WE GATHERED TOGETHER

Doesn't Bob look like BLUTO, a character in the POPEYE cartoon?






It was a nice Christmas. Nobody seemed rushed and we were able to visit. The kids and their toys kept us entertained. Of course we had a lot of food to eat and after that it was naptime for the fellas and a few of the ladies. Some of the kids even took their naps. We watched a couple of movies and ate lots of food too. Thank you Jeff & Marianne for a good time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! 2009 IS HERE!!!

MY MOUTH STILL HURTS

Got my stitches out Monday and now I can carefully brush my teeth and gums. Hooray...no more placque. My gums feel wierd though and it feels like they are still swollen a bit, and, when I smile, my cheek feels like it is still numb a bit.
The Orthodontist said the bone in my gum will heal but it could take 6 mo. to a year or more.

I am knee deep in wrapping paper and gifts. I'm trying to get them done before Jeff's girls come to stay with us this weekend. Jen and Bob and boys are coming also, so I had to get things done a week sooner than planned...but hey...it's done! Did I tell you I don't like wrapping? Now I have to get everything put away again.

I am looking forward to going to Jeff & Marianne's for Christmas. Jen will be here next week to help get things cooked to take to Jeff's. We hope to make it as stress free for Marianne as possible. (We plan to go to her Dr. Apptmt. the next day (Friday) to see her sonogram and what sex the baby is. Exciting!!!) Christmas with the grandkids will be fun also. Then the rest of the family will be there for Christmas Day. We will eat, play games, eat, and visit, eat, etc...

HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

DENTAL PROBLEMS

I have been having trouble with a tooth that abcessed on my upper right about a month & a half ago. First, it is a crown that had a root canal done a few years ago by a different dentist. Evidently the guy who did it, didn't see the fourth root that needed cleaned out too. Anyway, I had to go to an orthodontist who cleaned it out by drilling in the middle of the crown and then filling it back in like a cavity. Well, the swelling went down with the medication and root clean out...for awhile! Then it started swelling & abcessing again about three weeks ago so the orthodontist gave me penicillin for two weeks and Monday I went in to have him look at it. He said he would need to go in under the crown, through my gum, in order to clean it out or cut off the nerve in the event the nerve was cracked. It wasn't cracked, it had a big cyst that had wrapped around two of the roots. He said it was surprising that it hadn't gone into my sinuses. He cleaned the abcess out and sewed me up. (No cracked root.) Now I go back in a week and have the stitches taken out. It wasn't too bad yesterday but today is was hurting and my cheek was swelling pretty good. I have Hydrocodone to take for the pain every 4-6 hours. It started hurting worse as night time came on. Linda drove me up to the doctor yesterday and tonight she fixed supper for Janette & Danny and David & I. I can only eat soft stuff so she made biscuits & gravy, skinless baked potatoes and fried apples. She sent me a plate of food with David, because I was hurting too much to go down there. She is such a thoughtful sister-in-law. Hope everyone is well and happy.

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS

We had a beautiful day on Thanksgiving. The weather was just right and it encouraged all of us to go out and enjoy it at least in some part. Rob & Bob were really rocking with Rob's guitar and banjo that were enhanced by Rob's speakers. They played their concert outside. Grandma was loving it. So did Pastor January who was our guest that day. The kids (& some adults) played football, frisbee, & climbed on the play set. Thank you to all who were able to attend. It was a very enjoyable day. On Saturday David went to the church to help put up the tree in the church sanctuary. On his way home, a deer tried to hitch hike a ride in his truck. He had just looked to his left and was looking to his right when he saw the deer start his leap from the driver's side toward the passenger side. He stepped on his break (was going south on 69 at 70mph) and hit the deer at about 50 mph. It's body hit the windshield and was inside the cab for a bit and it's head swung around and hit the passenger side window knocking it out too. He said he was kind of shaky for about 15 minutes aferwards. (I put the pictures on Kodak Gallery). We were very thankful that David wasn't hurt.

THE NORTH WIND DOTH BLOW!

Well, we have had lots of blustery wind, cold temps, a few flurries, & rain. OK, enough already. I'm ready for Spring now! I have been having headaches every day. Please pray that when they go away, I'll have somewhat of a brain left. I can hardly think straight when I have these.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I haven't heard from too many of you yet. Ruthie, is your crew coming this way or will your kitchen be in good shape to cook in it?

