The following pictures were taking Saturday, July 29th, 2006. The family met for a wonderful service at the cemetary. My Uncle Dave spoke and it is truly a miracle that he could be here after only 7 weeks after open heart surgery. He spoke with such compassion for hurting humanity like I have longed to hear the last 8 years in pain. My Aunt Marcia and Uncle Dale both spoke and gave memories of Sonia and told how her death has changed their lives in the way we can all imagine...pain and also spoke some about the many mission trips they have taken in the past years. It will be a family time of sharing that will stay with me for a long time. time that will stay with me for a long time.

Rhebeca sittin at the dining room table

Rhebeca relates to adults on such a mature level.

She is sitting here at the table listening and talking

with her family...many of them that she's met

for the first time

Kristi (Mommy) holding Jacob and Kael

holding Aunt Kristi's hand.

Kristi does such a good job of making sure her neice and nephews

know and remember her. She lives far away from us and I know

it takes an effort to come here often and keep in touch with her family.

Every time she comes she does such a good job of bringing a gift for

each child that really fits where they are at the time. They will

always remember her for her interest in them!!

Kaleb with Aunt Katie

These are pictures from the reinterment. Kael and Jacob had fun going around and making all the little "twirlys" go at the cemetery. Children can find something fun to do wherever they are! Kael in thought!

From the time Kael was a little baby he has had this

look of combined worry/concentration/deep thought!

He is a very bright little boy and I love to see a little

guy so contemplative!

No pictures tonight. Just an update:) Yesterday was one of the worst days I have had physically for several months. I was extremely fatigued, nauseated, feet/legs/hands swollen and I slept most of the day. Every time I would try to get up and walk I would get so sick to my stomach I felt like I would throw up. Tyler came over for about 1 1/2 hours and I laid on the couch/bed almost the whole time he was here. We played Old Maid and he worked on a powerpoint presentation on cats. I found him a page on the internet with hundreds of pictures of cats and he downloaded them into a folder and then started to put them into powerpoint. I don't know powerpoint too well so we stopped at a stand-still. I will have to play around with it to figure it out!

Today was my cousin's "reinterment". I could have that word wrong but I think that's what it is called. My Aunt & Uncle wanted me to sing acapella and when she asked me I told her I wanted to but with the way I felt yesterday I couldn't see any way I could. I asked them to pray that I would have a good day today and I woke up feeling much better. I know it had to be an answer to prayer. I don't usually recover that quickly. I was even able to go over and visit with them for a few hours afterwards. Unbelieveable:)!! I sang the 1st and 3rd verses of "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" and the chorus and 3rd verse of "Face to Face". I didn't know if I would even have a voice but it turned out I did and it was truly a gift from God today. I haven't sung except with the radio for 8 years. I wanted to do this more than you know and thank God for a special day that He gave me today!

We had a dinner afterwards and I just realized tonight that all three of our children and all our grandkids and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law were there except for Kristi's husband, Eric. That doesn't happen real often and I could kick myself for not trying to get a picture of all of us together. Maybe next time Kristi comes to visit we will have to have a family dinner and then get a picture!

My granddaughter knows that my feet hurt and I have some problems with them and tonight she gave me the nicest foot rub. For being "almost 8" she is beyond her years in many ways. She has very healing hands when she gives you a massage. She is a real special girl!!! I feel blessed to be a part of her life.

I don't want to go to sleep tonight because I am so afraid of how I will feel when I wake up. I have so few "good" days that I hate to see them end. I guess tho if I don't get to sleep I will be tired all day tomorrow!

Jacob enjoying corn on the cob!

This is the time of year that the sweet corn is the best here in northern Indiana. I wanted to make sure Jacob got a taste of the treat we enjoy each year! And, I think he liked it.

Fun in a box!

