Christmas, family and snow

Christmas is almost over and it is now 2011! We had a wonderful Christmas filled with wonder. I was actually nervous about Christmas this year because I didn't know what was going to be happening in our cancer journey. It is hard to plan things, but everything worked out. We had a great Christmas extending over quite a few days. It was a whorl wind of dinners and family fun.

The day before Christmas Eve we took the boys to see a 3D version of the most recent Narnia movie. We looked great in our funny glasses and watched the whole thing including the credits. We then had dinner together with Faye and family.

I sang in both the 8pm and 10pm Christmas Eve service at church. Both services were candlelight and during the 10pm service the moon was rising in the large windows behind the balcony. We in the choir were mesmerized by the magical moment, celebrating the birth of Christ in candle light with the rising moon outside. Christmas day was delightful. We mostly made gifts for each other this year as money is tight for everyone. I have to say that it was the most memorable Christmas in a long time. It reminded me of the Christmas when I was growing up when we gave each other gifts of promises written on paper that we then put in a jar to complete later. It touched me in a way no other Christmas did during my childhood. We were opening gifts this year, Mum had knitted me a tea cozy, I knitted fancy dish clothes and grew snow peas for Faye, Jules gave me some slippers and a promise of a watercolor to come, Faye and Javier made cookies and gave a framed picture of baby Jules with her own art work in the background, also Christmas tree ornaments with pictures of the kids,etc. Geoff and Annie our cousins in Australia had sent a package with totally unique Australia cut out cards and Aussie books for the Grandchildren. It was so great having a bit of Australia showing up at the perfect time.

Kirsten, Rob, Rowan and Dylan came on the day after Boxing Day and just left a week later. We really enjoyed their visit. The kids loved having a back yard to play in and spent many hours out there. Dilly is almost 4 and Rowan is 5 1/2. They enjoyed the Australia books which they requested we read many times.

This was taken Christmas day, It was nice to have Nick and May join us. We've been spending more time together now that we share a Grandchild. Nick brought his guitar and we sang Christmas songs around the piano. We sang a lot together as a family when Nick and I were married.

The high points of Christmas for me were playing and singing Christmas carols with family, singing in the choir at church (seeing the moon rise in the large east windows during the 10pm service), playing with grandchildren and most of all remembering the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I put this picture in of Jules eating smashed blueberries just because it is so cute. It reminds me of when Ryan was starting to eat solids. He couldn't quite figure out how to swallow food, so he would stick his thumb in his mouth between each bite, then he would put his hand on his head while I gave him the next bite. HE became a carrot top with orange hair when I fed him carrots!

Jules just finished his 3^rd chemo treatment on December 30. They premedicated with benadryl IV, etc to avoid the severe symptoms he had last time. He still had numbing symptoms starting about 20 minutes after chemo was over and the reaction to cold was worse. However, he didn't have to have an ambulance ride to the hospital because we now know that he isn't having a stroke. We got to go home and have dinner with Kirsten and the kids.

We took a drive on Saturday (Kirsten left on Friday) to see the snow on Four Peaks, northeast of Phoenix. We had almost 2 inches of rain here and snow as low as 2000 feet around the valley. Here are some pictures I took on that drive. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking Saguaro Lake. It was a great few hours and really nice to do something together not connected to our cancer journey. They talk about a "new normal" when someone is fighting cancer. We have missed going up to Flagstaff this winter (cold and the chemo meds Julian is on don't mix). So this little trip was great to take our mind off that and get out and enjoy nature.