Hi there - boy are we snowed in!!  We must have gotten 6 inches in the last 24 hours and it's still snowing!  We did get out yesterday to get groceries, flashlights, candles, and other stuff in case of a power outage.  Luckily we seemed to have dodged that bullet.  Today we were in the house all day with both boys - which - I must say - is quite the experience!  Cody goes quite stir crazy with nothing to do but circle our living room!  Casey got a treat by watching lots of his favorite videos (Sesame Street, Veggie Tales, Praise Baby.)  Cody chose today to rise and shine at 5am - and take no naps all day - which very literally made this the longest day of our lives!  Haha.  We are quite stir crazy and will try to pile in the car tomorrow to at least get outside and get a change of scenery. This has been my 4th day couped up inside so I'm ready for the change! 

I have to share a highlight from these snow days that is burned into my memory forever!  Don and I were at the Factoria Mall yesterday which was pretty empty.  We were on our way to Target to buy socks for the boys when Cody broke loose.  He has been VERY into running lately - but has had very limited range to run in our little house.  It's like he sensed that he had a lot of room ahead of him (a whole mall!) so he just took off like a shot!  Seriously - my eyes bugged out of my head (having only seen him try to run before but with an adult on either side of him supporting him.)  I said, "DON - GO"  I couldn't even think of how to finish the sentence i was in such shock.  Don was running after him before "go" came out of my mouth.  I stood there frozen - not sure whether to laugh or cry!  I was tempted to completely freak out because if Cody took a spill at that speed and with his lack of coordination, he would face-plant on the concrete.  But my fear was overshadowed by my out-loud laughter at how darn cute, ridiculous, vulnerable, and fun this moment was!  Cody, the boy who was never suppoed to walk, was SPRINTING down the mall so fast his dad couldn't catch up!  And mind you, this "run" looked somewhat like a drunken sailor with arms and legs absolutely flailing - GIANT giggles that i could hear from behind - head bobbing - with a little skip, and then a jump in between runs.  It was the funniest combination of a shot gun start with the funniest run/skip/flail that you could imagine.  And seeing Don sprint after him, half screaming and half laughing....I will never forget it.  Don finally caught up half a mall length away and grabbed him and Cody looked back at me and had this HUUUUUGE goofy grin on his face like he was saying "THAT WAS THE MOST FUN THING I'VE EVER DONE!"  From then on, he was running - running to the Christmas tree in the mall, running to bang on the walls of the store - and there I was holding on to the back of his hood and running behind him afraid he'd fall and not brace himself.  I figured I could always jerk up on his coat hood and keep his face from hitting the floor at least.  What a stitch.  So that was our funny moment of the week - we are SO grateful that Cody's gross motor skills are so good.  That laughter in the mall as Cody ran away from me, erased all the months of tears I'd shed after being told he'd never walk without assistance of a wheelchair or walker.  That's my son - beater of the odds! 

It is beautiful out - the snow is so sparkly.  Casey likes the idea of snow, but not a close encounter with it.  Cody's pretty oblivious and really doesn't like to be cold so they both do best inside.  Don and I have been watching Season 3 of Prison Break and we made it through 3 episodes today alone!  :) 

Today is my moms birthday and I was bummed because we had planned to go visit her in Gig Harbor as well as the rest of my family.  But there's no way we'll get there today - or most likely - for Christmas.  As long as this clears enough by Dec. 31st for our appt. with Cody's neurologist, I'll be fine.  We have 1 hour to ask him every question under the sun about mitochondrial disease and I don't want to miss it!

Here's a really neat video http://www.youtube.com/v/Z_ypUnnqr8Y&autoplay=0 

It totally reminds me of what Christmas is about - the baby Himself!  Turn up your speakers - it's Josh Grobin singing.  It is a wonder to see Mary depicted as she gives birth to the Savior of the world!  As she looks up into the sky, you can see the co-mingling of emotions on her face:  wonder, humility, happiness....but also sadness and mourning already at the fact that I'm sure she sensed that her baby's life would be a painful one.  Imagine giving birth to your own Savior.  Reminds me of the song "Mary Did You Know" when she sings, "Mary did you know, that the son that you delivered, will soon deliver you?"  It is too much to wrap my brain around - that Jesus came to earth and humbled himself to be a totally dependant and vulnerable baby.  The video really brings that home.  I loved it - hope you do too!

That's it for now - with lots of snowy love,

Shawna