HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can you believe it's 2011 already? It seems like the calendar just races past these days.

We got a lot done today but spent tonight at home with the kids and Grandpa and Grandma. We ordered pizza in, had cake for dessert and drank non-alcoholic bubbly together around 10 pm after watching the ball drop in New York. I mean it's New Year's somewhere then, right?! Why wait?

But the big news rolled in around midnight. Our middle daughter Sara got engaged just before midnight to a wonderful young man we absolutely adore. We are excited for both of them and really happy to gain a son! Rob, Jonathon and Dad will be glad to add a little testosterone to the house from time to time as well! They won't feel so outnumbered! (But they still will be! Lol!)

Here are a couple of photos of Sara and Stephen on Christmas morning. Again, Happy New Year everyone! We love you!

BRRRRR, NO REALLY, BRRRRRR!

It's cccccold here! It was 18 degrees when I came home awhile ago but tomorrow it's supposed to get all the way up to 2 degrees. We never did get the 8-10 inches of snow forecasters promised. Instead we got a modest 2-3 inches and a bunch of cold air!

We braved the cold air anyway and got out and did a few things today. Dad ended up having a physical therapy appointment today. They worked on his shoulder and his legs.

I took Mom to get her hair done and then Rob and I took Mom and Dad out for dinner. We ran out of time on her birthday to go out to eat. For some reason, restaurants close early on Christmas Eve. What's up with that?! Lol! So we went out this evening and had a good time.

Just noticed a really pretty floral arrangement downstairs Mom received for her birthday. It's really gorgeous! I guess I wasn't around when it got delivered and hadn't noticed it until today. I asked her who sent it and she said the Myers family. I just have to say the Myers family have excellent taste! And thanks for being so good to my parents!

Rob has tomorrow and then the weekend left and after that he has to go back to work. It's been so great to have him home the last couple of weeks. I love vacations but hate when they have to end.

Speaking of things that are ending . . . 2010 is almost over! Can you believe it? Me neither! More later . . .

AND MORNING BROUGHT . . .

Fresh rain! Yep, more mud! Couldn't believe it? I think the forecasters have taken a break from reality. Finally around 4:00 p.m. today the white stuff started falling. It's 25 degrees now so at least the mud should be frozen. Thank goodness!

Not much going on in this in-between holiday time frame. Rob is off work and we have been enjoying his time off at home. Grandpa doesn't even have his physical therapy this week due to the staff's vacation schedules. He is feeling pretty stiff, too so I think he will be glad to get back to his regular workouts even though they tire him.

Grandma continues to take care of nearly every need Grandpa's has. Everyone should have a spouse as selfless and amazing as she is!

Well, it's a slow Wednesday. No excitement here. :/

TO SNOW OR NOT TO SNOW . . .

The weather man got the whole week of Christmas wrong. He said we were supposed to have snow everyday that week. We got rain . . . so much rain we were yucked up in mud! It was nasty.

Tonight the weatherman said for the next two and a half days we will have heavy snow. Don't know whether to believe him this time or not. I'm on the side of snow at the moment. It would warm things up a bit, I think and it would get rid of the mud for the moment. Plus, I like the way it looks--especially if I don't have to drive in it. Rob is off this week so he doesn't have to drive in it either. So all the better!

I think the weatherman needs a chance to redeem himself, don't you?

Here's the Carly funny for the day. Since Julie is home from school she let us sleep in for a bit this morning and got Carly and Jon up for us. When I woke up I opened our bedroom door and called for Julie. She didn't answer at first so I called for her a couple more times. She still didn't hear me but Carly did. Carly came running toward the bedroom and then ran back toward the kitchen where Julie was and yelled:
"Julie, You listen to Mommy! You listen to her!" Yep, that's my girl! Lol!

THE PARTY'S OVER . . .

Now what to do with all the leftovers? Our fridge is bulging with leftovers. Our guests didn't eat as much as we planned on and of course, you can't freeze everything. Sure, we could eat it all, if we want to gain 20 lbs each. I mean, not only do we have what is in the fridge but the goodies in our stockings, train candy and neighbor gifts of candy, too. I mean, someone has to eat it all. I guess we just need to draw straws and see who has to go up a size or two in clothes this year! Lol!!

Oh wait, there is still New Years. Maybe we could pawn some off on some unsuspecting New Years guests! Wanna come to a party at our house? Sure you do! C'mon over and don't forget to wear your chubby pants and bring your suspenders! Can't wait to seee you! Lol!

WATCH WHAT YOU SAY! SOMEONE MAY PICK IT UP AND USE IT AGAINST YOU! LOL!

The other day our Seventeen year old was watching Carly (our nearly three year old) and she was doing something she shouldn't have been doing. Julie started scolding her and part way through the scolding Carly tuned to Julie and said: "Julie, give it a rest!"

Hmmmm. That's a case of Mommy's words coming back to bite someone else! Hee hee hee! Why is it they always pick up the things you don't want them to repeat?! LOL!

IMAGES OF OUR CHRISTMAS TOGETHER

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We had a nice birthday party for Mom today. Susan's family came up to celebrate with us. Took Mom to get her hair done in the morning, then came home and Susan's family got here and we had lunch, then cake and presents. Then everyone hung out for awhile. We probably did a ton more but we are in a present buying/wrapping coma so we will have to give you more info later!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful and blessed New Year!

MILESTONES, TRADITIONS AND STRENGTH

Some milestones in our lives are happy ones, some not. They all mark an important event or passage. Today we celebrated my Mom's birthday on Christmas Eve as we always have. While that is a milestone or a marker of sorts, it's not the one I'm referring to. Grandma's birthday is one of those happy markers you are grateful to come across, be reminded of and celebrate. Some milestones you reach are not as pleasant or peace-filled.

We have had a tradition in our family ever since I was a young girl that on Christmas Eve our Dad would read Twas The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore to us girls. It continued even when we left home got married and had kids. He has always read it to us. When we lived thousands of miles away he simply called each of us and our families would gather around the phone and listen to Grandpa.

A couple of our families were together today celebrating Grandma's birthday and before my sister and her family went home, I asked my Dad if he had the book with him that had the poem in it. He just looked at me and said, "I can't." Now you have to know my Dad (and most of you do), he doesn't say "I can't. I thought he was kidding around. I went back and forth with him a little about it but he said he could not make himself heard. I said "But you had voice lessons--You can! It was to no avail. When my mom came up and I told her she thought he was kidding around, too. She tried and got the same response.

When we realized he really didn't feel his voice would make it, I sat down and cried. It was a milestone in my life and his. It wasn't just a tradition lost to our family. It is my children's generation not getting to know their Grandpa in this way. It is my Dad going through one more loss--being able to control one less thing in his life--the level of his voice when he wants to. Yes, I felt sorry for my Dad and my kids and myself for a few minutes and mourned the loss of precious years of tradition with my Dad.

A few hours later my sister Sarah texted me and asked if Dad was calling soon to read the story. I picked up my phone and called her to tell her what was going on. She was sad too. She said they had been sitting around waiting for his call. We talked for a couple of minutes and then hung up. About twenty minutes later something almost effervescent happened. I got another text from my sister Sarah. It simply said: "I just called Dad and Mom and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas to Them." I wept again--this time with a very full heart for a sister who had the grace to turn the situation around and bless my Dad with the same gift he has given us for years.

