Tis the Season!

No, no, no, I'm not ready to jump to Christmas just yet! While I begin Christmas shopping sometime after June 30 every year, I'm a pretty firm believer in the Christmas season starting at exactly 12am the day after Thanksgiving. And Adam and I tend to jump in feet first... you can find us at Best Buy, Target or Toys R Us at about 1:30 AM, braving the thousands of people waiting in line all night. The weekend is full of decorating for Christmas, buying our tree, and other holiday festivities. However, the season of giving needs no start date, and I'm asking your help on one of two causes:

1. I've always wanted to do a 5k race, but have never been able to train consistently enough to get there. It's on my bucket list, but it's probably not going to happen for a while. HOWEVER, Gymboree is doing a 5k WALK in Charlotte on November 21, and I am so there! A walk is much more my speed, literally. AND, the walk benefits the kids of St. Jude. Adam and I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to have a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy free John Dickson (it's not for sure for a few more years, but he has absolutely no indication of the condition), that we feel strongly about supporting children who struggle with their health. I wouldn't compare HCM to what the kids at St Jude struggle with, but as thankful as we are to have a healthy and thriving toddler, I simply cant imagine being the parent of a child who is less fortunate. SO, if you feel so compelled to support the cause, simply click on the picture on the sidebar of the blog to make your donation. Or go to www.mygivethankswalk.org/amandak

2. Adam and I had such a blast running around with John Dickson Saturday night, going house to house trick or treating and showing off his precious tiger costume. We stopped at a neighbor's who had their friend Kelly over. Kelly has taken on fostering 2 brothers - an 8 week old who she has had since day 12, and his older brother who is 8 years old. The baby was born addicted to meth, and she has spent the first part of his life helping him overcome it. Since under her care, the kid has packed on the pounds and is up to 11 lbs at week 8. Did I mention she is a single mom of a 14 year old? The woman is incredible. Anyway, when she got the boys, they came with nothing but the clothes on their backs. And the 8 year old had no underwear. We sorted through John Dickson's old clothes and gave her what we could for the baby. However, as John Dickson was born in April, the seasons just didn't hit quite right for the most part. And we had nothing to offer the 8 year old. So if you have any old clothes (especially for the 8 year old) or feeding supplies, or if you just want to donate a pack of diapers or wipes, please let me know.