2 of my treasures!!

I just keep feeling thankful and grateful for this season of celebration.  I'm still enjoying my decorations that have been up for quite some time.  A sweet friend wanted to help get the outside garlands plugged in and it didn't work between cords and outlet location.  I told her I was fine with it and the nice thing is...I really am.  the garland is hung and next year is soon enough to plug it in!  I told her she can help me out in 2018!  It feels good to be satisfied with a smaller amount of decorations and not wish for more.  I'm content.

Not being bothered about superfluous things regarding decorating and gift buying has made my heart even more thankful for my family as it frees me up to think of things that are important to me.

Today I've thought about the power of family love and how important and wanted and needed, in my life...actually in our life each person is.  Our family life.

When I was a young girl I always wanted to grow up and be a Mother.  A mother to several little girls.  No boys.  All girls.  As it turns out...the way it was meant to be... I ended up with 4 boys and 1 girl!

This is about that girl.  I adore this girl and I have since the minute she was born.  She is marvelous and kind and gentle and compassionate and so good to us.  We are friends and that is so wonderful!

When I was young I got a new dolly every single Christmas and that was my absolute favorite, most looked forward to special gift, a new doll.  I was shocked when my little girl only loved the first dolly she received and never wanted another one.  She did have a little tiny doll that would fit in her hand.  That was it.

She let us know she loved FollyDolly.  Even the doll losing her remaining dab of hair and a dog chewing off her fingers of one hand and reducing Jeanee to tears until we bandaged her up, didn't diminish her love of the doll.

Over the years, and well past when girls want dolls, she would tell me she was looking forward to having a real baby someday.

We had felt for around 5 years that someone was missing from our family.  I believe that all women can identify with that feeling and longing.

The feelings became more intense as time went on.  Our family prayed and our Ward even prayed for us.  Then we had our miracle...we did get our baby but she felt he was her baby.

Although she wanted a sister, she welcomed a big 9# brother.  She was small and he was very large but she carried him and tended him and loved and adored him.  The closeness remains after all of these years and that is beautiful to me.

This is my--cry for the day picture.  My gratitude expands in my heart when I see these two and know that the love I see here, has been there since David arrived, when only a couple of days old, into our home, into our hearts, and still has that place reserved for only him.

As I said...Mom trickling tears of tenderness. 

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Big Sis with her little brother!