I hate Parkinson's disease. It robbed my grandfather and now my father of so much of themselves and caused them both such pain and discomfort. My Dad has been through a lot in his life but all that he has gone through has made him a stronger, better, more capable and honorable person.

Thanks Dad, for your example of strength and honor and the milestones and traditions you've provided along the way. I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU!

It's just after 2 a.m. and I just came home from Walmart. Yippee! I am officially done with my shopping! Now, will someone remind me not to leave this till the last minute next year? This rushing at the end is no fun. I really don't mind the shopping so much but getting everything wrapped and delivered is the hard part, especially the ones you have to send by mail.

If things keep going like they have been the last couple of days, Santa is going to need his jetski not his sleigh to deliver presents here. They forecast snow for all week but delivered rain. Then of all things this afternoon a huge wave of fog rolled in. It's pretty nasty driving out there. I wouldn't want to be traveling far.

We are all excited about Grandma's birthday tomorrow. She is going to be 29 again! She looks fabulous. So much better than the first time she was 29! I mean, she didn't really have any experience being 29 the first time she did it. Now, she is terrific at it! (Me too!) Lol!

I have the best Mom! She is always there for her kids and for my Dad and always has been. We are so blessed to have her in our lives. We love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

If you get the chance, give her a call or send her a note on email or Facebook. I know she'd love to hear from you. Merry Christmas Eve!

LATE NIGHT!

It's almost three a.m. and it's officially the twenty-third of December. Rob, me and his brother Steve have been shopping, wrapping and cleaning (I've been doing the latter--cleaning carpets.) We are crazy people! We know! But for some reason we all just got going and didn't stop! Hopefully, this will allow us to have a good night's sleep tomorrow night though. Maybe we won't be wrapping until midnight.

I did finally get to the post office to mail some things today. Lol! I waited so long I outwaited the lines. Seriously, there were only four cars in the parking lot when I got there and I think two of them were employees. I couldn't believe it!

I think maybe Grandma and Grandpa have turned off the lights in their Christmas card factory. They've been up and running all month but the lights dimmed this afternoon and I think the last batch went out around four today. I think they let the elves go home early, too. Lol!

All the snow we were supposed to get this week turned into rain and the ground turned to mud. Ick! Hopefully, Santa will bring some of the white stuff with him when he comes. Well, gotta get this girl to bed. Night all.

ARE WE THERE YET?

We wore the kids out so much last night they slept until after nine this morning. Hmmm. Now how can we do that again? And again? And again? Lol?

Speaking of worn out, they worked Grandpa pretty hard at therapy today and he is really tired tonight. I do believe he is making progress though. He is in pretty good humor too lately. I think he is feeling better. :)

Grandma's birthday is on Friday. Yep, she is a Christmas Eve baby. She's the first baby my Grandma (her Mom)had in a hospital and Grandma had to stay there with her over Christmas. I guess my Grandma cried something awful to have to be away from the rest of her kids and my Grandpa on Christmas. My mom is the youngest of five kids so her mom had four kids at home she was worrying about. (I'm sure my Auntie Kaye was the one she was most concerned about at home being that she was the next youngest and only five. You know what kind of trouble those five year olds can get themselves into. Lol! :P)

Anyway, we are looking forward to celebrating with my Mom! We are so glad to have her here with us. No more long distance parties or calls! Yay! We have the best Mom ever!

Well, I only shopped for a couple of hours tonight and probably only have a couple more stores to hit. The worst thing is I haven't wrapped a single thing! Yikes! This is when you need to put in a good movie trilogy and lock yourself in a room with wrapping paper, tape and scissors! Sure hope you are ahead of me!

BTW, Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus . . .

TRAINS, LIGHTS, CHRISTMAS!

Tonight Rob and I and the girls and Rob's brother Steve his kids decided to take the train into SLC to see the lights at Temple square. Carly had never been on a train before and was quite excited. It was really the first time she'd ever seen Christmas lights that she can remember either. She loved them! We had to leave Jonathon at home with Grandma and Grandpa because of his breathing difficulties. Anyway, we all had a great time but we were bushed by the time we got back!

I called mom on the way home to see how she was doing with Jonathon. She had put him in bed by that time but said she didn't know who was more worn out--them or Jonathon! I was afraid of that! He may only be 16 months old but he has entered the "Terribles!" He is into everything--and catching him these days--well, let's just say you'd better have your running shoes on! Poor Grandma!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Steve, Kaden and Keelie


Julie, Nancy, Carly, Rob and Megan


(I will repost these pics later if they come out too small. They are the only versions working right now.)

CARLY HUGS SANTA

Isn't this sweet. It was kind of unbelievable. I was pretty sure she would be good until we got close to him and then have a meltdown. But she was really good all all the way through and even talked to him and gave him a hug! See, I have proof! Lol!



We just got through having a little Family Home Evening with the kids to help them understand the real meaning of Christmas. Santa is all nice and fine and he's a pretty jolly old fellow but we want them to know the Savior is real and in their lives. We want them to know He was born and that He Lived and Died for them and that their is still Hope in the world today.

We wish all of you the Peace, Hope and True Spirit of Christmas in your lives all year long--and a little bit of Santa Claus too! Love ya, Nancy and family

MOMMY, IT'S SANTA!

True enough we woke up to about two inches of snow this morning. It was beautiful, too and it wasn't really bad to get around in. It drizzled rain most of the morning and the snow all melted it the streets. We still have some on the ground though and are expecting more of it tonight.

We shopped till we dropped today(almost literally.) Luckily, I think we are finished and just in the St. Nick of time! Now for a few days of wrapping! What were we thinking??! Lol!

We took Carly to see Santa Claus today. I didn't know whether she would sit on his lap or not. We had to stand in line for about 25 minutes and she seemed pretty positive about it the whole time. She told me she wanted to ask him for candy! (Only my kid!) In fact, the only time she seemed to get upset was when I wouldn't let her cut ahead of the families in front of us.

Finally, it got to be her turn. We walked hand in hand toward Santa. She was nervous but she put one foot in front of the other. I lifted her onto his lap and she sat there and quietly answered a couple of questions and then posed for a photo. We really had to coax her to smile for the photographer but she did. Then after he took the shot Santa asked her if he could have a hug and she leaned in and gave him a hug. It was so cute I asked the photographer really quick to snap that one and he did. That's the photo we got! So cute!

I will have to post the photo tomorrow since I haven't had a chance to scan it yet and it's late. Hope you are all done with your shopping! Hee Hee Hee!

HO, HO, HO--THE SKY SAYS SNOW!!

So glad Rob and I hit the shopping lists again today because the weather forcast for the weekend is not looking so hot! In fact, it says more cold and storms are on their way! But that's okay with me. I mean it's that time of the year, right. I mean, how will Santa get in here with his sleigh if he doesn't have enough snow? I mean you have to look on the positive side of things, don't you?!

We are very close now to finishing our shopping. Yay! That would be such a great statement if I didn't have things to mail! Yep, there will be some friends enjoying their AFTER CHRISTMAS GIFTS from us! Darn. I'm just not as jolly and quick with a baby and a toddler on my heels! Hopefully, they won't mind stretching the holiday's out a few days! (Ya Gotta love me!)

Don't have much else to add to this. Grandpa had a good session with the PT people today. He's doing well and making progress. Yay!

