It's Been Almost a Year?!

I cannot believe that it has been almost a year, and I haven't posted anything. And it's been a very eventful year too! This might have to be a long entry, but I'll try to give the condensed version of events.

I believe that the last post was in August, so I'll start with the next big event that comes to mind...that I can remember. That's Festival of Trees. Last year, I did two large trees. One was called Christmas Colors and was for Miles. It was decorated in oversized crayons and paintbrushes and was COVERED in glitter. That glitter was never completely deleted from my living room until we replaced the carpet. It was a time consuming and messy ordeal, but I think that the tree turned out so cute! Of course, my mother's help was invaluable.

I'm not sure why the picture is sideways, but all of them seem to be doing that on my computer lately. Sorry.

Tree number two was donated by the family in memory of my Grandpa Ray. We called it Deck the Hall w/Donuts. When we were younger, my grandpa worked for the company that did the bxes for Dunford Donuts. He used to always bring us a box when he's come and visit. I'm sure that this is where my love for donuts began. We thought it only appropriate to decorate a donut themed tree for him. Dunford was so helpful by donating several gift certificates for donuts and other baked goods to include with the tree. They were amazing to work with.

Again, sorry about the sideways picture. Hopefully, you get the idea.

 

We were happy to hear that both trees sold at auction. They actually both sold to the same buyer, which we found to be pretty ironic. It was totally by chance though.

 

We had a very eventful December, but sadly, it was not full of the kind of events that we would have liked to experience. On Dec. 14th, my sweet little niece, Amelia, passed away. She is Mike and Marinda's second daughter to be diagnosed and pass away from Trisomy 18. It was so heartbreaking, but I am grateful for the time that we got to spend with Mike, Marinda and the kids over the holiday, and I am grateful to know that Hope and Amelia are together, families are eternal and we can all be together again.

 

Miles had been sick the few days prior to Christmas. We'd thought of taking him in a couple of times, but he would always improve quickly soon after those thoughts. Christmas morning was cut short when Miles just didn't have the energy to open all of his presents. Ben took Conan and Phoebe out to visit family, and I stayed behind to tend to Miles fever. When Ben returned, we both decided that it was time to take Miles to the hospital. As usual, by the time we were seen, his breathing had improved, and his fever was down. I think we were about to be released when they checked him one more time. His fever had spiked, so they decided to keep him. Within several hours, he had been moved to the ICU and was on breathing assistance. He spent the entire Christmas break at Primary's, most of which was spent without food, on ventilation in the ICU. It was the longest and scariest stay in the hospital that we have had, and that includes his heart surgery. I have the days detailed in the notes section of my facebook page if anyone would like more information. Miles was released on New Year's Day. His diagnosis was complications from RSV. By the time he got home, both his little brother and baby sister were down with RSV and strep. It was a long, kind of unpleasant holiday. We're thankful for all the love and concern that was shown to us though. So many people were ready and willing to help with the kids and come and visit Miles. It was so appreciated!

 

Our next major event was a great one. In February, the family took our annual trip to Disneyland. The days were cut a little bit short due to torrential rain, but it was still so much fun! It was Phoebe's first trip (unless you count while I was pregnant, in which case it was technically her 3rd), and she loved it. The boys were crazy about everything, as always. Ben was grumpy, but it was just to play his part. He really loves Disneyland. And we were so happy to have Grandma Karri there with us part of the time. We always have more fun when there are more people to enjoy the festivities with. Plus, it is super nice to have an extra adult to help with the kids. One of my favorite memories from our trip was taking Miles to his first really fancy dinner. We decided to have him join Ben and I at Nappa Rose at the Grand Californian. He fell asleep within about 5 minutes of being seated. The wait staff was so cute about it.

I lied when I said that Festival of Trees was our first major event after August. I just need to keep more up to date on these things, so I don't forget anything. Toward the end of August Rod, Cathy and all the Jackson kids (and their kids) headed up to Park City for a mini vacation. Thanks to Cathy's fantastic connections, we stayed at the Marriott resort right there where all the fun stuff is. They kids had a blast going on the Alpine slides and playing with their cousins in the pool. We adults had an interesting time playing the "not so newlywed" game with other guests at the resort. It was a great way to end the summer!

We spent the beginning of September at Bear Lake with my family. My parents rented an amazing cabin, big enough to accommodate the ENTIRE family very comfortably. It had every convenience and amenity you could imagine. It even had slides connecting one floor to the other. We had and indoor playground, trampoline and basketball court. There was a pool table and game table. We had an x box room and even a full theater. It was amazing. We spent most of our time enjoying the cabin, but we did get out to play on the lake...and pick up some raspberry shakes.

 The past year, part 2 to come shortly.