TODAY'S STUFF

Julie hurt her finger today in gym class. She thought she broke it so I took her to the docter to have it looked at and X-rayed. Turned out it was just a jam but those usually hurt worse than breaks. Of course it is the hand she uses most. She had to work tonight and it was pretty uncomfortable but she made it through.

It snowed pretty hard tonight. I'd say we got about 3 inches on the ground before it died down. The streets are still drivable. Luckily they do a really good job doing of clearing streets here. It's still supposed to snow more tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully, it won't be more than we can handle.

Grandma is still pretty tired from her quick trip. She is starting to perk up a little--but going and coming that quickly without much rest would have made me want to sleep for a week. She is really glad she was able to go home and especially happy to see as many people as she was. Thanks to everyone for their kind expressions of love and sympathy at Louise's passing. We are very grateful for your love and support.

Well, this girlie is going to bed now. Night all.

AUNT SUSAN MAKES A HAPPY LITTLE GIRL!

My sister Susan made this adorable doll for Carly for her birthday. She also brought Carly a matching ribbon for her hair. Carly loves her new doll. I asked her what she named the doll and funny thing--the doll had her exact name--middle name included! Hahaha. It's also the first doll she has ever given a name. Anyway, thanks Aunt Susan for making this little girl very happy!

THE GUYS JUST HANGIN' OUT

GRANDMA'S HOME

Sorry I haven't written much this week. It's been a busy one with Grandma gone. I just want to write a real quick update and let you know that we just got her home safely from the airport. Whew! I am always so glad when anyone I love is safely on the ground after flying--especially these days.

Grandma is pretty tired. It was kind of a whirlwind trip. We are so glad she was able to go and be there with family for Louise's funeral. Again, thanks so much to my sister's, Susan and Sarah, because without their help I don't know how we would have been able to do it. They were so terrific. And--believe it or not - Dad even behaved himself! Seriously, he was really good the whole time Mom was gone! Lol!

I know there is more news to write and catch you up on but we are all exhausted so I will write more later. Love you all. N.

A CONVERSATION WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD

Her: "Mom, I got three wishes."

Me: "Really?"

Her: "I wished for a live unicorn and a pony."

Me: "Oh honey, I don't think you will get the unicorn because they aren't real; they are make-believe."

Her: "Oh, I'll be right back. I'm going to ask for more wishes--and I will just ask for the unicorn legs this time."

Me: "Alrighty then." Lol!

HOME! SWEET HOME!

We all got up at the crack of dawn (or so it felt)and got Grandma to the airport. Actually, my sweet husband drove the chariot--but Grandpa and I got up for moral support. I'm afraid we weren't much help otherwise. I don't think we even looked cute at that time of the morning so --yep, moral support was all we were good for. Lol!

Anyway, Grandma landed safely around 6:15 and then had an hour drive to be with family. It was a horribly long day for her and I know she had to be completely exhausted. She didn't get much sleep before she left and it was an emotional day. So, those of you back home who are within arms reach of her--please take good care of her for us, won't you?

Carly, Jono and I have been taking pretty good care of Grandpa today. If he tells you otherwise, well, I've been meaning to tell you about that Old-Timers he's been getting . . . Lol! Just kidding Dad! Susan came up this evening to help out and she is spending the night and tomorrow morning here. Then tomorrow afternoon the last of the cavalry rides in (that would be Sarah) and she is going to stay and help out until Sunday. I sure love and appreciate my sisters. I'm even considering letting one of them be the favorite for awhile. :)

WE LOVE YOU LOUISE

My Aunt Louise (my Mom's oldest sister) passed away very early this morning. She's been very ill for awhile now so it wasn't unexpected. Somehow still, we are never quite prepared to lose the ones we love.

I had a feeling last night as I was putting Carly to bed that we were going to lose Louise in the night. Carly picked up one of her little dolls and asked what her name was and I told her she hadn't given her one yet. I suggested she give her a name but she couldn't think of any. So off the top of my head I said, "Why don't you name her Louisa?" I don't know why I came up with that. It was unusual but it reminded me of the writer of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott as I said it. Carly apparently didn't like it because she immediately said, "No, let's name her "Louise." I said, "O.K." but as I did the thought and a feeling hit me that we were going to lose Louise tonight. Have you ever had something like that happen before? It wasn't eerie or unsettling. We'd been told a few days before that she might not make it through the week--so it wasn't prophetic. It was just a calm sense of knowing--and it was peaceful.

It's experiences like that that make it easier to let our loved ones go. I know there was great rejoicing on the other side today. Great reunions happened there that have been awaited for a long time and it makes me smile to know that even as we sorrow in our loss~somewhere there is great joy and rejoicing that one so loved has found her way home. We will miss you Louise. We love you.

LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG EARS

Okay--they were just quick moments but the kids were kind of funny today. Jonathon woke up with the most atrocious breath. He was really darling when I got him out of bed. He woke up really happy and he was really cuddly and he said, "Mommy, My bike" like it was the most important thing in the world even though it was no where in sight. He'd obviously been thinking or dreaming about his little trike. However, when he said that right into my face his breath about knocked me over. Julie was home for the holiday today and I immediately said to her, "Jono's breath could knock you flat, Holy Crap" to which Jono did not miss a beat and very animatedly said HOLY CRAP! Golly jeepers Gomer, sometimes I forget to watch what I say!

Earlier in the morning I was making a fruit smoothie and I offered Carly her choice of chocolate milk or smoothie. She, of course, chose the chocolate milk. She asked for a taste of my smoothie though, and then told me it was good. She stood around for a minute afterward like she was giving it some thought and then said, "Mommy, chocolate milk is a kid's smoothie, isn't it?" Ya know, I frankly had to agree with her. :)

IT CAME! IT CAME!

Julie is walking on air! She got accepted to BYU! Nevermind that she's been accepted to four or five other universities--this is the only one she really had eyes for! Now, we are all hoping and praying for some of those scholarships she's been applying for to come through. Feel free to join us in our prayers. :)

We went to a stake meeting today for church--that translates to a big meeting in a large auditorium--no Sunday school classes. So, we dared to take all the kids--including Jono. We sat through two hours of meetings with them on our laps eating cheerios, pretzels, etc. and asking "is this over yet and can I get down and play?" Actually, they were pretty darn good for a meeting that long and I'm sure that stale to a child. One of my neighbors who didn't make it to the meeting asked me how it was and what they said. I told her that I thought it was a good meeting from what I heard but I didn't catch much, and that I'm sure my blessings were coming from being obedient and attending church today--not from hearing what was said. Lol!

Well, that's it for today. :)

PRAYERS FOR ONE WE LOVE, PLEASE . . .

We got some sad news today. We learned that my Aunt Louise, my mom's oldest sister, isn't doing very well. She hasn't been well for some time but she has not taken a turn for the worse. It's strange how life changes on a dime. Yesterday, Louise had a new great-grandbaby born into the world and today she is terribly ill. Please pray for comfort and peace for her and her family. She has a wonderful family and I know they are there doing everything they can for her but it still can't be easy for any of them. We love you Louise, Sheila, Steve, Darrell, Keith and families. We wish we oculd be there to help. Please know you are in our prayers. It's times like this that it's hard to be so far from home. We are thinking of you with much tenderness and love.

WELCOME NATHAN JOHN!

We were supposed to go snow tubing today with another part of our family but they forgot about it and didn't get work off. So, we had to reschedule our fun! Actually, it ended up being okay with me because I am still not over my cough and cold completely. It's landed in my chest and is much better than it was but just hasn't gone completely away.

