Early Spring....

Wow... It has been a while... I have to be honest when I totally forgot about blogging until tonight when Gavin said something totally funny and worthy of writing down and I questioned where to do it... Then. Aha... Our blog...  I will just highlight events as I remember them from the past few months...
              Funny comments, Big news, etc:

February: Sickness hit our house with a vengeance, well hit mommy really. The kiddos never really got sick like I did so that was truly a blessing. I was down and out for over a week, with a final diagnosis of strep and mono. I cannot remember the last time that I was that sick!  It was absolutely horrible!!! 

Mya also went to a big girl bed!!! She has done extremely well:)  Goes to sleep quite well and stays in it all night most nights!  Although she likes to do things on her own terms, she is quite a flexible child and goes with the flow a lot of the time (or we tell her what we want, hear her say NO and then she usually comes back a few minutes later with wanting to do it like it was her idea)... not like her brother or Papa Jim at all:)  Love her 'spicy' personality!! 

Mid March: Funny comments:
    *Science: G "Dad, I am going to make a rainbow for my room so I won't be scared anymore.'
                     Mom: "where are you making this"
                     G "At school mom. It's a rainbow and like science."
                     musta heard all about science today at school.
     *Dipping: Today I was dipping Gavin as I gave him a hug and kiss and he says
                     "Mom, ya know people do this when they are dancing.. and when they are getting 
                               married." 
                      Mom: "Yes they do, buddy. You should ask Sara if Steve dipped her"  (our daycare
                                provider got engaged over the weekend-more to share in a minute)
                     G: "Yeah, mom he dipped her in ranch"  Can you tell he loves dipping his food in ranch:)

*We found out today that our daycare provider, Sara, got engaged over the weekend. We are sooo happy for her as she was sure this was never going to happen for her and she is truly happy!  She definitely deserves it.  What it does mean for us is a BIG change... She will be getting married this summer and moving down to Minnetonka, which means a new daycare is in our future.  I got started immediately and called a woman named Lisa that comes HIGHLY recommended in Annandale and we are interviewing with her on Sunday (Tessa is interviewing same time for Owen).  I am hoping I feel the same vibe that everyone is talking about!  Such a huge decision!  My little pumpkins deserve the best and to spend 8 hours a day with someone who loves them and cares for them with every single piece of them!  If I cannot be there with them during the day, I need someone perfect for them:)  Gavin enjoys his time at Sara's and Mya is so comfortable with her and just adores her so I am really praying that she is just as happy with our new provider!  Typically I would be so beyond stressed and worried (however I have dealt with this twice before as 2 daycares closed and went back to other work while Gavin was with them)... But this time I have truly learned to take things as they come and EVERYTHING happens for a reason!!! 

*Gavin has been taking swimming lessons (his first time!)  I know, what parent doesn't enroll their child in swimming from day 1... However we felt that since he spends sooo much time in the water at the lake and our pool that perhaps he wouldn't want swimming lessons. But when we asked him and gave him the choice, he absolutely wanted to join. So, he joined and it has been fabulous!  He is not nearly as scared to dunk under the water and loves every minute of it!  I am so glad we did it and will sign him up again for sure:) 

*Mya is talking up a storm!  She is putting 2 and 3 word sentences together like crazy.  Many of those are simple people followed by an action.  Mommy eat... Buddy sleep (Buddy is her name for Gavin... sooo cute)... Daddy go work:)  Love it!  She is still working on potty training and it has become more on her terms (really, it always was)... however now she only goes when seh wants to not when she wants and whenever you offer... She has decided she likes to play in her diaper, resulting in pink eye 4 times since the New Year... No matter how fast we change her (and she RARELY even poohs in her diaper), she somehow manages to get yuckies... It is sooo gross.  We have had to start putting her in onesies again every day to help a bit!!!  On a more positive note, she has started singing and it is absolutely adorable.  She actually has pretty good rhythym and picks up on music quite fast (I am posting a video of her singing to RIO... notice how she is pretty on with the rhythm, but mind you she has watched this moving 100s of times-it is quite the obsession no matter how hard we try to limit it) 

Here is another video from February with her laughing. I can honestly say that there is NOTHING better in life than belly giggles of a child! 