While Jacob's Mommy was looking at the hand-me-down clothes from my brother and his wife Jacob decided it would be fun to play in the box. He had the best time crawling in and out and moving all around...he even liked it when I'd close the lid:)

Lunch at the Mexican Restaurant

One thing Kristi likes to do when she visits "home" is to eat at Hacienda Mexican Restaurant. That was the plan for toda...but I couldn't go because I had to be at physical therapy for my feet after lunch. She was nice enough to make adjustments to the schedule and eat at he new exican Restaurant in Plymouth. It was wonderful food. The first picture here was taken by Tyler. I had seen a lot of close up pictures like these used in the scrapbooking industry. Tyler loves to use my digital camera and take pictures...this was a good one!
Caden having sleepless nights

Caden learned how to climb out of his crib a few days ago. Now it's hard to keep him in bed. His Mommy said that last night (Wed. night) Caden was up and in she and Steve's bedroom at least 10 times. She said she would wake up having trains run on her face. She would put him back in bed and not long after he'd be right back. When I looed at this picture I noticed how tired Caden looks. He even has bags under his eyes. Hopefully for everyone's sake Caden will soon get a good night's sleep very soon:)

Tyler's transformer

Tyler's favorite toy for the past 2-3 years has been transformers. I have bought lots of transformers in the last couple of years. Tyler took a picture of his transformer when we were atthe restaurant today and asked me to please put it on my blog.

I had two very good days and today started out pretty good until I had lunch at the Mexican Restaurant. If you remember...my gall bladder ultrasound showed that there is sludge in my gall bladder and the doctor's aren't sure if that causes problems or not. I have done so well with my stomach problems being gone for several weeks now...and I haven't missed them either!! Well this afternoon and evening they are back full force. Please pray with me that my "good days" will continue until at least Saturday night so I can go to the internment service at the cemetary. My Aunt called me tonight and asked me to sing acapella and I just want to feel well enough to be able to fulfill that request. I have missed singing and I have always believed that music is powerful and in that situation such as Saturday music can be comforting.

Kaleb's 1st birthday party

Kaleb's brother opened most of his presents while the adults were eating dinner. Katie said she heard paper ripping and went to check what was going on and there was Kael opening presents. It's a good thing that Kaleb didn't know any different this year...in years to come it won't be taken as well!

Kaleb at 1 year old plus 1 day

I was so privileged to be able to watch this little guy being born. It's hard to believe he's grown so big all ready. I will always remember seeing this little guy in first few minutes of life!

Daddy holding Kaleb while we all sing Happy Birthday.

They always seem to be interested in the candle on the cake at that 1st birthday mark.

Kaleb trying on his new hat Kaleb's big sister...Rhebeca

She is also his "little Mama". He calls her Mama along with calling his Mother Mama.

Kaleb's big brother...Kael

He is the culprit for opening the gifts while we were eating. I'm sure it was quite fun but he must have known not do open them since he took the gifts and hid from us.

This is Tyler...Kaleb's cousin

Kaleb's birthday cake This is Caden, Kaleb's cousin and Tyler's brother

There are times that I question God as to why I would have to continue living here on this earth in so much pain. But then there are times like celebrating a grandchild's birthday that makes me thankful to be here and experience watching them grow.

Our daughter is here visiting from Memphis with her little 1 year old...soon to be 2. I have enjoyed getting to know him this week. The other times they've been here he's not wanted to reach out to anyone but Mommy and this time I've gotten to play with him and get to know him better. Yesterday we went to lunch at a good restaurant in Culver..."The Corn Dance Cafe". There was a table of ladies sitting near us talking about playing golf. I told Kristi I have such a hard time seeing women like that who can play a game of golf or seeing a woman 25 years older than me or more pushing a grocery cart while I'm in the electric wheel chair. Her comment to me was... you have things that many of those people may not...you have a husband that loves you. It was such a good reminder of my focus and to try not to dwell on what I can't do and be thankful for what I have. I've reached a place in life where I don't always teach our children but they can help us now through hard times. What a reversal!!

I feel like I've been given a gift this week. The past 10 days were so difficult with joint and back pain along with the horrible fatigue that I get. Monday I felt slightly better and yesterday was like the switch was turned off. The last time our daughter visited I was having a really hard cycle of pain and couldn't enjoy seeing her that much. I know that the cycle of pain will return but I sure enjoy these days when it lets up considerably.

