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!

HAPPY (LATE) BIRTHDAY AUNT SALLY!

My Dad's sister Sally had a birthday this weekend. Happy, Happy Birthday Aunt Sally! We LOVE you!

The weekend got away from us! Our daughter Sara came home and brought her new boyfriend to meet us. YAY! He is a terrific guy and we had a great time with both of them. It was a lot of fun!



Dad's surgery is just a week away now! Keep him in your prayers, please. More info as we get it. We will keep you posted. N.

MISS ME?

Thought so. Just dropping by to say hi!

CARLY IN HER NEW TAYLOR JOELLE

Carly got a new skirt and headband today! They are really adorable and she was so excited to put them on and dance around in them. I bought them from Taylor Joelle. It's a great company that has adorable clothes for babies and toddlers. If you are a parent or grandparent of kids in this age range you should go look at their stuff. www.taylorjoelle.com

They have a hot buy every week that is really priced low and they don't run out like other companies do. I just love their stuff. Anyway, here is Carly modeling her new outfit!

OH, HAPPY DAY!

Today was the day Carly put two and two together and really figured out what she was supposed to do on her potty chair and she did it TWICE! I even let her wear pull-ups! She was so excited! Okay, probably not as excited as ME!

HELP, I'VE BEEN SHOT!

I took Jonathon to get his last first year shots today. Yes, I realize he's almost fourteen months old but the pediatrician's office has been out of one of the shots for awhile. They also wanted him to have a flu shot. So, finally they had the final shot and the flu shot in! Yay! Well, Jono didn't think so but he is all protected now so we are happy!

While we were there, I figured we might as well have Carly get the flu shot as well. She wasn't so sure about it. I told her she would get a band-aid. That was a pretty good sell until she actually got the shot. It happened so fast, though, she wasn't sure what hit her. Afterwards, she kept saying "Mama, she pinched me. That doctor pinched me." I said, "Yes, but now you won't get sick." At that point she agreed with me. She's such a funny little girl!

DAD'S SURGERY UPDATE

Dad's shoulder surgery is less than three weeks away now. He will have an entire shoulder replacement and will spend a couple of days in the hospital and then go to a rehabilitation center for a week or two. I will do my best to keep you posted on here about his recovery.

He has been riding an exerise bike every day now for a couple of weeks. He is trying to strengthen is polio leg before the surgery so he can get around more easily without assistance. He is up to two miles a day now. Yay!

His surgery will be on October 28th. We don't have a time yet but will let you know as soon as we get details. All prayers on his behalf are welcome! Thanks everyone.

DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

Death is nothing at all

I have only slipped away into the next room, I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name; speak to me in the easy way, which you always used. Put no difference into your tone; wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, and pray for me. Let my name be forever the same as it always was, let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it always was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity.I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. ··· All is well.

--Canon Scott Holland

One of Dorothy's children read this poem at her funeral yesterday. I had never heard it before and I loved it. So amazing to think about our loved ones being so close by. Heaven is not so far away. It never has been. :)

TILL WE MEET AGAIN

I lost someone so dear to me this week. Dorothy Bramhall was a second Mom to me and she left this world really suddenly, without any notice. That has left a big hole in so many of our hearts. Thank you Dorothy--for everything. I love you. Till we meet again.

MAYBE NOT TWO GOING ON THIRTY, BUT DEFINITELY TWO GOING ON SIXTEEN . . .

So today Carly, at two and and a half tried to push me out of the driver's seat insisting, "No, I drive Mama." She almost managed to even steal the keys from me. I don't know what I'll do when I"m not tall enough to hold them over her head anymore...

JUST A COUPLE THINGS

So after three days with red, swollen, itchy, goupy eyes I am in full surrender to the dreaded Pink Eye! Please, Oh Please, OH PLEASE go away! I really had no idea how nasty this pink eye crud was.

Luckily we had so many people who already had it in the house we had the medication for it. We did pick up some other over the counter helps but I searched online and found that one of the things that helped the most was to lay down and keep your eyes covered with a warm wash rag as much as possible. I think that has helped a lot. This afternoon my eyes started to clear up some and the goupiness went away. They are still somewhat itchy and red but I'm hoping by morning to be able to consider putting my contacts back in and actually eyeing my makeup bag! That thought makes me almost gleeful!

Jonathon has become really mouthy. When he is unhappy he lets you know it. He is so funny. He just turns up the volume and lets you have it. And Carly can't get away with anything anymore. She used to push him around a little or punch on him here or there. We had to watch her closely to keep her from doing that. Not anymore. He just gives it right back to her now. Tit for tat. That little boy is not so little anymore!

Grandma and Grandpa are doing fine. Grandma leg has been bothering her so she is going to a chiropractor for a bit. So far I think he's only managed to move the pain around. But at least it doesn't hurt in the same spot anymore. Lol!

GAH! NOW I HAVE IT!

I thought I was doing so well at keeping my hands clean and staying away from the pink monster but tonight I realized I had it. I'm so frustrated! This is the first time I've ever had Pink Eye but I've been around lots of people with it and it looks like the most miserable thing! Aaaarrrrggghhh!

Well, I'd write more but I can't see through all the goup in my eye. I know . . . GROSS!

DON'T THINK . . . DO!

I learned tonight that a very dear friend of mine passed away last night. Even though she was being treated for an illness, she was not expected to pass away. It was very sudden and I'm in shock. Her husband, children and grandchildren are as well. I don't think you are ever prepared to lose someone no matter the circumstance. Wow, just such a shock. And would you know, I had her on my mind all last week and meant to give her a call. You have to listen to the still small voice inside you or you will have regrets. Don't think--DO! Gah!

We are infested with pink eye at our house. So far it has just gotten the kids. We are crossing our fingers and washing our hands a lot! Julie has it the worst right now. In fact, I have to keep her home from school tomorrow. Her eyes are so red and swollen and I'm sure she is super contagious!

Jonathon was downstairs with Rob and Steve tonight and the girls and I were upstairs. All of the sudden we heard him and Megan looked over at the stairs and saw him almost at the top of the stairs. He had climbed up to the second from the top stair all by himself. He is getting really brave. That frightens me!

