Gracie's party, a potluck, and more "oldfolk drama"

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Paris! Nam did great on the ride...even though traffic through Dallas was awful. (Our normal 3 1/2 hour drive turned into about 5 hours thanks to wrecks and road construction.) We took one break at the Bass Pro Shop on Lake Ray Hubbard. Nam had been to Cabela's before, but it was over a year ago. When we walked into Bass Pro, his eyes got huge and he said, "This is COOL! It is a DIFFERENT store!" He loved looking at all of the stuffed critters and the live fish and ALL of the antlers! It has always been one of our favorite "pit stops" on I30, but this time was extra special.

We made it to Paris around 4:15. The boys immediately started playing...with Gracie tagging along trying to keep up. Dennis and Stephen grabbed their .22s and did a little turtle shooting from the back porch. (The pond was being overrun!) I walked around with Gracie, trying to keep her clear of all of the hazards of the antics of the boys. She is so much fun! She loves the outdoors, has such a spirit of adventure, and is very happy and sweet natured. I finally was able to get the big guys to put down their rifles, so we could go eat supper (they kept needing to get in just "one more shot"). We went to town for some Mexican food, which we all enjoyed. The boys were hungry enough to do justice to their meals, even with all of the excitement of being together.

When we got back to the house, Stephen and Dennis took the boys fishing on the pond. Nam got his hook in the water first, and IMMEDIATELY caught a HUGE bluegill! Dennis has done a lot of perch fishing in his life, but this was the biggest he had ever seen caught. The men barely had time to bait the boys' hooks and help them cast before they had to take another fish off a hook. They had planned to fish with the boys, but they couldn't...they were too busy! Those boys had a blast pulling in all of those big perch! They caught a few small bass, but they threw them back to grow up a little more. As bedtime approached the littles came in to get cleaned up, and then the men could do their own fishing. They ended up with about 35 NICE perch to clean for eating, not counting the small ones they threw back.

Dennis finished cleaning fish and finally made it to bed around 11:00. I had finally got Nam to sleep about 30 minutes before that (he couldn't sleep without Grandad!). We were all sleeping peacefully when my phone rang around 1:30. Brookdale was calling to tell me that Daddy and Bobbie had BOTH fallen and hit their heads and needed to go to the ER to get checked out. Our phones have TERRIBLE reception at Stephen's, so the call dropped before I could get any details. I was finally able to reach my brother to see if he could go take care of things. Then I got a call from Tonette saying that she was also on her way to the ER. I dozed for an hour or so and then texted Rodney to see how they were doing. He told me that they had checked them out and there were no serious injuries...just banged and scraped up. He was about to carrying them both back to Brookdale. I am SO thankful that he was able to fill in. It feels like every time we leave town for an overnighter, SOMETHING happens with the folks! They are both declining rapidly, and their falls are getting closer together. Toni messaged me last night that when she was over there that afternoon, her mom stumbled against the wall and Daddy would have fallen if she hadn't been there to catch him. He has gotten so weak and wobbly. We are all concerned about what to expect over the next few weeks and months.

Guests started arriving for Gracie's party around 10:30 or 11 Saturday morning. She opened presents after everyone had arrived. She loved a little baby doll that Shepherd had given her and carried it around with her everywhere, loving on it. Then Melinda (Stephen's office manager) arrived with a Gracie-sized easy chair. She loved it! She looked so cute, crawling up in it with her baby doll. She really made a haul:  books, clothes, toys, Little Tyke car, and even a (second-hand) toddler swingset/slide. She really enjoyed playing on that! After all of the gifts were opened, we had lunch and then watched Gracie eat her birthday cake. That girl definitely knows what to do with cake! We all enjoyed the party and visiting with everyone, but soon it was time to head home. The trip home was much faster and easier (not nearly as much traffic!). I agreed with the way Nam had summed things up on Friday night, while I was getting him ready for bed:  "Granny, it has been a GOOD day. And then tomorrow is Saturday, and we get to go home and everything can go back to normal!"

As soon as we got back home, I had to run to Walmart to pick up a grocery order, so I could start getting ready to the potluck for the next day. David P was our guest speaker yesterday morning, and he did a great job, as usual. We ended up going to the Millsap Community Center this time, since none of us were in a position to host the potluck in our homes this time (either due to being sick, out-of-town, etc.). As soon as the morning assembly was over, Bobbie told Dennis she needed to go home, so I took our foodstuff and hitched a ride with Kirk while Dennis carried the folks home. Our turnout was smaller than normal, but we still had a great time. After Dennis showed up and ate, we had to run back to Weatherford to buy a walker for Daddy and take it to him and assemble it. He had told us that morning that he thought he would be better off with one, instead of his cane. I'd been pushing for that for a couple of months now, so we didn't want to let the day go by without taking care of it! We then headed back to the community center for about a half hour before time to head back to Highway for our singing assembly.

When we arrived home Saturday night, the picture book of Sheila's wedding (that I had ordered from Shutterfly) had arrived. I have really enjoyed looking through it and sharing it with others. The pictures turned out beautifully, and it brought back so many wonderful memories of that special day!

Today is our "day off", so we should be able to rest up from all of the weekend activities. I LOVE our time with the kiddos, but I'm "no spring chicken anymore", so I definitely need time to recuperate afterwards! I'm hoping that we have a nice, uneventful week...as do all of you!

Spring Blessings!

