Christmas Letter 2008

Christmas 2008

We hope that this year was good to everyone and that you have a lot to be thankful for. This year was a really tough year for our family right from the start but we are still blessed for the things that God has granted us with and continue to praise him for his great gift in Jesus.

January started out good as our cousin Mouna Slebi was here visiting from Bethlehem. But one night in mid January, Kamal and I were in our bedroom watching a movie and we heard a scream. The kids were in the other room watching their movie and Austin was crying really hard. When we got there, his ear was bleeding and we couldn’t figure out what happened. We rushed him to the emergency room at Dell Children Hospital and his learned that his tympanic membrane was ruptured. Later on, we found out that Danny had poked his ear with a sucker stick. It was an awful experience but it healed. He is doing so much better and has no hearing loss or damage as a result.

February was great and passed quickly. In March, my cousin Angie Damiani and her husband Matthew came to visit. It was really fun and we had a girl’s night out Arbonne party while she was here. We only had 4 women attend but it was really fun and we talked and laughed so much. In late March, we took a small trip as a family with our neighborhood playgroup (The Funatics) to Wonder World in San Marcos and had a great time. Then, we stopped at Cabela’s and wow, what a store! It was a great family outing day.

In April, we enjoyed Easter and along with that, Easter Egg Hunting for the kids. May came and we got a Wii. Danny loves it so much (as do his parents). On May 31st, we found out that we were expecting baby #3 due on December 16th, 2008. We were surprised to say the least but excited for the coming arrival. Besides Kamal, I let my sister, Loralei and mom be the first to hear about the pregnancy.

June came and we celebrated both Kamal’s 41st birthday and Austin’s 3rd birthday. Kamal’s party was just our family but Austin’s party had a lot of family and friends, including my mom. It was really great. However, June 9th, I was laid off from my job with no prior notice. I was in shock for a while afterwards.

On July 17th, I miscarried twins. It was a horrible experience. I was close to having a blood transfusion because I miscarried them at home and lost a lot of blood. But praise God, right before the D&C, my blood levels came back and they didn’t have to do the transfusion. About two days after the miscarriage, Kamal’s health started deteriorating. In August, he was constantly in the hospital and it took such a toll on the family. One time, we were at Najib and Margo’s for dinner and he couldn’t breathe. We called 911 and the ambulance came and took him to the hospital. Of course, I followed in the car and on the way, Danny was saying “We need to hurry Mommy, he’s going to die!” and it absolutely broke my heart.

In September, Danny started Pre-K. He was so excited and especially exited when he found out that he gets to ride the bus! We celebrated his 5th birthday on the 13th with his family and friends, including my mom, dad and Carol. Danny was thrilled to have so many people he loved there. He also got to have a party at school with his friends there. Danny was born 13 days too late for Kindergarten but we have that to look forward to next year and now, Danny and Austin will only be one year apart in school, as Austin will start Pre-K next fall.

October was extremely busy with tons of carnivals, birthday parties and playdates with our playgroups, The Funatics and Rockin’ Mommas. Halloween was really fun as we took the kids to the mall to trick or treat and then around our neighborhood. November 2nd, I participated in the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” 5K walk with Team Rockin’ Mommas, which was awesome and so much fun! November 18th, I celebrated my 33rd birthday and we had a very nice Thanksgiving with Margo, Najib, Raed and Rajaa.

December is here and we are back at the mall selling Olivewood from The Holy Land. On Dec. 3rd, my good friend from college, Michelle from Reno, NV came to visit with her husband Joe and daughter Maddie. The kids had such a blast playing together and it was great to see Michelle and Joe. Dad and Carol came for lunch on Dec. 7th and we exchanged our gifts for Christmas. The kids have had many playdates and parties to attend and now I’m so behind on everything! But we enjoy having so many friends here and are truly blessed. Especially after the miscarriage when everyone was bringing our family dinner for 3 weeks. I was in awe of the love and support.
If you would like to check out what we do throughout the year, please visit my blog at www.LachellesBlog.blogspot.com.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas, we love and cherish each of you, and pray for a very prosperous New Year for Everyone!

Love,
The Saieh Family ● Kamal, Lachelle, Danny and Austin