Kris has told me for weeks to write this post, so I hope I am doing it right.

Kris told you about our girls and their medical troubles in her post. So I’m not going to do that.

Instead, I am going to tell you what she left out. She left out the countless nights of little to no sleep because someone had a stomach ache. Or a new medicine had a bad side effect. She left out that she is the one who paces the hallway with Izzie when she can’t sleep. She’s the one who climbs into bed with Caity after a night terror or regular nightmare. She didn’t mention how she counts EVERY calorie that Izzie ingests daily to ensure that she takes in enough to put on the weight her doctor and nutritionist want to see. She is the one who cooks, cleans, makes sure everyone has clean clothes and does it all without ever raising her voice or losing her temper, despite the immeasurable stress she is under most of the time.

She didn’t tell you about spending her birthday money on Christmas stuff for the girls, because she doesn’t want them to miss out on anything during the holidays. Or how she volunteers to keep her niece, free of charge, any time needed. On top of two daughters with various routines and medical regimens.

So, while its true my girls have had a rough year, their mother deserves to win more. She should have one thing go right for once, and not having to worry about gifts for friends family and most importantly our daughters would be a very wonderful dream come true for her.

Dear Louise,
Thanks for being the selfless wife and mother you are. You tirelessly dedicate yourself to our family, putting the needs of our kids above yourself. I know some days are more difficult than others. Even on those days, when I come home I still see you playing with the kids and giving our family 110%. I appreciate you every day, more and more.
Love,
Your Husband

I really think our family deserves a Christmas of Dreams. Quite frankly, is there a family that doesn’t? I doubt it. But here’s my story:

Tracye and I have two beautiful kids. This past March, on our daughter’s sixth birthday, she miscarried our third child. She took it really hard; harder than either one of us thought she would. We were both devastated. The following week, I left for three straight months, to attend the FBI National Academy across the country in Quantico, Virginia. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, leaving her at such a difficult time in our marriage, to take care of herself, a six-year old, and a toddler alone. I remember driving away that day, watching her standing in the doorway crying, holding our baby, while still grieving for the one we lost.

We made it through that, and she got pregnant again. She’s now five months along, and is already experiencing problems. She’s already experiencing the pain that usually comes at the end of the pregnancy. Her doctor called a few weeks ago with the news that she has precancerous cells on her cervix. She had to go through a really uncomfortable and painful procedure so the doctor could look at it and get a sample of the cells. Two nights later, she started bleeding. It was March all over again. We were both so upset, so I took her to the ER. They ran a bunch of tests and did a really long ultrasound, and think the bleeding was from the procedure. We haven’t gotten the results back from the test, so we don’t know yet what’s going on. Either way, the doctor said he doesn’t want to put the baby at risk by doing a biopsy until after it’s born.

Our insurance deductible went up to $1,000 per person, so we have that to pay this year, then again in January. And then our part of the hospital bill is usually close to that, too. Add to that the ER visit and the cost of the procedure, and money is beyond tight. So there won’t be much of a Christmas, or any new stuff for the baby.

My wife is an amazing woman and mother. She tries her best to make our home comfortable and inviting. She’s so good with the kids, and is always trying to make important days extra-special. My favorite part of the day is coming home and seeing her playing with our kids, or getting dinner ready for all of us. I love her so much, and would love it if you would bless her with a Christmas of her Dreams. I would love to see the look on her face, and it would do her heart more good than you could possibly ever imagine.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for this opportunity.

Why my family deserves to win Christmas of Dreams, well a few weeks ago my husband and I decided to file for bankruptcy. The lawyer told us to kiss out house goodbye and out timeshare goodbye, we wont be going back to him( he was rude). This is our dream house and now its just a house. I try and put on this brave face everyday but inside I am falling apart. I feel like I did this to my husband, he has worked so hard for me and the kids and all that he has worked for is gone. This man has never missed a bill payment in his life, but when he got laid off last year from Circuit City all of our savings went to keeping the bills paid and our kids taking care of.
I hate to see him feel like he isn’t providing for his family. I can see that he is stressed about Christmas and beyond, so I feel like if I won this contest he wouldn’t have to worry about giving to me, the kids, or the rest of the family. I just don’t want to see my husband worry so much about what is going to happen with us. I want him to be happy on Christmas even if its just for a day. This is the last Christmas in our dream house so I would love to make it one to remember.

5 Things.
Dyson~ oh how I love their vaccuums!!
Leap Frog~ My kids love their toys. I want to get the Tag System for my oldest
Baby Legs~ Peyton loves them and calls them socks! So cute to watch her try and put them on.
Silly Monkeez~ Loce shirts with saying on them!! Im a nerd that way!
Scentsy~ I love candles, I would love to have my new house smell like Vanilla

Here is my video: http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh91/customblogdesigns/video/?action=view&current=DianaApplication.flv

Thanks!

Diana

There are so many families out there who deserve to have their very own Christmas of Dreams. We are like many other families out there trying to pay the bills, heat the house, buy groceries and gas. We don’t have a tragic story (which I am thankful for). If we were lucky enough to win, I would use a lot of the prizes as gifts for the families that I know aren’t going to have a Christmas this year. In other words, I would spread the wealth. Things are tight this year, and there aren’t near as many gifts being bought, because the money has to go to food and heat. We aren’t able to “adopt” a family this year because there are no extra funds. It is true that you get so much more when you Give rather than Receive. What a great thing that so many companies are willing to donate such great prizes during this hard time that we ALL are facing!!!!

Alright, that took more than a day to write. I could barely type that. Whew…

Um, ok, back to what you ask. 5 favorite things from the sponsors.

1. Dyson Allergy and Asthma vacuum. We have an old old Kirby that isn’t doing it anymore. My son’s asthma isn’t doing well in this new climate. I think this could benefit him greatly.
http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC17-ALLERGY

2. LeapFrog Clickstart http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/clickstart/ My four-year-old would adore this beyond words, as fascinated he is with the computer.

3. BabyPop Super hero capes! My sons would LOVE THOSE! (can’t link to that page, though)

4. Let’s Go Strolling Phil and Ted’s Vibe http://www.letsgostrolling.com/phil-and-teds-vibe-stroller.html My sister is expecting and has a three year old, so this would allow her to be able to push both kids!

5. FeeFiFoto Personalized Porcelain Plates http://www.photogiftplace.com/Content.aspx?Page=PlateJump&PK=fa3615daca954a148af6c6f9e7c90a04 When I was kid, I made a plate for my mom in Kindergarten. Now that I’m grown, I’d like to get a plate with a picture of all of us on it, to display next to that plate I made her.

Christmas of dreams button has been in my sidebar since it launched and you’ve been on my blogroll for.ev.er lol

And my blog post is located here http://www.crazyadventuresinparenting.com/2008/11/christmas-of-dreams.html

Extra entry will come later..