Whew...

This last week has been one that I really wouldn't want to repeat again! Some things were wonderful, some not so wonderful, but all of it was exhausting! We made it through it stronger though, I'm sure, and more grateful for everything Heavenly Father has given us.

It all started the Friday before Thanksgiving. My two favorite nieces and favorite cousin from Hawaii stopped to stay with us before heading down to my parent's house the next morning. They had traveled from Salt Lake City and had quite a trip. A little bit after leaving, they had a blow out! But fortunately they were in a place where they could get it fixed easily. They were able to make it safe and sound to our home at 8pm. We were so excited to see them all! I hadn't seen my cousin in about 12 years! It was amazing seeing her and talking with her. We stayed up talking and teasing until about 2:30am! (Yikes!) The next morning I fed them pancakes and sent them on their way to surprise my mom. She didn't expect them to get there until late that night! lol She was pleasantly shocked. : ) And they got it all on film!

We also went down on Saturday but a little later in the day. Can I just say how much fun it is to be with my family? I love my sister more than I can ever say! She's so much fun to be with, and she's a great example of what a mother should be. But she's also a lot of fun to tease! lol And my oldest niece and cousin are just hilarious together! I swear it was like a party.

Sunday we had a really special experience. My parent's bishop came to give my mom a blessing. The blessing was amazing and such a comfort to all of us. I think we all had tears in our eyes that night. Eedad also went home that night so that he could work the next three days. The Banana had a really hard time that night though. She felt like she was getting sick, but we all knew it was the stress of the coming operation. The last time she had a grandma go into the hospital, she didn't end up coming out. So my genius of a sister suggested she go to the hospital with us in the morning. It was the best thing I could have done aside from the EFT I did with her that night before she finally slept.

At 5:30am Monday morning, we followed my parents to the hospital. My mom was so calm and relaxed. I was amazed by how peaceful she was. When we first got there, I left Beana with my sister (and she didn't cry!!!) and took Banana back to see my mom. We're used to hospitals where they won't let anyone see anyone, so I just walked back like we knew where we were going and were supposed to be there. I figured the worse they could do was tell me she wasn't allowed to be back there. But St. Joseph's is and amazing hospital!!! It turns out that we were all able to go back together (even Then Beana) to be with my mom before she went back for surgery. I was so impressed. They are so family friendly.

At 7:30am they took her back for surgery, and we went to the waiting room. While we were there, I noticed that we deal with stress a lot different than other families. It turns out that we laugh... a lot. We joke with each other to relieve the tension. We also laugh at really stupid things as well. We received some interesting looks. It's not that we were being noisy, but I think our behavior was surprising to some. It's the only way we know how to deal with things like that though. I can't decide whether it's a good thing or bad thing. Most of the time I think it's good.

The surgery went great! But after surgery was over, we started a bit of a roller coaster ride. At first, the doctors thought they may need to go back in. They had had to pull out because the artery was not where it was supposed to be. So they had to do a CT scan with dye to see where the vessels and arteries were. They also did an MRI with the dye as well. So we were concerned. But when they got the MRI back, they found they were able to get more of the tumor than they originally thought. They were really pleased with the results of the surgery and feel like her vision will come back and her sense of smell with not bother her anymore. Such a wonderful blessing!

My mom was able to come home on Wednesday evening! We were so surprised! Wednesday and Thursday were a bit rough on her. But Friday she seemed to turn the corner and has been getting better and stronger everyday since then.

Needless to say, our Thanksgiving was a little hectic and non-traditional. But it was definitely enjoyable. It was really wonderful to be with all the family we had down there. The house was a little packed, but we had more room than we thought we would. On Thanksgiving itself, we had 8 people over the age of 17, four people between the ages of 9 and 15, 7 children ages 6 and under (including 3 two year-olds!), and four dogs (one of which is a St. Bernard mix)! But it was surprisingly not very hectic (although my niece and cousin who were in charge of all the kids while we were in the hospital may disagree with that statement!). The food was great, and the company was even better. And best of all, Mimi was able to be home with her grandchildren on Thanksgiving.

I'm out of time right now, but I hope to post later about some of the things our family is thankful for this year. We feel so incredibly blessed, and I can honestly say that our hearts are full of thanksgiving. Hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!