Remembering my Nana

My dad adored his mother!!! And it showed, ALL THE TIME!!!

And she adored him as well!!!!

Nana and her great grandson, Trevor, my son, and My Dad

My mom and dad with Nana!!!

My dad loved her sooo much and loved to laugh with her!!!

When looking back through the years and spending my summers growning up visiting my Nanny and Papa in Hawaii, I have many fond memories. I remember going outside and picking flowers off the trees and making lei's and hair clips for Nanny to wear to work. She made herself a flower hair clip everyday. I will never forget the smell of those flowers and how delicate they were. Nanny always said to be gentle with them because they brown so easy. I remember her teaching me the Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian and her always trying to get me to taste everything, including poi. I remember the smell, the sound and the feel in her house. I loved her red carpet and the smell of coffee in the morning and believe it or not, the smell of my Papa's cigarette's. It was all a memory.

I remember when she would come to the mainland and visit us, she would swim with us and always have jumprope contests. She was a little girl caught in an old body, she would always tell us.

What else could happen? (6 Out of 6)

Saturday night we got word that our Nana, my dad's mom, had a heart attack and that her arteries are all blocked. They put a balloon in and if she is strong enough in the morning they will do a bypass. So, more prayers in behalf of my dad and his mom.

Early Monday morning at 3:45am I received a text from Tia which read, "Our Nana Returned Home to Our Heavenly Father" With these pictures from our family up north.

Aunty Almira made it to her all the way from Hawaii.

Eleann, Tamara, Uncle Elliot and Aunty Almira all by her side. GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN!!!

More Tests (5 out of 6)

That morning while putting on my makeup I just couldn't stop crying. I tried to get back to the hospital before they took my dad and I was one minute tooo late. Dang it, what if....

So my sister Irene and I just cried and hugged in the room and prayed to please watch over our dad, Heavenly Father. I felt such a peace after our prayer together. About an hour later I went out to the hall that I knew he would be coming through, so that he would have family there immediately. I heard the elevator open and it was my mom and brother, Clay-they wondered why I was sitting out there and I gave my reasoning and they thought I was brilliant. So we waited, then we heard another door open and it was his bed. I ran over and said, "Hey DAD!!!" His eyes popped open and said, "Top of the morning to ya!!!" He looked so good. He came in the room and said, "I have another day!!!! I am alive!!!" Then he sang the song from the Donny and Marie Show, "May Tomorrow, be a perfect day, may you find love and laughter along the way, May God keep you in his tender care, till he brings us together again.... Good Night Everybody!!!" He was so funny!!! I have my dad back!!! His first request was, "I want 7-up and Musibee". Well, right after he said that the nurse came in and told him he needed to wait 2 hours. He was not happy. While waiting he went to Physical Therapy and kept saying, "I better have a 7-up waiting for me after the times up." So Irene and I ran to the cafeteria and found that biggest cup and filled it. We received the word about his test around 2:30pm and the Dr. said, "The mass was gone. It either disolved or disappeared, but NO LONGER there." WOW, the power of prayer and fasting is soooo real. So they released him back to Coral Desert Rehab that day.

More of our Emotional Rollercoaster (4 Out of 6)

The Dr. finally came in at about 5:30pm and told us that his heart looked fantastic and all arteries are clear and the bloodflow looks great. His potassium is still a little low and they were going to move him up to the 4th floor to do some therapy on his knee and also in the morning he could have that Darn catheder taken out. My dad was so glad to hear that news. Well, that was my que to be able to go home so I did. I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things for dinner and while there, I had a few missed calls and happened to see my husband calling me. I answered and he said, "There were a few people at the hospital that were trying to get a hold of you, the Dr. came back in and said that there was an addendum to the tests on your dad's heart and they found a mass near his heart, that could either be a bloodclot or a tumor." OH MY GOODNESS, I tried to hold my composure in the store and went straight through the checkout and the guy said the amount and I just handed him my wallet and told him to get the money. I had never felt like that before, I WAS TOTALLY out of IT!!!! I don't even know how I drove home. I got home and couldn't stay, I dropped everything off and went back to the hospital. I stayed until we moved him back up to the 4th floor. The Dr. said that they will be taking him into surgury to do a procedure down his throat to see if they could determine what the mass was. So of course we turn to prayer and fasting again. I couldn't stop crying when I left the hospital, what would I do without my dad. I had a horrible feeling all night and I couldn't shake it, I just kept praying to please take this feeling away.