David got his shed done, as much as he can til Spring anyway. It looks nice. We still have siding, window screens and guttering on the house to get done. He gets froze out working outside in this cold though.

ALL MY CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN!

I will be sending this picture in my Christmas Letter. Can you believe it...Christmas is just next month. Wow this year really flew by for me! How about you?


This is what the girls wore for Halloween. Katrina was a fairy princess or maybe it was Tinkerbell and McKendra was Little Red Riding Hood.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We went to see the Granddaughters on Sunday and took them their Halloween "Treats". Forgot the little one couldn't have peanuts or peanut butter, so Mom & Dad get to have a few treats. Jen said they are going to bring the boys over to "Trick or Treat" us on Halloween. It will be fun to see them in their costumes. We will be going over to Christy's to help her hand out hers and our goodies. Mom will come over also. Hope you all have a fun and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GRANDCHILD ADDED TO THE FAMILY!

Jeff and Marianne are expecting a third little one in May of 2009!!! I was just thinking on Saturday morning that Camden is getting so big that he won't be a baby much longer. Now we will have a new little one to cuddle and spoil. :-) We had a picnic that night for family and friends and it was so cute how they announced it. Katrina went and got Poppa and told him he had to come over to Grandma with her. She then said, "We are going to have a new baby.". I looked up and Jeff and Marianne were watching us and then it sunk in. Hooray! It was so fun to get the news that way.

LOVELY WEATHER!

I love the Fall weather we've been having. Not too cold, not too hot. It is picnic weather. We are gathering friends and family to do just that this Saturday night. A good old fashioned wienie roast (some bratz too).

I lost another 1.4 lbs last week. I was afraid I'd gain as I ate out a couple of times last week.

David has been working overtime since Saturday night. He did the walk for Ahlzheimer's on Sat. morning, got an oil change and new tires on his truck, shopped a little and then we went to Linda & Eddies for supper. He got called just after getting home and didn't get home til 2 a.m. and then had to go in for a long day on Sunday. He has had late nights since. He is really zonked at night.

I had to take my laptop in to be fixed last Saturday and won't get it for another week and a half. I feel lost without it. I have this computer at least but sitting here at the desk makes me feel like I did at work...sleepy. I felt that way with my laptop too but I could just go to sleep in my chair using it. Lol

Jenny sent me the cutest picture of the boys. I hope she doesn't mind if I put it on here. I love it.

WENT TO A FAMILY REUNION

4 Generation picture with Decovin.


4 Generation picture with Camden.

We took David's Dad to the annual reunion of his cousins on his mother's side of the family. Paul's mother's sister's son has been having a reunion every year for quite some time. He fixes a great meal for everyone (usually roast, potatoes & gravy, a couple of veggies, and homemade ice cream. His sister always brings her lettuce & strawberries salad. The cousin always says not to bring anything but our appetites, however Dad's sister Carol brought fresh cut tomatos and two pans of 2 kinds of cinnamon rolls and Aunt Norma brought a chinese slaw, so we had more than we could eat. We had a good visit and then came home to find the front yard filled with David's 2 sisters & husbands along with Jen & Bob and the boys. They wanted to visit a little bit with Dad & Loree before they went home. We were able to get 4 generation pictures with each of Jen's boys.

Mom C. came over today and had supper with us. She forgot her hearing aids so it was like a comedy of errors with me practically getting hoarse from yelling everything to her so she could hear & understand. I did her bank balance; showed her how to work her heater & air conditioner on her car; & sent her home with some Casey's donuts & leftover cherry-angelfood cake. She does love her sweets.

WENT TO SEE OUR GIRLS

David & I went to see Jeff, Marianne and the Granddaughters on Wednesday night. David took vacation days on Thursday and Friday so we could be out a little late. Katrina is getting to be such a pretty young lady and McKendra is looking more like her every time I see her. I gave them a game of "Hi Ho Cherry-O" and we tried to play a game as best we could. It was a little over McKendra's grasp but we had fun anyway.

David is working on his shed again. The rain put a halt to getting the outside stuff done. Hopefully it will be dry for awhile.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL WEEK

Well, I have been watching my points and lost another 2 1/2 lbs. last week. I am so excited. My clothes are fitting better and even getting loose. Still have a lot to go before it shows yet.