*Gavin also had Kindergarten Round up on his actual birthday. It was the big step in our decision about preschool another year and Kindergarten.  It was a tough decision and a lot of pros/cons played into it.  One of the biggest points was that we didn't want him to be 19 when he graduated high school. Yes, some other kids will be but we as parents still believe there will be some stigma with being that old when graduating and a  lot of questions. It may not come down to that and it would be a moot point, but we felt it was a valid one at this point. Other factors such as his readiness, being a March bday and not a summer one, him doing very well at school, him liking school activities and having the yearning to learn and always wanting to do "math and reading" things also played an active part. We did still question whether or not we could help him become even more successful by waiting a year and give him the chance to be at the top of his class rather than average. However that wasn't a guarantee either. Ultimately we felt that there were no guarantees and we needed to go with our gut, so we decided to send him this next year.  We truly believe he will be successful and will have a great school experience!  However, to say that my dude is starting Kindergarten in 5 1/2 short months blows me away:) 

                          Big Events:
March 9, 2012: Our little boy turned 5.  Yep, you heard me right... Can you believe it, because I sure cannot!!!  He even lost his first tooth just 3 days before his 5th birthday. I had him write the tooth fairy a letter to put under his pillow with the tooth. He is convinced that the $5 he got for his tooth is because he wrote a letter, nto becuase it was his special 1st tooth. He is likely in for a surprise with the next tooth when it is a few bucks short of $5, despite the letter I am sure he will want to write:)  He also got one heck of a present from mom and dad!  We welcomed Jedi to the family, a 4 inch bearded lizard... Gavin had been asking and asking since Christmas and we had at that time told him maybe for his birthday (come on parents out there, you know you have all tried to ptu them off in hopes they will forget )  Well we have a child with the memory of an elephant and of course he didn't forget.  So, we got a 55 gallon terrarium set up and welcomed the little reptile with open arms... well, maybe not open arms but we are all actually pretty excited about him!  Gavin likes to hold him while watching TV and loves watchign him eat meal worms.  A trip to school is possibly even in his future:) 

March 3, 2012: We Heart The Hadfields Benefit: I had the immense honor of cohosting a benefit for an amazing family... I worked with 4 other AMAZING women and coordinated one of the most successful benefits i have ever heard of... The most successful in fact. We raised an estimated $45,000 for the Hadfields.  Maddie is headed to Boston this week to get ready for her big surgery... Check out both her and Brady's caring bridge websites; www.caringbridge.org/visit/madalynnhadfield and www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradyhadfield ... This family is truly the most deserving family that is enduring extreme medical and health issues. I cannot even express the emotions that the entire process brought upon my family but I do have to say the biggest thing I took away from it (beyond seeing intense generousity and open hearts) was to not sweat the small stuff. Little problems deserve little reactions and we can deal with anything that comes our way. If Nick and Melissa can deal with the unbelievable challenges that they deal with daily, who I am to ever complain about minute things.  Everything was put into perspective and I truly pray each and every day that Brady and Maddie get better.  I have said from the beginning I am not sure what drew me to this precious little girl but I have been in love with her from the day she was born and feel a strong connection to her and I am yet to meet her.  I cannot wait for the day once her surgery is over that I can cuddle her and be a part of what a strong little fighter she is every single day!

More pictures of the sweet babes:)

 Having so much fun at Paytons' birthday party playing on the Rainbow Playsets!!!

 Isn't she precious!!!  Such beautiful blue eyes... going "nigh nigh" on the floor

 Anyone that knows Mya has seen this look. We tell her to give us the "Look" and she furrows her eyebrows and looks down... It is sooo cute:) And check out those curls!! I am in LOVE with them!!

Lots going on

Well it has been quite the busy few weeks in the Collins' household...
We will start with Mya:
*She had decided she wanted to be a big girl and go potty on the potty chair... She was asking occasionally, by grabbing herself and yelling potty and then would go on the potty. However, not consistent. When letting her run around naked, she disappeared for a bit and when I went to find her she was in the bathroom and had peed on the potty.  She even yelled potty and went #2 another time. We were excited, but not ready... wanted to take advantage of her willingess and not miss any opportunities, but not push her.  It had to be the perfect balance:)  Just when you think you get the formula right and the balance is spot on, she decides she is done doing that for a while.  We have really learned with our little diva that she is just that.  things have to be her idea or she typically will not do them and most everything is on her agenda.  It is cute at this age, but it may get interesting in years to come.  Never the less, she is so stinking cute and enjoyable at this age:)  She is saying more and more words-those that are consistent and I can remember include: mommy, daddy, nana, papa, Gavin (although others outside our world may not know it is gavin, we know what she means:), more, puppy, no, yes, shhh, nightnight "nyny", bye, potty, riley, yaya (sara), go (diego), mine, and knows animal sounds for kitty, puppy, lion, duck, monkey... She also signs some including more, milk, juice, kitty, thank you, please, help... Pretty exciting!