My feet are doing so much better since starting therapy. The therapy has been trying to increase circulation in my feet and get those nerves starting to heal. The therapist also has me doing some mild exercises to get the circulation continued in my feet. The exercises even feel good to these achy feet. The therapist I'm seeing has had a reputation from some for being hard on her patients but I have found her so pleasant. She worries about the exercises hurting my back and comes in to check on me several times while I have the treatment on my feet. I guess it's another lesson in life for me...don't listen to or repeat the negative about other people until you have experienced it yourself.

I am hoping/praying that I continue to have a few good days through this weekend. My Mom's sisters and some of my cousins will be here for a service and dinner on Saturday because my Aunt and Uncle are having their daughter's body moved from a cemetary in Utah to here in Plymouth. They want to be buried in Plymouth and want their daughter's body there by theirs. It may seem unusual to some to have a small service after all ready having a funeral but I look at it a little differently. She passed away at 16 in a car crash and they had a beautiful funeral for her. They will be unable to see her married or celebrate the birth of any grandchildren. I am thankful to once again be able to remember/celebrate the life that Sonia had lived and the way she touched all our lives. The pain is not quite so raw this time but she has been missed for many years and we can all support my Aunt and Uncle again and let them know that Sonia has not been forgotten!

Rhebeca playing Uno with me

Rhebeca came over for a while last night and I wasn't feeling real well but told her that I would feel like playing games with her. First we played the "Bratz" game where we each have a doll head and put on makeup by drawing cards and rolling the die and fixing her hair, etc. The first one to get to the party is the winner. I'm really surprised but Tyler likes that game too. Then she and I played a couple of games of Uno. When I play other games with Tyler I usually let him win but with Uno it is very hard to let someone win...it's all up to the cards one draws. She won one and I won one.

I have had a couple of very bad days. My feet were real bad on Sunday and better on Monday and better today. I had therapy on them Monday and think it really helped. I think they got bad again because of how rough the disability doctor was on Saturday and it disturbed those nerves in my low back.

On top of that every joint in my body has hurt for two days. When I wake up in the morning I am scared to get off my chair because of how painful the first few steps will be. Advil seems to help when I take a prescription dosage of it and the pain doctor told me Advil is a safe medicine to take all the time. So, I haven't been doing much of anything the last two days. I've been on the computer too much because my eyes are hurting. I think when I play games on the computer I don't blink enough to keep my eyes moist and they get red and irritated.

Our daughter Kristi and her son Jacob will be here this afternoon for a few days. I love it when they come and cry when they leave. We don't have the finances right now to go to Memphis to see them so I have to wait for her visits. She is so good about staying in touch by phone, email and coming home about every other month. I'm very thankful that her husband doesn't give her a hard time for leaving. I'm sure without Jacob in the house it seems very quiet for him.

I wanted to post two more pictures but for some reason it keeps timing out. Check back later...it worked with this one picture and I'm gonna keep trying:)

For some reason I can't get all the fonts the size I want them on my last two posts. You can still get the drift of what I'm saying but as of now I don't know what I"m doing wrong. It's probably something as easy as when I couldn't get the pictures to post and I was in the edit mode instead of the compose mode!!

I took Tyler to his swimming lesson on Thursday and loved watching how well he is doing in the pool. He was working on his back float and swimming with his face down in the water and coming up for little breaths of air. It was kind of comical because everytime he came up for air (which was quite often) he would be talking. His teacher was so good and patient with him. What he mainly wanted to do is throw the rings in the water and dive down and get them. She was really good and directing him to what she wanted to teach him and then using the rings as a treat. Kind of like you'd see a seal or dolphin trained. They do their trick and then get their treat::)

On the way home I asked Tyler if he wanted a treat from the Dairy Queen because I remember how hungry I always am after swimming. He said yes...he wanted a banana split. So I got him the banana split and he treated it like a prize piece of gold.