Enjoyed Ruthie's visit last week also and I know that Mom was happy about it. She helped Mom go through a couple of boxes and put all pictures they found in an album.

Well, how many of you had your 401Ks hit hard by the stock market? I hope something changes soon. David was going to retire next year in August but if things don't change, he may have to keep working longer. Sigh!

Christy and I went to Jen's on Saturday and had a good time playing with the boys. She & I also got haircuts at the Spa in Burlington. I have to learn how to fix my short cut but I like it.

No Dr. appointments this week. Kind of nice not to have to be on the go. Next Monday Mom gets an x-ray of her lungs again but not sure if they will since she is not coughing anymore. We will see.

Tuesday night is our night out at the New Dinner Theatre. I will tell you about that next week.

Have a good week!

A NEW WEEK.

Not much news from last week. True to nature, Mom couldn't remember what she wanted to tell the dentist about her denture. I asked her while we were there and she said no, her dentures were just fine...so I left it at that...??? I, on the other hand, was supposed to go back on Thursday but it was a dreary day and I just didn't feel like getting out just to get a filling replaced in my capped tooth. So I changed the apptmt to next Monday!

David got the yard mowed on Friday night so he felt like he at least got something done. It was too wet for him to work on painting so we went to his Mom & Sam's on Saturday and his Dad & Loree's on Sunday afternoon. Christy went with us and took them all a giant cinnamon roll, that was delicious, for Grandparent's day. Jen and the boys stopped by at Mom & Sam's and we enjoyed the visit and the entertainment the kids gave all of us. (Sent pictures on Kodak Gallery.)

Well, I lost 2.5 lb. this week. Hooray! I can bend over easier now.

DENTIST TOMORROW

Tomorrow Mom and I are going to our dentist in Louisburg. Mom wants to talk to him about her partial. It hurts her gums sometimes. I will find out if he is going to replace my cap or put a hard filling in it. The Orthodontist cleaned out the extra root in it and said it would be up to my dentist as to what is to be done next. Since I didn't have to have another root canal, I got by cheaper at the Orthodontist at least.

We went to three birthday parties in the last 2 weeks. Norma and Donnie had a surprise party that was given by their kids last week. Then on Friday night we (Jen & boys, Christy and us) met Jeff & Marianne & girls at the Legends and we all ate at Dave & Busters for McKendra's 2nd birthday and after that we played arcade games. The kids loved it (& so did we). Then the very next night we went to a surprise 40th birthday party for Rosemary Long. They barbequed hamburgers and hotdogs, and had pot luck as well as cake and homemade ice cream. I am not good at turning down foods because I gained .5 lb. last week and 2 lb. this week. Now I have to get with it and start losing again. I had fun at all the parties so I thank all of the people who were in charge of them. I may have to become a hermit to keep on track lol.

Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Chuck came over yesterday to visit mom and then they brought her out here to visit some more. It is always fun to visit with them and Mom was on cloud 9. Her left big toe is feeling some better and she is back to visiting with her neighbor but not all day long yet.

A little hint about your automatic dishwasher...Even if you JUST start the washer and turn it off, don't touch the heating element. I dropped a spoon in the bottom and went to get it when the phone rang and made me jump and I touched the element with my middle finger on my left hand. Let me tell you THAT HURT! I have a big blister on it. Another OUCH!

YEOUCH!!!

Well Mom and I went to doctors two days in a row. I saw my cancer Dr. yesterday. She said everything looks good and I won't need to get another mammogram for a year but I still have to see her in 6 months. Then we went to Mom's eye surgeon for her one week check up after the laser op. He said she has 20/20 with her glasses in her good eye. Then today we both went to a dermatologist. The bumps she complains about are normal for a person her age and the bump under her left eye is just fatty tissue that sometimes swells. We all have them under both eyes. She did get the mole taken off her wrist and it will be biopsied even though she said it didn't look bad. I had a mole on my upper lip taken off and a gob of skin tags taken off my neck and under both of my arms. The mole they deadened but the tags were just "snipped" off with scissors and no deadening. I almost hyperventilated. Had to wait awhile before I sat up to go home.

David is almost finished with the new window in the basement. Just has to finish it on the inside and make the steps going up on the outside.