I think I've told you before that we had to turn the lock on Carly's bedroom door around to keep her from wandering or even leaving the house when she wakes up early.
When I say turn it around I mean put it on the outside of her door because sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night or very, very early in the morning and if we didn't lock it she would just leave her room and do whatever she likes! (We speak from experience. Gah!) Keep in mind, she's not even three yet! Mmmmm hmmmm!

So, a couple of days ago when I got her up she said "Mommy, I couldn't open my door. It was too locked!" Kids do indeed say the darndest things! By the way, I'm in love with my little girl!! Night all. :p

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS

Rob and I started our Christmas shopping this afternoon and we stayed with it until almost ten o'clock tonight! Go ahead laugh it up! You know you still have things to get! Wow, you already got the stocking stuffers, too?! You really are organized. Gee, not us! We have a ton more to do!

Really, it's pretty bad to be starting as late as we are. We've just had so much going on it's been near impossible to get to it until now. Well, we paid for it today and we are not through yet!

It's neat to have Carly so aware of and excited about Christmas this year. She loves the Christmas tree and Santa Claus and asks daily if she can open presents even though there aren't any under the tree yet! Lol! Mostly we are excited because she is at an age where we can share the true meaning of Christmas with her and she can begin to understand there is much more to this holiday than glitter and packages.

We're excited to see Jonathon's reaction as well. This is the first year he will really be old enough to have a reaction even though he won't understand what's happening. That will be fun for us.

Well, better rest up for another run at it tomorrow. Gonna be brutal! Lol!

GRANDPA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER!

O.K. not really, he just feels like he did. For some reason he is just unusually stiff. We think it was all the sitting he did on the long ride to and from Arizona. Plus, he is still pretty worn out from the trip as well. So, he's kind of in a Catch 22. He needs to get up and move around, ride his exercise bike and do his exercises to work out the stiffness but he's almost to wornout to do much of anything. He did them the whole time on the trip. He's just a bit more wasted now that he's home.
Hopefully, with another day or two of rest he will feel like getting up and moving around more.

Hey, maybe we can get Santa to bring him another energy pack. Only we will have him FedEX it--don't want to take any chances with those reindeer, you know! :]

MIRALAX ANYONE?

Dad is campaigning to be the new poster child for Miralax! In case you haven't heard of it, Miralax is the new mover of all things manure like. Okay, I'll just say it. Forget the fiber, Miralax will make you poop!

I warned my Dad three times today that if he didn't stop torturing the nurse with his Miracle Miralax poop stories I was going to blog about it. Well, I guess you can tell how well he listened to me. Seriously, there is something wrong in the jeans of my Dad's family going way back and it's either pebbles or logjams. If you do get things moving, for Heaven's sake get out of the way!! I mean, in this family you go once every week or two whether you need it or not. It's like saving up for a Vay-cation!

So in my Dad's seventy-something year he has come across the gold at the end of the rainbow and he is telling everyone he meets about it. Okay, well maybe just his health care providers. The more this little nurse blushed the more my Dad kept talking. She was nearly on the floor holding her gut snickering and still trying to type his answers into his record. Good thing I was there to counter him or they might have locked him up.

It's true what they say. When you get older, you can say anything and get away with it. I know that nurse (her name was Jenny) is telling everyone she sees about this crazy guy she saw today that was full of crap! Lol!

BUNCH O' LAZY BUMS!

Today has been a very low key day. All of us are exhausted so we have accomplished nothing besides resting, eating and resting some more. Grandma and Grandpa are especially worn out. Emphasis on Grandpa. It was a lot for him to do such a long trip after his recent surgery but he insisted on going with us. Hopefully a few days of some serious R & R will do the trick.

It is good to be back home. So, glad we didn't drive back to snowy, messy weather. Sarah and her family got home safely as well. Nothing much other than that to report today.

Now we have got to get going on Christmas for these little ones! :P

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

After almost 1,700 miles worth of driving we are home again! Yay! It is so nice to be home. It was a very long and WORTHWHILE trip! We will are all exhausted but so grateful Sarah does not have that nasty disease to deal with.

Sarah's husband and teenage son came to pick her up at our house about an hour after we got back and it was 2 1/2 hours of driving to get back to their home. I'm sure it will be awhile until any of us want to do a road trip again.

Dad did good on the trip. He is just stiff from sitting for so long. We did have him get out and walk around whenever we stopped but it was still a long way to sit in a van. He was really good about doing his exercises on the trip even going to the workout room and riding the bicycle in our hotel.

We were really lucky on our way back not to run into any bad weather. It was a little chilly but other than that it was sunny and fairly clear.

My babies were very glad to see me. Well, they were glad to see their Grandma and Grandpa too but it was especially fun to have them get excited to see their Mama.

All in all this trip turned out to be such a blessing. Thanks for sharing it with us. We love you. :)

OH HAPPY DAY! OH HAPPY DAY!

Wow, waking up this morning and realizing it wasn't all a dream made it all the better news to us that Sarah does not have Scleroderma or any other autoimmune disease for that matter. There are moments when we think we might want to strangle the rheumatologist who made the wrong diagnosis for all the months of worry and distress he put her and the rest of us through. Then we realize the relief we feel that she isn't really sick FAR outweighs and upset we have at the false diagnois! (Lucky doctor!)

Sarah is in for her last test right now. It is about ten minutes after one p.m. here on Friday. She is having an EGD or basically a scope of the Esophogus and stomach if I understand it correctly. I've had one before but I was put under for it so I'm not sure what all they look at. Anyway, as soon as she is done with that test we will take off for home. We are all checked out of our hotel and loaded. I think we are anxious enough to get home that we may try to drive straight through. That's why I am posting tomorrow's page a little early as I will not have access to the Internet on our drive.

This trip has actually been a lot of fun for all of us, I think. (Well, maybe not as much for Sarah.) We have gotten to spend a lot of time with each other just joking around and playing like we haven't in years. Just Mom, Dad and kids. All the inside jokes, teasing and fun like we used to do to each other before we all left home. Fun stuff.

Dad has been a good sport considering he does not have the mobility he would like. That has made the trip longer and probably more painful for him because of all the sitting involved. But he is doing great and we are going home much happier and more peaceful than when we started this trip.

Thanks for all your love, prayers and support. Thanks to the Mayo Clinic and their staff and especially thanks to our Father in Heaven. :)

WE GOT OUR MIRACLE!!!

Just came back from Sarah's final conference with her Mayo Dr.'s and their finding was that she DOES NOT HAVE SCLERODERMA! Nor does she have any other type of autoimmune disease, i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc. We are so happy and excited!! We are doing the dance of joy all over the hotel. (People are looking at us kind of funny but we don't care. Lol!) The last little while has just been so scary and worrisome. It is nice to have this huge weight off our shoulders. I'm sure it's especially nice for Sarah!

We are so grateful to our Father in Heaven who watches over us and answers our prayers! Well, just wanted to share this quick note with you as soon as I could. Can't keep the smiles off our faces today--so don't even try! LOL! :}

TESTING 1, 2, 3 . . . 15, 16, 17 . . .

Poke, prod, plow . . . Sarah is being such a good sport. It is seriously one test after another. I really am not sure what number we are on but she has had a lot of tests with more coming tomorrow and now, possibly on Friday. We were supposed to be done tomorrow. In fact, our closing consultation with our Mayo team is tomorrow afternoon but there is one test she supposedly really needs they have not been able to schedule yet. She is on a waiting list for that test and apparently it is a distasteful enough test that people often cancel it. So, we are going to stay an extra day to see if there is an opening so she can have that test.