CONFERENCE WEEKEND

It is General Conference Weekend here. That is when our church leadership speaks to all of the church members world wide from Salt Lake City. It happens twice a year. Once in April and again in October. We watch it on from home on TV but some members in different states and countries have to go to their church buildings to watch it via satellite. We learned today that there is going to be an LDS temple built in Indianapolis, IN. We are so excited!

It's been a really nice day here. Still very, very warm. Our leaves haven't started to turn yet. Things are happening late here.

We have three people in the house with pink eye now. Julie, Carly and Jonathon. The rest of us are washing our hands non-stop and keeping them away from our faces. Hopefully, that will help!

Grandpa is still on track for surgery. We are getting ourselves psyched up for that. Nothing else is new here and that's probably a good thing! :)

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Grandma and Grandpa pretty much hung around the house today. I forgot to mention that yesterday they did a bunch of gardening. Well, Grandma gardens and Grandpa is the artistic director. He has the eye for what he wants done. They put in a gorgeous flower garden this year. I don't think I ever did post a picture of it. I need to go take one while there are still a few plants blooming. We had all the garden spots laid out but just hadn't had the energy or time to do anything with them. Then Grandpa and Grandma showed up and they made things happen. So pretty!

We went all different directions this evening. Julie went to a football game. Rob and I went to a mission reunion in Salt Lake. Grandma and Grandpa were going to babysit for us but big Sis, Megan, ended up staying and watching the babies so the Grandparents could keep doing their thing. The kids were in bed when we got home.
It was a pretty nice evening.

One day down and twenty-seven to go until Grandpa's surgery. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Have a great Saturday!

WE HAVE A DATE . . .

Okay, truth is we have had a date for awhile. But, I actually heard Dad tell someone today that he is having surgery on his shoulder on October 28th. So, YAY! It looks like he is going to go ahead with the surgery! We have kind of been in limbo, not knowing whether or not he would.

I am so glad he is deciding to go ahead because it is so hard to watch him in so much pain. Both of his shoulders are bad but his left one is the worst. So, that is the one he is going to have surgery on first.

Once Dad has this shoulder fixed, Mom needs to have surgery to repair her torn rotor cuff in one of her shoulders. Yep, we are falling to pieces here. Luckily, we have a repair shop right around the corner! Lol!

BAD NEWS FROM THE ALLERGIST

I took Jonathon to his allergist Tuesday and they did a food panel on him. We were specifically testing him for a milk allergy. A huge surprise came out of that appointment--Jonathon has a severe peanut allergy. The doctor told me we were SO lucky to have been testing for the milk allergy or we might not have caught this until there was an incident. Gah! How frightening. It's serious enough he can't even be near peanuts or peanut butter and has to have an epi pen with him at all times.

There is a twenty percent chance he can grow out of it. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for that. In the meantime, we will just keep him away from anything peanuty, I guess and hope for the best.

IT FINALLY HAPPENED . . .

I'M OVER THE HILL! But it was sure fun getting here. Lol! Just a few pictures from my birthday party. Had lots of fun with family. Love you all!

GIRL'S NIGHT OUT

Did some running around earlier in the day with Rob doing errands. Then left late afternoon with some neighbor friends for a planned outing. We went to dinner and then to a women's church meeting. It was a nice evening out. Rob, Julie and Megan babysat.

Mom and Dad went to visit Susan and her husband, Russ today to celebrate Russ' birthday. They spent several hours there and got to see their girls as well. They had a good time and made it home safely.

Not much else going on here. That's all folks . . .

WERE IN TROUBLE!

Yesterday, I got up a little later than usual and looked at Carly's room to see any signs of her being awake yet. I didn't see any so I started to quietly walk by her door to let the dogs out when I heard this not so little voice say "You guys got to sleep all night long!" Apparently she had been awake for a while and had been trying to get our attention to come and get her out of her room.

I hadn't heard her until just then and she was losing her patience with us. She is such a crack up! Sometimes I can't believe she is only two and a half! She is so bright! She is not going to let us get away with anything--ever! Darn it all! LOL!

GRANDPA'S CARDIOLOGIST VISIT

Grandpa went to his cardiologist today and got a clean bill of health. He gave him a green light for his shoulder surgery, too. I think Grandpa is starting to feel a little better about going ahead with that. We hope he will because Grandma can't really do hers until he does his. At least it wouldn't make sense to. She could just re-injure herself all over again trying to help him if she did. If he has his surgery he should be able to use his arm to help get himself up and down better and not need so much help.

Grandpa has been walking on the treadmill several times a week trying to strengthen his polio leg. He thinks if he can strengthen that leg he will be better prepared have his shoulder surgery. I think he just wants to feel like he is more able to move around on his own before one of his limbs is temporarily not working. Makes sense to me.

Made some taco soup for dinner. Even Jonathon liked it. That's pretty good, I think!
Well, better get some sleep. Night all.

I took Jonathon to his allergist today. We are pretty certain he does have a milk allergy. His allergist is going to do a food panel on him but has to wait until next week. We started him on vanilla flavored soy milk tonight. He took that better than he took the soy formula we tried him on when he was tiny. Man, he just hucked those bottles across the room. He wouldn't even touch those ones after he tasted them. He did drink the vanilla soy tonight, though. Yay!

Hopefully, we have found what has been making him so sick. I sure hope so! That would be SO GREAT! Cross your fingers with us. We sure need him to be healthy this Winter. He had such a rough Winter last year.

We got a lot of rain this afternoon and the temperature cooled down quite a bit. I can feel Fall starting to hit us. Haven't seen any leaves turn yet, though. I'm sure those are just around the corner. Can't wait!

HAIR TODAY . . . GONE TOMORROW

Grandpa got out for a haircut today. That's about the biggest thing that happened around here. We actually are a pretty boring people. I think that may be a good thing.

A SLOW MONDAY

Didn't get a whole lot else accomplished today but I did make a good dinner. I made barbeque boneless pork ribs. I slow cooked them in the crockpot and served them over rice. They were really good.

I went to the gym tonight for the first time in weeks. It felt good to lift some weights and get back on the treadmill again. Hope tomorrow my body thinks it was as good an idea as my mind did today! :}

JUST STOPPING BY TO SAY HI

Haven't shown my face for awhile! Hi everybody!

JUST SOME STUFF

Grandma and Grandpa got home safe this evening. They had a good time and got to see Sarah's kids play their football and volleyball games.

