1st Plane Ride/Day 1

We made it to Destin! This is a trip we planned when I was pregnant with Miller, so it is sort of bittersweet being here. Before we left Children's Hospital, we told Miller's doctors about our beach trip and they told us that we should take him. They said to continue to do everything we had planned and treat him like a normal baby (except spoil him more than normal:), so even after his diagnosis, we still had plans to bring him. Once he got so dependent on oxygen, we knew the trip wouldn't be much of a "vacation" for Patrick and me, but were still planning on taking him, because we wanted him to see the ocean, and we knew Cole would enjoy it. However, once he wasn't able to tolerate his car bed (special car seat) anymore, we knew he wouldn't be able to go. Travel to the doctor was enough of a challenge, so a plane trip to Florida was now out of the question. We cancelled the trip 1 week before he passed away. About a week after he passed, I told Patrick that I thought a beach trip would do us some good. The original trip we had planned was still a month away, and I thought that by then we would be ready to get away. Well, in between the time we cancelled and the time I decided we should book again, Patrick had signed up to play in a golf tournament that he was really looking forward to, so I told him that was fine, and planned to fly out of Shreveport with my family (mom, dad, sister and nephews). This way everyone was happy! Golf makes Patrick happy and the beach makes me happy:)! A couple of weeks later, I got a surprise email! A confirmation from Vision Airlines for Patrick Woodruff:)! He couldn't stand it! He booked a flight out of Little Rock on Tuesday and will fly back to Shreveport on Saturday with us. I am so excited he decided to come and can't wait until Tuesday to see him!

This was Cole, Brady, and Ryan's 1st plane trip!

Excited momma and Cole:).....

Killing time while waiting to board the plane..... Here we go:).....

All buckled up! He said he didn't want to sit by the window, because "that seat scared him";).

I think this is a nervous smile;).....

Chewing starburst to keep his ears from popping.....

He decided he wanted to sit by the window after all:).....

Complimentary Oreos, yummy;).....

Once we were up in the air, he passed out;).....

We made it!!! All loaded up in the rental mini van:).....

Going to the beach.....

He LOVES the sand!!! Peg and her boys:).....

Not so sure about the sand on his hands;)..... Looking at the seagulls, and I think Miller was peeking through at us;).....

Running from the waves:).....

Ooops....smashing someones sand castle. He hasn't quite learned beach etiquette;)....

Brady and Ryan.....

Beautiful sky:).....

We saw this couple enjoying their evening on the beach. I thought it was so sweet:).....

MDA Boot Drive This Weekend

The Fayetteville Firefighters are braving the heat this weekend and raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in memory of Miller! They volunteered to do this out of the goodness of their hearts, and we are so thankful for their support. Our little man is continuing to touch lives! If you see these guys out and about tomorrow, please consider supporting the cause. You CAN make a difference:)!

Patrick stopped by to say THANK YOU:).....

Click on the link below to see the news story from KNWA.....

MDA Boot Drive This Weekend

4 months

Happy 4 Month Birthday Mr. Miller!

Fly-N-Hog

Have you seen Miller around town????? You better be looking for him:)!

Our friends at Fly-N-Hog Media have donated a year of ad space to Circle of Life Hospice in memory of Miller! What a special, special gift!

Blessed

One thing is for sure through our journey with Miller, and that is that we are BLESSED with the BEST friends in the world!!! I can't even begin to explain to you how much all of our friends and families thoughts, prayers, and kind gestures have meant to us over the last few months! I can only hope that I am 1/2 the friend to my friends as they have been to me! I told someone the other day that everyone keeps talking about what an inspiration Patrick and I have been, but the street goes both ways, because our friends and family have been inspirations to US! They have done things that I never in a million years would have thought about doing. From the biggest acts, to the smallest, they are ALL so very appreciated. From a prayer being said, or getting a card in the mail, to sending a cleaning lady to our house to clean (because Lord knows it needed it;)! Now, when I go to Walmart, I pick up a "thinking of you" card to send to someone "just because". You don't have to have cancer, or have a death in the family to appreciate a nice card. Maybe you had a crummy day at work, or your kids are driving you crazy? I think those things deserve cards too;)! Everyone deserves to know that they are special and being thought of. So I encourage you (as I'm going to do myself), next time you are at the store, buy a stack of cards and randomly send them to someone "just because". Other than just cards, here is a list of some other things that people have done for us:

• Someone REALLY did send their cleaning lady to our house:)!


• Use your talents. If you're good at taking pictures, take pictures! If you are good at writing, write a poem! If you're good at setting up websites (or know someone who is;), set up a website! These are gifts that can't be replaced!


• Yard work. Mow, mulch, plant flowers. Whatever you are able to do. This has been a huge blessing to us!


