KINDERGARTEN PICS

I was finally able to get the pictures of Carly's first day of Kindergarten off my camera. Rob had to go buy a new adapter/card reader to make it work. Something was wrong with the THREE others we had! Weird!
Anyway, here is my darling little girl (if I do say so myself) on her first day of Kindergarten.

Miss Carly on her way to her first day of Kindergarten

Mommy with her Kindergartner

She had her second day today and loved it. She came out so happy when I picked her up at the end of the day. I'm so glad she is having such a good experience.Yay!

MY KINDERGARTNER, AND MY GRATITUDE

It was Carly's first day of school today and she did so great! So did I--no tears! Rob and I both took her and then they took the kids off to learn about the library and to play on the playground while they gave the parents an orientation. Carly just got up and marched out with the other kids. She didn't even give us a backwards glance. She is a really happy, independent little spirit so that is exactly what I expected. She didn't disappoint! Love that little girl!

I was going to put a couple of pictures from the morning on here but I can't get them off my camera for some reason so it will have to wait for a day or so. Darn. Oh well, instead, I will share a couple of thoughts with you I've been having today. I come from such a good family, such good parents and have so many wonderful blessings. I have a really amazing husband and my children are not only blessings but miracles to me.

I've just been thinking how important it is to recognize my blessings--to really conscientiously realize them and be grateful for them. In being grateful, I can see that many of my blessings come from being raised by such good parents who were so loving and so giving to others. Their example has been so powerful in my life and I want them to know how much of an influence they have had on me, my life and my choices. Thank you Dad and Mom. I would not be the person I am today without you. I love you both very much.

I've also had some very wonderful mentors and friends who have blessed my life and of course my sisters who have been my best friends my whole life. Not everyone is so blessed.

I've had a song in my head and on my heart. It's one we sing in church that I love. It's called Because I Have Been Given Much by Grace Noll Crowell. I love the words to it and I want to share them with you because that is where my heart has been.

Because I have been given much, I too must give.

Because of thy great bounty, Lord each day I live.

I shall divide my gifts from thee with every brother that I see,

who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care…

I cannot see another’s lack and I not share-

my glowing fire, my loaf of bread-

my roof’s safe shelter over head,

that he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love dear Lord,

I’ll share thy love again according to thy word.

I shall give love to those in need.

I’ll show that love by word and deed,

thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

MY HAPPY FOUR YEAR OLD

It was a Happy Day for my Birthday Boy. Lots of friends, family and fun. We are all so tired and worn out now. A few pictures - then I'm off to sleep. Love you Bubby!

Jono and Grandma

Ironman Jono

My Happy Guy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST LITTLE GUY EVER!

This little bugger turns four tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Time has just flown by. He is such an amazing little guy. He is full of energy and life and brings such love into our lives. He definitely keeps us on our toes and hopefully that will help keep us young. Happy Birthday Jono!We love you!

Daddy and Jono - my birthday boys

Grandpa D. and Jono -they shared a birthday week also but we lost Grandpa when Jono was 6 months old. We are so glad he got to meet his Grandson and so grateful for this picture of him holding Jono and smiling.

Our little preemie and a regular size Hershey bar!

Such a cutie pie

My Lovable 3.5 year old

My big, handsome boy--growing up way too fast!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB!

Today was Rob's birthday. We let him open his gifts early and then Mom, Dad, the kids and I took him to lunch. We went to a Mongolian Grill. It was yummy.

Jono had his first soccer game tonight. He did really well. He was much more engaged in the game than he was last year. He seemed to even understand the rules -- a little bit. Lol.

We came home afterward and had cake and ice cream and now I think we are showing our age--cuz it's not even 10:30 and we are yawning like serious senior citizens--(no offense to any actual senior citizens). I am just saying we are beyond exhausted--and headed to bed!

Happy Birthday my sweetheart! I love you!

FUN DAY AT LAGOON!

Spent the day at the amusement park with some good friends supposedly amusing ourselves but I'm pretty sure we were just there for the kids. The kids did have a lot of fun and they got along great. I think I may have outgrown the excitement of going around and around and around and around and . . .  well you get the idea. I think they make pills for that kind of excitement at this age, don't they--compazine, phenagren? Lol--anything to keep the nausea at bay! Ha! Seriously though, I have learned to just close my eyes and hold on until it's over. I do love to hear them laugh and giggle. They are so cute when they are enjoying themselves.

Here are a couple shots of the kids together. Thanks for a fun day Char, Nat and Josh!

Carly and Kenzie

Jono, JoJo and Carly

MILESTONE - MILEMARKER 5

I registered my youngest daughter for Kindergarten today. Wow. Milestone. My baby girl is really no baby anymore. She is so excited to go to school. I'm excited for her and yet wish I could keep her young all at the same moment.

I have so many hopes for her and a few fears, but she is a strong, happy and resilient little woman. No one is likely to hold her back for long. I love my precious Carly so much and I can't believe the day is almost here when I will walk her to the door of her kindergarten room. I can already imagine it in my mind. We will walk there hand in hand both of us a little nervous. As we arrive at the door, I lean down to give her a hug and a kiss and with tears in my eyes I tell her to have a good day and she lovingly says "Mom--it's time for you to go! You don't have to hang around and watch me. None of the other kids mom's are still here. From now on, can you hug me before we leave the house? K? 