Jonathon is saying new words. He will just suddenly repeat things we say. In fact, he is saying little phrases like "I love you", too. I can't tell yet if he is retaining many of them or not. He has said "I love you" several times so I know he has that one down and he usually want to give you a kiss when he says it, so he seems to understand something about its meaning.

He is also getting more teeth. Not a happy process. But he looks so darn cute with his little toothy smile.

Carly is getting so tall. Everyone asks me if she is four. She is only two and a half. Although, I will say she is two and a half going on thirty!

Lately, whenever I go run errands I've been letting Julie drive us. She just barely got through her driver's ed class. She is doing O.K. but I did have to buy a box of hair dye tonight. I'm thinking we need some more parking lot practice time. :)

REPORTING IN . . .

Grandpa and Grandma went to visit Sarah, Rich and the kids the last couple of days. They wanted to go to each of the kids sports games after school. Actually, I think one of the games is tomorrow and they will head back when that is over. Sarah lives about two and a half hours away. I think it's good for Grandpa to get out once in a while. I'm sure he will come back exhausted but it will do him good to have a change of scenery.

We watched a movie tonight. It was an old one. So old our kids hadn't seen it. So, not really, really old--not as old as our kids would have us think anyway. I mean, Sandra Bullock was in it but I think she was in her twenties. It was called "The Net." I hadn't seen that for years and it was actually a pretty good show. The kids even liked it.

The little ones are missing their Grandparents. Glad they will be back soon. Night all.

WHERE'S THE BALL GAME? I'M ALL SET TO GO!

Jonathon loves this ball even though it's bigger than he is! He loves to carry it all over the place. It just looks hillarious when he does it!



But just so you know, he is wearing something! Lol!

I KNOW IT'S ONLY SEPTEMBER . . .

and it's still 95 degrees out but you've got to plan ahead a little, don't you? It's a little big for him, but I think it will work. He does seem to like it! I think I will call it "The abominable snow-baby outfit!" Lol!

HUMOR ME FOR A MOMENT . . . THIS IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Here's an opinion piece by Chuck Green who writes "Greener Pastures" for the Denver Post Aurora Sentinel...one of the more liberal papers in the country. Additionally, Mr. Green is a life long Democrat...so this is rather a stunning piece...

THAT DARNED GEORGE BUSH!

Obama is victim of Bush's failed promises
Greener Pastures Column -- 5/ 15/10
Barack Obama is setting a record-setting number of records during his first year in office.
Largest budget ever. Largest deficit ever. Largest number of broken promises ever. Most self-serving speeches ever. Largest number of agenda-setting failures ever. Fastest dive in popularity ever.

Wow! Talk about change.

Just one year ago, fresh from his inauguration celebrations, President Obama was flying high. After one of the nation's most inspiring political campaigns, the election of America 's first black president had captured the hopes and dreams of millions. To his devout followers, it was inconceivable that a year later his administration would be gripped in self-imposed crisis.

Of course, they don't see it as self-imposed. It's all George Bush's fault.

George Bush, who doesn't have a vote in congress and who no longer occupies the White House, is to blame for it all.

He broke Obama's promise to put all bills on the White House web site for five days before signing them.

He broke Obama's promise to have the congressional health care negotiations broadcast live on C-SPAN.

He broke Obama's promise to end earmarks.

He broke Obama's promise to keep unemployment from rising above 8 percent.

He broke Obama's promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo in the first year.

He broke Obama's promise to make peace with direct, no precondition talks with America 's most hate-filled enemies during his first year in office, ushering in a new era of global cooperation.

He broke Obama's promise to end the hiring of former lobbyists into high White House jobs.

He broke Obama's promise to end no-compete contracts with the government.

He broke Obama's promise to disclose the names of all attendees at closed White House meetings.

He broke Obama's promise for a new era of bipartisan cooperation in all matters.

He broke Obama's promise to have chosen a home church to attend Sunday services with his family by Easter of last year.

Yes, it's all George Bush's fault. President Obama is nothing more than a puppet in the never-ending failed Bush administration.
If only George Bush wasn't still in charge, all of President Obama's problems would be solved. His promises would have been kept, the economy would be back on track, Iran would have stopped its work on developing a nuclear bomb and would be negotiating a peace treaty with Israel . North Korea would have ended its tyrannical regime, and integrity would have been restored to the federal government.

Oh, and did I mention what it would be like if the Democrats, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, didn't have the heavy yoke of George Bush around their necks? There would be no ear marks, no closed-door drafting of bills, no increase in deficit spending, no special-interest influence (unions), no vote buying (Nebraska, Louisiana).

If only George Bush wasn't still in charge, we'd have real change by now.

All the broken promises, all the failed legislation and delay (health care reform, immigration reform) is not President Obama's fault or the fault of the Democrat-controlled Congress. It's all George Bush's fault.

Take for example the decision of Eric Holder, the president's attorney general, to hold terrorists' trials in New York City . Or his decision to try the Christmas Day underpants bomber as a civilian.

Two disastrous decisions.

Certainly those were bad judgments based on poor advice from George Bush.

Need more proof?

You might recall that when Scott Brown won the election to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts , capturing "the Ted Kennedy seat", President Obama said that Brown's victory was the result of the same voter anger that propelled Obama into office in 2008. People were still angry about George Bush and the policies of the past 10 years. And they wanted change.

Yes, according to the president, the voter rebellion in Massachusetts was George Bush's fault.

Therefore, in retaliation, they elected a Republican to the Ted Kennedy seat, ending a half-century of domination by Democrats. It is all George Bush's fault.

Will the failed administration of George Bush ever end, and the time for hope and change ever arrive?

Will President Obama ever accept responsibility for something... - anything?

(Chuck Green is a veteran Colorado journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Denver Post.)

NOT YET

It's been a busy day. Got the stains out of the clothes. Still working on the couch. Big frowny face :( . So far not much luck but hopefully with time we will figure it out. Kind of bummed about that. Think I'm going to rename my 2 1/2 year old "the destroyer." This little girl is so curious I never know what she is going to do next!But I'm starting to think I should be frightened. Very frightened. Lol! Just kidding.
Hopefully, Jonathon will be my mild child!

