Kambriella got her ears pierced!

It seemed to me that every morning in the bathroom as the girls were getting ready, I would here the same words come out of Kambriella's mouth. "Mama, ears!" Then I would hear the echo of her big sister behind her saying, "Ya mom, Kambriella wants pretty ears like Kierra!" I had gotten Kierra's ears pierced when she was one and so Kierra thought that we needed to do the same for Kambriella. I however was having a hard time thinking about actually doing it because I knew that it would probably hurt and I couldn't stand the thought of inflicting any sort of pain on this sweet little girl. After all, she has already had to go through a lot in her short little life! Nevertheless, as Friday, February 18th rolled around, Kierra, Kambriella, and I found ourselves with an opportunity to have a girls night out while all of the boys were enjoying a night out at the "Monster Truck Jam." So, of course when I asked the girls what we should go do, there was a cheer of, "pretty ears, Mom!" So, we ended up at the mall and found our way into the jewelry store...

When Kambriella saw the "poo poo" chair, (the purple chair:) she was immediately intrigued and with no prompting at all she climbed on up and reclined herself back and said, "Mine!" Yes, she thought that the purple chair now belonged to her!

Then, I sat down and let her pick out some pretty earrings and held her and asked her if she wanted "pretty ears like Kierra." She held the earrings and said, "Mine!" At this point I thought we could go through with it because she was being so agreeable, but I was the one getting nervous, NOT her!

She saw the cute Claire's Bear and of course said, "Mine!" The lady gave it to her thinking that it would be a great distraction while she prepared everything.

The two ladies in the store held Kambriella's ears and counted to three while Kambriella sat perfectly still. I was quite shocked at how cooperative she was being and we all sat ready for at least a little bit of drama to come. One, Two, Three!

At this point, everyone in the store was watching in amazement as Kambriella didn't flinch, didn't budge, didn't scream or even make a peep! Both of the ladies turned to me at the same time and said, "WOW! She is amazing! We've never had a little one not cry before!" So, here are her "pretty ears!"

As they handed me the mirror to show Kambriella, I breathed a sigh of relief at her pleasant reaction - and NO crying! This little girl is one tough cookie! And she loved looking at her new "pretty ears!"























As soon as we were done, Kambriella was out the door and chasing the train down the mall! That was it! I couldn't believe it! She had her new pretty ears and now it was time to go have some fun! Trains, suckers, shopping...














...and dinner! We had panda express for dinner, we talked and laughed, and admired Kambriella's pretty ears all night long!















Kambriella, you are such a little angel! We love you and are so happy that you came to our family! You make us appreciate life everyday AND you make it fun! We love you... and your ears!

Will you be MINE?

Valentines Day is such a sweet day when you are living out the dream of being married to your best friend. Wasn't it Joseph B. Worthlin that said, "Come what may and love it?" Well, in this relationship of love that we have built, the "come what may" seems so EASY to love - with Clint by my side. It is true, that frustrations in life arise, and trials accompany us down our path of life, but thanks to an amazing husband who sees only the good in me and the humor in everything all around us, we can honestly say that living out our eternal marriage together is like having Valentines Day everyday. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Sweetheart, you are the greatest blessing in my life and I'm so glad that I have you forever.

Clint and I have a tradition of taking turns planning out our romantic holidays like Valentine's day and our anniversary. That way, there is always an element of excitement and surprise for one of us to enjoy. All the while the person doing the planning is giddy with anticipation for how happy they are going to make the other person be! And yes, sometimes we drop very heavy hints to each other knowing full well that whatever the end result of the planning, it will be fully enjoyed by BOTH of us! So, here's to life, love, and the hopeless romantic inside of all of us!


Here are just a couple of sweets that we exchanged with each other. Sparkling grape juice and chocolate truffles from Clint, and gourmet chocolate dipped strawberries (that were wrapped really cute in a rose sleeve) for Clint. I also bought a couple of nice wooden tables to complete our favorite "dinner and a movie" date nights.;)















Clint knows how much I love Paul Cardall's music so he was sweet enough to buy me his new CD that came out on "Heart Day" and his new book that he wrote sharing all of his life experiences that he went through while waiting to receive his heart transplant. His story and his music are so beautiful and inspiring and they have extra special meaning to me with some of the experiences we have had with our sweet little Kambriella and her heart.















