Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a little different this year.

A few weeks ago my mom went to the doctor for abdominal pain. She has been having shortness of breath and fatigue for over a year, and the pain in her side for a few weeks. Her family doctor has been telling her that her shortness of breath is just anxiety and tried to prescribe her anti-anxiety meds, which she didn't take. This time doctor told her that she had gallstones and would need surgery. He sent her for x-rays before the surgery and that doctor told her no, she didn't have gallstones at all. But there was something. They sent her for more tests and bloodwork and told her that it looked like she might have cancer.

She told me while I was visiting quickly during a girls night out, and I wasn't sure what to think. It didn't seem possible. And my dad seemed to think that the doctor didn't seem convinced that it was really cancer.

A few days later she got the diagnosis. Small-cell lung cancer, and it was advanced. More tests confirmed that she was in late stages, possibly stage 4. I was totally devastated. The days after her first diagnosis were horrible. I kept crying She got in touch with a friend who has connections with oncologists that specialize in her particular cancer in California and flew immediately for tests.

A Brielle Date

One-on-one time with each child is a little hard to come by with four kids. Lately I've been feeling like each of them need a chance to be the center of attention, even just for a little while. I had been thinking that about Brielle in particular for a while, and one morning a friend made an Instagram post about taking her little girl on a date, and I just knew it was time to take Bri. Then that very day, while we were having breakfast, Brielle asked me if we could go somewhere just her and me. So that sealed the deal! And a date was planned.

First we went to the nail salon so Brielle could get her first ever manicure. She was pretty timid, per usual. But she was also very sweet and very excited. She has been working so hard on remembering not to bite her fingernails and fingertips, so it was an appropriate reward.

Then we went shopping for a few minutes and then went to the cupcake shop in downtown Ogden. The whole time was just perfect. Brielle is such an interesting, fun, happy girl. She can turn on the tears faster than a snap, but she is so quick to apologize and she really really tries to do the right thing, all the time. Lately she has been letting guilt over every little thing take over all her emotions. She dwells on it way too long. So we have been talking a lot about how she is so loved, and everyone wants to forgive her, particularly her Father in Heaven. And once she has made things right, she should move on! Let it go and just try to do a little better. And she is always trying to do better. I hope she realizes how wonderful she is.

The other photos aren't from our date day, but I need to document all her cuteness.

Bus Turns Three!

My little baby Buster Boy is growing up so much. Today he turned three and I really wish he would just stay my little guy forever. He is the most affectionate kid in the world. I am positive about that. All day long I get "huggies" and kisses. He just lays them on firm and long. I can't get enough! His chubby little arms around my neck is the best feeling and he still loves having a handful of my hair whenever we cuddle. I hear "love you" a hundred times a day. It is the best having him around. Everyone loves the baby.

Halloween

Just before Halloween this year, Sue sent up a big bag of her family's old Halloween costumes. So we've been playing dress up (read:throwing costumes all over the family room) for a while. Everyone changed their minds a few times and then settled on...Mason: punk, Brielle: Candy Land Lollipop fairy (again) Ava: Witch (again) and Bus: Captain America.

We got in the spirit of the season by going to Brigham for the sheep herding and then Logan for the pumpkin walk. Tim usually has to work and doesn't come with us, but this year Dad got to join the fun.

The day before Halloween we had our annual Arbon party with Delpha's delicious chicken soup in bread bowls. On Halloween we decided to to Trick or Treat in own neighborhood and the kids just LOVE it. Watching them run from house to house with so much enthusiasm really is one of my favorite parts of the year. They look so adorable all dressed up and they can hardly contain their excitement. Eric wore his Captain America costume to the Arbon party, but on Halloween he decided he wanted to be a witch, and he could not be swayed.

San Diego

The last two and half years have been rough. I didn't really realize just how stressful they were until The last couple weeks, when things finally calmed down and our to-do list was whittled down to a few loose ends that have to wait until spring. It has been all house projects, all the time. I haven't even done the majority of the work, and I'm pretty good at ignoring my stress, so I can only imagine how Tim has been feeling as the primarily responsible party.

All that said, we needed a vacation. So when tickets so San Diego went on sale for under $100, I pounced. We planned a five day trip, Tuesday through Saturday, just before Halloween.We got there just in time for one of their two annual heat waves. And it was HOT.

Tuesday was Ava's and Eric's first time on an airplane. Bus didn't really know what to expect, but Ava was pretty nervous for it. Once we got on the plane she was not about to let go of my hand. The whole flight went perfectly and they loved it. We rented a minivan and headed to the hotel. We stayed at the North Island Navy Lodge on the Navy base on Coronado. It was right on the most beautiful white, then gold and back sand beach. So we checked in and went right to the water.

Wednesday we got up and headed to Sea World. The park was pretty empty - I'm guessing because of the heat. We watched a dolphin show that was very cool, and tried out all the rides that were open. We rented  two-seater stroller to add to the one we brought, so we pushed the kids around all day, but they still pooped out pretty early. It was really cool, but after tickets and stroller rental and food, we left feeling like we had just spent a lot of money for very little return. So we went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day at the beach.

On Thursday I wanted to go see the Cabrillo National Monument. I read that there is a cool lighthouse and tidepools in the same area. We went up there and saw the monument, but by then it was getting hot. The kids didn't want to hike to the lighthouse so we drove down to the tidepool area. The tide was too high to see anything, so we played around for a few minutes and decided it was time to head home. We went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day at the beach. That night we went downtown and went out to dinner, which was pretty nice.

On Friday morning we got up bright and early to get to the zoo right when it opened. It was supposed to be kids get in free, which they did, but then you had to buy passes to go on the bus tour. Which we did. We didn't have to wait in line for too long, thankfully! I thought it was great just riding through the zoo, seeing the animals. I was the only one. We got off the bus, looked around for a while...tried to see the pandas and failed. Then left. The kids were miserable and complaining about everything. So we went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and the beach. Then we ordered pizza and rented a movie.

Saturday morning we walked along the beach one last time and then decided to drive around and see some sights. We visited the San Diego temple and went to lunch, and then just made our way back to the airport for our flight. Bus didn't want to sit in a seat, but other than that, everything went perfectly again.

It was so beautiful at the beach. Mason and Ava took straight to the water and wanted to swim and play in the waves the whole time. The sand was perfect for digging or building castles. The weather was warm enough that the beach wasn't uncomfortable at all. It was seriously everything you could ask for.

I'm glad we went, and the break and the beach and the sunshine was so good. But I'm never taking my kids on vacation again.