Tragedy in a small town

On Friday, the unthinkable happened in a small town in Connecticut  A gunman shot and killed 20 first graders along with 6 adults (teachers, principal). My heart aches for the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. I can't help but take a deep breath every time I hold you close Suri as I can not imagine what I would do if something so tragic happened to you. I want nothing more than to be able to protect you from pain, of any kind and although I know that will not be our reality, I promise to do my very best in preparing you for the ups and downs of the future that awaits you. No matter where life leads you, I hope to be there to offer you my hand when you need one, to wipe your tears when you are sad and to give you hugs just because. I love you Suri and although you are too young to comprehend completely, you have sat with me and helped me say a prayer for the families that are hurting so badly. You said to me tonight as the President was giving a memorial speech " the kids died, like Moo Moo did"...  I didn't even think you were paying attention to the program as you colored on your easel, but you were. Once again little one, you never cease to amaze me and I am so very proud of you Suri. I love you so very much.


As I plugged in the camera tonight to upload the most recent images, I realized how BEHIND I have gotten on the blog!  There are so many odds and ends of photos of things we have been doing this past week.

Here we go...

Last Thursday, Willa and Robbie invited us to their church for Winter Fest! Suri had a blast with Calum and Hannah and it was a fun, chilly night!  The rain came just as we were leaving!  Whhew! Tonight, I got another glimpse of the reality that Suri is growing up. The church had a craft room full of crafts divided by age groups. I truly probably would not have gone inside on my own as historically  Suri's track record with craft would not have proven successful; but tonight was different!  She chose an ornament craft to do and was calm and focused until it was completed!  We then went to the next craft, and the next craft!  Suri did great!  She loved trying to match her craft to the sample craft and was very proud of herself when she completed one! Yay Suri! 

Suri, Calum and Hannah

Suri and Calum waiting inm line to do the obstacle course.
Calum bailed at the last minute and wanted me to hold him but Suri was determined to go through the obstacle course of inflatable poles, walls and a ball pit!  She made it through with minimal assistance and was so proud of herself in the end!  I was proud of her also!!  It was a pretty tough course for a 2 year old!!

Yay Suri!

Making crafts

Robbie thought something was super funny!!

Making ornaments

Such concentration

Friday night was the night of our annual Pediatric Holiday Party at the Railroad park!  Having it here is fun for the kids however it makes it difficult to mingle with coworkers, especially when the kids want to go play and the Ramada is located quite far from the playground. Suri's friend Madeleine joined us and it was nice to have a friend for Suri to enjoy the evening with.

The line for the large train was over 1 hour long, so the mini train saved the night!  We were able to get the kids right on and thankfully they were able to see some of the holiday lights on the ride!  

The line for Santa was long as well, but these two were equally happy with the wooden cutouts of Santa and Mrs. Clause!

Saturday night, Suri and I were supposed to go to Scooters annual holiday Party but unfortunately the weather was cold and rainy. We decided to stay home and Suri enjoyed helping me around the house. She especially enjoyed helping prepare dinner. She still loves steamed broccoli and thankfully ate every last bite :)

Today at church, we brought our food boxes we prepared for the children in the local schools that are food insecure. These boxes will assure that children and families are able to eat over the Christmas break. Suri had fun helping me pick out the items at the store and package them up when we arrived home!

 We can't forget about Doodle!  Here is one of the photos of him this week. Suri was very much into putting band aids on every inch of exposed skin!  Supposedly there were boo boo's underneath!  When Doodle arrived one morning, he brought Suri more band aids and must have bumped his head on his way back from Santa as he too had a band aid on his head!

And, last but not least, as I was cleaning up the dinner dishes this evening, Suri came around the corner looking like this!!  Silly kiddo! Gotta love her!

Once again, I am so thankful for this little girl and for all of the blessings in my life. I will continue to pray for those families in Connecticut as well as for all the others who are hurting in this world.
I wish everyone the best as we slide into Christmas next weekend. This week will be hectic for many but I hope everyone remembers the true reason for the Season. . .