Valentine's Day or "Heart Day" as stated by Paul Cardall was the perfect day to release his new album that was written with his new heart, and the perfect day to host a benefit concert for all those other people out there waiting for their heart transplants. Yes, this was where the little hint dropping had to come in on my part, but I was very pleased and tried to at least ACT surprised when Clint told me that he had bought tickets for us to go to this concert on Valentine's Day!
















Here we are at the intermission of the concert and loving every minute of it! The concert in Clint's words was, "the best concert we've ever been to." There was beautiful music, amazing guest performers, dedications and updates from local fundraising groups. There were moments of inspiration, laughter, heartfelt emotion and tears. But all in all, the entire night was sweet and reflected a feeling of gratitude that just made you feel so glad to be alive and to live in this wonderful time of life.

As we rode home together that night, there was an extra added measure of love that I felt deep inside. I have truly been blessed to have Clint in my life. He brings out everything that is good in me and is the best friend I've ever had. He makes me laugh and makes me cry (but only because I'm laughing so hard that it makes me cry!) He makes me smile and makes me feel important and always knows how to give in and let me think that I am right! ;) He treats me like I am a queen and makes me think that I am the most beautiful of all of God's creations! He also let's our children know that they are the luckiest kids in the whole world because they got the "best, smartest, and prettiest mom in the world!" (You know how Clint can make you think he knows everything because he's so confident when he says it, well they really believe it because "Dad said so!") And, he let's them know that I am his favorite too! Am I a lucky girl or what? Clint, you are amazing to me! I love you with my whole heart and soul and am so excited to have eternity to spend with you! Thanks for being my Valentine, forever and ALWAYS! I Love You!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXO

Kierra's a Teenager!

13!!!!!!! I can hardly believe what is happening around here! My sweet little baby Kierra is now officially a teenager! While I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, I still can't believe WHERE the time has gone! From the "pioneer parade princess" to dance, tumbling, baseball, 5 K's, horseback riding, cheer leading, choir, arts, and band... I believe that Kierra has developed into a very talented and beautiful young woman. She knows how to laugh, smile, lead, and love beyond the capacity that even sometimes I can comprehend. She has many sweet friends and seems to make more with each passing day. She is kind and true, honest and genuine, and draws many people to her with her caring and sensitive personality. While I know I could make the "proud mama" list go on and on and on, just believe me when I say that Kierra is going to be happy in this life because of who she is on the inside and what she does with it on the outside. She will forever be my baby, my princess, my angel Kierra!

On Kierra's birthday, the young women in our ward came over and "flamingoed" our front yard! I must say it was pretty cute with a note attached to the door that read, "We are tickled "pink" that it's your birthday!" She also went with a couple of friends after school to the temple. What a cute bunch of girls!

Here they are after the temple ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to Kierra. Kambriella was so cute too, feeling so "BIG" with all of the girls! What a nice change from all of those crazy brothers! ;)

Making a wish for... what was it again? An I-POD touch, some "bling-bling" jeans, or maybe another hello from that cute boy Brayden? Or was it Lawson? I can't keep these things straight! ;)

Cute friends just having some fun! (And Kambriella beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all? Maybe these girls really are as crazy as those brothers of mine! ;)

Our sweet friend Natalie who is Kierra's "other mom," doing Kierra's nails for her birthday! Soooo fun! Isn't it great when the hardest decision you have to make is, "what color of sparkles should I pick?" (By the way, she picked pink!)

The glamour girl herself! Pink sparkly nails and all! Now it's time to get down to business! Shopping anyone? :)

"Oh mom, they're all so cute! Can't I just get them all?;)

Did someone say, "glamour girl?" Oh why yes, that would be me!

Well, if I can't have ALL the clothes in the world, then how about just all of this yummy candy? (Just kidding mom, I just needed something to attract some more attention to my nails!!! ;)

Oh sweet Kierra! Thanks for sharing your birthday celebration with me! (Here we go winding our way back to the car, literally! Which door of the mall DID we come out of? ;)

Sweet Kierra,

Happy Birthday you cute thing! Thanks for being you - beautiful on the inside and out! I love every minute of every day getting to be your mom. I must have done something right to deserve you for my daughter! I love you to the moon and back! All my love wrapped up in a "soft shell taco!" ;) Ha Ha!
Love mom

Friends 'till the end!

