The time between Christmas and New Years was mostly spent being together as a family and enjoying having Luke at home. Even though he wasn't feeling fantastic, we enjoyed re-incorporating him into family life. And he loved being a part of it...
This is kind of a random picture, but we've noticed for a long time that Luke will calm down and fall asleep if your hand is over his face. He'll wrap his arm or arms around your hand and hold it there, too! He's so cute.
Even though most of the hub-bub of the holidays were behind us, there were a few more outings before the end of the year. Danny and the kids enjoyed the annual Call Christmas Party. We've grown so much as a four generation family that the party was officially moved from the preschool to the church this year. I can't believe that all the babies have grown up so much. Claire, Sophie, and Johnny love playing with their cousins...who are actually their second cousins (I think)...but who's counting? :)
We were also able to go as a family (minus Luke) to Grandma Candy's and participate in Emma Jane's blessing day. She's such a doll! I love her blue eyes. And I'm extremely jealous of her blue eyes. There. I said it. I always wished for a blue-eyed baby! Not that I don't love my kids' eyes. I'm just saying. :)
Before we knew it, it was time to bid farewell to another year. It's crazy how things change over just a few years. When I first came into the Call family, the New Year's Eve party at Mom and Dad's house was a pretty happening thing! Now with most of the kids married with small children, and the others grown up enough for dates and dances, it's kind of calmed down. We're in the phase now of making it fun for the kiddos. Which is fine by us...we're good to be in bed by 10:00 pm! The New Year is coming whether we get sleep or not, so we may as well get sleep, right? :) Danny took the kids to his parents' house while I stayed home with Luke. The two of us had a quiet night at home, enjoying the quiet and some "Merlin" on Netflix. Claire, Sophie, and Johnny had a blast with their cousins (first cousins, this time)! :)
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And with the deafening sound of a half dozen kids with noise makers, we rang in the new year!
The year 2012 is a year that will (I hope) be mostly unrivaled. We started the year out with me pregnant, having just moved in with Danny's parents. We had our fourth child, changed jobs for the second time in less than a year, bought our first home, and had a cancer diagnosis...all before the end of the year.
I'm a little sad. For the previous two years, I've been able to end the years' posts with a picture of our family and a slew of pictures of the Call Clan in front of the Christmas tree. But we couldn't get everyone together this year, in no small part because of Luke's health. While it wasn't the ideal way to end a not-so-ideal year, I have to once again express our gratitude for the Lord's hand in our life. How privileged we are to live as righteous sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father! I am humbled that I was granted the gift of having the truths of the restored gospel as a part of my life from the day I was born. The temple marriage that Danny and I share is a precious gift, and we are more grateful than ever to be sealed to each other and our children for eternity. We strive daily to be worthy of that greatest of blessings. While this year was undoubtedly difficult, I can look back and see how the Lord was present in every moment, and most especially the difficult ones. Our move here to Utah was not as we had envisioned it when we left California, and there was more than one time that Danny and I would look to the heavens and wonder if we made the right choice. So many times, I felt like my prayers and pleas for answers were simply not being heard. But that wasn't the case. The Lord had a plan, and we were simply in The Waiting Place for longer than we were accustomed to or planned for. But I've learned that The Waiting Place is a good place to learn to trust in our Heavenly Father, and it's an especially good place to learn patience. :)
We're excited for what 2013 has in store. We know there will be a lot that happens with Luke's health, and Claire, Sophie, and Johnny will continue to grow and do all sorts of fun things. I'm confident it will be nothing short of awesome.
Happy New Year!!
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