December was such a crazy month. Crazy fun and hard.
We started out with our Palmer trip to SLC! we stayed at a new hotel and the kids loved it. Jenny's Cory's and our family was there. We walked into downtown but temple square is under construction so they didn't have a lot of Christmas lights.
Palmer cousins
Sannette wasn't very happy to have to walk so much. So they started singing songs trying to get her to walk more.
The SLC temple under construction
Our ward Christmas dinner
Bryan and I like to go to lunch together
Walking to school with his brothers
The boys had the leg lamp in their room. Brett would read by the light of it every night. I loved how this night he had his monkeys out.
I had wedding formal pictures in Ogden in a blizzard and this is how I looked after. Bryan's was after a run.
We had a lego advent calendar that each boy got to open one a day.
Gingerbread houses!
Ty Blake Bryan and I went to Sannette choir concert. She loves to sing! And was so happy to see us.
It was my sweet Grandmas wedding anniversary! And we wanted to celebrate with her. We went to juniper take out with my parents and she had soup. A neighbor of hers ran into us that she really loved. We could see the Logan Temple from the windows and she loved that. I was going to take her to my house after but Blake called and wasn't feeling well and needed me to pick him up. I told him to wait because Grandma was going over and I didn't want him to get her sick. I'm sure she felt more like I needed to get Blake and said she felt like she needed to go back to the terrace. She was feeling pretty good this day. Talking great. Weak but she still could get around well. It was the last time I saw her outside of her room.
Easton made us this game at school.
East had the coolest Christmas party. It was the Grinch that stole Christmas party! Bryan helped me make a ornament for the kids that they colored.
Stockton had a party as well I helped in. They had hot chocolate and treats and watched a movie.
Ty was so happy to get his Christmas sweater
Christmas Sunday!
The boys and I went sledding!
My kids got their second covid shot. Poor Ty had a heck of a time with his. All my kids fevered but Easton.
While the boys went skiing my mom and I (with Easton) went to visit my cute Grandma. I brought my violin and played Christmas songs for her. She had been dealing with some stomach issues and had been throwing up and we couldn't figure out why. She was weak and couldn't talk very loud. My uncle Ron and his son Justin came to visit her too. Luckily for me because I had covid within 90 days I didn't have to take a covid test every time I went to visit her. It was a really good visit with her. I am so grateful I was able to play my violin for her! I actually didn't do that very often. I thought about doing that all month.
Christmas Eve with my sweetheart!
We had a great Christmas Eve! My parents and a sweet lady in my ward that I teach primary with (Renee) spent Christmas Eve with us. We had a really yummy dinner and talked about Jesus.
Christmas morning! We had so much fun!
Blake got a hunting backpack. Ty got camera equipment.
Brett got lots of legos! Can you tell he was happy? Stockton got a bunch of legos as well.
Easton got his own Kindle.
My grandma didn't feel good enough to leave for Christmas and my aunt Roxey had covid. I bought her the present and had her open it. It was this day I realized that she wasn't going to last much longer. She wasn't getting any better and only worse for days. She couldn't walk without a lot of help and didn't feel like eating. It really broke my heart to see her like that.
Tysons new suit!
I knew Grandma didn't have many more days left and I wanted my boys to see her before she got too bad. She really couldn't talk to us but could whisper a little. My cousin Natalie was with her helping. The boys were telling her about Christmas and I was showing her the cute ring Stockton bought me. I had Natalie take this picture then as we were leaving she grabbed my arm and pointed to her mouth and whispered "Heather! Teeth!" We didn't have her teeth in and she was embarrassed. I'm glad the boys got to say goodbye to her. My Stockton was really struggling saying goodbye. She was sitting on the bed next to her. He cried as he left her room. It was so hard.
This is going to be hard for me to type. I don't know if I can express in words how I feel about My Grandma Jenkins. She was way more then just my Grandma she was like my second mom. She may be the person who has made me feel the most loved my whole life. She was my friend. I never felt anything other then love from her. I made a big effort to see and be with her for years. My boys would mow her lawn weekly so I got to see her all the time. I would go over and help put her sheets on her bed or work in her yard.
Our friend Christmas party! My friend made a calendar with the mens faces on it.