OK, so that hasn't happened yet--but it could! Good golly--I gotta get a life. Jono is not far behind her and I think his spirit may be even more independent than hers! Talk about getting empty nested early! Lol! Okay--so I'm a drama queen. I guess my girl's get it honest! Hahaha!

MORE FROM THE FILES OF KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS . . .

Tonight my daughter Megan was talking with Jono while I was in the kitchen cooking. She came over giggling and said I might have a problem with him when it comes time for him to be baptized. I looked at her a little funny, I guess, so she explained. Once she finished explaining, we decided his teachers must have taught them about baptism in Sunday school today. His four year old attention span is not very long, though, and in the end, the only thing that stuck with him about baptism is the way the word "baptize" sounds. Apparently to my little guy, "baptize" sounds way too much like "badguys". Lol! We talk a lot about avoiding "badguys" at our house--so my little guy will not be having anything to do with that baptize stuff if it has anything to do with those bad guys! Just sayin'! I'm glad to know he's listening even if he's getting a little bit confused! Hahaha! I just love my little man!

WE CAN REBUILD HIM - BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER . . .

Yesterday we got a note from Sarah that her husband Rich had been in a car accident and had been taken by ambulance to the local E.R.  Some woman attempted a U-turn straight into him as he was driving 50 miles an hour down the freeway. Yah, go figure.Not sure how she didn't see him--but it was not a pretty outcome. He is way, way blessed it wasn't much worse than it is.

Thankfully, he is only bruised and sore and he does look much than his car. We are especially grateful for that as we know this could have ended up much, much worse. In other words, the car is a total loss, but the technology now exists to, well, as far as Rich goes--if necessary we can be rebuild him. Actually, he is doing really well now~just missing his "cougar'. You know "the car." Lol! That's what he called it anyway. But should he give us such  a scare again . . . I'm sure the little black box in the cougar has Rich's DNA profile and coordinates stored so we could either have him rebuilt ----- or if we wanted to have some fun with it I hear they are pretty good at cloning these days as well. :)

Rich's Cougar, dead in it's tracks

Of course, if they are so good at all these things, how come they can't prevent traffic accidents, forest fires, cities and states from declaring bankruptcy, airplanes from falling out of the sky, little old ladies from making U-turns into moving traffic . . . but I digress. Pleasant dreams sweet cougar. We shall miss thee. Thank you for leaving Richard behind to ride again. :D

WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR

We met our new neighbors today. They are really nice. Best of all the kids made fast friends. They played so well together and they didn't want to leave when it was time to go. They aren't totally moved in yet so they couldn't sleep in the new place tonight but probably will tomorrow night. Carly and Jono are so excited for new friends. They have been so lonesome since their friends moved. They are the perfect ages, too. The little girl is six and the little boy is 4.5.  Happy, Happy--oh so happy! It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Hi neighbor!

HEIDI HAY, HEIDI HO, HEIDI HIGH!

Rob and I took the kids shopping tonight. It was mainly school clothes shopping for Carly but Jono needed a few odds-n-ends. How bad is it that my five year old begged for a pair of black and pink high top tennis shoes? Not bad enough? Add this--they were high heeled tennies and she called them by name--Heidi High tops! I hadn't even heard of them!! I guess they are one of the new must haves -- BUT NOT FOR MY FIVE YEAR OLD! NO, I DON'T CARE IF THEY COME IN HER SIZE MA'AM!

Holy cow, are you kidding me? As Rob pointed out to me, she will already be the tallest child in the class. So, what are we going to do--buy high heels for her so she can tower over them?! That will go over well. I DON'T THINK SO! WOW! I know, I know--welcome to parenting--again! Don't worry--I'm putting on my big girl panties. I can see I'm going to need them-every darn day! Lol!

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED AND HE'S MADE US ALL SO PROUD

My wonderful, sweet nephew Ian, Sarah and Rich's son, earned his Eagle Scout Award and had his Court of Honor today.  

Ian receiving his Eagle Scout Award



Ian with His Scout Master

Rich, Ian, Sarah (Ian with his parents)

 

In the process of being awarded his Eagle he was given a special Mentor Pin to pin on the person who had most influenced and mentored him toward completing his Eagle Award.

 

He came forward to tell us about this person and I was waiting for him to talk about his Scoutmaster or his Mom (who had been a constant influence and blessing to him) or even his Dad--all would have been excellent choices. But he surprised us all--Ian came to the podium and started to talk about how grateful he was for his Grandpa Carson and what a difference he'd made in his life.

 

He spoke about how much all the talks his Grandpa has had with him have meant to him and how grateful he has been for the encouragement he has given him and especially for his Grandpa's belief in him that he could do anything. He said his Grandpa's encouragement was one of the biggest factors in him finishing his Eagle and then he went over and pinned the Mentor Pin on Grandpa. 

 



Grandma, Grandpa and Ian

I 'm
not sure who else
in the room was crying but I know there were some--cuz,
I heard
them.) I just know there wasn't a dry eye to be found among the whole Carson clan.