MY NOT SO FUNNY DAY

Had a funny story to tell you from church today. It will have to hold for a day or so. I have a not so funny (probably somewhat funny to you)story that happened tonight I'm still frustrated over and I need to vent.

This evening Carly came walking in from the front room to the family room and I heard Grandma ask her why she was so wet. I was in the kitchen so I looked over to see what she had done. Now, this is not an unusual question for any of us to ask her, mind you. She loves to take her sippy cup and when we aren't watching shake it out on her head or clothes. She has even poured someone's regular cup of water on her. She's a crazy 2 year old so not much surprises us. I said not much.

Pretty soon Jonathon rounds the corner and he is wet, too. I asked Carly if she had a cup of water in the front room and she told me she did, so I asked her to bring it to me. I wasn't prepared for what happened next. She went in the front room and came back with an small empty bottle of blessing oil. It's consecrated olive oil for healing the sick. My husband and my cousin had given Julie a blessing about an hour earlier because she has been sick. Apparently, Rob forgot to put away the vial of oil. It probably only had 4 or 6 ounces in it BUT those 4 or 6 ounces were now all over my two kids heads and clothes--OR SO I THOUGHT. And wouldn't you know it, they both had on brand new clothes.

I soaked up what was on their heads (luckily, oil won't hurt their hair) and got them out of their clothes and changed. I put Carly in a time out that actually turned into a nap! Yay! Then I thought I'd better go in the front room and make sure she didn't get any on the carpet. I turned the corner and realized she had missed the carpet BECAUSE she had been on the couch when she poured it on them. Our fairly new couch had several large oil spots on it. We had it stain treated but I'm not sure it was treated for oil!

I called Mom in and we discussed the possibilities and I decided just to try steam cleaning it with the regular carpet/furniture cleaner soap first. That did not work. So, I just looked online and it says that once it's dry to try putting baby powder on the spots to let it soak up the oil and then vacuum it up when it drys. If anyone has any better ideas, please let me know. I am really, really frustrated over this one!

So, when do the terrible two's end? Please be gentle. Don't say three or five. Let it be the last day they are two. Oh please, oh please, oh please!!!

GOD BLESS THE HEROES OF 9/11

So many heroes came out of the woodwork that day. So many rose to their potential as human beings. Too many lost their lives. We can never forget what happened to America that day and especially to those who lost their lives and their loved ones. We must remember so we can keep something like this from ever happening again. We can't allow this type of event to be politicized. If we do, we lose and they win. It was terrorism pure and simple. God bless the Heroes of 9/11. Let's Roll!

SHORT UPDATE

Grandpa has had a few days that have been pretty pain filled. His shoulders are really hurting him. You would think that might make him think he needs to have a shoulder replacement done but what the heck do I know. :/ Anyway, he has not felt like doing much or even coming upstairs much. So, hope he gets to feeling better soon.

Megan came today and got our kitchen table for her apartment. She sent me a picture on her phone and it looks pretty good there. We are having our new one delivered tomorrow. Spent this evening doing a nice clean up--floors and all, so it would look good in it's spot when it arrives. Kids(and dogs)have a way of crudding up the floor so it needed a good cleaning. Lol!

I will take pictures when it gets here tomorrow and show you what it looks like! Night all.

JONATHON'S CUTE FACE

Just thought you might need a reminder of what a cute face this little guy has.

MY LITTLE DRAMA QUEEN

Carly keeps surprising me with her words and language skills. Most of the time I have no idea where she picked up a word or phrase she uses on me. She is with me most of the time so my guess would have to be from some of these cartoons or kid shows I let her watch that are meant to teach her things.

Anyway, lately when I have asked her where something is or where she put something she doesn't even stop to think about it. She gets a really serious look on her face, cocks her head sideways for dramatic effect and says (as if she has been coached by an acting coach) "Mama, I can't find it ANYWHERE!" Now, mind you, it doesn't matter what it is I've asked her about. Seriously, I don't know where she picked that line up but she uses it every time without thinking twice. She might know where what I've asked her is, but this answer is lots more fun! Ye Gads! That's my DRAMA QUEEN!

AND BACK AGAIN

Like a ping pong ball. Hubby headed back to the Bermuda Triangle today. More work to do. Luckily, I got a call tonight and he finally had success. Sounds like when he leaves this time he may not have to return for awhile. Yay!

Had a migraine today and of course, the kids were on one all day long, especially Miss Carly! Although, Bubby has this new sound he likes to make that sounds like a wounded Rhinoceros. That does not mix well with a migraine--at least after about the twentieth time. It's a good time he's so darn cute.

Gotta take some more pictures and post them on here. The kids are too cute to not be showing you right now. Can't keep them all to myself. That just wouldn't be fair. Maybe tomorrow. :)

HOME AGAIN

Loved having a little get away but it is always so good to come back home. I missed my wee ones and even my not so wee ones. The temperature had dropped from near 100 degrees when we left to around low 60's when we returned. Mom made a pot of chili for dinner and some cornbread. Uncle Steve came up and we ate and then played a new game. It's called "FACT or CRAP". It was pretty funny. You read off different supposed things that have happened and everyone has to decide whether or not they are fact or crap. Sometimes you really wonder! We even got Grandpa to play! Then we had homemade brownies and ice cream for dessert. It's been a busy weekend.

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend!

WORST MEAL EVER

Rob and I ended up out of town for a second night in a lovely place I now like to call the Bermuda Triangle. Lol! It's a long story but it seems like every time we come here there are problems that suck us in and keep us for longer than we planned.

Anyway, we finally went to get some dinner tonight and one of the only places that seemed decent was a Wingers restaurant. I've never been crazy about their food but figured it would be okay. We went in and seemed to be one of the only couples in the place and it wasn't long until we were the only ones left. It took forever for them to pay any attention to us or take our order. Then, even longer until our meal came. Rob almost had us get up and leave it took so long.

When our food finally came, it was horrible. Rob had ordered soup and a half-sandwich. He was supposed to get a club sandwich and clam chowder. His club sandwich was a couple of thin slices of turkey, a couple of tomatoes and lettuce on two half pieces of normal white bread. (That sounds like a turkey sandwich to me.) His soup was all in a clump in his bowl. There was no soup to it--it was more the consistency of mashed potatoes.

