Horse Holiday Program

An Oldie But Goodie: Photo taken at my sister's home just before Christmas. I am 7 months pregnant with Shayla and 1 year old Christi is in her jammies.

Thomas team thanks to Sylvia and her family for this most precious ChriStmas gift!! Shayla found the perfect spot on the tree for this amazing etching of Christi! This ornament will not be packed in a box in January; I think it will look lovely hanging somewhere all year. I really do try not to make our house a "Christi Shrine" but.....I loved her so!! How can we not?!




We really enjoyed watching Shayla & Buddy (and all of the other girls and their horses) ride in their Holiday Program. Claire bought Santa hats to fit over their riding helmets. They put red and gold bows and streamers on the horses’ tails and we thought they did a fabulous job of riding their horses in different patterns and styles to their songs. Shayne and I were so pleased that some friends and family members were able to attend for Shayla.
It was great they were able to come back to our house for sandwiches and conversation.



After school on Friday I took Shayla to the doctor’s for yet another ear ache. Much to my disappointment, after two years, her last ear tube has fallen out and what now? In Chicago last weekend she started in with an ear ache. She’s had three sets of tubes in five years. It seems to me every time the tubes fall out, she’s with ear aches again. I know this isn’t a big problem, like cancer; however, because she has had irreversible hearing loss from the infections and because she is allergic to two antibiotics and isn’t a good candidate for them, I called the doctor back this morning to get a referral to a specialist – a different specialist than we’ve been working with for five years. I should have a new doctor to call on Monday and hopefully we’ll get her problems fixed soon. Unlike neuroblastoma right now, there has to be something out there to help kids!

At the “History Mystery” dinner at the President Hayes Center last spring, I won four tickets to the Christmas Tea to be held tomorrow. We were excited about dressing up and meeting Grandma Nee Nee there. Well, due to the snow storm going on outside right now they called to cancel. They said they will let us attend next December. Although there is a winter storm going on, we’re not to far from the Ritz so we will be heading out to see the Chicago Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” tonight. Shayla, our snow lover, has high hopes of playing in the snow tomorrow; we'll see.

We received some glorious phone calls this week! Our sweet friends are going to soon be adopting their baby!! Jenn called us to thank us for writing a letter of support for them nearly two years ago. They will be fabulous parents and I just wish it would not have taken them so long to finally get their child! Jennifer called to tell us Kids Cancer Crusade received its non-profit status! She’s worked so hard for such a great cause! And Shayne’s nephew, Josh, had a baby girl on Thursday! I think we’ll need to make a trip to Phoenix soon; babies just don’t stay little for long! Hee hee! May this precious baby be blessed with good health and happiness.