Scary Text!!! (3 Out of 6)

I was leaving work on Wednesday and received a text from my brother that said, "Please pray for dad we are taking him to the Emergency Room". So I went straight to the hospital. There, Clay and Mom were there and said that dad had gone from 240lbs to 277lbs in the last 5 days. He is retaining so much water and with his pacemaker, it can't be good. So they took him back and ran all kinds of tests. They then had to put a catheder in him to try and release all of the fluids. My dad was miserable with the catheder. He remembered Bryan's horror story and now he was living his own horror story. They ended up admitting him in the hospital on the Cardiac Unit to monitor his heart and continue running tests. His potassium level was up and down and his blood pressure was fine and if it wasn't one thing it was another. We stayed late that night and was told that they would have results for us in the morning. Well, I was at work and received another text that my dad's possaium levels were critically low and that it was not looking good for him. Then I received a phone call from my Aunt who also spoke to my mom and my mom was scared and also told her that it wasn't looking good for my dad. So at work I just broke down and ended up leaving to go and sit at the hospital until the Dr. came in with news. It was about 4:30pm and my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Sale, Jasen & Joanne, Victoria and Matty all came to see my dad. What a great surprise and a wonderful mood booster for everyone.

Dad trying to get comfortable.
Dad's poor leg.
Dad talking to Nana, his mother.
Aunty Joyce listening to my mom's story.
Uncle Sale and Dad visiting.

More on Dad (2 Out Of 6)

Dad and Tristan on Sunday night when we all went over to visit.
Everyone who came to visit with dad Sunday night.

Dad showing off his walking skills.

In Dad's room, before we moved to the dining room, TOO MANY PEOPLE!!!
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Well, Dad stayed in the hospital for three days, was released on Monday to go to the Coral Desert Rehab, across the street from the hospital. He was doing great, they put his leg in this contraption that continuously moves his leg. Dr. Smith, loves this machine and one of the nurses said, "If the patients could walk with it, Dr. Smith would have them." That's how much he swears by this machine. So they told us to make sure that when he gets to Coral Desert to make sure he gets his machine set up and get his leg in it. We get to the Rehab place and we get dad all situated and before I left at 6:00pm nobody had come in to give him his machine. So I went to the nurses station and asked about it and they said, "You don't have it? Well the Physical Therapist left for the night, so he will get it tomorrow, it won't hurt to go one night without it." So I went back and told my dad and he was fine with waiting till morning. I didn't get a chance to get back until I got a call after work on Wednesday.

Dad just got word that they were releasing him and the Rehab place was coming to pick him up!!!! YAY!!!! Fresh air and sunshine for the first time in 3 days.

Dad's Knee Replacement Surgery (1 Out Of 6)

Well, it has been long awaited and it finally happened. My dad agreed to have his knee replaced. He called himself, "A Half-of-A- Cowboy" because his left knee was SOOOO bowed, it almost looked like it would snap. He underwent surgery on November 12th by Dr. Scott Smith. He came out and was feeling GREAT!!! He was so loopy, when he saw my mom he said, "Hey Beautiful give me a KISS!!" My mom looked at all of us and just laughed and said,"What's wrong with him?" We told her it's the drugs that he's on. Then he said, "Did you not hear me? Give me a kiss!" hahahaha He was so funny!!!

My dad right out of surgery, Major was checking everything out, he was so cute!!!

My Dad noticed Major and was talking to him.

The nurse of course came in to take his vitals and give him more meds.

