Saturday, June 26, 2010

Our sweetie, your candy!


Happy Candy everyone!
I am so excited to write this post as it means SO much to me. It celebrates our Kindergarten graduate {and soon to be birthday girl} Maali!!


Here she is with her favorite library book, she wants to be a doctor one day. ;)
For those of you who are new friends here, Maali is a cancer survivor. At 2 and a half years old she was diagnosed with cancer of the eye and underwent chemo therapy and a major surgery. This past summer DH and I hesitated in putting her into school just yet, but she was ready to socialize and emulate her older siblings.

Fast forward a year later and not only has Maali been so gracious at offering explanations as to why she has a prosthetic eye ("My eye was sick and now it's a special eye") but she has reached and exceeded all of her Kindergarten requirements, testing above level in math and was 3 points away from a perfect reading score. Woohoo!!! Yes, it still makes me cry every time I talk about it. For a little one who battled cancer so graciously and then went on to catch up with her age group, we are sooo proud of her.

Maali is cancer free and turns 6 on July 14th, the day that this blog candy ends. I accumulated several of her favorite things as she is a budding crafter and has her own desk right across from mine. ;) Some of the goodies include dimensionals, Nestie tags, Sassy Suzi from TGF, flowers, my favorite Inkadinkadoo children's sentiment set, handmade watermelon buttons (her favorite fruit), gel pens, chipboard, TONS of 6x6 DP from all my favorite companies, and the most amazing ribbon scissors that I found at GAS. (These scissors are made from Teflon and makes the most amazing cuts!)

Please note, I will be adding to this pile (had to take a quick picture before I lost natural light) but wanted this post up with plenty of time for friends to add their names in. This is open to ALL friends, international and local. All you have to do is leave a comment below, and Maali will press the generator button on random.org on July 14th to pick the winner. Woohoo!!
♥♥♥Thank you so much for coming by and good luck! ♥♥♥

44 comments:

Jackie Randolph said...

A big hug and Congratulations to a very pretty Special little girl!!! Ok, drying the eyes here, you got me girlfriend!! LOL!!!

Hugz to Maali!!! and you too!

Random Acts of Krafting said...

I have followed your blog for some time Joni, and this post is the most precious. Please tell Maali that I am proud of her. She is a very determined little girl who has inspired me to enjoy the moment.
Hugs
Tanya

Courtney said...

What a beautiful little girl you have there! Your story brought a tear to my eye. No child should have to through such an ordeal as cancer.

Rhonda Miller said...

WooHoo!! Congrats to Maali on graduating Kindergarten. She sounds like she's very strong. Happy Birthday to her also. I hope she has a great day. Thanks so much for a chance to win some candy.

terriavidreader (IN-USA) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
terriavidreader (IN-USA) said...

Happy Birthday to Maali and congrats on having a child who is enjoying school! That won't last forever probably. So pleased to hear she is cancer free and loving life like all children should!

Ayu (MimiPipi Craft) said...

Congrats to Maali on graduating Kindergarten, and happy birthday.

Hugs to Maali.

-Ayu-

joni h said...

aww, joni, such a touching story! so happy for the accomplishments of your little one! you & your DH should be applauded too for the great job you do raising your children! happy birthday maali! go get 'um in 1st grade!

Carole RB said...

Hi Joni
You have a very courageous little girl. Congrats to Maali on her graduating Kindergarten and a very happy birthday. May all her wishes come true.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to win this yummy yummy blog candy!

Ashley Newell said...

Awwww, congrats to your sweet Maali! What a sweet girl!

Shirl said...

I'm so inspired by your post about Maali! What a brave little girl :)

"Happy birthday Maali! May you be blessed with abundant of joy and happiness and when it's time, your wish to become a doctor comes true!"

Hugs, Shirl

Maylee said...

What a sweet girl! How do you pronounce her name? My son also finished kinder this month. How fast this school year had gone by. I'm sure Maali is looking forward to her sixth birthday!

Lysa said...

Happy Birthday to sweet Maali!! Wishing her the BEST most wonderful birthday!

(Thank you for sharing her story, she certainly is a SPECIAL little "big" girl!!)

juli (sweetpz) said...

Awww, what a sweet little girl you have!
Her smile could brighten up anyones day or night =) Happy Early Birthday to Maali =D

hugs
juli

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Maali:)
What a beautiful and braining little girl you have Joni, no wonder your proud of her, she's amazing:)

Hugs to you all
Suzi
xxx

Jo said...

Hi Joni,
What a very inspiring and touching story. Your daughter is so courageous. Congratulations Maali on graduating from kindergarten!!! Take Care :)

Melissa S said...

Congrats Maali!!! Maali you are a very special little girl and good luck with 1st grade this fall.

scrapathomemom(at)live(dot)com

Rosa Forino said...

poter superare momenti così per una bimba è davvero difficile, ma lei c'è l'ha fatta, quindi pensa a quel periodo come un brutto ricordo e volta pagina per ricominciare... un saluto alla piccola maali dall'italia e congratulazioni a te per aver avuto la fortuna di avere una bimba così speciale...

