Christmas Morning

I'm happy to report that Josie had a peaceful night of sleep and didn't disturb Santa. Big sister Emma was more than eager to assist Josie in opening presents. As you can see by the pictures, having only one hand hasn't slowed down Josie with toy playing.














And this is only the beginning...we are so blessed!!

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas.
Have a beautiful and precious Christmas holiday.











Here's to hoping that Josie sleeps through the night and doesn't disturb Santa!!

Snow, Snow, and more Snow!

The snow in West Michigan is unbelievable. This morning, the temperatures are mild enough that we decided to bundle up the girls and head outdoors. Chris and I have been taking turns staying on top of the snow shoveling and getting some fresh air, but Josie hasn't had much outdoor time since her surgery.







Here are few more shots that show just how deep the snow is in our yard. You'll note that our illuminated Santa Claus is now buried in our yard.



This is a shot of Chris shoveling off the back deck. Yes. It's that deep.



The Kenward family wishes you all a beautiful and precious Christmas holiday. Thank you for your friendship, support and prayers over this past year.

Trains - A Tribute to Papa

This video taken at the Frederick Meijer's Gardens yesterday is what started it all at home Monday night.



Chris's father retired from CSX railroad a few years back and gave Chris a CSX model train set. After seeing how excited the girls were with the trains, Chris dug it out and set it up on the dining room table.

This is a picture taken of Emma and her cousin Quinn when they were four years old. They were visiting one of Papa's trains.



While Chris was painstakingly putting the tracks together, Josie set up her own train on the kitchen floor (note the diaper box she's using as a chair).







I'm thinking I might need to sneak out to a toy store and see if I can find any additional train supplies for my husband between now and Christmas (shhhh...our secret).






PS. In Josie recovery news, Josie has a new nickname. Instead of Josephine, she's Josescream with an emphasis on the scream. Whew. She's throwing temper tantrums and swinging that cast (when it's not in her sling) like you wouldn't believe. She's certainly adjusting to being without her hand, but it's not been perfect (which our pictures tend to show otherwise). Josie's been getting up every night between 2-4 times screaming. It feels like her open-heart surgery sleeping all over again. Santa's going to have to be sneaky when dropping off gifts. Josie just might be up when he arrives!!!

Josie's 1st outing since surgery

Between the recent snow storms and Josie's surgery and recovery, the Mommy has been going absolutely stir crazy at home. This afternoon, we headed to one of our favorite places in Grand Rapids...Frederick Meijer Gardens. Each December, they feature decorated trees from around the world, as well as an amazing miniature train display. Emma brought her good friend along and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.





The key to dressing Josie and her cast for outerwear has been to put her in a winter coat that is nearly 3 sizes too big. It's ridiculous looking, but it works for our West Michigan weather.



The best part of our visit at the Gardens was the miniature trains. Josie would have stayed all day watching the trains.





Josie's train obsession has motivated us to set up our own train at home this evening. Stay tuned for more train pictures. Only 3 days until Christmas!!