Gavin: he continues to amaze us so much each day... Tomorrow he is getting to spend the day with Daddy... Daddy is going to school with him and then him and Daddy are meeting Uncle Jamie, Alex and Grandpa in St. Cloud to tour the helicopters Grandpa George flies before he retires from the National Guard this April. He is sooo excited!  He also starts swimming lessons for the first time tomorrow night! 

Danielle: I have been so incredibly busy these last few weeks!  I feel like each day is a whirlwind that I don't stop to breathe until I lay down for the night!  I have been very busy planning the benefit for the Hadfield family.  what an amazing family dealing with such incredibly difficult things... www.caringbridge.org/visit/madalynnhadfield and www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradyhadfield
also been gathering and organizing baby clothes as we are consigning all of them at the Just Between Friends Sale this spring.  I guess this most likely means we are happy and complete as a family of 4.  We are still a bit torn as to what would be best for our individual family, but have currently decided that we believe our family is complete with the 4 of us.  Matt and I would like to be able to help our children with their first cars, first years in college, weddings, etc. We want to travel with G and M and show them parts of the world we may or may not have already seen. There is nothing yet making this permanent, but as for today, The Collins' 4 we are:) 
I also got some results back from my testing. Basically nothing has yet been confirmed. My tests came back negative for an autoimmune disorder as well as Wilson's Disease, which is good!  As of right now, the dr. believes my liver abnormalities could be related to a medication I am on or possibly NAFLD, which is NonAlcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.  I am not totally sure what this all entails yet, but it seems like it is a manageable disease in which I can modify my eating habits and increase my exercise and that would help immensely.  I will know more when I meet with him again on January 25th.

Matt is continuing to get better each day.  There are some days in which he is more sore or in more pain, but that typically relates to the activities he does. He began physical therapy this past week and the therapist found a lot that needed to be corrected. His pelvis is quite off and one leg is now shorter than the other because his pelvis is so far tilted on one side becuase of his body's attempt at compensating for so many years while his disc was herniated. He will be seeing a PT 2x/week for several weeks adn go from there.  Still overall good news and progress is being made!

This past weekend we tried really hard to spend some time as a family. We got outside to enjoy the minute amount of snow and nice weather. We were 4 of about 25 people on the pond this afternoon either skating, sledding, playign kickball, or as in the life of one sassy 20 month old, eating snow:) 

Until next time!
D

Gavin Kindergarten ready?

It has always been a discussion in our house on whether to send Gavin to Kindergarten when he is legally able to (the school year following his 5th bday) which would be this coming school year. Not because we are worried in any way about his skills, but because of what research and professionals say. Children born after February and planning to go to Kindergarten should really be screened, especially boys. Gavin fits in that group. However academically he is totally ready and wanting to do so many new things on his own. Yes, we work with him and have a lot of learning games and encorporate learning tasks and academics into so much of our day and daily routines, however he is really pushing himself right now and very interested in new skills. Socially he is ready as well.  At school and daycare he is the kindest boy and does a lot with friends. He is still very clingy with us (Matt and I) around and his behaviors can be quite sassy when we are around. I do worry, however, about how hard  he is on himself and has such a hard time taking an imperfections. His frustration level is very low and he says he can't do something or gives up the minute he gets an answer wrong (for instance he almost quit when doing lower case letters tonight)... Even though these are skills we are just starting and are not in any way expected for a preschooler, he was upset with himself.  He would say I am not smart, I don't know this.  That breaks my heart. I question whether he is this way at school. If so, I worry about him learnign things in school when they get tricky or skills increase as they do naturally and all kids struggle with certain skills. I wonder if doing one more year of preschool and then doign Kinder when he turns 6 would allow him more time to mature and learn to deal with frustration. On the flip side, if he knows so much now next year will be a review for him and he may get a false sense of comfort knowing almost everything they are teaching and not know how to deal with learning a new task. I also worry that he would be bored and then check out and not enjoy school as much as he does.... Such decisions to make... Matt and I are open to both and will do whatever is best for him. We will talk more with his preschool teacher, however she has already says she believes he is ready!  Because I was curious, I did do some academic probing with him tonight and he knew a lot more than I thought, since the last time I had done any probing with him was this summer. Boy do they learn a lot in preschool and at home when we make it part of every day. Even in the car he is asking me to do games with him (guessing letter sounds, rhyming, segmenting, counting, etc)... Here is where he is currently at... I can say that from Kindergarten assessments at Bendix, these are skills he is expected to be at 100% at the end of Kindergarten and he still has a half year of Preschool and whole year in Kindergarten:

