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Holidays
By Margot | December 15, 2011
Christmas Pics by Meredith Brunette
Nutty Sam 2005
Sam Ornament
Well we did it. We braved getting a tree and we decorated it with all of our ornaments and we sent out Christmas cards and we didn’t skip Christmas this year. It sucked and it was good. Charlie and Andy were so excited about the tree and decorating to Christmas music with hot chocolate. Uncle Matt did the lights on the tree (redid my lights on the tree) and Neil did the lights outside and decorated and we had tacos for dinner in honor of Sam. All of the Sam ornaments were good to see. The very best of all was a 5 by 7 picture of him wearing a beanie in a little holiday frame with his big giant smile. I kept thinking, we would have had to wait another year to see this picture if we hadn’t put up the tree. Plus really, there is not much better than a five year-old and an eight year-old at Christmas. Andy and Charlie are so excited.
We are going to New Mexico for a week and we’ll get some snow and hopefully some skiing. Tomorrow is the boys last day of school and Andy has a student council breakfast party, a fieldtrip, and a party in his class and Charlie and I are bringing two dozen sugar cookies that the boys and I made the dough for last night for his Christmas party. Andy has two basketball games this evening and then we will race to the school art show afterwards where we can pick up some of the Andy and Charlie’s art. Charlie is very excited because we have little ornaments from past art shows with Sam and Andy’s pictures on them and Charlie really wants one of him up there so we’ll pick it up tonight. Charlie’s basketball season is starting and he’s excited about it. He can do a shuffle dance move now which is very funny. Someone taught it to him at recess and he’s been doing it all over the house and in restaurants lately. Andy’s soccer team won their league tournament and Andy did very well. He’s such a hard worker at everything. In this new league we go to the soccer State Cup. It’s over his birthday weekend in Palmdale, California and I think Andy is more excited about staying in a hotel with his team than anything else.
Neil has been exercising a lot -doing P90X actually. He keeps making us all laugh when he jokingly asks for directions to the “gun show” while showing his muscles. He’s running a basketball scrimmage every Wednesday afternoon at the rec center for Andy and about fifteen other kids so they can just run the court without so much structure -they love it.
I’m trying to power through Christmas same as last year. I’ve been tripped up with grief a lot more this Christmas – maybe last year I didn’t let myself go there much. Conversely, I’ve also really been trying to enjoy the boys. They are so funny and full of life. Charlie and I are reading Junie B. books now. I read them all with Sam in the hospital and both boys and I are reading the Goblet of Fire -Harry Potter together though we joke that as soon as I open the book, Charlie falls asleep. Uncle Matt and I took them to see a production of The Grinch at The Old Globe theatre. They grouched about it the whole way there saying “they don’t like plays, they are sports guys.” Their mother full of Christmas spirit replied that they will not just be “sports boys” and they are going to get some culture if she has to shove it down their throat. Very Nice. I did try to explain that they can’t hate all plays and that they just have to find the right one. They weren’t buying it though. It all worked out because they loved the play. Score one for culture ;-). Going to try and get them to one a year.
Cherish Your Family This Christmas! And please keep those fighting this rotten disease in your thoughts -the Chance family in particular this year.
Margot
Topics: Progress Reports | 11 Comments »
December 16th, 2011 at 3:35 am
So nice to read a post from you. Merry Christmas to you all and I hope you have a great time in New Mexico. Give the boys hugs from us.
December 16th, 2011 at 5:42 am
That Sam ornament and photo could not be more adorable. Love that smile. And it’s certainly awesome to see genuine smiles in all those photos on your holiday card this year. It’s my belief that Sam would be extremely happy about those smiles on your faces, and to see Charlie do that shuffle dance! Merry Christmas, Hutchisons. We love you all. And yes, we continue to send prayers of hope and strength to the far-too-many NB warriors. Peace, Lisa Joy
December 16th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Thanks for sharing the pictures. The one of Sam in the Santa hat is priceless! Wishing you all a Christmas filled with peace and love.
December 17th, 2011 at 3:07 am
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with love, friendship and peace! What wonderful pictures of such a beautiful family! Love the picture of Sam. Keeping all of you in our thoughts and prayers!
December 18th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Margot,
Wishing you and your beautiful family a wonderful holiday season. In Lieu of Christmas Cards this year I donated to NB. I will do this for the rest of my life….Sam and all of these children will never be forgotten…
December 23rd, 2011 at 4:10 am
Love the pics and the fact that you sent cards this year! xoxo
December 25th, 2011 at 10:09 am
Merry Christmas, my beautiful sister-in-law. … And, Neil, I’ve seen those guns. Keep working it, keep working it….
December 25th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Think often of Sam and Andrew and Charlie.
Some great thoughts here M and you do good by remembering Sam and honor him through living.
Best to the San Diego Hutchison’s,
December 29th, 2011 at 1:32 am
Margot and Neil,
Thanks for the beautiful christmas card. I loved it. My son saw it and told me how nice he thought it was. Even to the point of mentioning we should do something like that next year. It surprised me because he generally keeps his grief to himself.
Didn’t get a card out this year…just had a hard time with it.
Hope your New Year is safe, healthy and as peaceful as possible.
always think of you guys
Lisa
December 29th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
thinking of you all! Great pics! Love, angela (madisons mom)
January 5th, 2012 at 9:11 pm
What a beautiful family! Your story has truly touched me, it makes me think of the scene in Wizard of Oz, when the Tin Man says, “Now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking.”