Family Time

I have a reason for not posting about our trip yet - there's a new baby in our family!  My niece, Lauren, had a baby girl last month.  I was finally able to make a trip to Fresno to meet her and I'm so in love!  Olive Jae is just a darling little bundle.

 

 

We had a mini reunion on Tuesday night.  My brother, Rick, is a fabulous great uncle!

 

 

My sister, "Mimi" Kim.  If you look closely you will see braces on both her arms.  Kim took a tumble a few weeks ago and broke her right wrist, broke her right elbow, and sprained her left wrist!  I drove her to her followup appointment on Wednesday.  X-rays show that she is healing, it's just going to take time. 

 

 

The other star of the show, of course, is Olive's big brother Bo.  He will be in four in February and he kept us entertained all evening.

 

 

I brought several gifts, my favorite is this book - "A is for Adobo."  With his blonde hair and blue eyes you wouldn't guess that Bo is one fourth Filipino, but he is.  This is an alphabet book with Filipino words and it is adorable!

 

 

He loves Olive and is so sweet with her!

 

 

"Moose on the Loose" shirt that we bought in Canada.

 

 I found this darling handmade duck at a produce stand in Cookeville.

 

Bo had one request at the end of the evening - a little dance party, with head gear required!

 

 

After Kim's appointment on Wednesday, we got a little more time with Lauren and Olive while Bo was at preschool.  I think I just held her and stared in awe for about an hour!!

 

 

 

Bo came home just before I left.  He and Mimi had a drawing party.  It was so fun to see how creative he is!

 

I'm so thankful for my family!!

The Santa Series

I've posted these pictures of my siblings before, but they are just too funny to not show again.

Christmas 1959, Kim is about 8 months

December 1960


1961, add Rick who is about 11 months


December 1962

1963, Rod joins the mix at about 9 months


I was born in 1964 and there are no more photos with Santa! I'm guessing 3 unhappy kids was the limit for Mom. I'm sure I would have cried ~ that is one scary looking Santa.

Do you have pictures with Santa? Have you, or will you this year, be taking your kids to sit on his lap?

Happy Birthday, Rick and Ryan!

My oldest brother turns 52 today and his son is 26.  Funny that Ryan was Rick's gift on his 26th birthday and now Ryan is that age.  Time just keeps moving, doesn't it?

January 1989

Aunt Kim and Ryan, October 2011

Rick & Diana, October 2011

Update on My Dad

Les and I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday in San Francisco with my Dad.  His surgeries both went well, but of course he was in a lot of pain.  We had been concerned about blood loss, but after talking to the pharmacist on Thursday we learned that there are large blood vessels in the back, so blood loss is common with back surgery.  They were prepared to give him blood, and he required 2 units on Saturday.

Let me tell you something about my Dad, in case you didn't already know.  He loves his kids.  Just before going in to surgery on Wednesday he had my brother text my sister.  "Send Kathy a check for $200."  He had given Kim and Rick that amount to help with their expenses, and wanted to make sure we got that, too.  He had already sent us money for Christmas.  When we got there on Thursday that was one of the first things he told me.  "I want to help each of you."  Each of us would have gone to San Francisco to be with him whether he gave us a dime or not, we love him. But that's just the kind of Dad I have.

It was very hard to see him hurting so much.  Thursday, the pain was all in his stomach.  They had gone through his belly to get to his spine.  Do you know how many things you have to move around to get to the spine from the belly?  Just a slight cough was painful.

Saturday was really tough.  When we got to the hospital, he said he had a rough night.  The physical therapist came in and asked his pain level. "Eight" on a scale of one to ten.  That was before therapy started.  They tested all his reflexes, then had him do some leg exercises.  The therapist had him sit on the side of the bed, then slowly got him to stand. They had a very funny exchange at the point:

Therapist:  This is going to make you feel better.
Dad:  This is going to make YOU feel better.
Therapist:  Why do I need to feel better?

Poor Dad, he really was not trying to be funny but that just cracked me up!  In all his pain, I know he just wanted to keep laying down, but it is important that he got moving.  They "slow dance" a few steps, then Dad sat in a chair for about 20 minutes.  That pretty much wiped him out for the next few hours.

This was the view from his room.  You can see the Golden Gate Bridge, but he wasn't too interested.

Several times on Saturday he asked us the time.  "You need to get going."  He was concerned about us driving home and I did not want to leave!  Kim and her girls are there now, and I know he is receiving excellent care at UCSF, but it was so hard to leave him.

I am very thankful that he is okay.  His vitals are all stable.  His body is finally free of the many infections he has been dealing with for months.  There was a family in the ICU waiting room whose mother had been unconscious since Monday.  We watched oncology patients walk the halls with their IV poles.  I know things could be much worse.  My family appreciates every single prayer.  Our prayer now is for a speedy recovery and that Dad will get to go home soon.

Surgery for My Dad

My Dad will be having two surgeries this week.  We have been waiting for this since September.  He is finally strong enough and has been working diligently on his therapy.  We know this will probably set him back a bit, but we're praying that this will put him on the road to a full recovery.

My brother, Rick, is taking Dad to San Francisco today for his pre-op appointments.  Tomorrow he is scheduled for a procedure that will be about an hour and a half.  They are taking an extra step by going through the belly to get to the spine.  The purpose of this is to clean out any infection and it also helps to augment the fusion.  Rick will stay in San Francisco until Thursday.