I'm so proud of this young man my sister and brother in law have raised. He is an honest, generous, caring, amazing, loving young man and I am so grateful to be his aunt.

I love you so much Ian and I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!

JUST REAL QUICK . . .

Mom had her check up today with the surgeon and got her biopsy report back and everything came back clean. It was all normal as soon as they removed the parts of the parathyroid they thought were causing problems and they let her know today that even those were not horribly bad.

She is noticing already that her headaches are getting better and she is remembering things better--all problems most likely caused by the high calcium content which was caused by the parathyroid. Anyway--great news!
Thanks for all your prayers!

SUMMER DAYS

Today was a bit busy. We hurried through the morning just doing our usual routine but we had an afternoon full of plans. The kids went back to neighborhood summer camp today. It is a really fun idea. I think there were probably a dozen kids there in the 3-5 age range. Today they made and iced sugar cookies, painted finger nails, played all kinds of outdoor games and drew pictures.

Our friend who is holding the camp is helping her daughter do it as a fundraiser. I think she needs the money for something at school. Anyway, they have done two different ages of kids, 3-5 and 6-8. They did each group for two days and did all kinds of activities with them - some indoor and some outdoor. For instance, yesterday the games they played were outdoor. They had them wear swimsuits and then played on the slip and slide. They also played Red Rover and some other yard games. Plus, both days they got refreshments.

And for two days this week all of us mom's got a 2 hour break! For those of you who didn't catch that--All of the mom's who let their kids participate got four free hours this week! F-O-U-R, 1, 2, 3, 4 hours of free all me by myself mommy time! Get it? Got it? Good! And all that for only $10 a kid. I can't get a babysitter that cheap! Good gravy!

My main point is the kids had a blast! My second point is it's a great idea for a fundraiser idea, too if you just need to make a little money for something--assuming you like kids and all.

While the kids were at the summer camp I ran over and helped one of our friends who is moving do a little packing for about an hour. They were pretty close to done with the packing when I arrived so we just finished up the odds and ends. I am going back in the morning to help clean.

Once we all got home again, Rob joined us and we headed off to Lagoon to meet some friends. We spent about four hours over there tonight. We rode the rides and took in one show. It was just nice to be there as a family and have friends there too.

Well, better go for now. Take care. N.

DADDY'S HOME

We spent the week in Elko while Rob was installing a new machine at a hospital last week only to have him have to go back yesterday to work on another machine. He ended up having to spend the night last night so we didn't get our daddy back home until this evening. The kids really missed him. They don't like it when he's away.

It's been a smidge cooler here than it was over the weekend. It was near 100 degrees when we got back but it is only in the mid to upper 90's now. It has been a really warm summer.

Yesterday, the kids went to a little daytime summer camp organized by one of our neighbors. She is just doing a two-day crafts and games camp with them and several other kids and they had a blast. They go again tomorrow afternoon for a couple of hours. After that I promised to meet a friend and her grand kids at the amusement park--so they are really getting spoiled tomorrow.

Grandma is still recovering pretty well. She is still pretty tired and she seems to tire out more easily than before but I think that is to be expected. Other than that I think she is doing great.

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

TODAY'S ADVENTURE

I got up early this morning and drove to Julie's so I could go with her to a doctor's appointment. She hurt her knee about three months ago and kept thinking it was just a strain that would get better but it hasn't. So today we had it looked at. The doctor thinks she has a meniscus tear so for now she wants to treat it with physical therapy. We are hopeful that will take care of it. Megan had a very similar injury a few years ago and PT did work for that--so cross your fingers and toes with us that this works!

Also, while I was down there today, I stopped to see my dear friend, Venice. She made blankets for both of my babies when we got them. Well, Jono loved his so much--he "literally" loved it to pieces and we had to take it away from him. He's been really sad about it but we didn't really have a lot of choice since he had pretty much taken his blanket and turned it back into a ball of yarn. :P  So, my sweet friend made him another ( smaller version) blanket out of the same yarn.

I came home with it today and he was so excited he almost couldn't contain himself! It was so darn cute. He's so thrilled to have his "comfort" back. I have to say I am too as he's started to have some nightmares the last couple of months. He doesn't have them every night but when he has them they are doozies. He had one last night and it was all I could do to calm him down. When I gave him his new blanket, I told him this blanket was special and would keep away his nightmares away. Hopefully, my attempt at playing a psychologist will pan out! If not, I am in trouble! :) Check out my happy boy!

Jono with his new blanky (Baby II)

Jono with baby take II

QUICK NOTE

Susan and Russ came up to see Mom and Dad today. Susan always does a San Francisco Herbs order for her neighborhood and lets us get in on it, too so she delivered our goodies today. We like to get cinnamon and other spices from there. If you've never ordered from them, look them up--it's a great place to get spices, herbs, essential oils and potpourri. Here's their website http://sfherb.com/ if you want to take a look around.

We spent the day trying to recover from our mini vacation (for Rob it was work), getting the luggage emptied, laundry done and things around the house finished we had let go. We didn't get real far--but we tried. I'm not sure why there is always so much left to do at the end of my energy. Sigh.
Well, I have a good starting place for next week with lots on my list.

