Day 110

Sunday December 5, 2010

Nina and Teddy had the absolute best day ever today!!! First, we went to the Snow Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo! Yes...I said it correctly...it's not a typo...Snow Day at the Santa Barbara Zoo! Nina has been pleading to go to the snow forever. We made snow balls, chased Teddy and Daddy, rode sleds, and had the best snow ball fight ever!! Truly magical!

Then after playing in the snow, we decorated the tree. It was perfect! No better way to describe it!! Christmas music played softly in the background, Nina and Teddy meticulously chose where each ornament should hang, and Todd and I savoured each second!!! I literally could taste happiness! I was so thankful for this moment. It had seemed impossible back in August and now we had been given a tremendous gift. I took a million photos and video-recorded non-stop, wanting to preserve each movement, word, expression, laugh, and smile.

The tree was beautifully decorated! Once it was all done, Teddy gave Nina a gift he had picked for her several weeks ago. When he had gone on a play date with Thomas, Stacey (Thomas's mom) had taken Teddy shopping for a small gift for Nina. Teddy had chosen a dolphin pillow pet and a cloud blanket. He was so proud of himself and so thankful for Stacey, "Mrs. Radujko is such a sweet lady! It was so nice of her to do this for me." What a sweet boy! He proudly gave Nina his gift and eagerly waited for her response!

To say that Nina loved her gift does not do it justice! I can genuinely say that Nina has never loved a gift more in her entire life!!! She lit up!! She was left speechless, which is saying it all :) Teddy beamed with pride and love in seeing how touched his sister was!! Todd and I held back tears and applauded Teddy's love for his sister! This was the single most precious moment for me!! In this moment, my two children cherished each other! They can fight like cats and dogs but at the end of the day, they love each other dearly. Teddy's gesture of giving Nina these gifts and her delight in them embodied all the love they have for each other! I could not, cannot, thank God enough for this moment! It was beautiful, it was sacred!!!!