• Send/take care packages to the hospital (gift cards, lotion, lip gloss, Listerine, magazines, snacks/drinks, gum, a blanket)


• Of course, meals are GREAT! The last thing you want to think about is cooking (and in our case, getting to the grocery store was near impossible). If you can't cook, or live out of town, send a gift card from somewhere.


• DRINKS! Patrick's cousin brought a TON of assorted soft drinks. It was so nice to be able to offer our visitors something to drink, rather than just tap water. Of course, a bottle of wine every now and then is nice, too;)!


• Our friends stocked our fridge/household necessities and made sure our house was clean and in order before we came home from the hospital. This was so nice! Y'all know how much I love "lamps/light", so I was glad to not come home to a dark house;)!


• Personal shopping! This cracked me up, but since I was sort of "home bound" with Miller, and I was at that awkward in between stage (between maternity and normal), I felt like I didn't have any clothes to wear, so my friend Kate would go buy TONS of clothes at Forever21 and Target, and whatever I didn't want, she would take back! It sounds random, but it was so nice and helpful:)!


• Jewelry- (no diamonds, of course;) I have gotten several bracelets and necklaces from friends. I love them all! It's something I can wear to remember him by:)!


• Books- We have gotten lots of books. This has been great! We haven't gotten to read them all yet, but I'm looking forward to it.


• Pet sit! We were so thankful to have our neighbor take care of Lucy while we were in the hospital! Pets are kids too:)!


• We are Catholic, so several people have arranged for different masses to be for the intention of Miller. Such a neat idea! I wasn't even aware that you could do this!


• Crosses- we've gotten multiple crosses, and they are all so special to us


• Prayer cloth and/or prayer shawl- if your church does something like this. Ask them to do one for your friend/loved one.


• Pampering- massages, facials, mani/pedi, anything to RELAX! I've loved these gift certificates:)!


• COLE- don't forget siblings. People have been so kind to remember Cole:)!


• If you have a pool or a boat, offer it up for the day. A relaxing day on the water is a nice break:)!


• Offer to babysit:)! The pictures below are from what our friend Nancee did. After Miller passed away, she offered to keep Cole so we could have a date night, and on the way out the door, she handed us this box. Inside was a note from her, and a gift certificate for dinner, movies, and dessert! SO SWEET!!!

There are MANY more things that people did for us, but I would be here all day if I tried to include everything, so here are a few examples. I write this to try to give other people encouragement on how to reach out to their friends/family that are going through a tough time in life. Sometimes we don't reach out, simply because we just don't know what to do, so here are some ideas:)! Of course, simply PRAYING is the most powerful thing you can do, so please don't forget to do that! And if that's all you can offer, that is certainly enough! Like I said, from the smallest act, to the biggest, they are ALL very much appreciated!

So, THANK YOU, to our family and friends! We are forever indebted to you for all you have done for us over the past few months! We couldn't have made it without you!

Golf

This boy loves to golf! He doesn't care if it's real golf or miniature golf, just give him a club and a ball and he is happy:)!

golf AND ducks??? A little piece of Heaven;).....

"Could you guys quiet down over there?!?".....

Swinging his little heart out with his PUTTER;)!

Getting a little help from Honea:).....

Putt Putt with Nana and Papa:)....Help from Uncle Kyle:).....

Serious Daddy;).....

Ummmmm, do I look like I know what I'm doing;)? My ball got "retired" about 1/2 way through! Hahaha.....

Bud got INKED!

We went to the lake over 4th of July weekend. It was so nice to get away and relax for a bit! We hung one of Miller's banners on the front of my parents house:).....

My dad and Patrick told us they were going to a "gun show" and my dad came home with THIS:).....

Cole loved Bud's tat, and wanted one just like it, so we drew one on his arm. He was SO proud:).....Sleepy boy! This litttle guy plays so hard at the lake and hardly takes naps, so he always crashes on the way home:).....

I Won't Let Go

I can't believe it's been 1 month since Miller passed away! It feels like it was just yesterday. We miss him so much! For the most part, we are doing pretty good. As always, nights are worse. During the day we have been staying busy. Patrick is back at work, and I'm busy doing stuff for the foundation. It's a good busy, because I am doing stuff for Miller, so he is still very much a part of my daily routine:)! I love that! I plan to go back to work August 9th. I LOVE my job, and I miss the people I work with so much, but I am a little anxious about it. I know it will all work out, but be sure to say some extra prayers for me that morning;)!

A friend of ours said she heard this song on the radio the other day and thought of us. I have heard this song a million times, but never really listened to the words. It is definitely appropriate for our lives right now. It's amazing how music can speak to your heart! Thank you, Patrick, for never letting go:)!

(be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and PAUSE the playlist so you can hear the video)