Tyler and his swimming instructor

Yesterday (Saturday morning) I had an appointment with a doctor for an opinion on my condition and whether I qualify for disability. It was at the South Bend Clinic. I told (daughter/nurse) Kristi what I was going to do and she warned me that the doctor's that do the disability checks are ones you want to be aware of...they're not known for being the nicest of doctor's. I was really nervous when we got there...not knowing what he would do or want to know. I was glad Wayne was there and could go back with me. There were quite a few other people there waiting for the same thing. I quickly found out that I had to go into the room alone...state law. The doctor went into the room across the hall from mine and I could hear his line of questions and it kind of prepared me to know what to say. He was gruff and unfriendly and didn't listen very well. I had to keep having him go back and correct what I was trying to tell him. He ended by wanting to do an exam. He wanted to twist my back and bend me backwards. I asked him to please not do that...it would cause too much pain and I don't know when I'd be able to get it under control. Well, he went right ahead and did it and the pain was instant and didn't go away.I sat down and said..you hurt me...now I'm in pain. By the time he left the room I was in tears. I could tell he really felt bad but not enough to say so. The nurse came in and took some more information and when I left he hurried over to me and patted me on the back and said...I will give you a very good report. Which I interpreted as I will recommend that you get disability.

I am writing this late Sunday afternoon and still have some pain from what he did but it's let up considerably.

The Anodyne treatment is still helping but unless I go every other day the pain comes back. I went in there Friday and had zero pain and almost no numbness when I left but by today the burning pain is back and almost complete numbness. I need to ask the therapist why it is returning so quickly.

One more story...Thursday I went to WalMart with Katie and her two boys. Tyler and I always shop together and Katie takes Caden. Tyler wanted to go to the toys (of course) but knew I couldn't buy him anything. He picked out some toys that he wanted for his birthday so I told him we could put them on layaway. I don't think he knew what layaway was but I tried to explain it to him. When the employee was boxing up our toys he was telling her it was for his birthday and tried to show her which toys were his. She didn't look at him or bother to answer him so he come over to me and kind of whispered...Did she hear me?...I had to explain that yes, she heard you but some adults don't think they need to answer a child. I said....don't say anything about what I just told you to her...it won't do any good except to make her mad. He stood there just staring at her...trying to tak it all in. You could tell he was trying to take it all in and still wondering why. He finally looked at me and said...Becky, you always listen to me and answer. Talk about melting a Grandma's heart. I told him I sure try to listen to everything he has to say because it's important to me!!

I haven't written for a while and I've had some very different days with my health. I am continuing to have therapy on my feet. It is really helping. Over the weekend my feet were so painful I couldn't sleep and it's all I could do to bear the pain. Wayne tried massaging my feet several times and that would help for a little big. Finally on Monday I got to go to therapy and after my treatment the pain was gone completely. I still had numbness but the pain was gone. There is no pain that hurts as bad as nerve pain...if there is I don't know what it would be. I had therapy again yesterday and today there is very little pain and the numbness is even starting to get better. I would highly recommend this anodyne therapy to anyone with neuropathy.

I am working with an attorney's office in Bronx, New York and trying to get disability. This Saturday I have to go to the doctor they require to get an examination and make a determination if I'm able to work. I just hope he believes me when I tell him my condition.

I went to the dentist on Tuesday. My two front teeth were chipped and that's what I wanted him to work on first because it was so embarassing to smile or talk to people. I had told him during my consultation that I am very hard to keep numb and he said not to worry that he would make sure I am numb before he would drill. Well, he did fine at first but the medication would wear off in 15-20 minutes and the first time he gave me more shots and the rest of the time he wouldn't take the time, he just kept drilling and hitting a nerve. It really made me angry that he wouldn't listen to me. I know he was in a time crunch because I was in the chair 2 hours and was scheduled for 1 1/2 hours and he had other patients waiting...but it's no excuse to drill without me being numb. It took 12 shots to do two teeth and he should have given me even more. He didn't even try to numb it the second time to give the shot...he just stuck it right in and OUCH! that hurt. When he was about done he told me he didn't want to work on me anymore and that I needed to go to a dentist that would do sedation. It is what I didn't need as an experience with the dentist. That is why I'm so scared to go...he is the 2nd one that would drill when I'm not numb. This dentist came highly recommended but whoever recommended him must not have trouble getting numb.

Tyler playing Old Maid

Tyler is still limited on using the computer so we play a lot of different games. Two of his favorites are Uno and Old Maid. He is so much fun to play Old Maid with because it's so obvious if he holds the Old Maid card which one she is and which one you should pick. I usually try to let him win. I figure his self esteem needs a little more encourangement than mine. I know I could win the game if I wanted to. I have tried one time to correct him but don't want to make him feel badly but he calls it "Old May".

