Christmas break

We had two kids go under the knife during Christmas break, so we attended plenty of family events but generally kept things lowkey this holiday season.

Rebekah's surgery: Tuesday, December 19

Rebekah decided to have a breast reduction to help her be more comfortable and in less pain. Before the surgery, we had to go through quite the gamut. First we saw a surgeon in Blackfoot. He submitted everything to insurance. They deemed the surgery medically necessary. (Woohoo!) So we tried to schedule the surgery. Apparently this surgeon takes a lot of time off around the holidays and doesn't get to operate at the hospital any ol' time. They kept coming back to us with things like, "How about November 11?" And I'd say, "My daughter is a college student. She can't just take two weeks off of classes. Do you have anything during her Christmas break?" The answer was a resounding no.

So we did some more research, found a surgeon in Idaho Falls and scheduled an appointment with him. We had to do the whole submitting-to-insurance thing again. When the prescribed two weeks had passed, I reached out to our insurance and said, "Is it approved?" They said, "We've got to cancel the approval for the other surgeon first." I said, "Do it!" Thank heavens we didn't have to wait another two weeks after that to get the approval.

By the time we called the Idaho Falls surgeon back, his surgery dates during Rebekah's Christmas break were full. I explained the whole situation to a very understanding nurse who said she'd talk to the doctor and get back to us. A short while later she called and said that he was sympathetic to her circumstances, so he opened up another time slot for her during her Christmas break. Hallelujah! 

The surgical center is in the basement of this surgeon's office (which is why he had more control over his surgical dates/times). Rebekah was scheduled to be there at 1 p.m. The surgery went really well, but Rebekah coming out of anesthesia was an experience. First we were told that she was in recovery and it would be a few minutes before we could see her. Not long after, a nurse came and asked how hard of hearing Rebekah is because they were talking to her and her eyes were open, but she wasn't responding. They asked if we'd like to come back and help her with her hearing aids.

When we got to her, Rebekah's eyes were open. Like, waaaaay open. She was staring around the room like an bush baby. I tried talking to her, but even though she'd look my way, she wouldn't respond. I told her I would help her put her glasses and hearing aids on. It took a while before Rebekah started talking, and when she did finally start, she kept saying the same things over and over again: "What time is it?" "That was so fast from my perspective" (meaning the surgery), and "Sweet" in response to anything and everything. She had the worse short-term memory I've ever seen, but of course that improved the longer she was awake. (I mentioned to the nurses that they must see and hear all sorts of crazy things when patients are waking up. They said the younger the patient, the more they're affected.)

Rebekah with her half-eaten container of applesauce (at one point she noticed it and wondered where it had come from because she had forgotten about it) after her surgery.

For two weeks, Rebekah was told not to do anything: lift, run, play trombone, etc. She slept in a recliner in the music room and took it easy. 

Annual Hendricks lunch and activities: Saturday, December 23

We got together with our Hendricks aunts, uncles and cousins at our church building a couple days before Christmas. I finally had my sling off so I could take pictures, but I could take too many without my arm hurting from holding it up to face level. A few days after the party, Justin mentioned that he thought Rebekah must have been up late partying or something because she looked so tired and actually fell asleep on the couch in the foyer toward the end. Of course, it was because she'd had surgery just a few days before.

Ana got called on last-minute to be the donkey for Mary to ride on during the reenactment of the nativity. 

Winnie doubling as the innkeeper and a shepherd. I guess she couldn't hear very well with the fabric around her ears?

Miriam as a wise person.

Miriam and Cameron's daughter Juliette. All little kids love Miriam, even if they don't know her very well.

Winnie sitting on Santa's (Grandpa Dennis') lap.

Miriam on his lap.

Seth and Rachel.

The older cousins. Grandpa concocted every possible combination of people so they all had the chance to get their picture taken with him.

The granddaughters/granddaughters-in-law.

Winnie picking up candy after the piñata got smashed. The glowing tube around her head was from the goody bag Santa gave her.

Miriam with Cooper and Natalie.

Grandma Hendricks telling us about Chris and his accident.

Ana building a tiny snowman out of tiny Chinese LEGO-like pieces.

Dinner and Grandma Scott's: Sunday, December 24

We attended sacrament meeting, then came home and took it easy before going to Grandma's for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The girls helped Grandma cook schnitzel, and we enjoyed that with red cabbage and German potato salad.

Miriam, Winnie, Ana and Grandma Scott cooking schnitzel.

Canyon, Bennet, Easton, Winnie and Oakley enjoying the German pyramid.

Winnie opening her traditional Christmas Eve pajamas.

Miriam with her pajamas. (And Easton, Grandpa Scott, Grandma Scott, Canyon, Ana and Aunt Jessica in the background.)