 

capital letters he knows: 26/26
lower case letters he knows: 18/26
can give the sound if he sees the letter: 16/26
can say the letter if he hears the sound: 18/26
can give a word that starts with a letter: 15/26
hears a word and can tell me beginning sound: 20/26
writes the capital letter without any prompting: 17/26 (23 if I give him HWT verbal 
           prompts)

writes lower case letters (did not assess yet)
can give a rhyming pair: 5/6
segmenting: giving individual sounds and asking him what word that would make: 2/6

words he can write on his own: Gavin, Mya, Mom, Dad
can count to: 119
can count backwards from 10
can count up to 100 by 10's
counting by 2's and 5's-doesn;t know automatically yet 

recognizes and gives name for numbers to 11 (some teen #s but not consistent) -goal to recognize #s to
       100 by end of K
hears a number and can give next number :90%
hears a number and can give number before: 100% up to 20 more difficult higher #s

He is AMAZING!!! So proud of the little dude!!

 

We will continue to ask and talk, but our current thought is off to Kindergarten next year. As parents, you wish there was a crystal ball for us to look into to know which decision would be better. He is small enough that he would not stick out being a year older, however kids can be cruel and will find out he started a year later and he may feel bad about that... However, it could make him more mature and make him more successful. Just not sure what is exactly right... Do you ever as a parent???

2011 In Review... to the best of my ability 1 year later:)

January:
     *Mya began crawling just before the new year!!     
      *first weekend away just Matt and I.  Went to Gull Lake in Brainerd. Sooo nice to spend time
           together.  Maybe we do still kinda like each other?? :)

February:
    *funny G man:
          Gavin: Mommy can you please move Mya away from my toys?
          Me: Gavin, she is fine. Just try playing with her once:)
          Gavin: but Mom she is putting my toys in her mouth...
         Me: Gavin she will be fine.
        Gavin: Mom, I am worried about her falling and hurting herself.
                   WHERE do they come up with these things:):)
    *Feb 15th: Mya got her first tooth (8 1/2 months)
    *another funny conversation with G:
          Gavin while watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates: "Mom, how do you think they are 
               flying??"
          Me: I'm not sure.
         G: just think about it
         Me: Still don't know
         G: Duh mom, pixie dust :)
                    I think the 'just think about it' was the funniest!!!
    *Mya is standing along things and going from one thing to another if they are very close to each
          other.  She is also waving buhbye:)
March:
     *Gavin turned 4... wow how time flies!  He got a DS from Mya and has played it ever since. He
          LOVES getting new games and often will save his money for a new one.
      *Mya started a rash approx March 20th... Lots of days of being sick, 104 temp, blood tests, nasal
            and throat swabs, wee bags, etc and nothing but an unknown viral infection
      *took a trip to Wisconsin Dells with the kiddos and Allars. What a blast!!!
      *started looking into employment for both Matt and I in Hawaii. continued looking into
          possibilities still in 2012.
       *Gavin started looking at Kindergarten star words I and See since he knows all of his letters. Is
          reading books with I and See as the main words:) videos on facebook.
April
     *Gavin and Mya are in a dancing stage!  So adorable! videos on FB.
     *Gavin poured himself and the DOG a bowl of cereal and now we are all out of Fruit Loops:) 
     *Mya's rash is still there... all over her body and her skin feels like chicken skin :(  Doctor says it is 
        eczema... well that's nice, but what is causing it?? Referred to allergist for appointment in May.
     *Mya is WALKING... video taken April 27th and she is taking 10+ steps by herself:) 
May:
      *finally discovered that Mya is allergic to eggs after multiple appointments with doctors, allergists
          and dermatologists
      *Matt started with the union-has loved it so far! 
      *Mya turned 1. Can't believe how fast that year went!
      *first camping trip in the new pop-up.  Both G and M are total outdoors kiddos and really liked
             camping!
     *Mya had her last bottle on her 1st birthday. She just decided she didnt' really want it anymore
          while we were camping, so bottle all GONE!! However, the nuk will be another story!
     *Gavin graduated first year of preschool. Mommy had a hard time making it for the whole event,
         so Auntie came up to celebrate with him!
June:
     *finally took professional pictures with Mya. did both Mya and Gavin and they turned out 
           INCREDIBLE!!! awesome to catch Mya's 'snaggle tooth' as she had the two main bottom teeth
            and one side tooth on the top:)
     *Mom done with school so home ALL summer with my babes!
     *Conversation with Gavin:
            Me: Gavin, I don't want you drinking juice before bed...
           Gavin: why not?
           Me: The dentist will be upset if you do because it is not good for your teeth...
           Gavin: but she won't see me...
July:
     *spent a week at the lake with Nana!  Gavin and Mya both LOVE the water!
     *The dishwasher, water softener and Matt's car all died the same week.  Had to buy all 3 BRAND
           NEW... Love the Chevy Cruze.  Would highly recommend!
     *bought one of the blue pools (Matt calls it our trailer trash pool) but the kids LOVED it!  Had a lot
           of fun in it this summer!
August:
     *We celebrated our golden anniversary!  Wanted to do something special, however needing a new
           car, dishwasher and water softener put that on hold:(
     *hilarious evening tonight during bath time...
          Me: Gavin make sure you wash all of you, including your privates and arm pits.
          Gavin: I will mom. I don't want pit stink like my dad:)
           LOL!!! He is so hilarious!!
     *Danielle went to routine dentist appointment. Found 12 cavities and one tooth needing a crown.
           Xrays were due so had not been done in 3 years. Wowzas!!  Talk about expensive!!