Lemonade Stand

It was SO hot yesterday so Rhebeca and Tyler decided to have a lemonade stand. They were so warm sitting out there in the sun that I was afraid they'd get sick. (it's the Grandma in me). I finally convinced them to get a cold cloth and keep wiping their faces and to be sure and drink a lot. They wanted me to buy lemonade and all I had was a $10. I didn't want to spend that much so I wrote them each a check for $1. It was a really big deal and Katie said that on their way home Tyler started asking her to go do some banking so he could cash his check. Tyler also tried real hard to get me to make out the check for $1000 and I said no and then he worked on $100 and I said no again. He was finally happy with his $1.

I finally figured out what was wrong with putting pictures on the blog. I thought the whole system was down and when I looked at some other blogs I saw that they had been able to put pictures on their blog so I knew I was doing something wrong. It's not like this is my first time doing it so it had to be something I changed. It finally hit me this morning...I had this in edit mode instead of the compose mode. I am just so happy to finally figure it out!

My feet are doing a little bit better after 2 anodyne therapy treatments. The burning pain is gone but they still are very numb and feel like there are rubber bands around my toes...especially the big toe and the one next to it. The therapist also had me start some mild exercises for my feet. Well, because of the back pain my muscles are not used to exercise so I've been having a lot of muscle spasms in my feet/toes/calves. Those hurt so bad but I know I'll eventually work out of that

I am having trouble sleeping again. I took 2 nighttime tylenol last night and only slept for about 2 hours. We are "dog sitting" for Steve and Katie's dog because they took a little out of town vacation this weekend. The dog is so cute (I'll post picture later today) Anyway, I sleep in the recliner in our room and the dog sleeps on the bed. I finally got to sleep yesterday in the early morning but was awakened by the dog barking at a TV show. Lassie was on TV while I was sleeping and Belle (the dog) started barking at her. I thought it was pretty funny...even though I would have liked to have slept longer!!

I know I'm really going to miss my pain doctor. He will be gone serving in the reserves for 4 months. He had given me a new medicine especially for nerve pain and wanted me to start out at 1/2 pill every 12 hours. Since it wasn't working I called his office and he is all ready gone and the newest associate said I would have to come in the office for that kind of change. With the anodyne treatment I stopped the pill anyway so I don't have to do that...thank goodness!!

The first two pictures below are Rhebeca with her new tennis racket. My Mom took her to her first tennis lesson last week and said she did very well and really enjoyed it. As with any sport...you have to get the right equipment to play so here Beca is showing us her tennis racket.


Tyler came over to play with Rhebeca and my Mom had enough foresight to take him to get his own jacket. Even though he hasn't played yet he is happy with his new racket also. You see in the 2nd picture of Tyler that he is holding the racket over his face. He loves to do that right now whenever he has his picture taken. The good things is that he's getting over not wanting his picture taken at all so I can get in a few good shots. (the camera variety of shots:)



The following two layouts are of Jacob...Krist & Eric's little guy. He is now 22 months old. He will soon be celebraing his 2nd birthday and the onset of the "terrible twos". He is the most active of all 6 grandkids. He loves to climb and get into everything...a very curious boy. He is a lot like his mother was when she was little. ...active and loving to climb. She said she understands him so well and even understands his "need" to climb. Jacob's very lucky to have a Mommy that cares and mostly that understands him.


The last scrapbook layout is a picture taken in the play room in our last house...wah wah:( I like where we're living but really miss many things about that house. I'm trying to be thankful for what I have instead of always wishing for something that is impossible to achieve. Anyway....the whold back porch was the toy room and was an excellent place for them to play. The toys have to be downstairs at this house but I usually have Wayne (if he's home) take them downstairs to pick out what they want to play with.

The blogger still isn't uploading pictures. I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

I had trouble sleeping last night. I think I got about 2 hours because the pain in myt feet kept waking me up and then I'd try what I could to alleviate the pain but nothing seemed to help.

