Merry Christmas!

Well, it's that time of year again.  The time of year that people who are on top of their game get their Christmas cards and letters sent out.  However, I am not on top of my game this year.   So no Christmas card or letter has been prepared.

Nope, life has been a little bit crazy, and it just didn't happen. 

But in case you missed it, our 2012 went like this:  Living with Camille's parents (jealous?), Marty's job is going well, the girls love school and here we are to December.  That about sums it up.  A year full of excitement and intrigue wouldn't you say?

We are hoping that 2013 (very early 2013) finds us in a new home of our own, continued enjoyment of both work and school and a puppy...if we temporarily lose our sanity, or become baby hungry...whichever happens first.  Or both, because both could happen as well.

Instead of our usual Christmas Letter, we are sharing this beautiful rendition of Jingle Bells sung by our beautiful and talented three older daughters.  We hope you enjoy!  And we hope you have a WONDERFUL Christmas!

A Birthday To Remember

*Addendum at the end...another service opportunity that Ben cares about*

WE DID IT!!!

We have now officially reached our goal of making 100 totes! ONE HUNDRED! AMAZING!

We will still gladly take donations and continue making totes as long as we can. You can find the original list of items needed by clicking here.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible!

Now excuse me while I shift gears.

I can't think of a better day for this goal to have happened.

You see, today (12/12/12) just so happens to be Ben's 32nd birthday.  As my sister Emily said, "He's not a newborn, but today is definitely a miracle birthday".  

My sweet, amazing, courageous brother is nearing the end of his life.  You can tell he is worn out, exhausted and ready to go on to his mission in heaven.  But his body is a strong one and is putting up a good fight against this darn cancer.  So, he got to live to see another milestone with his sweet Sara, always by his side.

I can't think of a better way to honor him, than to officially say that we will be donating 100+ "Essential Totes" to Huntsman Cancer Institute in his honor.

Ben - your name will be in every single one.  The people receiving these will know that they are made from countless people who love and care about you.  

Your name will go on doing good in this world long after you have gone.  

And although you have never been one for hoopla, fanfair, attention or being fussed over...YOU DESERVE THIS and more.  

Thank you for the example of patience, unconditional love, loyalty, endurance, courage and faith.

I love you!

Many people love you!

And I'm sure those in heaven are anxious to have you back.  But I'm glad they are waiting patiently while we spend these precious moments with you.

And one more thing I am stealing from Sara's Blog to think about:

Since we have reached 100 totes already, if you would like to help Ben and contribute to things he cares about I would also ask that you consider helping out Oaklynn. This is our cousin's little girl. She was born with Rett syndrome. Rett syndrome causes symptoms of autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and anxiety all in one little girl. She can't walk and she can't talk. As you can imagine, this is a huge ordeal for any family and the bills start piling up. 

A little love and help goes a long way.

Oaklynn's darling mom, Whitney, is currently selling t-shirts in which a portion of the money goes to Oaklynn's benefit fund. These t-shirts would make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer and it would give much more to the receiver than a simple t-shirt.

Click HERE to purchase one of these t-shirts to help Oaklynn get the care she needs. They are only $13. Whitney needs to get at least 50 shirts purchased to be able to put the order through. Right now 16 have been purchased. Let's help get those other 34 sold!

Plus the shirt is so cute! Just look at it! Perfect for a runner too!

Please visit her website My Silent Angels Fight

Let's be Oaklynn's angels.

We love you more than anything and may God bless you in this wonderful Christmas Season.

Birthday Celebrations

On top of doing this Huntsman Project , we have been living regular life as well.  

We celebrated Marty and Addison's birthday's at the end of November.  

Marty turned older.

Addison turned 3.

I didn't really take many pictures...I have been a huge slacker with the camera lately...but here are the ones I did capture.  My brain is tired and a bit frazzled with all I am juggling at the moment, so I don't really have anything witty or sentimental to write.  It is strange, I know.  

I WILL say that even though Addison can be a bit of a........*clears throat*........delight, we sure love her to pieces.  What she puts us through with her tantrums, screaming, yelling and stubbornness, she makes up for with her hugs, kisses, funny faces and funny things she says.  She keeps us all hopping that's for sure.

NOW...pictures of both Marty and Addison's birthdays.

The girls decorated for Marty's birthday while he was out running some errands.  They then hid and were so excited to jump out and yell "SURPRISE" at him.

They also wanted to pose in front of the decorations.

Cute Molly smiling with her mouth full...we'll work on the manners.

 

Addison's birthday cake, courtesy of the store.

Showing me how old she is.

Trying really hard to fight the urge to stick her finger in the cake

Classic Addison face/Claire pretending to take a bite

Putting on a dance show in some of the presents she received

Bike helmet...she also got a bike for her birthday, which I didn't get a picture of

And one more of Molly...because she wasn't in many of the pictures and she's cute.

THE END!  Until Saturday, which is Molly's 1st birthday.

Did I mention that November and December are heavy on the birthday's?

First Goal - ACCOMPLISHED!

*NOTE - NEW ITEM ADDED TO LIST - BEANIES/KNIT HATS*
We have already had an amazing response, and have all of our hats.  WOW!  THANK YOU!

When I first made my goal of putting together 50 totes for Huntsman Cancer Institute, I was worried that I had set my sights too high, and that we wouldn't make it there.  I was worried that my ambitious declaration would fall a little short.  I knew that no matter how many we were able to make, it would be a good thing...but I REALLY wanted to make a big impact by donating 50 totes.

Well...I am happy to announce that we have officially reached that goal!  

The donation pile as of December 1st.  Since then many of these piles have doubled...and some new piles have been formed.

Mints, gum, Starbursts, Paper, Puzzle books, Playing cards, Magazines

Chapstick, Sanitizer, Lotion, Biotene mouthwash, Nail files

Totes, blankets, socks

And the even better news...we are now close to having 70 totes*.

I wish - SO MUCH - that I could personally thank every single person responsible for getting us here, but there are so many anonymous givers and organizations with multiple people that I am not sure that is possible.  But if you happen to be reading this...THANK YOU!

I am blown away at 1. The kindness and generosity people have shown, and 2. The power of social media.  

I know there are many who have given that personally know Ben, and want to do this to honor him.  But I also know there are many that have never met him...or even anyone in my family...that have helped and given to our cause.

So I say - again - THANK YOU!

As another announcement, I am now making a NEW goal.  100 totes!   I will keep the list on my blog updated to get us to the new goal.  We will also be extending our deadline for donations to the end of December/beginning of January.  

We will still assemble and deliver our first 50 totes before Christmas as planned, but we will continue gathering and assembling as many as we are able to.

So...100 totes, here we come!

*We are at about 70 totes with the combination of items donated as well as monetary donations