An Unconventional Christmas

I can't really even begin to tell you about my Christmas this year. In my mother's words, it was one massive "train wreck". Some said, "Oh, in the future we'll look back and laugh at this." I say, "Let's pretend this never happened and move on."

Christmas was doomed from the start for my family this year. It all started before I even got home to California when my 87 year old Grandma ended up in the hospital for 4 days (2 days before I got home). A day later, we got the news that my 12 year old nephew had fallen and broken his hip and the doctors found a cyst there and started testing him for bone cancer. Then, my 2nd little brother (who broke his leg last year 3 weeks before he was supposed to leave for his mission and consequently had to delay his mission 3 months [and then came home last August and is waiting to go back out in March]) decided to jump down the stairs and almost break his leg again. Then, my 16 year old little sister totaled her car (this is the day before I got home - and it made it so that I couldn't attend one of my close friend's temple endowments because I no longer had a car to drive to get there). So, even before I got home, things were falling apart and everyone was stressed and seriously sleep deprived.

When I got home, we brought Grandma home from the hospital, took Mom to the hospital so she could have a surgery that would keep her down for 3 weeks of recovery time, and then my 91 year old Grandpa fell and couldn't get up. In the process he sprained his wrist really badly and started having really bad pains in his hip.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day came on the heels of all these events - and with deadlines for food preparations, Mom unable to take charge of the kitchen because of her recent surgery, and the stress that everyone was already feeling (and then add a horrible bit of PMS to the mix), and you had one massive explosion of disaster. And the fun didn't stop there.

Grandpa fell again last night and is now in the hospital being treated for severe arthritis in his hip and will not be released until the hospital is assured that my grandparents have someone in their home to take care of them. So, we were all up to the wee hours of the morning dealing with that - and three of us had to hop on planes today after little to no sleep. Sometimes, I guess there's no rest for the...anybody.

But, despite all that, there was some good. First, everyone is okay. Mom is recovering fine, no one has cancer and no one is dying. Second, we all made a pact that Christmas will never be like that again - we're changing things up and creating new traditions and I think we're all excited about it.

Third, these things:

Seeing the lights at Temple Square

Chad's family Christmas Party - a last minute surprise!

Spending time with one of my favorite little munchkins

Coloring my Grandma's hair for her, making and eating pie, sweet new shoes, cute little sisters and pedicures

And, for the finale, one gem of a drawing I found whilst going through all my baby stuff when I was home:

Just a little doodle from when I was elementary school - on my homework no less

Hope you all had a great Christmas! Recaps and resolutions coming soon...