Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has an amazing and fun Christmas. My family loves Christmas and giving to others. I love watching the joy and excitement in my girls on Christmas morning. This is such a wonderful time to build positive loving memories. I love the tradition of Santa Claus and we have so much fun with this.

This December an Christmas we are grateful we did not spend any time at the hospital or in any doctor appointments!! As each month goes by things at home and with Raylee seem to get more and more normal, or more and more back to the ordinary lives we once knew. I know there are many families who are at the hospital this Christmas day and my heart aches for them. It just isn't the place you want to spend Christmas.

Hug your family and friends a little more this Christmas and always remember God gave us His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so we can return to Him through the atonement of Christ. What a wonderful time to celebrate the life of Christ!

Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation

Check out this amazing organization that serves children and families in Utah, Juab, San Pete, and Wasatch counties in Utah who have a child with cancer. My family is not involved with this organization but I think it is really special and want to spread the word about it just in case someone reading this message has the opportunity to serve, donate, or volunteer for this program. Check out their website at: http://childrenwithcancerchristmasfoundation.org/ it is truly amazing. The BYU basketball team is highly involved in this program. Their involvement in it kind of reminds me of the movie Forever Strong. If you have never experienced this touching movie, I highly recommend it.

"The Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation is a non-profit organization established to bring relief and joy to children and their families, affected by the travails of Cancer. Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation was founded on the idea of helping children in need. A child that is struggling with cancer is especially worthy of protection and care.

There are various organizations that do tremendous good providing support and financing for research and study to find a cure. Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation salutes their efforts, however the emotional needs of these children and their families are what the foundation is designed to help."

Jorja the Performer!! :)

This month Jorja had several performances. She sang at a Winter Fest program to promote and support the performing arts. Her chorus teacher is very enthusiastic and energetic...just what Jorja needs. She can be shy sometimes. She sang several Christmas songs at the Winter Fest. She was also in a dance performance where she did tap and cheer leading. I was so proud of her because she not only did her best at these performances but had fun! She was really pumped about the dance performances because she received two metals. Her elementary also puts on a Christmas program every year where all the grades sing Christmas songs in front of an audience....it has been a busy month!

Loving Santa

We recently were invited to a Christmas party at the Real Salt Lake Soccer Stadium. It was located in their managment offices and was a lot of fun for the girls. They had games, treats, crafts, and one of the Real soccer players to meet and greet them, Chris Wingert. Of course we got his autograph and picture. He gave all the children a gift bag full of fun little toys, chap stick, flowers for hair, and candy. This Christmas party was hosted by Real Salt Lake, Starbucks, and Cricket. In leaving the Starbucks staff gave each family a gift bag with popcorn, soda, candy and a movie. There were a lot of people at this party and a lot of families. For these big businesses to be able to collaborate and plan such a fun and meaningful event for families who have, or are, experiencing severe illness with a child, is incredible. For them it isn't about making money or promoting themselves, it is about giving back to the community and having a cause bigger than themselves.

During this Christmas party Santa walked in the door and it surpised everyone. Raylee ran up to him and hugged him. I got the sweetest picture of her doing this that will be on the wall. The picture reflects a sweet childlike love. Witnessing that moment brought me peace, and I thought of all the kids who believe and have hope in Santa. What a great symbolic figure he is for Christmas. It wasn't about Santa giving presents but about Santa spreading love. I hope Raylee never forgets that moment.

Meeting Santa

We were able to introduce Raylee to Santa Claus at a Make-A-Wish Christmas party. This was also our first time to the 'Wishing Place.' If you have never been here it is an amazing building. In some ensence it felt sacred and peaceful as incredible pictures of children hung on the walls which described the child and their wish. Some of the children have past away. It was difficult to read through all of them at once because you would get that pain in your throat when you are about to cry. It wasn't a sad place however, but one of comfort. It is really hard to describe. I guess it felt like a place where amazing things happen to amazing children.

The girls had so much fun at this Christmas party hosted by Make-A-Wish and their volunteers. Everyone was very welcoming and made you feel like a long lost friend. They had cookies and chocolate milk and made all kinds of crafts. Santa Claus walked in the door and Jorja started jumping up and down with excitement. Raylee, who is starting to understand who Santa Clause is, started trembling. When I noticed her shaking, I wondered if she was just so excited. But when you looked at her face and saw the fear in her big eyes, I knew she wasn't trembling with excitement, it was FEAR. She looked up at me and started moaning and took off running for the door. Jerry chased her down and we had to just take it really easy with warming up to Santa Claus. Eventully, we stood in line to meet him and let the girls tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Jorja made each of them a Christmas list; Raylee's had several things listed on it and Jorja's was completely full. Sure enough-it was two pages long! Silly kid.

Once it was their turn to talk to Santa, Raylee wasn't as scared. She went first and gave Santa her list. He looked over it and hugged her. By this time she was full of positive energy and the expected childhood excitement of seeing Santa. Jorja went next and he looked at her list and tucked in his big red velvetly bag and told her, while laughing, he would read it on his way home. Eventually the line died down and 'Charlie Brown's Christmas' was playing on a big projector screen. Next thing we knew Raylee was going up to Santa to sit on his lap again, and there they sat as if best friends watching this movie. :)

This was not your ordinary Santa Claus. One of the children in line was probably about 4-months-old and this Santa held and rocked this baby in his arms with such tenderness and love, as if it were the baby's last time being held. I wanted to cry, it was such an amazing thing to witness, a picture that will always be frozen in my thoughts. A real love for a child, from a complete stranger, that came from a heavenly healing place. I didn't feel like crying because I felt bad the baby may be seriously ill, or because I was sad. I wanted to cry because it felt so Christ like, a happy type of cry. I've been having those a lot lately :) Witnessing this at 'The Wishing Place' and feeling the wishes of all the pictures that hung on the wall was very sacred to me. If you have never been there, I recommend you see it. In the near future they are going to take us on a personal tour!

I am so thankful my family will all be home for Christmas, because I know some kids and families will spend this holiday in the hospital. You can't plan when your cancer child will be sick, whether it is from Chemo or from a lack of immune system. I am 100% positive there are many families in the hospital at this time, wishing they could be home, with children wondering if Santa loves them enough to visit them while in the hospital. It depresses me and at the same time I feel guilty being so happy that Raylee is finished with treatment and that everything is looking fabulous--my family gets to be home! I pray for those families that they will find comfort in the choas of the hospital and they receive the much needed rest to make the most out of Christmas. If you have a healthy family and children, I hope at this holiday season you thank the Lord above for giving you this gift. I use to watch the show 'Extreme Home Makeover' on Sundays and think to myself, 'I'm so lucky no one in my family is ill.' I thought this because so many of the families are chosen because of trials of illness that one or more of their family meembers experience, so they show a lot of families and illnesses. Little did I know, my child was ill the entire time. The cancer just hadn't exposed itself yet. Who knows how long Raylee lived in discomfort and pain, I will never know. The point I'm trying to make is, you never know when something will happen that changes your life forever--so at this time be thankful for all those good things going on whether at home or at the hospital. This is an amazing time of year!