My meal was a Salmon strip with a baked potato and broccoli. Kind of hard to mess that up. Well, not for them. The baked potato was cut in half and had been baked more than once--so much so it was gray inside. It wasn't even warm. I put butter on it and the butter didn't even melt. I took a bite and it tasted old. Ew! The broccoli looked plastic and was cold as well. I could tell the potato and broccoli had been heated in the microwave but had probably been done before they cooked the Salmon. The Salmon didn't have much flavor either, though and was just barely warm. I could only eat a few bites of it and I love Salmon.

Now, I'm not that picky and I don't usually whine about food or restaurants. I can't remember ever telling a waitress the food wasn't good. But this was the worst meal I have ever been served in a restaurant. We both left most of our meal on the table, paid the bill and then told the waiter we weren't happy with the meal. He said he would tell the cook. (Big deal, eh?)

I am just telling you this because if I were you, I would stay away from Wingers! Blech! Bad food, bad service and no service recovery!

TOOK A TRIP

No, not a fall, just a trip with hubby today. We are in Nevada, hopefully just overnight. He had a bit of work to do here and thought it would be nice to have me come along. It has been nice. He has been working most of the late afternoon and evening but he took a break for dinner and we tried out a restaurant he'd been wanting to try here for a while. He usually does takeout when he is on his own so it was nice for him to go into a sit down restaurant and order a meal and enjoy it. Come to think of it, it was nice for me, too. We had a good time together.

Julie and Grandma and Grandpa are watching the little ones and Megan stopped by to give them a break. Hopefully, they are being good for them. I felt a bit guilty when I left today because Carly was sobbing and grabbed me around the legs and pleaded "Mommy, don't go ANYWHERE, PUHLEASE??" Wow, if that won't give you the guilts, nothing will!

Thankfully, Jonathon doesn't have enough words or understanding to say anything like that yet! One child guilting me is plenty, thank you! Ye Gads and no thank you! :)

WENT SHOPPING TONIGHT

and found a new dining room table we liked. Came home and measured and then took Grandma back to see it. Decided we liked it so we bought it. They will deliver it next Saturday. We are excited. I will post pictures when we get it. That's the only excitement here for the day. :)

DISAPPOINTING DAY :(

Went to Grandma's Dr. appt. and found out she does have a rotor cuff tear and will need surgery to repair it. I guess the bright side is that they can repair it and eventually she will feel better. They gave Mom a cortizone shot a few weeks ago that has made her shoulder feel a little better so the Doc wants her to wait until that wears off and she is in serious pain again to schedule her surgery.

Dad went along and promptly announced to the Doc that he was cancelling his surgery. Susan and I were both there for the appt. and were able to get some answers from the surgeon for Dad that made him feel more comfortable with the recovery and rehab process. Before we left, Dad did reschedule for late October and we are hopeful he will keep that appointment. His pain is pretty significant and that limits his movement and ability to do much, so it worries us when he talks about not having the shoulder surgery at all.

He needs all the POSITIVE reinforcement he can get right now. So keep your "success" stories and happy calls coming. Have a nice night and day! :)

ANOTHER DOCTOR APPOINTMENT

Tomorrow (Thursday) is Grandma's appointment with the shoulder doctor to find out the results of her MRI. Cross your fingers and say a prayer with us! Gotta hope there is some good news here. We are hoping she hasn't torn her rotar cuff but are afraid she has. Anyway, we will let you know what the doc says as soon as we know.

Nothing really new here. Kids are growing fast. Carly's words are getting bigger. Jonathon's balance is getting ton's better. Other than that, things are pretty normal. More later. :)

SAD ARMS

Carly just started playing with my soft fleshy arms (Okay, okay--she was playing with the fat on my arms!) and she thought it was kind of funny. I told her to stop, that it was making me feel bad. She turned and looked at me really seriously and said, "Mama, your arms are sad?"

I can't decide whether it's more ironic or funny how our children seem to have a way of speaking the truth without really meaning to . . . Now where is that blasted gym pass? Lol!

PROBABLY BETTER GET YOUR MONSTER STORY STRAIGHT . . .

in your mind before you start working it on the little ones. I thought I had done this but I didn't follow through. So, tonight as I'm putting Carly to bed she tells me she's scared of Monsters in her room. I told her there weren't any. (Years ago, I heard of one parent who got a spray bottle of plain water and labeled it Monster Spray and used it in her daughter's room at night to rid it of Monsters when she got scared.) I always thought I'd use this approach.

Not having the bottle fixed up and handy, I blundered stupidly when she told me again, "Mommy, Monsters in here, I scared." I said, "No, there aren't any Monsters in here, they all went home." Yah, say it with me, "UH OH"! This perked her little mind up and she got worried about the Monsters having a home and a Mommy and, okay well, you see where this is going. She wanted to have a long conversation about Monsters and their scary homes and Mommies and whatever else her little two and a half year old mind could come up with. Gah! This Mama started doing the Backtrack dance as fast as I could and it wasn't easy. Lol! Finally, I got her mind on something else, though and got out of Dodge. Can't wait till tomorrow though. I'm sure we will get to continue our monstrous conversation . . . Now where did I put that Monster Spray! :}

MY MONSTER SCARED ME!

I was sitting on the living room floor for a couple of minutes tonight doing something while Rob and the kids were watching an old kids video that had church songs on it trying to teach them to Carly. All of the sudden I realized she was hiding between our two couches underneath a table next to me. She was saying, "My monster scared me." I'd never seen her do that before. I hadn't been paying much attention to what was on the video so I had to ask everyone else why she might be hiding. It took them a minute to figure it out, and me another couple of minutes to coax her out. Apparently one of the little kids characters in the video put on a mask to tease someone just briefly and it scared Carly. She thought it was a Monster and ran and hid! Pretty funny! Sometimes my Monster scares me, too! Lol!

FUN DAY, WORN OUT KIDS

Today was good. We slept in, met up with Rob's brother and his kids and went to lunch and of course, a play land! Then we went miniature golfing. It was Carly's first time. She had minimal interest in staying with the course but lots of interest in running around with her cousins. As long as the end result was fun--we were fine! The rest of us stayed the course and the guys were going to add up the scores once we got home. Funny thing, I never heard those scores. I'm pretty sure that means I won and they just didn't want to let on. What do you think? :/ Hee hee hee!!

