LAKES OF THE FOUR SEASONS | As members of the Kennedy family gather around their Christmas tree today, they will be counting their blessings but also not forgetting the loss of their loved one, Thomas Kennedy said.

His son, Andrew Kennedy, was 11 years old March 11, 2001, when he and four other youngsters -- his two brothers and two neighborhood friends -- fell through the ice on Lake Holiday.

Andrew drowned, and his brother, James Kennedy, who was 10, nearly lost his life but survived after being in a coma for several days.

"The fact that I lost Andrew -- I think about it everyday and not just at Christmas," Thomas Kennedy said.

Signs of Andrew's childhood remain even on the colorful tree that dominates the family's living room this holiday.

A construction paper snowman that Andrew carefully fashioned while in grade school dangles with his photo from one of the branches.

The decoration is joined by the similar artwork of his brothers, including fraternal twin, Christopher, now 19, and Joey, 9, who was only 2 when the accident happened.

And, because Andrew was a twin, every major stage Christopher has gone through is a reminder of what could have been, Thomas Kennedy said.

"Everytime I saw Christopher do something, whether it was going to the prom or graduating from high school last June, I'm thinking this is what Andrew would have been doing," Thomas Kennedy said.

Despite the tragedy of losing one son and nearly losing another, life has gone on with James, now 18, set to graduate from Crown Point in the spring.

"We're doing OK," Thomas Kennedy said.

James, whose brown eyes sparkle behind stylish eyeglasses, said he doesn't remember falling through the ice along with Andrew and Christopher and friends Cory and Kara Cook.

He said he has only vague memories of relearning all the basics at LaRabida Children's Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Chicago from which he was released April 16, 2001.

And similarly, his memories are fuzzy of learning to talk again, a skill he didn't regain until nearly two months after the accident.

"Somewhat," is the word James uses in regard to his recollection.

James' face lights up when discussing the personal training class he's taking at high school and his vision of becoming an Ultimate Fighting Champion when he graduates.

"We're hoping he goes somewhere else with that," Thomas Kennedy said.

He said his son, who received mostly A's and B's and a C in geometry this past semester is doing well for all he went through.

"When you consider where he came from and that he had to relearn everything, and now he's graduating," he said.

He often refers to James as his miracle child, an expression that causes James to smile.

"He's loving life," his dad said.

Still Thomas Kennedy said he occasionally worries about James' future and what his potential might have been if the accident hadn't happened.

James, who was a straight-A student at Winfield Elementary School, was reading several grade levels ahead, including the Harry Potter series.

"It's tough the different stages you go through. ... It happened, and that's all I accept," Thomas Kennedy said.