He wanted me to take a picture of his knee so that he could see that it wasn't crooked or bowed any more.

Disappointment!!!

These pictures were taken last year during Border League.
We received the news last week that our son, Trevor did not make the Freshman High School Basketball Team. WOW, were we surprised!!! He has played for a long time and is a GREAT ATHLETE. But there are alot of boys who ONLY play Basketball and are alot better than Trevor.
This taught Trevor a good lesson, not only is he a great athlete and can play any sport, every sport requires work. Even though he came straight out of Football Season that isn't an excuse to take a break. He understands and took the news so well. He was totally fine.

My husband on the other hand, took the news very HARD. He was absolutely shocked, it was like a bat hit him in the head and he was jumping up to take someone out. He didn't understand the whole thinking of the coaches. The coaches told Bryan that they invited Trevor to be the Team Manager, or as Bryan calls it, "The Water Boy". Bryan told them, "That's a slap in the face to an athlete." He was ticked. Well the next morning I was talking to Trevor and I told him to meet Cecilee in the weight room at the high school so he could workout with her and spot her. He told me, "I'm going to basketball practice, I am going to be the Team Manager." I was taken back because I just remember what Bryan had said and I thought Trevor's thoughts were the same. Well I was wrong!!!! Trevor said, "Mom, I get to practice with the team and learn their offense and get some time to work on my own skills, if I want to make the team next year." WOW, my son blew me away with his thinking. He didn't think that it was a slap in the face at all, he thought that it was an honor to still be with the team. I sure Love my son!!!!

Sadies 2010

This is how Cecilee asked Trevor to Sadies. While he was at church, Trevor (her brother) went and helped her set up the tent and leave this message on Trevor's (her date) front yard. SOOOO CUTE!!!!
On their day date they went to Pine Valley and went shooting. Cecilee definately is a GREAT SHOT!!!!!

Cecilee and her date, Trevor Nelson

Their group: (L to R)

Shayleen/Todd, Kendal/Date, Charlie/Chris R., Amber/Michael, Cecilee/Trevor

What great kids!!!!

Stake Flag Football

Flag Football has started for our stake and my boys love it!!! They woke up early this morning and went to play, when I got home from shopping with the girls, this is what I found. Think they are a little tired? They must have played hard. My husband always thinks that he is in high school again, until the next day!!! hahahaha

Sydnee's Soccer

Sydnee and a couple of her friends: Jacielyn and Aspen
Sydnee's Soccer Team

Sydnee in action on the field.

Penalty Kick

Many of you may not know that we have another soccer player in our family, because she is the baby and sometimes gets forgotten. I purposely got some pictures of her playing at her last game so that I could document it. She is just like all of the other soccer players in our family. She is amazing, she plays like Cecilee but is lacking a little bit of aggression. She is the typical baby of the family, spoiled rotten and sometimes doesn't like to work hard. Cecilee came with me to the last few games and she has an earful to tell Sydnee when she comes off the field. Thank goodness Sydnee has good mentors to help teach her. She of course, just rolls her eyes and probably is not listening. But being 11 she will only get better, especially if Cecilee has anything to do with it.

Clean Bill Of Health

Look how beautiful that scar looks!!!

Cecilee went to her last follow up appt. with Dr. Smith since her surgery. He said that she could shed her two friends, CRUTCHES and start walking with full weight on her leg. She is so excited. Still about 3 months out from being able to run, jog or kick a soccer ball. But she's happy that she is walking with NO ASSISTANCE. She walks with a limp, but she is very grateful for that. It's been a real eye opener for our whole family, to appreciate your health and strength and be grateful for what you have.

Halloween 2010

It's was that time of year again for our Annual Neighborhood Halloween Party. It was a blast. We had alot of food, families, and FUN!!! My family dressed as Gilligan's Island, which my kids didn't know what in the heck that or who was. I ran out of time to get dressed up, so I didn't. But I was just the professor, so that was fine. We love this annual tradition with our neighbors. It was the 5th year and still going strong.