Dearest Friends and Family,
I don't even know if anyone is still reading this blog but I'm writing it anyway in order to keep some kind of record of where we are in our lives. Today, January 07,
2008, the sun is trying very hard to peek through the clouds for the first time in three days. It's been a rainy weekend. We need the rain and it feels so good to just relax at home with the fire on and play WII! Did everyone in the United States get a WII for Christmas?? If you are the ONLY one that hasn't played yet, take the advice of this grandmother and get off the couch and buy/play WII! It's so much fun!
My next door neighbor and I stayed up until midnight on Thanksgiving because we found out that Sam's Club was going to have more WII's on sale the next day. We both bought it online and by 12:15AM, they were sold out!
Our family has had so much fun and EVERYONE, including me, can play! It does give you a false sense of sports ability though. In my whole life, I have never bowled a 244, with 7 strikes in a row! But the computer is smart, it doesn't let you do it every single time, even if you think you've found your "sweet spot"!
As all of you probably have been, we've been SOOOO busy throughout the month of December! The biggest highlight of the month (besides getting Christmas over with) was COOKIE getting the tube out. She got it out just before Christmas and was happier than ever. Currently, she's eating better than she has eaten in a very long time. She's still not a BIG eater, but she manages at least 2 full meals a day and she's the Queen of evening snacking! Which, I might add, really makes it hard to help Parker not snack. We've got one kid that needs to eat and one that we have to monitor because he's such a cute growing boy who started out HUGE when he was born and is going to be a very big adult!
We started a new Christmas tradition this year. We were invited over to our next door neighbor's house for Christmas dinner. The table was beautiful and the meal was divine. Usually, our tradition is that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US stays in our jammies and plays with the kids and their new "stuff" all day long. We did our neighbors a favor and actually got dressed for the dinner.
Once Christmas was over, my son-in-law, John (Shannon's husband) turned 40 two days later and he and my son, Christopher, went skydiving for the first time. It's something John has always wanted to do and Christopher committed to do it with him so we were all off to Lake Perris. It was cold and windy but it was probably one of the most exciting events we've ever watched! They both had a great adventure and their landings were very anti-climatic. Of course, John says he'll do it again but I don't think Christopher will. They came home with videos to prove that they actually did it and watching the video is like jumping with them. Fun stuff!
COOKIE goes to UCLA tomorrow for the first time since her tube was taken out. They're plan is to monitor her for a full month and see if she can maintain her weight. I think she's on her way!! She's looking to return to school in February. She will still only attend for 4 classes but it's a big load for our girl.
In two weeks, she's going to do something she's never done. She's decided that she really wants to go to winter camp at Camp Ronald McDonald. They invite her every year but this is her year to do it. We went shopping yesterday and bought her snow gear and she's really hoping that she can overcome her separation anxiety enough to join in the fun and make some new friends. COOKIE has always had trouble just doing sleepovers but she managed to do a couple of them at her cousin's house and Aunt Shannon's. She's thinking it's time to move on to bigger and better things! We'll be dropping her off at Children's Hospital of Orange County and from there she'll board the bus and off she'll go. 4 days. May the force be with her and her mother and her grandmother. What a HUGE experience this going to be for her!!!!
Matt's getting excited too! He had a four day fishing expedition in Mexico planned in December and it got postponed until January. He's leaving the for Mexico the same day COOKIE goes to camp. He's one of those men that cannot sit still. The minute he does, his eyes close. Matt is constantly running around doing something. He'd be fishing 24/7 if he could, no doubt about it. He's such a hard worker and fishing is his passion. I think his rods and gear are already packed, ready to go! Looks like Parker, Grandma and Mommy have to find something do for the weekend too!
We're facing this New Year with more hope and optimism than we have in a very long time. The family is thriving and a sense of normalcy has settled on our home. I was looking at some archived files and found something I had written for COOKIE several years ago. I thought I'd close with it. It completely describes how I feel and shows the promise that we will never forget what we, as a family, have risen above.....
"She went through it all with those bright blue eyes shining and her glow covering each and every person within reach.
Especially this one woman who fell so madly in love with this child the second she was born. Especially this woman who discovered that the love she had for her own parents, her own sisters and her own children did not feel the same as the love she felt for this child. This child who took her name. This child who proved that everything matters, especially affairs of the heart. This child who taught her family that faith and hope are always alive and attitude is everything. This child who wanted nothing more than to share her life with her baby brother.
The shadow left again and the sun has been shining over this child’s house. She’s ready to go to school. She’s ready to learn. She’s ready to have long hair and friends. She’s ready to LIVE and LOVE..
After all, isn’t that what life is all about?
I think it is. I learned it from her."
Wishing anyone that reads this blog a very Healthy and Happy New Year!!