Have a terrific Sunday!

OUR FUN WEEK!

Here are a few pictures from our trip. We had a great time but are so glad to be home.

My Cuddle Bugs



Howdy Pardners! Riding the Mechanical Horsey

Mom, we picked up a Cat at Mcdonald's. Hope you don't mind! Lol!

Somewhere I have some swimming pictures but they weren't on this camera. Must be the other one. I will put them on later. Hope you had a great week and hope your weekend it even better!

A FEW OF MY RECENT THOUGHTS

Is anyone besides me walking around just a tad bit paranoid these days? I mean, when you're writing an email to a friend do you have that tiny little thought in the very back of your mind that wonders if you're really writing it to a bit broader audience? How about when you're talking on the phone--do any of you remember the days when there were party lines? My grandma used to have one and sometimes when my sisters or cousins were visiting her, some of us would pick up the phone and listen to neighbors conversations. They suspected we were there. They'd even make accusations and tell us to hang up--but they couldn't prove anything. It's not like they could see us, you know.  Heh, heh, heh! But I digress.

I think we are starting to get just the tip of the iceberg of information about the information that's being gathered on us everyday of our lives and I think it's a bit scary. I'm starting to not recognize our leaders, our government and my own country. At least that's how it feels.

When 9/11 happened I was one of those that felt the Patriot Act was necessary and didn't mind giving up some of my freedoms to give us more safety and security. I had no idea those who warned of this type of thing to come could have been correct. I thought they were fear mongers. Trust me, I don't want another incident like that to occur anywhere--let alone in our country. I don't want another one like we had in Boston either--but I think we have to draw the line when our leaders are taking more and more of our liberties and Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms from us.

They say they are not "listening" to our calls or "reading" our emails. I don't buy it. We just found out a few days ago they have asked Internet providers to provide them with our passwords. Though at this point, the ones we know about have refused, why would they need our passwords if they weren't reading our emails--or if they didn't intend to as they saw fit?

I feel we need to stand up and take back our country and our rights -- NOW before it's too late. I guess I'm just tired of feeling like I'm being watched, listened too and followed. If I wanted that kind of company--I'd hire a personal body guard. You know--they say you're only paranoid if it isn't true . . .  and I really don't tend to be paranoid.

ALLERGIES AND WORRIES

I've been pretty shaken up all day over a news story I heard about a 13 year old girl who died recently from anaphylactic shock due to her peanut allergy. She accidentally took a bite of something she didn't know had peanut butter in it and the minute she recognized the taste she spit it out. Her mother immediately gave her Benedryl. But the bite was too much and within 20 minutes she was vomiting and went into anaphylactic shock. Her dad, who is a doctor, gave her three shots of epinephrine (epi pens) and she was rushed to the hospital but within two hours she was in dead. Her father is a doctor, was right there and had the epinephrine and he still couldn't save her.

We carry epi pens everywhere with us and yet--I will say it one more time--even those didn't save her. That really scares me. I didn't realize that was a possibility. I thought I had the antidote. Wow. How terrifying. These poor kids with these horrible allergies. It's so hard to teach them how serious they are--especially if they are like my son who has never had a reaction.

I guess, if  had one request, or one wish, it would be for you to help spread the word about how serious these food allergies are, or can be. People DIE from them. They are not silly, roll your eyes, don't take seriously issues but that is what happens a LOT of the time (not the death) the not getting taken seriously. It is very frustrating and dangerous to those with allergies to not be taken seriously.

I have two older daughters who have food allergies as well and some people have actually been mean to one of my daughters about her allergies. In one situation, a co-worker would bring and eat things very near her that could have thrown her into anaphylactic shock. When she talked to him about it he acted like she was an idiot and his behavior only got worse and more aggressive. She finally had to ask management to step in -- and then she almost needed a doctor's note to prove her allergy to them. This daughter has anaphylactic reaction to all nuts. She is severely allergic to them.

Here is the link to the story I mentioned. It's very, very sad.  I feel awful for these parents. It's such a needless tragedy.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/17934/20130730/peanut-allergy-death-natalie-giorgi-food-allergies-anaphylaxis.htm

They are hoping her death will not be in vain--that others will hear of her death and be alerted to the seriousness of food allergies. Though devastated her parents released the following statement:

"While our hearts are breaking over the tragic loss of our beautiful daughter Natalie, it is our hope that others can learn from this and realize that nut and food allergies are life-threatening ... Caution and care for those (afflicted) should always be supported and taken."

TRIPPIN'

We took a little family trip for a few days and went with Rob on one of his installs. It has been pretty fun. We went about four hours from home and stayed in a big hotel. The kids had a blast swimming or as Jono puts it "fwimming" everyday. We took them to see Despicable Me 2. It's really a cute movie. We loved the first one and the second one is just as good or better. The kids and I hung out at the hotel everyday while Rob worked and then we played at night.

We had one of those great family suites so the kids had their own room and then we also had a kitchen and living room. I could even give the kids their favorite thing--heh, heh, heh -- NAPS! Lol!

It always nice to get away for a few days but there's nothing like getting away for a few days to make you appreciate home! Humans--we're just complicated, eh?! Lol!

