It Was Raining and Then it Was Pouring!

Brigham had an interesting day.  In fact it was an eventful day!  He went to work this morning even though he wasn't feeling great but ended up back at home in terrible pain.  Aunt Cathy took him to the emergency room and in a few hours he had his appendix removed.  This picture is my favorite because of the boots.  I guess Brigham didn't want to take any chances if he didn't like the diagnosis and was ready to make a quick getaway!  I don't think there is going to be much trick-or-treating for the Utah Duncans.

Project

Aunt Becky has been doing some great projects and none of them were a "piece of cake!"  After finishing her bathroom remodel she started on the stairs down into the basement.  She spent time getting all of popcorn off the ceiling and then repainting.  Then she tackled the stairs which meant taking off old carpet, sanding the wood and repainting them.  Now she is on the final project which is recarpeting them.  She said she wanted to leave the new carpet on for a few days to see how it holds up.  If all goes well she will do the other ten steps.  I am impressed--I'm sure you are too!  What's next?

Surprise!

As I wrote earlier Will has been in bed for quite some time trying to recuperate from his illness.  He had a wonderful surprise tonight when his Deacons quorum showed up with all the makings for a surprise birthday party.  Pizza, root beer, donuts and balloons!  I love kind people!  Especially when the ones they are kind to are my grandkids!

Happy Birthday G-son!

Will

is

12 Years Old

October 28, 2019

Happy Birthday G-daughter!

Miriam 

is

18 Years Old!

October 27, 2019

Halloween Dinner

I invited the Whitney's over for a Halloween dinner last night.  I had so much fun getting everything ready.  I had a bonus because we had a visit from Uncle Bill and Aunt Bev and she pitched in to lighten the load a little!

Kids Table

Adults Table

Candy Corn Jello

Chocolate Marshmallow Bat Cupcakes

Jack O Lantern Tray

Spider Eggs

GHOULash (Pasta Fagioli Soup)

Skeleton Bones

Will

I wanted to let everyone know that Will has been really sick for quite a while.  He had Mononucleosis and they thought he was fine but he had it come back.  Cathy said he sleeps much of the day and isn't very interested in eating.  There is no medication for this illness.  Rest and time is about all that works.  Please keep him in your prayers.  This has definitely taken its toll on him.  Hopefully when he regains his strength the mono will be a thing of the past.

This is Love

You know that you are pretty special when Graham has you come with him and when you follow he takes you to his scrapbook so he can show you "him."  Aunt Bev was the recipient of Graham's love when they came for a visit.  It was too sweet not to share!

Update

I was thinking lately about the inconsistencies of Alzheimer's.  Every time I think we are settling into a routine I'm disappointed because the reality is there is no routine.  The biggest change in dad's condition is that I am finding myself much more tired.  As he declines, his ability to do much on his own also declines.  Where before I could hand him his clothes to put on it has become necessary that I am having to lift his legs to put his pants on instead of helping him get started and him finishing.  I bought him new shoes because the others were pretty trashed but now it takes everything to get them on.  They are better because they are tighter so he doesn't seem to shuffle as much but now I am dealing with his and my frustration when they don't slip right on.  Lack of interest in eating continues but I have kind of accepted that it is what it is.  I now make lunch our main meal and we always go through fast food and eat in the car so he finishes whatever we have.  If he eats two bites of cereal and eats his half of an English muffin in the morning, that is good enough.  Drinking his juice is the only things he does without an argument.  For dinner one or two bites of whatever I put in front of him and he is done.  I always finish off with an ice cream bar which sometimes he will only eat a few bites of that.  He still eats his M & M's each day but now I often find them laying around the room.  It is what it is.  He definitely is choking more and having him take his pills continues to be a challenge.  I have learned to just keep encouraging him and hope that it continues because when the medicine stops the real reality of Alzheimer's will become evident.  What amazes me is that he often chews the pills which I would think taste terrible.  Lastly his sleep has become pretty interesting.  Last night he went to bed at 6:40 and I finally got up at 7:30 this morning and he was still sound asleep.  But lately he has started getting up about 10:30 at night after being asleep for several hours and won't get back in bed no matter how much coaxing I do.  Last Friday he was up from 10:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. when I finally put my project down and said he had to go to bed.  He slept until 6:00 and was ready for the day.  I wasn't quite as ready as he was!  He is still agitated a good deal of the day but it is so normal now that I don't stress out like I use to.  He's still a keeper and together we are just doing the best we can.  I will be taking him to the Neurologist in November and hopefully I will get some ideas from him when I do.  I'm already putting together a list of questions to ask when we go in.  I want to thank all of you for keeping in touch.  Hearing your voices or reading a text or email is always like a burst of energy for me.  I so appreciate your love and support and I know that he would be too!

BYU Won!

The excitement of BYU winning against  Boise State was a little too much for Graham but Lincoln, Christian and I enjoyed the game right to the end.  I'd like to say I knew BYU could do it but I was beginning to have some doubts!  I wish we could figure out why they beat ranked teams but always fall short on the teams they should easily win!  Oh well--Go Cougars!

Prescott

Christian had a two day conference in Prescott and he took Jane and Duncan along.  They had a great time with their dad exploring Jerome and Prescott.

Field Trip

Eden went on her first field trip today.  Her kindergarten class went to a farm.  Aunt Amy put the bee on her shirt.

Pumpkin Patch

This morning Grandpa and I went to a local pumpkin patch with Aunt Amy and Graham.  I am excited because I wanted to do a page of him for his scrapbook.  The pictures turned out cute and probably the ones Aunt Amy took are even better.  I want to use this as a reminder that I am excited to see all of the costumes that everyone puts together this Halloween.  Don't forget to get your picture taken by your parents so I can share all the cute, scary, funny, and creative costumes you will come up with! 

