Lucy's 15th Birthday

Lucy's 15th birthday was quiet since it was just Lucy, Mom and Dad. Carly was in Calgary at a choir thing.

We had sticky buns and bacon for breakfast and went to Dairy Queen for dinner. Then Grandpa & Grandma came over for ice cream cake. We opened presents and cooked steak another day.

In other good news, Lucy got her braces off!

Kaylynn Goes to Washington

Sharon often suffers from migraines, but this time she had one that was going on and on. She was going on six weeks of a migraine, and she had tried every kind of treatment. I was worried it would be a brain tumor, but the MRI didn't show anything serious. She found a treatment called ketamine. It is given at a infusion clinic, and it did take her headaches away, but its effects were a lot like chemotherapy. And she needed 3 treatments. And after a treatment, she can hardly walk and she is super weak. They didn't know how she could be a mom and do the treatments. She needed help.

I decided that I could go. The timing for me was good because it wasn't quite tax season, and there wasn't too much I would be missing from my family.

On Monday morning, I dropped my kids off at school and headed south. The roads were not great. In fact I drove very slowly with my flashers on for a while on the way to Kalispell because the visibility was bad because of the snow. Then there is another mountain pass on the way. I didn't make very fast time. It says it should take 9 hours, but it took me 11 hours (including a short nap at a rest stop).

I finally made it to Sharon's house in Richland, Washington.

Sharon had already had her second treatment on Monday. She just sat perched on her corner of the couch. Her headaches were gone, even though her body was weak. On Tuesday, I learned the way to the school so I could pick up the kids from school. Then I took Sharon to her third treatment. I was worried about me getting nauseous (because I don't have a very good record of observing medical treatments), but after I took Sharon into her appointment, they just told me to come back in a couple hours. So guess what I did - went shopping. I love to go shopping in the USA.

I went back to pick her up and took her back home. She can't even walk on her own, so I helped her to her perch on the couch.

The bad news is that Sharon's headache came back after her third treatment.

So that meant she had to go back for her 4th treatment. But it worked and her headache went away again.

I haven't spent a ton of time with Sharon's kids, but I loved hanging out with them, driving them to school, eating with them, sledding with them, driving them to young womens and gymnastics, etc. I was honored to be Nanny McPhee:) We got home from school one of the days, and Preston stayed outside to shovel the sidewalk. He said, "I'm doing this to help my mom. Hers had it since November." That became our common saying, "Hers had it since November."

The other saying that Sharon and I used was from the Relief Society President that Sharon is a counselor for (who is a little over the top). Sharon hadn't answered her texts for a few days because she has been having the treatments, so she text Sharon and said, "Please reply at your earliest convenience. Immediately."

I also liked to mock Sharon's darth vader breathing.

By Friday, Sharon assured me that they would be okay, and so I headed home. I was thankful I could go.

Hanna

Hanna successfully finished her first semester at Utah State University. She lived in Old Farm #K-2 apartment. She competed for the USU rodeo team. She worked a couple afternoons a week cleaning houses.

She learned a lot of things - how to be a college student, how to live with roommates, how to do grown-up things like getting the oil changed in her car, driving across Montana by herself, finding the lab in the Logan Hospital, etc.

We are thankful for people who are there to help her out - Taylor Lewis, a friend from Cardston who is in her 4th year and is also on the rodeo team. She would haul Hanna's horse for her, hang out, answer he questions, etc. Will Cranney is another boy on the rodeo team who totally took Hanna under his wing and hauls her horse to rodeos, feeds her horse, defends her, helps her, and Hanna just goes to hang out with Will and his wife sometimes. Doc Hall is the rodeo coach and Hanna keeps her horse at his house, and he has helped her out. Steve & Karma Albiston, our adopted grandparents, also help Hanna out by feeding her, letting her use their iron, and letting her keep her car there when she came home for Christmas.

Hanna had a rough stretch with stomach issues this semester. She went about 3 weeks without really eating any solid foods because she would just puke every time she ate. Our friend from when we lived in Hyrum, Bonnie Summers, helped Hanna by bringing her healthy food, and then she went with her to see a gastroenterologist in Bountiful. Hanna is doing much better.