Dad with his kids.  And yes, Rick is wearing shorts on Christmas!

Les and I will be going to San Francisco on Thursday and staying until Saturday.  On Friday they will go in through his back.  They will be removing the hardware because it is infected and loose.  They will be putting in new hardware and bone graft.  If they are not happy with the alignment of his spine, they will do implants to create a normal sway back.  This surgery will take about 3 to 4 hours.

Dad with his grandkids

Kim and her girls will be going to San Francisco on Sunday and staying through Christmas.  We felt this was a good way to split it up, so Dad has someone with him during his surgeries and on Christmas.

Please pray for Dad, his surgeon, and my family as we all travel.

Christmas 2011 and A Drive Down Memory Lane

Les and I had a great Christmas in Fresno this weekend. We went up Friday and came back last night. We squeezed in a lot in those two days in spite of Dad getting sick and Kim recovering from gallbladder surgery. We ate a lot and laughed even more... and that's saying a lot because we ate A LOT!!

Friday night Les took me on a trip down memory lane as we went down Christmas Tree Lane in Fresno. Christmas Tree Lane started in 1920 with the decoration of a single tree in memory of a child who died that year. Every year more trees were lit and it is now two miles long with nearly 300 cedar trees and 140 homes decorated. It has been lit every year with the exception of two - 1941 because of wartime restrictions and 1973 due to the energy crisis.

It had been years since I had been down Christmas Tree Lane and it brought back so many special memories. We loved going through there when I was a kid. I remember all of us being bundled up in our winter coats because we would drive down the lane with our windows open. This was for two reasons - music is played and we fogged up the windows and couldn't see otherwise! The old homes don't seem quite as large, but it's still a beautiful neighborhood.

I was able to share one other memory with Les - that of a bicycle crash on Van Ness Blvd! There is an underpass that goes below train tracks. Our family would ride our bikes around the neighborhood - Dad and Rod on the tandem, Kim, Rick, and I on our own bikes and Mom at home making dinner. I had a crash while going down the underpass one time and I was shocked to see how short and relatively flat it was! In my memory it was a very steep and long hill! Les wondered how I could have even crashed on it.

We also enjoyed a great church service at Truth Tabernacle yesterday morning. We got there about two minutes before 10:00 and everyone was just standing around visiting. Elder Morton got in the mic and said, "Let's visit a while, we'll start service a little late today." It was great being able to spend time with so many of my friends. I had a fun conversation with two year old Rory Barnes - or Rory Mac as he is called by many. He asked me my name and I said, "Kathy Mac." He had the funniest look on his face! When I said, "It's Kathy McElhaney, but you can call me Kathy Mac" he seemed to really like that! He's a cutie for sure.

After lots of great singing, Elder Morton preached briefly from Isaiah 9:6. I'm so thankful for the Child Who was born Who is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace!

I did start today off with a 15 mile bike ride - after all the feasting I needed it. I wasn't the only one as I saw dozens of folks out walking, running, and riding this morning. It's a beautiful day - probably going to hit about 75, clear and sunny with no wind. I could probably work on my tan today if I wanted to!

Christmas isn't over for us - Les and I will be exchanging our gifts to each other this evening. We like to stretch things out as long as we can! Hope your Christmas has been great and you're stretching it out as long as you can too.

The Santa Series

I've posted these pictures of my siblings before, but they are just too funny to not show again.

Christmas 1959, Kim is about 8 months

December 1960


1961, add Rick who is about 11 months


December 1962

1963, Rod joins the mix at about 9 months


I was born in 1964 and there are no more photos with Santa! I'm guessing 3 unhappy kids was the limit for Mom. I'm sure I would have cried ~ that is one scary looking Santa.

Do you have pictures with Santa? Have you, or will you this year, be taking your kids to sit on his lap?

Thankful for Memories

The other day I was thinking about the cruise Les and I took earlier this year. It was the most amazing trip. I was thinking about Rome and Venice and a new appreciation for memories hit me. Vacations don't come that often, but I can relive them through my memories.


We have never had anyone in our family who has suffered from dementia or Alzheimer's. We've had our share of other diseases, but we've been able to remember. Here are some of the memories I'm thankful for today:

The joy that came to our family When Mom Became Grandma...


Jingle Bell Rockin' with Rod...


Easters...


Christmas mayhem....


Weddings...


Golden anniversaries...


Camping trips...


Laughter with the one I love the most!

Wedding Bells for Ryan and Elle

This weekend we traveled to Fresno for the wedding of my nephew Ryan. How am I old enough to have a nephew who is old enough to be married?? I took pictures with Dad's camera and it was being very difficult, so here is the only picture I got of the bride and groom together:

Here is Elle:


And Ryan with Kim. That plate in his hand is from the burger bar. I think there were about 6 sauces and 10 different toppings. It was a great idea for an outdoor reception.


We enjoyed a mini family reunion. The mother and father of the groom, who have been married for 30 years:


Kim and Rodney:



Dad and Barbara:


Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Dick:


Les with two of his favorite nieces:


Kim and me:


My two siblings, love them very much!


There were six of these panels that Elle created.


And a self portrait of the photographer!


We also got to enjoy a Sunday morning service in Truth Tabernacle before driving home yesterday afternoon. Loved all the hugs I received!