All Aboard! The Christmas Train!

Samantha had her Kindergarten Christmas play last night! Here are some videos. This one is "All Aboard, The Christmas Train!" Sammie is in white. Don't get confused, her friend Cydnie has the same blue and black dress Sam wore to Val's wedding.

"Here Comes Santa Claus!"

I asked her about this afterwards. She said she was nervous because of all the people watching. I still think it is cute. There was one more video but I couldn't get it to load right, and well, I have other things to do! So this is a picture of Sam and her friend Cydnie before the play.

The End!

A Home for Christmas

I cannot believe how much this little family has been blessed in such a short amount of time. Since the decision to move to this small town, soooo many things have fallen into place, and we have been blessed little by little. I don't even know where to begin! Let's start with being close to family. I absolutely love being by my sister! She and I were best friends when I was in high school, and I feel like we have been able to rebuild that. (Of course, she will tell you we were only best friends because she got a car, and started driving me places *don't worry, she's kidding, although it helped!*) We talk everyday. She helps me so much. She has helped me find in home help (like Eliza was, back in California), she has helped me move in, ran errands, and most importantly, she has been here for me to talk to. Some of you know, I have certain personal battles I am facing right now, and tough decisions ahead. Cass has been my rock, and the ONE person I can really depend on to understand completely. It is amazing how different it is having a friend in front of you, or a phone call away down the street to be a listening ear. The next major blessing is the place we live. First of all, it is smaller than the apartment in Sandy, which has positives and negatives. Smaller corners, so it is harder to manipulate my chair, but it is less to clean. When I first moved in I was really worried about having room for everything in my kitchen, but still to this day, I feel like the Lord is miraculously making everything fit in this little apartment. It has really been a blessing. A major part of the blessing is the owners of the complex. It is a small town, it's not part of some big property monopoly, nope. The owners are a couple native to the town who just enjoy being landlords. They call it their hobby, not their job. They are even in my ward. Anyway, when I first moved in, we asked about one handrail in the bathroom, he put in three. I told him I knick corners with my chair, he put in corner protectors. I told him I was worried about the doorways, he said, "Well, we may widen them, it wouldn't be that hard, we have done it before." When I first did my walk through, she was worried I would be disappointed because the carpet is old and wasn't shampooed after the last tenant (who moved to the next building and only lived here 3 months). Those of you who know me, know I am extremely GRATEFUL the carpet wasn't new or stainless. I always have SO much guilt when it comes to the carpet and my wheelchair staining it. This time, it is one less thing I have to worry about. OH... also during my first walkthrough, Cass and I were talking to Denise(the landlord), and mentioned I was going to buy bunkbeds for the girls. Well, we didn't have too. Denise and Mike had some, from when the complex was for college students, and we got them for free. They even came over and put them up for me. It has really been a positive experience living here. If I have ANY problems at all, they are here. The girls love Mike (one of the landlords, the husband) they call him Uncle Mike (plus, I think it's funny he looks like my Uncle Joe, only shorter). The other night he came over to help me with my internet, and Laci was sick, he poked in her room in the midst of the puke and caos and said, "Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do?" Now on to the church. I was really having a negative experience with the church in Sandy. People were just not there for me, in a very hard time in my life. I have only been in this apartment, and in this ward for thirteen days, and I am so overwelmed with love and gratitude for these people. They have offered to give me rides to church and activities, in fact they insist. My Relief Society Presidency has been over to my house both Sundays to talk and see if we need anything. We have already been brought three meals. I didn't even request it. They just said, "We will be bringing you meals twice a week you can freeze for when you need them. There is a lady on bedrest above you, due in January, and we are doing it for her. It is just the right thing to do, it can't be easy for you either." Okay then! We went to the Ward Christmas dinner this week (by way of ride with someone in the ward of course) and it was great. The couple who gave us a ride, sat by us, and helped with the girls. There wasn't that pressure to be a perfect mom anymore. Also, they sent us home with the leftovers from the turkey dinner. Needless to say, my freezer is full and ready for my down days (we all know I have a lot). Just when you think it couldn't get any better, something else happens. It's funny, a month or two ago I was saying the opposite. Just when you think it couldn't get any worse... Did I mention, Sammie's new kindergarten teacher grew up in Sandy in our old ward, and knows her old teacher? That is a huge blessing. I don't know if she did yet, but was going to call up her old teacher and get the scoop on Sam. And they have requested already to test her for speech and other delays. The speech therapist has put a call in to Sam's preschool in CA requesting her IEP. Hopefully, Sam will finally get the help here in Utah she deserves, since the school district in Sandy took her out of Special Ed. Other school news, Laci was tested for preschool on Friday. If she gets in, she will be bussed everyday to a nearby town for preschool. It would be fantastic for her. Even though, right now she is in a rut as far as potty training, (all the changes triggered digression) I really feel that she is also being blessed behind the scenes with everything else. While I have been sitting here, I have been watching the snow fall. The snow falling has gone from, not sticking to the cement outside, to sticking and the entire parking lot out my window is white. Even though I can't get anywhere when sidewalks aren't shoveled, the Lord is still providing a way for things to happen that need to. Sam has a ride to school everyday, even though it is across the street. The girls and I put up our little Christmas tree Thursday night. We did it all by ourselves. The Christmas tree, and the nativity set is pretty much all we have out right now, but what more do you need? Even though, it's insane to move right in the midst of the holidays. Even though we won't have much under our tree this year. To me, it just feels nice to finally be home for Christmas. We have eachother, and good people around us, that's all this little family needs. Happy Holidays.