We got back from golfing and the brothers took the older girls and went target shooting. I kept the younger kids and they played and watched cartoons here. I made cookies and had pizza ready when they came back. (I know, I know--what a good wifey I am--lol!) Then everybody went downstairs to play video games. Over all I think Rob had a good post birthday celebration. At least he better have! :)

Carly didn't have a single nap today and really, for her, had relatively few meltdowns. She was really, really tired when I put her down, though. Hopefully, she will wake up in a good mood tomorrow. Guess we will see! We may never do that again!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

THE WEEKEND IS HERE! THE WEEKEND IS HERE!

Daddy is home! He has the weekend off! Boy are we excited! We are so happy to have him here and are hoping to have some fun this weekend. We didn't really get to do much to celebrate his birthday or Jon's so we may go bowling or miniature golfing or something fun like that. We just want to do something together.

The kids and I went on a walk today with a friend of mine and her kids. It went great until it was time to come home and then Carly had a melt down. She likes to go places and have fun, she just doesn't like the fun to end. I'm not sure how to solve that problem for her. I think they call it LIFE. She didn't even want me to unstrap her from the stroller when we got home. I guess she thought if she stayed strapped in I would have to keep moving it. But, I had to bring Jonathon in and then, eventually she had to come, too.

It's too bad we don't realize when we are little how much we really need those naps and appreciate them. After lunch she took a really long nap and got up in a great mood. I took a shorter one when they were both down and I was jealous hers was so long! Why didn't I appreciate those better when I was young? Why? Why? :)

Anyway, off to have fun with hubby and the kids! Toodaloo!

MY SWEETY IS HOME AGAIN

Rob came home again tonight! Yay! He has been gone this time since Sunday. Way too long! He has really had a spell this last little while of his job taking him away from home from several days to a week at a time. It's not usually like this but they have just been on overload!

For days, Carly has been asking "Where my DaDa? and telling me "I wan't my DaDa to put me to bed!" And today when I told her he was coming home she said "No, my Dada go to work." I told her he was really coming home--she could believe it today. I think he was gone for so many days in a row she wasn't sure he was really would show up today, either. But he did and we were all really glad to see him!

It got up to 100 degrees here today! At 7 pm it was still 95 degrees. That is just too darn hot as far as I'm concerned. Blech!

I picked a mess of green beans out of the garden today. Gonna cook them tomorrow. Sounds really good. Not much else to tell today. Night all.

DOCTOR DAY

Mom, Dad and I spent the afternoon making doctor visits. Mom had to have an MRI on her shoulder. They think she has torn her rotar cuff but want to have a closer look to see for sure. That was fun. I don't think I have ever seen her on Valium before. Hee Hee. Hey, I can't laugh too hard. I'm claustrophobic myself. It was cute. She was just a tiny bit dozey . . . nothing compared to Drunkel Steve. I mean, we could never rent her out for parties :}

Dad had his 6 month check-up on his knee replacement. The surgeon thinks he is doing fabulous! He'd like to see Dad gain 5 more degrees on his knee but other than that he was happier than a clam at a lobster bake about Dad's progress.

Mom won't have her results until sometime in September but I will keep you posted. Have a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONO, MY HAPPY BOY!

MY BABY TURNS ONE IN A FEW HOURS!

What a gorgeous little boy! I am so blessed. He learned a new word today. I said, "Let's go!" and he said, "Go." I said, "Go, go, go." He repeated it right back to me. He even performed on command when I had him say it for Julie and Grandma. That's unheard of! He said it over and over again. He loves his Mama! Carly never really got too clingy to me. She had a short stage of it but she would pretty much go to everyone. Jonathon wants Mom. He sees me coming and gets a huge smile on his face and starts moving my way. If he's in someone else's arms he starts leaning my way.

He loves to be swung up in the air! He giggles and giggle and giggles. He has the best laugh! He dances any time there is music on. I mean, really dances--hips, bum, legs moving, arms swaying, head moving back and forth to the music. So dang cute. I love, love, love this little man! Happy Birthday Jonathon! Mama loves you all the way to your toes!

DEAR FRIENDS,

Sorry I've neglected you for a few days. Just got caught up in the few moments I had with Rob and the kids before Rob had to rush off to work again. The poor guy is really putting in the overtime these days and has been for some time now. We really can't complain too much given how hard it is out there in the world right now economically. It would just be nice to have a regular forty hour week from time to time. I would love to spend time with my honey more than the money. :)

Jonathon turns one year old in two days! I can't believe it has really been a year already. He is so big and is doing new things every day. We got family pictures taken on Saturday by my favorite photographer--my friend Lori. She is absolutely, far and away, the best photographer I've ever seen. Both Jonathon and Carly were being pills, though. Lori really had to work hard for smiles from both of them. Then, this morning at church without any coaxing Jonathon was laughing and smiling at the woman sitting behind us. She wasn't even paying any attention to him at first but he just kept working her until she did. You would have thought she had the camera and was trying to get his picture. I could have swatted him for making us all work so hard yesterday. Although, Lori showed me a few of the ones she captured on the camera and they were gorgeous! Can't wait to see them. I specifically wanted to do them now so I could have some for Jonathon's being a year old. Guess, I also captured Rob turning 50 since I scheduled it on his birthday. It's so hard to get everybody together at the same time anymore! Can't wait to show you a sneak peak!

Julie starts back to school tomorrow. Gonna miss having a helping hand during the days but I'm sure she will enjoy getting back to class. My kids have always enjoyed school. Go figure! :}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

Rob turns 50 today but he's still a handsome young guy to me! I'm just glad he's willing to do it first so he can tell me what it's like before I have to do it:) He's really generous that way.

We are going to go have some family pictures taken by our favorite photographer today as well. Jonathon will turn one in 3 days so these will be his one year photos as well. Can you believe he's almost a year? Me neither. He's such a cute little guy.

He's become a dancer, too, just like his little sister. Only he may even have a bit more rhythm than Carly and she's pretty good. He doesn't dance to commercial music like she did. He waits for real songs to come on the TV and then he busts loose. He is so funny. He really gets a kick out of himself, too. Hillarious to watch!

Well, if you're in the neighborhood today, c'mon by for some birthday cake!

ROB IS HOME! YAY!

