Early spring, Maddie was asked as one of 25 Seattle Children's hospital patients from our area to be featured at the 25th Anniversary Harvest Ball. The Harvest Ball is an annual event presented by nine Tri-City guilds that support Seattle Children's Hospital. Mom, Maddie and I went down to the ball last night to enjoy a 5-course dinner, auction and dancing in the Tri-Cities. Bryan has been very busy with harvest and opted out (not really his thing so he and boys had a fun night at home together). These photos were taken back in March of the patients and were used to decorate with as well as on the invitations and pamphlets for the event. Photos by Brittney Kluse.
Maddie and her heart sister, Teagan, were the cover of the calendar given at the event as well as the the month of February with the cute kissing picture. We missed having the Maxwell's there last night. I would have loved seeing these two together!
Many of the patients spoke last evening, giving short stories of their health issues and how Children's has changed their lives. It was touching. We were very proud of Jackson...he did a great job (not pictured in our photo session).
So, to gear Miss Maddie up for this big night, we kept telling her we were going to Cinderella's ball. We often call her our "princess" and she surely lived up to her name last night!
She was given her own special dinner of elegant but tasty kid's food. She had manners just like a princess by...
sipping her chocolate milk from a beautiful glass...
to posing by charming boys like our friend Jackson (this is as near as she'd come to him or any young man, I hope she's this way in her teen years with boys!) We enjoyed sitting with Noftles, Andersens, Courtney and Jenks. It's always nice to have familiar faces at an event like this.
to having many adore her, especially her Nany. She was pampered!
But once the band started, our princess perked right up and wanted to hit the dance floor!
Dancing with Nany and Mama, as well as sweet little girls who'd come and take her hands and whisk her away
She came right out of her shell! She loved, loved, loved the live band.
More dancing, or shaking her "booty" as she calls it
It was an evening fit for a princess and this little girl had a grand time at the ball! It was precious and just watching her brought many smiles, tears and a big sigh in our hearts. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine she'd be this healthy and living life so fully. It was magical.
Maddie and her heart sister, Teagan, were the cover of the calendar given at the event as well as the the month of February with the cute kissing picture. We missed having the Maxwell's there last night. I would have loved seeing these two together!
Many of the patients spoke last evening, giving short stories of their health issues and how Children's has changed their lives. It was touching. We were very proud of Jackson...he did a great job (not pictured in our photo session). 
So, to gear Miss Maddie up for this big night, we kept telling her we were going to Cinderella's ball. We often call her our "princess" and she surely lived up to her name last night!
She was given her own special dinner of elegant but tasty kid's food. She had manners just like a princess by...
sipping her chocolate milk from a beautiful glass...
to posing by charming boys like our friend Jackson (this is as near as she'd come to him or any young man, I hope she's this way in her teen years with boys!) We enjoyed sitting with Noftles, Andersens, Courtney and Jenks. It's always nice to have familiar faces at an event like this. 
to having many adore her, especially her Nany. She was pampered!
But once the band started, our princess perked right up and wanted to hit the dance floor!
Dancing with Nany and Mama, as well as sweet little girls who'd come and take her hands and whisk her away
She came right out of her shell! She loved, loved, loved the live band.
More dancing, or shaking her "booty" as she calls it
It was an evening fit for a princess and this little girl had a grand time at the ball! It was precious and just watching her brought many smiles, tears and a big sigh in our hearts. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine she'd be this healthy and living life so fully. It was magical.
Miss Moom's slept through most of the race. I jogged and pushed her...a great 37 minute workout!
We had some "over-achievers" (aka our pro's) on the team as well who ran the 10K race. That's over 6 miles! They had already started by the time we took that first big group picture. Way to go and thanks for running your hearts out!
Teagan's family had a team there as well but we didn't get a group picture together...just the sweet little half-heart sisters posed for one :)
Maddie enjoyed stealing everyone's popsicles after the race.
Here's Bryan, Maddie & I after our run. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to catch up with a few other heart families who attended the event as well. Always a bonus to meet other families going through similar situations.
We also were able to meet the ambassadors for the run...Team Noah. Noah is 1 1/2 and was born with cystic hygroma, or lymphatic malformation, on his neck. They live in Wenatchee (east siders like us) and he's been in and out of Children's all of his life. His mama was so sweet to chat with, just a really great family! He'd about had it with pictures I think, lots of paparazzi following him around this day :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who supported our team! We are leading the "Top Individual Fundraisers" right now with $3550.00 donated, the fundraising ends on Friday. If you didn't get around to it and would like to still support our efforts of raising money for Children's Heart Research...you can click here. Thanks again for your support to our family and for Children's Hospital! We love you and feel so blessed!
We're at it again...raising money for CHD, specifically for Seattle Children's and the Children's Heart Research Guild. With the wonderful help of Maddie's Aunt Lesa, we're putting together a team to participate in the Covey Run over in Seattle on Saturday, August 21st. If you are interested in joining our team for the race, please let one of us know and you can register here. If you'd like to just sponsor our team, you can click here and donate online on our Firstgiving page. We are looking forward to it and Team Maddie Moomer's should be entertaining! And as always, we appreciate all of your love and on-going support!
(click on the photo collages to enlarge the pictures)
Heart families posing after the run...Our family, Jill & Kate (VSD,ASD), Trent, Susie & Teagan (HLHS), and Wyndi & Izzy (PHACES, IAA, Pacemaker)
Another member of the "zipper club" with a mended heart is Maggie (ASD), with Maddie & Cousin Savanna
For the $10 race entry fee, the participants received a bag with their t-shirt, bottled H2O, Heart Guild brochure and either a key chain or red bracelet that said CHD AWARENESS. Thanks Tonneka (another heart mom) for sending us the extras from your fundraiser!