Thankful For It All

November started out a little rough with my grandma coding at the hospital due to a blockage in her esophagus.  That same week, Ryan's grandma, Maralu went into the hospital and discovered she was in the advanced stages of cirrhosis of the liver.  To top it off, Ryan's other grandma, Mary Helen, fell at her nursing home and had a brain bleed that they believed would end her life.  All three grandmas were in the hospital and all three were not expected to live.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  My grandma was sedated for a few days to let her body heal before taking the next steps so a lot of time was spent with family in the waiting room in Anderson. 

 

Even Steve and Bevin came down.

Rick and Doris made a quick trip up the following weekend and brought Sophie.  The kids had a blast playing together and we had gorgeous weather to keep us outside!

Phoebe had a choir performance at school for Veteran's Day.  Isn't she precious!?

Can you find her?

So fun she got to honor Grandpa Newell at the concert.

While I spent a lot of time in Anderson, Ryan got some quality one-on-one time with the kiddos!

Grandma flew home to Heaven on the 15th of November and this is my all-time favorite picture of her with Grandpa.  They loved each other fiercely and made each other happy.  

It's crazy how life keeps going, even in the midst of grief and loss.  Westfield's annual Holiday Craft Fair kept us busy and the kids even got to visit with Santa and NOT wait in line.  This picture - be still my heart - she looks SO big and SO darling.

And yet he still looks absolutely rotten! :)

And Steven and Bevin got engaged.  What better way to celebrate six successful months of chemo?  I'm so excited for them and their journey together!

And Ryan spent a lot of what little daylight hours are left at the end of each work day getting our steps finished!

Our precious little pilgrim!

Since it now gets dark at 6:00, we've resorted to playing with friends inside!  They both had "broken" arms and yes, we have a stripe-addiction in our house. 

Thanksgiving rolled around and the kids were excited to play with the wishbone.

Phoebe won!

Even Grandpa made it to our house for the meal.  We found ourselves with MUCH to be thankful for.

Turkey coma.

The next day, we decorated for Christmas and Steve and Bevin distracted the kids long enough for us to be productive with the tree!

Katie and I took the kids to SkyZone to burn some energy.

Maverick loved the blocks.

Phoebe showed off her gymnast side.

And Maverick ruled the dodgeball court!

This is the only way I survive shopping with the kiddos.

Oy.  At least they're warm showing off the latest fashion trends.

Despite the reason for our gathering, it was absolutely lovely to have all of the Newell side of the family together in one place.  It happens rarely these days so it was a treat to gather and honor Grandma's memory as a complete family.

What a legacy she leaves behind!

The "kids" did well through the viewing and the funeral.

Phoebe got to perform with Singspiration for the holiday show at the high school and her biggest fans were there to cheer her on!

Can you find her here?

Ryan spent all of last Saturday working on the deck railing so we found other ways to occupy our time.  Phoebe had to bring a gingerbread house to decorate at school and Maverick felt like he was missing out so we did one at home, too.

Ta da!

And here we are on the home stretch!  Just have to finish the stairs and the little bump out for the grill and we'll be done!  I'm so proud of all his hard work!  It was certainly a bigger undertaking than we ever imagined! And more expensive, too! :)  Can't wait to use it next summer!