Still processing...I

What a month February was .  It started normal but ended in a way that changed normal forever.

I spent part of the first week of the month in San Antonio for work. Since I work part time and worked on a day that isn't a usual day, I took the following Wednesday, the 12th off.  Mom had back surgery in Houston on Monday, February 10.  It was for spinal stenosis. Her back pain has been so bad for several years now. She walks hobbled over with a walker and just hurts all the time. 
I drove into Houston on the 11th with plans to stay until Thursday just to help them out at home after the surgery.  She was sitting up in the hospital bed all dressed and in good spirits when I arrived. She had walked twice that morning and they were ready to dismiss her.
That day at home she walked the most straight I have seen her walk in three years.  She said she was sore but the pain was less.  It was a low key afternoon at the house.
Wednesday she continued to say her back was sore but the pain was less.  She walked a little stooped and seemed a little tired but nothing out of the ordinary.  Sometime during the day she mentioned that she was having trouble emptying her bladder, and I said something like, "oh, you need to go to the bathroom," and she said, "no."
We discovered that the big freezer was broken and not cooling, so Dad and I toted all the food over to the neighbors, Bill and Terry.  Mom cooked up some of the cookie dough cookies that had been in the freezer.  We all went to bed.

About 7am on Friday I woke up and could hear mom & dad in their room. They are not early risers and I got up to go see what was going on. Mom was shivering. She was so cold. There were at least five blankets on her and her teeth were just chattering and she kept saying, I'm so cold, I'm so cold. 
I got in bed with her to see if I could warm her up but she wasn't cold.  I found the number for the Humana nurse and called. They asked how long the symptoms had been going on and dad said about an hour. The nurse told me to call 911 because after 30 minutes they get nervous about sepsis.

January Wrap Up

I started the year in San Diego for a week of work.  

Highlight of the trip: getting to spend one evening with the Lin family. 

We ate at Underbelly, a hip Pho restaurant.

Love this family!

January means basketball.

Does this picture say Campbell all over it? The girl can hold her own on the court too.!

 These Doves don't cry. Campbell & her friends are having a great time on the court.

Uh, hello Pistons...  What is so exciting up there?

 So far, Alex & his team are 4-0.

Company man.  Playing the part in a contest!

Ever wonder how temperature affects the stickiness of glue? Me neither.

Well, Conleigh had a hypothesis about it and did a science fair project based on it.

Say what?

Say blue ribbon!  Go girl!

 Hey Jude!  We loved having you play at our house. Come back soon.

 While my good friend Krissy and her husband went to a funeral, they brought their three precious kids to our house. We loved having them run around and light this place up.  When they left, Campbell said, "oh good. it is quiet around here again." Ha.

Juliet looks just like her mama.

January meant something that doesn't come often to these parts.  Snow. Mostly ice, but ice equals snow days here. We've had two. Kids loved it...

 for ten minutes...

 we aren't really equipped to keep warm in that very cold weather.

eek!

Daddy saves the day and builds a fire!

Rest In Peace

Grandma & Grandpa at the cabin in Warm Lake, Idaho

Ralph Hardin has gone home to join Betty Hardin who left this world on October 8, 2013. They enjoyed 70 years of marriage and were a true team. They lived on their own until age 92. Betty succumbed to bladder cancer in October. She died one day before Peter and I arrived in California to visit her.
Ralph passed away during the night January 23, 2014.  From what we know, he simply went to sleep and did not wake up. Although his body was frail, death was not expected so soon. We had face timed with him briefly on January 12 to tell him Happy Birthday.  I think he was just ready. Ready to be with Betty. Ready for rest.

These two wonderful people were Peter's grandparents.  I first met them in the summer of 1999 in Warm Lake, Idaho. They were so welcoming and throughout our marriage have been vocal in how proud they were of the family they created. I know they loved our children very, very much. 
Peter flew to Salt Lake City today for a memorial service tomorrow. Ralph had been relocated to SLC in November to live with his daughter there.
Today Peter told me that Grandpa wants to have his remains (and grandma's) laid to rest in Orange County, California, in the same cemetery where John Wayne lies.  I love it! 

We will miss them dearly. May they rest in peace together.

Weekend Report

Basketball. EKG. Birthday party. Mexican food with friends. Church. Basketball.

Random Disney thoughts

I love having my children right beside me and having them reach to hold my hand.

2 of three children learned to blow bubbles with gum during our trip.

Paying a little more for a hotel on the monorail, and then getting the free dining plan was a.w.e.s.o.m.e!

Rockin' Roller Coaster is my favorite.  The girls love all the roller coasters. Alex was willing to do them all at least one time and had a few that he liked to ride over and over,  i.e. Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain.

A week without t.v. and minimal screens is good for the soul.

I believe the kids learned more with us this week than they would have in school.

Impressing a 10 year old is very difficult.

I love that WDW sings CHRISTmas songs loud & proud!

People on planes are very strange. Alex & I had a absolutely horrible experience on the way to Orlando. Now, on the way home, we have a person coughing constantly behind us and a little girl kicking Alex's seat. Get us home!

It's good to go and good to come home.

As Peter said, Walt Disney said, "it's important to not ruin a great time, by insisting on it being the perfect time!" Wise words.

Spooky House

 We've had this gingerbread house set hanging in the laundry room for almost two years. Yes,

two years!  It had Christmas candies in it, so I bought some Halloween candy and

the kids had a ball decorating it yesterday.

 We're only two days away from the big Trick or Treating.

Our plan is to go to our friends for dinner and then hit the streets!

Presenting Halloween costumes 2013

Cleopatra and McHardin

 We went to a fun party for Halloween on Saturday night. It was great to dress up and be prepared for Halloween prior to the trick or treating.

She's a witch and her costume is cute, but these lashes are not to be missed.

LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Zombie-licious!