"Another year over and a new one just begun."

Goodbye 2011!  It had been a very good year for us.  We hope that this New Year will be as good if not better.                

Joseph and I thought about the highlight of the year for each of us.  

For his Daddy - He finally got his shed (outdoor kitchen) built.

For Austin - He is really looking more like his Daddy this year.

For me - I have read almost 36 books on my Kindle during the past year; I'm on the fifth book of the Song of Ice and Fire series.  I have also cooked the most this year than any other year of my married life.  Definitely an improvement.

For Joseph - He gained the freedom to play games not just on the computer but also on Playstation 3, thanks to the Versatility device.  He also gained friends when he started playing LBP2 online and in the process, got introduced to the dynamics of friendships, both the positive and the negative.

He has also become more into RPGs (role-playing games) such as Minecraft and Terraria.  The downside is that he is more exposed to bad language when he watches the youtube videos of these games :(   The upside of him watching these videos is that, for the first time, he found humor.  He laughs so hard when he's watching Minecraft videos of PaulSoaresJr or yogscast or Terraria videos of Batclone that he can't breathe.  When watching these videos, his heart rate would go up to 150's because he was laughing so hard.  It is priceless.  

This New Year's Eve, Joseph and I shed some tears.  I asked him if there was one thing he would like to do or place he would like to go to in 2012.  The next thing I knew, he was tearing up.  He said, "I could have more fun if I didn't have SMA."  I cried with him, especially after he said, "Sometimes, I imagine my life if I didn't have SMA."  Of course, we talked some more as we tried to put a positive spin to this darn SMA, and then cried some more about some other stuff, such as how he missed playing with some friends he met while playing LBP2.  *sigh*  

Anyway, we decided that for this New Year, Joseph's word would be FUN and mine would be ORDER.  We will do our best that Joseph will have more FUN things to do this year.  And I will do my best to put my routine and habits in order so that I will have more time and patience and calm with my boy.

Past Week

Fireworks on January 3rd

Nice Fireworks, but it's c-c-cold.

How long before it's ready, Daddy?

I want to taste the marshmallow now.

Okay, I'll enjoy the fire first.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The boy needs a haircut soon.

Jojo and a blue moon on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve fireworks

Who would have thought that I would make 98 posts this year? I really appreciate how easy it's been to add pictures and videos with the text; the easier for the reader to get a full picture of a child afflicted with SMA.

Looking back, the year 2009 was a very good year for our family, particularly with regards to Jojo. Jojo stayed away from the hospital despite being sick a few times. He is now six years old and quite a character. He is mostly happy, has a healthy perception of himself and surely has a mind of his own. I sincerely hope that he will keep these qualities as he gets older and encounters more challenges.

So, here comes 2010. I wonder what the New Year will bring. I have so many wishes and hope for the New Year, most of them for our son and for other children who have SMA and other terminal and incurable illnesses. It's best that I turn them over to God, who knows what's best for us.

As it was in 2009, in 2010...