the true spirit of christmas

last week, shad had a seminar and it was just the kids and i home for dinner.  after dinner i felt like cozying up on the couch with my kids, turning on the christmas tree lights and watching a movie.  we watched a hallmark move, "the night before, the night before christmas".  cute.  we loved it.  cheesy of course, but we still loved it.  (kate had a horrendous fit the last 20 minutes and we didn't get to finish it until the next day...but the first hour, was blissful)

at the beginning of the movie, a small boy, is gathering up things around his home to donate to a local shelter.  tanner had me pause the movie to explain what was going on.  he lit up and asked if we could do the same thing.  

so he has been busy, trying to find things to donate.  

before i get to the next part, i have to explain some things about tanner.  he is a greedy little boy who loves money.  will do extra chores to earn money.  saves up, searches amazon and orders toys.  

well, sunday morning, he came into my closet while i was getting dressed and said, "i want to give this to the poor kids."  he opened up his little hands and there were a bunch of green dollar bills inside.  he said, "it's all the money that i have, except for my tithing....you know...it's all of my fun money".  i told him how proud i was, gave him a hug, and then he lit up and said, "oh, tomorrow is family night, i get paid for my chores....i'll have 2 more dollars and some coins to give".

i love this boy.

Updates.

We spent Wednesday night at the hospital emergency waiting room. We also spent Thursday morning there. Kerri had a massive nose bleed that would not stop. She bled for over four hours. And we never were treated at the hospital. By the time we left in the wee hours of the morning, there was still a four hour wait to be seen. We would have gone to a different hospital, but the roads were very dangerous (we had freezing rain and black ice, so it was a skating rink out there).

So we slept in and Kerri missed yet another day of school. Last night she had another nose bleed, but this time we were able to stop it right away. This morning, she headed to school in her pajamas, all excited - it is her last day of school and then she is on a two week winter break.

Chanukah so far has been fun, Kerri loves lighting the candles and playing with the dreidle. And she keeps asking for latkes, and Daddy keeps buying donuts. I think we are going on a diet next year.

Kerri had her last phonological speech therapy session this week too. I was overcome last night when she was writing her Christmas cards for her teachers. In the card for her speech therapist, she wrote: "Thank you for teaching me how to speak clearly.". In the card for her principal, she wrote: "Thank you for running a great school". And in her occupational therapist's card, she wrote: "Thank you for helping me hold my pencil.". The simple sentences she wrote carry so much significance to us. It may not seem like much, but words cannot describe how very grateful we all are that she can now be understood, is getting the help she needs to accommodate her special needs at school, and is receiving therapy to help her with her fine motor skills.

So as Kerri wraps up her last day with partying and making gingerbread houses with her classmates - in her new pajamas! - we are readying ourselves for another night of Chanukah festivities, with some company over for dinner. And tomorrow we are hosting a Christmas eve dinner for our loved ones. It has been so wonderful to see Kerri's excitement every day, as she gets to choose a Chanukah gift to unwrap, or looks forward to Santa's visit, or hops around with happiness with all the fun and joy of the holiday season.

Life with Kerri is thankful for every moment.