my dad was recently diagnosed with two brain tumors.
we have started a blog about his journey through this.
please join us. the blog address is: rickholladay.blogspot.com
there is also a link to it on the side of this blog, under "friends and family", titled "dad."
Friday, January 13, 2012
Monday, May 23, 2011
evan's birthday week begins!
little cutie pie turns ONE on thursday, may 26!!! we are so excited that we are going to party every day...Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
i love you!
so, listen to this video and decide for yourself. but it seems pretty clear to me at the end that evan mimics me saying "i love you." i recorded the video for his grammy (vin's grandma) so that is who we are talking to. this is not the first time he has repeated these words. my parents have heard him say it and i got it on my cell phone a few weeks ago. it's pretty cool... enjoy!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
cuteness
evan is now 9 and 1/2 months old! where oh where does time go? here are some fun facts about our sweet boy:
he can say mama and dada (when he feels like it)
when he talks to himself it sounds like he is saying "ya ya" or "ee i ee i oh". in fact we have started calling him yaya.
he has cut his first tooth and the second one should come through any day now.
he is still trying to crawl and combines that with rolling over, sitting up, and bouncing on his bum to get to where he wants to go.
he shakes his head "no" which is hilarious.
he kicks so much we think he is growing to grow up to be a champion soccer player.
he knows the signs for milk and kitty cat.
he loves to snuggle with his mama.
he loves music.
he loves cats and dogs.
he love love loves being in the car and stoller.
he is growing like crazy! he is taller than his 13 month old cousin and we just bought him clothes in size 12-18 months. he has definitely made up for his tiny beginnings.
he loves the bath and cries when he has to get out. he has loved the water ever since his very first bath. he finds it peaceful.
he hates shoes and socks and pulls them off as soon as i put them on.
his favorite object is his "silky" which is a blanket from his aunt mindi and aunt brynn. it is very soft and he cannot sleep without it.
forget toys, just give him a tv remote.
too cute:
silly face:
i love when he smiles and his nose scrunches up.
look at those cheeks!
he can say mama and dada (when he feels like it)
when he talks to himself it sounds like he is saying "ya ya" or "ee i ee i oh". in fact we have started calling him yaya.
he has cut his first tooth and the second one should come through any day now.
he is still trying to crawl and combines that with rolling over, sitting up, and bouncing on his bum to get to where he wants to go.
he shakes his head "no" which is hilarious.
he kicks so much we think he is growing to grow up to be a champion soccer player.
he knows the signs for milk and kitty cat.
he loves to snuggle with his mama.
he loves music.
he loves cats and dogs.
he love love loves being in the car and stoller.
he is growing like crazy! he is taller than his 13 month old cousin and we just bought him clothes in size 12-18 months. he has definitely made up for his tiny beginnings.
he loves the bath and cries when he has to get out. he has loved the water ever since his very first bath. he finds it peaceful.
he hates shoes and socks and pulls them off as soon as i put them on.
his favorite object is his "silky" which is a blanket from his aunt mindi and aunt brynn. it is very soft and he cannot sleep without it.
forget toys, just give him a tv remote.
too cute:
silly face:
i love when he smiles and his nose scrunches up.
look at those cheeks!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
evan is on the move... sorta
evan has figured out how to move!!! forget crawling... this little guy is scooting all over. i have tried and tried to help him learn to crawl, but from very early on he would just put his head down and fake cry when on his tummy. he is so funny!!!
evan is 8 months old now and such a delight. he is joyful and sweet and loving. he loves to cuddle and just started saying "mama." he seems to be getting his first tooth, and that has been a little bit hard on him. evan loves the bath and loves to be outside. he is super happy when the wheels are turning under him - either in the car or in his stroller.
we are so blessed to be evan's parents. we have never ever been happier or more content. he is always smiling and wherever we go people squeal over his rosy cheeks and blue eyes. we absolutely adore our sweet baby boy!!!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
yeah, baby!!!
well, as most of you know by now, we have our sweet baby boy, evan! he is everything that we ever dreamed of, and more... he is such a happy baby and loves to be involved in everything.
i will write out the entire story for you all later (because it is awesome!) but just know that we made it to the hospital in time to see him born. what an incredible and beautiful experience!
here are 2 photos of our little evan. in the first he is just seconds old, in the second he is about 3 months old. he is now 4 months.
i will write out the entire story for you all later (because it is awesome!) but just know that we made it to the hospital in time to see him born. what an incredible and beautiful experience!
here are 2 photos of our little evan. in the first he is just seconds old, in the second he is about 3 months old. he is now 4 months.
jewel, take two...
