A day to celebrate!!!

We just returned home from Primary Children's Medical Center for Kaden's bone cyst check up that he has every 3 months. We were told today that his cyst is totally filled in and completely healed!!! We don't have to take him back for another 2 years just to make sure it doesn't come back. I'm so happy that for now we no longer have to worry about his arm breaking due to his bone cyst. I'm so grateful that we are all healthy and hope we never take it for granted. To celebrate we let the boys get ice cream and french fries down stairs at the cafeteria. (I know,not the healthiest lunch, but we felt under the circumstances we'd let the boys pick.) Anyways, Aaron has the whole week before Christmas off work so we have enjoyed having him home. He has been busy converting our camcorder tapes onto DVD so that we can watch them more easily. There is some video we totally forgot we had taken. Some of which contains video of Lucas with the boys. We got a little sad watching them but I'm so glad that we have them. Last night for FHE we had the opportunity to go with friends to a retirement home and visit some elderly people. We sang Christmas carols and took gifts and it was a good experience. I think the boys enjoyed it but they couldn't understand why some of them didn't speak. Well, we are looking forward to Christmas and spending time with family and remembering what Christmas is all about. The boys are still young and are so focused on presents, treats, and playing in the snow. We try to remind them on a regular basis that Christmas is a time to remember our Savior and to do things for others. And our last few FHE activities have focused around what Christmas is all about. But, when asked what their favorite thing about Christmas is, it's still the presents, treats, and snow. Oh, and no school. But, hopefully they'll have a better appreciation as they get older. I don't know how many more years we'll be able to get away with the whole Santa thing. Kaden has asked a lot of questions this year and I feel really guilty lying to him. But, I want just one more year of the magic of Santa for him. He says, "Mom, is Santa real?" I reply with, "Do you believe he's real?" "Yes." "Then he is." And I leave it with that. Jonas wants to know why we don't have a chimney and how Santa gets in. I told him that he has a special key that can open any door. And with that he was satisfied. Well, we wish everyone a very merry Christmas full of peace and love. Until next time....

Shannon

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCAS!!!

Lucas,

Today we honor you and remember the joy we felt when you first came to our family and everyday since. Happy Birthday! We love you!

Much to be grateful for...

Well, I first must accept first prize for the worlds biggest slacker. I can't believe it's been 3 months since our last post and for those of you who thought maybe we dropped off the face of the earth, my apologies. Let's see, where to begin? Kaden is in 2nd grade and loves school. Jonas started Preschool this year and is having a blast making new friends and learning many fun things. Halloween was great. We went up to Aaron's parents and my mother in law painted Kaden's face. He was Dracula this year and Jonas was Ironman. They did great Trick or treating and we only got rained on for about 10 min. total which wasn't bad. We had our umbrellas just in case. For Thanksgiving we also went to my in laws and spent the evening eating ourselves stupid and visiting. It was a nice relaxing holiday. The day after we put up the Christmas Tree and made a gingerbread house. It was a sticky mess but the boys did a great job! We found out we are having another boy which I was expecting only because this pregnancy is so much like the others so I had a hunch. Am I disappointed? Well, I think every woman wants to experience what it's like to have a daughter, but I might just have to wait until my boys get married to have those girly bonds. I love our boys and I am just so grateful that the baby appears to be healthy and strong and that we have the opportunity to have children period. I'm excited to meet him and his brothers are so thrilled to be getting another baby brother. They LOVE babies and making them smile and laugh! It's nice that they will be old enough to be big helpers too. Aaron is doing well at work and we are so thankful that he still has a job. Times are tough for a lot of people and we feel very blessed to be stable financially right now. We are all healthy and happy and just enjoying our time together as a family. I'm grateful for good friends who have been there for us through laughter and tears. I'm grateful for my testimony of the Gospel and for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ who's love for me I can not deny. Their comfort has been a constant companion throughout this past year. I can honestly say that without them, I don't know if I could have found peace through the most difficult trial we have ever faced as a family. We miss Lucas terribly and think about him every day. We will often sit down for dinner and reminisce about the funny things he would do. I don't ever want the boys to forget their brother and so we keep him alive through our memories. Well, that's all for now and I wish everyone a happy holiday season. No matter what the circumstances, there is always something to be grateful for.