Rebekah opening pajamas.

Ana opening another gift from Grandma and Grandpa: 

Christmas Day: Monday, December 25

Everyone got up around 7 a.m. The girls gathered at the top of the stairs (Rebekah had to come from the music room where she was sleeping) before coming down to see what they received for Christmas.

The girls' piles of goodies on the couch, and the parents' and family's presents on the ottoman.

Miriam showing off the drumstick necklace she received.

Seth watching the slideshow I made of his skydiving experience.

Winnie putting together her Chinese LEGO knockoff typewriter.

Ana checking out her floral owl Chinese LEGO knockoff.

Ana's surgery: Wednesday, December 27

We thought we'd have plenty of time for Ana to get her wisdom teeth out, say, during the summer or something. But when she had her checkup and cleaning in November, the dentist looked at her X-rays and said she should get them out soon, "like, during Christmas break." Apparently the wisdom teeth's roots were still open and therefore more easily pulled, but if we waited much longer, they would start to close and make things more complicated. So just like that, our Christmas break plans would include a second surgery for a second child.

Ana was a little apprehensive going into the surgery. The kid has had shots before, but she had never even had a cavity or an IV. Unlike Rebekah who, frankly, was full of bravado before her wisdom teeth extraction, Ana was very quiet and withdrawn. 

But the surgery went well. I got called back to where she was waking up, and the assistant was just finishing up getting her unhooked from everything. Ana was still a little emotional and quiet, but after getting a Pick Me Up (flavored soda made to order) and taking it easy at home, she perked up.

Gingerbread houses: Thursday, December 28

Sometimes it's easier to fit in the Christmas traditions between Christmas and New Year's. There's nothing wrong with making gingerbread houses after Christmas, right? Besides, Ana needed a little time to recuperate from her surgery.

Winnie's gingerbread house.

Ana's house. And the ice packs held to her face with headbands to keep the swelling down.

Rebekah's house.

Miriam's broken down truck.

New Year's Eve: Sunday, December 31

After a full block of church, we came home and had a nice quiet Sunday afternoon before breaking out the festivities. We had been invited to a family party in Rexburg, but the girls wanted to stay home and do our own thing. We played games, ate food and watched the ball drop in NYC at 10 p.m. before calling it quits and going to bed.

 

Playing Linkee on New Year's Eve.

Museum of Idaho: Wednesday, January 3

I basically forced everyone to fit this one into our schedules. More than one kid had wanted to see the newest traveling exhibit at the museum, so I made sure it happened. Miriam had gone on a school field trip to the museum in October, but all the 8th graders were only allowed to see the permanent exhibits. Both Bekah and Ana were feeling like they could go out into the world at least for a little while, so we checked out the Amazon rainforest exhibit as well as the permanent Idaho history exhibit. We timed it so we could watch one of the live demonstrations and got to meet a snake and tortoise.

 

Winnie looking at the tortoise.

Rebekah, Miriam, Seth and Winnie watching the tortoise.

Baptisms: Thursday, January 4

Winnie became eligible to receive a limited use recommend and participate in baptisms for the dead in the temple at the beginning of 2024, so at her first official youth activity on Tuesday, January 2, she interviewed with a member of the bishopric. We had an appointment for Thursday, and all six Grovers and their grandparents got to go to the temple together.

Seth and Grandpa Scott performed the baptisms. Grandpa Dennis helped with confirmations. Grandma Susan was baptized with our family, but she was delayed in the locker room afterward because she accidentally dropped her locker key down the laundry shoot with her jumpsuit. Grandma Scott and Rebekah were confirmed but not baptized. (Rebekah still couldn't be submerged following her surgery.) It was a special day with special people in a special place.

Family selfie before baptisms.

Grandpa and Grandma Scott, Andrea, Winnie, Seth, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis outside the temple following the baptisms and confirmations.

Christmas performances

Thursday, November 30

Miriam performed her first concert with the Idaho Falls Symphony Youth Orchestra this evening. She hadn't really planned to join the group, but then she heard through friends that the orchestra was in need of more percussionists. She started attending rehearsals and doubled the number of percussionists. Everyone (grandparents, sisters, dad) besides me was sick and watched the concert remotely, so I was the only one at the auditorium that night. Miriam did great (and was featured in a closeup on the recording as she wailed away on the cymbals during a song from Carmen) and then enjoyed a donut and hot chocolate with friends afterward.

Miriam posing next to the balloon arch set up on the top level where the after party was held.

Friday, December 1

We always heard about Grandpa Dennis starring as Santa Claus in the Rigby parade, but we had never attended. I think we chose about the coldest year to go. We all huddled together and hopped around as we waited for the parade and then waited for the very last float to come by. Then we high-tailed it out of there and back into our warm van.