the judge postponed his ruling for another court date in november. please remember to keep the dursts and jewel in your prayers so that they can be a forever family.Monday, September 20, 2010
jewel...
the time is almost here (sept 28th) for the courts of ca to decide this little jewel's fate. please keep her and the dursts in your prayers and thoughts, that she might be able to spend forever with them.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
maybe baby?
we are leaving for the airport in ten minutes... for real!!!
our birthmom is in labor and is expected to have the baby tonight! please pray for her safety, for our little guy's safety and health, and that we make it there in time to see him born!
love you all!
megan and vinny
our birthmom is in labor and is expected to have the baby tonight! please pray for her safety, for our little guy's safety and health, and that we make it there in time to see him born!
love you all!
megan and vinny
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
our baby boy
as you are all well aware, we are adopting a baby boy that is due to be born june 29th (a week before our 10th wedding anniversary). we are over the moon with happiness!!! we find ourselves wandering through the baby aisles of every store we go into, and discussing boy names endlessly. we are thrilled!
our baby's sweet birthmom has had a few complications during her pregnancy that have led her to be on bed-rest. we are also pretty certain that our little guy will be born premature. we ask for your thoughts and prayers for our baby and his beautiful birthmom that they will be safe and healthy.
thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, and excitement during this wonderful time in our lives. we can't wait to bring him home and introduce him to all of the family and friends just waiting to meet him.
our baby's sweet birthmom has had a few complications during her pregnancy that have led her to be on bed-rest. we are also pretty certain that our little guy will be born premature. we ask for your thoughts and prayers for our baby and his beautiful birthmom that they will be safe and healthy.
thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, and excitement during this wonderful time in our lives. we can't wait to bring him home and introduce him to all of the family and friends just waiting to meet him.
Friday, March 12, 2010
please check this out...
i have this amazing friend that i met in college named breclyn. she is pretty much superwoman! she recently asked me to join the board of this awesome organization that she runs called "sixteen small stones." breclyn works tirelessly to relieve the suffering of children around the world.
her main focus is on the orphans of china and africa, but she takes up cases where ever she finds a need.
right now we are trying to collect blankets and fuzzi bunz cloth diapers for a particular group. please go to her blog: sixteensmallstones.blogspot.com for more info. also, there is a link to her blog at the top right of our blog.
please take the time to read through a bit of her blog, she is truely an angel - she is so inspirational...
we met at southern virginia university (when it was still svc) and we clicked instantly. over the years we lost track but thanks to the world of facebook we have re-connected and picked up like we never missed a beat. she is one of my dearest friends on this earth. i admire her to no end. she can move mountains with her faith and with her tireless work. i love her and know that when you read her blog you will love her, too.
her main focus is on the orphans of china and africa, but she takes up cases where ever she finds a need.
right now we are trying to collect blankets and fuzzi bunz cloth diapers for a particular group. please go to her blog: sixteensmallstones.blogspot.com for more info. also, there is a link to her blog at the top right of our blog.
please take the time to read through a bit of her blog, she is truely an angel - she is so inspirational...
we met at southern virginia university (when it was still svc) and we clicked instantly. over the years we lost track but thanks to the world of facebook we have re-connected and picked up like we never missed a beat. she is one of my dearest friends on this earth. i admire her to no end. she can move mountains with her faith and with her tireless work. i love her and know that when you read her blog you will love her, too.
Friday, February 26, 2010
ultrasound of our baby boy!
here is part of the ultrasound where we can hear his heartbeat and see his little hand up by his sweet little face... so amazing!!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
it's a...
BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(more news to come tomorrow)
we are, of course, thrilled, bewildered, over the moon with happiness and joy!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
who has great news?? we do!!! we do!!!
today we find ourselves in the beautiful state of georgia. why? you may ask... because a wonderful couple has chosen us to adopt their baby! along with all of you they are following us on this journey on our blog - a special shout-out to them!!! we were lucky enough to accompany them to the doctor today. her ultra-sound isn't until next week, but i (megan) got to hear the baby's heartbeat!!!! i have never heard a sweeter sound.
we want to share this with all of you. it looks like she is due the beginning of may, but that is subject to change after the ultra-sound. parenthood -- here we come!!!
we feel so blessed and so lucky and just marvel at how fantastic this all is. these two people who have chosen us are magnificent people with such big hearts.
please enjoy this video...
we want to share this with all of you. it looks like she is due the beginning of may, but that is subject to change after the ultra-sound. parenthood -- here we come!!!
we feel so blessed and so lucky and just marvel at how fantastic this all is. these two people who have chosen us are magnificent people with such big hearts.
please enjoy this video...
