Happy Holidays!

It’s hard to believe the holidays are once again upon us. This joyful season we watch the excitement that the holidays bring to the boys and realize just how blessed we are to have such wonderful family and friends. This year has been filled with blessings and we thank God for them every day.

Shea turned 3 on March 29th. He is always on the go, trying to start a game with one of his brothers. He also seems to have a knack for manipulation… he can talk us into anything with his smile. He loves riding his brothers “big boy bikes” and is hoping Santa will bring him a big boy bike of his own. Shea is a very happy soul and brings all of us tremendous joy.

Ryan turned 5 on August 23rd. He joined a soccer team this year and had an absolute ball! Ryan really enjoys team sports and is fortunate enough to be able to play on the same teams with his best friend Dylan. He will be playing T-Ball as soon as the season starts. In October Ryan went back to CHOC for a heart catheterization and angioplasty to re-dilate both of his pulmonary artery stents. The cath was a success and the pressure in his arteries is more regulated. Every year as Ryan gets older, the hospitalizations for him, get scarier. He tried to be very brave and we are proud of him. He is doing quite well now. Ryan is a sweet, non-assuming child that makes the chaos of having 3 young boys a little easier.

Jake turned 7 on August 14th and started 1st grade in September. He enjoys school and loves to read. He also has a great imagination, and loves to intricately draw out and than direct “games” with brothers. At night he often picks out a couple of books and sits down to read his brothers stories. He has a good heart and really cares about other people. We are so proud of him and how far he has come in the last year.

The three boys are the best of friends. They ride their bikes together, play sports as well as do just about everything else together. They are inseparable and look out for one another constantly. They even team up together against Mom and Dad when they want to get their way… Jake loves to teach his younger brothers new things and the Ryan and Shea just idolize Jake. We are so blessed to have children that love each other so much.

We are enjoying life and are thankful for the blessings we have been given. This year we went on two cruises. In April we went to the Mexican Riviera and we just got back from a December cruise the Bahamas. Jim started a new job with GE Healthcare as a Cardiac Account Manager and is looking forward to working in the cardiac field. We enjoy spending time with the boys and watching them grow. We remind ourselves to enjoy every minute as we know time goes by so quickly.

As another year ends, we thank God for each other and for our wonderful friends and family. May the New Year bring abundance of peace, love, health and happiness. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday season. Please visit our webpage to view photos of the boys and updates on Ryan… RyansHeart.com

Love, Jim, Cathy, Jake, Ryan & Shea Smith