Thanksgiving/Christmas

Ok...I've got some catching up to do. Thanksgiving we spent in Arizona. It is always fun to visit Scottsdale and take in the beauty of the desert. Mostly, it is always nice to leave frigid temperatures for warm ones and get to see the family. We got to meet Hillary and are so excited to have her join our family in like 2 weeks!!
For Christmas, we headed to El Paso...Ariel had been in Utah for about a week so the 4 of us got to drive home together. We got to meet Lycia and spend lots of time with family and, my favorite thing to do in EP- eat. Even if it didn't agree with baby. We had originally planned to stay only for Christmas but then we found out Tio Chuy was coming to visit for New Years and that the family was having a special get-together per his request. The day before Thanksgiving  he found out he had a brain tumor and lung cancer. As if that weren't enough to take in already, he was told he wasn't expected to live much longer. My Tio is a man that has been physically strong his entire life, strong and robust. He has had a car fall on him and obviously survived that. He is the uncle who always said the most hilarious yet irreverent/embarrassing things. The one who asks you "So are you going to marry this one?" when you introduce him to someone you are dating and if you say no or change the subject, he will proceed with "Then why are you bringing them around?", a big smile, a punch in the arm, and apologize to the person who he just met for his inappropriate joke.
He is still the sweet, caring jokester...but a much more frail one. I couldn't hold back the tears when I saw him for the first time in months...
Now he is quiet, slow-paced, and not as witty...but he hangs on to that smile. We have prayed and fasted for his well-being and I have no doubt in my heart that the Lord answers our prayers. Since December, he has had a successful surgery on his brain that allowed the tumor to be completely eradicated. He is undergoing chemotherapy for his lungs and his doctors are astonished with his progress. His hair isn't falling; it is coming in thicker and has more hair now overall. He hasn't lost his appetite and is able to keep things down.
I know in my heart that Heavenly Father loves him...and his family, and every single one of us. There is no telling what will happen in the future, but whatever it is, I know we will all be fine...because families are eternal.