My uncle, Craig

I will write some about my temple experience on a later post. I will say that I had many people there supporting me and joining me in my experience and for that I am so grateful. One of my loving family members who were there was my dear uncle Craig. Craig and I have become close this past year. He always has such fatherly, loving, advice and is so sweet and soft-spoken. He is an amazing man and would give the shirt off his back for anyone. Him and I shared a special experience in the temple Friday night. Craig was in a horrific motorcycle accident Monday night/Tuesday morning and has been fighting for his life. Here is an update...

"Craig was on his motorcycle going through a green light when a police officer turned left in front of him.
Craig is suffering from numerous injuries and is in "extremely critical condition". The force of the accident ripped a hole in the main artery of his heart and caused an open brake to his pelvice. The brake split him open on the inside and caused major internal damage to the organs and internal bleeding.
Upon arriving at the hospital they let the family know that he was bleeding out and a heart repair was essential for survival but was extremely dangerous. He came out of surgery early this morning and things were still touch and go but we were hopeful. Family left for a short while only to be called back this evening.
Due to extremely low blood pressure and poor oxygen levels they have been unable to give him much relief for his pain without causing more concern for his heart. I'm told the amount of pain he is in is, "Extreme and unable to be controlled." As of a few hours ago he was intibated to help with his breathing.
Meanwhile he is still bleeding internally from the laid open pelvis. His abdomen continues to swell and he is now running a fever. Complications had made it to risky to operate or explore the damage to his organs and stop the internal bleeding but at this point they have no choice but to go forward with surgery. Currently Craig's kidney's are shutting down. The doctors seem to really emphasize the dire nature and the possible out come. This makes it hard to hold on to hope.
It's 9:38pm, my phone is ringing, it's has not stopped all day as the family is constantly updated.............It's the first sign of good news Craig vitals are stable for the first time since the accident. I am screaming with joy! We will remain optimistic and prayerful. We believe in the power of faith and that the Lord answers prayers. I fly out in the morning to be with my family. I am incredibly grateful this is being made possible. Thank you to all of you who are helping. We are grateful for your prayers and loving encouragement please keep them coming."

I was able to spend 6 hours at Craigs bedside today and the first thing he said to me was, "Hi Kylie, how are you?" I was astounded. That alone tells you the kind of man my Uncle Craig is. He needs prayers, desperately.

Happy Fathers Day!!

I am so late for this.......... HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Tyson said he had the perfect day. We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday since Tyson has to work every Sunday. Ashtyn and I went and bought Tyson some new clothes... this man NEVER buys new clothes. He is still wearing an old AC/DC shirt that has been bleached and looks totally tattered. I love him, so Ashtyn and I kindly picked him out some new threads (and I included some new church clothes just in case;)

I made his favorite pot roast with potatoes and carrots and we asked him what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to just spend the day with us, he is a major homebody. SO we did, and he liked his gifts.

A very special thing happened the next day, on Father's Day, Tyson was working and he got a phone call from Kai (who is with his other dad in SLC) Kai called just to tell him he loves him and Happy Father's Day. I was so touched when I heard Kai had done this on his own. What a sweet kid. Tyson was very touched too and I just love their relationship!! Happy belated Father's Day to all of you!!

Cousin-in-law

This week was a BLAST!! And all because The Mister has a cousin, Mario, who lives in Phoenix with his wife, Cory, and their 3 kids. Romeo, Bradley and Christian are their kids and The Mister and I took a road trip down to AZ 4 years ago! Cory and I are very close and we talk almost every day, so 4 years is WAY TOO LONG to go without seeing your very favorite cousin.....in-law. We just lovingly call each other, "cousins" since we are so close and it's easier than having to explain it all. Anyway, it was a spontaneous decision for her and she had a few days off of work, so she loaded up Bradley and Christian and on Wednesday and drove out here to Sin City. She and I have SO much fun together! I just love her. The second she got here, she made us the most delicious Mexican meal ever!! Did I mention she is a fabulous cook? The kids ate pizza (Kai is at his dad's so they missed him, but Ashtyn was super happy to have her cousins here)

After dinner, the kids played together and we snacked on Cory's delicious spicy pretzels (Grandpa Curtis called them spicy pickles, so cute) and we just hung out. It was getting late and we both decided to put on Tyson's LVMPD t-shirts and be his little cheerleaders for no reason whatsoever. Here are some pics from the first night..


Thursday, we took the kiddos to the pool in the morning for a few hours then headed back to the house and hung out for a while. Cory is always talking about a place called Yogurtland and she is always telling me that I MUST go there and try it out. So.....we found one in Vegas and we took the kids. It was delicious beyond words! We also took the kids on a little tour of where Cory lived in her high school days in downtown Las Vegas. When we got back to the house, I wanted her to try my Yaki-soba, which are Japanese noodles and I add bacon, onions, and cabbage to in a frying pan. Needless to say, she loved it!