Ther therapist that I went to see today told me that the swelling in my legs and ankles and feet are probably from the neuropathy. The circulation is slowed down when you have neuropahty and fluid increases in the ankle/foot/leg. Makes sense to me. I don' know why my family doctor hasn't mentioned that. Seems like all he's wanted to do is give me another pill. At least he did okay this therapy.

We went out to eat with Wayne's sister and her husband and Wayne's Mom & Dad. We ate at Christo's. His sister and her family have just moved to Colorado Springs...as Wayne would call it ... God's country.

The therapy that I had today is Anodyne Therapy and it took the pain away right away. I was finished at 3:30 and it's now 8:00 and the pain is still much better than it was when I went in there. I have another session tomorrow. I am so thrilled to find something that helps me. There is a home unit that can be bought and maybe that is a purchase we can make some day road!!

I tried to post some pictures tonight but the blogspot is having trouble with their picture downloads. I went to their help section and they said they are working to get it back up and running.

My swelling is finally down today. But, my feet were so painful today. All my toes on both feet felt like they were on fire all day. I sat with my feet on ice packs to get rid of some of the pain. I go in to physical therapy tomorrow for treatment on the neuropathy. It is called Anodyne Therapy and is some kind of ultra violet light that can somehow heal or lesson the effects of neuropathy...I sure hope it helps me...I have just been miserable!!

I picked up Tyler and Caden from Day Care today. They came here to the house and were having fun playing. We have our play room in the basement now and Caden wanted to go down there and play. I didn't know it at first that he went down there at first and he got scared and started to cry. So, I rushed down there to help him and sat down on the little kids chair. When I sat down my knee twisted and I had horrific pain in my knee. It lasted the rest of the day and has finally let up a little bit tonight. That's all I need is something else starting to go wrong. I've had it happen a couple of other times and told my doctor about it and he said it's no wonder that you will eventually have knee problems because there is the same type of material in the knee as in the disc in the back. Since my discs are almost gone in the lower back he thought the knee might start to wear down too. I guess I will have to face it when that time comes.

Hopefully tomorrow I can put some pictures on here.

When I started this blog I only had one reason in mind for doing so. I read in a scrapbook magazine that starting a blog and entering pictures and stories about the pictures was a great scrapbooking tool. Then when I go to scrapbook a picture I have the story to use on the layout.

It has ended up being a good tool for me for several reasons. First, my family and friends can see how I'm doing from day to day...2nd, I have a record of how I'm doing from day to day to take to the doctor when needed and 3rd, it is good for my psychological well being to be able to post how I'm feeling. There's something about posting how I'm feeling that makes me feel a little better. So, sometimes if I sound repetitive or like I'm whining you'll understand why I'm telling how I'm feeling.

With that said...I had a horrible day yesterday and today. My feet, legs, hands, arms and face were very swollen. When that happens the back pain is always worse and so is the pain in my feet...it makes the neuropathy worse. There doesn't seem to be anything I can do that makes the swelling go down. I even take water pills and that doesn't help. I wish the doctor's could figure out what's going on. I think they are stumped as to what is causing the swelling.

By tonight the swelling is letting up just a little bit...and the pain is letting up some too. I'm so thankful when this happens. It means that maybe tomorrow will be a better day!!

Tyler called me this afternoon and wanted to tell me a story. My Mom had taken him down to the pond by her house to fish. I had trouble following the sequence but what I think happened is they caught a cat fish and threw it back in the pond and before long the same cat fish bit their hook again but this time the fish swallowed the hook, sinker and broke the line. Tyler thought is was so funny that he had a hard time telling the story because of laughing. It was late afternoon when he called and I asked him what his favorite thing was that he did today. It didn't take him long at all to say fishing and catching the cat fish!! I would love to be able to do active things like fishing with all the grandkids but my body just won't cooperate. Since I can't do it I'm thankful that my Mom can stand in the gap and do it for me:)

I have included some of the scrapbooking layouts I've done in the last week. I'm so glad that I've got this hobby because there isn't a lot I'm able to do because of my pain. With scrapbooking I can be creative and save our family history at the same time. I hope to give each grandchild their book when they get married.

I woke up this morning with swelling everywhere but it's worse in my feet than anywhere else. It is so painful because I also have the nerve pain from the neuropathy in my feet. Usually the medicine I take for it helps but there are times it just doesn't cover the pain. I hope it doesn't stay long this time.

