mom's surgery

As mentioned in the Easter post, I was able to fly to California that night to be there for my mom's surgery on Monday morning.  I could tell that she was a little nervous about the procedure (screws and pins to fix her fibular non-union), so I was really glad to be there for support.  They wouldn't let me go back to the surgery prep area, which I thought was really strange.  After what felt like forever, they came to get me and told me that she was all prepped for surgery and that I could sit with her until they took her back.  As we waited, the anesthesiologist stopped by to touch base, as well as the surgeon.  It was very helpful to talk with them and ask a few clarifying questions. 

The surgery went really well and I was eager to go back to see Mom when she woke up.  She kept telling me how cold she was and she was visibly shaking despite being in some space-looking blanket that they blew hot air underneath.  I was able to see her incision, which was huge!  They also warned her that she would most likely have an "unsightly scar", which didn't sound very promising.  

They made me step out of the room while they gave her a nerve block, but I'm glad she had that to get through the first two days of pain.  Her sisters have both had surgeries and recommended that she get the block. 

She was pretty pain free for the fist day and a half, so we spent lots of time watching shows (introduced them to Poldark), looking at pictures, talking, and enjoying takeout from a few of our favorite restaurants.  By day three, the pain was setting in.  She was on multiple medications, so I made a chart to track everything and ensure that we stayed on top of pain management. I slept next to her in bed so that I could help with anything she needed.  My mom is a very independent and stubborn at times, so I made her promise to wake me up any time she needed to use the restroom so I could wheel her over there in her chair. She had strict instructions not to place any weight on her ankle and I was afraid that she would overdo it and hinder her ability to fully heal.  She does so much for my dad, so I reminded him that he needed to step it up and do more so that she could fully heal.  She is used to serving, so I was grateful that I was there to serve her.  Jeffrey was able to fly out a few days after I left and he stayed for almost 10 days to help. 

I didn't take any pics the rest of the week, so I quickly took one with Mom before heading to the airport and one with Dad before he dropped me off.  I am SO incredibly grateful for the time we spent together and that I was able to help take care of my sweet parents!

easter

I loved the week leading up to Easter as we focused on the life of Christ, but to be honest, Sunday was a little chaotic, which I'll explain in a bit.  But despite the fact that Claire and Grace weren't at their house, the Easter Bunny still filled their baskets nicely...

I had to get a picture of the kids all gathered in Brooke's room in anticipation of going downstairs to find their baskets. Although my kids know that this has nothing to do with the real reason we celebrate Easter, they still get excited for their baskets, egg hunts, etc. 

After a quick breakfast, we readied ourselves for church and took a cousin picture.  Brooke and Colby are used to always getting cousin pictures with the Peacocks, so it was fun to continue the tradition with the Griffiths girls. 

As we drove to church, I kept thinking about the news we received the day before about my mom having ankle surgery on Monday morning.  It was very sudden, but the doctor she met with on Friday felt that they needed to do surgery since she wasn't healing (apparently she had a fibular non-union which they never caught) and he had an opening the following Monday. My parents tried to assure us that Dad could drive Mom to and from the hospital, but I was not convinced that he would be able to help her after surgery and take care of her needs.  Since I have my in-laws close by, it made the most sense for me to go, but it wasn't an easy thing to coordinate.  I hated asking because they had just returned home from a long RV trip, but I texted them at the beginning of Sacrament Meeting and they so graciously said that they would do anything we needed so that I could go on the trip.

   I have never purchased a plane ticket hours before I left, but I felt strongly that I should be there, and with Kevin's encouragement and help from my in-laws, I booked the flight. 

My in-laws were already coming over for Easter dinner, so when they arrived, Bev jumped right in to help Kevin cook dinner, Kimberly hid all the Easter eggs and planned a cute scavenger hunt for the kids, and Josh helped get the guest bed made up for Bev.  While they did all the work, I packed my bags and made a few arrangements to be gone all week.

I did manage to get a few pics of the festivities...

It was cute to listen to my nieces look out for each other and walk past eggs to "make sure everyone else had enough", even though they were the youngest ones.

Brooke found the Golden Egg, which had a few dollars inside. 

I can't remember what we had for dinner, but based on pictures, it looks like some sort of steak or beef tenderloin, baked potatoes, salad, fruit, garlic bread, and a pie for dessert. 

It was really special to have Kimberly's family with us for a holiday, and although I felt a little scattered and lacking as a hostess, everyone was super helpful and it was still a beautiful day as a family.  And I'm especially thankful for Jesus, His atonement, death, and subsequent resurrection.

time with the Griffiths family

In early Spring, Kimberly reached out to let me know that they were spending a week in Austin for their Spring Break if we wanted to come down on the weekend to see them.  It didn't line up with our Spring Break, but Kevin was able to take a personal day and we took the kids out of school for a long weekend. Even though we've lived in Texas for 11 years, we had never been to Hill Country during the Spring and I was super excited.  I love bluebonnets and it had been 2 years since we saw Kimberly and her family, so the timing was perfect.  

We met up at Pedernales State Park and it might be my new favorite place in Texas! The water was stunning, the kids loved exploring, and Colby was in heaven trying to fish despite having the wrong bait.  I am IN LOVE with the sweet cousin picture!

