Rockin' New Year's Eve

This is what our New Years Eve looks like. It used to be full of drinking, dancing and laughter. It has been an exhausting two weeks. I worked New Years Eve and rang in the new year with my co-workers, and shared sparkling cider with one of the patients. Things have changed in our lives, but one thing that never will is the love of our family. Happy New Year!

I am so blessed.

The only thing missing is Ashley. She was alseep in my room. I am so blessed.

Merry Christmas

 

Andrew and Allison set up hot cocoa and cookies for Santa as well as carrots for the reindeer. They placed it by the fireplace and anxiously waited in bed. It has only been 3 days since Andrew had his surgery, and he has been a sport. They created the cast so large that it won't fit through his shirts, so he is either shirtless of he wears Paul's shirts. He has his moments, usually in the middle of the night where he cries out in pain, and I run to get him some "orange medicine" AKA Tylenol with codeine. Overall he has done very well and I am proud of his strong spirit. I just feel bad that Santa brought him a pogo stick :/

Santa has arrived!

Demboski Family Christmas Party, sort of.

This picture of Ashley at the Demboski Family Christmas Party was the only one I took this year.

We were just getting the party started when Andrew fell. All of the kids were running around throughout the house and the adults were cheering them on. We were all having fun. The party had just begun and then BAM! Andrew fell! Poor thing couldn't stop crying and we decided to take him to Torrance Memorial. Paul and I waited with him in the lobby for 3 hours, when I decided to head back to the house to check on the girls. Once I got there, the phone rang and it was Paul telling me that Andrew fractured his elbow and would need surgery tonight. I cried, then drove to the hospital just in time to watch them start an IV and take some blood. Within minutes the on call Orthopedic surgeon came in. He explained to us that he was going to have to place pins in his elbow and then he will be in a cast for 4 weeks. Andrew received pain medicine and built Legos that Santa brought him at the Christmas party. They played in his hospital bed until an OR nurse came and wheeled him to the OR room. We signed consents, met with the Anesthesiologist. Fred got to go with him, but we had to say goodbye. I told all of the OR staff to take good care of my baby. They were all amazing! Andrew called the OR the Control room, so that is what the surgery team kept calling it too.

Paul and I made our way tot he surgery waiting area and ate left over party food that our family packed up for us. We were starving! Then I fell asleep. I had been up for 40 hours, because I had worked the night before. It was after midnight when Paul woke me up and we go to go see him. He was still asleep. He had a purple cast on and so did Fred. I could not be happier with the staff there, they truly know how to make it easy on the parents and even more important they brought comfort and great care to my son. I held his had and looked at him for what seemed like forever. His little fingers were swollen. He finally woke up and I gave him a million kisses before saying goodbye. Paul stayed with him over night in the Pediatric unit. I went back to Paul's parents house to be with the girls. I knew Ashley would want to nurse soon.

 The next morning I went to the hospital to see this. Andrew was all tucked into his bed and he had 6 presents at the foot of his bed that Santa brought him last night. In reality the firefighters dropped off gifts to the pediatric unit from donations they received from a toy drive. It was so heart warming to receive these gifts. Andrew only broke his arm and just required one surgery. I cannot imagine the other families that have children who are chronically ill. We felt so blessed.

 Andrew was experiencing pain, but the orange medicine helped take it away. His RN was fantastic and helped with a quick discharge so Andrew could celebrate Christmas with the Demboski side of the family.

Allison and Ashley had fun with Aunt Katie. She took excellent care of my girls. Everyone should be so lucky to have an Aunt Katie.

Santa came to Disneyland!

We took the kids to see Santa Claus at the Disneyland Hotel. It has sort of become a tradition. As Andrew and Allison get older, it is getting more and more tricky to answer all of their amazing questions. Here are some of the many questions:
1. Where are Santa's reindeer when he is at the Hotel?
2. Will Santa get a room at the Hotel?
3. How does Santa see us all of the time?
4. If it is Jesus' birthday, why do we get presents?
5. Where is Mrs. Claus?
My answer to most things has something to do with Christmas being a magical time.
Allsion didn't really want much to do with Santa, but she did get brave enough to tell him that she wants the Princess and the Popstar movie and a pony castle. Andrew was super excited to see him, talk with him and even sit on his lap. He told Santa that he wanted Skylanders. Ashley Marie wanted nothing to do with him. She freaked out when we put her on his lap. We had to do it though, pictures like this are priceless :)

Savoring the small moments

As I mentioned before this is the time of year to truly enjoy family and to spend quality time together. Tonight we made Christmas ornaments.

 Allison chose a "snowflick" to paint.

 Andrew made his bell orange, naturally.

 Ashley was a big helper and tried her hardest to spill the jar of water and eat the paint.

 I love these chubby hands holding this thin paintbrush.

 Allison's Christmas tree earrings look so beautiful on her.

 The finished product!

My first Attempt at Gingerbread Cookies

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My goal was to spend some quality time baking gingerbread cookies with my kids and then of course decorating them. Little did I know that this dough was impossible to work with. It was so sticky and messy, I thought for sure they would have turned out disgusting. They actually turned out fantastic! But the recipe said it would make 24 cookies, and we only ended up with 6 big ones. We lost so much dough just because it stuck to everything and was impossible to shape.

My intentions this Holiday season is to spend less time fussing over my house, running errands, shopping and going to parties. I want to spend more time playing, teaching my kids, making memories and capturing precious moments like these. So far I have been successful. I am done with school now, so I have taken advantage of my time off. I have done all of my shopping online when the kids are in bed, I have turned down Holiday parties to spend more time at home, we have painted ornaments, and I have taught them the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

 

OK on to the baking...

 

 Step One: Make the dough

 Step Two: Roll the extra sticky dough

 Voila

 Time to decorate...

 Taking a moment to clean up the frosting on his arm.

 She had a choice...broccoli or icing. She chose the obvious choice.

 The final product!

 Paul's cookies were the best.

Ashley was upset that I took her icing away.

Attempting A New Photo

The Christmas lights look so pretty when the lights in the room are dim, but I can't capture the beauty of it when the flash is on the camera. So I shut off the flash and made some attempts at some great intentions. This is what I got.

 Although the subjects in the photo are adorable, they tend to move a lot! This doesn't work when the flash is off and creates fuzzy pictures.

 It can create some interesting shots of the lights screeching across the photo.

 I did not have a hard time finding a volunteer to stand in front of the tree to say cheese.

 I even managed to get swirly lights.

 Attempting to capture the mood. So peaceful and warm.

 One last picture before bedtime.

 I decided the only way I can take a picture of the kids in front of the tree without a flash was to do it when they don't move...when they are sleeping. Paul thought I lost my mind when I individually carried out each baby and laid them on the ground in front of the Christmas tree. I just had to get this shot.

 Allison woke up and started screaming and seemed angry, so I put her back to bed.

 Then Andrew woke up and cried, so I put him back to bed.

Ashley lasted the longest, so I took some more of her.

 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!