MOM'S LASER SURGERY

Linda drove Mom and I up to Olathe today. We went out to 54th Street Bar & Grill to eat before taking Mom to the surgical building at 12:30. They took her into the pre-op room that had lounge chairs instead of beds. I was able to sit with her. They took her information and got the paperwork done and signed, etc. Then they said I could wait in the waiting room with Linda. That was at 1:00 and before I even got halfway through a magazine (Linda brought a book), she was walking out with the nurse who told her to make an appointment next week for a follow-up. That was at 1:20. They said she would have some blurry vision and her eye would feel scratchy & maybe see a lot of floaters but it should go away. We went to WalMart and got a few groceries and then home by 3:20. Just another Dr. day. Her big toe that the podietrist cut her nail off on both sides is still bothering her a bit. She is on her second round of anibiotics (Leviquin?) for her bronchitis. She will get another x-ray taken next month. If she isn't better by the end of this antibiotic, I don't know what to do. Next week, we both have Dr. appointments in Olathe on Tuesday AND Wednesday. Gee, aren't my blogs spellbinding reading? Over and Out!!!

MY BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS FUN!

Our kids met David and I at Andy's Wok for a Chinese supper. I had been wanting it for awhile so they set it up and we went for my 61st Birthday. It was fun having everybody there and especially the grandkids. I love 'em to pieces!

2008 Hanthorne Reunion

The Hanthorne sisters plus one "like a sister" had a really good time visiting. They are older now and of course it wasn't complete smooth sailing. Helen was hospitalized the first couple of days she got there. She did ok the rest of the time. Then Mom's cough kicked into gear and went to Bronchitis for the whole three weeks she was there. That made it tough for her but she made it through. (She is doing better now.) They were just glad to be able to get together. I told them to show me their "sad, it's time to end the reunion" faces and this is what I got. lol

MUD, SWEAT & CEMENT!

Yes, we have had rain and the workers have been working in the hottest days of the summer and they sure poured a lot of cement yesterday and today. I am hoping the yard doesn't take more than a year to look better. lol I don't think that the Kansas clay will be pushing in our wall again. At least in our lifetime.

GRANDPA LONG'S NEW CHAIR

We went over to Mound City last night to see the ramp which still needs a little more done to it but is mostly done. All of his kids bought him a motorized chair and he likes it. It is smaller than most and he can run it just fine. We told him he still has to do his exercizes though.

P.S. It did rain (2 inches) David drained it yesterday and they are working on the new window for the basement today. It is the kind you can get out of in case of an emergency. It looks like rain again today.

IF ITS NOT ONE THING, ITS ANOTHER!

North side.

West side.

South side.

What a mess. Well, we have our basement exposed on 3 sides now. In the process, the 2 sceptic lines on the north and our water line on the south were all accidents ready to happen so they have to be fixed as well as adding support walls. David said that just getting the dirt away from the walls made them pop back out. The west end may need a little help but it won't be much. It will be a mess around here for quite a while though. Especially if it rains. It is thundering now. Lord have mercy.

WHAT'S NEW?!

HI TO ALL OF YOU BLOGGERS,

David & I took Mom to Washington, MO yesterday and came back home that same afternoon. The Hanthorne girls are having their yearly reunion. Only Barb, Gladys and Mom are there for now. Helen gets there by plane tomorrow. Hazel wasn't sure when she would get there. She is in the process of getting her house on the market for sale. Gladys Wasinger will get there a week from tomorrow and then the gang will all be there.



David finished (nearly all) work on his big shed. It has been hot work today as it got to 100 degrees by noon. They finished by 3:30. Still has some trim work to do but he will get that by himself. It still has to be painted eventually. Tomorrow David is going to Mound City to make a wheel chair ramp for his dad so he can come home from the Rehab place. Danny, Eddie, and he are going to make it.

WHAT A DAY!