We had a hopeful consultation with a gastroenterologist today who couldn't find much reason to suspect that Sarah had Scleroderma either. He was quick to caution us that she could still have it even though she didn't have a lot of symptoms showing but he did say if she did have it, she definitely had a mild case. We like the "misdiagnosis" diagnosis best but if that fails we will take the "mild case" diagnosis.

We have to be up really early to have Sarah over there for a procedure so I won't make this long. I will keep you posted on any news we get.

A funny aside. Last night about 2 a.m. Dad woke up, and proceeded to wake everyone else up for no apparent reason. I don't think ge was fully awake when he started talking. Mom was rather annoyed. Anyway, when he realized he'd woken everyone up and that he was in a little bit of trouble he went into this "Walton's Mountain Goodnight John-boy routine". We couldn't help but join in and laugh. It was pretty darn funny and went on for several minutes until all of us were laughing hard. Good idea Dad, when all else fails; go for humor! Lol! :)

MORE MAYO PLEASE

Sarah and I were up bright and early this morning. She had a 7:30 a.m. test at the Clinic. That was done around 8:30 a.m. and we were hopeful they had been able to pull a rabbit out of a hat and schedule some of the tests she still needed for the rest of the day. No luck! The rest of our day ended up being free. So, we came back to the hotel and got a few things done here and then a couple of us took naps. (That would be Dad and me.) Sarah and Mom read and worked on their computers.

Sarah was able to get ahold of one of the P.A.'s on her team and found out they are still trying to get a couple of the tests they really need scheduled for her. But the P.A let her know (once again) that it is near impossible. She has asked the doctor to intervene and is hoping he can pull some strings. Please say a prayer for us that she will be able to get the tests she needs. We need all the help we can get at this point.

Tonight we got out and had a nice dinner together. It was good to get out and kind of relax and not over-think things. Dad is doing well. He is catching up on his exercises and even on his rest! Mom is holding everything together like she always does.

Well, tomorrow -- more Mayo. Hopefully, they will get Sarah into the tests she needs and there will be lots more Mayo! More later. N.

THE MAYO

DAY ONE

Our first day at the Mayo Clinic proved interesting. Sarah has her own team of Dr.'s managing her case. We spent the morning in registration and a case conference which really was kind of a tag team effort to talk to Sarah and ask her detailed medical questions and evaluate her physically. They also went over her medical records and family medical history. They then sent us to scheduling who gave us a list of tests Sarah had been scheduled for and we headed to today's appointments.

So far I have to say it is not a perfect system. They scheduled her to be here from Dec. 6 to 9. Yet the tests on her schedule had dates as far out as Dec. 15 and 20th. When we mentioned that, their first response was "Can you stay for those?" Oh, yah sure! Why not? None of us have lives or children, families or jobs? And it's not like it's almost Christmas or anything. Oh, and it's not like we are living out of a hotel either?!?! GET REAL PEOPLE! HONESTLY!

When we told them we couldn't stay that long they ended up just canceling those tests because they couldn't get them rescheduled the week we are here. The area's are supposedly too busy. Hmmmm. Frustrating. Seems to me like someone needs to do something about their test scheduling problem. It's ridiculous. One of my daughter's had a friend who came down here for two weeks and ended up not coming home for three months for just this reason. I know because Megan was going to send a package with us for her and found out the day before we were leaving to come that they had finished her tests and let her go home that day. Craziness! I guess Sarah will have to get those tests done at home and send the results back to them. Geez.

Sarah has already had six tests and she hasn't been to one area where they have seemed rushed or had lots of people waiting for tests. They just seem to have so many slots and when they are full they are completely inflexible. Sounds to me like they have an "A" personality without any organizational skills in charge of scheduling.

At any rate, we really liked our doctor team and they seem to know what they are doing. We are still hoping against hope and praying hard that she had a false positive on the Scleroderma blood test. Apparently, it is possible and it is the only thing really pointing to this diagnosis. She has no other signs of it. They checked her skin and a lot of other possible markers.

They are repeating the blood test and some other tests that were done along with some new ones. So, now the waiting game begins. Well, kind of. In the meantime, we are still showing up for more tests each day. We have tests schedule each day this week thru Thurs. morning and then Thursday afternoon we have our final conference with them. Unless, of course, something changes.

I will definitely keep you posted--especially if I need to vent about something dumb!

Also, Dad is hanging in there. He is pretty darn tired. We had him stay in the hotel room today. Well, he volunteered. We did choose to change hotels today so he got out for a bit. Other than that, he has been hanging out at the hotel. He still has only one really strong limb he can count on so the wheelchair is his best friend at the moment. He does use the walker from time to time but as tired as he is from traveling we have used the wheelchair more the last few days.

Mom is doing okay. She is a rock but we worry about her. Sarah and I are going over by ourselves for her early appointment tomorrow so she can sleep in. Well, that's the news of the day. More later, N.

EVERYONE'S A COMEDIAN!

Oh my! We are a laugh riot. No kidding. Mom, Dad and I had already been letting the jokes and funny old stories fly. But once we picked Sarah up at the airport today in Phoenix things really got going. We went from smart alec comments to puns and plain old dumb humor. From there we moved to inside jokes and on to funny family stories--you know the "gotcha" kind only your family can use against you! Lol!

In our family, between the stories Dad tells of his childhood and Sarah's stories of when she worked in a nursing home after high school they can keep us laughing for quite some time. Let me give you a for instance from the latter:

This is just one thing that happened to Sarah--and it's not even one she brought up today. I remember it from the day it happened when she came home after work and told us. She had an older female patient whose hands were crippled by a stroke. The woman rang her buzzer for assistance and Sarah responded to see what she needed. The woman said "My nose itches. Will you scratch it?" Sarah said, "Sure" and proceeded to lightly scratch the woman's nose when all of the sudden the woman got a little annoyed and said, "NO, not there! Scratch it on the inside!!" Gah!!Ewwww!! Ick! Oh My!

I think we laughed more in the car today than we have in a long time. Plus, we really enjoyed being together. This is a trip we won't soon forget. It's got all the right elements - Love, laughter, people you care deeply about (family) and just enough pain to keep you present so you truly appreciate every moment of it. (Yes Dad, you can count your numb bum as part of that pain. Lol!) Love you! N. :)

ROAD TRIP UPDATE

The first leg of our road trip today took me back to my childhood in a funny sort of way. Car chatter. So funny.

All those questions: "Are we there yet?, Where are we now?, How much farther?, How many more miles?." All the complaints and whining: "I don't have enough room., I'm hungry-when are we going to stop?, Can I lay down?, I have to potty!, I want to sit in the front--No, I want to sit in the front!" And that was just Dad and Mom --I mean I was driving. I sure hope they settle down tomorrow. Talk about role reversal!

I'M KIDDING! TOTALLY KIDDING!! LOL!!!

Actually, we are having fun together. We made great time today. Dad did pretty well, even though, we know it's probably not very comfortable for him to ride this long so soon after surgery. We did have him get out and stand or walk every time we stopped though. I think that helped some. He's doing his exercises as I write.

We only have 2 hours to go tomorrow to pick Sarah up at the airport and then head to our hotel across the city. More later. :)

ROAD TRIP!