September:
      *Started school again... Excited to get back but SOOOO sad to not be with my babes every day all
       day.
      *Matt's brother Ben and April got married. Gavin was an extremely handsome ring bearer!
     *Danielle went to doctor with neurological concerns and fatigue. Blood tests showed elevated liver
       enzymes. Continued testing through end of year.
October:
      *Matt and I took a long weekend away together to Florida... first major trip sans kiddos.  Quite the
          experience!  Refused to stay in our dump of a hotel so cancelled reservation and drove Ocean Dr
          until we found one we like. Those that know me know that I don't do well without a very   |         detailed itinerary, but it was adventurous. Matt got sick a few of the days adn it rained everyday.
         However we enjoyed the quietness and time together.]
     *Conference at Preschool for Gavin. He is right on target (even a bit advanced) academically and
          socially. Knows all of his letters and is beginning letter sounds. Reconizes numbers up to 10 and
          some even higher. Can count to 30 consistently. Is the nicest kindest kid at school and very
          polite!  Should be no reason to not send to Kindergarten next year,
     *Gavin: Daddy, what is your dad called to me
         Matt: grandpa
         G: and what about his dad
         M: your great grandpa (this went on like 3 more times)
        G: and his dad (would be like great great great great grandpa)
         M: really old
         G: like my grandpa george :)  He didnt' think it was quite as funny as we did:)
November:
       *Mommy: Gavin, if you get one more show, are you going to go to bed without whining.
             Gavin: yes, I promise.
            Mommy: you promised last time and it didn't work.
            Gavin: that's because I had people fighting in my brain and I couldn't sleep. This time it will
                  work...
            Where in the world does he come up with this stuff...
      *Matt began having symptoms of back problems. Lots of Chiro appoinments and finally an MRI
           which determined meeting with a specialist to determine if and what surgery was necessary.
       *Gavin is absolutely hilarious... As he is telling Matt about the card he made for him because his
           back is hurting, he tells me he is showing empathy. I get all teary eyed because I am so proud
           of him and he looks at me as I am waving my hand in front of my face to get the tears to stop...
           He pauses and looks at me waving my hand by my face and says "Thhaaatt wasn't me."
           Hilarious!
December:
       *Report from preschool-the kids were asked to clean up an area and Gavin was the first one over
            there and began recruiting help by saying "come on friends. we have to clean up. we don't want
             to let Angel down" :)
       *Matt got busted letting Gavin watch him and Uncle Jamie play Resistance... went to daycare and
             told Sara he was watching his dad play a game with naked zombies. CRAP!!!!  New Rule
             spelled out for Daddy:)... If you have to be 18 to purchase the game, by 4 year old should not 
              be watching it! 
       *Matt had back surgery
       *Danielle referred to a gastroenterologist specialist. Determined more labs were needed to rule
         our or diagnosis reason for elevated liver enzymes. Next appointment to discuss lab results 1/25.

