Christmas Questions Answered

Highlight of the Christmas Season:  I'd honestly have to say shopping at Target with my sister-in-laws likely tops the list. It was my first time going shopping in a real store since my surgery (6 weeks!). Don't get me wrong, I certainly attempted to go to Target on my own here in Utah while I was on crutches. I ended up not shopping after all because the shopping scooter they had that was available only had enough juice to go about 12 inches before dying on me. I many have shed a tear or two crutching back to my car empty-handed and decided to not try again. When I went shopping in Boise, boy were we a sight to see. 1 girl on crutches, 1 pregnant girl, and 1 VERY pregnant girl. Fortunately the shopping scooter had plenty of juice and Sarah and Kristen were able to find me by listening to the beeping every time I backed up, so even though our phones were either, dead or left in the car, it all worked out.

Here is Kristen being so kind and getting the scooter cart for me so I didn't have to hop to it. :)

Gift(s) you were most excited about giving?  I think the kids' Christmas jammies. They were all so cute and snuggly and it just made me so excited about Christmas morning.


Favorite gift received? I can't narrow it down to one. Many people were so thoughtful this year. My sister gave me an Oreo Cake pan from Williams Sonoma that I can't WAIT to bake with, my friend gave me these darling glove/mittens, my sister-in-law gave me a darling reversable scripture bag she made herself without a pattern, my parents gifted me with the most adorable diaper bag that was stuffed full of cans of my favorite soup--- Brunswick Stew! Kyle made a sweet picture family calendar, and I was especially impressed and shocked even by his sweater gift. It's a cute, brightly colored cable sweater that he picked out just for me.  It took me a while to be convinced he picked it out. He does have good taste, but it was so me.

Any gifts still needed to be given?  Yes! I still have my sisters' gifts, part of my parents' gift, and gifts for my grandparents to mail still. I was thrown off a bit this year with our unexpected departure to Boise.

Was Santa well-received this year? Not sure. I think so. I hope so. I had several talks with my children about Santa's gifts this year, preparing them for not receiving anything on their "list".  They reassured me they would still be "fine" with whatever Santa chose to gift them with, even if it was "just a black wock" according to Sav.

Santa came to Gramma and Grampa Berry's this year, but just left them a little something to tide them over until we got home. They woke up on December 28th (Was that Tuesday morning?) to 2 Lego Sets, and a darling dollhouse. {Ruby's gift is forthcoming. Backed up at the Elf Factory and all}. Sav loved her dollhouse, and has played with it a fair amount.  I think I may be in more love with it than she is though.  Cade was thrilled with his Legos and had friends over yesterday to help him get started on another one of his Lego cities.

Did you send Christmas Cards out? For the first time in a few years, yes! It felt good to get back in touch with our old friends near and far. I also sent Ruby's birth announcement with it. Nice to kill two birds with one stone there.

How Many? I ordered 200 thinking it would be plenty. Sent out 185 before Christmas. I have 13 more addressed that just need a stamp and to go in the mailbox (Cade! Can you do me a favor, Sweetie?!)  I gave 2 to Kyle to mail to his 2 favorite professors.  I think he was hoping for more than that. Sorry, hon.

Most unexpected card received? The nice man who delivers our milk left a sweet card on our cooler a few weeks ago. I thought it was so cute.

Most unexpected Christmas card sent? My massage therapist in Chicago, Ania. We're friends now. :)

Favorite card received?  I can't pin that one down. I love getting family cards from my siblings even though I see them all the time. I loved getting cards from my favorite families from my childhood-- like former YW leaders, seminary teachers, families I babysat for, etc. It's so fun to see how big their families have grown and what beautiful people those little babies I used to hold have grown up to be. I loved getting neighbors' cards, too. So many clever and cute ones. Savannah quite enjoys looking at them and asking me to tell her who all of the people are. Cards from friends of my childhood are especially enjoyable.

Does Santa wrap presents or leave them unwrapped?  Unwrapped, for sure. No question about it.

When do you plan on "taking Christmas down?"  -- Unlike my Mom, or the nurse that took care of me for yesterday's surgery, I prefer letting Christmas stay up for a good while. I don't have a ton of overwhelming Christmas decor, (though had I been able to shop during the month of November and December without assistance, I am sure I would have changed that!) so I'm not doing it to avoid the work. I just love Christmas, and I want to enjoy it.  Kind of makes me sad to take it down. I'm thinking mid to late January....???