Rob has been in Nevada since Sunday. That was a long trip to fix a machine. Gah! Thankfully, he is home safe tonight. Jonathon was really glad to see his daddy. I had just put Carly down when he came walking in so she doesn't know he's here yet. I was just ready to put Jonathon down but hadn't done it yet. He got lucky.

Had a dentist appointment today. Had a root canal finished. What a joy. Actually this dentist is really good. When he gives me a numbing shot I never even feel it. I've never had a dentist that good before. This one is worth keeping.

Carly is sure glad Grandma and Grandpa are back. Don't know how she got along without them for so long. She has to visit them several times a day now to see what they are up to. Her vocabulary is really picking up and you can understand her a lot better as well. I can't believe how grown up she seems.

I will have to post some new pictures on here soon. Night all.

HERE'S THE SCORE

Grandpa and Grandma are home. Rob is still in Nevada. Steve's kidney stone has been removed! Now if we can just get Rob home we will be doing great! All is almost well :). Keep you posted. Night.

EVERYONE IS ALL OVER!

Grandpa and Grandma landed in Laramie, Wyoming tonight. Hopefully, they just have tomorrow's driving and they will be safely back home. Rob has gone to Elko, NV twice this week and unfortunately for him, he's still there. Poor guy! Hopefully, he will get to come home tomorrow. He's busy fixing machines there that just don't want to stay fixed. Aarrgghhh!

Tomorrow morning early I am taking Drunkel Steve to have his Kidney stone removed. They say it is the size of an eraser on a pencil. In case you don't know, that is really, really large! These stones are just as painful if not more than delivering a baby! They will put him under general anesthetic to remove it--and as he likes to say "go in the out door to pull it out!" Yikes! Sounds even more painful to me!

Hopefully, by the time I get him home from the hospital all my road warriors will be home. It will be so good to have everyone back. Yay! Love it when we have a full house!

SO EXCITED . . .

To get Grandpa and Grandma back home again. It's been a long couple of weeks without them. Carly always wants to know where they are. She wants to go downstairs and visit them but then I have to try to explain why they aren't there. I will just be glad when they are there again and she can go down and bug, er, I mean visit them again.

They made it as far as Nebraska today. I suspect that means a couple more days of driving for them. They are taking it kind of slow, which is good. I know they have to be exhausted. Thanks to all of you who helped them out while they were back home. I know that meant a lot to them and made their time there so much easier. Thanks so much!!

Well, I had better call it a night. More later. N.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN . . .

Grandma and Grandpa are headed back this way. Turns out they had a great time visiting with friends and family. They were thrilled to see everyone and we are excited to have them get back home to us. Can't wait!

TIRED DAY

Drunkel Steve had a kidney stone in the middle of the night last night so Rob and I didn't get much sleep. Thankfully, he's feeling much better today--not because he passed it but because the docs have given him stuff to somehow help with passing it and pain control. Thus, the reference to "Drunkel". We love it when our favorite uncle has pain meds! He's super funny on them! Yay for comedy. It comes in strange forms sometimes but still wonderfully hillarious! Too exhausted to write more though. Need some serious sleep.

DOG EAT DOG DAYS

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was one of those "pulling my hair out" days. I had a ton to do around the house and the little kids were both throwing their share of tantrums. Julie was gone to Driver's Ed and the little ones both wanted only Mom to hold them all day and all night long. I couldn't get anything I needed to do done. It was beyond frustrating.

Here's just one story that illustrates how my day went. One situation after another mirrored this one. I am trying to multi-task. I have Jonathon in his high chair and am feeding him while mopping the kitchen and dining room floor. I have moved everything out of the kitchen and dining room except the kitchen table and his high chair so the floor is clear. Instead of moving the dog food bowls to the living room floor, I just sat them up on the kitchen table so I could mop around where they usually sat. Uh oh!

You guessed it! Jonathon was busy eating--or so I thought. I was busy mopping and all of the sudden I heard a loud noise. It was the dog water bowl hitting the floor. All I saw was the empty bowl on the floor and the happy smile on his face. Gah! I thought, "Well, no harm done. I'm mopping. I will just mop it up in a minute. I turned my back and kept mopping. Then I heard some other funny noises. It was my cute little boy playing in the water. Yep, splashing his hands, laughing and clapping in the fun little puddle he'd created in the high chair tray when he flipped the dog water bowl on top of it before it crashed to the ground. Yep, my boy has talent!

That's the kind of stuff my little ones pulled all day long yesterday. It's a wonder my hair isn't pure white today. (Well, if it was I would've colored it so fast your teeth would've rattled.) I'm just sayin' . . . :)

DRIVE DEFENSIVELY . . . ALWAYS

Julie is taking driver's ed now. We knew the day would come. She hasn't actually gotten behind anyone's wheel yet, she is just sitting in class listening to lectures for the time being. However, it's only a two-week, three hour a day class so it won't be long before she is actually behind the wheel of a vehicle. They do add another 10 hours of instructor/student behind the wheel time along with the thirty hours of course time. Not very generous if you ask me. They do need to drive with parents for a certain number of hours as well. Still, doesn't seem like a whole lot of training before you put a teenager in charge of theirs and other people's lives and a thirty or so thousand dollar vehicle, does it? Wow!

It's a lot to think about. I'm not just talking about Julie. I'm talking about every teenager we turn loose with a vehicle and minimum training every single day. I know one thing. My teenager will not have a cell phone so she will not be texting and driving. On top of that, she has already completed an additional course we made her take earlier in the year called "Alive at 25" that tries to help teens understand the dangers of being young and believing they are invincible. It tries to help them avoid the mistakes other young drivers have made that cost them their lives. Hopefully, doing those two two things will make a difference in our daughter's driving for the good!

Good luck out there to all you parents who are in the same situation we are--just about to send a teen driver onto the roads. And good luck to all you other drivers. My advice to everyone everyday--Keep driving defensively! :}

WHAT A BUBBLEHEAD THING TO DO

My box of dishwasher soap ran out tonight and I was to lazy to go downstairs and get another one. Afterall, I had several packets of dishwasher soap they handed me for free at Sam's one weekend. No problem, I thought, I'll just use one of those. I opened one of them up and instead of finding powder I was surprised to find a liquid. Hmmmm. Oh well, I thought, there are liquid dishwasher detergents. I glanced for a second at the directions and didn't see anything glaring so I went ahead. Started the dishwasher and went back to my bedroom. A few minutes later Rob came and found me and asked if I knew there was a difference between Dishwashing Soap and Dishwasher Soap. Oh Crud!

