Some Extra Rays of Sunshine on a Sunday Afternoon!!

Claire, Chloe and Chris have all had some "bugs and fevers" for the past couple of weeks. Since Papa Norm was recently in the hospital and is still working hard on stamina and strength, the kids haven't visited nor have we visited them. We really didn't want to take any chances on Papa getting sick. Today, however, Mike and the C's came up to swim and visit. Chris didn't go near the pool....except an occasional moment to throw something in.... but the girls took a swim. Chris prefers the hose most of the time. The water, to me, was pretty cold, but Claire and Chloe didn't seem to notice. One of the funny things about a Sunday visit was that a week or more ago when the girls called, Chloe told us that they would probably come up Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. (She must be learning her days of the week). Anyway, after she said that on the phone, Claire cut in and said, "Chloe, Hellloooo, Sunday is not available, we go to Sunday School on Sunday."
Norm and I have laughed about that for days.... I forgot to point out to Claire today that you can, in fact, do more than one thing per day. The conversations we have with them keep us entertained for days after.

After swimming we had some lunch. Below you see Claire on the phone with Aunt Norma Jean who lives in Iowa. Claire wanted to warn her about the volcano that might be exploding near her. (Claire hasn't quite figured out how far Iowa is from Yellowstone yet). She told her of the dangers that might come her way.


Chris will now flash a huge smile whenever he sees a camera. We laughed a lot as he posed and smiled for me.

The sisters and best friends posed in a couple of their new tops. We, as a family, are Hawaii bound in January, and they certainly have to have some bright and tropical looking things to wear!

Chris was proud to show me his Iowa shirt and once again very happy to pose for my camera. Bless his little heart. He also got a new tropical print shirt among other things. Now I just hope Daddy will let him wear it. :) Mike would not be caught dead in a tropical print, flowered, shirt. Maybe we can change his mind this next trip but I won't hold my breath.

Just a few minutes ago the phone rang and it was Chloe and Claire. Claire thanked me for the "great day" and Chloe thanked us for "everything". I must say these children do have good manners and seem to appreciate lots of little things. It does my heart good. As usual, they wanted to talk to Papa too. I told them Papa was laying down not feeling too well right now. Chloe replied, "Grandma, I know he will feel better if he talks to us." She was right, he mostly listened, but it did perk him up a bit.

A beautiful afternoon for us and a great way to start the week!

Catching Up With Things!!

I can't believe that it has been a month since I have posted to our blog. The time, in many ways, has flown by, but in other ways seemed like a long, long, period of life. During those weeks, one of the most favorite things for Claire, Chloe, and Christopher was time spent at the lake with Paula's extended family. Claire and Chloe were so excited to tell us the details when they returned. I am borrowing a couple of pictures taken by Paula's cousin, I believe, of Chloe "driving the boat" and Claire and Uncle Vince driving as well. What memories were created for them during the week together with cousins, uncles, aunts, and Nonnie and Marc. Incidentally, I have never been sure how to spell Nonnie (Paula's Mom's nickname for Grandma) but today I verified it on a New Parents Guide website so I guess I will go with that, which for me was the natural spelling......

Also during these past weeks, Papa faced a hard surgery which ended up being a 21 day stay in the hospital. A few days prior to surgery day, sweet Paula brought the kids up for a play date with Papa, a great distraction for what was ahead. We started out by fixing lunch. Rather than start up the great big grill, we decided to "grill" our hot dogs on the grill pan on the stove. Claire and Chloe did a fine job of cooking with just a little help from Paula and me.

After lunch we took a quick trip to the park while Papa rested a bit. Back across the street, Chris got a little hose time in while the girls practiced their softball with the batting "T".

Papa's nearly 7 hour surgery went well. He is feeling quite good the evening of the surgery day. Pretty amazing, considering how sick he sometimes is after anesthesia. He did have some rough days following this picture, but in the end it all came out well.


Claire and Chloe visit and are very curious about all the things around Papa's hospital bed. They brought him art work for his room.

After a few days Papa was moved to the rehabilitation hospital where he worked very hard to gain his physical strength back. During the week, he had 6 therapy sessions per day. He also got some rest time which gave him time to play bridge and hearts on his computer.

After about a week and a half, Papa was given a four hour furlough to come home. He really enjoyed watching the kids swim, visited his birds, visited with friends who came to help me set up a couple of things for Norm's home coming, and had a good day overall.

One day Paula and the kids brought a special treat for Papa to the hospital. Here Chris stands on his tip-toes to get a little bite.

Chloe engages Papa in some conversation. Behind her you can see the art work that they brought when they visited. They visited several times which always served to be the highlight of his day and made the days go faster for him.

We are so very thankful to be home where Norm is resting, taking a couple of short walks per day, and enjoying the peace and quiet. Soon he will start three or so therapies a week, and will hopefully continue to build up strength and balance, as well as heal. We are also thankful to God for His healing and care during this time and for our many friends and precious family members that supported us in so many ways. Now on with summer.......