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.......