Christmas Letter 2009

Every year I write a Christmas Novella and send it out to a few hundred of our friends and family.  Its purpose each year is to get every one up to speed on all the important highlights of the last year, provide a bit of holiday cheer and a few giggles.  Each year the pressure mounts as more and more people keep asking "have you sent your letter out yet?"... "I can't wait to get your letter..." and my anxiety level rises as we stuff, stamp and seal up the letter and put it in the very able hands of our Post Master.  It was one thing when I though that no one really reads Christmas Letters, but recent requests now have me wondering the contrary...  So this year's letter has gone out in the mail and as always, I am feeling very anxious and hoping that it will be well received and will not disappoint.  [right now I am imagining that you are all naked and trying to  believe that no one really reads Christmas letters... just as a precaution I will also click my heals three times]  So here it is... enjoy!  Peace and Love to all this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas One and All!

We hope this letter finds you happy, healthy and enjoying the holiday season.  For those of you who despise Christmas letters… brace yourself…grab a few Christmas cookies and a cup of holiday cheer and settle in for what promises to be one of the longest Christmas letters you will open this year. [insert evil-elf laughing here] Please note that you are under no obligation to read all the fine print… just check out the enclosed photo, insert “oohs” and “ahhs” and “aren’t they just the cutest boys ever” where appropriate and discard this letter before anyone else sees it.  Then, if needed, make whatever sort of reconciliation required to alleviate any guilt associated with this act of rebellion (com’on… you did just consider throwing out a Christmas letter and are sure to make Santa’s “Naughty” list)…perhaps it would be better to just shuffle it in with the junk mail and say  “honey, oh look, they only sent a picture this year…” However, don’t forget the accolades (they are some pretty cute kids)… and besides, Santa is watching. 

OK… We know what you have all been waiting to hear about… Sam’s super duper, incredible, amazing, over the moon, out of this world, once in a lifetime, waterproof-mascara worthy, magical, fantastic MAKE-A-WISH Trip to Disney World.   We drove down a few days early to visit family and stayed at Give Kids The World Village (the Make A Wish Resort). We got the VIP treatment all the way and the out-pouring of kindness is something we will never forget.  Our days were spent at the theme parks, meeting some new special friends and just doing our best to take it all in.  We went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Islands of Adventure (Universal Studios), Sea World and Aquatica (Sea World’s waterpark).  It was actually a challenge to pack all that and more into our week at Disney.  We hope to plan another, much less extravagant, visit to Disney in the next few years with the vow that whenever we are in the Orlando area we will make arrangements to volunteer at least one day at Give Kids The World Village.  The hard part will be explaining to the boys that next time we won’t have our special “magic passes” to allow us to bypass the long lines.  And as if a week at Disney was not enough…we then traveled to see family in North Carolina and West Virginia and even spent a whirlwind day in Washington DC before returning home (Sam wanted to talk to the President about his health care plan but he was unavailable at the time…LOL).  I think some of the most memorable highlights of our 2 week trip would be seeing the look on Sam’s face when he got to meet Cinderella and Princess Aurora, feeding the dolphins and sting rays at Sea World, watching Andrew battle Darth Vader in Jedi Training Academy and just spending time together as a family…OMG we packed so much in to our days and it was such a special vacation for all of us.  And we learned that with faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust… dreams really do come true!   For more about Sam’s Wish trip, mundane ramblings about seemingly nothing, The Poncho Project, crazy antics of those Collins boys, pictures and even more pictures, you can visit our blog, Blessed and Lucky, at http://blessedandluckyarewe.blogspot.com

Andrew: The big man on campus just celebrated his 8^th birthday.  Eight is Great!  This year also holds many “I will when I am 8” promises, that although we are hoping to see through to fruition, find us feeling cautiously optimistic with our fingers crossed behind our backs.  We realize that we just need to be patient and have faith that one-day he will realize that veggies can co-exist with other foods and ketchup does NOT taste good on everything.  But alas, faith only makes things possible… not easy!  He is enjoying second grade and is doing well in school.  Andrew continues to receive speech therapy at school and works hard to master those darn “th” sounds and on being a more confident reader too.  He is still active in soccer, swimming and cub scouts and continues to be curious and inquisitive.  He often tells me “Mom, I am just a curious kid and that is why I ask a lot of questions”.  This year in his Religious Ed. Classes, he is working towards his First Communion in the spring.  Andrew is still very enthusiastic about his Lego creations and his creativity is impressive.  He has the most vivid and remarkable imagination and the things that he comes up with are truly splendid and extraordinary.  He is a visionary with a gift to see things that others do not and to create something out of seemingly random and unrelated bits and pieces.

Sam: I am thrilled to announce that this is the first year, EVER, in 7 years, that Sam has required NO surgeries or lengthy hospital stays. [insert happy dance here] He has been walking so much more and sometimes his pace is closer to a run. This year Sam played little league baseball for the Challengers.  The Challengers team is made up of all kids with special needs.  Although Sam did well with hitting and base running he preferred the position of grounds keeper… or goodwill ambassador.  He inspected every mud puddle, he made sure the quality of the diamond dust met his high standards and just for fun he rolled in the grass…just for fun.  Sam’s expressive vocabulary is also improving… not with words per say but he is getting his point across more clearly and he is using more augmentative tools.  We are thrilled with his choice making and determination to help us understand.  He has also been increasing interested in the Naughty Spot.  Sam will proudly do his time in the place-of-honor, grinning from ear to ear and giddy that he is finally getting the same privilege as his brothers.  Sam continues to love the water, music, swinging and tormenting his brothers every chance he gets.  We are in the process of getting Sam a special needs bike and we are so excited to see all the places he will go!