My Mom & Dad were kind enough to help me purchase a new recliner yesterday. It is such an important piece of furniture for me because for the past 3 years I have slept mostly in the recliner. The one I've been using is just not good for my back anymore. It has worn down and has no "fluffiness" to the seat and back anymore. I asked the furniture store if they would take it and dispose of it (the old one...not the new one!) and she said what the do is to place the furniture they don't want behind the store and people will take it. I thought it was kind of nice to do that and maybe someone else without all the pain I have will ejoy that chair!

Rhebeca with her youngest brother born in 2005

Tyler with his new little brother (2004)

Jacob's 1st Easter

2005

Caden's first home

I have tried to take pictures of each of the houses our grandkids

have lived in. I think it will interest them in the future to see where

they have lived.

Me at age 3

The top picture is of Tyler and Rhebeca playing a game. It turned out a little blurry...maybe I moved a little bit?

The next one is of Rhebeca trying on summer clothes for me a few weeks ago.

The bottom picture is Kaleb in his little car....with the type of fuel called "feet pedaling"!

Tyler and Rhebeca came over this afternoon for a few hours. We all had a good time together. First, Tyler was here by himself and he had such a good time in Wayne's office in the garage. We had a crane full of stuffed animals and he could keep recycling his quarters. He got four animals out and then gave them all to Rhebeca when she got here. I knew they meant a lot to her because she said she was going to save all of them and keep them on her bed. Tyler loved using the crane as many turns as he wanted. What little kid wouldn't love doing that?

Then we ate "lupper"...it was 3:30 and we'd had no lunch and it was early to call it supper so Tyler thought it was pretty funny to call it lupper....a cross between lunch and supper:)

By then it was time for Rhebeca to come. Tyler was so excited to see her. They are really good friends. We played Uno and Old Maid. Beca won the game of Uno. Tyler and I played as a team but he caught on real fast. While I was resting and sitting in front of a fan to cool off they played a couple of games by themselves. I have been trying to get more games here since Tyler's parents don't want him on the computer. The computer had worked out so well for me before because I could do it without being active and increasing my pain. The games are a little tougher but I just have to realize now that I'll be in a little more pain when he goes home...but it's worth keeping him still...even with the added pain."

Today was my pump refill. I am a member of an online group that all have the pain pumps. Many of them complain of going for a pump refill and never even seeing the doctor. Well, Dr. Grove isn't like that...he always shows up in the room for whatever questions I may have. One thing he cleared up in my mind is that if I'm taking motrin it is a very good choice for that type of pain relief and shouldn't cause too many stomach problems. So taking up to 8 pills a day like I sometimes do itn't supposed to be harmful. I really trust his opinion on the drugs because he got his degree to begin with in pharmacy. Otherwise everything, including the pump, went well for the refill.

I got some really bad news from the lady that called me to schedule the next pump refill. Dr. Grove is leaving and will be gone for 4 months. He is in the reserves and got deployed to serve. I will really miss having his care. I will now be seeing Dr. Beatty for my care until Dr. Grove gets back. Our servicemen are very fortunate to have such a good doctor to help them. I will be adding his safety to my prayer list:)

When I found out about Dr. Grove I called Wayne right away to tell him. Rhebeca was listening to me talk and when I got off the phone she said..."Grandma, you sure use a lot of big words when you talk to Grandpa". I couldn't figure out what words she meant so I asked her if she meant deployed was a big word. She said yes that one and there were some others. I thought that was so cute that she was thinking that conversation through. I wish now I would have explained to her what deployed means....but at the time I didn't think of it.

Steve, Katie, Tyler and Caden came for lunch on Monday. We ordered pizza and then Tyler wanted to play games. While we played games everyone else took a nap! I had gotten these smoke bombs at WalMart and he decided he wanted to do some more "fireworks". He loved these smoke bombs. Tyler doesn't like anything real noisy...so most fireworks bother his ears. He like the smoke bombs because they were colorful, quiet and just plain fun to watch all that smoke.