Huddled on a Rigby street corner waiting for the parade to start. 

Saturday, December 2

Christmas Classic! It's our least favorite venue (Madison Junior High School ... waaaay too small and crowded), but it's always fun to see our girls perform and compete. I was still wearing my sling full-time, but I removed it and only moved my arm at the elbow to help Miriam with her hair. Ana did her own hair. Rebekah spent the day with us took all the pictures because I couldn't hold my camera.

Miriam blowing a kiss.

Ana performing her smooth open.

Ana and her delightful fringe pants (she dyed them herself) performing her Latin open.

Miriam dancing syllabus.

Rebekah and Seth in the stands with Ana in line.

Miriam, Ana and Seth after spending the day at the competition.

Wednesday, December 6

Okay, so this performance has nothing to do with Christmas, but at least it happened in December. Ana and the rest of the gold team performed during a basketball halftime.

Seth shot these pictures because, guess what? My arm was still in a sling.

Saturday, December 9

Tuba Christmas! It's Rebekah's favorite Saturday of the year. We listened to her participate for her fifth year in the Manwaring Center at BYU-I. She's been going here and doing this for years, but this time she was on her home turf as a current BYU-I student. And this time she knew people in the group from school.

Smiling between songs.

Playing her trusty euphonium. Grandpa Scott shot these pictures. My arm (in case you've forgotten) was in a sling.

Thursday, December 21

We can classify this as a performance, right? Winnie was recognized as a member of the 200 Point Club for her Accelerated Reading during the annual Christmas assembly. 

Winnie's slide on the screen. I actually shot these pictures because I was sling-free at this point. But it was taxing on my arm.

Playing with her friend, Shea.

Thanksgiving

There were a lot of Hendricks cousins in town for the holiday (all of Patty's kids and most of Jim's), so we had lots of occasions to spend time together. First was a game night at Rachel's house on Wednesday, November 22. We ate snacks, Miriam retired to the basement to hang out with Cooper and Maddy, the rest of us played games upstairs. Jackbox, as always, was a hit.

Kelsey and Winnie laugh and play games while drinking sodas at Rachel's.

We spent Thanksgiving day (November 23) at Grandma and Grandpa Scott's. This year I outsourced all my usual Thanksgiving prep since I had one arm still in a sling. Rebekah made rolls (and didn't kill the yeast despite not letting the milk cool down before adding it). Ana made pies. I sent Miriam and Winnie over to help Grandma Scott with whatever prep she needed. We ate a delicious meal.

Grandma finished telling us about a few of the dishes we were using for Thanksgiving. Some were from Marie, her mother, Some were from Martha and Alice, her grandmas. Some were from Annie, her great-grandma. 

Ana napping after the meal.

Rebekah napping with her head under the back cushion.

Seth napping on the floor.

Miriam reading.

The day after Thanksgiving (November 24), we went to Anne's house in Rexburg to eat pizza and spend time with all the Hendricks cousins. Mack would be speaking in church and starting his mission within days, so it was fun for the kids to interact with him before saying goodbye.

Cooper, Miriam, Winnie, Ana, Rebekah, Mack and a couple of Papworths playing games in the living room.

And the day after that (Saturday, November 25), we did our usual Christmas tree hunting, but not in our usual spot. We've been going by Fall Creek for as long as I can remember, but we've felt like the good trees are farther and farther from the parking lot and therefore harder to get to. Seth and I had gone a week or so before to scout out new possible areas. We found a good one just past Pine Basin that would not require any snowmobiles or four-wheelers, so we took the family there this time. 

Ana cut down the tree this year. Seth supervised and pushed.

Hiking back down the hill close to the road. There wasn't much snow.

Winnie getting a shoulder ride from Miriam.

Family selfie after getting a tree. My arm was (still, of course) in a sling, so I had to borrow Seth's big ski coat and zip it up with one empty arm of the coat flopping around. I fell headed down the hill and jarred my elbow, which made me stop and wallow in pain for a couple of seconds, but no lasting damage was done.

Then later that day we stopped by Grandma Susan's house to see Lizzie's brand new puppies. With Roscoe as the father, these are purebred labs. Grandma and Grandpa were worried when they all came out dark (Roscoe is a yellow lab; Lizzie is red) because they worried that another dog may have impregnated Lizzie and the dogs would be mutts, but it turns out that red labs often have dark puppies.

The puppies were residing in a plastic pool lined with an old sleeping bag in Grandma's office.

Miriam with a puppy.

Rebekah with a puppy.

Ana with a puppy.

Andrea with a puppy.

Seth with (guess what?) a puppy.

Winnie with a puppy. They made the cutest little squeaky noises.