The 12 Events till Christmas...

Wow, when I saw how long it had been since I last posted, I was a tad bit amazed at how time has flown by this year.  Much has happened in the Huntsman household since my last post.  Here is a rundown of events.

1.  Mooch had neck surgery for an injury that he sustained from not one, but two accidents (2 months apart) he had the previous year, neither of which were his fault.  The first accident, he was hit by a drunk driver at 6:00 am - go figure!  The second, he was coming home from work and stopped in rush hour traffic.  A teenage girl fell asleep at the wheel and rear ended him.  Having two accidents so close together caused a herniated disc, and three bulging discs in his neck.  After more than a year of pain injections, and lots of sleepless nights from being in so much pain, the insurance company finally agreed that surgery was the only option.  The surgery worked, and he's back to normal...well, normal for Mooch anyway:)

2.  Next up, testing for sleep apnea.

Yep, he's got it!
So, this is what I get to sleep with each night.

3.  My summer was filled with going from one state to another for volleyball camps with Hayley (Bug).  Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado.  I love every minute of it.  Bug tried out for, and made the USA High Performance volleyball team, and was invited to attend a week long camp in Colorado Springs.  We are so proud of her!

4.  Somewhere during our busy summer schedule, there was a marriage proposal, with anxious sisters secretly watching from the wings!

Introducing Denise Rancatti.  The first night we met her it felt as though she had always been a part of our family.

5.  Volleyball has become a huge part of our lives.  Mady (senior) has played all 4 years of high school volleyball, and Bug made the Varsity team this year as a freshman, and was able to play, for the first time, on a team with her sister.  It WAS going to be the best year ever!

L-Bug/R-Mady

The season started off same as always, with open gym starting the first week in Aug., and tryouts two weeks before school starts.  We made it through that, and then their coach resigns! WHAT???  No problem, they bring in the boys volleyball coach who had taken the boys to a State Championship 2 years prior. This should be good!  We are really excited, the team instantly bonds with Coach Cap and 

his assistant - Coach Savage.  Four weeks into the season Coach Cap becomes ill and misses a 

week of school along with a match.  He comes back the second week feeling slightly better, but by the weekend he was in intensive care with pneumonia.  Two weeks later, they place him in a medically induced coma.  Not to worry!  Coach Savage, and the JV coach step up to the plate and we are set to face our biggest rivals, and on Senior Night to boot.  Gorman HS is a Catholic private school in the valley and despised by all the schools because of their less than ethical...ahem...recruiting practices, but you didn't hear that from me.  Gorman has not lost a match during season play in 8 years!  Seriously!  They intimidate our team like no other.  Coach Savage tells the girls they have nothing to lose, so to just play and have fun, and that if they beat Gorman, he will do the Gangnam Style dance.  Oh yea, GAME ON!!!  WE BEAT THEM IN A FIFTH SET TIE-BREAKER!!

Both girls played so good, and we couldn't be prouder of them!!

One month after putting Coach into the coma, they tell us they are thinking of bringing him out, but before they can start the process, he goes into acute respiratory failure and passes away on November 7, 2012.  Needless to say, the community was and still is, devastated.  We will never forget this kind man, and the impact he made on this team.

We love you Coach Cap!

6.  On a brighter note, during the midst of all this chaos, we had a wedding!

Tyler and Denise were married on September 8, 2012 in the Las Vegas, Nevada Temple, but just as important as that....

7.  Mooch and I became instant Grandparents!!

Introducing Cali and Deegan from Denise's previous marriage.  We are beyond thrilled!!  Just like their mother, they instantly fit right in.  They are 3 year old twins!!  We are known as Grandma KiKi, and Papa Mooch!  WE ARE HOPELESSLY AND HELPLESSLY IN LOVE!!  How could you not be...just look at them!

This shot is from the wedding.  We couldn't get them to get off the ground to take a good picture, so I did what any good grandma would do, and got down on the ground with them, only Cali left before the picture was snapped.  I love his thumbs!

8.  Sunday family dinners are becoming larger and larger.

It seems there is always a new face at the dinner table.  We need a bigger table!

9.  Along the way, Amy has met and fell in love with a very nice young man.

Introducing Montana, another native of Las Vegas.  She is struggling to know what to do, because prior to meeting him she had been planning and preparing for a mission...we'll see what happens next!

10.  Most recently, Bug, and her friend Claire and I have been hanging out with Rock Stars!

L-Bug/Rick/R-Claire

Meet Rick, the lead singer for Adelita's Way.  We had never heard of them, but he was very proud of the fact that he was a rock star, so we made his day and had a photo op.  We googled them later, and sure enough, they are legit. 

11.  Next, we were running from the law, all in the same day!

Whew!

12.  It's been a very eventful year, filled with joy and sorrow, but as we near Christmas Day, I hope that we can appreciate all the blessings this year has brought to our lives, and most importantly remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!