My axolotl is growing...

Memorial Day Weekend photos

Memorial Day Weekend

Life has been so hectic lately...I realized I hadn't even posted the photos I took at Mom and Dad's on Mothers' Day. So they're on here now. Where do I start...last weekend we stayed at Mom's on Friday night and when we got up in the wee hours to help her, John passed out. It really scared all of us. He went to the dr. and has been scheduled for some heart tests and a treadmill test this week. In the midst of all this, my boss decided to retire and I knew this would be my only chance to become head of the department...even though the timing wasn't great with all that's going on in our family. But I applied and interviewed and just put it in the Lord's hands. Last week I found I had gotten the job! I start June 1st as Director of Children's Services. I'm pretty excited about it! This weekend we visited with our kids in Michigan. It was our first visit up there since Thanksgiving due to our weekend duties at Dad and Mom's. It was so great to get away and spend some quality time with the family. Betsy was so much fun...she's talking all the time...counting, singing the alphabet song and is just a barrel of fun to be around. Molly and I did a little bargain hunting when she was taking her nap and found lots of neat things at Goodwill. We went to their church Sunday morning then headed to Lansing with them to visit Joel and Wendy. Wendy is in her 26th week and has a cute little tummy. Baby "Jake" seems to be developing normally and they're doing really well. I have a few photos to share too. We stopped to see Mom on our way home. She is so weak and isn't really eating at all. She only said a couple of words to us and dozed most of the time. It's so hard to not have her be a part of our lives like she has been for so many years. She was always the first person I wanted to share news with. Dad looks so tired and down. He's trying to build a ramp so he can let Mom sit outside and enjoy the warm weather. She told him she didn't want to be a "lawn ornament". She still has a sense of humor. That's about it for the weekend. I have a pile of laundry to catch up with before it's back to work tomorrow. I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day!

Mothers' Day 2007

Betsy with green eyes!

A friend of Molly's took this photo of Betsy...it made her eyes look green instead of blue but it's sure a pretty pose. I'll update here soon I promise...life has been really hectic and I have lots of news...maybe I'll get time to write later.

Some new Betsy and Molly pictures

My new pet...

A friend of mine brought a new pet to the library for me. It's an axolotl...a type of salamander from Mexico. So far he's getting along nicely with my blue betta. He's still in an early stage of development...doesn't have his back legs yet. I'll try to keep you up on his progress here.

I spent Friday with Mom on my day off. She is about the same...she can't walk at all now and so moving her from bed to the wheelchair and the commode is a major undertaking. Especially when it's just me and Dad. It's a lot easier with John there because he's strong enough to support all her weight. She's lost the use of her left hand and the left side of her face isn't functioning right either. It's so sad to see how this disease has progressed. Her mind is still good and she has a good memory but some difficulty expressing herself. Eating is difficult because she gets choked easily. We keep a small wastebasket under the foot of her recliner so she won't try to get up alone. That's what happened the last time she fell. It frustrates her and makes her mad at times but it's the safest way to keep her from falling out of her recliner. Sherry came over Friday afternoon so Dad could get out of the house for a little while. He loves to hunt for Indian artifacts and so he had an hour or two of hunting to give him a little break. I know he's so exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally caring for Mom 24 hours a day. He still doesn't look like he's 80 but I think he's starting to feel like it. I'm going out there tomorrow morning so Sherry can have a break to go home and feed her animals. She has a bunch of horses, cattle, and 2 llamas plus assorted dogs and cats so feeding and watering them is a major job! I really admire all the time she's put into Mom's care...she's laid off from her job and hasn't really had time to look for another so this has been a big sacrifice for her. She and Ruth really have the biggest burden of Mom's care aside from Dad since they don't have jobs right now. It's been pretty tough on all of us, but I'm really glad we've had the chance to show Mom and Dad how much they mean to us.