Ruth--October 2019

Getting Dressed!

I loved the visual aid Katie used in her Sunbeam class today.  I am sure those little ones learned about the importance of putting on the whole armour of God from Ephesians 6:11.  And I don't doubt they knew when she was done that the armour of God would make them able to stand against the wiles (lies) of the devil.  And I bet they love our Katie almost as much as we do!

Ugh!

You may not know this but Grandpa has terrible nail fungus that has been a challenge for him for over 30 years.  I didn't think much of it until it became necessary for me to deal with the problems that this nasty condition presents.  One of the biggest things that grandpa has developed with his Alzheimer's disease was not wanting to be touched.  Something as simple of holding his hand pushes him to his limit.  So holding his foot so I can cut the overgrown toenails is a huge challenge for him and of course for me.  Before I even bring out the nail clipper he is yanking his foot away and when I do try to cut some of the distorted nails he is screaming that I'm hurting him.  By the time I am done very little is accomplished and he is mad at me and unfortunately I am pretty annoyed at him. 

I share this with you because I have been thinking a great deal lately about how disappointed our Heavenly Father and his Son and our Savior must feel about us when we fight against everything they have taught and are teaching us.  I am reading the New Testament and have enjoyed so much reading the writings of Paul.  I thought of the Saviors question to Saul in Acts, "it it hard for thee to kick against the pricks?"  In my life I have learned much.  I have often fallen short.  I am still trying to figure out how to maneuver this course I am on.  What I loved about this scripture is that Saul who continually fought against the Church was still loved by the Savior.  He was so loved that he had a literal life-changing experience which helped him put away the natural man and come unto Christ.  He accepted the Saviors invitation and made a covenant to always walk with Him from that point forward.  Thus he became Paul.

There isn't a member of our family--not one-- who hasn't had to deal with "pricks" that sometimes seem overwhelming.  So much good has happened to all of us but not without  stumbling blocks that have gotten in our way.  Blocks that we had to decide how to deal with.  Do we ignore them, climb over them, walk around them, restack them, or do we just turn around and pretend like they aren't a problem?  Although grandpa doesn't handle my desire to help him doesn't change the fact that something has to be done and it is my responsibility to do what I can to alleviate some of his pain in spite of his lack of appreciation that I'm only trying to help him. 

Do you know why I am willing to do this?  It's because I know that Heavenly Father knows the end from the beginning.  I know that in the end His promises are sure.  I know that He loves me and he and those who love us are close by to cheer us on and help us climb over all that is put in our way.  I know this and that is enough.  Dear grandchildren I am glad that each of you encounter challenges because I know for a fact that those experiences will be for your good.  And even more important is that I know that you are not left to your own devices.  You have the Perfect cheerleader who whispers never give up.  You can do it!

Done!

Today I finished the last of my scrapbooking project.  I scrapped over 50 pages.  I can't tell you how therapeutic this is for me as I picture the fun the grandkids have when they come for a visit.  I think the fact that they look at their book is wonderful but I love it even more when they pull out one of their cousins book to see what new pages have been added.  Thank you Cathy, Angela, Becky and Amy for keeping the pictures coming!

Utah Trip

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Whitney--Ruth, Lincoln, and Jane were able to spend a few days in Utah during their fall break.  They had a great time  with their cousins and Lincoln got to attend Uncle Bill's class at BYU.  While there he met a missionary who just returned from the same mission that Lincoln will be going to.  He gave Lincoln some great tips on what to expect when he actually arrives in Argentina.  They also were able to do some temple work with Abby while there.  At the temple the girls were given the assignment to be witnesses during the baptisms.  Hiking, rock climbing, family, and shopping made for a wonderful trip for all of them.  Grandparents are the best!  Thank you Mark and Jean for making special memories for our grandkids!

Missionary Moment

I haven't put much on the blog about Ellis's mission but loved this picture and wanted to share.  Missionary work involves a lot of knocking and rejection.  In spite of the challenges, these missionaries of ours go out of their way to find ways to serve no matter what it takes.  For Elder Ellis and his companion it was gleaning a potato field!

Addendum!

I've thought a lot about what I had written about my pink eye.  A thought came to me about how terrible this would have been for grandpa to have had pink eye.  I would literally have had to have people come in to hold him down every three hours to put drops in his eyes and believe me that would be terrible.  I decided that grandpa has enough pain in his life to deal with.  I am thankful that the bacteria was in my eyes instead of his.  It's the least I can do!

Pink Eye

I have seen more pink eye than most people because of working in an elementary school.  In spite of that when my eye started hurting I ignored it until I could hardly stand the pain any more.  Sure enough at almost 70 I managed to have an annoying, painful, and itchy case of pink eye.  I always think I have a high tolerance of pain but this has really challenged my ability to cope with the challenges of taking care of Grandpa.  Empathy doesn't always come for others when you are also in pain and I have found myself to be less patient and more frustrated by his antics.  I was able to get medication thanks to Aunt Amy calling a family friend who is a PA so I didn't have to go to the doctor to get help.  Because I didn't deal with it right away the healing is taking longer than I would like but hopefully I will be back to clear eyes soon.

Happy Birthday G-daughter!

Ava

is

12 years old

today!

Field Trip!

It was a great day for Caleb because he went on a field trip to the County Fair.  For those of us who have been to the San Bernardino fair you will attest that it didn't hold a candle to what Caleb experienced today.  Aunt Angela went along as a chaperone which I know Caleb loved as well.

Arizona Beauty

I didn't appreciate the beauty of Arizona when I was younger but I have fallen in love with all the beautiful desert plants that are everywhere.  I have been taking pictures of some and wanted to share them with you.  Fall in New England is stunning as Ellis can confirm but there is a significant beauty in the desert as well.