Melissa Craig said...

I never tire of hearing this story of Maali. Her illness touched so many lives and brought us together as friends. Her strength and her attitude and her big heart will make her a doctor one day. That I am sure of!! Congratulations on graduating Kindergarten and Happy Birthday, sweetheart!!

fairie said...

Oh she is so cute. I'm very happy that she is feeling better. It's so cute how she's explaining her eye to other kids. Kids have a special way of telling other kids things about them.

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for a chance at this awesome candy.

Mimi said...

Congrats and Happy Birthday Maali! What an touching story and so happy to hear she is cancer free! She's such a sweetie, good luck in 1st grade and have a fantastic summer! ;)

Christina said...

Happy Birthday and Congrats!!! Hope you have a super summer! You are such an amazing little girl.

scrapsnsuch@gmail.com said...

Joni, she is adorable. What a sweetie and such a strong little one!
Please send her HUGE B-day wishes :>)

Sheri Gilson said...

Happy Birthday Sweet Maali!! You are such a strong and sweet little girl!! Super Big Hugs from Auntie Sherbear!!

Bobbi said...

What a great inspirational story. Happy graduation and happy birthday Maali. She is so cute.

Irena said...

Happy Birthday to your pretty girl!
I am very happy to know that she is cancer free.
I wish your family all the best!

Thanh Vo said...

Hugs to you, your family and your little girl, Joni!!! Maali you are one strong girl. Have a happy birthday!

Lisa B said...

Oh Joni I have been a follower of your blog for awhile but I had no idea what your little Maali went thru!! That just goes to show you what a strong individual she is and will be later in life. You have a beautiful and courageous little girl.
My eyes lite up when I read about the scissors. They sound like a dream to me!

gocanucksgo said...

Happy early birthday Maali and congrats on graduating kindergarten! It's wonderful to see such a strong girl at such a young age. Good luck on becoming a doctor (a lot of more years left of school lol)! I hope you have an awesome birthday filled with lots of love, cake and ice cream =) Keep up the fantastic work Joni!!

Nikki said...

Congrats to Maali :) She's an Inspiration to others and a big Happy Birthday Have a fun day with loads of cake and goodies
hugs Nikki

Unknown said...

Maali just looks beautiful! Give her a big hug from NC! Great candy too - I've linked you to my blog and always follow you :)

Michele said...

Maali is an such an awesome person....as is her mommy!! Sending you both big hugs from Hawaii!! :-)

Tanya said...

Congrats to Maali on graduating kindergarten, and happy birthday!! You have a beautiful family. They get big so fast. After kindergarten, they aren't little babies any more, *sigh*. Have a fantastic summer! :)

Angie said...

This is so awesome of you! Congratulations to Maali for graduating Kindergarten, and for being such an amazing little girl! Maali, you are an inspiration! Happy soon to be birthday!

Jenny V. said...

Awwww, Maali is a special, sweet, and stong gal. Congrats to her graduating Kindergarten and Happy birthday soon to be too. You must be so proud of her. Hope you guys are having a great 4th of July!

bernietom47 said...

Joni you have every right to be proud of Maali. She is beautiful and an inspiration.
I just spent a half hour looking at your old posts. I Love your work. I was born and raised on Maui so I had fun looking at the photos of your ohana and the shaka signs. I have lots of pictures like that LOL!
Mahalo for the opportunity to win this candy.
Aloha
Bernie
Hau`oli Lā Hānau Maali and congratulations on your graduation.

Theresa said...

Joni, what a wonderful little girl you have. It always makes me happy to hear when children love school. I'm glad to hear that she's a fighter. Happy Birthday to her.

Theresa

Lim said...

Dear Joni,
I'm glad that Maali is doing great at school. She looks like a wonderful girl. Brave and a real fighter! She's an inspiration for all of us! Thank you for sharing the beautiful picture and her story with us.
Happy Birthday Maali!!! I wish you the best!
Hugs and Love,
LIM :))

Annelies said...

Congratulations to your little girl! What a special story! I want to wish Maali and her family a fantastic future! Thanks for a chance to win great candy!! Greetings from Belgium, Annelies

Noreen said...

What a great little girl! So glad she is doing so well.

Tanya said...

WOW Joni!
Congrats to your little princess! Best wishes!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the chance to win this awesome candy!!!
Linked it on my sidebar. Welcome to my blog...
Thanks!

Country Mouse said...

What a wonderful story! What a blessing too!!! Thank you for sharing, not only the blog candy but
Maali's inspiring story!!!:)

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful sweet girl! Happy Happy Birthday! :)

Sarah Bennett said...

Oh Joni- I LOVE this post... read with happy tears in my eyes about your precious Maali! I wish you knew how often Caroline and I think of and talk about her... she is a special little girl, that's for sure, and such an inspiration! Please congratulate her for us and tell her how very proud of her and her accomplishments we are! (((hugs))) to you both, my sweet friend!