Play Church

Jeremiah has an obsession with Papaw and gets rather unhappy when Papaw isn't at home when he comes over. Here he is pretending to be calling Papaw.

They decided to play with some of Papaw's sunglasses and 3D glasses

Sawyer-wearing them like Papaw does

Jeremiah feeling pretty good about himself

Sawyer-happy to have Isaiah home from school.

This morning Sawyer decided we should play church. I asked who would lead worship and he offered to do that plus preach. He did however insist that we take turns on the worship times. I had a very bad video of both boys singing and raising their hands but it was too bad to download on here. Normally our worship leaders don't carry a purse up front with them.

Georgia Dream

These pictures were to come at the end of my story, but they didn't cooperate.

Sawyer is starting to want to do whatever Isaiah does. They all decided to follow suit.

( a scene great grandma Barbara doesn't get tired of watching-great exercise as well)

I'm sorry but I just can't help but tell on Grandma Barbara this morning.

This morning when I got up Mom at 8:10, she said she was dreaming about Georgia and she didn't get to finish her dream. It sounded like she really enjoyed that dream. She talked about going to Jimmy Carter's Sunday School class and about other people that I didn't know. Whatever the dream, I knew she was in a good mood.

As I set her down at the table for breakfast, the sun was shining through the window and as usual, she informed me that the window was dirty and needed cleaning. I went through my routine answer, that the window is old like her and the dirty look is inside the window and that I can't get to. She said that she has NEVER liked dirty windows and it's something she notices every place she goes and we need to do something about that.

In my prayer before our breakfast, I thanked God for the sunshine, even if it shines through our dirty old window. I thought she was going to loose it. She burst out into a laughter that I haven't heard from her in a long time! Through out breakfast she was telling stories about the Nursing Home, her Georgia dream, and her home life from years ago. The funny thing was, the stories were all mixed into each other.

Yesterday while sitting on the porch, she wondered if we couldn't do something about making things a bit greener and could we cut the bushes lower and when is Wil going to put that post in for horses, that would make it look nicer. In the next breath, it's just so nice out here, I wish I could come out here every day. We do go out there every day but I'm learning not to make a deal about remarks like that.

She simply loves to have the great grandchildren come. She likes to watch them run on the ramp and doesn't even mind their fussy times. Almost every morning at breakfast she talks about them and hopes they come over again.

We are all on a journey

People keep asking how I am doing and how it’s going. It’s so hard to answer because it just depends on when you ask me. I find that I’m probably not much different than a mother with little ones these days. It depends a lot on if I just had to get up twice or 4 & 5 times during the night. I had forgotten how helpful a full nights sleep is. Even 4-5 hours at a time! I’m not getting as much done as I thought I would, which is why I should be working now(while she is napping) rather than blogging. In spite of all the frustrations, there are rewards and so far it feels like we made the right choice.

I have my moments when I ask the Lord, “Are you serious, all in one year? First you choose to take Olive home, then Isaiah’s Great Grandpop Yoder, then my Father-in-law, then my Father goes to the hospital, we bring home my mother-in-law, my daughter looses her job, a church that is struggling and now it appears there is a good chance that I may loose my father yet this year”! If I stay there, I can get depressed, but I choose not to. There is still so much to be grateful for. I have my health, a wonderful husband, great kids and all 4 of my grandchildren in my backyard. Beside all that, we have wonderful extended family and friends. We are all on a journey and we all have a story.

Here are some pictures of our recent additions that we all real happy about.

This is a view of the new addition from our upstairs bedroom window.

Dave Miller and Jon Swartz did a great job building a long wheelchair ramp and a step down deck for us. They worked in some crazy hot temperatures.

The 1st evening the boards were in place, the grandkids discovered a new playground. David, Sue and their son Angelo and wife Anna were with us part of the week. The boys got Anna to race with them.

And now it was time for a test drive. I’m no longer a slave to my house.

The great grandsons can cheer Mom up pretty quickly. Brennan loves to help give great-grandma her pills.

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Mom-adjustments

This blanket was from our church, the picture from Melissa and the wreath from Mt. Joy. Mother often says that Daudy is laughing at her.