The girls quickly rekindled their love for each other and Brooke was always holding someone's hand.  She really is the sweetest and SO good with younger kids. 

It really was so stunning!!  There was hardly anyone there, which made the whole place seem more magical. 

The water was so clear that Colby could see the fish approach the bait, and turn and swim away, haha. 

We hiked down to the river, walked in the riverbed over to a swimming hole, and played in the water until we were all frozen. 

Cousin time is the best time!  Especially with cousins you haven't seen in two years. 

We found a really yummy pizza place nearby and the kids enjoyed playing a few games before totally zoning out and watching a show in the restaurant. It was late by the time we sat down to eat and they were exhausted from such a long day outside. 

The next day, we visited Wildseed Farms, which is the nation's largest working flower farm.  I have always loved bluebonnets, but I also loved the red poppies which reminded me of the orange California poppies.  I bought a bag of seeds to grow at home, so we'll see how I do.

My Texas Babies!!  It was so incredibly windy so I didn't even make Colby take off his hat or hood.

I snapped a cute picture of Claire, but Grace was feeling over the pictures already!

You don't get more Texan than this...

Grace pulled herself together to get one more cousin picture :)

A storm was rolling in, hence the moody skies and insane wind.

Kevin, being Kevin...

The we hiked over at Enchanted Rock State Park.  It was windy at the base, but as we climbed the ancient dome, the wind became scary.  We were nearly at the top, but some of the kids (Brooke, Claire, and Grace) were getting super worried, so Kimberly and I took the girls down.  Brooke had been holding Claire and Grace's hands when she first commented to me that THEY were scared.  I had Kimberly take their hands so that Brooke didn't feel responsible for them, but then Brooke became kind of upset with me and said that we needed to get down to the bottom.  I hadn't realized how scared she was, so I held her hand tight as we walked down with the wind at our backs.

 The boys opted to hike the last tiny bit, and although it seemed to take them forever, they did just fine.  Colby's hair was pretty epic by the time they made it down :)

We later talked to a volunteer who said he had never seen wind like that in the 8 years he's worked there. He estimated that it was at least 40 mph, so no wonder we were scared!  

We found a trail to hike and enjoyed seeing all the beautiful wild flowers along the way.  It felt magical seeing wildflowers everywhere you looked!!  I'll probably feel disappointed if I ever come here when it's not Spring. 

We happened upon Frog Pond, and since Colby was carrying a fishing pole, he decided to try his luck.  He didn't catch anything, but he sure enjoyed the adventure. 

We enjoyed dinner and live music at Hondo's, then had an evening dip back at the hotel.  Kevin found this gem of a place and it was seriously the best!! The ambiance at night with the lights all around the property, the fire pits, jacuzzi, ping pong, and hot cocoa kept my kids begging that we could stay a few more days. 

The only bad part was when Colby woke up at 1 AM with an ear ache, but after lots of prayers and a hot shower, he was able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night. 

We walked Main Street and loved all the little shops.  We spent far too long in Rustin' Rob's Gourmet Food Store since they had about 100 samples, but I bought a few things to make up for everything we consumed. 

This taxidermied raccoon band was equal parts cool and disturbing, haha. 

After the shops, we ventured over to the Lyndon B. Johnson historical sites.  They were part of the Texas State Park network, but our favorite thing was the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. Park Rangers wear historical clothing and actually work the farm.  Daily chores include caring for the animals, feeding, milking, gathering eggs (which they let the kids do) and slopping hogs.  

These turkeys were insane!!  I didn't realize they were quite this big. 

We headed home on Monday afternoon so the kids could get back to school, but Kimberly stayed a few days in Hill Country before driving up to our house on Wednesday.  Gracie was the first one to get a sleepover with Brookie.  Brooke couldn't fall asleep for hours, "not because of Grace, but because she wasn't tired."  I think it was because she was sleeping on the opposite side of where she normally sleeps :)

The kids spent hours on the trampoline together, and the fun was multiplied by the dodgeball set Kimmie bought for them. 

We had a slow morning on Friday, which was perfect because the kids just wanted to play and I needed to do a bit of yard work!  But eventually we headed out to eat at Torchy's and do a little shopping.  Brooke come downstairs with her purse and informed me that the girls wanted to use purses just like her.  (Brooke wore high tops on the outing, but had taken them off in the car, so she quickly grabbed her softball slides.)

Watching them together has been nothing short of adorable!

Saturday's adventure was Dinosaur Valley State Park.  We lucked out because the tracks were visible, all trails were open, and the weather was gorgeous!!  I love Spring in Texas.

Another boy found a tiny frog and allowed a few of the kids to hold it as well. 

The water was VERY cold, but that didn't stop Colby from laying down in it, haha. 

Then we headed to Big Rocks Park, which was totally random and so fun!  That is, until Brooke got scratches all over her backside from sliding down the rocks. I shouldn't have let her do that without shorts on!!

We ended the day at Shaneboys for some Hawaiian food.  I'd give it a 10/10 for ambiance/family friendly vibe and an 8/10 for the food. 

The next day was Easter, which was our last day together and will have it's own post!