Friday, January 29, 2010
happy birthday micah!!!
happy birthday to our oldest nephew, micah!!!
dear micah,
we are so happy to have you in our lives... we love you!!! we hope that your birthday is super fun and that you have some yummy cake!!!
love,
aunt megan and uncle vinny
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
friends helping haiti's orphans...
We know that all of you are aware of the terrible circumstances in Haiti due to the earthquake.
Prior to the earthquake we were in contact with an Orphanage, Foyer Coin Des Cieux: http://internationalsocialwork.wikispaces.com/Foyer%20Coin%20des%20Cieux%20Orphanage?f=print
(please do not donate to the banks listed on their website as they do not have access to their banks at this time- keep reading for ways to help).
The Orphanage is run by a wonderful man, Fritzner Morlant. As many of you know we have been trying to adopt and our hearts have been pulled to Haiti for many years now. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Fifty percent of Haiti’s children do not reach their fifth birthday because of poverty and disease. That was before the earthquake. We have a close friend who lived in Haiti for a few years and is very good friends with Fritzner and has talked with him nearly every day since the earthquake. The orphanage was destroyed and now they are taking care of 84 children as opposed to the 24 they had before the catastrophe. Since the earthquake we have personally been in contact with Fritzner and he has expressed a great need to help the children he serves.
We were looking forward to collecting care packages to send to the orphanage, but Fritzner informed us that much of the boxed aid is stolen before it arrives. He said that a lot of the aid being provided in his area goes to whomever is strong enough to steal it, and then it is typically sold to the highest bidder. We don’t know if this is the case everywhere, but we know it to be the case in his area. He drives to the Dominican Republic (far away) to purchase supplies. Unfortunately he is unable to withdraw funds from his banks in Haiti and can only receive money via Western Union.
It is our intention to raise as much money as we can for Fritzner and his ophange. We know these are difficult financial times for us all and many of you have already given to other organizations. Our family has decided to go without a meal or two and donate the money we would have spent on these meals to help feed and care for these children in this orphanage. We ask you to consider seriously what you are able to give. Your sacrifices will go so far to help these children.
We will personally withdraw the money regularly from this account and send it directly to Fritzner via Western Union. There are no third parties involved. Every single penny goes to help the children in this orphanage. Your money will not even be used to pay wire transfer fees.
There are 3 ways to donate:
1. Walk into any Bank of America and deposit any donation into account # 21658-03373
2. If you have a PayPal account you can send any donation by doing the following:
Log in to your PayPal account at www.paypal.com
Click the “send money” tab
Type in: friendshelpinghaitisorphans@gmail.com and the amount of your donation.
Check the “goods” option.
Click “continue”
A new screen pops up confirming and you click “submit money” on the lower right.
We have linked this PayPal account directly to the Bank of America account shown above.
If you do not have a PayPal account it is easy to set one up; go to www.paypal.com
3. You can mail your donations or use any online bill-pay service from your bank; send the donation to:
Vinny and Megan Disanza
For Orphanage
25641 Mesa Edge Ct
Sun City, CA 92585
All donations are very much appreciated. $1.00 is not too little to donate. It is amazing how far it can go when you are sending it to someone who has nothing. Please feel free to pass this on to everyone you wish.
Sincerely,
Vinny and Megan (Holladay) Disanza
vinny_megan@verizon.net
951-679-5787
Prior to the earthquake we were in contact with an Orphanage, Foyer Coin Des Cieux: http://internationalsocialwork.wikispaces.com/Foyer%20Coin%20des%20Cieux%20Orphanage?f=print
(please do not donate to the banks listed on their website as they do not have access to their banks at this time- keep reading for ways to help).
The Orphanage is run by a wonderful man, Fritzner Morlant. As many of you know we have been trying to adopt and our hearts have been pulled to Haiti for many years now. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Fifty percent of Haiti’s children do not reach their fifth birthday because of poverty and disease. That was before the earthquake. We have a close friend who lived in Haiti for a few years and is very good friends with Fritzner and has talked with him nearly every day since the earthquake. The orphanage was destroyed and now they are taking care of 84 children as opposed to the 24 they had before the catastrophe. Since the earthquake we have personally been in contact with Fritzner and he has expressed a great need to help the children he serves.
We were looking forward to collecting care packages to send to the orphanage, but Fritzner informed us that much of the boxed aid is stolen before it arrives. He said that a lot of the aid being provided in his area goes to whomever is strong enough to steal it, and then it is typically sold to the highest bidder. We don’t know if this is the case everywhere, but we know it to be the case in his area. He drives to the Dominican Republic (far away) to purchase supplies. Unfortunately he is unable to withdraw funds from his banks in Haiti and can only receive money via Western Union.