Some exciting news! My cousin Sheila's daughter Lisa had her baby today! She had a healthy baby boy and they named him Nathan James! I'm so excited for them. Can't wait to see some pictures of him but I know he's a handsome little dude. Congrats Lisa and Eric!

Grandpa went to his PT today. Instead of being done like I thought he was, he decided to cut down to twice a week. He thought that three times a week was wearing him out too much. He thinks he is handling twice a week better.

Rob and I made a quick trip up to see Sarah and her family on Valentine's Day. We needed to return a dress Julie had borrowed from Caitlin and decided we had time that night so we ran up and met Sarah, Rich and Ian for dinner. We had a nice meal with them and then headed back.

Carly had a fun birthday. We had some of her friends over for cake and ice cream. She got some fun gifts but her favorite was the new bicycle with training wheels from Grandma and Grandpa. It was Jono's favorite too--unfortunately! Lol!

Well, not much else going on right now. Take care.

THE PARTY--IN PICTURES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

My baby girl turns four today. It's hard to believe that much time has gone by. I won't say it's been a whirlwind, it hasn't, but it has gone far too quickly. The first picture is of the first time I held her. I can't begin to tell you what a true bundle of joy I held in my arms that day--and how much she has brought into our lives since. I'm sure she is a very typical but she is magical to me! Happy Birthday my sweet Carly! I love you so much!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Hope your heart is filled with love today and hope you receive some in return. Love to all! N.

CRAZY WEATHER

The end of last week was so nice I thought Spring was coming. It was in the upper 50's and lower 60's Thursday and Friday. Even yesterday wasn't too cold. Today it was in the upper 30's and lower 40's. We had light rain most of the day and now it's lightly SNOWING! Darn. Well, I guess it is only February. I can't really expect Spring this early, but it would've been nice. :)

FEW THINGS

Grandpa had his last physical therapy today--at least for awhile. I think it's good that he's taking a break for awhile. It's helped his pain but every session wears him out really bad.

I spent the day hanging with the kids and running errands. Then tonight we went and watched Rob, Julie and Megan play volleyball. The kids ran around and played with other little kids whose parents were also playing and I just kept an eye on them and watched the game a bit. It was a nice litte break and Carly and Jono were happy to get out. They have felt a little housebound--especially Jono.

No big plans for tomorrow--just catch up stuff around the house. Carly turns four next week and we still have a few things to pull together for her birthday. I can't believe my baby girl is four already! Wow, that really did go fast! Well, gotta head to bed. Take care. :0

PROOF WE'RE GETTING OLD . . . OH MY!

So, maybe you'll remember I wrote this post a few months ago about FINALLY cleaning my ovens and being a little whiny that they weren't self-cleaning. A few minutes ago Rob called me in the kitchen and said, "Honey, just so you know these oven's are self-cleaning." I said, "Honey, I asked you that BEFORE I cleaned them a few months ago!" "Oh," he said, "Well, I just noticed this lock here and wondered what it was for and then looked on top and there are two buttons that say "Clean." I walked over and looked and sure enough, plain as day, there are those buttons that say "clean" right on the dashboard of the oven.

I can just see us in a few years. I will be calling for him -- and calling and calling. Finally, I will get exasperated and go looking. When I find him, I will say "Honey, I've been calling you for twenty minutes! I think you've lost your hearing completely!" Then he will gently say, "Honey, I've answered you every time you called! I think it's time we get you a hearing aid." Lol!

MR. WILL

This is a picture of us with Mr. Will. Will's was the first baptism we went to on Saturday. I love the "too large" suit on him--no doubt a hand-me-down from one of his handsome brothers. He is a real cutie and such a charmer, too. He was quite the little host at the after-party. He is an adopted nephew for me. I actually adopted his whole family. I just adore this kid! Love you Will!

I DO NOT LIKE IT SAM I AM . . .

Sorry, but I am not happy with the caucus results today. If you disagree with me, I'm sorry. It's my blog so I get to say my piece. I like Romney a lot. I saw him in action during the Salt Lake Olympics and I think he is a really good man and would do wonderful things for our country. I'm sad he did not win today. That's all I will say. I do not want to sound rabid--even though my parents raised me to be fairly rabid about politics. (Oh yes you did!) Lol!

MY CUTIE PIES

GRANDMA'S IN THE KITCHEN . . .

Grandma made us Beef Bourguignon today. It's a wonderful recipe we've had in the family for years but I've just forgotten about it and haven't made it in a long time. It's going on my list of favorites. Grandma also made some wonderful homemade rolls. Before the night was over Carly had eaten four of them. Good thing she made a double batch!

After church and a nap we all watched the commercials, uh, I mean the Superbowl! I didn't think the commercials lived up to the hype this year. But for me, I still thought they were better than the actual game. That's only because I have never really understood football. Now basketball I get! If it were a basketball game I would watch the game and not the commercials.

Everyone in the house except our toddlers seems to be dragging a bit. I am hoping this yuk we have passes pretty soon. It is never good when the toddlers have the upper hand. Lol!

Well, better get to bed. Night all.

WATER ANYONE?

We made it to both baptisms today. The first one was far enough away that we had to get up around 6:00 a.m. to get ready and get the kids ready so we had enough time to drive there before it started at 9:00 a.m. this morning. We got home from that one around 12:30 or so and had a little reprieve before the next one which started at 2:00. All in all it was a nice day. We got to spend it with a lot of family and friends that we haven't seen for a long time.

When we got home from the last one we all took naps. Tonight we watched a bit of basketball and then a movie as a family.

Grandma did some cooking today. I think she wore herself out a little. The house smelled really good when we got home. It's really nice to have another cook in the house. I guess Grandpa really got worn out at physical therapy yesterday. It has helped his hip pain quite a bit but it does take it's toll on him, too. He's only got a couple of more treatments before he is through--at least for now.

Jono's finally breathing better! He actually sounds normal again. Yay! Now to keep him away from germs for the rest of the winter! Wish I knew how to do that. If only . . .

Well, that's about it for today. Take care. :)

EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE . . . MAKES ME MORE TIRED

Gotta get in bed early tonight. I have a couple of baptisms to go to tomorrow and they start early. We still haven't seen Julie yet so I don't know how her debate performance went. I hate how long these things go. It started right after school and it's nearly 10 pm and it's not over yet. Gah!

We had a high wind warning again this morning but I never heard the wind. I didn't see or hear about any damage so hopefully it passed us without causing any problems.

The kids actually were pretty good today. Neither of them ever took a nap but it wasn't for lack of trying. Some days it just goes like that.

Well, not much else to report. Think I will head to bed. Night. :0

CUDDLES WITH JONO

Carly had pre-school this morning and I had Jono all to myself. I love these mornings and I think he does, too. He is a different child when he is by himself. He isn't competing for attention and so he is much calmer and just lays in my arms and lets me read to him or hold him. I love it when he cuddles with me and he is a great cuddler!

Carly had fun at pre-school. They learned about Ground-hog day and made some cute things. Then came home and played with Jono and ate lunch before nap.

This afternoon and evening I helped Julie with some debate prep. She has a debate tomorrow and I think she has a really good piece.

Grandma got her hair done today and Grandpa has physical therapy tomorrow. I also have a dr. appt. tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be a busy day. Guess I'd better get some sleep. Hope you had a great day!

