Mom

As many of you know, my mom recently had to have a hysterectomy. She had uterine cancer and so had to have everything removed. We waited anxiously to find that she would not require radiation or chemotherapy which was a great relief to all of us, not the least, my mother. My sister Cami came out for the first week of her recovery and then Larissa came out the second. I find myself feeling so fortunate that I have such a close and loving family. My dad had to have cataracts surgery the same week as my mom's surgery and it was so wonderful to feel able to take him without abandoning mom. Garrett and I are the only two who live here and I find it so loving that my sisters relieved us of the time needed to care for my mom and dad in those early weeks. We could have done it, but it would have been HARD! Additionally, they watched Xiana for me on the days that I worked which was an extra help. I don't know if anyone has ever given Xiana such undivided attention as Cami did. She did puzzles with her, played memory with her, and got down on the ground to Xiana's great delight. Xiana had such a wonderful time with her aunt and talks about her daily. Then, when Larissa came she brought her youngest, Danielle. Xiana had a great time playing big sister to this sweet baby, and I got a taste of what it's going to be like when we have a new baby. Every time I touched Danielle Xiana thought she needed to be on my lap right then. I think jealousy might be an understatement for this spoiled little girl. Still, I know it's no different than the adjustment that any toddler makes when welcoming a new baby into the family. My brother and sister-in-law would have been out in a heartbeat to help care for mom too. My parents are such amazing and wonderful people and it is truly touching to see how important they are to all of us. It isn't every set of parents that know with sincerity that if needed, all 5 of their children will be there in a heart beat. What a testament of their love and gifts to us. Though it was a scary and painful thing for my mom to go through, we are so grateful that the outcome was so great.
Xiana and I went with Larissa to visit her in-laws... another great and loving family! It was wonderful to see them all!!!