To Infinity and Beyond...Our Story of Becoming a Family.

Merry Mimas to One & All!! (This is how Tori wishes everyone a Merry Christmas)
As usual, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Life just takes over, and as much as I wish I could post every week, it just isn't going to happen. There are so many pictures that I have put them into mini digital scrapbooks. We hope you enjoy them. Be sure to click on them as some are interactive and they should all get bigger. Hopefully I will be able to do a few more updates in 2009!

Ever since Jolon's mom left in the beginning of November, things just seemed to speed by. Most events have been happy ones, but some not so good. We thought we would get a good start on the holidays by getting our tree up the week before Thanksgiving. We had a cold (ish) rainy day the Tuesday before and when I got home from work, it seemed like a good time to get it up. One of our radio stations had started playing Christmas music around the clock, so it made it even more appropriate. Tori loved it, especially since we started singing with the radio and dancing around. If there's music and dancing, Tori is your gal. She will be right in the middle of it. She has just LOVED the holiday season. More on that in a bit. Anyway, like I said we got a good start. Luckily our tree is pre-lit, because the decorations didn't get put on until mid-December. Jaydee's mom caught some kind of bug and that started her coughing which led to a sprained back. Between that and our work schedules, we got behind very quickly in the decorating department. But when all is said and done, Jolon got up all of our outside lights and inflatables, and we put out enough things in the house to make everything seem festive.

But I digress a bit. Seems like I have glossed over Thanksgiving, which seems to get little enough attention as it is. We had Thanksgiving at our house with my sister's family and a family friend. It was nice and we made all the traditional foods. Tori is a big turkey and mashed potatoes fan, so she gobbled everything up. She even got to eat her entire dinner by herself. She did a great job too. Not too much mess, even with the pumpkin pie! She is starting to eat more and more on her own with some help. She even knows when it is "too much."

The first weekend in December, we went to a create-your-own gingerbread house event which benefits our local Easter Seals Society. We had a fun time decorating our gingerbread house. Tori liked the frosting and looking at all the other houses. We want to do it again next year. She will be able to help a little bit more, and we got some great ideas from some veteran decorators!

The parent group at Jaydee's school had a Christmas party on December 12th. There were photos with Santa, dinner, and bingo. It was Tori's first up-close encounter with Santa. She has very quickly grasped the meaning of a lot of Christmas concepts, and Santa is no exception. She really wanted to see him until it was time to sit on his lap and take a picture. Wasn't going to happen without mom and dad. It was pretty funny, especially afterwards when all she could say was "Santa up!" She says that any time she wants something.

The week leading up to Christmas went by in a blur of coordinating schedules, Christmas programs, last minute decorating, and shopping. We were lucky in the shopping end as Tori didn't really pay too much attention to what we were doing. She got the idea that Santa brings presents, but couldn't grasp when or how. We had bought stuff a long time ago, and actually had too many things, so they are becoming birthday gifts. Tori helped Mommy make cookies for Santa using the wonderful cookie cutters Auntie Kristen and Uncle Dave sent last year, and we got to wear our Mommy & Tori aprons. It was tons of fun. Can't wait until next year to do it again!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I started my vacation this week, and on Monday some of my students came caroling. They were excited to be at their teacher's house and it was fun to have them over. They were all wearing reindeer antlers, and they made Tori her own Santa hat. Tori loved it. She even stood and sat with them and sang along Tori-style. Next year she just might be ready to go with caroling with them!

Make a Smilebox greeting

We went to the children's Mass on Christmas Eve. That was very different for us, especially for me since I love Midnight Mass. But we knew it would be too much for Tori and for us as we had been up a couple nights in a row until 3:00 finishing the Christmas baking, wrapping, etc. It was a nice Mass and Tori wore her new red velvet dress that Grandma (Jolon"s mom) made her from the velvet left over from our wedding. Tori looked adorable in that with white tights and black velvety shoes. She got a lot of oo's and ah's at church. Most people know her there and she is becoming quite knowledgeable in the ways of the service. She has just started giving the sign of peace which touches everyone. She turns around, sticks her little hand out and says, "Peace!"
We took a stuffed toy to leave at the manger and she was good about leaving it there although at first she wanted to exchange it for a big stuffed dog. All the toys were blessed during Mass and then given to needy children. After church we drove around downtown to look at the city lights. We came home, ate dinner and tucked a sleepy child in her crib and told her Santa was coming.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas Day itself was fun but tiring. I don't know how people with more than two children do it. It was chaotic with just one! We tried to take pictures of Tori opening all of her gifts, but it was difficult. She is not a fan of the camera. You know how most kids want to pose and ham it up? Not ours. She turns into the Empress Dowager, all serious and straight-faced. Pictures of her smiling take a lot of coaxing. So you will see a lot of the top of her head, which if you notice, she is getting more hair! She received many lovely things and of course toys. She got a couple of dolls which she loves and has taken to being the "mommy" to her "babies." She also received a stroller, infant carrier, and bassinet to go with one of them and she thinks that is the greatest. Tori has had a cold for a couple of weeks and I thought it best to take her to the doctor yesterday. Well the baby had to go too, in her infant carrier. Her pediatrician loved it as well as everyone else as we walked into the office. She even talks to it and pats it on the back and tells me it's "wet." It's not a wetting kind of doll, so I am impressed with her pretending and imagination. We have had great fun watching her play with her new things and appreciate how generous everyone has been to her.




As I mentioned earlier, we have had some great times the past two months, but they have been tempered with great sadness, too. On December 15th, we had to put down our 18 year old cat, Hi'ilei. I hand-raised her from about 2 days old, so it was very hard on me. She wasn't always the most sociable pet, but we loved her and miss her very much. Then on December 18th, my good friend and Tori's godmother, Aulani, lost her 3 year battle with cancer. Although she had been very sick the past month, her passing was a surprise and shock. Please keep her, her family, and us in your thoughts and prayers.

We end this year with our 7th wedding anniversary on December 29th. We can't believe how quickly the time goes by. We are thankful this year for many things, but by far our greatest gift and blessing has been our daughter Tori coming into our lives. She is definitely our joy. May you be happy and healthy in 2009.