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF, UM, TODDLERS

Our kids love Batman. I mean the OLD Batman. The television show Batman from the 1960's. You know--Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. . . BATMAN!!! They are playing the re-runs on cable now and we have taped a whole bunch of them. It is a real treat for them to sit and watch an episode or two. Jono especially loves them. Tonight while we were watching an episode, I told them I used to watch these when I was a little girl (and I'm pretty sure they were re-runs then.)Carly said, "Yah, and I was your mom." I thought she just got confused with what she was saying so I corrected her. I said, "No, I am your mom." She corrected me. "But when you were little, I was your mommy." "Oh, I said. Hmmm." I don't think I'll win the battle trying to convince her differently right now. So, I will just let her little imagination go wild. Although, it's time for bed mom! Lol!

WHAT'S UP DOC?

Rob is really sick. So far, besides Jonathon, he has had the worst cold in the house. He has a really bad sore throat and cough. He's been miserable all day. I even sent him to the doctor today. The doctor confirmed what we already knew--that Rob was miserable. Lol!

I'm still not feeling up to snuff but much better than Rob is doing. Jono is ton's better and so is Carly. Yay!

I spent most of my day reading up on college info for Julie and watching the Florida election happenings! Election years are hard on Rob! I can't stay away from the news! Not his favorite thing! :)

Well, gotta get to bed! NIght everyone.

DA PLAY, DA PLAY!

I guess you have to have watched the old Fantasy Island shows to get the joke on my title. If you didn't, then it's an inside joke. Sorry. Lol!

Rob and I went with some dear friends tonight to see a play. It was a lot of fun. It's so nice to get out once in a while and actually go on a date with my handsome husband. I really enjoy spending time with him and the bonus was that we were with other friends we enjoy also. The play was funny and we all had a good time.

Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids for us. None of my regular sitters could come tonight. I guess the kids weren't totally bad cuz Grandpa didn't even have to get out the rubber hammer! Lol!

Well, that's all for tonight. :)

JUST A FEW THINGS TO TELL YOU ABOUT

I had a pretty good day today. My lesson went fairly well (I think.) I made Rob my slave. There was a video I could show if I wanted as a part of the lesson and that means less talking for me, so I thought it was a great idea. The problem is I am not technically savvy. So, I asked Grandma if she could keep an eye on Jono so Rob could come and help me. Since he was going to be there anyway I told him if there were any dead spots in my lesson or if people weren't answering questions it was his job to speak up. He must have forgotten part of his job because the crowd wasn't much in the question answering mood today and I found myself doing the "Anyone, anyone" chant from Ferris Beuhler's day off. Still no one volunteered so after I finished looking around the room for volunteers my eyes landed squarely on him -- and stayed there--piercing him . . . until finally he got it. "Oh", he said quietly and with a little jump, and then he volunteered to answer the question. "Volunteered" probably wasn't the best word for that but he did finally chime in when I needed him. I'll tell you, you've got to stuff your audience with helpful people. That's all there is to it! LOL!

We came home after church and napped a little, then went back for a teacher development meeting. After that, Julie and I made Navajo tacos with homemade fry bread. It was our first time making fry bread so it was not as light and fluffy as my Navajo friend used to make it. Hopefully, with practice we will get better.

Grandpa hasn't move much since his PT on Friday. I think they worked him pretty hard. He says it is really helping the pain in his hip, though. If it's working on the pain, I guess it's worth the fatigue after. Grandma made us a really yummy dinner Saturday night. I'm not sure if it has a name or not but she cooked all carrots, potatoes, green beans and italian sausage together and Carly had at least two helpings--but I think it was three. Jono had a couple helpings also and I can't ever get him to eat everything on his plate. He's a pretty skinny little boy!

Julie has been working on college and scholarship applications. She's up against some deadlines this week so that is her priority. There is so much to do and fill out when you are planning to go to college. Wow! Who knew?!

Well, better get myself in bed. Night all.

JUST RIGHT

Grandpa had physical therapy today. He said it was doing him so much good he thinks he is ready to do the treadmill here at home. :) Wow! Isn't that great? In the Facebook world we would just hit "LIKE," eh? I was really happy to hear his hip is doing that much better.

I did some clothes shopping for the kids this morning and then watched my friend's little girl for a few hours. The kids should have had fun playing together but they are all at the stage where they don't want to share very well and if one person has an interesting toy then that's the toy they all want. So, frankly, they were making Mom crazy for awhile.

When Julie came home we worked a little bit on college stuff--mostly scholarship planning. We are in crunch mode right now because there are some pretty fast deadlines coming up that she needs to meet. It's kind of a wild and woolly process and it's not for pansies.

Tonight Rob and Julie went to play volleyball. We got the kids down before they left and then one of my friend's came over and she and I watched a movie together. Then I stayed up to work on my Sunday School Lesson. So, it's really been kind of a slow day--or maybe a just right day--eh, Goldilocks? Lol! Night all.

ROCKIN' THE POTTY TRAINING!

WHERE'S THE PONY EXPRESS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?

I mailed one of my Christmas gifts, belatedly-of course, because that's how my holiday seemed to work out this year. I got a surprise in my mail today. It came back to me. Now, that might not seem like a big deal but I mailed it on December 30 and just got it back today--January 25th. It only had to travel 50 miles from here--less than an hour. The gift was inside a regular sized card and turns out I failed to put the recipient's entire address on it. It did, however, have my complete return address on it. The inablitly to deliver it was totally my fault. But I just have one question for the US Postal Service: What the heck have you been doing with my card for three weeks?? No wonder you are losing business and going bankrupt! I mean, Pony express could have been there and back a dozen or more times by now! Just sayin' . . .

THE TUMMY BONE'S CONNECTED TO THE . . .

Carly was doing enough better today that I let her go to pre-school. She loves that she actually goes to school and she loves that it has two names just like! Julie's school--High school--Pre-school. Lol! My baby girl is no dummy! Hahaha!

Jono is still coughing up a storm. I'm having to watch him really closely. His breathing has been bad and it can get out of control so quickly. We have him on several breathing treatments a day and that is helping keep his breathing in check. We are trying so hard to keep him out of the hospital this year! I need a lot of wood to knock on!

It's only 34 degrees here. It actually feels colder than that so I guess I will be thankful it is 34 degrees. I just can't seem to get and stay warm.

I am going to have to go back on my diet and start exercising again. All this laying around being sick has taken it's toll on my waistline. I have been so lethargic--and yet still hungry. I'm at the point where I'm afraid to get on the scales and it's only been a week since I was on them! I can just feel that my clothes are tighter. I hate that! I just have to work my brain into submission--and get my will power ignited so I can actually manage to stay on the diet for long enough to get off what I need to. It's so much easier not to gain it in the first place! Wish I could remember that! Sometimes it's like my brain, my taste buds and my tummy are not connected at all! Gah!

MORE SNOT THAN NOT

It's a darn good thing I have a snot-sucker, that's all I have to say! Wow, I can't believe how much snot fits inside one tiny two year old! Thankfully, when he started having trouble breathing they gave us (well, we pay for it) this machine that literally sucks the snot out of his nose. LOL! He actually doesn't mind it very much. Some days he even asks for it. He asked for it 2 or 3 times today. Now, Carly is a different story. Since she didn't start having them as a baby the machine frightens the life out of her. If we even try to use it on her she kicks and screams and knocks things over. Let me just say we have given up trying to use it on her--even though it makes Jono's life and breathing a lot easier! I would really hate to have to deal with his breathing issues without a way to clear out his nose easily. Before we had this when he was much tinier, we had to just take him to the emergency room so they could use their machine on him. Otherwise, he could not breathe--and when he wasn't able to breathe he couldn't breathe in the medicine that would help him breathe better either. So, frustrating.