SUNDAY'S UPDATE

Things are still going well. Mom is feeling good and hanging in there. She's trying not to overdo - but that's hard for a multi-tasker. Still, she's being pretty good.

The weather has been much cooler (not to be confused with cool) than the typical 103 or 104 degrees we've had lately. I think it only got up to about 75 or 80 today and we even had a little bit of wind. We've also been getting some rain which is nice and I'm sure that's helping to keep things cool.

Not too much else going on - just a slow Sunday. Hope all is well at your house. Have a great week.

SOME COOL FINDS

When Sarah was here on Friday we got to talking about some family history and it made me remember some large pictures and documents we'd brought from Mom and Dad's house for them but never opened. I've had them on top of tall piece of furniture still wrapped up the way they were for traveling and hadn't thought about them in a long time. We got them down and opened them and had some real treasures and great memories.

These first two pictures are my great grandparents on my mom's side. My mom never met her Grandma, though she is named for her, "Eva" Carolyn. She died the year before my mom was born. My Grandma adored her Mom and never really got over losing her. I should mention that these are not small photos we have, either. They are, I'm guessing, probably 16 x 20 or so larger and are on thick photo boards. 

Sanford Bock

Eva Evandale Shields Bock

Emma Jane Danhour

                                                          Emma is Eva's mother.  

This next piece of history is just as large--in fact they all are quite large pieces. I think our current society has become the incredible shrinking society, trying to see just how small we can make something whether we are downsizing computers or companies or rolls of toilet paper. Lol.

Anyway, this is my Grandmother Flint's Diploma. I've enlarged it here as much as I can so hopefully you can read some of it. Maybe on your computer page you can enlarge it further if you care to read  more of it. For those of us who are relatives it is a little more fascinating. :)
           

This one is my Grandparents (on my Mom's side) marriage license. Again, this is HUGE. I guess they didn't want you to miss the fact that you were getting married. Maybe that's why marriages used to last so much longer--because people used to make a bigger deal of what they were getting themselves into and take it more seriously.

Oscar Glenn Flint and Nellie Shields Bock Marriage License 1923

This last picture is from my Dad's side of the family. I know it is harder to see but I still wanted to post it. It is a picture of my Great Grandparents on my Dad's side and their first son. So, it is my Great Grandma and Grandpa Carson and my Great Uncle Bill.

Clarence Elmer and Mary Alice Gouge Carson and William (Bill Carson)

We were pretty excited to find these family treasures. Hope you enjoyed seeing a little of our family history. :)

GRANDMA UPDATE

Mom is doing really well. She is tired as expected and a little sore but she is being a good patient and doing what she is supposed to -- pretty much just resting. My little sister Sarah surprised all of us last night and just showed up at the door, suitcase in hand, and spent the night with us. It was a great big help. Between us we were able to get a lot done. Plus, it was nice for her to just be able to visit with Mom ad Dad. She came all the way from Idaho. So it was really, really great of her to drive all that way after working all day. She had to be back to help with a wedding this evening so she had to leave mid-afternoon in order to get there.

The women's group from our church arranged to bring us in dinner tonight and it was SO yummy. It was this amazingly tender baked pork, with baked cut up potatoes, and spiced zucchini, cantelope, homemade wheat rolls and homemade chocolate sandwich cookies. Rob even made it home in time for dinner. Although, he's on-call this weekend and he did get called out just as we were putting the kids to bed. :( He's back home already, though. Yay.

Well, hope you have a nice weekend. Hopefully, yours and ours will be uneventful.

OUR POST OP REPORT

Hi all,

It's been a very tiring day. I apologize for not posting something on here sooner. I have talked to some of you personally but trying to get things taken care of  at home and everyone fed and settled has taken some time.

Mom's surgery went well. She is a bit sore and initially came out of it with a very large headache. Thankfully, they were able to help get her over it before we left the hospital. Her surgery ended up being more involved than they initially thought it would be. They thought they would find one of her parathyroid glands very enlarged and need to remove it. Instead they found that none of them were VERY enlarged but all of them had some enlargement or some issues. So they took three of them completely out and took a tenth of the fourth one out for biopsy. She has to take calcium now to build her system back up but the doctor feels she will recover fully.

We both really like the doctor/surgeon a lot. He is originally from Georgia and is really down to earth and kind. He has done a large number of these surgeries and came very highly recommended.

Mom has to take it very easy for the next couple weeks--no lifting, no running around~basically she can't do much of anything. She just has to lay around and bask in the . . . oh wait, I'm not sure he went that far . . . Lol! Basically she has to be a good girl and REST LOTS!

GRANDMA'S SURGERY

Hi All,

Just a short note. Most of you know my Mom is having surgery in this morning (Thursday) on her parathyroid. They found a small growth or lump a short time ago and are going to go in and remove one or more of her parathyroid glands. Now, I hope I said that right. Apparently, we have four of these and we can have up to three of them removed--so, they are going to go in and take somewhere between one and three of them out. She has a very well-respected surgeon who has done a large number of these surgeries. It is a two hour procedure and should be an out-patient one. I will let you know when we get home how she is doing. If any of you prefer a personal update, you can email me your phone number and I will call you and let you know how she is doing after surgery. If you prefer an email back, just say so and I will email you. My email is nancydyer27@gmail.com. Take care and keep my Mom in your prayers please.

