A Bitter Sweet Return

The girls and I just got home last night from a very busy week in the Valley. My Dad had a much needed, much deserved and long awaited back surgery on the 20th of July and with a family the size of ours, there is always so much that needs to be done. My sister, Bethany, spent the first week with the family so that my Mom could spend time with my Dad while he was in the hospital. I took my turn this week. It was so busy! You wouldn't believe me even if I tried to explain! This week also happened to be the week that my mom had to get her classroom ready so she spent as much time as she could there, hopefully knowing that I had things under control at home.

I cleaned, cooked, helped my Dad (as much as he would let me!), cleaned, ran to the store, helped my mom set up her classroom, cleaned, tried to spend time with each of my younger siblings individually, cleaned, took the kids to meet their teachers, cleaned, ran Grandma around, and you guessed it- cleaned some more. The list could go on, but most importantly everyone was cared for and fed and the house was clean (for the most part).

One of the highlights of my time down there was the time that I got to spend with my siblings that are still at home. Out of 10 kids, there are still 4 at home. My little sister Annie and I spent lots of time in the kitchen cooking (she was a tremendous amount of help!) and even a few nights sprawled out on the couches having "girl talk." You know, important things like babysitting and stuff. It's hard for me to believe that Annie is really 13, the age I was when she was born. She is way more mature than I was at her age!

Brigham and I always have so much fun together. We have lots of inside jokes (Hey Brig- I'm talking on my Bluetooth!) and I appreciate how good of an uncle he is. He loves to take pictures and when I saw him combing Addie's hair and sticking a flower in it, I knew exactly what he was doing. He is very creative and inventive. It's always fun to talk to him about his ideas.

Taylor and I kept up tradition with Oreo Night. Well before my brother Judd ever left on his mission we started a tradition where every time I would go down to the Valley and stay with them we would eat Oreo's and stay up late talking. Jordan and I kept it up before he left and now Taylor and I carry on the tradition. It's my favorite part of spending time in the Valley. We talk about all kinds of things, what's going on in their lives, girls, work, funny stories, the future... the list goes on. Sometimes they ask my advice on things, sometimes we laugh, sometimes we talk politics; you just never know where the conversation will go. But, it's always rewarding and I always feel closer to them afterward.

(Taylor and our cousin Calvin who just left on Wednesday for a mission to New Zealand.)

Of course the reason that I went to the Valley in the first place was to help my Dad. He was such a great patient (it might have been more of a case of "I was not that much help") and is recovering so well! When I got there on Monday he was walking with a walker and when I went into the kitchen Tuesday morning there he was with a cane! He got faster and faster over the next few days and I know it will only be a matter of time before he is walking on his own. Our family really is so thankful that he was able to have this surgery. It has been a long year for my Dad and after everything that he has been through he deserves some relief.

We were NOT ready to come home!. (Hence the title of this post.) I felt like if I could just get the kids off to their first day of school then I could return home happily, but life here must go on.