So, I guess you've figured out the cold's aren't better here. I'm trying to keep them away from Grandma and Grandpa so they don't give them to them but they are slippery and get down there before I know it! I haven't felt well, either, so I'm not as on the ball as I should be. Hopefully, they won't catch what's being thrown at them.

It snowed a little bit here today. I never did get outside but looking out the window I'd say we got a couple of inches. Just enough to make things white and slippery. Well, I'm going to sign off here and drink more fluids and get more rest. Night all.

REALLY SLOW SUNDAY

There wasn't much to today. Rob took Julie to church. I stayed home with Carly and Jonathon. They have both been sick all week. I've had a multiple day migraine. So, we were not in great shape but we made the best of it. After Rob and Julie came home, I let them take over. The rest of the day is a blur. Now it's bedtime. Hoping my head is better by morning and that the little one's colds start to ease up.

POTTY TRAINING!

Jono has been potty training on his own for several weeks--kind of off and on. He has wanted to do it. He feels like a big boy when he goes on his own. I decided to try to go ahead and finish his potty training instead of letting him drag it out for a month or two. There's a theory of potty training that if you let them run around naked from the waist down it will only take 1-3 days to completely train them. I've been nervous to do that because I didn't want to clean up the messes. But, I decided the end result might be worth the risks. So, today I started this version of potty training with him. I affectionately call it "Potty Training on Steroids!" Lol!

Jono actually did really well today. He didn't have ANY accidents! He told me every time he had to go and the only time I put a diaper on him was for a nap! Yay! We are almost there! He was pretty happy himself. It will be so nice not to have to worry about (or pay for) diapers anymore! Cant wait! Yahoo!

Grandpa had more physical therapy today. He seemed pretty good afterward--not as worn out as usual. Either they were nicer to him or he's getting stronger! Grandma is still doing good.

Well, gotta get myself to bed. Night all.

MY ACHING HEAD

Today has been a migraine day. I had one all night long and the day wasn't much better. Tonight it eased up a bit so I was able to get everyone dinner and get the kids to bed but I didn't get much else done today. It was one of those days where you are just hanging on by your fingernails. Thankfully, the kids napped pretty well and Mom was here to get them up when they were done napping. Rob got home pretty early, too, which helped. Julie actually had a debate today so she wasn't here. Well, not much to tell. We did not get a whopping storm as suspected. Just a little white stuff and a bunch of rain. That's okay with me. No shoveling to do!

Ta Da!!

A few days ago Jono came and stood in front of me on this Lincoln Logs can, threw his arms out to the side and said, "Ta Da!" Now, where he came up with that idea, I don't know but he thought it was so cute he kept repeating the performance. So then Carly had to get in on the act too. (Of course!) Finally, I grabbed my camera. It's my job, right? Anyway, I'm pretty sure the final picture started out as a shove--as in "get off it's my turn" and then turned into a hug when he got in trouble. Lol! Well, that's about as exciting as it get's here. Toddler spat's and Ta Da!

GRANDMA'S CHAIR

I walked into our front room tonight looking for Jonathon. I knew he'd gone in there and it was much too quiet. I was afraid of what I might find. Sure enough, he had thrown the pillow seat off my Grandmother's antique rocker and climbed aboard and was just rocking away! Now, mind you, this is a rocker my Grandma had in her home my whole life and probably most of hers. My mom told me that it belonged to my Grandpa's Mom--so my Great Grandma. I'm pretty sure my mom said my Great Grandfather built it for my Great Grandmother in the late eighteen-hundreds. It's not the most comfortable rocker (thus, the pillow) and it's smaller now than it used to be. My Grandma fell sometime before she died and broke the chair and the repair made it smaller. When Grandma was gone it was really the only thing of hers I wanted. It just reminded me of her. So, one of my Uncle's and one of his friend's took it apart and tried to rebuild the part that got broken. In the end, they shipped the chair to me in pieces and a friend of mine who was really good in wood working did some amazing finish work on it and put it back together for me.

Anyway, that's the history of my VERY SPECIAL CHAIR. So, at first I started to get after Jonathon when I saw him in it. Then, I had second thoughts and told him to stay right there and keep doing what he was doing. (You know what I did, don't you?) Yep, I ran for my camera. It made me think about my Grandma and how much I think she would love my kids. I miss her so much. I mean, I REALLY, REALLY MISS HER! I love my Grandma more than I can tell you and I really wish she could be here to enjoy my little ones. So, instead of getting frustrated with Jono, I took several pictures of him rocking away in her chair and thought about and all the sweet memories I have of her. She would have liked that. I love you Grandma!

BEATEN BY MY KIDS!

We didn't get near the snow we were supposed to get today. Although, we are supposed to have another storm coming in on Wednesday that is even bigger. Tonight we took the kids bowling. We went to the mall food court really quick beforehand and grabbed a bite to eat and then headed over to the bowling alley. Everyone beat me. Even Jono. I learned something significant and that is that my arm has not gained any strength back from my shoulder surgery. I could barely hold a bowling ball, let alone swing and throw it. I started out with a 12 pound ball, moved to a 10 pound ball and finally started borrowing Carly's 6 pound ball and I even dropped that one prematurely a few times. Wow, I guess I need some strength training. Gah! That was a very frustrating eye opener!

I stayed up late to watch the Republican Debate. I taped it while we were out because I really wanted to see it. I guess I was the only one because everyone went to bed. Well, it's late now so I'm going to head there too. Night all.

MULTIPLE MENUS

Mom and I have been going to take on the task of doing some "thirty day cooking" for some time now. I don't know if you've heard of it or not but it's all the rage here. There are all kinds of books on it and websites but we finally just decided we would make multiples of the recipes we already like and make alot. Somehow, we've never had the energy (go figure) to spend 2 or 3 days in a row cooking up a storm and freezing the meals so we haven't really gotten much of a start. However, today we made a little bit of an inroad. With my good buy on hamburger, Mom made a huge batch of meatloaf and we baked up 7 meatloafs. We had one for dinner but that still gives us a good jump on a month's worth of meals. Now if we can decide on 3 or 4 more recipes we like and just multiply them like that we won't have to cook every night. We really do love it when we have something made ahead. It is worth the effort. I just have to remind myself of that when I'm not feeling like spending a few hours in the kitchen.

We were going to go snow tubing tomorrow at this cool place we like to go to every year but we got a storm warning tonight and have from 1-3 inches coming in and then the temperature is supposed to drop into the twenties but with the windchill it is supposed to feel like only 10 or 12 degrees. That didn't sound like very comfortable conditions to be out in so we called it off. Hopefully, we can find something else fun to do as a family for the holiday.

Well, it's after midnight here. I've stayed up way too late once again. Hopefully, my babies will sleep in a bit. :)

BRRRRRR!

It's 37 degrees out but it only feels like 30 degrees. Can you really tell a difference when you're freezing? I can't. I'm just plain cold! It's been in the really low thirties for days now. We have a little bit of snow on the ground but mostly it's just been cold. I don't mind the mild Winter as I'm not much for shoveling the white stuff but we do need the moisture here.

It's been a really low key day. Julie worked a good part of it. Rob got called out a couple of times. The kids and I just hung out at home all day and I don't think Mom and Dad left the house either. We are all pretty darn boring. Oh, Rob and I did go do some real quick grocery shopping, but that's about it. We made some really good stir-fry for dinner. Now, everyone is in bed except me and Rob. I'm just waiting up for him to get home. Since I don't have anything exciting to tell you I guess I will call it a night. :)

IS THE MOON FULL OR WHAT?

