Days 113-117

The one good thing about Ella having cancer, is how I have seen others moved to do something generous- whether it be for Ella or for anyone who is suffering through cancer. The really cool thing, is seeing kids reach out from their hearts to do something.

Alexis, an 11yr old girl from our church decided on her own, to do a toy drive for Ella's hospital. This young girl is not only a talented singer but apparently very good at talking people into doing things! She brought in bags of toys to church last week.

Ella's 13yr old cousin Emma made the decision to cut her hair to donate to kids. Being a young girl who is in middle school, a place where every physical attribute is looked at like a bug on a telescope, she made the brave decision to chop her hair off out of love for her cousin. And Emma- it looks awesome!

Morgan, Ella's 5 yr old BFF (for you boys out there without little girls, that is BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!)cut her hair for cancer too. Gotta love this kid. She asked her mom if she could shave it all off since Ella will not have any hair soon either. Mom said- let's just cut it short. She even wore her "I Love my BFF" shirt.

I can't describe how much love and joy fills my heart knowing that Ella is so loved. We are so moved that these kids want to make a difference, and that they have parents that allow them to make these big decisions and support them. How cool is that?

We all had fun on our family mini trip. As photographers, we are so bad at remembering to bring a camera to our own family things. Steve and I got 10 minutes away and realized we forgot to bring ours. Neither of us had the energy to turn around and add the extra 20 minutes to the ride- not to mention the 3 kids in the back of the van that were already asking how long till we get there. So, Steve took some pics with his phone, but that's all we got. Ella and I did a "SPA" day in our room and made a ceramic dog that she got to paint. Josh, Jesania and Steve hung out in the water park with our niece Sara and then we went to dinner with family. It was a fun time. Ella never complained about not going into the water park with everyone else. Pretty amazing for a 4 yr old.

I can't wait for Christmas. As you might have figured, we went a little crazy this Christmas and I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning. Ella has been counting the day's till Jesus has his Birthday!

Blessings to everyone this Christmas. I know that I look at every laugh and smile so differently this year. I take mental pictures of everything and try to hold onto those feelings for as long as I can. Being in the moment is hard for me because I am always thinking about "What I need to do next". This year I am trying extra hard to not think ahead, and savor the time I have right now with my family.  All my life I heard adults say that kids grow to fast, and they do. But, this year, on Christmas, I am going to stop my mental clock for the day. I am going to take the time to thank God for his sacrifice, be thankful for the friends who make time for me and put up with me, be grateful for my family and the most awesome husband God could have chose for me and most of all be grateful that my best friend and my daughter are here to celebrate this holiday.

Merry Christmas Everyone.
Blessings~Katie