Turns out I didn't glance long enough at the directions or the title on the packet! We had a bunch of suds on the kitchen floor. At least Rob was standing there and caught the outpouring before it got too bad. It's been a long time since I've pulled that stunt! Hopefully I won't ever do that one again! Although, I'm sure there will be others! :}

GRANDPA PLAY MEAN JOKE--NO! NO!

Had another not so feel good day today. Wish that would stop. I did better in the late afternoon and evening but still not feeling wonderful. I think a lot of it is pollen and allergies.

Grandpa called today from White Castle at Plainfield just to taunt me. I told him he was mean. He said he just wanted me to know he was about to eat some White Castles and he was going to enjoy them. I just kept telling them he was mean. Isn't that mean? I think I could smell them through the phone.

Now I want a stromboli and a Pizza King pizza. Do you think they deliver this far? :}

AT THE END OF WHOSE ROPE?

We went back to the ropes course today. This time we took re-enforcements. Went with our kids and some family and friends. We were pretty sure we could take the place--NOT! This time we did a Zipline, the BIG swing, climbed and jumped of a really wobbly, tall tree to catch a bar and a bunch of other fun stuff. But, everybody came home tired and sore---and RARIN' TO GO BACK AGAIN!!!

I will have to put pictures up later because we are all so darn warn out. We left the little ones with my sister Susan. They had a great time, too. All in all it was a very fun day. Who says we are getting old . . . (Oh yah, well don't say it again:)!

MOMMA TOOK A SICK DAY

I sure didn't mean to, but I had to call in sick today. It's only been for the last hour or two that I've felt somewhat decent. I couldn't even crawl out of bed until about four p.m. I tried a few times and it did not work for me at all.

I had a serious migraine going with full nausea but I also had allergy eyes. I could barely even open them they stung so bad. Also, when I would stand up and try to get up I would get dizzy--so, I just kept crawling back in bed. I tried everything I could think of to get feeling better and nothing was helping--so I gave up and gave in to trying to sleep it off.

Thank goodness Rob was still on vacation and Julie is home or my poor babies would have suffered--but they didn't!

Sounds like Grandma and Grandpa are having a great time at home whoopin' it up with friends and family. Hope everyone who wants to are getting to see them.

Well, I am going to get myself to bed so I don't have a repeat of today, tomorrow! Night all.

FAMILY FUN

OK, SO I WAS WRONG . . .

Turns out my parents changed their mind and drove all the way home tonight. So, they are there now for those of you who are looking for them. Happy reunions!

THE PARENT REPORT

The parents made it to Davenport, Iowa today. They are doing good. Dad even sounded a little energetic on the phone. I'm guessing he can smell the White Castles and the Pizza King pizza already! Lol! Don't expect them tomorrow though. They are going to start taking it a little slower now. I think it will be two more days before you see the whites of their eyes. I will keep you posted. Take care, N.

PONDERING MODERN DAY MIRACLES . . .

I took Jonathon to have a Well-check today at his pediatrician's office. He had to have two shots. He didn't like either one of them and he got a really insulted look on his face and cried really hard when the nurse gave them to him. I felt bad for him but only for a moment. One of the shots he received was the polio vaccine. That has given me reason to pause and praise.

I have spent the rest of the day thinking about the blessings that vaccine have brought to so many throughout the world. Thank you Dr. Salk and Dr. Sabin. Thank you Heavenly Father for inspiring these wonderful men.

I'm in kind of a unique position because I have had an intimate view of some of the damage Polio did to a human being who lived through Polio during a time when there was no cure--no such vaccine. I was born to that person after the vaccine had been found, but the scare of Polio still existed and they still weren't sure what caused all the outbreaks. My parents were cautious about a lot of things, i.e. where we swam, (no lakes, ponds, streams) only chlorinated pools, because there was a belief that some outbreaks had come through unclean water. Other kids and their families could take that chance but we couldn't. As children, we didn't understand all the caution. As a mom, the fear is much more clear.

Having gone through Jonathon's breathing struggles with him I would do anything to make him well. I'm sure my Dad's parents felt the same way. Their son had been a happy, walking, nearly eighteen month old when he was struck down with Polio--one of the first cases in Indiana. Suddenly, he couldn't walk anymore and was very sick. They were told he would never walk again. You know the rest of the story. He did walk but with a limp, one leg smaller and shorter than the other and he has always had some pain. One leg completely recovered and one didn't. In other words, he had one strong leg and one weak one. That didn't stop him from lettering in baseball and basketball. He has lived a good life and is very accomplished. I'm so proud of him.

The Polio leg now has post-Polio and it has made these later years pretty rough for him to get around easily. I can't help wonder how diffferent his life would be if he had been given this vaccine at Jonathon's age. But then, I guess our lives are what they are supposed to be. I know my Dad's struggles and challenges have shaped his character and made him who he is. I guess I wouldn't change that.

I still can't help but marvel at this modern day miracle--a cure for Polio. A blessing so big -- and so long gone from our memory that I don't think we even understand it. Love you Dad. :)

SPENT THE WHOLE DAY . . .

with my husband and kids. You have no idea what a treasure that was given what Rob's schedule has been like the last four or five months. He has rarely even had weekends off. We have the whole week together--TONS to do but still it's just nice to not have to worry about him getting called in or having to be away for hours at a time. Yay! Usually if he has time off it's because we are going somewhere. It's nice to just be home together getting things done on our own time schedule.

Grandma and Grandpa checked in tonight. They made it to Lincoln, Nebraska and are safely tucked in there tonight. They have been taking it easy in the mornings and taking off when they feel like it. So far they are having a good trip. Please keep them in your prayers. They need all the help they can get. Don't we all!

My little boy is walking all over the place. He's not really steady yet but what he lacks in "steady" he makes up for in "get up and go!" He just takes off and wobbles as fast and far as he can--which is sometimes pretty darn far. He cracks us up. He may fall down but he gets right back up and starts all over again. He's going to give us a run for our money. That's for sure.

Well, hope you have had a terrific day. We have!