Have you ever been blessed to have a true and honest friend? Isn't it nice to know that as we work our way through this thing called life that there are actually people out there who will be by your side through the good and bad, thick and thin, sweet and sorrowful, and clear 'till the end? I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life; most of them like sisters to me. And, as this new year has its way of "ringing in," I have felt heavens blessings of dear friends showering upon me and I am so grateful for sweet friends!!!! ( I wish I had a picture of and room for all of them, but here are just a few to get my point across... I think you know what I mean!)

Have you ever had a friend that loves Christmas as much as you do that she would come over to your house at 1:00 in the morning because she knows that you are excitedly putting up the decorations while all of the little ones are fast asleep? And then she still gets up in the wee hours of the morning to go for a run with you just to share more moments of laughter, inspiration, and rejuvenation together?

Have you ever had a friend that you could confide anything in? Someone that loves you both in your sparkles and your sweats? Or have you ever had a friend to go through some of life's bumpiest spots with and still end up squeezing each other tight no matter where the road of life leads?

Have you ever had a friend that would care for your children as if they were her own and do it countless times both simply for the fun of it and with only a moments notice just to get you out of a pickle? Or have you ever had a friend that you could enjoy her smile both at 5:30 am at aerobics class and at 10:00 pm after a presidency meeting?

Or, have you ever had a friend that regardless of whether you are catching up at soccer practice, or being proud together over your second graders "being friendly to everyone" awards at school, you can sit back and laugh together and love each other even if it IS a bad hair day!

Have you ever had a friend that's been there for you literally since the moment you were born? One that has experienced birth and death, love and tears, gut-aching laughter and long distance road trips, the smell of GLADE brand air freshener one too many times, and eating soooo much ice-cream that you felt like you would be sick for the next two days?

Or, have you ever had a group of friends that could pull together just two weeks before an adoption and clean, paint, wallpaper, and decorate for the arrival of your friends long awaited baby girl? And when you are with them, you can live, laugh, love, learn, and blossom into what a beautiful woman really should be?

Have you ever had a friend that just simply "gets you?" One that listens with her heart and understands the demands of life and tries to lighten the load, whether its in the form of laughter, a phone call, or even if it is in the form of a baby shower that you insisted you didn't need - for a sweet baby girl that without it would have been dressed solely in baseball and Lakers attire?

Or, have you ever had a friend that you wanted to be permanently attached too, like Siamese twins or something? Someone whom you love so much that you are literally becoming like them right down to knowing what their next word will be or knowing what 1 item out of the 50 off of the menu will be the one that they are in the mood for that day? Someone who thinks you are beautiful in just a T-shirt and even after it has baby throw up on it?

There is something wonderful about friendships and relationships that help us make it through this life. We need each other and we need to love each other. What a blessing it is to have a true friend to share all of life's experiences with. All in the past month or so, I have had friends to celebrate with, to struggle with, to comfort in times of loss, and to rejoice in the news of gladness. Friends have visited, made a phone call, sent a note, offered an invitation, and even extended new hands of friendship - both from close to home, and far away. We have shared trials and triumphs, anticipation and gratitude, and embraced with arms of compassion. To all of you who have been a friend to me... may heavens blessings truly pour out upon you in abundance a feeling of peace and comfort that comes from knowing that you are loved! You are one of those things that keeps on tugging at my Heartstrings!

At the Christmas Concert, there was another gift...

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I wrote about an experience called "a Christmas Concert and a Gift." Well, there were so many neat things that I had experienced that day, that I did not have enough room in that post to write them all down. But, one particular experience keeps coming back to my mind and I feel that I should write it down. It is one of those experiences that I feel was a great lesson that I learned about listening to the spirit and hopefully in writing it down, I might never forget one of those great lessons that Heavenly Father would have me learn.

I can still remember so many of the small details. I was with my friend Susan and we were at the mall enjoying a beautiful Christmas concert together and really enjoying getting a good dose of the "Christmas spirit." As I was taking everything in, I remember looking all around me and seeing so many different people with smiles on their faces and everyone seemed to be genuinely happy. There were friends meeting friends, elderly couples holding onto each other, mothers with strollers, and even a group of handicapped adults. It was amazing the sense of unity that the music in the air was bringing. It was clearly evident that all those who were there had a feeling, even if just for a moment, that this was a wonderful gift at Christmas.