Happy 1^st Birthday to our dear Gracie! It was such a blessing one year ago today to welcome this sweet little girl into our tribe of rowdy boys! I can’t wait to see her this weekend and celebrate the occasion. Nam will be traveling to Paris with Dennis and I on Friday, and his parents will be coming Saturday morning. He is pretty excited to have a sleepover with his cousins! (Although he will be sleeping in our room, NOT with the boys! That would be asking for trouble!)

Congratulations to Becca and Weston, as well as the rest of the family, on the birth of beautiful Claire! Amber was keeping in close touch with her mom all day yesterday, and she was keeping me informed on Becca’s progress. It sounded like they all had a very difficult and exhausting 24 hours! But now that sweet baby girl is with them, and everyone is safe and healthy. Praise God for that!

Things are going well here. It has been raining pretty much solid for the past day…lots of thunder and lightening last night. Dennis has been busy staining and oiling the bedframe that he’s been making for Sheila and Matt. It has turned out beautifully! I’ll try to post a picture of the finished product when he gets through.

I am into my 4^th week of chiropractic care for my displaced ribs. Last week and this week I got a massage before my adjustment. That really seemed to help a LOT! Those muscles between my ribs have been very tight and inflamed. Right now I’m feeling pretty good…about 80% normal. I’m still pretty sore after my adjustments, but when the pain settles down, I’m pretty much pain free unless I put too much strain on my ribs (or lay on them). I have two more weeks to go before Dr. Pray expects me to be completely normal. She said that when ribs are displaced in the back, they adjust quickly. But mine were displaced all the way around to my sternum, which takes longer to manipulate. It has been very painful, but it looks like it is almost over! So thankful for that! Now that my ribs are almost back to normal, and my right ankle has completely healed, I actually feel like doing things again.

I have a photo book from Shutterfly on its way that I made from Sheila’s wedding pictures. I can’t wait to see it! I am SO pleased with how the pictures all turned out! I ordered several prints and enlargements that I’ve been finding places for this past week. There were so many good shots of the grandkids and group pictures of all my kiddos. I love good photographs!

This has really been a beautiful spring! The bluebonnets are starting to wane now, but they have been SO pretty. The Indian paintbrushes has been spectacular this year! Right now, it looks like all of the wildflowers are blooming at once: bluebonnets, paintbrushes, primroses, and many others that I can’t identify. Patches of blue, coral, pink, yellow, and purple are set against the vivid green of the grass. I have really been enjoying my drives between here and Willow Park or Weatherford to pick up Nam.

I hope spring is lovely wherever you are and that you are enjoying the blessings that surround you!

The good, the bad, and the painful!

There has been so much going on lately! Some is mine to tell, some isn't. It has been hard for me to decide to write anything, because so much going on involves others and their privacy. I will see if I can bring you up to date though.

A couple of weeks ago, our drain from the washer started backing up and overflowing again. This time, we knew what to do though. We called the same plumber from four years ago, and he still had his notes on what the problem was and how he fixed it. So he had the clog resolved in short order!

Sheila got completely moved out of her apartment and into her new home with Matt. Nam has adjusted extremely well! He loves his new family!

On the last weekend in March, the Wilhites came down so Zach could speak for us at Highway. They came down on Saturday, so we all got together at The Switch Café in Millsap for supper and then went to Jamie and Renee's for a singing. We really enjoyed the time together and having them all here. (Glenda Y and Connor and Justin D also came.) Zach gave two good lessons on Sunday, and we had our monthly potluck in between. It was a great weekend!

As most of you already know, Nancy passed away last week and her funeral was Saturday. We all knew that it was just a matter of time, but it was still hard to say good-bye. She will be missed so much! My heart breaks for Marlin and the kids!

Sunday was Caleb's birthday, plus he decided to be baptized, so we spent the day at Henrietta Creek for the occasion. He was baptized during the morning assembly. Then the whole group went to eat lunch together. I loved watching him and Nam together! He is such a good big brother! After the evening assembly, we went to Matt and Sheila's to hang out until time for supper. All of the family went out to their favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate his birthday. The food was great, as was the time spent with everyone. I am really enjoying our new (joined) family and looking forward to many more special times together!

Dennis and I are still struggling with our allergies. I have coughed so much that a couple of weeks ago, my ribs subluxated (got moved out of place). I have been going to the chiropractor that Amber works for to try to get some relief. Last week was awful! I finally started getting some relief on Friday, but I absentmindedly carried a heavy box Saturday and aggravated the condition. I had another treatment yesterday and was feeling pretty good until this morning. I was driving and had my left arm (the side that is messed up) on top of the steering wheel when I let loose with a very violent coughing spree. I not only felt my rib pop, but I heard it! So I called to make an appointment for this afternoon. (I was previously scheduled not to go in until tomorrow afternoon.) The doctor expects my treatments to last for 6 weeks, until I get 100% relief. I'm also supposed to start doing some core strengthening exercises as soon as I can do them without pain. Right now, any movement (even breathing) is painful. This is my first experience using a chiropractor. Even though I can tell the treatments are working, I do NOT like them! When I leave her office, I can barely stand to move!

I took Daddy to a doctor's appointment this morning (podiatrist), and I take him to his hearing aid specialist tomorrow morning. He hasn't been having many appointments of late. We are pretty much just doing regular maintenance, so most doctors have him on 3-6 month follow-ups. He is doing ok...just slowly wearing down. Every time I pick him up, it seems to wear him out a little more to walk the short distance to the car. Tonette came over to take him and Bobbie to Highway to church Sunday morning. Trying to keep them out all day is just getting to be too much for both of them.

I think we will have a quiet weekend this week...first time in a while! I, for one, am looking forward to it! I hope you are able to have some quiet and peaceful time in your near future as well!