from Fed Ex C.E.O. Fredrick Smith. Mr. Smith holds the SADS Foundation close to his heart as well, due to the death of his daughter from Long QT. The SADS Foundation is $6,000.00 short from their $50,000.00 match to get the $50,000.00 grant money from Mr. Smith.

Once I saw this e-mail, I sent an e-mail back asking if the money we raised could help go to the Medical Educational Grant. I can’t think of a better way to use this money then to help educate those who can properly diagnose SADS conditions. Many children go miss-diagnosed with other conditions until it is too late. Typically they are diagnosed with seizer disorders and placed on seizer medication. Yet they continue to have syncope, and at times, die. It is a sad truth that many doctors don’t know what Long QT and other SADS conditions are, or how to diagnose them. As I have said many times, we are very blessed to have had our son diagnosed shortly after birth, which saved his and many others in our family’s lives.

Please help me sore to our $2,000.00 goal, as we are almost half way there! Let’s save lives together and get this much needed money to the SADS Foundation.

With all our hearts,
Melissa, Eric, Cache, and family

www.firstgiving.com/melissamiller6

Letter from Dr. Michal Ackerman:

As many of you know, I serve as President of the Board of the SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes) Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that works with families who are affected by Long QT Syndrome and other sudden death predisposing, genetic heart rhythm disorders.

Recently, the SADS Foundation was offered a challenge grant of $50,000 by Mr. Frederick Smith, President & CEO of Fed Ex. Mr. Smith lost his daughter, Wendy, a few years ago, due to a medical misdiagnosis of Long QT. He has become a staunch supporter of the work of the Foundation, and has offered this grant to the SADS Foundation in order to advance our Medical Education Program.

As you know, there is a great need to bridge the knowledge gap regarding SADS conditions. This program will facilitate early recognition and accurate diagnosis and treatment of Long QT and other genetic heart rhythm abnormalities by implementing strategies to ensure that healthcare providers have all available current and relevant information. With the establishment of this program, we also hope to increase the education of primary care physicians that would be able to then identify possible SADS conditions and refer them to the appropriate expert.

We're only $6,000 shy of our $50,000 challenge goal. I have set a personal goal to try to raise $5,000 on behalf of all of the families that I serve. I am hoping to raise this sum by May 10th so that we can announce the launch of the Medical Education Program at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Denver.

Tax-deductible donations to the SADS Foundation can be made securely by clicking on the "Donate Now" button below. These gifts will be matched by Mr. Smith until our challenge goal is met. I also have pledged to match the first $1,000 of personal donations in addition to my annual gift to the Foundation. Although I have not actively solicited for support for the SADS Foundation before now, many of you have learned about SADS and have already made generous gifts to the Foundation. I am deeply grateful for those gifts and for all the contributions that have been made to support this important work.

I am proud of the outstanding work of the SADS Foundation, and continue to be hopeful that as awareness grows, not only among the general population, but also among the medical profession, needless deaths like Wendy's can be prevented.

Thank you for your support of this important program.

Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology
Director of Mayo Clinic's Long QT Syndrome Clinic and Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory
President of the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation

Celebrate Cache's Birthday

http://www.firstgiving.com/melissamiller6