After Paul Cardall's beautiful piano music was over, there was another performer, Nathan Osmond, who bounded onto the stage with all of the energy and excitement of a little kid at Christmas! As I sat and balanced Gavin and Kambriella, their soda and pretzel bites, and listened to the happy sounds that were filling the air, I couldn't help but notice a voice from behind me that was singing along with some of the songs that were being performed. This voice was singing beautifully on key and as I turned to see who it was, I saw that it was a handicapped man standing and smiling with a crowd of others. At this point, the man singing on the stage invited another man from over in the corner to come and join him on the stage. This young man immediately spread more of the "Christmas spirit" with the huge smile that was on his face as he clapped his hands and danced around on the stage. His enthusiasm was contagious! I remember feeling so happy and the huge smile that also showed up on all of our faces. Then, I remember looking around the crowd at all of the people and just observing what was happening. That - was when I noticed him. A young man that looked to be in his 20's or so. He was confined to a wheelchair but had full use of his upper body. He started out on the opposite side of the stage from me, and as I watched him over the next few minutes, he began maneuvering his way in and out of the crowd. He wheeled himself from one aisle to the next trying to find just the right spot to sit and watch the concert, and apparently not wanting to give up until he had found the perfect place. He would work his way up the aisle being sure not to bump into anyone, and then he would work his way back. He then moved over a few rows and would do the same thing - work his way up the aisle and then back again. After following this same pattern every few minutes, he had finally ended up just a few rows over from me, strategically seated between a huge pillar and a garbage can. From where he had finally seated himself, I had the perfect view to witness what I felt was a little piece of heaven. He was literally glowing because he looked so happy. He was smiling and nodding his head to the beat. It was so much fun to see someone get so much satisfaction out of something so simple as music. But that is what music does to me, too. Good music fills my soul with joy and gladness that it usually becomes uncontainable! Well, what happened next was not what I had expected, but as it did, I felt that I was being given another gift from Heavenly Father because He was letting me be a part of all of this. I watched this young man wheel himself back over to the other side of the stage to where they had a table set up for people to buy any of the CD's of the artists who were performing. As I watched this man, the music was still filling the air and I could hardly believe what I was seeing. He proceeded to pull out a large bag and empty its contents out onto the table. From all of the lights reflecting I could easily see that it was a huge pile of coins. Pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters - no bills to be seen, only coins. For a few minutes I watched him sliding the coins from one side of the table to the other, obviously separating them and counting them at the same time. I thought to myself, "He loves this music so much that he must want to buy one of their CD's." But what I saw next made me feel sad. I saw him look at the lady behind the table and shake his head as if to say, "I just don't have enough money." At this point I found myself doing something so spontaneous that I almost didn't have time to think about it. I picked up Kambriella, grabbed my wallet from the diaper bag, and told Susan that I would be right back. I walked as quickly as I could through the crowd and walked behind the stage to where the table was set up only to find that the man in the wheelchair was gone. "Where could he be? He couldn't have gotten that far, could he?" I walked straight up to the lady behind the table and asked her if the man that was in the wheelchair was trying to buy a CD. She said that he was going to, but that he had changed his mind and decided that he didn't want one anymore. I turned around and started walking back through the crowd scanning the group with my eyes for the man in the wheelchair. "He couldn't already be gone," I thought to myself. So my steps quickened. I turned the corner almost back to where Susan and Gavin were seated when I finally saw him headed away from the concert and down the mall. I began running so that I could catch up to him quickly and very soon did. I stopped him and said, "Excuse me sir, I couldn't help but notice how much you were enjoying the concert, and I was too! Wasn't that music beautiful?" He smiled back at me and said, "Oh ya, I just love Nathan's music! My brother and I went to high school with him and he is just amazing!" At that point I said a quick prayer in my mind because I wasn't sure what to say and the last thing I wanted to do was to offend this neat man. I had wondered to myself too how this man may have come to the circumstances that he was in? Was he born with a physical handicap or had he had some terrible accident in his life that had put him in this wheelchair? He seemed to be completely intelligent and mentally able and seemed to be a neat person simply limited in his physical abilities. After my quick thoughts and prayer I said to him, " Were you going to buy one of Nathan's CD's?" He smiled a sort of sheepish half smile as if he were a little embarrassed and said, "Oh ya, I was going to, but I just didn't have quite enough money." Right then and there I knelt down beside him and said, "Could I please buy you that CD that you wanted? It would be my Christmas gift to you and it would mean so much to me. Would that be OK?" He paused and rolled back in his wheelchair and then he popped a wheelie! "Really!? That would be AWESOME!" He replied back to me. "Well which way do you wanna go?" He said pointing behind the stage or around the crowd. "Well, it looks like less traffic if we go behind the stage," I said. And at that point I had to keep up my jog to keep up with him as he popped his wheelies all the way back to the table. If he would have been walking I imagined the hop in his step that was being so easily imitated by his wheelies in his wheelchair. With the music still playing all around us, I had truly captured that spirit of Christmas and it was filling my whole soul. When we got to the table I asked him if he wanted an extra CD for his brother and he said that the one would be just fine. After asking the lady behind the table how much the CD's were, I gave the man in the wheelchair my meager $20 bill and told him he could keep the change. I knelt down beside him one more time and over the noise of the concert told him "Merry Christmas." He responded with a literal twinkle in his eye, "Merry Christmas!"