Arizona here we come . . .

Dad, Mom and I are taking off this morning (Sat.) for AZ to meet my baby sister at the Mayo Clinic. Rob and the girls are holding down the fort at home. (I'd like to be a fly on the wall.) I'm afraid Jon and Carly are going to give them a run for their money! I am going to miss them all so much! I've never left like this for a week.

Anyway, Sarah is having some tests. There is a chance she has Scleroderma and we want the Mayo Clinic to check it out. Please add Sarah to your prayer list. We are hoping and praying it is something much simpler that can be healed with treatment--or nothing at all. Also, pray that we will have a safe trip. Love to you all. N.

MY BEAUTIFUL SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD

Well, she went and did it. She turned 17 anyway, even though I told her not too. Teenagers! What are you gonna do with them! Gah!

Seriously though, Julie is one of the best teenagers around. She is so helpful, kind and loving. I am so blessed to be her mom. She is beautiful on the inside and the outside and I just want to show her off. I love you Julie! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

SORE GRANDPA, HAPPY JULIE, SAD MOM

Grandpa went to physical therapy today and came home really sore and worn out. Luckily he only has it three days a week. I think that is so he will have a couple of days to recover in between.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is a Huge Day. One of my baby girls is turning 17. Yep, my little Julie is actually not so little anymore. I am trying to wrap my brain around it but it is proving kind of hard. Seems like only yesterday . . . Yah, well anyway. I don't like to go there. It makes me kind of sad. But, this is a Happy occasion. Julie is excited to be turning 17 and she really is a great kid! So, Happy Birthday Julie. I love you! Mom

SO TODAY . . .

I had told Carly to stop doing something for the one hundred and forty-umpteenth time and I said to her "How many times do I have to tell you this?" She didn't even skip a beat. She said, "Three, four, five, six times!"

It's probably a good thing that just when you are the most frustrated with your little ones--they make you giggle. :}

DAD GETS AN A+

Grandpa went to his physical therapy this morning and continues to attack it. They think he is working really hard--harder than most of the people they work with who are younger and stronger than he is. After he finished there we went to his appointment with his surgeon for a checkup. The surgeon thinks Dad is doing marvelous. He is surprised by how little pain Dad is having and thinks if he is doing this well at this point that he will be doing fabulous in a couple of months when he gets through his physical therapy. We sure hope so!

GRANDPA UPDATE

Grandpa is doing really well. His recovery so far has been flawless. Knock on wood with me, won't you?! He is going to outpatient physical therapy three times a week now at the rehab center where he stayed. He has an appt. tomorrow (Monday) morning and then in the afternoon he has a checkup with his surgeon to see how he is responding to the new shoulder.

Unfortunately, we have been hit with a really heavy snowstorm that's been falling for the past three days. I'm hoping they will have the roads cleared pretty well by noon tomorrow. It is supposed to continue snowing lightly through about 11:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. His appt. with the surgeon is about an hour from here and is just after 2:00 p.m.. His rehab appt. is about five miles away and is around 10:00 in the morning. Just hoping we don't have any travel problems. Keep us in your prayers and I will update you as soon as we return. Take care, N.

COMPUTER ENHANCED FUNNIES

My niece Riana came over and treated Carly to a little computer fun. She has a program where she can add things to faces, change shapes and sizes and do all kinds of funny things. Riana delighted Carly for almost an hour helping her make funny pictures of the two of them. Here's a few of the more normal ones they came up with.

A BOY'S BEST FRIEND

We have the nicest dogs. Tashie (short for Natasha)is so patient with the kids. She lets them sit on her back, ride her, jump on her--just about whatever they want to do and never gets agressive with them. In fact, we are constantly protecting the animals from the children! Lol!

Jonathon loves Tashie and loves to just sit by her or on her. Tashie honestly doesn't seem to mind at all.


The only thing Jonathon is missing here is a pair of chaps and his cowboy hat! Hey, it's not like cowboys actually ride cows, you know! It works! Lol!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I am incredibly grateful for all the blessings I have; for my wonderful parents and sisters; and my absolutely amazing husband and children. I have the most wonderful family, friends and life! The Lord has been so good to me and I am so grateful.

We had a really nice Thanksgiving Day. My sister Susan and her family came for dinner. Sarah's family stayed home in Idaho this year but we will be with Sarah next week. It was fun to have most of the family here with Grandma and Grandpa. One of my nieces on Rob's side stopped by later after dinner to play. It was a good day all around.

Grandpa is making progress every day. He had a good day today. I think the turkey and pumpkin pie helped! Hee hee! So much to be thankful for! Hope it's the same way at your house! Take care, Nancy

CARLY GOT HER HAIR DONE!

Carly was so excited to get her hair braided. It's the first time she's had someone put braids in her hair and it took 3.5 hours. She did really well, though. I couldn't believe how quietly she sat for most of the time. She never does that for us!

The first picture is of her with her hair only halfway done. The second is of her and Dibabe (Dee-bobby) the girl who braided her hair. Doesn't she look adorable?! Plus, she really likes it--which makes it all worth it! Yay!

Well, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you have a terrific day!

THAR SHE BLOWS

Wow, out of the blue we got hit with a blizzard tonight. I say out of the blue but then maybe I just wasn't paying attention to the weather reports. Seems like it came out of nowhere. And when I say blizzard, I do mean blizzard! We had winds of up to 55 miles per hour tonight with the heavy snow. Luckily, we had done all our Thanksgiving food shopping and stocked up on what we needed otherwise. Rob had just come in from work when it started, too. So, we all just holed up in here and I made a big pot of broccoli, cheese and chicken soup along with hot rolls. It was yummy. Grandpa even came upstairs to eat with us.

We all stayed in tonight so don't know just how bad it is on the roads now. It's after midnight now. They closed everything early here today and have closed schools and all the universities tomorrow. They even cancelled surgeries at the hospitals. It's been a long time since we've had one like this. Takes me back to the Blizzard of '78 in Indiana. I'm just glad to be indoors and hope everyone who is outdoors stays safe.

Take care everyone and Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

A SHORT GRANDPA UPDATE

Grandpa is doing his exercises everyday. So far he is working on his own with Grandma. We haven't figured out the home PT thing yet. He is doing really well, though. My personal opinion is that he is even better since coming home. I just think there is something about being in the hospital or any type of facility that kind of messes with your system. Grandpa is up and doing things more, talking to people on the phone and working in his office whereas at the rehab center if he wasn't doing PT he was usually sleeping. He just seems more put together now. Of course, part of that is time but I think a good deal of it is psyche as well.

He sure enjoys talking to his friends in Indiana. Don't hesitate to call if you get the itch. That's the best medicine he has!

MY BUCKET BOY

Jonathon was busy vacuuming the floor with Carly's pink vacuum last night and brushing his teeth (yes, at the same time) when he discovered this big black bucket. Next thing I knew he'd put the vacuum down, climbed in the bucket with his toothbrush and made himself comfortable. That's my funny little guy!

We had filled that bucket with Halloween candy and had it in Grandpa's room at the hospital and rehab center for the nursing staff. Now that Grandpa's home and the bucket is empty I've seen it on Carly's head and Jonathon's seat! Wonder where I'll find it next? Probably don't want to think too hard about that one! Lol!

