I know it's 2009, but....

Okay... So it's 2009, but I still have to finish up 2008. Lots to report. So let's go back to where I left off... Well actually even further back to the week before Christmas.... and all through the night... :)

Here is a photo of me while mom and I decorated our new white tree.


I love musical cards....

I think mom likes the white tree better than the typical green tree. It really is pretty.

The angel topper holds a special meaning.... Mom got her for my first Christmas to put on top of the tree. She believes that as long as the angel is watching over me during the holiday season, I will always be healthy on Christmas day. Sure enough, 12 years later, I have always been with my family on Christmas day and never in the hospital.

Over Thanksgiving my grandpa and grandma went to my Aunt Tricia's house in Seattle. During their stay, they traveled to this little touristy town where there was snow and got me this special ornament. Every year mom used to go shopping for a new ornament, but the last couple of years, we haven't been doing that. She said we will definitely start up again next year, which will probably be a trip to Solvang. Yeah! Road trip!

The next photo is the cookies I made for my doctors... Here you will see the cute little boxes mom found at Michael's to put the cookies in. :) They all enjoyed them. Unfortunately, we just made cookies for my main doctors that I see on a regular basis. Next year I will have to start earlier and include the others that I see in the county. Mom & I will have our work cut out for us next year.. Yeah - lots of baking... :)

Oh and I did the stamps on the paper towels to line the boxes with..

This is the point I am all caught up. I wrote the post I posted on Christmas day where I mentioned we were waiting for the snow to arrive and I took a photo of grandma's backyard... Well, I should of waited another 10-20 minutes because after I posted to my blog, the fog really rolled in.

Remember in my previous post, the photo I took about 10 minutes before I took of this one, you could see all the way across the valley floor and the mountains...


Then the hail, ice, snow came and the high winds. We heard from a friend that the winds got up to 50-60mph. It was really windy. As Christmas day continued on, the weather got worse and mom told Grandpa and Grandma that we were going to stay home while they went over to my grandpa's sisters house for Christmas dinner. I was NOT going to go out in the cold and harsh wind.

I stayed at grandpa and grandma's house with mom where it was warm and toasty. I watched Dr. Seus; my new movie that I got for Christmas. Well, that didn't last long because the electricity went out 10 minutes after they left. Mom was able to get grandma's laptop so I could finish watching my movie, but then after that, that was it. No more tv. No more battery. Mom and I hung out and stayed warm in front of the fire place. Mom got out the candles and emergency light.

Mom took this picture with grandma's camera through the living room window looking outside getting the reflection of the fireplace... Warm and toasty...

Mom was so thankful that I was healthy and not needing treatments. Both my treatment machines would not work since they require electricity. Mom needs to look into this issue. Not a good thing if I need a treatment.

Grandpa and grandma finally arrived back home. Yathzee... Yeah! Electricity was still out, but grandma, mom and I played a game of yathzee bundled up on the couch. Grandpa went to sleep since he was full! Guess what? I creamed grandma and mom at yathzee and I was the only one that got a yathzee. It was fun! :)

It was sooo cold going to bed. Mom was very proud of me of how I handled the electricity going out and adjusted to what we could do and couldn't do. The electricity stayed out for 14 hours (came on at 5:45a.m.).

It was a beautiful Friday morning; the day after Christmas. Snow covered the ground and it was chilly out. Mom was excited. She got up, got me situated with Grandma and then she headed out to photograph the area. Mom loves winter and really misses the weather. I love the sunshine all year around so I can spend a lot of time outside. :)

A couple of mom's photos from her outing... When mom is done editing her photos and has them up on her website, I will post a link to the gallery.. :)


Later when mom returned, I helped mom pack up her stuff. She was leaving that evening to go back home in Ventura while I stayed here at grandpa and grandma's house for a couple of days.

Grandma still getting used to her new camera. This is her first time using it....

Here I am helping grandma take down her Christmas tree and the Christmas gang.

Mom really needed a break from my responsibilities and plus she had to work. I had a lot of fun with grandpa and grandma. We did art work with the art supplies I got for Christmas, went to town and I made grandma a pottery platter to lay her spoons on when cooking, and grandma gave me a pedicure. I held very still for it. (Dr. Goldie, I can get a pedicure during my test and that will keep me still :) )

Grandma took me home a couple of days later. Mom wasn't home yet, but she arrived a few minutes after grandma and I. Mom had to work at the Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center. She just started volunteering there and enjoys it.

I spent the rest of my vacation with mom. We went on walks, took down the Christmas decorations, swimming and hung out taking it easy. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years.
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Now... for the news of the year.... I am going to DISNEYLAND this Sunday with grandpa, grandma and mom... Did you know that when I was a baby, I had hundreds of seizures a day; everyday and the first day I did not have one seizure was the first time I went to Disneyland. I was a year and a couple months old. Mom came home and told Dr. Goldie that I needed to live there. I love Disneyland! Mickey, here I come!! :):):)




Love Kayla