Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Friends of Faith Book Drive
Happy New Year to everyone!
2009 Blessed us with the birth of our second daughter Abby Grace Miles on June 29, 2009 at 10:58pm. She is a happy and healthy 6 month old today.
Now that 2010 is here I would like to tell you about our planned events for 2010 in memory of our Sweet Pea, Faith Grace Miles (3-6 to 4-5-08).
Friends of Faith Book Drive
Donate new books or new plush animals this year! We apologize but we are not accepting used books this year. Last year we filled the Family Resource center at Mott's Children's Hospital with over 300 new and used books. Thank you to everyone who donated!
Our focus this year will be on collecting new books and new plush animals to donate to families with a child or children in the NICU/PICU. Depending on how many items we receive we would like to donate some items to DeVos Children's Hospital here in Grand Rapids, MI and some to Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI.
How you can help: Purchase a new book or plush animal and send it to Amy and Steve Miles, 2275 Fawnwood Dr. SE, Kentwood, MI 49508
Right now Kohl's has Dr. Seuss books and plush animals for $5 to support Kohl's Cares For Kids. So if you purchase one of these and donate it to the Friends of Faith book drive you are helping children TWICE!!!!
Dr. Seuss stories are dear to our hearts, because we read them to Faith each night.
Thank you to anyone who can help! We really appreciate it!
Hugs and love from Michigan,
Amy, Steve, ^Faith^, and Abby Miles
2009 Blessed us with the birth of our second daughter Abby Grace Miles on June 29, 2009 at 10:58pm. She is a happy and healthy 6 month old today.
Now that 2010 is here I would like to tell you about our planned events for 2010 in memory of our Sweet Pea, Faith Grace Miles (3-6 to 4-5-08).
Friends of Faith Book Drive
Donate new books or new plush animals this year! We apologize but we are not accepting used books this year. Last year we filled the Family Resource center at Mott's Children's Hospital with over 300 new and used books. Thank you to everyone who donated!
Our focus this year will be on collecting new books and new plush animals to donate to families with a child or children in the NICU/PICU. Depending on how many items we receive we would like to donate some items to DeVos Children's Hospital here in Grand Rapids, MI and some to Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI.
How you can help: Purchase a new book or plush animal and send it to Amy and Steve Miles, 2275 Fawnwood Dr. SE, Kentwood, MI 49508
Right now Kohl's has Dr. Seuss books and plush animals for $5 to support Kohl's Cares For Kids. So if you purchase one of these and donate it to the Friends of Faith book drive you are helping children TWICE!!!!
Dr. Seuss stories are dear to our hearts, because we read them to Faith each night.
Thank you to anyone who can help! We really appreciate it!
Hugs and love from Michigan,
Amy, Steve, ^Faith^, and Abby Miles
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Oh the weather outside is frightful...
Winter Storm warnings, snow, rain, ice and a blizzard warning describe Wednesday and possibly Thursday too! Steve's school was canceled so we all stayed home where it was warm and watch a movie and had a photo shoot in the evening. Here are the pictures we took of Miss Abby!
Hope all is well!
Love,
The Miles Family
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Roly Poly girl!
Abby is starting to master rolling both ways! She hasn't figured out that rolling can take her places yet... She has been eating rice cereal for awhile now and loves it. Yesterday she tried organic bananas and enjoyed them. Next week we'll be trying sweet potatoes! I am using a book called Super Baby food that teaches you how to make your own baby food using organic fruits and veggies. I am excited to start making and freezing it!
Abby's grandparents are coming from FL next week to celebrate Christmas with us. We are excited to see them again. My mom took care of Abby while I was working.
We have blizzard like conditions on the way from a storm that was out in Nevada just Yesterday!!!!! We are preparing and hoping that Steve gets a snowday.
We hope that everyone is having a great holiday season!
love,
the Miles family!
Abby's grandparents are coming from FL next week to celebrate Christmas with us. We are excited to see them again. My mom took care of Abby while I was working.
We have blizzard like conditions on the way from a storm that was out in Nevada just Yesterday!!!!! We are preparing and hoping that Steve gets a snowday.
We hope that everyone is having a great holiday season!
love,
the Miles family!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Turkey Week
I can't believe that it is already the week of Thanksgiving! Where has the year gone already!!!! I am down to my last three days of subbing and I must say I am really going to miss these kids. They have a special place in my heart. I think I might cry on Wednesday when I leave them.
My mom leaves on Wednesday to head back to FL. Then they will be headed back to MI the third week of December to celebrate Christmas. It has been such a blessing having her around to help out. I am going to miss her being around when she leaves. How will I ever accomplish all that she does in a day!
We will be back in MP on Thursday for Thanksgiving. Friday we will be out there shopping with all the crazy people. Steve is going early in the AM and I am going later. Next week I will be going to two woman's evening activities at different churches. I am really excited!
