It's like this...

I heard a loud thud the other morning around 3:30 a.m. I checked my monitor but he'd once again turned it to the wall so I was unable to see if he was still in bed. I went downstairs right behind my sweet husband and dad was on the living room floor moaning and holding his head. He'd fallen. Hard. The first picture is the day of the fall. The second is the day after. The black eye keeps blossoming. He has a gash on his head, hidden by his silver hair and he skinned his shoulder/arm. He's a mess. Was he using his walker? Nope. 85 year old toddlers cannot be told what to do. Or rather, they can be told what to do, they simply won't comply. Ever. In fact they get down right angry and throw fits. It's not pretty. His physical therapist came to the house the next day and strongly told him to use his walker EACH TIME HE STOOD UP. Has he? Nope. Nyet. He was very angry with me yesterday because I kept asking him to use his walker. Also, I asked ...

I became a new parent about three weeks ago. One thing I forgot from my previous parenting experience was to always nap when they nap, or you're going to be exhausted. Well, I'm exhausted. He gets up at the crack of holy-crap-why-can't-you-just-sleep-past-5-o'clock every morning. (Not to mention at least four times a night) He naps during the day several times. I haven't napped but I did yesterday. I fell asleep on the couch...and what did he do? Got up by himself and did things he wasn't supposed to do unsupervised. Like shower. I have an 85 year old toddler who won't listen to reason. And yes, I understand that he's lost his ability to do most things that he loved---driving his big truck, working in his yard and other things---but his Parkinsons and his balance have made changes to everything that was once safe for him to do on his own. I love him dearly and am only trying to keep him safe. This tightrope I'm walking between daug...

My beautiful third child has learned how to sew all on her own. What a creative soul she is! For Valentines day, she created two dolls with magnets (to make them kiss) in her image and in the image of her boyfriend Andy. Today she gave them to him, as we all looked on. Even the hoodies match what they were wearing! Artistic, musical, witty and can sew circles around me.....could she really be mine? I hugged her before she left for Young Women's tonight. I love her so much. I've discovered that the more creative, the rockier the life....or so it seems. Yesterday I had a bit of oral surgery and a bone graft to boot. Hmm, why do we say, 'to boot'? I've never really wondered that before. Oh look! Something shiny! Vicodin has been my companion. Ice packs, heat packs and life is slowly moving towards my normal. Which everyone knows is not anywhere near REAL normal. Ah, normal. You are so over rated. Hubby is still scooting around on his knee scoo...

It's over. And according to a commercial on televsion tonight, there are only 364 days until the next one. Remind me to write a letter to the person who wrote that ad, and then hunt him/her down and hurt him/her. It's like someone asking a woman who has just given birth, when's the next baby coming? Ok, here's the low-down, the 411, the truth the whole truth and the whole enchilada. For the record, there were no enchiladas involved in the sumptuous meals during the past two days. Christmas Eve there were two dinners. First at my sister's house, and we had pigs in a blanket, potato salad, ham, lots of cookies and goodies. Here's my Ashley, my father and my Allison that night. My sister gave our father one of the best and funniest presents that night. It's the biggest remote I've ever seen. We're not saying that his sight is going....but um...his sight is going. When my older sister Cheri was brought in, she was in her extreme happy mode. She...

Last night Lance and I drove to Poulsbo to have dinner at Aunt Judy's house. Doug, Lance's dad, was up from Oregon and he was the chef. Kathy (Lance's sister) came as well. She took a ferry boat, we drove around. Sitting around, talking, laughing. It was a delightful evening. When we get together we always have such a good time and say that we should get together more often throughout the year. Perhaps this will happen now that Doug is planning on moving to Judy's house mid-January. Doug is a fantastic cook. He made lamb tetrazinni. I apologize for the following picture, in that some eyes are closed, but it's the only picture I took. Left to right, Lance, Aunt Judy, Doug and Kathy. On the drive back we listened to music, we talked, we sang, we talked some more. We realized that it's been an awful long time since we took the time for a date. The time driving home was punctuated by phone calls from the kids of course. "Mom? We're bored" ...

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I got up early that morning to stuff the turkey and pop it in the oven to cook. Six hours later we drove through the pouring rain to Seattle and the family gathering at the ward buillding. My niece Heather brought her turkey to be cooked there. We first began having our Thanksgiving at the church the last one that mom was with us. We didn't know she had cancer at the time, but we knew something wasn't right. We've been having it there ever since. The kids lining up for the food. My nephew Chad has a hard time at family gatherings because he misses his Nanny (my mom) so much. My sister Julie tried to comfort him. My father fed my sister Cheri her dessert, as she has trouble feeding it to herself at times. Here he was teasing her with the bite of pie. My nephew Cody and my sister Cheri have a special relationship. He teases her and she loves it. At times that day he'd come behind her, shake her wheelchair up and down and she'...