We often have her chair pulled forward so she can look out the window. Every morning and evening, she talks about how tall our tree's are.

Her bedroom

I'm trying to find words to describe my new daily schedule and I can't really. I've had some good days and some not so good days. It's a very different schedule from what I was used to and it's also different for mother. I'm understanding why the Nurses tended to give Mom a quick fix pill when she got all emotional at the Nursing Home. There are times in the afternoon when I feel like I should be a social worker or a counselor. Lunch time bites of food are often in between tears. That is the time of day that Daudy would come visit Mom. So if you are someone that wants to visit Mom sometime, she really needs distractions in the afternoon.

I have a monitor in my room and when she needs to go the restroom at night or in the morning, she just says my name. AT 3:30 in the morning, I'm not quite as happy to hear my name as some other times. Monday morning I had to chuckle at 4:30 in the morning. I heard that she was moving around and soon I heard, "ah, ah, Sue! Sue! ah, Mary! Mary! ah, ah." I'm here mom, did you forget my name? "Oh ya! What is wrong with me?!

Another funny that I hear a lot. She tells me what to do, then says, "you can do whatever you want, I'm not going to tell you what to do." On Saturday she was sitting on the porch while I was pulling weeds. After I was pulling for about 5 minutes, she thought that was probably about long enough. She suggested that Mary could pull the rest when she came out. I informed her that those were my weeds, not Mary's.

Update-on everything

Friday July 23rd, Dad got his brace and was released from the hospital. After our siblings dinner(beginning of our reunion) we went back to Mom and Dad’s place and sang. Dad was rather emotional while we sang. We were standing around since the guy from Park Medical was setting up the hospital bed.

Our reunion was at Clinton Christian. Even though we didn’t have electricity for several hours, we managed to have lots of fun.

Jeremiah and Ella

There is always time for getting updates from each other

JR and Fern did our planning this year. Thanks guys!

Wed. I took Isaiah with me to check up on Dad. Ann and Mom had taken Dad to the Specialist in South Bend in the morning. The Dr. wants to take the gamble that dad has a 50/50 chance of his hip staying in place. Too many risks involved with the kind of surgery it would require. If it goes out the third time they won't have another option. He is allowed to start walking with the cane, and was told he may shower and take the brace off at night. They also stopped and purchased a lift chair, and that should make things easier. As of today, he hadn’t taken off the brace yet. It’s a pretty scary thing to do.

Anna and Frank live next to Mom and Dad and have been a huge support to them.

Tomorrow, July 30th, my daily routine will change rather drastically. Early afternoon, we plan to bring Wil’s Mom home to live with us. I’m excited about the adventure, but I’m also very aware of the changes. Today, my adrenals were working overtime. It’s amazing how all week we would say, “we better do this while we still can.” Instead of going out together tonight, Wil went with Matt to grill for the Bible Memory Youth Camp, something they have done together for several years now. Then, we will go to a viewing. Maybe we will just have to pretend we are young tonight!

Wednesday morning around 1 am my father got up to use the restroom and popped out his hip again. My sister Anna and her husband Frank came to his rescue and lifted him back to the bedroom, but soon knew they needed to call 911. This happened 4 weeks earlier and the ER was able to pop it back in. Dad was given strict orders what to do and not to do. He did real good the 1st few weeks, but it's was hard to behave when he felt good.

This time the ER couldn't get it popped back in. At 3:00 in the afternoon, they took him in to surgery and put him on anesthesia and put it back in. The only problem, this time it didn't want to stay in without a wedge between his legs, wrapped to his legs. He had lots of pain before the hip was popped back in.

Now come the decision as to whether they do the dreaded repair surgery or not. The Goshen Doctors are feeling like they need to refer him out. With Dad'd heart issues, he is a very high risk. Dad told the Doctor that he was ready to die and it is ok if he doesn't survive the surgery, but if he lives, he wants it fixed. For now we are waiting on a special splint they ordered that he will need to wear at all times until they decide what the next step is.