Since Cory had to leave on Friday, I wanted her time here to be memorable and I wanted to do something that I have ALWAYS wanted to do here in Vegas. Nobody would ever volounteer to go with me up until now. So, Tyson watched the kids for us and we headed towards the Stratosphere. Oh yeah, you guessed it, The thrill rides on the stratosphere. Over 900 feet tall and the rides are at the TOP!! Cory was nervous, but what a champ! The ride was terrifying. We went on the X-scream which is a giant teeter-totter that hangs over the edge of the Stratosphere and the Big Shot that you sit in these chairs that shoot you straight up in the air.




What a fun and memorable night!! Friday morning we all got up and took the kids to an early matinee to see "Toy Story 3" it was such a cute and fun movie, even made me a bit teary-eyed at the end.

It was so nice spending time with my lovely cousin, Cory and her boys. They are such good and well-behaved, cute kids. I LOVE AND MISS YOU CORY aka GB!! XoXo

Temple Bound

Yesterday was a good day. I was asked to speak on "Examples of Righteousness" and I think I did a pretty good job. ;) Afterwards, I met with the bishop and had my temple recommend interview. I was so nervous, but it really was a piece of cake. He said he is glad I was honest with him because I tell him every little thing. He thinks its funny and I always feel better after talking to him. And I mean that, I talk to him. He doesn't really get a word in.:)
I did receive my temple recommend and I plan to go to the Salt Lake Temple to recieve my endowments on June 25th!! In the words of Spider-man (which he stole from the scriptures) "With great power comes great responsibility" I know this is the case. After going, I will be held to a higher standard, that part scares me just a little bit. But I am up for the challenge and I am SO ready. Watch out JC, here comes Kylie!!
P.S. I am MOSTLY excited to be in this room!!!

Gage Jospeh Byers

My sister Kim, as you know, has been in the hospital now for 4 weeks. She went into pre-term labor 4 weeks ago and they were able to stop the labor, until last night.

Gage Joseph Byers came into the world at exactly 30 weeks. He was 3 lbs 10 oz, which was bigger than they'd hoped for at 10 weeks early. He is on oxygen, but trying to breathe on his own, he is a strong little guy and as of now, seems to be doing well. If there are any health problems, they will show up within the next couple days. I am praying fervently that there are none and that all is well. With the strong family this little guy has, I have faith that he will grow fast and strong.

I am overjoyed that my sister has had such an amazing experience giving birth since her first child had complications and she wasn't even awake for the birth. I am so proud of her and her husband, Lucas. Love them so much and sending prayers their way!!

I AM AN AUNTIE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kai's Dream Job

Kai just graduated from FIRST GRADE!!! It makes me feel old. Not too old, of course, I am only 27 years young. I reflect back on THIS and I am totally amazed at how fast time flies by. I was told not to blink because soon Kai would be graduating from high school! I decided I want to staple my eyes open so that it doesn't happen. I just cannot believe my boy is getting so big. Just before school ended, Kai's class published a book about their dream jobs. His was so clever, I took pictures of his entry to show you all so you could read his cute dream job...



Kai is a wonderful kid. I remember back when his dad and I divorced and I moves to St George with Tyson in the midst of our custody battle and Kai went from seeing me every day to only being with me 9 days a month. I had to make a decision back then that was the hardest thing for me. I decided that marrying Tyson and moving to St George (because he worked in Las Vegas, living in Salt Lake wasn't feasable) would be the best decision I could make for our family in the long run. Kai struggled so much with that decision I made and it killed me to be away from him. Tyson worked overtime every week to make the extra money we needed to pay our lawyer to get Kai. I know I made the right decision, but it was so hard then and Kai really had a hard time with it. He was only 18 months old and he was utterly confused and had no idea what was going on. He acted out a lot and we were worried about him.

Since then, Kai has adjusted and turned into this sensitive, loving, witty, and beautiful boy. His dad and I get along great, Tyson is the main father in his life and is amazing at it. You would never be able to tell by the way they are with each other, that Tyson is Kai's step-dad. Tyson always introduces Kai as his son. They are very close and he also has a good relationship with his dad and sees him every month. As custody goes, Kai will be with his dad the majority of the summer and we will miss him desperately. Since last summer was the first summer Kai was gone, it was so hard. Ashtyn misses him so much and doesn't really understand the whole situation. This summer, we will be babysitting my nephew for days at a time, so that will ease Ashtyn's lonliness. Maddox is 6 years old and we haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him, he was here the past 4 days and they had a blast together.




Since I am all weepy and emotional now from thinking about how proud I am of both of my kids and how much I will miss Kai, I am signing off for now. I hope you enjoyed Kai's dream job as much as I did! What a cute kid he is!
XoXo

Pics....