By the way, Grandpa is making progress. He came upstairs for dinner tonight. He is looking good and seems to be feeling pretty well. He likes to hear from all of you so if you're inclined to call, please do. He still has lots of physical therapy ahead but he is working hard at it. More later.

JULIE, THE GREAT ORATOR

Julie, my 16 year old, won a third place trophy today at her multi-school debate tournament in oratory. I am so proud of her. It's only the third tournament she's done oratory in!

One of my friends pointed out that even though she may not have done many tournaments she is a teenager and as such has been practicing debate at home for quite some time! (So true! Lol!)

Well, Grandpa did make it home today and is doing really well! We are so glad to have him here. The kids were very happy to see him and it didn't take long until they were crawling all over him! He's up to phone calls if you want to check in!

SICK, SICK, SICK!

Today was full of sick kids and tired parents. Carly and Jonathon both have bad colds and are running fevers of 100 or more. So, it's been a busy, long day keeping them well and happy.

Grandpa will be released from the rehab center tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning. Mom and I are going to bring him home. Of course, I should actually say that Grandpa and Grandma both get released because Grandma has spent almost as much time there as he has. She just hasn't had to do the therapy!

Well, off to bed for this tired Mommy!

GET THE LADDER BOYS; WE'VE GOT A CLIMBER!

Unfortunately I'm about to start having nightmares of the fire department, long ladders and those words in my future. I told you about Jonathon climbing on top of his and Carly's cute little table. Yah, well that was funny, sweet, cute and all but this morning I left him and Carly in her bedroom just long enough to go to the kitchen to grab a bottle. When I got back--oh, thirty seconds later, Jonathon was on top of her dresser reaching for a picture that is hanging pretty high on her wall. I about fell over. Of course, there was no time for me to do that since I had to grab him and keep him from falling off the dresser.

Sure enough my little, almost 15 month old had crawled onto his sister's tiny toddler bed and up on the side rails and hefted himself up onto the dresser top. He is a strong little booger that one. Don't know what I'm gonna do with him. And I thought I had to watch Carly every second!

I'm starting to understand why my grandmother tied my father to a tree with a very short rope when he was a little boy. (But then, those of you who know him already get that, don't you? Lol!) Well, this is his namesake and he is gonna be a whole lot like him! Think I'm in big trouble! Now where is that rope? Just kidding. Lol! :)

GRANDPA UPDATE

Looks like Grandpa will be coming home on Saturday. The physical therapists who have been working with him say he is doing really, really well! They also say he is a really hard worker. I'm sure he is probably their hardest worker but that probably explains why he needs so many naps the rest of the day. :)

JONATHON'S FIRST SENTENCE

Wouldn't you know Jonathon got in trouble this morning and it turned into his first sentence. We have this really cute, colorful table and chair set that is made for toddlers. It looks like it came out of the Crayola factory. Carly and Jonathon just love it. It's little--like them but still kind of big to do what he's doing with it.

Jonathon has taken to climbing on one of the chairs and standing up. Then from there he moves to the top of the table, stands up and throws his arms up in the air like he's conquered it--kind of a KING KONG or rather King JON thing! Anyway, we are constantly pulling him off of either the chair or table, telling him "NO!", blocking him from the table. You name it we've tried it. He is just so quick. He gets up there before we know it!

So, I turn around this morning and he's standing on the chair (which I've taken him off of ten times already) getting ready to move to the table. Really loudly I said, "GET DOWN!" Startled, he immediately sat down in the chair and then said, "Get Down! Get get, down, down. My mom was in the room with me and it was all we could do not to bust up laughing at him!

It hadn't even occurred to me that he'd said his first sentence until Mom pointed it out. But hey, two words count. Ask your English teacher. Lol!

SEVENTEEN DAYS . . .

Julie has started her countdown. She looked at me on her way to bed tonight and said, "Seventeen days, Mom." It only took me a second to catch on. Of course, she could only mean one thing--her birthday. It's a countdown she puts us through every year.

Last year was particularly painful as the countdown began because I was conjuring up all kinds of frightening thoughts of what lay ahead for the year, i.e. teenage driver, first dates, boyfriends. Talk about lions and tigers and bears! Well, we made it through the first date, driver's ed and some on the road driving (though we don't have our license yet but that's another blog), and thankfully she is a really good hearted, wonderfully behaved teenager who hasn't come home with a whole slew of boys just yet!

So anyway, after she announced there were just seventeen shopping days left until her birthday, I tried to strike a deal with her. I suggested we just skip her becoming seventeen altogether and stick with sixteen since it worked out so well for both of us. I mean why screw it up when it's working? She wasn't interested. Not even a little bit. Geez, go figure? Kids these days!

OUR WEEKEND

Jonathon and I went to visit Grandpa tonight. Grandpa was snoozing when we got there. He was really tired from all the physical therapy he's been doing. Jonathon got up and gave him a big hug and kiss to wake him up. It was more like jumping up and down on his bed but either way he woke him up! Ha! Grandpa was pretty glad to see him. He has another week of PT before he comes home and then I imagine he will have some home physical therapy as well. He is doing good, though.

Our daughter Sara and her boyfriend went back to Cedar City tonight. It was really nice to have them here for the weekend. We really love this young man she is dating. His name is Stephen and he is so good to her. She is really happy, too.

Rob got called out tonight for work so I am waiting up for him to get home. The little ones are down, so is the teenager so it's nice to have a few private moments all to myself. Yay! Ah, but I hear those dishes calling my name. Darn! Well, I will leave you with a picture of Jonathon enjoying one of his new found pleasures--the powdered donut! Yum!

SHORT UPDATE

Today seemed like a really long day. Carly was really excited about having her big sister in town and couldn't quite settle down. Even though Sara was out running errands Carly couldn't quite get into her nap. She usually naps for 2-3 hours and she was really tired but every time she heard a sound she was sure it was Sara coming back so she would get out of bed and want to get up. I put her back down for her nap 3 different times before she actually went to sleep. Gah!

I'm really glad she loves her sisters as much as she does but Carly without a nap is like a month without sunshine. Actually, it's more like a month of hail storms. She is one cranky girl when she is tired!

Went to visit Grandpa tonight. He is in good spirits, though he is really, really tuckered out. They started him on a new regimine of physical therapy and even though it is helping it does wear him out. I'm pretty sure he will be at the rehab center for at least another week but I will keep you posted as we find out more.

SARA'S HOME

Sara came home tonight. She brought her boyfriend Stephen with her and they are here for the weekend. We are late night talking or this would be longer. Carly was sure glad to see her! She has been asking for weeks if Sara could come over and play. Lol!

THE SURGEON'S REPORT

Mom and I took Dad (Grandpa) to the shoulder surgeon today for his check-up. The Doc thought Dad was doing really great. He got the staples taken out of his shoulder (ick!) And, Grandpa didn't even wince once! Say that five times fast!

The doctor sent us back with some new protocol for Dad's physical therapy. He will most likely be at the Rehab Center for a couple more weeks. He is making progress with his movement--so all is well!

A SHORT UPDATE ON GRANDPA

Grandpa is doing a little better each day. He is sore from the surgery and from physical therapy but he is gaining movement. The pain he is having is also a different pain than what he was having before the surgery. The surgeon told him in the hospital that once he stopped feeling worse he would start feeling better. Lol! So, hopefully that time will come soon.