I had another really bad day today. My feet were extremely painful from the neuropathy. There is really no good way to explain nerve pain except to say it's very uncomfortable. I was going to run some errands ths afternoon and push myself physically but when I got in the car the battery was dead and Wayne was in Elkhart. So, I just stayed home and kept my feet elevated and tried to get them feeling better. By this evening I was chilling and felt like I had a fever but didn't feel good enough to find the thermometer.

Tomorrow morning is another pump refill. Even if I'm sick I have to drag myself there because I was scheduled for last week and put it off for one week and I don't want to run out of morphine in my pump!! Hopefully I'll feel a little bit better by tomorrow:)

Grandma's have learned that it's good to know where the kids are and what they're doing. A little mess cleans up pretty quick. I'm amazed at how quick I clean things up once the kids go home. These pictures were taken by my Mom and she said she was busy preparing dinner and it was nice to keep these two occupied! Kael is 2 years old...will be 3 in August and little Kaleb will be 1 year old July 22nd. The two boys have just begun playing together and I'm sure it gives Mom a needed break when they do that.

My Mom fixed a wonderful meal for today....Independance Day. One of the things that's my favorite that she made is Texas Sheet Cake. It's no wonder that the cake was so delicious...she had great expert help from Kael:)




My Mom & Dad had everyone over for the 4th of July celebration dinner this evening. I really wanted to go but just couldn't do it this time. I had a really big day yesterday and didn't sleep real well last night so I have been in more pain and exhausted all day today. I'm feeling better by tonight but now it's too late to go to dinner!! I had muscle aches, exhaustion and swollen feet, ankles and legs today that added together made me feel pretty rough. I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow since I rested today. I had wanted to have Rhebeca over here to spend the night but with the way I feel she probably wouldn't have much fun. I'm hoping we can do that one day real soon!!

This is from Tyler and Becky and everybody was here at Becky's house. We had a lot of fun and I took pictures of rocket launches. I took 1 picture of the conductor and 1 picture of the alien rocket. All rockets are pretty neat.

Dictated by Tyler....written by Becky

The first picture is of Rhebeca a few weeks ago. There were several of us on the 2nd story deck and she was trying to signal something. I'll have to ask her if she remembers what she was trying to say. She and Kael were getting ready to launch a rocket with their Dad!!

The second picture is Jacob...Kristi and Eric's little boy. Jacob and Kristi have enjoyed their local pool in the hot Memphis summer. Kristi says she likes this pool for Jacob because it is angled like a beach He can run and play (well, maybe not run:) in the shallow water. From the looks on his face he is having a great time!! The days here that I think it's hot Kristi just kind of laughs...we haven't known hot till we spend a summer in Memphis, I'm sure.

Rhebeca called me on the phone this morning and I got to talk her through putting a game on her computer. It worked fine and she was so proud of herself because it was a game her Dad had trouble putting on the computer. Most kids like to be able to do things that their parents can't.

I woke up this morning in incredible pain. Every joint in my body was hurting and I felt like I couldn't walk thrugh space. It is now about 1:00 and things are just starting to settle down. I guess I'm thankful that I do get some hours of the day without the horrible pain. It is always worse when I've slept for several hours in a row. I slept from 12:30 to 5:30 last night (or morning, I guess) and 5 hours without moving takes its toll on me. I'm trying to ease myself back into sleeping in a bed but I can only make it about 2 hours before pain wakes me up. This pain that I have today and am talking about is not the normal back pain. I'm beginning to believe it is from the fibromyalgia. Especially because of the joints being involved.

The symptoms of lupus and fibromyalgia are very similar but having just looked them both up I have more symptoms of lupus than I do of fibromyalgia. I have 8 out of 11 symptoms of lupus and 5 out of 6 symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Symptoms of Lupus:
1. Painful or swollen joints
2. Swelling
3. Unexplained fever
4. Chest pain
5. Swollen glands
6. Rash or color change on face--often in the shape of a butterfly
7. Extreme fatigue
8. Unusual hair loss
9. Low blood count
10. Sensitivity to sun
11. Depression

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
1. Fatigue that interferes with daily activities
2. Sleep problems--hard to get to sleep or don't stay asleep all night or wake up feeling fatigued
3. Morning stiffness
4. Headaches
5. Anxiety or depression
6. Irritible bowel syndrome