Today was the end of the school term so I had Julie home. That was nice. She didn't have to work either so I had her here all day. The little ones love having her around, too. They have been really wild the last few days. You'd think the moon was full or something. They have both been extra whiney and easily upset about every little thing. I'm not sure what is causing it but I hope it ends soon. It really is outside the norm for them. And it makes Mama not so happy.:( And you know, when Mama ain't happy~no one is happy!:)

Grandpa had PT again today. I'm not sure what they are doing to him over there but he sure comes home looking beat. Actually, knowing him, I'm pretty sure he's the one overdoing it. They probably ask him to do ten reps of something and he probably insists on doing twenty. He's always been an overachiever!

Julie and I did a bunch of cooking tonight. We found a good deal on hamburger and so we cooked up a whole bunch of it for the freezer. Then I made a pan of my triple chocolate brownies. We ate them warm with glasses of ice cold milk--and they were YUMMY!

Well, signing off for tonight. Sweet dreams!

WHO SAID MEN CAN'T MULTI-TASK?

Jono has a new fascination. It's with anything that makes a noise and cleans, i.e. vacuums, steam cleaners, electric scrub brushes (you know, the small ones that get in crevasses). Everyday he begs me "Clean mommy, Clean?" over and over again pointing to the vacuum. I finally gave in this morning and pulled out the vacuum. I think he let me use it for all of thirty seconds before he completely usurped it. It took me twenty minutes to talk him into being done. He's a strong little sucker! Get it? Sucker, vacuum? Lol! I've been around my husband too long. That's one of his bad jokes. Anyway, back to my little vaccumer. He cracked me up because while he was vacuuming he would just stop and grab something and keep vacuuming. So, I grabbed my camera and caught him in the act. Pretty funny. Check him out.

We like to train them up young here. Child labor laws? What? Seriously, though. I couldn't bribe this away from him!

This is hard work Mom! I need a drink! He didn't even stop moving the vacuum. Grabbed the drink and kept moving. Lol!

He was really working hard. Wish I could keep this work ethic in him all the way through his teen years! Yah right!

Why the mad look? All I did was tell him it was Mommy's turn to vacuum! Think I got my turn? No way! Hahaha!

More multi-tasking. Apparently you can draw and vacuum at the same time, too. He did this on both sides; grabbed the crayons or chalk, drew on the board and kept moving!

BACK TO THE GRIND

Rob got to be off again today and he was able to get a ton done around the house. I even let him sleep in a little. He is such a great husband. I am so blessed to have him. Poor guy worked the whole time he was home doing our "fix-it list and now he has to go back to work tomorrow. I promised him that Saturday would be list free.

Grandpa went to PT today and wore himself out terribly. I hope he can get out of bed tomorrow. :/ I am only half kidding. He tends to do almost twice what they ask of him and then he comes home so tired he can't move. Let's all just pray that what he's doing is helping more than it's hurting, O.K.?

Grandma is doing good. She has just been more tired than normal since the surgery. Other than that she seems pretty good. I think she just needs more recovery time.

Carly has school again in the morning and she is SO excited. She barely sleeps when she knows she has school the next day. They are learning the letter "Q" this week.

Well, nothing going on around here unless you want to know that Jono is faster than a speeding locomotive! Well, he's at least faster than his mom on most occasions. Sad, but true! Hey, maybe he'll be an Olympic runner! See there is a sliver lining in every cloud. Lol! :)

JUST A BUNCH A STUFF

Carly had pre-school this morning and when I went to pick her up her teacher told me there were two little boys there that REALLY liked her! I think that is so cute! She is having a lot of fun and is always so excited to go she wakes up early on those days.

Jono was pretty tame today, for a two year old boy that is. Lol! It helped that Rob actually got his day off today. Yesterday, he went to take his day off and decided to check in to make sure things were ok first and found there was an emergency they needed him for. Poor guy! So, hopefully he will be able to take tomorrow off also. I'm crossing my fingers!

Rob and I got quite a few things done around the house today and then we got sandwiches and watched a movie with Rob's brother and his girlfriend tonight.

Julie and I are volunteering with the campaign of a candidate for US Senate in our state. Today we made phone calls inviting people to some of his caucus meetings. His name is Dan Liljenquist. He was one of our state senators until very recently when he resigned to run for the US Senate seat currently held by Orrin Hatch. Dan was a really effective senator who among other things successfully reformed Utah's pension system to take the risk off the backs of the Utah taxpayer. He was named the national legislator of the year by Governing magazine. Everything he accomplished he did as a freshman senator. http://www.governing.com/poy/dan-liljenquist.html. If you are from Utah and want to know more about him you can find out more at www.danforutah.com

Sorry for that little commercial but we are really excited about this race! Whatever your politics, hope you are getting involved. Our country needs it!

Well, better get myself some sleep. Never know what my cuties will do with tomorrow. I may need the energy! :)

MY VERY, VERY TWO YEAR OLD BOY!

Wow, someone wound my little boy up today and I could not find the off switch! Holy moly! There is a reason they named "two" the "terribles." Gah! I'd finally had it when I caught him jumping up and down in the dog water dish and realized it wasn't his first visit to the dish. As I walked ~ O.K. rushed, toward it to pull him out I nearly slipped and fell in more than one of the puddles he'd created on the floor around the kitchen. He'd obviously gotten in and out of the bowl multiple times. The thing is I hadn't been out of the room more than two minutes! This kid is QUICK! It's like Rob told me the other day, we just can't afford to take our eyes off him. It's so hard though because he can be so darling and so sweet. And he has this smile that will just lull you into believing he is totally harmless and trustworthy. Looking at his handsome little face and those winsome eyes, you actually believe you can turn your back for a couple of seconds~but it's A TRICK!!! HE'S A BOY!!! I had no idea that two year old little boys had more tricks up their sleeves than two year old little girls! Holy Cow! WOW! OHMYGOODNESS! I now understand why Mommy's start wishing their little ones were older. I waited so long for my kids that I promised myself I would never wish away their childhood. But, there are those moments when I am cleaning up the broken vacuum, the broken Christmas ornaments, the broken toys, the dog water on the floor for the 500th time, pulling our valuables out of the trash---or worse yet never finding some of them--like my spare set of car keys and some of Dad's remotes--that I start thinking I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE FIVE!!!!!! Then I stop myself and remember . . . Oh wait, five is the first of the "Know It All" ages, isn't it? Oh Man--I'd better toughen up my Mommy shoulders cuz this little boy is going to land all over them! Well, at least he's cute!

SUNDAY

I got up way too early today. Okay it was only 7 a.m. but that was early for me, especially on a Sunday. Our Church time just moved January 1, from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. and it does make it easier to give the kids nap time but it's hard on Mom's who are not "morning" people. Lol!

I taught Sunday School today so it was Rob's turn to stay home with Jono. Poor little guy, he wants to go bye-bye with us so bad. I wish there was something we could figure out for him but I sure can't think of it. There are so many darn germs to deal with in the Winter and people just don't keep their kids home when they have coughs, colds and sniffles~ Jono catches everything.

Megan came over for dinner tonight. We watched a couple of movies. We always try to watch what the kids call a "Jesus" movie. Basically it's a movie that has something to do with Christ or the scriptures. Usually they are ones that are made for children or teenagers. The kids love them and we like them too. It's a fun Sunday evening activity for us.

