Families are Forever....

I am so grateful for my knowledge of that great truth. I had the privilege of growing up in a wonderful family. What joy my parents and siblings have brought to me my entire life. The past couple of weeks, when dad was having problems with RC and was so sad, then when he had his heart problems, made me so heartsick at watching him suffer. You know that these sorts of problems are inevitable as we all age, but nothing can prepare you for the fear you have that one of your parents might die when they are still so full of life.

A large, extended family fasting and praying together is a very powerful thing. Priesthood blessings are just that....a huge blessing in our lives. So much love was expressed for our dear mom and dad. I am grateful to be part of this large, extended family unit, where we all pull together and do what we can to help out.

Dad knows it, too. He told me today that even though we aren't all visiting him a lot of times right now that he knows how concerned we all are about him. I'm glad he feels our love. I'm sure grateful that he was willing to go through with his surgery so that we can enjoy him longer.

Mom seems so relieved today that dad is doing so much better. I don't think any of us can even imagine how hard this week has been for her.

There is a lot of work ahead for all of us. But, with each other, we will make it!!

6 a.m. update

I got up this morning and couldn't stand it and called the hospital for an update. They said that dad had a good night. He slept more than he has. The bleeding has slowed down, and the KIDNEY FUNCTION NUMBERS ARE IMPROVING!! The nurse said that they aren't where they would like them to be yet, but they are definitely heading in the right direction.

Update 3:52 p.m.

The bleeding has stopped. Some bloodwork showed a reduced blood amount so they were going to give him another blood transfusion to see if the numbers stabilized. They want to make sure there is no internal bleeding that they can't see. The nurse said that the lower numbers could be a residual effect of the bleeding that he did this morning and they didn't surprise her.

She said that dad's pain seemed to be improving and he was resting. Thanks all for your love and concern. Mom is home cooking and puttering around the house which seems to be good therapy for her. Mom will visit dad again at 5 p.m. If I get an update after that visit, I'll post it here.

Update 3/23 2:16 p.m.

Grandpa has improved in the last little while. The bleeding has slowed down and the doctor thinks that it is clotting now. The nurses have said that Grandpa does better with no visitors. So, Grandma can go in for about 10 minutes at a time. Other than that, they want Grandpa to try to sleep. We all know how social he is and if someone is there he will try to talk.

Grandma is going home to rest. Ronda and Steve are going golfing and Brenda and Angie are going back to work. I will call the hospital in an hour or so to get an update and will post it here.

By the way, RC should be fine. They are reducing his steroids. They think that too much prednisone is causing the bleeding.

Update 3/23 9:13 a.m.

Ronda talked to the nurse this morning. Dad is still bleeding more than he should be. They had to bring the doctor in during the night and they gave him two units of blood. They are not sure why he is bleeding this much. It could be from the cancer that he has, or they could have nicked another artery during the surgery. If it hasn't slowed down by noon, they will run some tests to try and determine the cause of the bleeding. There is a possibility that he could require more surgery to find or fix the problem.

Ronda said to pray that Dad's blood clots soon. Also pray for Grandma. She is having a hard time watching Grandpa suffer.

Update 3/23 7:55 a.m.

I just talked to Grandma. She said that Grandpa was really miserable when she saw him last night. He said that until he gets better he doesn't want any visitors. She is going to see him again this morning. When I have an update, I'll let you know.

Also, RC still is not doing well again. Ralph is taking him to the vet this morning. But, we are not going to tell Grandpa about that. If he asks, Grandma is going to tell him that he is doing about the same.

Keep praying. Things are going to be tough for Grandpa and Grandma for a while....

Surgery Scheduled

Dad's surgery is scheduled for 7 a.m. on Monday morning. It is supposed to take about 5 hours. We are going to have a family fast this weekend. Many of us are going to fast starting on Saturday and ending at Rob's luncheon on Sunday.

I love you all. I know that Dad has had a lot of visitors and is feeling the love from so many family members. It is a huge blessing to be a part of such a close knit, loving family.

Grandpa Bob

I think all of us were worried about Grandpa last week when RC was so sick. We all know that his health is very bad. Well our fears were realized. He is in the hospital with chest pain. It doesn't look like it is a heart attack. They are running more tests and I'll post here as soon as we know anything.

Keep praying.....

Update....2:06. They are admitting Grandpa. He will be having a procedure in the heart Cath Lab. Not sure when. I'll post more when I know.

Update 4:47....Still waiting for the Angiogram. If it is a new blockage another stint will be put in. If it is more scar tissue at the site of the previous stint, then Grandpa has to decide if he wants to attempt bipass surgery. The doctor said that it might not be technically possible to do bipass surgery. The diameter of the artery could be too small. If that is the case, Dr. Chambers will do his best to open it back up. Grandpa is very nervous, as you can imagine. He doesn't want surgery, but the doctor said that if it is possible to do it, then it would be his best option.

It's March.....Hooray!!

We made it through January and February. Spring will soon be here. The winter actually has been pretty nice this year, except that I got the flu a couple of weeks ago....then it turned into a sinus infection. But, I am feeling much better now, which is great!! Didn't get the flu shot this year. Guess I should have.

The other night I told Amber that she should go skiing with Jason so Jaden could have another time on the slopes. I kept the twins. It is always an adventure when they are around. Since the skiers would be late getting home, I volunteered to keep the boys all night. It was great until 5:15 when they got up ready to play!!



Melissa was having some computer problems. She brought it home to me to look at. It was full of Malware and viruses. I had never had to deal with that kind of problem before...but thanks to google, I was able to find some fixes for the problems she was having. It took a lot of hours, but seems to have worked. I just love solving those types of problems.

Luckily the computer was fixed by early Saturday morning. Greg is feeling very stressed out from work. They are having their big yearly audit at work. He had to work on Friday and Sunday, so Saturday was his only day to get some rest. He wanted to go snowshoe in Teton Park. I'm so glad he wanted to go there because we had a fabulous time and some great exercise.

Here is what it looked like from the trail head. Out hike would take us over the hills in the middle of the photo and we would end up at Taggart Lake.



Standing on a bridge, we could hear the stream underneath the snow. It was so beautiful there. Wish the photo had sound.



We definitely dressed too warmly and quickly started shedding coats, hats, gloves...





The lake is still frozen over, but was a nice place to stop and put my feet up.



I could even find evidence that spring really will get here. The snow is melting.



We wanted to hike the loop, so coming up out of the lake was a big hill.....But we made it with no problems. Working out at the gym definitely has strengthened my legs.



Late in the afternoon, the light shining on the mountains turned really pretty and most of the clouds burned off. It was spectacular. I could have just stayed there for hours looking at the beauty of it all.





Then as we were coming down, it clouded up again. One last stop on the bridge before heading home.



It was a perfect day.