Abby is growing and growing. She has mastered rolling from belly to back and finally rolled from back to belly but only once! She does well bringing things to her mouth. She likes to suck on her bottom lip and stick out her tongue :) She is such a funny girl. Generally she is a very happy baby. Lately she has started to have a little fussy time and isn't really sleeping through the night anymore. Boo! On Sunday I tried to give her a little rice cereal it was pretty funny! She likes to suck on the spoon. We are also working on using a transitional sippy cup. We are loving every moment with her and have some new pictures to post later.
Hope all is well and have a great holiday!
Love,
Amy, Steve, ^Faith^, and Abby Miles
Monday, November 9, 2009
Faith's story
Well I finally did it. I wrote Faith's story. It's sad to say that 19 months after my baby went to Heaven, its hard to recall some of the details. I really wish that I had written this earlier, but I know that this was all part of the healing process. Any earlier and it wouldn't have turned out the way that I wanted it to.
The first year of grief was a state of shock and survival. After Abby's birth, grief became a whole new ball of wax. I am so much more emotional. Anytime that I tell Faith's story, write about her story, or look at what Abby is doing now. It's a double edged sword to want your first born daughter here with you, but knowing that would mean Abby would not be here. I have to rest in knowing that Faith's purpose on earth was filled and now it is my job to use this "storm" in my life to live, learn, and teach others to lean on God. You can not go through these things alone and we have leaned on family, friends, Stephen Ministers from church, the CDH community and our Life Group.
We joined our Life Group early this past summer before Abby's birth. Though we waited a long time to find a life group that "fit". God's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Let me back up a little and talk about some of the ways that God prepared us for this journey.
July 2007 we found out we were pregnant, bought a house, I got a teaching job and after trying a few churches we found Cornerstone. It was a friendly church home and the messages and music spoke to us. I had never taken communion before until Cornerstone "invited" me to take part in their communion. You didn't have to take a class or be a member. I remember singing the song "Mighty to Save" and realizing how BIG our God is. He is mighty to save and He can save my little girl. We were quiet in our "storm" and never really asked for prayer requests or told people about what was happening in our lives. We were still wrapping our heads around everything. We continued to pray. Praying that things would look better on the ultrasound. When those weren't answered we prayed that things would stay the same. When we felt those weren't answered, we prayed for strength and the ability to enjoy the pregnancy. For awhile it felt like everytime we went for an appointment there was more bad news, but through all that we had the support of friends and the CDH community. God answered our prayer and our pregnancy was easy and enjoyable. Steve and I read to Faith while she was in utero because we knew we would cherish those moments later. I can still remember him reading her Star Wars stories:)
Though God did not answer my prayers the way I wanted them answered He did answer them. He surrounded me with people who had hope, who would fight the good fight with us. Without that support team the roller coaster of CDH would have been unbearable. I would have no doubt turned away from God.
The year following Faith's death we became very invovled in the CDH community, attended Infant Loss walks, hosted blood drives in memory of Faith, collected books for her first birthday, knitted hats for Gabriel's gifts, Steve ran a 25K, and made dinner at the RMH in Ann Arbor.
Back to our Life Group (sorry if this post is all over the place, its how the emotions flow sometimes). The people in our life group are AMAZING! When we got the call that we had been placed in this life group Steve and I were so excited. We would see people around church and say "those are the kinds of people we want to be surrounded by". We shared Faith's story with our life group and the birth of Abby with them as well. They supported us and prayed for us when Abby was 30 days old (the same age that we lost Faith). We grew closer together quickly and began doing outreach with our group. In September we went to Manistee to see Clint run his first marathon. A few days later he bounced an idea off of us and thus Journey to Faith was born:
Journey to Faith is a 125 mile run from the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor to Faith Grace Miles' final resting place. Our goal is to share our stories of faith, spread awareness for CDH, and raise money for the RMH of Ann Arbor.
How have the "storms" in your life shaped your Faith? What people has God placed in your life to help you through it?
Think about it. Post in the comment section or post it at www.thejourneytofaith.blogspot.com where you can follow Clint as he trains for this 125 mile run. I will post more details as they become available.
If you would like to read Faith Grace Miles' journey check out http://faithgracecdh.blogspot.com/2009/11/story-of-faith-grace-miles.html
Thank you for your time.
The Miles Family
The first year of grief was a state of shock and survival. After Abby's birth, grief became a whole new ball of wax. I am so much more emotional. Anytime that I tell Faith's story, write about her story, or look at what Abby is doing now. It's a double edged sword to want your first born daughter here with you, but knowing that would mean Abby would not be here. I have to rest in knowing that Faith's purpose on earth was filled and now it is my job to use this "storm" in my life to live, learn, and teach others to lean on God. You can not go through these things alone and we have leaned on family, friends, Stephen Ministers from church, the CDH community and our Life Group.
We joined our Life Group early this past summer before Abby's birth. Though we waited a long time to find a life group that "fit". God's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Let me back up a little and talk about some of the ways that God prepared us for this journey.