Last night David & I went to the city to get the wood materials for the addition to his shed. The roofer is coming Friday to put on our new roof and he will roof the sheds also so David had to get it ready. Anyway, we lost half of the wood that was on the trailer on the way home last night (in the dark). David went back to see if he could find it but he only found abour 6 of the 2x4x16'. All of the siding and 2 of the OSB were evidently picked up by someone already. Needless to say, he was sick about it. He went back over our whole route from the city because he was worried someone might have an accident because of it but he didn't see any accidents. He had enough to get the walls up and side the new part today. Bob & Jen (& boys) came to help as well as Jeff and one of David's friends from work. They worked all day and got the most of it done. David has to work tomorrow but will take off Tuesday thru Friday in order to get the chimney down below the roof line so it can be roofed over. We don't use the fireplace anymore. Jen mowed the yard and even helped the guys a with the shed. Christy helped me with the two boys and getting everybody fed. What a party! David & I want to thank everybody who came and helped today. Today was David's 62nd birthday.

BURLINGTON, KS IS A NICE PLACE

The kids are in their new home and have been working to get all their things moved in. They feel they will definately have to have a garage sale. This house is a bit smaller than their Warrensburg home. It is a cute house for them. The town of Burlington is a nice sized town. The schools are big. They have several businesses, a unique city swimming pool, an olympic size indoor pool that is free to the residents and school district, a Sonic, a Dairy Queen and a really good Mexican Restaurant. The neighbors behind Jen & Bob have a little girl about Decovin's age.

Christy and I took Grandma C. over to see J & B's place on Tuesday. We went out to eat at the Mexican Restaurant and there was a beauty shop next door that had a sign "walk-ins welcome" so we walked in to see if the lady had time to do a hair cut and perm for Mom. She did and mom got a beautiful hairdo. She is ready to go to her sister's reunion now.

We discovered that Camden has a bottom tooth coming in. He was in pain from it though. We finally got him to eat something...and sleep a little, with Grandma's help of course. :-) Decovin has been potty training and doing a good job telling his parents when he needs to go. Yay for D.

When I got home, David was talking to a roofer and getting a bid for fixing our roof, our big shed's roof and the guy said he would frame the addition on the big shed and get it roofed also. We are also going to get seamless guttering put on. They won't be able to do it for 3-4 weeks and the guttering will be 2-3 weeks after that.

We still haven't got the walls poured around the 3 sides of the house yet in order to keep the basement walls from pushing in. It will probably be August before it gets dry enough for that to be done.

We pray for a safe and Happy 4th of July for everybody.

IT IS SO QUIET!

Jen & Bob got moved into their new home this week. They have to move their stuff from the storage place and a few things out of the rental house yet but Jen got the boy's rooms done and came today to take them home. I'll probably think I am hearing them or wondering what Decovin is into. :-) Jen said they are taking the kids to the lake next weekend. Jeff, Marianne, & the girls are coming down here. Jeff called me today to see if it was ok. He also told me McKendra can count to 12 now. She's not even 2 years old yet. Christy went home after the boys left also. She has been a big help while they were here. Thanks Christy.

Went to Colorado and Wyoming

BEAR LAKE & TRAIL RIDGE ROAD IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, CO.



SNOWY RANGE, WY

VACATIONS ROCK!

What a wonderful and restful week we had 2 weeks ago. We left on a Monday. It was rainy and gloomy that morning we left but it got hot going west on Highway 70. We stopped at Goodland, KS that night. They had a brand new hotel and it was very nice. No smoking rooms and animals stayed on the ground floor. We got into Cheyenne the next night and stayed at John & Judy Sackman's. They were so gracious to us. They taught us how to play an interesting card game called "Hand & Foot". We ended up playing it the next 2 nights also. The next morning, John went with us to Rocky Mountain National Park. We found out it was closed so we could only go half way up. I got some souvenier shirts for the grandkids and magnets for their parents and our parents. We went to Bear Lake that we had not done before so we were able to see something new. We got home in time for a wonderful meal that Judy made. She stayed home with the dogs and ran errands. We went over to Aunt Mattie's to see her and Wayne and saw Kathy at her apartment place. Her fiance was there also and she gave us an invitation to their wedding in July. Thursday we got up and headed up Snowy Range with John. We made sure we stopped at the top and at Lake Marie where we went with our kids in 1985. Friday morning we went into Loveland and had Breakfast with Ross & Jeanne. We then went back up Rocky Mountain National Park because they said it was open. It was so pretty. We made it back to the new hotel in Goodland and then home by 5:30 the next night. WOW, we are ready to go on another vacation already!