A little update

We came back home late Monday evening and are playing catch up now.  All with a new perspective of course. Sadly, Kyle's mom passed away Monday, December 20th. Her husband, mother, 5 children, 3 daughter-in-laws, 1 son-in-law, and 1 grandchild were present when she passed away. Kyle has mixed emotions having experienced the last moments of her life. It was painful for him to watch her struggle for those last breaths.  I think that would be a hard memory to have, too.

Kyle put together that sweet video tribute for her viewing on December 22nd and spoke at her funeral December 23rd. He did a beautiful job. I am constantly amazed at all he has been juggling the last several weeks-- work, taking care of me, the children, traveling to Boise to be with his Mom, and having to bury her at such a young age. I marvel at his strength, but also at his ability to express himself during hard times. This has been very hard for him, but not debilitating. I wish I handled trials with as much grace.

Cade and Savannah have a remarkable understanding of life and death, the concept of a body and spirit, and resurrection.  They were very sweet, tender, and respectful through it all--- when Grandma was sick but didn't really look it, when she was dying, after she had passed away, the viewing, and finally the burial.  I think Ruby has the greatest understanding of it all, though. She is still very young and after spending several days at Kyle's parents' home during this sacred time, I am convinced the veil is very thin for infants. If only she could talk!

While it was a sad time, it was also a good time. We spent a lot of time together as a family in that home during Mary's last days as well as through Christmas. We played games, laughed, shared our memories of Mary, ate delicious food that neighbors and friends kept bringing over, did a little Christmas shopping, shed some tears together, and prayed together. There was a very sweet feeling in the home. I am so glad to have shared this experience with Kyle, his family, and the children.

Christmas morning was tender for us all I think. Don opened the gift Mary left under the tree for him. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room when he pulled out the t-shirt blanket she had made for him. He didn't know she had made sure it got done.  There were many helping hands in the Relief Society that made a lot of Mary's wishes come true these last few months. I hope one day to be able to personally thank each of them for doing that for Mary. Their gift of time is priceless.

Along with the quilt was a sweet, sweet letter to Don she had written. I think that was the best gift given this Christmas.   The next best gift was the books on death Mary had picked out for the grandchildren. In it she wrote a special message to each of the kids. Writing was really difficult for her in her last weeks, which makes the gift all the more meaningful.

So, that's a brief re-cap of the last several days. Well, brief for me anyways.

Tomorrow I go in for surgery #2..... it will be great to have these feet fixed....but for now it feels like "normal" is so far away..... I know it could be much worse, so I'll stop there with the complaining and leave you with some pictures of our last few weeks....

Don holding Mary's hand.

It was so sweet watching Don and Mary in her last days. Many times I felt as if I was intruding on an intimate conversation even though she couldn't speak. I know she heard Don and appreciated his love and concern for her.

Our little Ruby 4 months old. She's a mini-Cade we've decided! Thanks for loaning the Bumbo chair, Rebecca! She loves it. 

Auntie Kristen holding little Ruby (she did a lot of that the last several days--- THANK YOU, Kristen!) getting a dose of what's ahead of her in the not-so-far future. She's due in late February.

Our sister-in-law Sarah who is apparently very excited about the prospect of delivering her beach ball soon. :) 

Randy with his ultimate treat--- bread and milk, garnished with a healthy hunk of cheese.

Kyle's Uncle Neal's birthday is on Christmas Eve. This year for his birthday he wanted to host a polar bear plunge at the pond by his folks' place. There were quite a few crazies who joined him, including Kyle. :)

Savannah took her part as an angel in the Nativity at Grandma and Grandpa Hunters house very seriously. She held this solemn face during the entire narration.  She was very excited to hold a "hangah daddy bwoke" as her halo.

Cousins and 2nd cousins!  It's so much fun for the kids to get together and play/ransack great grandma and grandpa's play rooms.

The Woodburys Five Christmas Eve.  I should have some sweet caption over this picture but all I can think about is how badly I need a trim. :)

The kids in their Christmas jammies!!!  I wholeheartedly confess I LOVE dressing my girls alike when the stores accommodate me. Cade had fun being called "candy cane" by all his cousins and running away trying to keep them from taking a bite out of him. 

Mary gave her Mother this framed Woman's World magazine cover from the month and year she was born.  It was very touching.

Mary's last gift to Don--- a beautiful quilt made with lots of love and memories.

Mary's Burial

December 23, 2010

The boys carrying her casket....

Don and the youngest two, Heather and Scott, share a tender moment together.

Kyle holding Savannah next to the casket. Sometimes it's comforting holding a sweet little girl.

Savvy lined up with her girl-cousins while the siblings put dirt over the vault. It was a neat experience for them all to see the process.