This morning Dad started with a fever. Wil was in and out of his room this morning , waiting on the Doctor to make his rounds. Oops, that never happened! Wil came into the room when Dad was getting a bath, and Dad had just started with chest pain and very quickly it started down his arm and Mom said his color was bad. Wil rushed out to get the Nurse and they got him a Nitroglycerin and soon he had relief. Most of this afternoon his temp was around 102. Not being able to move around isn't too good for anyone that was under anesthesia.

This afernoon, he was getting a bit bored so Mom and I played Florida Golf with him. In spite of being in the hospital bed, he could still tell Mom when it was her turn:)

Sleep Over

Tuesday night I decided would be a good night to have a sleep over with all 4 grandsons. Sawyer insisted on sleeping in the top bunk with Brennan. Knowing that he normally still sleeps in a crib and had never slept in a top bunk, I felt as a Grandma I was taking a risk. How could I say no, when I discovered that was what he was looking forward to. The were so tired that they fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Even slept all night.

The next morning Sawyer(age 2) told Isaiah(age 13), “when I’m big like you, then I want to sleep in the big bed in the basement like you did and when you're two, then you can sleep in the bunk bed like I did”!

It takes patience when children 1st want to start feeding themselves.

I found Jeremiah in the bathroom, standing on one of our Daudy chairs, brushing his teeth with Brennan’s toothbrush

Then it was off to swimming lessons for Brennan. It was very hot outside and as I was loading up the boys into the Van with the help of Isaiah, I wondered how Monica did this every day for 2 weeks.

Isaiah took these shots of Sawyer and Jeremiah, having fun in the sandbox, while Brennan was swimming.

Jeremiah-19 months is just starting to say words, climbs on everything and anything, has no fear. Thinks he can walk down the steps like everyone else. He comes running whenever he see’s us coming over and he Loves his Papaw.

Sawyer-2yr 9 mo. what a cute age and what a testing age! His strong stubborn will shows up a bit more than his parents wish, but you just can’t help but love the boy! He is really talking big these days.

Brennan-6 Sweet sensitive Brennan. Always looking out for his brothers. He struggles a lot when he is disciplined. Recently when he was given a time out by his Grandpa, he was so hurt and upset that he locked himself in a room. He didn’t want anything to do with his Grandpa the rest of the evening. He also loves to play the wii whenever possible.

Isaiah-13 Loves his ipod, computer and xbox. I enjoy watching him with the younger boys. There is a big difference in how he relates to them now versus when he first came. He can be a big help or a big tease, whichever he chooses to be.

Major Changes

It's hard to believe that it has already been 2 weeks since we buried my Father-in-law. Four weeks ago today, he had his accident, and our life hasn't been the same since. It's amazing how life, for me, stopped during that time. Nothing else really mattered. During that time I didn't even think about all the things that had troubled me, and felt really big to me, just weeks earlier. After I went back to work, it took a little getting used to, knowing that life goes on and very few people were affected by the change that had just happened to us.

We have chosen to bring my Mother-in-law home from the Nursing Home and move her in with us. I am very aware that there are many opinions as to whether we are doing the right thing or not. We will be the 1st to say that we know that it won't be easiest thing we have ever done. However, Wil and I both have peace about our decision and I know that we will be there for each other. We aren't alone in this. Wil's family is pretty tight and supportive. We would probably feel more trapped if we didn't have our son, daughter-in-law and all 4 of the grandchildren in our backyard.

I do hope to still work at Middlebury Chiropractic on Mondays and Saturdays. I feel that I need that time away from home and it would be asking a lot to hire and train someone that quickly to do some of the things that I do there. We will be bringing Mother home the end of July.

Please help us find an Adult sitter/care-giver, for Mother.
It will need to be someone that

: enjoys older people
: strong enough to transport her from chair to wheelchair
: comfortable in helping her eat
: comfortable with helping her with bathroom needs
: at times, get her dressed
Other than that, there would be free time to read or do whatever else they would want to do with their time.

My Mother-in-law visiting with my Mother

37th Anniversary

July 6, 1973

2010

Farewell, Daudy