When I moved to Logan in college she took over as "mom" for me while mine was far away. I would go over and do my laundry at her house weekly and she would help me with it. Then she would send me home with some food. Grandma was always checking on me. When I got married she helped me decorate my apartment. Then when I was sick and pregnant she showed up to my apartment with some oatmeal (something I was craving) and some movies to watch. She kept good track of me. When Tyson was born she helped babysit him twice a week while I was working. She loved rocking him everyday she said.
As my boys got older she would help me babysit. She was my #1 babysitter I would call! Until she got to the point physically it was hard on her.
I knew she didn't have much time left at Christmas. I knew it was close. So I brought my boys on a Monday and Tuesday I was texting my cousin Julie. After watching her mom slowly decline and pass away it was hard for her to go visit my Grandma so I offered to be there with her. I wanted to go anyway. I got there and I was the only one in her room. The hospice nurse had got her dressed and combed her hair. She put her jewelry on (which she always did, including her watch) and made sure her teeth were in. That means a lot to me and a lot to her I'm sure. I helped put some water in her mouth and held her hand. She couldn't really talk but she could sort of nod her head. I'm told it was the morphine to help with the pain kind of made her out of it.
I was sitting by her bed holding her hand and I started to fall apart. It was hard because I was alone with her and I knew she didn't have much longer. I wanted to say so much but I didn't think I could get the words out. I finally said how much I don't want her to go. And how I don't know how I'm going to do life without her. That I love her so much. And she is my best friend. I told her Stockton and I are going to plant sweat peas for her and put them on her grave. I said she means everything to me and tell my Grandpa thank you for helping me this last year. She kept nodding her head while I was talking. I asked if she had seen my Grandpa and she nodded yes. She kind of whispered yes too. It makes me cry just thinking about it. I'm beyond grateful for those few minutes though. She already knew I cared about her but I'm glad I got to tell her that.
I face timed my brother Nate because I knew he wasn't going to make it up in time to see her. The last thing I ever heard her say was Nate! When she saw him. They didn't get to talk long but Nate got to say hello and I love you. Then my cousin Julie and Cassie came in. Julie bought her in some beautiful flowers. My cousin Katie (Cassies littler sister) is serving a mission in Europe and called Cassie for her weekly visit while we were there. I told Cassie she should warn her because Katie had no idea Grandma was this bad. She just went downhill so fast. When Grandma was Katie she lite right up! You could tell she knew who she was talking to. My mom came in around this time and while Katie was saying hello on the phone Grandma pointed to her ear with my mom right there. My mom could tell she was trying to say her hearing aid wasn't working. I only say this because I know she knew who we were and a most of what was going on.
As hard as it was to see Grandma like this it was so peaceful in her room. I know she had a lot of people on the other side anxiously waiting for her. My Grandpa had been gone for 6 years and so had Martha. Her dear sister Lola had been gone for like 20 years! Almost all of her friends and her close family were waiting for her. I knew that for her this was a huge blessing. Her body had been hard on her for years and to be free of that is a comfort to me.
When I left I gave her a hug and a kiss (which I never usually do) and told her she was my best friend. And I would see her later. I couldn't handle saying a final goodbye for sure- and if she lasted awhile longer I knew I would be down to see her. But this was the last time I saw her alive.
She died late in the evening of December 29th. My aunt Janice and her daughter Rachel were with her. They said she was completely peaceful as she passed.
I knew she was going to die that night. And I was on my blessing chair in my closet when Stockton came in. I had been crying for awhile. I knew I needed to get it out. And he asked what was wrong. I told him the nurses said she didn't have much longer and poor Stockton feel apart. He was so upset and wanted to go down and see her again. He felt bad he didn't spend more time with her while she was alive. So we went downstairs and found a bunch of old cards she had written him and that made him feel better. It kind of pulled me out of my funk because I needed to go into mom mode for a minute.
I got the phone call the next morning that she was gone. It was Bryan's and my 17 wedding anniversary. There were a lot of tears shed with her passing but I also felt so much peace. I knew she was so happy! And she lead such an amazing life! It was hard to be sad for her. I am only sad for us left behind. And a ton of my cousins were able to see her and spend time with her the last few days of her life. And my uncle Greg gave her a beautiful blessing the day she died.