I went back to my original seat with Gavin and Susan and smiled as we all continued to take in this most tangible Christmas spirit. It was an amazing day from start to finish, and one that I thank Heavenly Father for letting me experience. I don't even think that words can adequately express the feeling that was there, and I think that is why I hesitated in writing it down. But, now I know that there was a great lesson to be learned and by writing it down, it will not only benefit me, but also the lives of those whom I love. Susan even made a comment to me after seeing what had happened that she was grateful that I had been sitting where I was so that I was able to see that man because she hadn't. It taught me many things of course, but most of all, it taught me to be sure that I am always trying to have eyes to see what is going on around me. Life is busy, and so was the mall. But when the spirit directs me in the craziness of life, am I willing to stop what I am doing and help someone around me, even if they aren't tapping me on the shoulder and asking for it specifically? Do I notice the needs of my brothers and sisters and then willingly go and be the Lord's hands? Unfortunately I'm sure that I have missed out on many wonderful opportunities, but after having an experience like this, it makes me want to be ever ready to go and do. I also learned that we need to listen to the spirit carefully and not assume that someone else will go and do the work because the view from someone else's seat, even if it is only one foot away, can be totally different than ours. I will close my thoughts with one of my favorite quotes from President Thomas S. Monson, the same quote that introduces my blog. It says, "As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always." So, as we begin this New Year, let us have Christ's spirit with us every day with grateful hearts, and then lets roll up our sleeves and "go and do!"

Time to Put it All Away...

The spirit of Christmas has definitely found its way into our hearts and home this year, and after another year full of memories and traditions, it is time to put away all of the lights, decorations, and keepsakes of Christmas. But - one thing is for certain as we do so; the true Light of Christ will shine on even brighter as we keep Christ with us in our hearts and home every day. - For it is our Prince of Peace that is truly the Keepsake of all time... may you have a "Peace full" New Year!