Mary was very specific in some of her funeral requests. She wanted her children to manually load dirt on top of the vault until it was completely covered. She said she thought it would help them with closure.

Kyle, to be honest, wasn't a fan of shoveling dirt onto the vault and it didn't give him the closure his Mom had hoped for. A lot of people hung around for this part, so perhaps if it had been a more private setting, he would have felt differently about it.

Kyle and Randy....

The young children peering into the hole.  We've never stayed this long for a burial, and this was a first for all these young kids, too. Notice the cute gal in the green jacket-- that is Rachel, Mary's niece. She's wearing one of Mary's hats. So cute.

My daddy holding Baby Ruby. She's in a warm snugly pink outfit Mary gave her, which I thought was quite fitting for her to be wearing for the burial services.

My momma lovin' on Savvy. It was so sweet of my folks to drive up for the services. They took the kids out later that night for pizza, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

A Tribute to Mary....

Last Letter To Mom

It is difficult to express my love and gratitude to without giving me time to write, edit and re-edit my letter to you. Instead, I am going to just write what comes to mind as I have thought about this long enough and don’t have more time.

I want you to know that I love you and will never forget the things you have taught me. I can only imagine leaving us and the fears you might have at this time. Remember that you have not only taught us to look to the Savior but have shown us through your life that you have a testimony of Him and keep His commandments. We are going to be ok and we will never forget you.

There are lots of memories of you I would love to write, but instead I want you to know some of your qualities that I love about you:

The first quality I love is that you were always so much fun. All my friends loved coming over to my house because they thought you were so cool. I remember Jared and Nathan and other friends always wanting to do sleepovers at my house because they preferred you being the “mom to watch us” if someone’s mom had to be there. That didn’t seem to ever stop. As long as I can remember, all of our friends loved coming to our house because they knew they were welcome and that you loved all of them.

One trait you have that sometimes embarrassed me and sometimes I loved was your ability to get what you wanted. Actually, that probably sounds bad but I regard this as a trait of success. I remember calling radio station one evening and not being the right caller to win tickets to an event. You called back and just asked if I could have the tickets anyways. You negotiated for about 5 minutes with the DJ before he gave them to you. I think I adopted this trait in you.

In addition with the previous trait of getting what you want, you have the incredible desire to work until you achieve your goals. This is another one of your characteristics that I love so much. I believe that hard work will get us further in life than by potential alone, and your example of hard work is instilled in me. I remember you helping me set up my first door to door job selling vegetables. I would carry our garden vegetables to all the neighbors until I had enough money to buy a wagon. Then I kept selling until I had enough money for something else. You taught me that I could achieve any of my goals if I worked hard enough.

Another quality I love about you is your unconditional love for everyone. I don’t know how many foster kids we had growing up. My guess is around 50-75. Even at an early age I was able to see the love and care you have for everyone. You will certainly not be lonely up in heaven as I am certain you have plenty of people eager to thank you for the charity and Christ-like love you gave to their children and grandchildren. I have a soft spot in my heart for children that grow up without good parents and it is something I have because of the example you showed all your life.

The final thing I will remember is your testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. You have left no doubts that you have a testimony of Jesus Christ, that he is the Savior and Redeemer. I know we will see you again and that through the Atonement of Christ, we will all live again together.

Mom, I love you and want you to know we will never forget you. I am so glad we had a little girl we could name after you. We named her Ruby Elizabeth after you and she will be a constant reminder to me of you. We will miss you and think of you often. You are leaving first and I am glad that you will be able to welcome us back one by one. Take care of our loved ones that are gone and are still to come.

Love,

Your Son Kyle

Our Dancing Queen

Savvy after her Suzy Snowflake performance. 

 What is a homebound mother to do when this particular performance requires a white dress, white tights and white shoes-- of which we have none that fit?  Dig out an old 2T-3T angel costume that when donned is quite snug,  dig out 2T tights that are way too small and then white summer dress shoes that are also, too small and this is what you have! Fortunately Savannah was too excited to perform that she didn't complain about it. What a sweetheart!

I think my parents get a good chuckle out of the fact that I enrolled Savvy in a dance class this fall.  Growing up it was always my dream to be a dancer.  I finally got to take my first "real" dance classes at BYU. I even tried out for the folk dancing team. I didn't make it past first cuts.  I quickly accepted I was not to be that girl who discovered late in life that she had enormous natural talent in the art of dance.  Now that I have my own little girl, I will admit, that yes, each day I took her to dance and watched her twirling in front of the mirrors, I was living a bit of my childhood through her. 