A B C . . . EASY AS 1, 2, 3 . . . OH YAH?

I am stressing a little over Carly's schooling. She starts in a little less than a month and I don't know where she is going yet. I had to put in for a variance to get permission for her to go to the same grade school Julie attended --even though part of our property is on land that should allow us to go to that school.

The school district they say we should send her to has had a ton of bullying problems and most of the families near me send their kids to charter schools instead of putting them in that school. I do know some families that have their kids over their--and some who have pulled their kids out for just that reason. That's why I asked for a variance-but I've had no news on the variance yet. I called on it today and they don't make decisions on them until they know class sizes and apparently they are still working on those.

I also have her name in the lottery for two charter schools, but they always accept the siblings of kids already attending before new kids--so I haven't heard from them either yet. I am getting very nervous as I really don't want to put her in a school where I already know bullying happens regularly. Please say a prayer for my little girl and our schooling dilemma. I so want her to have a good experience and just want to be sure I put her in the best place for that to happen.Thanks so much. ;)

GOT THE NEWS!

Huey Lewis

Had such a good time at the Huey Lewis and the News concert tonight with Rob. We had great seats~second row, center stage--so up close and personal! It's their 30th anniversary tour. We went to dinner before the concert - we actually got a babysitter so we could have a real, honest date!

The kids were excited to have someone new coming over to watch them -- at least I'm hoping that's why they were excited. I hope it wasn't so they could torture and manipulate her--you know 3 and 5 year olds are pretty good at that! Lol!

FAIR WARNING

Saturday we went bed shopping with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a little like sneaking in to the three bears house. The salesman had them trying out all the beds to see which one was the firmest but all I could think of were the lines from the three bears. "This one is too hard. This one is too soft. This one is just right!" Lol! I think maybe they tried a lot more than three before they found the one that was "just right"! Hahaha! At least they did finally find one, though! Yay! So, tomorrow sometime they should be getting a new bed delivered.

Last night when it finally cooled down from our high of 104 degrees (yes, that's right!) we took the kids over to the amusement park. The first ride we hit was a water ride where we got fairly drenched. That cooled us down for the rest of the evening. Then we hung around the kiddie rides and played. It's fun just watching them have fun and hearing them laugh and get excited.

But, tomorrow night (Monday) Rob and I have second row seats to Huey Lewis and the News! We are really excited! We love his music and have never been to one of his concerts before. So, we got us a babysitter and are going to go enjoy--oh, and scream like teenagers! (So, if you happen to be one of our kids and you are in the neighborhood--you will probably want to put a paper-bag over your head--in fact, it may call for a double bagger! We will probably be loud and a little rowdy.) Fair warning. Just saying. :)

JUMP RIGHT IN!

So when did you last jump rope? I remember trying it, briefly and unsuccessfully, last year when I bought Jonathon and Carly jump ropes at the dollar store. I've decided not to count that time though as I've since realized those were such lightweight nonsensical jump ropes that I'm not sure anyone could have successfully jumped them. Lol! Before that, though, I'm pretty sure the last time I jumped rope was in grade school, probably in 4th or 5th grade. I'm guessing I'd grown out of it by 6th grade, though I can't remember for sure.

Well, I took it up again today, in my early fifties. Yep, I sure did--and it's a lot harder than I remember. Lol! Of course, it's not like I have two of my girlfriends holding either end of it swinging it for me. I had to propel it myself and then jump two-footed up and down. This is part of my new exercise routine. Luckily Rob found me an exercise grade jump rope that is heavier than the kiddie ones. I am supposed to do fifty jumps in under a minute or two. My rope is a bit too long so I had to wrap it around my hands a few times, and it took me a bit to get used to where it was hitting under my feet. I stumbled a little but once I got my bearings I actually did eighty jumps. This is meant to get your heart rate up and increase your metabolism. I didn't think it was going to work after the first few seconds because I was stumbling badly. By the time I'd finished my two minutes I was glad I'd stuck to it because I did more than I planned and actually felt pretty good. I even felt like maybe I could have done more  but I went ahead and stopped since I had other exercises to add to those ones.  The best part was finding out I could still do something I did in grade school! How awesome is that? Yep, pretty darn AWESOME!! :)

THE FUNNY THINGS THEY SAY

Jono came limping in the house last night in obvious pain. He thought he had a big thorn in the bottom of his foot (it ended up being a splinter) and we do have these nasty thorns in our yard at times. Anyway, he yells "Mom, help! I've got a porcupine in my foot!" Hahaha! I didn't have the heart to tell him he meant thorn. I just pulled him into my lap and as he showed me his foot I said, "Let me see that porcupine? Those things hurt don't they!"

I'm cutting him some slack since it's so darn cute! He's actually seen a real porcupine at the zoo before--he's just mixing up his words. This little one cracks me up sometimes.

