Christmas letter

Malachi 3:10
...I will... open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.


Dear Loved Ones,
We are a family full of love and gratitude this Christmas season. We live with constant reminders of the love and support that family, friends, neighbors, and ward members have rushed to give us. A day has not gone by in the last 2 ½ months that we have not felt overwhelmed with gratitude to our Heavenly Father and overwhelmed by His love for us. We are so happy for this perfect time to share that love with you in a merry Christmas letter.
Jenevieve turned 1 this summer. She has been a delight. Her bright red hair is admired by everyone we meet. It is starting to make its way into her personality. She is bright and energetic. She loves to explore the way things work. She seems to be developing into an athlete. She loves to climb, run, and can even do a pretty mean somersault. She adores her siblings, especially Liam. She gives kisses to everyone first thing in the morning. She melts family and strangers alike with her snuggly hugs complete with soft pats on the back. She is not a reader like our older children were. She prefers flipping the pages back and forth. The girl is a do-er. She is also my helper. She loves to wash the tables and counters and sweep the floor. She is often throwing things away for me, not always garbage. She loves to laugh, dance, and clap. We love our charming little imp.
Our princess, Julia, got to be in her first dance class at the beginning of the year. She loved it and excelled. She was a little bit shy at first, but loved being on stage and didn’t miss a beat. She impressed us all. She loved getting dressed up and getting to wear make-up. Julia is a born performer. She loves to put on little shows, whether it’s dancing, singing, or a play. She is a fun loving and carefree little soul. She loves to play with friends, and is constantly in need of social activities. She has also developed her drawing and coloring skills this year and has amazed us with her beautiful artwork. She loves doing anything crafty and loves to draw pictures to take to the neighbors. She is also progressing very well with reading and writing. She started Kindergarten this year and loves it. We think she is a little smarty pants. She also played soccer this year for the first time and did really well with that too. Her favorite part was to throw the ball in from the sidelines. Julia turned 6 this year. This age at this time is a struggle for her. I think she is transitioning from an age of play into an age of more responsibility and it is happening at a difficult time in our home. It is a struggle for all of us and I hope we can help her keep her love and zest for life.
Liam has nicknamed himself “Diego Speedy.” He loves to run fast and always wants to show everyone how fast he can run, or how strong he is with his big muscles. He loves to talk to anyone who will listen, people in grocery stores, or on the street, my visiting teachers, the UPS guy, even salesmen who come to the door. He is always upset when I quickly shoo them away. He loves animals and loves to share facts he learns from t.v. and his new love – the computer. He turned 4 this summer with a superhero birthday party that was a real success. He had so much fun with his friends and cousins and wore his cape and mask all day. He also played soccer for the first time this year. He spent most of the time on the field doing jumping jacks, and somersaults, break-dancing kicks, and occasionally running in circles. He had a blast, except when he found out that the other team was named Cheetahs and his team was the Sharks. Then he refused to play unless he could switch teams.
Liam is the bravest little 4 year- old I know. He has humbled himself in a way that little children shouldn’t have to and allows people to do things to him that he doesn’t want. He puts up enough fight to let us know how he feels, but in the end I think he trusts that we are doing what is best. He hates taking medicines, he hates having surgery, he hates being in the hospital, poked, prodded and squeezed. But he tries and is mostly very good about it. He amazes the nurses and doctors and child-life specialists with the maturity with which he communicates. He has a very grown-up way of expressing his feelings, and I know this is what is helping him the most to deal with his illness and treatment. He has taught us so much with insightful metaphors and analogies. Still, I know that there is a soberness inside of him that he doesn’t share. There are questions he doesn’t ask and sorrows and fears he doesn’t express. I am learning to trust in the Lord for this part and rely on angels to comfort him. He will be almost 8 before he is done with his treatment.
It’s amazing how some trials in our lives can teach us to appreciate all the blessings that we have. We are blessed, more than we deserve, more than we can thank, and more than we can even know. We appreciate this time of year to remember the source of our blessings and to feel the goodwill of the world. We thank you all for all of the help, love and support, and wish you all a very merry Christmas!
Love the Wainwright Family

Mark, Emily, Julia, Liam and Jenevieve