I made a roast for dinner and shredded it. Then I made homemade buns and let everyone choose whether they wanted a barbecue French dip sandwich. That went over pretty well and was easy to do.

Rob is taking tomorrow and Tuesday off. Hopefully, after he sleeps in we can get a few things caught up around here! I'm excited to have him home for a couple days! Yay!

SATURDAY IN THE DARK . . .

Okay, okay so those aren't the words. That's what you do though when you have a bad migraine. Thankfully, it was Saturday and I had both Julie and Rob home to help with kids. I don't think I left the bedroom until after 4 p.m. today and then only to eat a little something. Then back to bed for awhile. Unfortunately, tomorrow is my day to teach so I had to finish preparing my lesson. I hope I feel well enough in the morning to go and teach it. Either way, I have to do so.

Rob is going to stay home with Jono tomorrow. We take turns doing that. So far it has worked well this year to keep him healthy--that, and keeping him away from playlands. We just don't take him much of anywhere anymore.

Grandma and Grandpa are both pretty tired but other than that they seem to be feeling pretty good. Grandpa has some pain when he moves (mostly) his arms. He says if he doesn't move at all he is just fine.

Well, that's all I know. Take care.

TOMORROW . . . TOMORROW

Jonathon was on rampage today! I was so ready to put him to bed tonight. I don't know what got into him but he was a on one all day long! On top of that Daddy worked late so he got away with tons more than he would have normally--NOT because I just let him but because he doesn't listen to mommy near as well as he does to daddy. Gah! Carly was actually fairly good but since he was twice as bad a s normal it was hardly noticeable! Does that make sense? Lol! At least that's how it feels. On top of that I was sporting a lovely migraine most of the day. NOT HELPFUL! Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day!

COOKIE FUN

I stayed up too late Tuesday night watching the Iowa Caucus election returns and I could barely wake up today. Seriously, it took me more than half the day to get ahold of myself. I think I was already tired and that didn't help at all.

The day was fairly calm. The kids were even pretty good. Dad went to PT today and wore himself out pretty good. Tonight Carly and I and one of her neighbor friends made cookies together. They loved doing that. They had a lot of fun making and eating them. Jono got in on the act as well and was mostly just part of the mess. Lol! Although, he had fun too.

Carly goes back for her second day of pre-school tomorrow. She is really excited. I'm glad she is enjoying it. Well, that's all for today. Night all.

PRE-SCHOOL DAY

Carly's first day at pre-school went well. She made several new friends and really enjoyed herself. I think it's going to be a really good experience for her.

Jonathon has been potty-training himself. It's so nice that he has been motivated by his sister's experience. He actually woke up in the middle of his nap and called for me to come get him and take him to the bathroom today. I couldn't believe it. He was completely dry and when I took him he went immediately. Good show!

Grandpa hasn't been seemed to be feeling very good the last few days. He hasn't been eating really well. He just tells me he isn't hungry. I don't like that very much. I think it's important for him to keep his strength up. Grandma is feeling better but is just really tired.

Grandpa called me downstairs for something today and when I came back upstairs I caught Jonathon tossing my laptop on the floor. I don't know if he heard me coming and decided to toss the evidence or if he was just going to throw it anyway. Gah! Luckily, it survived. Believe it or not so did my boy! Lol! B-O-Y-S!

DOWN DOOBIE DOO DOWN DOWN . . .

We spent the whole day taking down our Christmas decorations. It wasn't that we had that many decorations up but we decided to sort through everything we had--including the boxes of things we didn't put up and get rid of the stuff we don't use anymore. We had a ton of stuff! I'm happy to report that we don't anymore!

Carly starts pre-school tomorrow. At least I hope she does. They told me I could come in and register her beforehand or on the day it starts. I have gone in several times but they have been closed every time I've gone. I guess they closed all during the Christmas holidays--and maybe a few days before. Luckily, I didn't tell her about it until just before bed tonight so I haven't had her asking me about it every fifteen minutes the whole break. I've gotten smarter.

Julie starts back to school tomorrow and those days Rob was going to take off, well, I think he's decided to work instead. So, things are back to normal tomorrow.

Today Carly told me a couple of times that she was going to get tall like me and when she does that she is going to be in charge. The first time she kept it small and just said she was going to be in charge of Jonathon. The next time she told me she'd obviously thought it through more and decided that to just be in charge in general had a better, broader scope to it. Lol! Little does she know she's been in charge since we brought her home. Can't give her that piece of info or we'd be in real trouble. Lol!

Night all!

WELCOME TO 2012!

Wow, can you believe it's 2012? I can't. When I was a kid dates like this seemed like light years away. It's wierd to actually be in them now.

I've been working on re-working my blog for several hours now. How do you like it? I still have work to do. I am not very tech savvy so that's why it is taking me so long. It has driven me nuts for months that I have not been able to get paragraphs to appear on my blog. I have been writing in paragraphs but then when I publish the blog it publishes in one big clump. So frustrating. But, I am pretty sure I just figured it out. It was a setting in here I had to change. So, I'm not sure if it was something I changed at some point by accident or if the blog system just went nuts one day. I am going to believe the latter. It will make me feel better.

Rob took the girls to church today and I stayed home with Jonathon. We had a pretty fun morning together. He keeps me running. He is getting a lot more verbal and a lot easier to understand although he still speaks in baby gibberish a ton of the time.

Grandpa hasn't felt very well for a couple of days. I think they wore him out pretty good this week in physical therapy. He pushes himself pretty hard and then he pays for it. On the other hand, Grandma seems like she is feeling a lot better. She has been up and around quite a bit more the past few days. Yay!

Well, that's about all I know for now. More later.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy 2012 everyone! I can't believe another year has come and gone! Wow! Now if we can just remember to write it on our checks! Lol! We have been watching re-runs of the 1960's Batman television show tonight. Jono loves Batman so we had to let him see it. There was a Batman marathon. Forgot how silly those things were. I thought Julie was going to die laughing! Hahaha! Pretty funny! Well, I'm trying not to stay up until the actual bewitching hour so I'd better hurry and get in bed. I'm the only one still awake in the house. Night all and Happy, Happy New Year! BOFF! POW! WHACK! WHAM! KAPOW! Goodnight Batman! Goodnight Robin! LOL!

JONO BROKE THE CHICKEN BREAST

Jono broke one of the kid movie dvd's this morning. He's been getting ahold of a lot of them lately and opening them and trying to take them out of the cases. They are pretty easy to break if you don't know the secret to removing them - and most two year olds don't. So, Julie came running in really upset and showed me the dvd case and said, "Look, Jono broke it!" I wasn't nearly as upset as she was when I found out it was the "Chicken Run" dvd. I'm not as into the kid/cartoon movies as everyone else in the house is. (Shame on me.) Maybe it's because I have to watch all of them 72 times a day when they first come out. Call me crazy. Anyway, Grandma and Grandpa went out for awhile. Grandpa went to PT and Grandma to run some errands. When they came back, almost before I could say hello, Carly rushed out to greet them. She had something important to tell them. I didn't even know anything was weighing on her mind but apparently it was. As Grandma walked in the door, she yelled, "Grandma, Jono broke Chicken Breast!" Grandma got the oddest look on her face and looked at me for clarification. I was laughing and shaking my head "No". I said, "No, he didn't." That only made Carly more insistent. "Yes, he did Mom, he broke the Chicken Breast movie!" Oh, out of the mouth of babes! Finally, I explained to Grandma but it was a pretty funny moment! I didn't really like that movie all that much anyway. Lol!

OH POOP!