Grandpa has his first check-up with his surgeon tomorrow (Tuesday). We will be excited to see how the surgeon thinks he is doing. I will put up a note tomorrow telling you how it went.

If you are trying to reach my Dad and are having trouble getting through on his cell phone try calling the rehab center. The number there is 801-614-5700. He is in room 13. He loves to hear from you! Take care.

BREATHE BABY, BREATHE

So, the weather is starting to change here. It's been getting colder for a week or two and we have snow in the mountains now. We are supposed to get some snow on the ground later this week. Unfortunately, Jonathon's breathing is starting to get rough again. The doc said this could happen again this year since he is still so young. We were so hoping he would have a winter free of illness. He still has to have one breathing treatment a day, but when his breathing is this rough we usually end up giving him 2 or more.

I really don't want to have him get sick like he did last year so I am being pre-emptive.
I kept him home from church today. I'm not letting him go to any classes with other little kids where he could catch their germs. I decided not to pull Carly out yet because she loves her class so much. But if she comes home sick at all I will pull her too. I can't have her bringing home illnesses. It's just a frightening thing to have a baby who can't breathe well and have to put him in the hospital. I don't want to have that happen again. It's a bad memory.

Hopefully, we can enjoy the snow from our windows, not catch any bugs and have a happy week and as we are doing so do lots of normal breathing! :}

HAPPY 52nd ANNIVERSARY DAD AND MOM!

We love you so much and are so proud of you! Congratulations on 52 great years! Have a terrific day! Here's to another 52!

CARLY AND JONATHON LOVE VISITING THEIR GRANDPA

Especially since they found out he has a ride they can play with! Actually, they do love going to see Grandpa. They miss having him and Grandma at home. Grandma is staying with Grandpa at the rehab center. She does come home every day for an hour or so but other than that she has been with him pretty constantly.

My babies love their grandparents so much. They will be so happy when they are both back home again. Even more so if Grandpa brings the wheelchair with him! Lol!

MY TOOTHY GRINNY WHINY BABY BOY

Jonathon has been cranky this whole week. He has wanted to be held and comforted all day long and if I even try to put him down he lifts his legs up and keeps them up and won't let me put him down. (We refer to this as "him having his landing gear stuck up.) I've wondered if he was teething or just not feeling good in general--until today when I actually got his mouth opened and my fingers inside. Yep, he's teething. He's got at least three new teeth coming in and they are bigger ones on the bottom and top. No wonder he's clingy and whiny. Guess I would be too.

Wish I could have someone hold and comfort me all day long when I'm cranky. Maybe next time I'm in a bad mood I'll try keeping my landing gear up. Hey, it works for him! :) Sure love that kid!

TELEPHONE, TELEGRAPH, TELLCARLY

Grandpa called to talk to Carly yesterday and got a lot more than he bargained for. For some reason she decided that it was the day she was going to start answering the phone. When it rang she ran for it. Luckily I beat her to it. She has never had any interest in answering the phone before and I haven't encouraged it because she hasn't really had the full language skills to do so. She could probably do it now but she gets shy and won't always talk or answer.

Well, yesterday she wasn't shy at all. When I answered Grandpa didn't even say hi to me he asked for Carly. She was so happy she ran and took the phone from my hand. She talked to him for a good 15 minutes off and on. I'm not even sure Grandpa got to ask her any questions. Sometimes she actually had the mouthpiece near her mouth and the earpiece near her ear. (As in most of the time she was just holding the phone somewhere above her waist talking to it.) I tried to rescue Grandpa a few times and got a severe scolding from my little cutie pie each time. She let me know the call was for her, not me! Trouble is--she is sometimes a little hard to understand so I was feeling bad for Grandpa. Plus, she would say things she thought he would understand but really only she knew like , i.e. "Your chair right here Grandpa". She was pointing to his lift chair and letting him know it was right in front of her. But he had no idea what she was talking about or why she said it.

I finally thought to pick up the extension and asked Grandpa if he needed rescuing. He did. He asked if he could talk to Jonathon. I gave my phone to Jonathon since I couldn't get Carly's away from her. Poor Jonathon couldn't get a word in edgewise but he listened intently. Finally Grandpa said he'd better go and Carly was heartbroken. My poor little Chatterbox! I comforted her by telling her we would visit Grandpa later. We did and that made her happy.

Grandpa is still doing really good. He is tired from all the physical and occupational therapy but he is making progress. Things are looking up. :)

GRANDPA IS PLUM WORE OUT

Today Grandpa got his first taste of real physcial therapy today at the rehab center and it wore him out. Then later today he had occupational therapy. He spent a good part of the day working his limbs and trying to get himself more mobile. As a resut, he can barely keep his eyes open for the Colts game! You know it's bad when that happens!

I am still surprised at how little pain he is in. It does hurt him when he moves his shoulder but if he is not moving it he really doesn't have any pain.

A special thanks to the Class of 1957 for the beautiful basket planter. It makes his room bright and cheerful and he was delighted to receive it! Thanks so much! Also, thanks for the calls and cards. Those mean so much to my Dad. He's always been a talker and it really cheers him up to talk to you and hear from you. He does love his friends and classmates! You are all terrific! Lots of love to all of you from all of us. More later. N.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Carly Bunny


Scary Julie and BubbyBee


Momma and her cute little Bug


Grandma caught a Bunny!


Megan has a Bunny Sister!


BumbleBubby I am your Uncle! (Bubby with his Uncle Steve)

REHAB'N IT

We just got Grandpa settled in Thatcherbrook. He has just eaten his lunch and is taking a snooze although he would deny it. It's one of those snoozes he takes while watching television where his head bobs up and down and every once in a while his eyes open and he looks around to see if you notice he's been asleep. Lol!

It's really remarkable how well he has done throughout this surgery. It's going to be tough going as he does the rehab but once he get through he should have a great deal of relief from the pain he'd been having.

Please feel free to call or write Grandpa. He loves hearing from his friends and as you know he especially likes talking on the phone! It's great therapy for him! Thanks everyone!

John Carson c/o
Thatcherbrook Rehabilitation and Care Center, Room 13
1795 S. Chelemes Way Clearfield, UT , 84015
Telephone # 801-614-5700

Thanks everyone!

ANOTHER GRANDPA UPDATE

Grandpa had two sessions with the Physical Therapist today and did really well. He continues to say he is not in pain at all--that is unless he moves his arm. Today he described the pain he has when he moves his arm. He said it feels like someone planted an hatchet in his shoulder. Hmmm. I asked if it is a better or worse pain than the pain he had before his surgery. He said it is a different pain. It does seem to me that it is less. However, that's just my initial impression. His surgeon said as soon as he stops feeling worse he will feel better. So apparently there is an expectation that the surgery will cause some pain and after that it will help him quite a bit!

I will say Grandpa really doesn't complain about pain much at all. Hardly ever. We just make sure he takes his pain meds so he doesn't get into too much pain and have to get out of it. His doctor told us to do that.

Tomorrow morning the rehab and care center will go to the hospital and pick him up and take him to their facility. Mom and I will follow him there. Someone has been staying with him at all times. Susan and her husband are with him tonight.

Overall, he is really doing great. The surgeon is really impressed with how well he has done and has asked the physical therapists to work with him not just on his shoulder but to get him more mobile overall. We really like this surgeon.

Happy Halloween everyone! More tomorrow.

STILL DOING GREAT!