Be careful not to walk barefoot anywhere there are porcupines--those things are sharp you know! :)

SWEET MEMORIES

Sally and Seth stopped back by today as they are leaving tomorrow via SLC airport. Seth downloaded all of his photos from the trip onto my computer. Among them, I found this one from several years ago when they came to Indiana to celebrate Dad's birthday. It had to be 2009 because it was just before we got Jonathon. We were there to help them get packed up to move here.

Anyway, this was the last time I saw my cousin Ned. I certainly didn't realize it would be the last time but I'm so glad we were able to spend time together and that it was such fun. They had an amazing Fourth of July party at his sister (also my cousin) Anita's house with fireworks better than I think the city probably ever did. And we had amazing eats only the Klebusch clan could cook up! It was wonderful!

I sure miss you Nedrick. Love you mostest!

Nancy, Rob, Ned and Diane

 

COOL IT!

This has been a really hot summer so far--but then you know that, don't you? I'm finding it hard to want to spend much time outside, at least during the day when it's so hot. Poor Jono, he wants to be outside all the time but Carly doesn't like the heat much either. Nor do the neighbor kids. They all ususallly want a movie on when it's hot outside so Jono is begging everyone to go outside but no takers. That boy LOVES his swing!
I probably need to put the pool back out by the slide--that usually wins over the other kids. It's either that or wait till evening when it cools down to get them all outside together. 

Today my friend Robin and I took our kids to visit our widow friend. They love going to see her and she is so sweet to them. We ended up with half the neighborhood kids in tow by the time we got there. She had a big bowl of M&M's waiting for them and had all of her grand kids toys out for them. They just adore her and she loves watching them play.

Nothing exciting is going on here. That's probably a good thing. Hopefully, things will cool down a little soon. In the meantime, you stay cool. ;)

COUPLE THINGS

Hi all, I forgot to post this photo. This is me with my Uncle Seth and Aunt Sally while they were here visiting. They have been off traveling through the west the past couple of weeks. Sally called from Yellowstone the other day and said they will be stopping back through here in a couple of days before they head back home. It sure was great to see them and spend some time with them.

Grandpa is feeling much better now! His home care nurse told me on her way out today that he is making great progress! We love happy news!

 

 

 

Seth Granberry, Nancy Dyer, Sally Granberry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOND . . . JAMES BOND

Watching a James Bond movie with Rob and trying to blog--not necessarily two compatible activities. One is kind of cathartic, the other makes my pulse race! So, no promises what you're gonna get here. Lol.

It's been a busy day. We have a ton going on this weekend. Rob has been gone the last couple of days on a work assignment. He finally got home this evening. Our niece is going on an LDS mission to Ecuador in a few days and so we are spending the next couple of days with her as she prepares to leave. I spent the day baking some goodies to take along. I won't bother to go into the list of other things we have to get done--but, OY!

I had to take my van in today to have the tires checked because the back two kept losing air. When I picked it up I found out I had a nail in both back tires. So weird -- can't imagine how I picked up a nail in both tires! I'm grateful I found out ad got it fixed before I ended up somewhere with a complete flat.

Mom and I also managed to make it out this morning to do a little shopping. One of my friends took the kids for a few hours so we took advantage of the time and went shopping! Yay for us!

Well, I'm a tired Mommy--so, I better finish so I can get to bed once the movie ends. Have a lovely weekend. :)

JUST A FEW NOTES

Grandpa had his first home health nurse come today. She thinks he is doing fairly well but had some ideas on how to help get him on his feet more quickly.

It was a really warm day here today. It started out in the 70's but got up near 100 degrees. I'm not sure I can stand too many more of these days! I tried mowing a bit in it this morning and had to take several breaks. I finally gave it up!

Rob had to work late today and came home not feeling very well. There must be something going around as Jonathon threw up today as well. Although, he did seem to make it through the rest of the day without too much seeming to bother him.

Oh well, that's about it for us today. Hope you are all doing well.

CARLY AND JONO RIDE THE RANGE

Our little ones love it when Daddy wears his cowboy hat so the other night we took them to a western store to see if we could find a similar hat for them to wear in their size. We did end up finding some hats for them. Of course Carly picked out this awesome pink number! Lol! What else would she choose!

Cowgirl Carly

Jono on the other hand liked every hat he saw! However, there was one studly hat we just had to have him try on--it was a BLACK HAT! He happened to have on a black T-shirt at the time and he looked so darn cuddly~studdly we could hardly stand it! We just had to have a picture of him in it! However, we did NOT have to have that hat as it was $50.00 and we figured a picture did just as much for us as him having it would! We did let him pick out another one but this is the funnest picture we took of him that day!

Here's our little cuddly~studdly muffin now:

Big Bad John II

IHOP YOU LIKE THESE :)

 The other night we went out to eat at IHOP and, of course, we had Carly and Jono with us. Carly is five and is fairly well behaved in public places for long periods of time but Jono, who is not quite four yet has a shorter attention span. So, Daddy diverted his attention for a few minutes -- or was it the other way around? I can't quite remember. Lol! They treated us to a few comical moments. Here are my handsome guys channeling their internal fish and their external Yoda! Enjoy!