It is our intention to raise as much money as we can for Fritzner and his ophange. We know these are difficult financial times for us all and many of you have already given to other organizations. Our family has decided to go without a meal or two and donate the money we would have spent on these meals to help feed and care for these children in this orphanage. We ask you to consider seriously what you are able to give. Your sacrifices will go so far to help these children.
We will personally withdraw the money regularly from this account and send it directly to Fritzner via Western Union. There are no third parties involved. Every single penny goes to help the children in this orphanage. Your money will not even be used to pay wire transfer fees.
There are 3 ways to donate:
1. Walk into any Bank of America and deposit any donation into account # 21658-03373
2. If you have a PayPal account you can send any donation by doing the following:
Log in to your PayPal account at www.paypal.com
Click the “send money” tab
Type in: friendshelpinghaitisorphans@gmail.com and the amount of your donation.
Check the “goods” option.
Click “continue”
A new screen pops up confirming and you click “submit money” on the lower right.
We have linked this PayPal account directly to the Bank of America account shown above.
If you do not have a PayPal account it is easy to set one up; go to www.paypal.com
3. You can mail your donations or use any online bill-pay service from your bank; send the donation to:
Vinny and Megan Disanza
For Orphanage
25641 Mesa Edge Ct
Sun City, CA 92585
All donations are very much appreciated. $1.00 is not too little to donate. It is amazing how far it can go when you are sending it to someone who has nothing. Please feel free to pass this on to everyone you wish.
Sincerely,
Vinny and Megan (Holladay) Disanza
vinny_megan@verizon.net
951-679-5787
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
how to help an orphanage in haiti
we are in communication with a man who runs an orphanage in haiti. the number of orphans in his care has jumped from 24 to 84 since the earthquake. they do not have access to their bank accounts and are reliant upon western union to get funds to buy necessities to live on. their building has been destroyed!
the director of the orphanage is a member of our church and we can guarantee that every penny will be used to help his orphans. we are creating a paypal account just for this haitian orphanage that should be ready tomorrow. any amount that you can donate will go so far. even if you only can spare $1.00!!! a link to his orphanage website (not in English) is http://internationalsocialwork.wikispaces.com/Foyer+Coin+des+Cieux+Orphanage?f=print
***please*** don't donate via their website as they have no way to access their banks at this time. we thank you so much for your help and prayers. these children are in need of everything.
the director of the orphanage is a member of our church and we can guarantee that every penny will be used to help his orphans. we are creating a paypal account just for this haitian orphanage that should be ready tomorrow. any amount that you can donate will go so far. even if you only can spare $1.00!!! a link to his orphanage website (not in English) is http://internationalsocialwork.wikispaces.com/Foyer+Coin+des+Cieux+Orphanage?f=print
***please*** don't donate via their website as they have no way to access their banks at this time. we thank you so much for your help and prayers. these children are in need of everything.
Monday, January 18, 2010
mlk, jr. - a remarkable man
well, i tried for quite a while to add a photo of martin luther king, jr. but for some reason my computer won't let me.
i'd just like to put a few quotes here by this extraordinary man. quite a few years ago i had the chance to see the mlk center and the original ebeneezer church where he preached. i went there with my cousin brynn and her husband kalvin on our trip from chicago to florida. it is something i will never forget.
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." --MLK Jr.
"he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it. he who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." --MLK Jr.
"i have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." --MLK Jr.
"i have decided to stick with love. hate is too great a burden to bear." --MLK Jr.
"life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" --MLK Jr.
"never succumb to the tempation of bitterness." --MLK Jr.
"pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check. but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one's soul." --MLK Jr.
"everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. . .You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." --MLK Jr.
let's all agree this day to be a little bit better. to fight injustice where we see it. to reach out.
i'd just like to put a few quotes here by this extraordinary man. quite a few years ago i had the chance to see the mlk center and the original ebeneezer church where he preached. i went there with my cousin brynn and her husband kalvin on our trip from chicago to florida. it is something i will never forget.
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." --MLK Jr.
"he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it. he who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." --MLK Jr.
"i have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." --MLK Jr.
"i have decided to stick with love. hate is too great a burden to bear." --MLK Jr.
"life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" --MLK Jr.
"never succumb to the tempation of bitterness." --MLK Jr.
"pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check. but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one's soul." --MLK Jr.
"everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. . .You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." --MLK Jr.
let's all agree this day to be a little bit better. to fight injustice where we see it. to reach out.
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