Forgot to put this picture up the other day. This was Grandpa in really good spirits as he was heading into surgery. He's usually fairly nervous under such circumstances but he was fairly calm the whole week preceding the operation. We were surprised and impressed.



He was still doing well when I left the hospital today around 5:00 p.m. and I just checked in with my baby sister who is staying the night with him and she said he is now sleeping soundly. It's around midnight. The doc is keeping him on pain meds but he really hasn't had a ton of pain--nothing unbearable. Dad really feels like this surgery has gone a lot better than he expected and even better than the knee surgery which went well. I think they have both gone well.

Nothing more to tell you tonight but I will keep you posted. Take care, Nancy

GRANDPA'S ROOM NUMBER/PHONE NUMBER HAS CHANGED

Grandpa has been on the fourth floor of the hospital and they just moved him to a room on the fifth floor. NO cause for alarm. The fifth floor is actually the Orthopedic floor. They just didn't have room for him yesterday after surgery as they are doing some construction on that floor and as a result have less rooms available. So, today they are moving several of their surgery patients from yesterday to the fifth floor as rooms become available.

Dad is still doing good. He will be released from the hospital to Thatcherbrook Rehabilitation and Care Center at 11 a.m. on Sunday and they will move him to their facility.

For the moment, he is in:

St. Mark's Hospital, Room 5W26
1200 E. 3900 S.
Salt Lake City, UT 84124

His new direct to room phone # is 801-268-7526

GRANDPA IS DOING THE HOKEY POKEY :)

Grandpa had a really good night and is doing great this morning. Okay, so he's not really dancing but he's in very little pain and he just told me it has surprised EVEN HIM how well he has gotten along! WOW! That's some statement from our big ol' worrywart! Lol!

The surgeon came in to see him a couple of hours ago and was even thinking of releasing him to the rehab center today but apparently there are some rules about how long they need to keep him in the hospital. So, it's looking right now like it will be Sunday morning before he goes to the rehab center.

He's up to taking phone calls today. I would probably call the hospital phone as I think it will be easier to understand him. I just talked to him on his cell phone and it was a little hard to hear him and understand what he was say saying. I know your calls really cheer him up and make his day! Thanks everyone! We love you!

THE GRANDPA UPDATE

Grandpa is sawing lots of logs right now and has been for a couple of hours. Think it has something to do with pain meds. He actually isn't in a ton of pain. It is mostly coming across to him as pressure in his shoulder instead of pain but the doctor wanted him to start the pain meds so he can stay ahead of any real pain that shows up.

He was able to eat a sandwich and drink a milkshake about an hour and a half after coming out of recovery and keep them down without any problem. He just seems to be doing really well.

He will probably be more awake and able to talk tomorrow. His direct phone number to his room is: 801-268-7473.

They only plan to keep him in the hospital here for two days and then will send him on to a rehab facility for a couple of weeks. For anyone who wants to send a card, I would send it to him at the rehab facility. We think he will be transferred there this coming Saturday. The address and info is below. Thanks so much for all your prayers, love and support. My parents and their children appreciate it so much!

John Carson c/o
Thatcherbrook Rehabilitation and Care Center
1795 S. Chelemes Way Clearfield, UT , 84015

GREAT NEWS!

Grandpa is up and dribbling and dunking a basketball on a full court press! O.K., maybe not, but he is awake, wide-eyed and alert, not in a lot of pain and doing really, realy well. The doctor just came in and saw him and said he planned to keep him in the hospital a couple of days. They will start his physical therapy tomorrow in the hospital and then when he leaves the hospital they will send him to the same rehab center he went to last time. Please keep the prayers going. Love you all, Nancy

DAD'S OUT OF SURGERY!

The surgeon just came and talked to us and said everything went well. He said it took a little longer because Dad is a large guy. (Who knew?) Lol! Anyway, he told us his shoulder was pretty messed up with arthritis but they got it all replaced and once he stops hurting he will feel better. Ha! Sure hope so! Anyway, Dad will be in recovery for the next hour and a half and then will be moved to a room. When we get room info I will post it on here. More later.

TWO HOURS AND COUNTING

It's been two hours and Dad is still in surgery. They said it could be as long as three. Please keep the prayers coming. We will keep you posted. N.

SURGERY HAS BEGUN

It's 7:40 a.m. here and they just took Dad into surgery. They told us it could take anywhere from two to three hours for the operation. Dad was a little nervous but not a lot. He was in really good spirits, laughing and joking with the nursing staff. He seems really upbeat. We are hoping the day goes really well. I will update you as soon as he we hear anything. Prayers please. Thanks, Nancy

TODAY IS THE DAY

Dad has to be at the hospital for his shoulder replacement surgery this morning (Thursday) at 6:00 a.m. His surgery will begin around 7-7:30 a.m.. I will post an update on here as soon as he is out of recovery and in a room. He would sure appreciate your prayers on his behalf. We all would. Thanks so much for your love and friendship. Nancy

TWO DAYS AND COUNTING

We went to the hospital today to get Grandpa pre-registered for his surgery and to do some pre-bloodwork. Jonathon went with us and thought he should be able to run all over the place. Grandpa played block and tackle with his wheelchair. Jonathon was not so sure he liked that and tried to outsmart the wheelchair several times. He didn't win. Grandpa is Good!

Everything looks good for the surgery on Thursday. We should get a time tomorrow evening for certain but it looks like it will be early morning. I will post it on here along with the hospital info as soon as I know it. Night all.

MMMM MMMM GOOD

Grandma made the best dinner tonight. She made homemade Italian Beef and homemade potato salad. Julie made homemade buns to go with the beef and it was a yummy meal. That all tasted so good I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies to wash it all down with. Lol!

We had a nice Sunday and even managed to grab a short nap! We are counting down the days now until Dad's shoulder surgery. He seems in pretty good spirits and has been exercising to strengthen his legs so he can get around better.

No snow today except in the mountains. They are threatening that we will wake up with it in the morning. I have decided to worry about it when I see it. :)

SNOW WHAT?

It's been a rainy day here and supposedly we are going to have snow by morning. I don't know that I'm quite ready for that yet. It's been getting a little colder here day by day. It's 47 degrees right now so I guess anything could happen. I know it's the end of October but it's still just a little too early for my taste. :)

THE BABIES LOVE THEIR GRANDPA!

I actually had to go grab my camera when the kidlings started crawling all over Grandpa the other night. Up and down and up and down! It was like he was the latest jungle gym. I was afraid they were going to annoy him or hurt his shoulders but he seemed to like the fact that they were fighting over who got to sit on his lap! It was pretty funny to watch.

ONE WEEK TO GO

Grandpa's surgery is a week from today. He is doing really well and we are looking forward to having him in less pain. His shoulders have caused him so much pain for so long; his left one much more than his right. Hopefully, this surgery will immediately decrease his pain and give him more movement in his left shoulder. :)

We are getting the last details together and will keep everyone posted on where he will be and what time his surgery is on the 28th. Take care. N.

MY WORN OUT BOYS

My guys were playing around and got tired out. I snapped this just as Jono was about to nod off. Pretty cute, eh?

MY FAVORITE DIVAS

This is my dear friend Taylor with my darling daughter Carly! Taylor moved away and it's been over a year since I've seen her. She got to come visit and we had a grand time! Carly loves her. They are both girly girls~Lol!