NO TIME TO BLOG!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while. Been taking care of kids, Great-Grandmom (as Decovin calls her), and attending United Methodist Church Annual Conference as Alternate Lay Leader. My friend Shirley is the Lay Leader but her father died last Saturday so she asked me to go in her place. Jen and Christy have been doing the cooking so we have had some really good meals. Mom had the stitch in her eye taken out today. Christy took her for me. She has some saline drops to put in her eye when her origional drops are done. She sees her regular optometrist on July 9.

DECOVIN & CAMDEN ARE HERE!

Camden is growing so fast. Seems like he is doing a lot more since he came. He can now sit (with help), but he's getting stronger. He reaches out to things. He discovered his toes tonight while sitting on his daddy's lap. Decovin likes to hold his little brother and he also likes to help feed him. Bob came for the weekend and Decovin was so excited. He ran from the door to the living room and then when Bob came in, he made a mad dash to the door again. He was so excited!

Mom is doing great with her after surgery drops. She has been putting them in herself or her friend Juanita does it for her if we can't be there. She has two weeks left and then she will be done. She is already seeing better. The Dr. gave her a pair of reading glasses with a 2.50 strength and she said she can see close up just fine with them. I take her back on June 4th to have the one and only stitch he put in her eye taken out.

David's dad is doing better. He has improved since his stroke quite a bit. His mouth is straight now and he can talk a little better. He is working on getting the strength back in his right arm and leg.

Went to the funeral of a good church friend on our anniversary; David worked until 7:30 pm (and has just about every night since the outage started in April); but the day brightened with the help of D & C and the girls fixed us a delicious supper of "drunk chicken", garlic mashed potatoes, peas, and salad. It was our 42nd. Wow, where does time go?

Been Busy again.

Most of you know that David's Dad had a stroke last week. He has some problems with his right arm, leg, and right side of his mouth. He has to have thickened liquids and such in order to eat or drink. He can talk pretty good when he is wide awake. Anyway they sent him to St. Luke's on the Plaza by helicopter, then he was sent to Paola, KS to a rehab place. On Sunday, they thought he had another small stroke and sent him again by helicopter to St. Luke's on the Plaza. Anyway, needless to say we have been on the go a lot. They still don't know for sure what happened this second time and seem to be dragging their feet to find out what is wrong with him. Loree and Mendy have been going to be with him everyday and are wearing down. Please say prayers for them and all of us really. Thanks.

We went to Jeff & Marianne's church Sunday night for a talent night show they put on. Jeff did magic tricks. He did very good and was funny as usual. Marianne will have to play the piano or something next year maybe, or the guitar. She had to corral the girls this time. They both ran up on stage to be with their daddy which distracted him a bit but it was cute.

I have Decovin for a few days and he is down for a nap so I must get my shower done before he wakes.

I CREATED A DIRECTORY FOR MY CHURCH!

I created and made a directory, and took it to be copied and bound into books for our church members and constituants. Everyone really liked them. It made me feel good and it was exciting for me. Jen & the boys were here last week and we all went to visit Dad and Loree and then my mom came over to see them the next day. Bob and his Dad went to Warrensburg and got some of their things and took them to Burlington to the house they are renting there. Jen and Bob stayed in Burlington camping out so to speak. She is sending me pictures of their place by cell phone. It is a very small house compared to what they are selling. We need to pray that they can sell it and soon too.

NOTHING MUCH

I am waiting for something good to happen. David starts 7-10's this Saturday for 5 weeks. Boring!

I wait for pictures of the grandchildren to see how they have grown and then I miss them like crazy.

We went to David's mom's Sunday afternoon and my mom's that evening. They are doing ok. David went to his Dad's last Tuesday and Wednesday after he got off Jury Duty for the day. Dad has been a little confused lately and hallucinates but it was from his pain pills so they are taking him off them and, I presume, try something else or reduce the mg's of them.

I have been so tired lately that my Dr. has issued some kind of sleep test again. This one will be done by me at home. I will get it by ups this afternoon and take it tonight, then ups will pick it up tomorrow.

Well, that is about as exciting as it get around here.

HOW ABOUT SOME SPRING WEATHER?

It would be nice if we had a normal season for a while. It seems rather odd that the seasons are so back and forth.

We are up at Jeff's this afternoon. He needed help putting in their new microwave & stove (if they have time) so he called his Dad. Of course they don't do anything without haveing to go to Lowe's at least once or twice.