Sean: On the very day of his second birthday, the four-letter word “NO-NO” became an integral part of his vocabulary cache. He is extremely fond of cars, balls, Ba-Bob (Sponge Bob), torturing Garth (our cat) and pooh-poohs (trains/choo-choos).  I fear that our cat may be nearing the end of his nine- lives as a result of all the extra love and affection Sean gives him.  Poor Garth is sat upon, dragged somewhere, smothered, bear hugged and over-served treats on numerous occasions…daily! 3 for 3…Sean is getting speech therapy too.  Although his comprehension is above his age level, his expressive speech is below where it should be, however, I am sure that in no time flat he will be reciting Shakespearean quotes and conjugating verbs in Latin. Obviously he finds words overrated as he babbles complete volumes of incoherent ramblings that some how allow him to convey to you exactly what he wants.  As always, slow and steady wins the race…even for boys with only 46 chromosomes. Sean has also proven to be quite the climber and will fearlessly copy anything the big boys do… except sit on Santa’s lap.  However at the tender age of 2 he has already perfected the fine art of perusing the “Big Book” holiday catalog of toys so at very least Santa will be in the know…even if Sean won’t go anywhere near him.

Patrick: OK let’s just make this very clear…Pat will NEVER open his own Facebook account. Therefore, I will continue to be his go-between link to all his Facebook friends and diligently pass on all messages to my Facebook-aphobic husband.  In return for my services, I ask only that you pass along any embarrassing moments, skeletons or other note-worthy tidbits that I could add to my arsenal to be used at my discretion at some later time.  I will admit that Pat was a really good sport this year about dressing up as Dog Poop On A Shoe for Halloween and a Gingerbread Man Cookie for Christmas… and those pictures will be in circulation for years to come. [insert giggling here] Speaking of good sports, Pat is the head coach for Andrew’s soccer team, The Anacondas.  I think he really had fun in the Fall season and is looking forward to the spring.  Affectionately known as “President Pat”, he continues to be the active leader of our local parent Down syndrome support group, The DDC.  And if you ever need to reach him… he is probably in his new “bunker” at the WPD, fighting crime one pro-bono hour at a time.

RaeAnn:  I spend my days navigating land-minds (AKA matchbox cars and tiny Lego pieces) that no doubt will rip the skin off the bottom of your foot if stepped upon.  Secretly I giggle each time I hear that tell-tale crackle sound of a Lego getting sucked up in to the vacuum… too bad that the Y chromosome impedes ones ability to clean up after themselves without constant reminding and years and years of repetitive practice.  Boys will be boys!  So basically I have several years of band-aids on my heels to look forward to.  This year I did something I told myself I would never do… I took the plunge into the world of direct sales. I am now an Independent Demonstrator for Uppercase Living. (wanna know more… http://rjcollins.uppercaseliving.net) I also started the Poncho Project and continue to donate ponchos to kids in the hospital. Due to the article in Special Parent Magazine, I have gotten tons of requests for ponchos and have sent out several Poncho Kits so that others can sprinkle a bit of kindness too (if you have yet to receive a kit you requested… I haven’t forgotten…the list is just that long). Thank you to everyone who has donated fleece or who has made ponchos to donate to their local children’s hospital.  Scattering kindness is contagious and it grows far beyond what you may realize… it is not what you reap but what you sew (or knot…LOL). 

So as 2009 comes to a close, we once again reflect on all that is good and positive in our lives and we pause to count our blessings…twice!  And many of us will begin to focus on areas where we could use some improvement… I am not going to mention any names but “Somebody” could focus on lowering their cholesterol.  I foresee a life changing New Year’s Resolution in “Somebody’s” future… besides, the Lenten season is just around the corner, so perhaps God can intervene where medical intervention, free will and motivation have proven to be insufficient means to an end.  So if you see “Somebody” in a moment of weakness…tell him to put the donut down and reach for Cheerios instead.  And when making those life-changing resolutions, beware … the fast food industry has become an enabler, now offering fried options with zero trans-fat lulling us into a false sense of nutritional well-being.  Not to fear…the car manufacturers have got our backs!  Whether intentional or not, the fact that they are unable to stylishly produce a cup holder big enough to handle the largest to-go drink cup on even the slightest of turns does force us to at least consider choosing a smaller size drink, containing fewer calories, or subject ourselves to frequent detailing of our vehicles. I guess in the whole grand scheme of things it is probably best to just drink more water, avoid fast-food (except on long trips, or when failure to adequately prepare a meal is eminent, or just because French fries are the only veggie your child will consume without a major fight), show compassion toward others and in your spare time stage a peaceful sit-in demanding higher standards in cup holders.  Good luck with all resolutions you make!

Be safe.  Be happy.  Be healthy.  Be grateful. Be kind.  Be Blessed.

Be honest. Be warm.  Be compassionate.  Be original.  Believe.

Peace and love to all this holiday season… The Collins Family (pat, rae, andrew, sam & sean)