Christmas/New Years 2011-2012

I am starting this blog in some ways for selfish reasons. I am excited for family and friends to join our family and come along with us on many of the journeys we will take, but more importantly, I wanted to be able to document both every day moments but especially those moments that we will look back on and laugh about. I thought about doing a journal type of thing but thought as long as I am writing, I might as well have it accessible to family and friends as well:)  I sincerely hope you all enjoy reading as much as I am sure I will enjoy writing and looking back upon:)

This Christmas break was much different than expected as far from any others we have experienced so far. It has been sooo incredible to be home with my favorite people in the whole world for 11 days, but it has been exhausting as well taking care of 2 all by myself. Matt has surgery on his lower back on Friday December 23rd. We had done our best to have the surgery before Christmas based on timing and requirements of being off of work, and this worked out best sot hat most of the recuperating time he was off anyways. Surgery went well and we believe the surgery was ultimately a success. In the long run, he will definitely be in a lot less pain and more comfortable and the surgery was meant to be a permanent fix. However, the recover period he has endured a lot of pain and discomfort, however it is a different kind of pain resulting from the surgery, which is a good thing:)  He has been sleeping almost all of break so it has been taxing but worth it in the long run. There have been days where I enjoyed every second of it and has some of the best moments with G and M.  I would be definitely sugar coating things, however if I said that every day this break has been as wonderful and amazing as a few have been. Some have been tough and exhausting, however when you need family most they always come through. Gavin go to go to sleepover at Alex's and then with Nick and Jack so he so looked forward to those days and seemed to have a lot of fun.

With all of the out of the ordinary events this Christmas break, there were a few very ordinary ones and we did have a fantastic Christmas. Gavin really got into Christmas this year and had quite the expressions when he opened presents. We heard comments like "Sweet, " "Yes," "oh my gosh," "this is exactly what I wanted," and my favorite "Santa must have known I was a good boy because he got exactly what was on my list." If there was an Olympic sport for fastest present opener, Gavin would be a likely contender. He would ogle over a present for a minute and then move onto the next. We as parents had to remember that this is very typical of a 4 1/2 year old and it wasn't disrespectful, although at times we wanted him to just enjoy one thing at a time:)  Mya was pretty much the exact opposite, she would open a few and be so excited for those that she did not feel the need to continue unwrapping:)  It was very neat to see the different dynamics based on their age:) 

One of the proudest things this year for us was Gavin wanting to use some of his money to buy a present for someone else. Yes, this was parent initiated, but he really did a great job with it:)  He has 3 jars to collect his quarters/allowance in. One is that he can spend as he pleases, one is that he has to save for something special and one is a donation. One day while shopping, we saw a tree with hand decorated ornaments that had present ideas and a child's gender and age. We picked otu 2 together and we decided that Gavin could use his donation money to buy the present. He collected his quarters and was able to help otu with the purchase. He loves to share with others that he used his money to buy a present for a girl that was not going to get very many presents.  During the process there were many 'teachable moments' that we talked about how fortunate we were as a family, reasons why other children may not get as many presents and what we could do to help.  Some of his ideas were so thoughtful and we were truly proud of how much he understood and how much compassion one little boy has. 

Another teachable moment came when we were driving one day getting ready to have a daycare party with a present exchange. I was sharing with Gavin that one of his greatest friends Grace might not be at the party because she would be at school but that he could give her the present when she got home. In a totally nonchalant, automatic response, he simply said "Mom I don't care about other people's presents. I only care about my own present."  Wow... how do you respond??? I took it that we hadn't taught him about the true meaning of Christmas and that this time was also about sharing and spending time with family and presents were the extra:)  I was so glad that he had said that to only me, but here I am sharing it with the world. However I have come to understand that this is mostly a parental fault as well as an appropriate developmental feeling. However, moments like these are perfect real life situations that can initiate conversations to help children better understand and for us to raise the type of child we want Gavin to become with a strong grasp on values.

We truly enjoyed the magic of Christmas, the family time, and the simplicity of life. I remember sitting with Gavin and Mya on Christmas Eve as Matt was sitting in the recliner sleeping (1 day post surgery), Christmas music playing, dark outside, Christmas tree lit up and music playing the in the background. It was a total nestalgic moment that I hope to not soon forget. The feeling of happiness and togetherness and being thankful for all that we have when we have families close to us dealing with tragedy. Those that know me I am sure are asking yourselves if I was crying, and YES of course the tears were streaming:)  What a wonderful heartwarming moment during the Christmas season doing nothing more than sitting with my children:) 

My wish for everyone in 2012 is simple; please take the time to  enjoy look around and reflect on how lucky we are to have what we have!