The Santos Family: December 2008

If ever there was a question of whether or not we are blessed, well the jury is in...we ARE!!! Often "life" gets in the way and I sometimes forget all of our many, many blessings I thought I would take some time and "remember" them. I have always known that we were/are blessed to have our beautiful baby boy whom we tried SO hard to get. I have always known that we are blessed to have family and friends that love and care about us. I have always known that we are blessed to have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies (no matter how interesting it may be!), beds to rest our heads on, heat in our home, running water and clothes on our backs. I have always known that we are blessed to still have our jobs (even though many times the work is sparse). I have always known that we are blessed to have a Father in Heaven that loves us (this is one of the ones that gets "lost" during "lifes" times). Much like everyone else, the list goes on and on and on and on. What I didn't know is this...we are blessed to have someone or a group of someone's, that have chosen to remain anonymous, that love us SOOOOO much and care about us SOOOOO much and have shown us the true meaning of Christmas.

On Friday 12.12.08 my doorbell rang and Mario went to answer. What was waiting for us on our porch was not a person but a plate of cookies!! Because we live in such a FANTASTIC neighborhood with friends for our neighbors, this was not an uncommon thing...to find cookies at your door. Thinking and saying "oh how sweet, someone has 'done it again'" we looked at the note attached to see who they were from. Much to our surprise the note read: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree...instead of a plate of cookies." At this point I began to panic!! I told Mario "oh please don't let someone be 12-days o' Christmas-ing us - we SOOOO do not deserve it" Well, I was right...and wrong. We were being "12-dazed" and apparently these wonderful, anonymous people think we DO deserve it! Well for those of you that know me, you know how hard this is/was for me to accept. I have a really hard time with accepting compliments, gifts, help etc. (ya know, basic acts of kindness!) I NEVER feel like I deserve it because I feel like I don't give these things out to others nearly enough...why would anyone want to choose me or us for this great, much needed gift???? Well, I can't answer that. What I can say is this, it is a quote from last night's gift: "It's the seventh day...hope you are enjoying the season, you are loved". Is it really that simple?? Do people really love and care about us enough to do this?? I guess so cuz' it's happening! It has taken me a couple of days to get used to the idea, to get my OCD brain around the idea that I will probably NEVER know who is doing this so that I can first, properly kick their asses, and second try to pay them back somehow! But after watching my little boy's eyes absolutely LIGHT up when he hears the knock at the door or the "fast" door-bell ring and then his cute little voice say "what is it mommy, what is it??" - I don't just swallow my pride, it pretty much goes out the window!!!! We have gotten the cutest of things from cookies to ornaments to blankets to candies to mugs w/ cocoa and the list goes on. We have received things that are immeasurable and things that they must have truely been inspired to give us. I hope they know how truely, truely and eternally grateful we are for all of these wonderful, much needed things! Please know that we love you too (whoever you are - you sneaky, FAST little elves you)!! Someday we will pay-it-forward! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!!

So, as you can see - we are more than SOOOOOO blessed!!

If I don't get a chance to post before Santa's Big Day, Merry Christmas to all - I hope it is just as magical for you as it has been for us! We love you and thank you for everything you do for our family!! TTFN (oh, and ...to all a good night!)

Today is the greatest day in the whole, wide world!! Today is the day my mom was born!! On Sunday December 03, 1950 my wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, caring, giving, self-less, sweet, adoring, kind, considerate, strong, amazing (and the list goes on and on) mommy arrived. I can NOT adequately put into words how much I love her. She is my rock, my best friend, my leaning post, my sanity, my voice of reason and my mentor. Not only is she the best mom in the world but she is the best grandmother too. Her grandchildren absolutely A-D-O-R-E her and can't get enough of grandma. I truely do not know what I would do without my mom in my life. I cherish the close, tight relationship/friendship we have. I know that at times I take this for granted and I just want her to know how much I truely value what we have. She IS the best mom, grandma, sister, daughter, friend that I know. Happy, HAPPY Birthday mom - I hope you have an amazing day with many, many, many, many, many, many more to follow!!! We ALL love you!!!