In more exciting news, Hanna did go out on a few dates this semester. She became a True Aggie by kissing a random boy in the "A" on campus on Homecoming night. She hung out at rodeos with two boys from BYU-Idaho, Spencer Moulton and Dalton Christensen. She went on a date with Spencer and at one point in November she said she would say yes if he asked her to marry him. But then that ship sailed - those are Hanna's words.

Hanna finished her finals (with the comment - I didn't have to study in high school - it just came easier then), and then she came home on December 11. We love having her come home.  The first day she was home she cleaned our whole house - the oven, the floors, the bathrooms, etc. I have always dreamed of a magic cleaning lady who would clean while I was gone.

The first Sunday she was home, Ethan Pedersen stood up to speak and report on his mission, and he said to pay attention to what the Holy Ghost teaches us - it may not be the words he says in his talk, but the Holy Ghost can testify to us. Just then, Hanna had an overwhelming feeling go through all of her that she was supposed to go on a mission. It was reinforced to her through all of church. She told Austin that night, and she texted her student ward bishop , and he opened her papers. She then spent the next two weeks while she was home filling in her papers and got her dental and medical check-ups. She also had to have a Tuberculosis test and a tetanus shot (thank goodness for the nurse who helped her, Cheryl Smith, who is in our ward, because she just about passed out).

Hanna's patriarchal blessing talks about serving a full-time mission, and she went to mission prep all through her senior year of high school, but she wasn't certain she wanted to go. She told us a couple months ago that she didn't think she was healthy enough to go on a mission. I did actually pray a few times, and I told Heavenly Father that if He wanted her to go, He would have to tell her. And He did. She is completely in the mindset of going on a mission. I am so thankful for her decision and for the personal revelation she received.

We got this text from Hanna on her journey back to Utah today.
I just want to thank you guys for everything. Words will never express how grateful I am for you guys helping me financially. Paying for shots, doctors, tuition, gas money, my car, my phone, and buying me a box of groceries! Not only am I thankful for your help with money but also just for being awesome supportive parents. For loving me and putting up with my crazy self! And thank you for being such good examples to me! Love you guys ❤️❤️

Here is the picture we took for her to use to send in her mission papers. She is going to put her date of availability as August 1, so she won't actually submit her papers until April 1.

This is our stove. It came with this house. It is 30 years old, but it works great, and I love the flat cook top that is easy to clean. Austin told me a couple weeks ago that he was going to buy me a new stove for Christmas and have someone surprise me by putting it in while we were gone. But then after we were talking about needing to pay for part of Hanna's tuition, he gave me his check for horse training so we could pay tuition instead of buying a new stove. A tear did run down my cheek at the thoughtfulness of my husband, but I would definitely sacrifice a new stove so Hanna can go to USU.

Carly Goes to the Temple

Carly's Graduating Primary Class

Now that youth advance in our church on January 1 instead of on their birthday, Carly gets to move from Primary to Young Women, but even more exciting is that she can go to the temple to do Baptisms for the Dead. She was so excited and talked about it a lot.

Austin scheduled a family temple time on January 3 so we could all go with her together for her first time. We enjoyed dinner at the temple cafeteria before we did Baptisms. 

24 years ago I came and did Baptisms at the Cardston Temple when I was engaged to Austin, and we came to a Gwilliam Family Reunion. Little did we know that 24 years later we would be living in Cardston when our youngest daughter was old enough to go to the temple. #thankful

Earlier that day we went with Sarah, Annie-Jo, Carter, Kaden, Grandpa and Grandma to Waterton to go swimming. It was a super windy day - what a shocker. We also had birthday cake after the temple for Sarah's 48th birthday.

Christmas and New Year's in Canada

We arrived back in Canada on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. We had convinced Grandma Nunn to host Christmas Eve dinner so we didn't have to drive to Taber after we had just driven from Idaho Falls.

We had appetizers and wings for dinner. Then Grandma Nunn had a program planned and the Young Nunns joined us on FaceTime even though they are in Idaho. We watched the new Nativity video that the Church just put out, and then we stopped and sang Christmas hymns (O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, etc). It was actually a really good idea, and I love the new Nativity.

