Tree Trimming Blues

Sara and I spent an afternoon of our long holiday weekend putting up our Christmas Tree!  This was the first year Sara was really old enough to understand the concept and help with the task.  I handed out the ornaments and decorated the top, while Sara decorated the bottom.  She still has a little bit to learn, like you can't put 3 or 4 ornaments on the same branch, but we had a good time and that's what counts!

Here is the end result of all our "hard" work!  Sara said she thinks its the best tree ever, and that's good enough for me!

But even with the tree up, it still doesn't seem like Christmas is right around the corner.  I don't even feel like it could possibly be Thanksgiving.  Maybe its because of the lack of snow we've had this year, or the lack of really cold days. 

And it could be the fact that I'm not looking forward to it since Sara will be with her dad on Christmas.  I've never spent Christmas without her before, so I know that is going to be really hard.  Usually I feel like Christmas can't get here fast enough, but this year it seems to be bearing down on me like a train and I'm tied to the tracks.

This year will be very different than any year before it, and I have no idea how to handle it.  I guess there's no point in worrying about it till it gets here; there's nothing I can do to change it.  I just hope there's enough going on elsewhere that I don't have too much time to think about her not being there.  This year is going to be one of the hardest Christmas' I've ever had!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sara and I have a lot to be thankful for this year!  Just to name a few...

1. Sara's good health
2. Our amazing family and friends
3. Our home
4. My job
5. The love we are blessed to feel everyday
6. And many more things!

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year with your friends and family!

Random Memories

It occurred to me today that Sara has had her wheelchair for a whole year now!  It was delivered to our house in early Nov. of 2009!

At this point, I can't remember what it was really like without it.  Sara has done extremely well with it, better than we thought she would.  She is well adjusted to it, and enjoys being in it.  She also has just learned how to crawl in and out of it by herself with very minimal assistance. 

I remember when she got it that it felt like this was a huge change, and a really big defeat.  I really think it was the moment I realized my child really wouldn't ever walk....and I was wrong of course!  But I remember having really mixed feelings about it.  Happy that she now could be more independent and do more things with other kids, and sad that my daughter really wasn't like every other kid.  I knew she wasn't, but it was very clear in that moment.

Now I just view it as being part of her.  It is part of who she is, and will always be.  And the wheelchair is very much like her in a lot of ways.  Its strong, fun, and amazing...just like she is!  I don't see it as a foreign thing, but as part of our family now.  And I'm sure that sounds odd, but I know my daughter wouldn't be able to do a lot of what she does now without it.  I can't imagine our lives without it now!

And most of all, I just can't believe its been a year!  Time goes by so fast!  Some day I'm going to figure out how to slow it down....I hope.

This time of year...

The time is upon us!  It is again that time of the year that most of us go out of our way to help others, make an extra effort to be politer than we would normally be, and act like crazy lunatics anywhere there is holiday shopping available.  Welcome to the holiday season of 2010!

It really feels like the holidays since we finally got our first snow flakes falling from the sky today.  Sara was so excited to see snow.  It made no difference to her that it was barely enough to even cover the grass, and that it only made the roads wet.  She was happy to see it, so at least that makes one of us.  On the other hand, I was much happier with the 70 degrees we were enjoying yesterday!  But alas, as much as I was in denial about it, I knew the snow would return eventually. 

The only thing I like about this time of year is the holidays.  I hate cold, snow, and that its dark so early.  So instead of dwelling on those things, I'm choosing to focus my time on the holidays...and all that yummy food!  I can't wait to start eating...turkey, stuffing, potatoes, roast beef, green beans, pies, Christmas cookies....I could go on and on!  Hurry up Thanksgiving; my taste buds are waiting!!  And the sooner you get here, the closer to spring I'll be!