We had some really hard news just a few days into January. Deborah was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Her initial prognosis was 2 months. It was a very emotional few days as we processed the news for ourselves (me and Mike), and told Lewis and Beau. We made plans to fly out right away. By the day we flew out, we had some hopeful news that, after consultation with more doctors, Deborah had decided to pursue treatment that could give her additional months or even years. So, so grateful.
So, after a year and a half of not flying anywhere or being gathered with family due to keeping everyone safe from covid, we flew out for an extended family gathering with the whole family!
We initially thought we would need to stay masked and even sleep elsewhere until we could get negative covid tests. But, we lucked out with being able to go and test the first night we were there. All negative! Phew!
I had some good early morning time with my boys the next day before anyone else woke up. A walk with David and Beau through the neighborhood in the pitch dark around 7am where we counted the pick up trucks. (We're not in NJ anymore!) Then some games in the cul de sac after Alex woke up.
Lots of games, massages, chatting, and happiness with the Wasdens.
The boys had all made some really nice cards for Didi for her birthday.
And some karaoke to finish off the day for the birthday lady!
Rachel took Alex and David out for a Pokemon Go outing - Alex's favorite. They had fun!
After the weekend, we had a quieter week with mostly just us and Didi and Papa John. That was our request as we really wanted to build in some special time for the boys to bond with their grandparents. It was absolutely wonderful!
The boys all did remote school from Boise. David just did activities with me and Mike instead of his meets. But, they were done by mid-day (thank you time difference!), and then we had lovely moments for the kids to chat with Didi and Papa John. David and Didi really bonded over their snuggle bears (Didi's is named Robison, and David's Snuggle Bear was a gift from Didi a few years ago!) Beau got to show Didi his family tree and hear some family stories about some of the people on her side. Lewis got to show her all his compositions and she gave him lots of attention and praise about that. We also had the boys interview Didi with some questions about her childhood as well as some questions about Mike's childhood. And, we even had a friend come and do a professional photo shoot with our family and Didi and Papa John. Beau had some great rounds of chess with Papa John as well as some Settlers' games. We had some little outings too to keep everyone balanced. Plus some time with Scott, Alyssa, and Tyler in the evening. As the icing on the cake, we let everyone skip school on Friday, and Mike took the boys skiing up at Bogus Basin. They had an awesome time!
We loved it!
By Friday afternoon, the rest of the family began arriving again.
I had stayed home from skiing so that I could cook to throw a bridal shower for Alyssa. She and Scott were going to be married in September, but given the diagnosis for Deborah, they wanted to do it right away so that she could be there no matter what. So, they planned a family wedding in a lovely park in Boise for Saturday afternoon. What a happy thing to plan and focus on together! The ladies enjoyed a bridal shower for Alyssa on Friday night, and then we all helped prep for and gathered for the wedding on Saturday. Other than that, it was just a happy family weekend with lots of snuggle time, play time, and lots of love.
Hosting the bridal shower had been a little prompting, and I'm so grateful I listened because it was so fun and meant a lot to Alyssa and also to Scott. I felt like it all came together. A high tea! Lots of delicious goodies that met all the needs for those with restrictive diets. I made my marzipan cake for Deborah, and one that was gluten and dairy free for Alyssa and Brie. That made me happy! Mish offered to lead a game with info about Alyssa that Scott had previously answered. Really fun. And, I had
The guys had a fun night of games over at Jake's airbnb while we all had the shower.
It was a chilly but beautiful day for the wedding. A lot of people helped with decorating. Megan and I did those flowers along the walk. Jake and I did those trellis arrangements at the beginning of the aisle. And, Mike did a creative citrus and ribbon idea hanging from the trees behind them. Plus lots of other touches others helped with. It was very pretty! And, they were so happy. Just each family was there plus Scott's best friend. And Name! They had some food boxes for everyone afterwards and a beautiful cake. Mike sent them off to their hotel with a tap dance - he actually brought his tap shoes out with!!! :-)
Here were the little boys waiting to leave for the wedding!
And, lots of snuggles afterwards!
We were so glad that we had all that amazing time with everyone. It really was food for the soul. We all felt so much more grounded, fulfilled, and thankful for having been together.
It was a little rough to come back home, mostly because we had to quarantine for 2 weeks from school, and school went back in person (5 days a week in person for elementary!) right after we got home. So, that was a little rough. But, we made it!
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