 

                          

 

 

FUN IN THE SUN

Today was fun! We did something new--at least new for me. We went skeet shooting. I'd never done that before and I even managed to hit a few of them. It was harder than I thought it would be. Although, I'm not really sure what I thought it would be. After we were done, we took the kids swimming. They played in the pool for a long time and really had a blast.

Sally and Seth spent the morning with Dad and Mom and then left for Jackson Hole. They have quite a few places they are going to visit over the next week. We think they will stop back by on their way back to the airport as they leave--as long as they give themselves enough time. The kids loved getting to know them better. They were so little the last time they were here I am not sure they remember much of the visit. They loved having them read to them and play with them. It's been a nice visit.

We've had some pretty good thunderstorms the last couple of days. We need the moisture so no complaints--not to mention it really cooled things off. It feels pretty nice outside now. We had way too many days that were over 100 degrees the last few weeks. Hopefully, we are done with those.

Well, hope you all had a nice holiday. We sure did! More later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!

Today we had most of the family together. Rob and I were missing a few of our girls but Susan and family were here and Sarah and her family were here. Dad's sister Sally and her husband Seth are here as well. Rob, Seth and our kids started the day with a parade. Seth rode a unicycle in our local parade. That was fun to watch him perform. He even put Jono on his shoulders and rode for a bit. I have a little film of it--but I have to YouTube it and then put the link on here--so I won't do it tonight.

After the parade we had a BBQ at our house and then cake and ice cream for Grandpa. Then after Susan and Sarah's family left we watched a movie with the kids and Seth and Sally.

When it got dark, we went outside and sat on the porch and watched fireworks. I didn't realize until tonight that we could see some of the local fireworks from our front porch--some of the high ones, anyway. We have usually gone elsewhere to watch them instead of staying home. Since we were here tonight and could hear them we went out front to look and had a pretty good view of them, so I sat on the front porch with the kids and watched them. It was kind of nice.

We will continue our celebration today (Friday) since it is Grandpa's actual birthday and we still have cake left! I mean, you can't stop the party till the cake's gone, right?! Lol!

Susan's husband Russ holding the cake so Grandpa can blow out the candles!

THE EVE OF THE FOURTH

Today was a good day. Grandpa even had a good day. He's feeling much better and I think it helped that his sister Sally was coming today (okay, you too, Seth, wink, wink--Lol!) They got here late afternoon and we all went out for dinner. It's been really nice to catch up again. When we got back to the house we listened to Dad and Sally talk about their childhood and all the funny and crazy things they did. Dad was sure a little rascal. It's a wonder he lived to tell about some of the things he did.

Tomorrow Susan and Sarah and their families will be coming for the holiday and to celebrate Dad's birthday. We are going to have a family BBQ--although, most of our celebrating will probably happen inside. Our temps have been hitting over 100 degrees this week so we probably won't spend a ton of time outdoors.

We are thinking of going to a parade in the morning. In fact, we've been looking for someone who has a spare unicycle--possibly from the unicycle club riding in the parade, to see if Seth can ride with them. We are still waiting to hear back. That would be fun if he could.

Well, that's about all we know. Happy Fourth everyone! Be safe!

GRAMPS TRIP TO THE DOC

Just a quick update on Grandpa. His doctor feels like he is doing much better. Not only that but Grandpa is feeling much better too. The doctor is going to keep a really close eye on him but is very pleased with his progress at this point. More later. N.

JUST A LITTLE UPDATE

Sorry I have been such a slacker lately. We made it through the weekend without any problems. Grandpa has improved a little each day and seems to be quite a bit better. He has a check-up tomorrow (Tuesday) and we are hoping to find most of the infection has cleared up. I will definitely keep you posted.

I took Mom to the doctor today for a checkup--just to rule out one last concern. We are pretty certain we did. The doc just wanted to look over one last test he didn't have there so is going to call her in the morning with his final evaluation. He was pretty certain though that there was no reason for concern. We love happy news!

It has been very warm here the last couple of weeks. We measured between 103 and 105 today depending on where we were. Although, my friend in Arizona told me I couldn't complain because it was 117 there. Yikes--I can't even imagine. Actually, I can. I was there one summer a few years ago for a week and the temps were around 116 -117 and you literally had to go from air conditioning to air conditioning to survive. Anyone outside in it was thought to be insane!

My Aunt Sally and Uncle Seth, Dad's sister and her husband arrive on Wednesday--and the birthday bashes begin soon after. We spend most of the days surrounding the 4th celebrating my Dad's birthday. Even though he was born on the 5th his mother always kind of claimed the holiday for him so we like to carry on the tradition. So while you're wishing the nation a Happy Birthday this weekend be sure to wish think of Big Bad John and light a sparkler or two for him as well! Lol!

Night all!

MORE ON GRAMPS

I am writing this very early in the morning so this will be short. Grandpa went back to the doctor today for a check on his Cellulitis and some of it was better but it had actually spread quite a bit and in some areas looked pretty sore--so the doctor is concerned. She gave him a shot of a strong anti-biotic. He does have a fever of around 99-100. I'm sure it is his body just trying to fight off the infection.

I did get him to eat dinner so that made me happy. He seems in good spirits, though. He is tired--but up to phone calls if any of you want to chat. Well, that's all for now. I will keep you posted. Prayers are very helpful. Take care.