Merry Christmas

Cancer wise Sharmi is doing good.  She had another doctors appointment a couple weeks ago.  We left Chantel with Nana Hall.  It was a very good thing.  Chantel had a blast having alone time.  Nana Hall said she played happily by herself most of the day.  It had been three months since we had gone to Children’s hospital, and Sharmi was nervous and upset.  She cried and cried, and demanded to leave.  We finally had to just hold her down to get her blood draw.  Once the needle was in she held still.  We were very grateful that the tech got the vein on the first try.  I don’t know if I could have forced her to do it two and three times like we have had to in the past.  After the blood draw and we were waiting for the doctor, Sharmi found out that she was immediately going to the dentists after her doctors exam.  She was not pleased!  She hates the fluoride paste that they paint on her teeth.  Once at the dentist I had to literally drag her out of the car.  The appointment was uneventful.  She has curved teeth from the binki addiction, but no cavities in site.  They gave her a little rainbow colored snake as a reward. That helped lighten her spirits.

Ten days ago, on Sabbath, Chantel had a fever and was very lethargic.  She was very mellow during church.  In the evening, we went to a “Bethlehem Walk,” and she was only able to come up with enough energy to pet the animals.  The rest of the time she laid on us and didn’t talk much.  The next day, however, she talked about petting the camels neck and she kept saying, “Sharmi scared of king… Sharmi scared of king.”  It didn’t take long before Sharmi asked her to stop saying that.    Even though Chantel didn’t seem to be aware of much the night before, Sharmi’s fear for the king and the soldiers made a big impression on her.  They are very sympathetic to eachother, especially when one is in trouble with mom or dad.  They call for eachother and give eachother hugs.  It is priceless.

Originally, I thought Chantels fever was from the teeth she was cutting, but Chantel and Sharmi have both been sick ever since.  The coughing has been the worst. They haven’t slept well and Sharmi has been coughing so much that she has thrown up several times.  I think they are both on the mend. 

I am enjoying the cleverness of my children.  It is such a blessing to be a parent and to watch your children’s intelligence and humor. 

A smart moment for Sharmi was over Thanks-Giving weekend we were at the Olive Garden eating and Sharmi said “There are two kids on one side and one kid on the other, and we are sitting at a rectangle.”  We gave her the usual acknowledgements and praise and then I asked her, “what shape do the kids make?”  Her cousin Roegan was sitting at one end, her aunt Julie was between Roegan and her.  And sister was across the table.  She asked me what I meant.  I asked her what shape she would get if she drew a line between all of the kids.  She cocked her head and thought about it for awhile, and responded with a big smile, “A triangle!”  We were all impressed, especially her great -grandma.  It is nice to have proud grandparents.

A funny moment for Chantel was last week when we were getting the girls ready for bed.  We usually try to speed up the PJ process but racing and seeing which kid will “win.”  The other night Sharmi was so quick at getting her PJ’s and hurried to put them on even before Chantel got to the bed room.  When Chantel came in Dean said, “Sharmi beat.”  Then Sharmi looked at Chantel a little deflated and said, “Chantel already had her jammies on.”  (She had never changed out of her pajama’s that day.)  Chantel  looked down at her pj’s with a surprised look, and then she looked up with a clever grin. In a loud cheer she said, “I W-I-N!”   We all laughed so hard!!!! 

What a blessing our children are.  My biggest problem is getting life out-of-the-way enough to enjoy them.  Have a Merry Christmas with your families this year and laugh.  It is good for you. 

Love to you all.

Cheris