Auntie "Tydie" and "Curly Lu"



Kimmy and LuLu Bella



BUBBLES



Hmmmm....



LuLu


SUPERMADDOX!

Denver, the beautiful

Right now, I am looking outside my sister's window and appreciating, I mean DEEPLY appreciating the view. Trees, grass, birds, dandelions, lawn mowers, flowers, clean air. All of these things I took for granted when I lived in Utah. I have always loved Denver, it is such a pretty city and I really love it here. Did you know that you cannot see the stars in Vegas?? There is too much pollution and bright lights that you cannot see the stars. Sad huh? Be grateful for the view of the beautiful stars.

I've been in Denver since Tuesday night and will be here until Saturday afternoon. I am tending my sweet niece, Lauren aka LuLu Bella. She is so incredibly adorable. She will be 2 in June and this was my first time ever meeting her. I love her so much and we just bonded together. I have had a lot of heartwarming moments with her already and I am sure to have more. She calls me "Tydie" and her voice is like a sweet song to my ears. Her curly hair, well, lets just say she could rival Curly Sue....instead she is "Curly Lu" so cute.

I was able to see Kimmy last night briefly. It had been a long day for her and she feels claustrophobic since being confined to her hospital bed 2 weeks ago. Poor thing. The baby is doing GREAT though and she knows it is vital for her to adhere to her bed, it doesn't make it any easier though. It is a miracle for her to have kept the baby in this long and I am hopeful she will make it until mid-July until she delivers (I know I am not a doctor, but I have that feeling:)

I miss the Mister and the kids. But, there is nowhere else I'd rather be right now than where I am. I hope all of you have a Fabulous Memorial Day weekend!! XoXo

Sisterly Love

I have 4 sisters. Kim and Kelly both live in Denver, Mishae is in Idaho, and Mara is in Utah. I do not get to see any of them very often and I really wish it was different, but times are tough right now for everyone and I do not have the luxury of hopping on a plane out to Denver or Idaho anytime I would like.

Kim has a daughter, Lauren, who is 2 1/2 years old. I am sad to admit, I have never met her. Kim is 6 months pregnant with her 2nd child, a boy, and she recently was admitted to the hospital because her amniotic sac broke and she was starting labor. She has been in there for 5 days and will need to be there until she has the baby.
Needless to say, I am worried and I told Kim that I wish I could be there with her during this time. Kim called me later and told me she had booked me a flight out to Denver to see her and finally meet my lovely niece. My heart was grateful. I am so excited that I get to help watch Lauren and hang out with my sister and keep her company while she sits in the hospital. Kim is a busy-body and likes to always have something to do, I am sure it is not fun for her to sit there, but she is more than happy to do it for the healthy arrival of Baby Boy Byers.

This will be such a great opportunity to bond with both of my older sisters and spend quality time with my niece.

I'm also so grateful to Tyson, who was happy to take Wednesday off work (he is off the rest of the week) so I could fly to Denver next Tuesday night through Saturday. What an amazing husband I have. He is so supportive and wonderful. I hope he survives 4 days in my shoes with the kiddos:)

Happy Mother's Day!!

Margaret Rose Best is my mother. I say "is" as present tense because although she is gone, she is still my mother. It's amazing to me that even now, I still learn things from her. She inspires me still with her beautiful words that she wrote before she passed in the most spiritual time of her life, the end of her mortal life. I will be going to the temple soon and I am understanding my mothers words on a totally different level. I love it. So, Happy Mother's Day mom, I know you are here with me and I can feel your love and your spirit often.

Today I reflected on motherhood along with this holiday when mothers are honored, I feel that we think about how blessed we are, I did today, and I am abundantly blessed. I am blessed with a mother-in-law who I am very close with and love unconditionally. She is a very fun person and I can call her with any kind of news and she shares my joys, my sorrows and my feelings that go along with everyday life. Happy Mother's Day Valerie.

I reflected on family and friends who are mothers that play a big role in my life. What amazing examples I have all around me of wonderful mothers and soon-to-be mothers, like my sister-in-law, Bethany, who is expecting in November. It's amazing to see her maternal instincts come about and I am just so happy for her. Happy Mother's Day to all of you lovely women who really make this world a better place and raise your children to be amazing.

I also reflected on my children and how blessed I am as a wife and a mother of these amazing human beings. One of the things I love about my kids, is that they are very strong-willed. I love how their personalities shine and how they will never back down to pressure or anything they do not believe in, that I am sure of. I love my children with a intensity that I never knew before having them, which I know all of you mothers know well and I think of my own mother who lost her battle with Cancer and how sad she was not being able to see us marry and have children. The one thing that comforts me completely is knowing that she DID see me marry and she WAS there when I had my children.

So, I hope all of you had an amazing Mother's Day and that you can reflect on your blessings and enjoy the love that comes along with motherhood. Love you all.
XoXo, K.

(I got my TASER!! :) hehe