I can't believe I forgot to tell you the biggest news of yesterday! Jono insisted on getting on the toilet and he actually went! Yep! He did it all by himself! He was so proud of himself. Mommy was pretty proud of him, too! I couldn't believe he did it. Just out of no where he wanted to go and sit--so, I let him and he did it! Now, if I can just motivate him to keep it up! Gee, what would a world be like with no more diapers?! Heaven, I think! I have an appointment in the morning to see the gastrointerologist who did my EGD a month or so ago. This was the first appointment day they could fit me in. Anyway, all they found was that my throat was swollen so hopefully they can fill me in on some more details or ideas of what is causing it to do that. We have such a family history of it that I would really like to find a cause and cure. The idea of having my throat stretched till I am ninety is not at all attractive to me. Hopefully, they have some new ideas on the subject. Grandma is doing alright but is still feeling pretty tired. Grandpa's physical therapy is wearing him out so if he wasn't tired already he is getting that way during his workout. Other than that, we are all doing pretty well. It got up around 50 degrees here today. I went to the store and didn't even need my coat. Pretty unbelievable for the end of December. Hopefully, we won't have too much freezing weather here this Winter. Well, better sign off now and get some sleep. Have a wonderful tomorrow. :)

MY DAY TODAY

We took Dad back to the Spine doctor today and surprise--he still has one! Lol! Seriously though, between Dad and the Doc they decided he should stay on the course of physical therapy he is on. Dad feels like it is doing some good. The doc wants him to continue another 3-4 weeks and then check back in. Unless he starts to have more pain this is a safer/healthier course of action than having a cortizone shot which might not work at all and if it did would be a fairly short term help. Julie is going to her high school Cotillion on the 7th. I took her to get some things to go with her dress today. She is really excited. She has been to a Sadie Hawkins before but this is the first time she has been asked to a dance. Carly and I made candy tonight. She was so funny. She told me she wanted a treat. I told her I was going to make some toffee later and if she was good she could have some. She looked at me and got really stern and said, "MOM, I DON'T WANT ANY COFFEE! I just about busted a gut! I then had to explain to her that I wasn't talking about the stuff Grandma and Grandpa drink every morning but about some really good candy I make. She liked that idea much better. Lol!

MORE IMAGES OF CHRISTMAS

COUPLE PICS OF THE LITTLE ONES

Here are a couple of pictures of Carly and Jono on Christmas morning. I took pictures of Megan and Julie who were both here too but I didn't get them downloaded tonight. Hopefully, I will get more done tomorrow. I love these pictures. Aren't they cute?! Enjoy!

MERRY, MERRY DAY!

Wow! How is it when we are cutting down we still have an embarrassment of riches? We are so blessed. My kids had a good day. The parents and grandparents are worn out. Pictures tomorrow~or soon. So, so tired. Santa must be in a coma by now. Lol!

GRANDMA'S BIRTHDAY

Why is it I am always here at 2:30 in the morning lately. Must be Christmas time. We just put out the presents and filled the stockings, er, I mean we just watched a little fat man in red do it. Lol! Wow. I'm exhausted! Who new it took so much energy to play St. Nick. Oh, you guys did. Why didn't you say something?! We had a really great day celebrating Mom's birthday. My sister's and their family's came and we all went to lunch and then came back to the house and had cake and ice cream and opened gifts. Then we just hung out and enjoyed each other's cocmpany for a few hours ~ something we almost never get to do. We have a very nice family. Tonight before we went to bed we got to hear my Dad read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." This year my parents gave each of us the Hallmark recordable books with Dad reading it. Such a great gift. I played it for my kids and I sobbed all the way through it. I wasn't expecting to. I was just so grateful to have him reading to me. Last year he didn't feel up to reading and it was the first year in our lives he couldn't read to us. The other thing that struck me was how much he sounded like his Dad, my Grandpa. I'd never noticed it before. Combine those two things and I was a puddle of tears. Thanks Dad, thanks Mom. I love you. Well, I gotta get some sleep before I have two munchkins jumpin' all over me because Santa Claus showed up! I just know they are going to have to peel my eyes open in the morning because I am going to be so sound asleep. Hope you are getting more sleep than I have lately. Merry Christmas to all ~ And to all a good night!

WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS NEWS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

You may have heard by now but we did get a call from Mom's doctor today. They did get the biopsy back and it was the type of cancer he thought it was. That means it was very superficial. It also did not involve her muscle or her anything else and they were able to get it all out. This was such positive news! What a terrific birthday present for her and Christmas miracle for all of us. We are very, very happy! Well, since it's 2:30 in the morning on the 24th let me be the first to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU SO, SO MUCH! I'm so glad you are my mom! Have a terrific day!

QUICK UPDATE

Just a few quick things. Mom is still doing well. She even felt up to having her hair done today. It did wear her out but it was great that she felt good enough to leave the house for a short bit. We are crossing our fingers that we hear back from the doctor tomorrow (Friday). He thought it was possible that the pathology report could be done on Friday. If it isn't it will be a week or two until we know anything since he is going on vacation. So, cross your fingers and say a prayer or two with us. Dad did another round of physical therapy today and he is plum tuckered out. He is pretty sore too. Luckily, he has a break until next Wednesday. That is a professional break, he won't take a personal one, I'm sure. He will be working out at home probably twice as hard knowing him. Now, on to last minute Christmas shopping! Got lots left to do. Good thing the stores are open late! Take care.

A LITTLE BIT MORE

Mom is still doing really well. She's feeling even better today. She is still in bed but is fairly perky. She is not in a lot of pain and has been able to ease off the pain meds. The doc still has her on some other meds to assist with things but at least she can be done with those. Sarah stayed and helped out until late afternoon and Susan came around 6:00 tonight to help. My sister's have been terrific to be here and do what they can. Susan is staying until tomorrow and then Julie and I will take over. We are hoping by Saturday Grandma will feel good enough to celebrate her birthday. Grandpa went to see the Physical Therapist again today. She roughed him up pretty good (lol) but he signed up to go back for more tomorrow. He's always been a glutton for punishment! He is hanging in there. His muscles feel a bit weak this week. Hopefully, they will start to strengthen back up soon. We are supposed to get snow in here in the next little bit. That would be great. Then Santa can have something to glide those reindeer in on, eh? Lol! Well, hope you are all ready for Christmas. We sure aren't! Better run and wrap some presents! Lol! Night all.

UPDATE ON MOM

Mom is home and resting as comfortably as a person can with a catheter. She has some pain but is doing pretty well. Between Sarah and I we are trying to wait on her hand and foot so she doesn't have to move a muscle since she told us it only hurts when she moves. Dad has been really good about taking care of himself today, too. Mom usually does a ton for him and he has been really self-sustaining today. He went with Mom and I to the hospital and I think it tired him out pretty good. It was interesting because even the kids were really polite and good tonight in Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom. They seemed to know something was different. They didn't try to climb on their bed or on them. The played really nicely and were "almost" quiet. I did say "ALMOST." Lol! Well, that's about it for today. I will keep you posted on the recovery here. Night all.

AND SHE'S OUT . . .

Mom is out of surgery now. She did really well. Dad and I are sitting here talking to her as she is waking up. The doctor told us he got the tumor out and that it did appear to be the superficial type he suspected it to be. He said it did not appear to be in the muscle of the bladder but they will have to wait for the biopsy to come back to know for sure. We are hoping to have the biopsy back by Friday. If not by then it will be another week or so because of the holidays. We will keep you posted as we hear more! Thanks for all the love and prayers.