The girls were excited to see us. McKendra came running and threw herself into my arms to give me a hug and kiss. So cute, but then she was done, she wanted to eat. I guess they eat first thing when they get home from school. Katrina did the same but she was talking a mile a minute.

Jen, Camden, and Decovin were at our house Monday to Wednesday. Camden is still getting treatments with the nebulizer. He is feeling better though. Decovin is still talking Dutch with a few real words thrown in. Jen helped get our painting of the house started. She painted the hallway to the bedrooms. David & Christy helped a little. We are painting all rooms a khaki color. Looks good.

NOTHING MORE HEARTWRENCHING THAN A SICK CHILD

Bob called us Monday and told us he had to take off his last day at work to go get Decovin and take him home. Jen & Camden were on their way by ambulance to Children's Mercy South. Camden was dehydrated and very lethargic. He and Decovin were both throwing up so she took them to the base to their doctor and they couldn't get an IV in Camden as his veins would collapse. They tried twice in one hand, once in the other, and twice in his head. So they sent him on to Children's Mercy so they could do it with smaller needles. Well they did put a feeding tube down his nose to his stomach and fed him that way. Jen called and said they were on their way finally at 2:00. David took off early and we went up to see them. They put him in room 328 and fed him some more through the feeding tube. They decided against trying to put an IV in him. When we got there he was sleeping in Jen's arms and she was rocking him. She said he looked a lot better than he did in the morning. They said he has RSV which is hard on babies cause they can't cough up the mucous themselves. Jen said she couldn't get anything with her little sqeeze tube but they did with their force suction. Anyway, they ended up keeping Camden until today. I just talked to Jen and she said they are doing the paperwork but didn't know how long they would be. Monday night David went to Warrensburg with Christy and She stayed with Decovin while they went to get Jen's car off the base. David drove it back to the hospital and then we went home. Tuesday, mom went with me to my Dr. & eye Dr. apptmts. I am fine and am getting cataracts on both eyes evidently. Aging isn't fun FYI. Then when we got home, David and I packed my bags in the car. We stopped to see Jen & Camden and then headed for Warrensburg to drop me & my bags off. Christy was just leaving and took Jen some more clothes. She had taken one of her personal days off to watch D. I am going to stay awhile until Jen gets some rest. Did I mention that they were all sick? Bob included. Poor little Camden couldn't hardly squeek out a cry. He did give me a croaky "goo" last night. Bless him.

GREY'S ANATOMY IS STARTING A NEW SEASON!

I love that show! I wonder how long they will keep putting problems in the way for McDreamy & Grey. It would be nice if they could make 1 or 2 of the characters happy for longer than one season. I guess it is truly a nighttime soap opera. Always leaves you hanging.

Good Luck Jen & Bob with the house hunting on Sunday.

I feel better today, finally. I didn't go to the Dr. yesterday b/c I wasn't feeling well enough to drive and nobody was around to drive me. I changed the appointment to next Tuesday. I will be just fine by then.

Everybody have a great weekend.

HAPPY SPRING!

IS IT SPRING YET? LOL

EASTER WEATHER COOPERATED!

Thank you to all of you who helped out with the Easter dinner today. Sorry I got sick. Hope you all don't get it. It felt like flue but who knows. Anyway, thanks again!

HAPPY EASTER!

So what are your plans for Easter?

How was girl's night out?

Any pictures? How did the moving go for Melo?

DR VISITS TOOK ALL AFTERNOON!

It was a nice day but we spent a lot of it inside Dr. Offices. My bone doctor told me that the next move be mine. When pain relievers no longer help the pain and I can't stand to be in pain, then he would set up my knee replacements. David will be having his right shoulder operated on after his company outage in (April to) June. Then I went over to see the nurse practitioner who consulted with my Dr. in between his apptmts and hers. I had to go get a cbc and chest xray and come back to the office. The cbc was ok, the xray was better than the one I had last month. I had 2 nebulizer breathing treatments of Albuterol and a cortizone shot in the hip before they would let me go home. They also said they were sending out Apria Home Health Care to give me a nebulizor of my own to use so I can continue the Albuterol treatments on my own. I go back to the Dr. in 9 days after my 5-day z-pack and 10 day prednezone pills run out. They said I had signs of being asthmatic. I can't tell you what the diagnosis said because I had to leave the paperwork at the desk and didn't get a copy because all of them had gone home. I plan on being well by Easter anyway.


