Family Week

We've had a really great week.  James finished classes last Saturday, so we have all enjoyed the family time together.  On Monday we had FHE, on Tuesday we all went to the dollar movie theater and saw Wall-E.  On Wednesday the kids and I rode the bus to campus to have lunch with Daddy.  It's an idea that I got from my sis-in-law, and I want to do it once a semester.  The kids loooved riding the bus.  I was a little nervous about catching the right one and keeping track of my 3 kids and double stroller, but we made it there and back like old hats.  Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course.  James' parents drove from Davenport (3 hrs) to spend the day.  All James let me do was sweet potatoes and cranberry jelly.  Thanksgiving feast is definitely his show. :)  I still say that I could have done a better job with the rolls.  Ah well, maybe next year.

I finished up a few projects that I will try to get pictures up tomorrow.  Curtains for the girls' room and a Christmas advent calendar!  Fun for me to work on!!  

Catch-up: Halloween

I'm finally home! I've never been so happy to be in my little apartment and look after my little family. :) Here are some pictures of our Halloween- The costumes I seriously made the night before, since I had just gotten home from Phoenix. Not that hard- I found Brooklyn's on familyfun.com and is just made out of craft foam. I made up Logan's cowboy outfit with brown fabric for the vest and chaps. Brighton wanted to be a princess, so her special touch was a crown made out of foil and glued-on gems.

The loot! I couldn't get them to look up for a picture. :)

What Logan and I did on Halloween night while Brighton and Brooklyn went trick-or-treating with Daddy.

On the road again...

Yesterday I drove to Wichita to help out my family. Well, I guess I should say something about my trip to Phoenix. It was tough seeing my mom in the Neuro ICU. She couldn't really talk, and was hooked up to all these tubes and things. Her left eye was a little droopy from her surgery. And it was hard when the nurses would come in every shift and ask her questions, like her name. She couldn't remember it. She had a hard time understanding what they were saying and wanted her to do. After a few days there, she got to move out of the ICU into the acute ward. That was much better as they didn't have to bother her as often. My dad had a hotel room, but we (meaning Christy, my mom's sister who was there from the beginning) pretty much stayed at the hospital the whole time, only going back to shower and change clothes. We ate peanut butter and honey sandwiches and any leftovers from mom's hospital plate. :) We took turns sleeping on the couch and recliner.

It was really neat to see her start physical and occupational therapy. She was trying to hard, and it was encouraging to see her be able to do things like brush her teeth. And starting to walk again. She improved a lot every day.

Anyway, I won't say too much about the hospital because she's doing so much better now. I was there for a week, then flew home for a week before driving out. It's only a 7 hour drive, so not too bad. I brought the kids, but James has to finish up the semester. The plan was for Mom to be in a rehab hospital here for 2-6 weeks, but she was done with that after 4 days. She really didn't need to be there. So she came home yesterday, and she's been doing really well. I get my kids up and fed, then I go upstairs and wake her up and help her shower and get ready for the day, and then I get myself and my kids showered and ready for the day. My mom is walking so great now, without a walker or any help. She can't walk too far because she does get tired. And I usually hold her hand so I can tell if she's getting off balance. Because of the stroke, she's partially blind in her right eye. She hasn't adjusted to it yet so she runs into stuff a lot because she can't see it. She's talking a lot more, even though it doesn't always come out right. When asked today how tall she is, she guessed eight feet. :)

Right now, she always needs someone to be with her. And to help her get her meals and take her medication. Part of that seems weird, but really she is doing soooo much better than when I first saw her after the stroke. And I'm glad that I got to be with her at the hospital, because I don't think I would have realized what she has recovered from. She has been so strong, even when she was scared because she didn't know what was going on. I'm so glad that I could give back a little.

Fairy Dance

Our library had a fairy dance the Saturday before I left for Phoenix. It wasn't quite as sumptuous an affair as the Fairy Tea at the Provo library, but it was still fun. :)

I learned my lesson last time, that half the fun is taking time to get all dressed up. They let me curl their hair and everything!!

Some gals from ISU came and did a short ballet, then led them through some fairy stretches and such that sounded similar to a beginning ballet class. The girls had a good time!