The list goes on

All of the kids are asleep and I just went downstairs to "Santa's Workshop" - aka the bathroom in the basement - to take inventory. There's no real big gift this year, but there are lots of little ones. As if we need more toys in this house! Last year we went overboard with bigger gifts so anything that would probably be on the list for this year has already been bought. That's okay with me. We don't need anything else big. And in fact, we're donating some of our toys that we don't really play with for other kids to have something for Christmas. I asked Ella to pick through all of her guys - aka stuffed animals - and see if she could find a few to share with other little boys and girls. She pulled a few out. When everyone goes to bed one of these nights, I'll do a little more sorting.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. We welcomed two new babies into our family (can't believe they are already NINE MONTHS OLD!), went through 4 successful surgeries, got to spend lots of time with grandparents, enjoyed many laughs with and at the expense of Ella, and the list goes on. Its still funny to me how little people really understand about all that we've been through and will continue to go through with Drew. At the beginning, it would frustrate me when people didn't understand, but now I don't care. For many months, CF was all consuming of our lives. Now, its just a part of our lives. Its a big part and we will continue to grow and learn more about the disease and life with it, but it doesn't define who we are.

I read a blog today that made me want to do more. Its a different cause, not Cystic Fibrosis, but another cause that could use your support this holiday season. Click on the picture below of baby Cliff to learn more about it.