last Christmas

I was going through some photos and playing around with photo shop and here is a favorite from last Christmas. Just thought I would post it so I can keep it in my "scrapbook"

Christmas!!

The cousins. We sure did miss Josh and Nick this year!
Checking out her new sparkle...

Best buddies
Look how adorable these sparkle Toms are!! So darn cute! They are a bit big. Lila's feet grow so so slow. Maybe in the summer....






One of the highlights of the day was Gracie. She was so excited to give me a present that she made for Lila. She made her this adorable headband that went perfectly with her outfit! Thanks ace-o! Lila loved it.
Lila in her Christmas best! she wore this sweater last Christmas too.

Lila with all her Christmas loot
This was my present of the day. Lila actually acknowledged and laughed at the mirror I got her. It made my whole morning.

Christmas Eve with the Thomsons

I really did such a bad year this year of taking photos, luckily I can steal all of my sisters. Thanks kel.

Thomson tradition of seeing the temple square lights












Doing the nativity play..





My mom got these little candle holders that spell out noel before I was born and they are such a fun Christmas tradition. I noticed this year that the "L" is the angel. How perfect for our little angel Lila.

Christmas Eve with the Kimballs

Lila loved her Giraffe Snuggley from the Jory K fam!
I did the worst job at Pictures this Christmas!!! I got to involved in the activities and forgot all about my camera! Here are a few ...


The kids so excited for presents

Lila kisses

I love my Lila kisses. When I kiss her she usually turns to give me a big, sloppy kiss and sometimes a bite to go along with them....
... and then I love the face she gives when she is done. Like ok mom, please stop.

Thank you "N"

Lately I have been feeling a bit blue. I don't know if its the weather or because this holiday season is not what I pictured when I imagined having a toddler at Christmas. Either way I have lost sight of the meaning of this life. I know Heavenly Father gave me Lila to make me a better person but sometimes I would really like to be just mediocre. Just a normal person with normal kids. I wouldn't even mind if she was a bit naughty just if she could be alright. So today I got a reminder of what I need to aspire to.
A dear friend gave me a gift today and it touched me in more ways than one. We are in similar situations. We are both going to loose dear sweet baby girls, our little angels, and yet she is constantly lifting me up. Today she gave me the gift of having photos taken of little miss. I cannot tell you the value of Photos in my situation. Knowing I will have images of Lila after she is gone is amazingly comforting. Not only was this gift worth its weight in gold, it was a lovely reminder of what this life is about. Helping each other through this life and serving one another. She is definitely something to aspire to. She has a gift of helping others and knowing just what to do and say to make them feel better and strengthened. I hope someday I can be like her.
So while I don't know how she would feel about me using her name, since she is local and knows some of you,(I'm sure a few of you have guessed) I just want to say thank you! Thank you for being a true friend and for living in Holland with me!

Thank you Sandie, Mark and Matthew!!!

Lila got her first package in the mail. Our dear friends Sandie, Mark and Matthew from Oregon sent Lila an adorable outfit, jammies and some delicious trader Joes cookies (why cant we have trader joes in Utah?) Doesn't she look adorable? They are so nice and cozy.
Sandie has become one of my dearest friends. We met because she found my blog and she has become an invaluable resource and support ever since. Her son Matthew has a missing corpus callosum, and back when we thought that that was the only reason, besides the cataracts, that Lila was behind Sandie was constantly emailing me and giving me words of encouragement. She spent hours researching for me and trying to find other kiddos like Lila. She even had Vici syndrome on a list of possibilities way before I googled it and asked Lilas doctors about it. She is so amazing. She goes out of her way to lift others and help them through difficult situations. Its so wonderful how people come into your life to help you along. She is one of the most Christ like perosn I have ever known and I feel so blessed that she found our little blog and reached out to us. She is an example to me and something I feel like I can aspire to.
Thank you Sandie, Mark and Matthew for Lilas and our presents. That was so kind of you!
This was a big smile but my camera time is slow. So this is just the end of it.