Before Time Swallows the Memories

 Since November, life has felt like it’s moving at a pace I can barely keep up with. So much has happened—some beautiful, some heartbreaking—and I want to write down the bigger moments before time swallows the memories. 

November:

On November 19, Tyleigh had yet another wrist surgery – this time it was to remove the hardware from her first surgery. Hopefully that will increase her range of motion and decrease her pain! The surgery went really well and as always, she is a trooper! 

I had some vein procedures done and ended up with a giant blood clot in my leg. Luckily, it was superficial, but man, it was painful. The vein center took it out and it was instant relief. 

Miss Adelynn Jae continues to be the light of all of our lives. She is pure sunshine and it feels as though she is learning something new every single day! She graduated from wearing her helmet on November 25. She gets cuter by the day!

That same day, Carsyn got heartbreaking news that her foot STILL has not healed. She has been an absolute rockstar through this whole process, but my mom heart hurts so much for her and what she’s gone through. 

That evening I got a horrible phone call from my friend and coworker Nicole—her niece and nephew had been in a terrible car accident. Her nephew died at the scene. That’s a phone call I will never forget – the pain and anguish in her voice was tangible. She was begging me to call Carsyn at work to find out if her niece was in the ER. She was, but Carsyn had to obey the laws for HIPAA and couldn’t give out information. My heart shattered as I thought about what their family was going through. 

Thanksgiving:

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day with just Rylan and Tyleigh at Red 8, which is Chinese Food. Lol! Not very traditional at all! We saw Wicked 2 with them, which was really fun. Carsyn had to work at the ER and Camryn and Brantson spent the day with the Wayman family. 

On Friday, we had our official Thanksgiving Dinner with all of the kids. It was weird not having my mom and dad there with us, but we enjoyed each other’s company and being together as a family! 

After dinner, we took the kids to the Lantern Festival at the Living Planet Aquarium. We had no idea what to expect, but it was adorable and SO much fun! 

The next day, Camryn asked us to go to the Friends in Need Sanctuary in Eagle Mountain. Adelynn and Rylan and Tyleigh all got to sit on Santa’s lap! Rod and I took Rylan and Tyleigh to the outlets with us for a little Black Friday shopping afterwards. The tree at the outlets is enormous and beautiful – so I, of course, had to take their picture with it! 

December:

On December 5, Rod and I went to his favorite comedian, Nate Bargatze with Matt and Natalie Robbins. We had a great time!  We liked his opening acts as much as we liked him - so we bought tickets to another show in February!

On December 12, we took the kids to the Living Bethlehem at the American Fork Amphitheater. It was . . . interesting? Different than I thought, but fun to experience . . . once. There was a little market to walk around afterwards.

 The following morning, we boarded a plane for Cabo for the week! We left behind Camryn, Brantson and Adelynn – which made me cry more than a few times while we were there. The whole reason for the trip was to swim with whale sharks. That trip deserves its own post, but I will just say that it was nothing short of magical. What incredible, beautiful creatures! 

On December 18, we went to Luminaria as a family. It was the first time for Rod and I, and we loved it. Nothing is more special than seeing the world through little Miss Adelynn’s eyes! 

We took my mom, Sally, and the kids to dinner in downtown Salt Lake and then went to Peter Breinholt’s Christmas concert. His music is nostalgic, but it was an emotional night—my dad’s absence was deeply felt.

Tyleigh was asked to spend Christmas in Idaho with the Beans this year, so we celebrated Christmas early so we could have her with us. It was just as much fun as if it was actually Christmas Day! Camryn made and gave us the most precious bears made from my dad’s shirts, with his handwriting on the paw. It’s a gift I will cherish forever. 

Ty went up to Idaho on the 22nd so that she could be there to celebrate Rylan’s 24th birthday with him and spend the Christmas Break with the Bean family. Tyleigh put together an adorable miniature golf course for Rylan's gifts! So creative!

Carsyn and I spent the 23rd making gingerbread houses . . . and I was reminded once again of how dang creative my girls are! 

January:

On January 3, Rod, Carsyn and Tyleigh went boating at Deer Creek. Brrrrr. They are insane, but love every second of it. I’m glad the girls are willing to do that with him, because I have never been and never will be a cold-water fan! 

On January 21, Carsyn went in for a bone biopsy. Again, a post that deserves its own place on this blog, but before Dr. Rogers was willing to fix her foot again, he wanted every type of testing you can imagine done to rule out anything that would cause surgery to fail. It was a pretty miserable experience and procedure. They took bone from five different places in her foot. 

Since Camryn and Brantson didn’t get to come with us to Mexico, we sent them on their own trip there because swimming with whale sharks was also Camryn’s dream! We got to keep our favorite girl, Adelynn Jae home with us! They had quite the trip – which is their story to tell, but hopefully had a good time! Carsyn and I had a Valentine’s Day photo shoot with Adelynn and it turned out so cute! 

February:

On February 1, Tyleigh and Rylan got engaged! Words can’t really describe what it feels like to know that my baby is getting married. We are so excited for them, but my heart hurts a little knowing I have to officially let her go. Again, another post for another day. 

Carsyn and I went wedding dress shopping with Tyleigh on Valentine’s Day, and she found the most perfect "Tyleigh" dress. Camryn helped finalize the decision over face-time. I can't share the dress yet, but   she will make an absolutely beautiful bride! 

On February 24, poor Camryn had a major gallbladder attack and ended up in the ER. After hours of waiting, they couldn't get her in for surgery, so she toughed it out and came home. At about 4:00 am the next morning, she was miserable and throwing up. Her and Branston headed back to the ER, and after waiting the ENTIRE day, she was finally admitted to surgery. Poor girl had three gallstones and her levels in her body were nearly toxic. Brantson was a trooper about taking care of her. I am so glad she was able to get it out, but not an easy thing to go through with a busy baby! Lucky for her, Branston was her support team and not her mom, or she would have pictures to go with the story for sure! 

February 27 was Carsyn’s 6th foot surgery. Even writing that feels criminal. No one should have to endure what this poor girl has gone through with her foot. Dr. Rogers pulled out all the stops for this one. He used cadaver bone, Infuse, another external fixator and even a pin (that sticks out the side of her foot). I don’t think any of us have ever prayed harder for complete healing. 

Our lives right now revolve around a delightful little girl who comes upstairs every day to visit Grandma, Grandpa, and “Bob” (Carsyn), along with dogs, wedding plans, work, chaos, and countless blessings. 

We are exhausted, stretched thin, and incredibly grateful for every minute we get with our kids and our beautiful granddaughter. 

Life is already starting to look different for Rod and me. I imagine someday the house will be quiet and maybe even a little boring—but for now, I’m holding tight to the chaos… and writing it down before time swallows the memories.