She had given each us of parts of the nativity to dress up as (Austin and I were Joseph and Mary). We didn't act out the nativity, but we were supposed to think about that person as we watched. 

On Christmas morning, the girls didn't wake up until 8 am - the latest time ever. We are definitely in a different stage of life. Santa brought us a new basketball hoop. It is so fun to open gifts and see what everyone got each other. Lots of the gifts were not a surprise to the girls - they picked them out when we were in Utah for the weddings, but at least we know it will fit and they will like it.

The funniest moment of Christmas morning was a gift that Austin opened that said To: Dad From: Mom. It was baby pajamas with a note that says "Surprise."  Austin was trying to figure it all out when all of the girls were busting up laughing. It was Hanna's funny joke. Don't worry, I'm not really having a baby, but it was funny.

It was also a bit sad that Jill's stocking just got left hanging on the fireplace. But at least she is in a good place, and we did get to celebrate with her in Idaho.

We did drive to Taber for a delicious turkey Christmas dinner. Then we played some games with the Lees and Grandma and Grandpa.

Merry Christmas 2019

For New Year's Eve, Hanna went to a dance in Calgary with Maddie and Maddie. Lucy went to a stake dance in Cardston. Carly invited some friends over. They played Minute to Win It games, baked and decorated sugar cookies, played Telestrations, and then rang in the new year with horns and sparklers. 

On New Year's Day, we cooked steaks and played the Minute to Win It games again.

Christmas in Idaho

On the beautiful morning of my 44th birthday, we loaded in the car and headed south. Again.

Our destination was Logan, Utah. Jill and Larsen met us there, and we went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I even sat in the saddle and let them give me a birthday shoutout - for my 29th birthday.
We all stayed in a suite at the Comfort Inn and went swimming where they had a sweet waterslide. Then we had some "pillow talk" as Hanna calls it and lots of laughing and talking before we went to sleep.

The next morning we went to visit Steve and Karma for a few minutes, and then we went to help Jeanette set up for Nathan's wedding luncheon, and then we went to the Logan Temple for Nathan's wedding (see the next post). We made it to the temple at precisely 1 pm (even though Grandpa Randy was worried we would be late).

After the wedding and luncheon, we headed to Idaho Falls so we could have a pre-Christmas celebration with Jill and Larsen, my parents, Sharon's family, and Julie's family.

We went to Christmas church with Grandpa and Grandma. Then Grandpa cooked hamburgers on the grill. Then we had a white elephant gift exchange. We laughed a lot. Austin got these quality ear muffs from Tristan's childhood that even have Tristan's name on them.

Then Sharon's family left and headed to Boise. 

We had a short message about Joseph Smith, and then we acted out the Nativity and sang a few Christmas carols. Then our kids opened their Christmas pajamas and all slept under the tree. (Larsen is a good sport:)

On Monday morning, we opened a few gifts with Jill and Larsen.  Then we went to the church and played a little basketball, went bowling and shopping, and then had a ham Christmas dinner. Let's stop and just record for all history who the bowling champion was - that's right, it was me. Kaylynn 117 points. After dinner, we went on a lights ride led by my dad (a little longer and more spread out than I would have done it and a little bit getting lost, but I did ask him to lead it.) Then we went out for ice cream.

On Christmas Eve morning, Jill and Larsen headed south and we headed north. We were going to race, but they had good roads, and we had lots of snowy roads where we were going far below the speed limit. Then we were almost to Butte, and we watched a car coming the other way start sliding and then go in the ditch and hit a pillar under an underpass head on. We quickly stopped and Austin headed to their car and told me to call 911. After I called, I helped gather blankets and went to the car to see if I could help. There was a mom and dad and three kids ages 1 to 7, and luckily they were all alive. We stayed with them until the ambulances came. Austin and I talked to her sister and dad on her phone since she was in shock and so much pain. The dad got out to try and help his family, but he was in so much pain they just laid him down until the ambulance came. Everyone else stayed in the car. One of the little boys, Donovan, crawled out of his car seat into the front and was crying, so I got in the car and held him. 

We couldn't stop thinking about it for a couple days. We are thankful that we were there at that moment to help them. We are thankful they were alive. We were thankful that we traveled safely on the icy roads. We were wishing we took their number so we can text them to see if they were okay.