The Gift of Time

When Christmas rolls around in the Trickett home, there are many things to put on our list of "favorite things" to relish and savor. We love the constant melody of Christmas music, mugs of hot chocolate in the mornings, and inspiring stories each night. We also love watching the snow fall and magically transforming the trees into pieces of a winter wonderland. The kids all love to see the Christmas tree and become so excited when presents start appearing underneath it. As the days grow closer to Christmas, they will go and count the presents just to see if there might possibly be one more than the night before. :) It's true, Christmas really is for kids - and thank goodness there's a kid in all of us! Well, with all of the things that I love about Christmas, there is one thing that I have recently grown to love and anticipate. It's when my kids begin to ask, "Mom, do you think that Santa will bring us the "Gift of Time" this year?" I always reply with excitement and a smile, "Oh I sure hope so! It's my favorite gift of all!" - You see, Santa Claus began a tradition in our home about 5 years ago, and it has already earned it's place as one of the most valuable gifts our family receives. As a family, we are given not just presents, but a gift of spending time together doing fun things planned out and instructed by Santa himself. It all started when we moved to Eagle Mountain. Clint and I went out to our new home for the final inspection right before Christmas, and Santa had left a gift and a note for us to take home to our family. By the time we had gathered the children, read the note, and contained all of the giddiness, we found ourselves on a scavenger hunt through Salt Lake that led us from a restaurant -to a hotel -to Temple Square -with all kinds of gifts and clues and elves and secret helpers found everywhere and all along the way! There are too many details to write about right now, but I will say that after that year we have had breakfast bags made from scratch by Mrs. Claus herself, tickets to ride on the Tube'n'Train, and Christmas lights galore! - Zoo lights, Temple lights, and Thanksgiving Point lights. (Not to mention plenty of light shining in the little ones' eyes!) - Sleigh rides, surprise deliveries, and piecing together the nativity. Last year there was even a special treasure chest from Santa that was secretly stocked each night for 5 nights with a Christmas story book and items to go with the story so that it could be relived after reading it the next day! -Ice -skating, gingerbread house making, and jars of money secretly given. - Riding in a canoe with Santa, dates with grandparents, and making homemade ornaments together. - In 5 years time, Santa's "Gift of Time" has won the hearts of the Trickett kids both young and old! (Not that Clint and I are old by any means:) But this year, Santa delivered the Gift of Time on December 22nd. It was about 7 o'clock in the evening when he dropped off a gift bag at our front door. It was so much fun to see the little ones get so excited about their surprise gift from Santa! Dallin and Gavin ran in circles from the kitchen to the living room to the dining room over and over again because they just couldn't contain their emotions. Dallin was so sweet as he was making his laps he stopped and hugged me and said, "Mom, it feels so good!" Then I asked him, "What Dallin? What feels so good?" Then with the biggest grin you ever saw he said, "INSIDE OF ME!!!" That moment alone made me grateful that Santa had taken the time to give us this gift this year! Anyway, in the bag from Santa were 3 empty gift bags with instructions for the children to be "like the wise men of old" and go deliver 3 gifts to other families in secret. The first gift had to be a "joyful gift," so we filled it with treats, books, stuffed animals, etc. and delivered it to a family with 3 little girls. Dallin almost lost his boots in the snow running back to the car! The second gift had to be a "needful gift," so we filled the bag with different food items - hot chocolate, cake mixes and frosting, etc. - you know, all of the necessities!;) The third gift had to be a "meaningful gift," so we filled the bag with reminders of Jesus Christ - a nativity, a book, and a DVD (with some treats of course!) Santa told us that if we could successfully deliver our 3 gifts without getting caught, that we would awake in the morning to find 3 gifts from him! So, you can imagine the children's excitement when they awoke in the morning and found another gift bag at our door. In it there was a "joyful gift" of gift cards for each of them to "Build-A-Bear" and a little heart shaped bell to stuff inside their bear to remind them of the joy that they gave to the other families the night before. Then there was a gift card for dinner with their family for the "needful gift," (I guess since we all NEED to eat, right?;) Then their last gift was a reservation to stay in Santa's suite at the Embassy Suites in downtown Salt Lake for some "meaningful time" spent with their family. Carrying out all of Santa's instructions was so much fun, except for the part where we made a detour in the beginning of our celebration. Just as we were all getting in the car to head down to the Gateway, Kierra slipped and broke her wrist! So, instead of heading out, we went to the emergency room. I couldn't really tell if Kierra's tears were tears of pain or sadness that we might not get to have our "Gift of Time!" So, lucky for us, her brake wasn't too bad of a break (if there is such a thing,) and the doctor told us that we could still go and have our fun. I told Kierra we could always go and do our things another night, but she insisted that we had to have our gift of time. So, with a great perspective on what truly matters most, we all set out to enjoy our night. We had fun picking out animals and outfits at "Build-A-Bear" and seeing the amazing fountains and lights at the Gateway. We enjoyed our dinner at the Rumbi Island Grill and took in a little bit of our last minute shopping. When we got to the hotel, we sat and watched Christmas movies and of course a little bit of the basketball game, ate snacks and finally turned out the lights around midnight. In the morning it was Christmas Eve and Kierra's appetite had returned, so her and I snuck out to breakfast by ourselves while everyone else was asleep. When we had returned, everyone was still sleeping so we woke them all and had them go eat. As soon as they returned we all got in our suits and went swimming. (Most of the swimming was done in the hot tub which Kierra enjoyed since she couldn't get in all the way.) When we got home there was yet another note from Santa that wished us a Merry Christmas and encouraged us to enjoy our night at home together as a family. And so we did. We wrapped more presents, read more stories, and ended our night early with the true story of Christmas. It was a wonderful time, broken arm and all. Thank you Santa for your "Gift of Time." When we have each other, we have all we need!