TODAY IS THE DAY

Mom's surgery is scheduled for 7:20 a.m. Mountain time. I have to have her there at 6:00 a.m. She is the first one on the schedule. I think they think they are doing us a favor by putting us first (and maybe they are because they are fresh) but it is awfully early! They did that to us with Dad's surgeries too. He was always first. I guess they like us. I will post as soon as Mom comes out of surgery and we know something. I had a ton to do today and planned to go shopping with the kids in tow this morning. Before Rob left I asked him to give them a stern lecture about behaving. I haven't been able to take them anywhere without them throwing major tantrums lately. If it's not one, it's the other. Jonathon has been worse but they both do it. So, Rob gave them the "What for!" You know--the basics, i.e., no unbuckling yourself in the cart, no getting out of the cart, no hitting each other, no screaming, no yelling, no crying, no asking for things, no hitting mom, no going through her purse, no throwing things out of the cart, no undressing, etc., etc., etc. All the while he was talking to them one or the other of us would ask them, "Do you understand?" They would both shake their heads yes or answer "Yes." We did this several times to make sure they understood if they wanted to go "Bye-bye" they had to mind and follow the rules. They at least acted like they were getting it. About ten minutes after this discussion, Carly and I were out in the living room and she turned to me and said, "Mommy, did Daddy say we were going to Chucky Cheese?" Um,yah. Why do we waste our breath? I dunno. Lol! :) p.s. I didn't take the kids shopping. Carly decided to store her new black star crayon her Sunday School teacher gave her in the toe of her footie pajamas. She didn't bother to tell me that until I was freaking out about the huge black stains all over the clothes coming out of the dryer and all over the dryer drum. And Jonathon decided to get ahold of the Tilex bottle from my bathroom and spray it all over the back of my couch. So yah, I waited until big sister came home from school and they were napping cuz my patience was already gone. Wouldn't have been prudent. Gah! :/

FEELING A BIT MORE UPBEAT

Thanks to everyone who has called to talk with and check on my mom today. She is doing well and is in pretty good spirits. We are all feeling pretty hopeful about this at the moment. We feel like she has some really great doctors who are paying very close attention to her and who seem to know what they are doing. THEY SEEMED HOPEFUL which helps a lot. It is still pretty hard to hear that you have cancer in your body but for having that kind of news it feels like maybe this is best case scenario. We are going to go with that assumption. We won't know until late tomorrow afternoon what time she will have the surgery on Tuesday but I will put all of that information on here as well as updates as soon as I have them after she comes out. We sure love all of you and are grateful for your friendship. Again, please keep her in your prayers. Thanks. Night all.

DEVASTATING NEWS

We got some pretty bad news yesterday and I really haven't known how to share it. Mom has been having a few tests lately, mostly precautionary but it turned out something was wrong. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer. She has a tumor right at the edge of her bladder and ureter. There is a ray of hope in that the doctor told us that if you had to have bladder cancer this was the type you wanted to get. (He told us he is 70% sure he is correct on what type it is. He has to have a biopsy of it to be 100% certain.)He said with this type what they do is go in and surgically remove it and then just keep a close eye on the patient. They don't do chemo or radiation. They don't feel it is necessary. However, this is a type of cancer that tends to come back. He said they look at it like mowing a lawn. They just have to be diligent in keeping up with it. I believe they will want to check her about every three months. This next Tuesday (Dec. 20) she will have surgery to remove the tumor. It will be outpatient surgery unless there are any complications but the doctor told us it will still take her 3-4 days to recover from the surgery. Hopefully, she will feel like being up and around by her birthday on the 24th. We are all really sad. We love our Mom so much and hate for her to have to go through this. We would love to have your prayers for her--and the prayers of any friends or family you can drum up. We are grateful for your love, friendship and support. Please remember my Mom and our family in prayer~~especially on Tuesday if you can. Thanks!

COUPLE THINGS

I had my neighbor's kids this morning along with mine so I've been a bit behind all day long. Not that I've accomplished all that much as it is. My two-year old is on a constant rampage these days. My almost four year old is actually starting to settle down a bit and seem more like a little girl than a toddler. It's kind of strange to think she's not a baby anymore. She has such a grown up vocabulary. I was able to make an appointment for Dad to start physical therapy on his hip area for Monday. The Dr. is hoping the PT will help him with the pain and wants to try that before trying a cortizone shot. Hopefully it will do some good. It would be really nice if he could lower his pain level. We have been trying to get things ready for Christmas. The tree is up. The train train track and train are set up around it and the train is filled with candy. (Keeping Jonathon out of it is a real trick--even with a fence around it. Lol!) The kids get to have two pieces of candy a night before bed but he thinks he should have a handful whenever he feels like it. Now if we can just manage to find the time to buy some gifts! Yikes! P.S. Carly has been wanting a little play kitchen. I told her to ask Santa for one. She told me she couldn't because he wouldn't have room for it. I said, "Of course, he will! What makes you say that?" She said, "All he has are those little bags." Pretty funny. I set her straight and told her he had a great big sleigh he could bring it on. Crazy kid!

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS . . .

I took Jono and Carly to see Santa Claus today. I wasn't sure how Jono was going to act but he did really well. He went right up and sat on his lap and posed for a picture. He even sat there and let Santa chat with him and Carly for a few minutes. They took a few pictures but here is the one I decided on. They caught him between his "Cheese" smile where he scrunches up his entire face and closes his eyes. I couldn't get him to just plain old smile. Oh well, his funny smiles will make for funny stories when he grows up!

THERE'S SNOW PLACE LIKE HOME

We woke up to falling snow this morning. It was kind of a surprise since I hadn't heard it in the forecast. It came down pretty light at first but it did finally start sticking. I don't think we have more than an inch or two on the ground but there is a pretty blanket of white across it now. I got a tiny bit of shopping done today but that was about it. Julie felt well enough to go back to school. She had a ton of homework to catch up on. It's surprising what missing one day will do to you when you are a Senior. I do love that she has a cooking class. Part of her homework was an assignment to make dinner. I just LOVE that! She made spaghetti for us and it was delicious! I think it tastes so much better when you don't have to make it yourself! Yum!

JUST ANOTHER DAY

Grandma and Grandpa had a doctor appointment early this morning. They were just having a check-up I think. Grandpa already wasn't feeling very well so getting out kind of wiped him out for the day. Mom said his hip has really been bothering him lately so she made an appointment with the doctor they were referred to who is a non-surgical specialist. They will see him mid-January. Hopefully, he will be able to do something to alleviate the pain Dad's having. I had Julie home sick today with flu-like symptoms. That's been going around. Rob had it a few days ago. Sure hope we are done with it now. Not much else going on here. It's been pretty quiet--other than the toddlers. Lol. They are never quiet! Here are some cute pictures of them with their big sister Megan.

JUST A FEW THINGS

Rob and his brother Steve cut wood this morning left over from the storm we had last week. We had a lot of logs from the trees that were downed that needed to be cut up. Now we have a great stock of wood for our summer campfires. Rob and I went double dated tonight with Steve and his girlfriend. We went out to eat and then played miniature golf and lazer tag. We had a really good time. I think I mentioned that Carly got her hair braided the other night. I've included a picture of the girls who braided it. Dibabe(Dee-bobby) the one on the right did most of the braiding and then her sister Chaltu(Shall-too)helped put in the extensions. They are both in high school and were adopted from Ethiopia. They are really cute girls and are amazingly fast at braiding.

Well, nothing else exciting going on here. I will write more tomorrow. Night all.