This month has been full of celebrations and parties. December is always a busy month while trying to get ready for Christmas, but this year was just crazy. The first party of the month was on the 9th. It was the Make-A-Wish Holiday Cruise. In Newport Harbor there was a large boat that several "wish" kids and their families came to have dinner, see Santa, and just enjoy a night of fun while cruising down the water. Dinner was a very kid friendly meal of: pasta, mac & cheese, chicken strips, and french fries. Everything a kid enjoys! After dinner, Santa came and all the wish kids got to see Santa and even got a special gift. Jack's gift was a remote control Lightning McQueen. He wasn't too excited about seeing Santa, but he sure loved the present! Throughout the evening, there was hot chocolate, ice cream, and even music for dancing. It was a great evening with the family. We were able to celebrate the season with several other kids that have gone through or are still going through very difficult times. It was a special night for the kids and we will probably never experience another night quite like it.
The next celebration of the month was Joey's birthday! On the 19th she turned 1 year old! The days leading up to her birthday, she kept going over to all of the gifts under the Christmas tree and grabbing them. When her birthday finally came and it was time to open presents, she was ready for it. Of course she needed some help opening her gifts, but she was very excited to play with her new toys. After opening her presents, we all sang happy birthday to her and she had her own big piece of cake. She didn't eat as much as I thought she would (considering she is always begging for my sweets), but she dove right into it as soon as it was placed in front of her. I think she had a fun day and she is still enjoying her new toys.
The next celebration was actually on the same day as Joey's birthday. On the 19th, it was the 1 year mark since Jack was diagnosed with liver cancer. He has been through so much and has come such a long ways. Not only physically, but socially as well. Jack is a new kid. He is the friendliest kid ever and wants to say hi to everyone he meets. He is no longer afraid of doctors and only gets upset and cries when he is being poked (but who likes being poked to get shots or have blood taken). I am so proud of him with everything he has had to deal with in his short life.
We tried to get some special pics of the kids marking Joey's birthday and Jack's 1 year mark, but Joey wasn't wanting to cooperate. So this is the best we were able to get.
Another fun time we had just a few days before Christmas was decorating cookies. Jack is such an artist! At least he had fun decorating. Joey didn't care about decorating her cookie. She just wanted to eat it.
On Christmas Eve, all of Kyle's family got together and had all of the grand kids exchange gifts. Joey was given a handmade doll and Jack got some Dusty slippers (from Disney's Planes). After the presents were opened, we had to get the kids ready for bed and make sure that Santa's plate of cookies, the carrot for the reindeer, and the glass of milk were out by the fireplace. Jack was so excited to get everything ready for Santa. Jack and Joey went to bed and then Kyle and I had to get all of the final preparations ready for Christmas morning. On Christmas morning, Kyle and I got up before the kids and got breakfast in the oven. Just as we finished, the kids woke up and it was time to come down and open presents! One of Joey's gifts was big, pink, and unwrapped and she went racing for it as soon as I set her down. Jack was happy to see that the gift from Santa was the talking Dusty that he had seen several times at the store. Joey got some fun new musical and talking toys, and Jack got a variety of planes. Both Jack and Joey have been having so much fun playing with their new toys and the only thing that Jack wants to watch is the movie Planes. We already have almost the whole movie memorized! We all had a great Christmas and have enjoyed using our new gifts the last couple of days. Thank you to all of our family for making it a special day.
We have been so blessed this holiday season and we have had some special celebrations this month. I love my family and I look forward to making more special memories with them in the year 2014.
