Mom

Locklan and I try to visit my mom every week.

 

It's about an hour drive, we sing the whole way there!

 

On the way home,  I sing and he...

 

Usually snoozes.

 

A few weeks ago (when my mom was only 85)

 

Locklan and I went for our usual visit. 

 

Tuesday with Toots (our family nick-name for my mom).

 

 

I don't know who likes to play with Play-Doh more,

Mom or Locklan...

 

 

They had a blast!

 

 

After turning Locklan over to his parents,

Mr. K and I went out to eat.

 

I didn't even start my meal when I got a call from my mom's neighbor.

 

They had rushed my mother to the hospital in severe pain.

 

I went flying to the hospital, which is more than an hour away,

 

To find that they thought Mom had a bowel obstruction.

 

They put in a NG tube and admitted her to intensive care.

 

The next day, they said she needed surgery but she also has

 

a bone marrow issue and they were hesitant.

 

They wavered back and forth and finally, on Friday, they got the approval of her oncologist

 and scheduled surgery.

 

Turns out she had four hernias!

 

A little more than 4 hours later, they had repaired three. 

 

Long story short,

 

After 11 days in the hospital (even her 86th birthday), most of them in ICU...

 

They transferred her to a rehab center

 

(The same one she stayed in when she fell off the ladder and broke a bunch of bones

just not her hip...and that was 10 years ago, when she was only 75.)

 

for two more weeks.

 

She's home now, doing well,

 

She kept us hopping for a while.

 

Now, hopefully, we'll be able to take a quick breather before the wedding frenzy starts...

 

Don't ask me what I'm wearing for that...

 

~sigh~

 

Never a dull moment!

 

 

 

Super Sunday!

My family got together yesterday for our 'not quite' holiday dinner.

 

When my kids became adults and adopted other families,

 we began celebrating on off weeks for most holidays

 (other than Christmas Eve, which is mandatory). 

 This was our 'not quite' Easter dinner in more ways than one...

there wasn't an egg in sight!

 

Noelle, Winnie and Tony came motoring up first...

 

 

They were out enjoying the wonderful weather...

 

They hit up the park for a doggie walk...

 

 

 

With a stop at the batting cages for good measure...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By time they got to the house, Winnie was pooped

but Tony and Noelle had energy to spare...

 

And tossed a football around

 

 

 

 

They even tried to get Michael and Catherine to join in...

 

 

Catherine said no...

and NO PICTURES and hid behind the bushes!

 

So they kept on playing...

 

 

No...Mr.K was not joining in the game, he was picking up twigs, lol!

 

 

 

 

I think they burned off enough energy to eat all of these...

 

 

And of course, Catherine's famous apple pie.

Seriously, even if they didn't want to show up,

if I promise her apple pie, they would come!

 

 

 

 

For our 'not quite' Easter dinner, I don't set a formal table, but we eat buffet style.

 

Tony and Noelle said that when you go to a sporting banquet, this is how you save your seats...

 

 

 

I give up...

 

We did manage to sit down and enjoy our dinner together. 

 

 

I love it when we get together!

 

Of course,

 

the guest of honor was...

 

 

who brought his parents, Andy and  (a very camera shy)  Ashley...

 

 

 

Locklan wasn't even impressed with all the attention he got from Michael and Vicky...

 

 

 

 

Or his great grandmother...

 

 

No, he's not picking his nose!

 

In fact, he didn't even seem impressed with the chair I just couldn't pass up on Saturday...

 

 

Won't this be great for the river?

 

Jamie was here too...I know 'cause Mr. K conned him into

helping take the boat out of the garage...

 

 

 

Cause you know...I complained that I had nowhere to park my car...

So they moved it to the driveway?!?

 

~HELLO!~

~sigh~

 

Now I can relax a bit...

I'm working on dish cloths again...

 

 

It's mindless knitting so that I can be productive while sitting here...

 

 

enjoying the sun...

 

AND planning my next adventure!

 

Stay tuned!

Jan

 

 

 

 

You're a card?

A few weeks ago, we invited ourselves to my mom's house for a round of card playing...

 

Michael and Catherine, Tony and Noelle, me and the mister

 as well as Mom and her friend from high school

gathered around Mom's dining room table to play, but first...

 

My mother usually has a puzzle going on the card table in the family room. 

My parents did that when I was a kid. 

 I HATE puzzles and can barely resist throwing a few pieces in my pocket to take home...

 

I didn't realize that Catherine is a puzzilist too.

 

 

Tony and Noelle tried to help!

 

 

I think they did manage to place a few pieces...

 

 

But I came to play cards! 

 

My mom, on the right, and Frannie on the left taught us to play a game called 9-hole.

 

 

 

 

 Of course, these innocent looking ladies play for money...

 

 

 

Michael acted as our waiter...

 

 

How did we do?

 

I think it was a conspiracy!

 

I lost $1.10!

 

Noelle...well, let's just say she went home with more than she had when she came in the door....

 

 

 I'd still rather play cards than put those darn puzzles together...

 

Family time...yes!

 

 

Locklan, meet your family!

Finally, after a month of interruptions, sickness and bad weather,

Locklan David finally got to meet his great grandmother and the rest of the family...

 

I apologize for the poor quality of the first photo.  I tried to run and snap it at the same time.

It's the occasion that matters,

My mom (83) and her sister, Helen, who is 88, admiring him for the first time!

 

 

They fussed and cuddled and cooed, I think it was love at first sight...

 

I know it was for my mom!

 

 

It's been a long time since we had a baby in the family.

 

Michael and Catherine held him next...

 

 

And then Michael stole him and started singing him silly songs while

Aunt Helen kept an eye on them...

 

 

 Catherine joined in...

 

 

 After everyone had their turn holding him,

Michael grabbed him back for some guy talk...

 

 

I don't know what he said, but it looks like Locklan wasn't buying any of it!

 

Everyone says he looks like Andy when he was a baby...

 

And we all agree...

 

He's a keeper!

 

It was a busy weekend, but it's late, I'm tired.  I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

 

Sweet dreams and God bless,

Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

O Christmas Tree

Just had to share this story...my 83 year old mother  (who family calls Toots)  claims she's 5 feet tall.  Truth be told, I don't think she was ever that tall. 

She's the kind of woman kids love...they stand back to back with her and then you hear them squeal, "I'm taller than you!".

Every year, I think she loses another inch of height.  She claims, that at 63, I'm just getting taller (I'm 5'1").

To be honest, I am not at all sure that she's legal to ride in a car without a booster seat.  If you ever see a Honda without a driver tooting down the road, it's probably Mom.

In a family of practical jokers, short people are easy victims, just put things high, out of reach.

A few years ago, Tony sent me this:

I think I'll just print it and post it on her fridge!

Love ya Mom!