P.S. I called to make my appointment today and they found my paperwork. They had my diagnosis as "Bronchitis & Wheezing"! (That's what I thought.) I go back to see my doctor the last Wednesday of the month for a follow up.

Going to the bone dr. tomorrow.

So I get to explain that I have fallen out of bed a few times, etc. Hope I don't get anymore shots for awhile. I may go next door to see about having my reg. doctor check out my cough, etc.

GOT IT AGAIN!

UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE GOT THE SINUS CRUD AGAIN. MY VOICE IS DEEP, I HAVE A COUGH THAT IS BEGINNING TO ANNOY ME AND IT HURTS IN MY CHEST, AND I HAVE HEADACHES! I ALSO JUMPED WHEN THE PHONE RANG THIS MORNING AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, BUT I FELL OUT OF BED ON MY KNEES AGAIN! I CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING AFTER YOU SAID, "OH, NO!" QUIT IT! I DON'T KNOW WHY!

I'M BABYSITTING

Jen came today with the boys and Ruthie so they could go to "Bunco" night. David went to a meeting at church and I was here with the boys alone. Jen changed Camden, put on his jammies, swaddled him and put him in his jumper seat. Well, he's been asleep the whole time and now, almost 4 hour later, she will be home soon. Probably a good thing because Decovin and I played and then I had to chase him out of behind the big chairs and the couch. Or should I say I had to coax him out. He is able to get in the darndest places I can't! Well, it is 8:30 and Decovin is in bed, and Camden is STILL sleeping! I only got to hold him for a minute or two before Jen fed him. Oh well there is always tomorrow.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Hope you are feeling ok and didn't get the nasty flue. We are crossing our fingers that we get bypassed here. Take care.

FUN WITH DECOVIN & CAMDEN

We went to Jen & Bob's to visit the boys (Jen & Bob also). Camden was 10 days old and he is filling out already. He is as cute as his big brother. Decovin loves his little brother. He loves to wrestle with his Dad, too. Jen may have to build a wrestling ring by the time Camden is old enough. Hope Decovin does ok when Bob goes back to work next week. He will miss his playmate for sure. Camden slept most of the time we were there which is as it should be. Jen said he has a bowel movement after every feeding too. Sometimes twice. We witnessed it first hand. We got a couple of pictures with him awake and had fun holding him. Decovin likes to hold his little brother and kiss him. D is starting to communicate with words now. He still jibber jabbers a little but he says it so seriously that we just know it has to mean something. lol We had a fun day! Thanks for supper Jen & Bob.

I FINALLY WENT TO THE DR.

Well, I finally called my Dr. for an appointment to see why I can't seem to get well. I've had this crud since the Thursday before Christmas. I kept thinking it would get better if I just waited it out. When I started having pressure across my chest (mostly in the middle and on the right side), I decided I'd better get checked out. I also have been getting hot and then turning cold. I lost my voice for a while too. I thought it was bronchitis but wasn't sure. Anyway, the Dr. said I didn't have bronchitis this time but it was chronic sinusitis & fatigue. He gave me Prednizone (Medrol 4MG PAK & Clarithromy (horse sized pills). He said I should feel better soon. Sorry if this was TMI.

I took Mom to the Dr. also. (LaCygne's clinic doesn't have a Dr. anymore so we changed her over to the Paola Clinic and my Dr.) Mom had an appointment set for 9:15 a.m. for a month and, when I got my appointment, I forgot about the blood work and changed her appointment time to right after mine at 2:30. Anyway, her veins weren't popping up enough so the technician said to come back on Monday at 8:15 and to drink lots of water all week end. I took her to McDonald's and then we went to WalMart to get my meds (and other things of course!), then home. A Fun Day!

So how was your day?

A NEW GRANDSON

Jen had Camden David Plummer last night at 9:51. He weighed in at 8 lb. and measured 20 inches long. He is a cutie and looks a lot like Decovin. I think he may have a little more hair. Christy is staying until Tuesday and Bob is going to be off work for 2 weeks so I decided I would go home for now and if she needs me to come later, I will. Jen and Cam are doing just fine.