The most hilarious conversation took place a few months ago when my dad was here. He set up his laptop in our office so he could join Cade at school for lunch one day.  I was getting Sav ready for dance class and she went into the office to tell my dad goodbye.

"Well hello Savannah, don't you look cute."

"Yup. I hafta go to dance now."

"That's nice. Do you like dance?"

"Not really."

Oh what a good laugh my dad got out of that. Surely he was finding such humor in the fact that my daughter was doing something I always wanted to do--- and she didn't like it.  What kind of parent was I? Forcing my daughter into activities that she didn't enjoy-- what a cruel mother!

Truth be told, she really does like it.  Once she understood that all of the practicing was getting ready for a performance on a stage, that's all the explanation she needed and she was thrilled to go.

She woke up yesterday being so excited that the performance day had finally arrived.  She was quite impatient but when it was finally time to get ready, we put her hair up in a bun and she commented in the car on the way there, "I think everyone is going to think I'm beautiful."  It was pretty cute.  Aunt Becca and cousin Bailey were already at the concert when we arrived. Savannah had even said, "Mom, you know what I'm most excited about?  That Becca and Bailey will be watching me."   Yes, this girl loves attention.

We all had a good time, minus a bit of grumbling from Cade who was only interested in watching Savannah's class dance-- not all the other classes. When Dad explained we were there as a family to support her, like all the times she came to his soccer games, he quieted down and understood.

After the concert was over, we went home and had a little pizza party in honor of her. She was definitely happy about her performance and even asked to sign up again.

Without further delay, allow me to present to you our little dancin' Savvy.

{Our favorite moment hands down was after the Suzy Snowflake performance when Sav tried to convince her teacher to let her walk off the other side of the stage. Priceless!}

Lovely

Today was a lovely day. Really, really quite lovely. The entire day. I have no pictures to prove it, but I have plenty taken in my mind. I suppose there was nothing strikingly amazing about today but still labeled as one of those lovely days I'd like to remember. So I've decided to record it.


We kept the girls home from church.  They are both on the tail-end of sicknesses and we didn't want to share the germs {okay, or mostly pick up new ones}. So Cade and I went. Cade was such a sweet little helper. He carried my big church bag for me without complaint. The thing is like half his size and weight.

Sacrament meeting was lovely. Wonderful testimonies. The Spirit was so strong I couldn't ignore it and hobbled up to the podium in my crutches to share my own. Partaking of the sacrament renewed my hope that one day I can become the mother and wife I want to.  My mistakes of the week erased, and the chance to start anew was given.  I felt an extra dose of patience as well as the ability to notice the small things.  It was like a regular day minus the fact that I took the opportunity to appreciate the ordinary. And I think that is what made it lovely. Noticing. Appreciating. Acknowledging.  It was one of those days where I thanked my Heavenly Father numerous times for the opportunity to be the mother of my children.  I am blessed beyond comprehension that He would entrust me with His children to teach, raise, and nurture. It is by far the most rewarding  job on this planet.

Primary was lovely. The Sunbeams were particularly darling with their knowledge that Jesus lives. Even the Senior Primary was reverent during Brother Sandgren's introduction of this month's theme and the Spirit was powerfully strong, testifying the truth of his message. I'm so grateful I to know who I am, where I came from, and why I am here. Simple truths but so often taken for granted. I was reminded today how blessed I am to know those things.

After church Cade waited so patiently as I chatted with various friends on my way through the parking lot. This is a big deal. After 3 hours of church he is starving and ready to get home. But he just sat in his seat in the car until I was done visiting.  He was cute to point it out, too. "Mom, I know you wanted to talk to your friends so I decided to wait patiently and not bug you by sayin 'When are we gonna leave Mom?!'  Are you proud of me?"

At home, Cade and Savannah played so nicely. They all piled back in the car for tithing settlement without complaint. Visiting with the Bishop was lovely.

Upon our arrival home, Cade and Sav "helped" me make a cake. They enjoyed the batter, got sticky and I smiled.  Kyle grilled some delicious chicken to add to his already delicious crock pot meal.  We had my cousins over to eat and played "Woodrow's Amazing Dice Game." Kyle and I haven't played it in years I'd say.  And yes, you guessed it....it was lovely. Spending time with family over a meal.  There was no special occasion that got us together. Just the fact that we are related and living in the same geographic location. And they came.

To get to bask in the ordinary-ness of the day was extraordinary.

And lovely.

The August Rush

What happens when this cute little boy

grows up and marries this lovely girl?

 This is where the party was at. Ya should have joined us!