July 2007 we found out we were pregnant, bought a house, I got a teaching job and after trying a few churches we found Cornerstone. It was a friendly church home and the messages and music spoke to us. I had never taken communion before until Cornerstone "invited" me to take part in their communion. You didn't have to take a class or be a member. I remember singing the song "Mighty to Save" and realizing how BIG our God is. He is mighty to save and He can save my little girl. We were quiet in our "storm" and never really asked for prayer requests or told people about what was happening in our lives. We were still wrapping our heads around everything. We continued to pray. Praying that things would look better on the ultrasound. When those weren't answered we prayed that things would stay the same. When we felt those weren't answered, we prayed for strength and the ability to enjoy the pregnancy. For awhile it felt like everytime we went for an appointment there was more bad news, but through all that we had the support of friends and the CDH community. God answered our prayer and our pregnancy was easy and enjoyable. Steve and I read to Faith while she was in utero because we knew we would cherish those moments later. I can still remember him reading her Star Wars stories:)
Though God did not answer my prayers the way I wanted them answered He did answer them. He surrounded me with people who had hope, who would fight the good fight with us. Without that support team the roller coaster of CDH would have been unbearable. I would have no doubt turned away from God.
The year following Faith's death we became very invovled in the CDH community, attended Infant Loss walks, hosted blood drives in memory of Faith, collected books for her first birthday, knitted hats for Gabriel's gifts, Steve ran a 25K, and made dinner at the RMH in Ann Arbor.
Back to our Life Group (sorry if this post is all over the place, its how the emotions flow sometimes). The people in our life group are AMAZING! When we got the call that we had been placed in this life group Steve and I were so excited. We would see people around church and say "those are the kinds of people we want to be surrounded by". We shared Faith's story with our life group and the birth of Abby with them as well. They supported us and prayed for us when Abby was 30 days old (the same age that we lost Faith). We grew closer together quickly and began doing outreach with our group. In September we went to Manistee to see Clint run his first marathon. A few days later he bounced an idea off of us and thus Journey to Faith was born:
Journey to Faith is a 125 mile run from the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor to Faith Grace Miles' final resting place. Our goal is to share our stories of faith, spread awareness for CDH, and raise money for the RMH of Ann Arbor.
How have the "storms" in your life shaped your Faith? What people has God placed in your life to help you through it?
Think about it. Post in the comment section or post it at www.thejourneytofaith.blogspot.com where you can follow Clint as he trains for this 125 mile run. I will post more details as they become available.
If you would like to read Faith Grace Miles' journey check out http://faithgracecdh.blogspot.com/2009/11/story-of-faith-grace-miles.html
Thank you for your time.
The Miles Family
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Slacker!
Wow I am so sorry that I have gotten so bad at posting updates and such! Life has been busy!!!! I got a call to do a long term sub position where I used to work for 8 weeks and that was a month ago, so only 4 weeks left. I love the kiddos and the staff, but I am ready to be with Abby again. I only get to see her 3-4 hours a day. Props to all you working mom's! My mom has moved up here with us to live in our house and take care of Abby while we are working. It is so nice to be able to spend time with her.
I can't even think of everything that has happened since I last posted! We have been busy every weekend with different things. We went to A Walk To Remember in Lowell again this year, Abby was sick so she stayed home with Grandma. We made balloons for Faith, Drake and Jacob. It was a nice fall morning.
We headed back to MP to go to the Into the Light Cancer walk. Marisa and Tressa put the event together this year! Go girls! The next morning we headed back to GR to pick apples with our friends from church. It was a good time! Abby ate and slept through the whole thing!
I saw Bebo Norman, Natalie Grant and Jeremy Campbell in concert. Natalie Grant was AMAZING!!! Highly recommend seeing her in concert!
Steve ran a 5K from our "old" church to our "new" church building. Spiderman even ran the race! The kids all loved it!
I started going to the chiropractor and Abby does too! We are trying preventative medicine. Steve thinks I am a little holistic crazy!
That's about all for now! I have some big news but I will save it for another post as I can hear Abby!
I can't even think of everything that has happened since I last posted! We have been busy every weekend with different things. We went to A Walk To Remember in Lowell again this year, Abby was sick so she stayed home with Grandma. We made balloons for Faith, Drake and Jacob. It was a nice fall morning.
We headed back to MP to go to the Into the Light Cancer walk. Marisa and Tressa put the event together this year! Go girls! The next morning we headed back to GR to pick apples with our friends from church. It was a good time! Abby ate and slept through the whole thing!
I saw Bebo Norman, Natalie Grant and Jeremy Campbell in concert. Natalie Grant was AMAZING!!! Highly recommend seeing her in concert!
Steve ran a 5K from our "old" church to our "new" church building. Spiderman even ran the race! The kids all loved it!
I started going to the chiropractor and Abby does too! We are trying preventative medicine. Steve thinks I am a little holistic crazy!
That's about all for now! I have some big news but I will save it for another post as I can hear Abby!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)