Family Pictures

I'd been wanting new family photos for quite awhile because the last ones we had were when Colby was 5 months old. However, I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg to have them done, so we decided that we'd take some ourselves first, and if they didn't work out then we'd hire someone. We brought Andy's ladder to put the camera on for the family shots (I put it on self-timer and then dashed into my spot!), and then I took some of each kid, and Kylee took some of Andy and I. I actually think they turned out even better than I was imagining, so I'm happy with them!

I took 6-7 of Kylee and they all look pretty much exactly the same, so she was easy!

Skyler, on the other hand, was a NIGHTMARE! I thought Colby would be the hardest one to get a good shot of. Boy was I wrong. Skyler struggled big time. I think I have like thirty pictures of him, and this one is the best. Below this one are some of the others...just for laughs. Keep in mind that every single one of these were what I got when I said: "SMILE!"

Ally's turned out really well with only 6-7 shots, too. She did exactly what I told her to do, held still, and smiled nicely.

Colby, who I thought would be the hardest, was so easy! That kid was one big cheese ball the whole time! He ended up with so many good ones. The one below is my favorite, but the others are great, too.

 

We just had Kylee take a couple of us, and this one was the best one. 

I usually print our family picture as a 16x20 and frame it, but our little niche needed a bigger size, so I decided to try a canvas print this time. I think it turned out pretty good, and it fits the space a lot better.

Then I ordered some new frames from Amazon for the rest, and hung them up on the wall in our dining room. I really love how they all turned out!

Christmas

We got back from Utah a week before Christmas, and the weather in Carlsbad was amazing! On Dec. 22 it was warm enough to go out and have a picnic. It reminded me of Florida.

I got this Christmas cactus when Colby was born, and the year I got it (2016) it grew flowers and looked pretty last. Last year (2017) it didn't grow any. When we moved from Florida I almost didn't bring it because it looked like it was mostly dead. However, I hate giving up on things, so I put it on the floor in the front seat of my car and hauled it to New Mexico. This year it bloomed (and now it's Feb 2019 and it is STILL blooming). It's so pretty when the flowers grow!

The kids got their usual Christmas Eve pajamas to open and wear. Also, somebody doorbell ditched a bag of stuff on our porch on Christmas Eve, and the kids loved the little stuffies they got (is that what they're called? The little animals with the big sparkly eyes?). Whomever it was, they were quick! I got to the door like 10 seconds after the doorbell rang, and they were already gone AND our creaky courtyard gate was shut. Either they vaulted the fence, or they were super tricky. I'm just not sure how they did it!

I've been wanting a fireplace for a LONG time. We don't have a real one, so I really wanted a "fake" one, at least. On Christmas morning I woke up to find this in the living room. A fireplace with stocking hung on it! Andy and our neighbor were super sneaky, apparently. Our neighbor paid for the fireplace so that I wouldn't see the charge on our credit card (after Christmas we wrote him a check), and then he also helped Andy put it together, and on Christmas Eve night he and Andy snuck it into our living room from his garage. We have the BEST neighbors!

I LOVE Colby's cheesy smile, and I love that he is old enough to actually understand the concept of opening presents and being excited to get stuff.

Overall, our Christmas was pretty quiet. We opened our gifts and then just stayed home and played with them. We don't have any family close by, but it's kind of nice to be able to just spend time with our own little family.

Tiff

In the end of October Tiff sent out a message on our group text saying that she'd had a headache for a few days and she was wondering if we had ideas of how to get rid of it. We all gave her suggestions, and then she didn't mention it again for awhile.

In the first week of November I had a migraine for a week - the worst one I've ever had - and ended up having to take a prescription to get rid of it. I was really scared that something was actually wrong with me, but luckily the prescription did the trick.

A few days later I heard from Connie that she had talked to Tiff and Tiff said she STILL had her headache from a few weeks ago. I sent Tiff a text telling her that I thought she should go see a doctor because she might need a CT scan. She never replied, but I found out a few days later that she had seen a doctor and they wanted her to go get a scan, but they scheduled it for after Thanksgiving (which was about 10 days away).

A few days after that we found out that Todd had taken Tiff to the ER because she was dizzy and couldn't see and could barely walk. That night they found out she had a huge brain tumor. I just couldn't believe it. I'd just been worried that I had one, and now Tiff actually DID. The next day they did surgery, but couldn't get it all. They said she had "at worst" a fews months to live, and "at best" up to 2 years.

She needed time to rest and cover, and they were going to do some radiation after she got a little stronger, and then send her home, so we all decided that we would go visit for 7-10 days between Christmas and New Years, because by then she should be home and feeling better.

For the first week after her surgery she seemed to be doing okay. They had her start physical therapy, and she was making some progress. Then she started not doing so well. I really felt like I needed to go see her now, and not wait until after Christmas. On Dec. 3 I bought tickets from Dec. 5-8. A few hours after I bought my tickets I heard that Tiff was really not doing well at all. By the time I arrived, she was in the ICU with pneumonia. I was able to sit with her and hold her hand and talk to her, and she tried to smile and laugh at the silly things I was telling her. At that time the doctors said we should be prepared -- she probably wouldn't make it to Christmas.

When I left on Saturday, I knew I'd never see her again in this life. It was so hard. I'm sure all the people in the airports and on the planes thought I was strange. I was bawling my eyes out all the way through security in Salt Lake, and during the whole flight.

The next evening, Tiff passed away. I'm so happy for her because I know she was tired and in pain, but I'm heartbroken for Todd and Evalina and all of us she left behind. I know we'll see her again someday, and I know that she's in heaven doing great things while she waits for everyone else to join her. 

Everyone made the trip out to Utah and it was nice to be able to spend time together for a couple of days. We were able to talk about our memories of Tiff and just comfort each other.

 Even though this whole situation feels like it's not real, I'm grateful to have a testimony of the plan of salvation, and know that families really can be together forever. And it reminds me to cherish every moment I have with the people I love.