My brother is an amazing musician.  He taught himself how to play the guitar in high school on a whim and his talents were definitely the highlight of our family reunion. The kids had a blast jamming to his music, as did the adults.  REO Speedwagon!!!!

Dirt, dirt and more dirt!  The kids LOVED playing in the dirt. This was just outside the cabin where the chillins spent a good portion of their time.

And then when we took them to the beach, they continued excavating. It was awesome.

Beautiful Bailey. Love them eyes. And that swimsuit!!!  My Aunt Jill gave that to Savannah...I love seeing Bailey in it. Brings back such sweet memories. 

....And on to the mud!

Why am I not pictured in the photo below you are asking? (Okay, you likely did not even notice, but I'll point it out anyway!). The reunion took place exactly a week from my due date when I was expecting little Ruby. I hummed and haahed over whether or not I should go. I wanted to go. I just didn't want to be foolish. So a week before the reunion I spoke with my OB about it. He said he didn't recommend me traveling more than an hour from the delivering hospital.  Fast forward a week and I went to the doctor again. I told myself if I was dialated to a 3 I would not go to the reunion. (the week before I was 2cm dialated). the kids and Kyle were packed.... I was not. This doctor, a different one mind you, told me I was at 3cm. I sighed, very disappointed. I asked what he thought about the situation. "Do you want to go?" he asked. "Yes!" I responded. "Well, then go. You're a tight 3. Besides. There are several hospitals between here and Bear Lake. Just head home if you start feeling contractions."  I was thrilled! But still a little on the fence. After mulling over it a few hours I finally started packing. I made a list of all the hospitals between the reunion cabin and decided that would do. And then we were off!

On the 2nd night... or was it 3rd?  I couldn't sleep. I was contracting. I was feeling sick to my stomach. Kyle was asleep and dead to the world. I kept telling myself "the next time I feel a contraction I'll wake Kyle up."  Two hours later, they kept coming. Keep in mind I have NEVER gone into labor on my own and I have no idea what to expect.  I kept waiting for them to stop, but they didn't. And then I got the very distinct impression that we should leave. So, I woke Kyle up, knocked on my Dad's door to tell him I was leaving, and then puked in the bathroom.  We decided to leave the kids at Bear Lake to play and arranged rides for them and then we were off at 4 am.

The entire ride home I was panicking. "I'm not ready! I'm not even packed for the hospital! There's still laundry to be done and toilets to scrub!" The contractions kept coming. I told Kyle to step on the gas.  I really didn't want to deliver at a hospital in Wyoming if we could help it. This is what I like to refer to as our "August Rush."

We arrived home and I began running around getting things "in order." About an hour later, the contractions stopped. So, I did what any near-to-deliver woman would do.... I scrubbed toilets, did laundry, and waited....and  nothing happened.  I still wanted to be sure everything was okay, so I decided to go visit my OB.   They were closed.  At 3pm. On a Friday. ????  I was advised to check myself into the hospital. I didn't like that idea...but I still didn't feel right. So we drove around the corner and showed up at the nurses station.  No bags packed, no nothing. I wasn't ready and crossed my fingers I still had another few days before I delivered.

 The nurses doted on me and acted like I was having a baby....and I kept telling them-- I don't think I am...I just don't feel right....Finally the moment of truth came. I was checked by the nurse and was.....dialated to a 3.  Still. I breathed a sigh of relief, but then asked why I was feeling so crummy.  To make a long story even longer.... turned out I was dehydrated, had a UTI, and got put on meds and sent home. Just like that.  I was so sad I left Bear Lake, but glad I was able to get on antibiotics and feel better before I delivered our little Ruby a few days later.  The saddest part?  Kyle loaded his motorcycle in the truck, scouted out trails, and then never even got to ride them.

The following photos courtesy of K-Style Selectt

The kids in their caving gear. We had to get awfully creative with their clothing. I didn't pack for 40 degree weather. Oops! Good thing Austin and Lesley were well equipped with warm clothes to pass on to the rest of the troop.

One of the best things about the cabin was the comfortable and spacious front room where we could all sit and visit. This particular evening Finn did not want to participate in the children's wrestling tournament taking place downstairs, and instead, wanted to show us his amazing "To Infibidee and Beyond" jumps off the couch, banister, stairs....and any other platform off the ground. Adorable.

Sunset view from the porch... {Also courtesy of Rock Jackson Photography INC}

Looking forward to the next reunion.  

 Austin:"Can we like make sure we don't have any newborns or pregnant women at the next one?"  

Haaaaa!  Now where's the fun in that?!

:)