physical therapy and radiation

mom had her first physical therapy appt. yesterday and it went well. she can move her forearm and hand and bend her elbow with little pain. yay, mom!

dad started his second week of radiation today and he's looking good. just a little bit of redness on the area, nothing too noticeable. the kids and i had a nice treat today of having blendeds at the coffee bean & tea leaf in chino hills after his appointment. a nice time for all of us! though the kids did miss grammy :(... hopefully next time she can join us!

photos previously promised

here are some photos from dad's surprise 80th birthday party:

what the...

gotcha!


omg... i can't believe....

grampy and his little buddy ian

the hosts

i just can't believe it...




happy birthday to you!

blow out the candles on my birthday cake






a bounty of blessings: family, friends, and life!

good friends

grampy and 2 of his grandgirls... what a night!

surgery successful

mom's surgery was 3 hours long yesterday and successful. they were able to mend her own bones so no artificial shoulder was needed. if the bone does not heal like it should, the artificial partial shoulder is always an option.

she is home now and doing well. i shall find out more tomorrow when the kids and i visit. thanks again for all the prayers, help and well wishes.

dad is continuing treatment and doing well. please continue your prayers for them both!

today

mom is going in for surgery this morning at 10am. the shoulder is comprised of four parts and she broke 2 parts and displaced all four. they'll be attempting to put it back together with four screws and a plate but if her osteoporosis prohibits them from doing this, they'll have to put in a partial artificial shoulder. so this morning she's on her way to being a "bionic woman" -- complete with sound effects!

as for dad, his first treatment yesterday went well and he will continue for the next 17 business days.

thanks for all of your prayers... may they continue! and thank you for the offers of help.... they are greatly needed!

we need "a little help from our friends"

on tuesday, avery celebrated her 6th birthday. we fished and just played together. she really enjoyed her special day. today, we took her bowling to continue the celebration and it was great until mom fell and landed on her shoulder. we took her to the ER and found out she broke it in 2 places. mom and dad will be returning home on saturday, 11/1.

for those of you who may not know, dad starts radiation treatment on monday to target that spot of MCC on his left cheek. the drs in seattle have been consulted and the oncologist and radiologist have set the course for treatment. 17 consecutive business days starting monday, 11/3.

so, with dad starting treatment and mom with a broken shoulder, we are all going to need "a little help from our friends". whether it's a meal for the folks or taking one of them to an appointment, if you can lend a hand, please let us know. and as you already know, prayer is always welcome!

**can you hear that Beatles song?

vacation

as i write this i am listening to a blustery wind outside my window at our friend's home in Weed, CA. that's right... Weed, CA. brian and i planned a vacation to first drive to San Jose to take the kids to a children's museum there and then head on up here to Weed a stay for awhile at our friend's place where we spent some extended time last year. we asked dad and mom if they'd like to join us and the answer was an emphatic "yes!".

so here we are. San Jose was great. mom and dad got a chance to visit our friend Charles who was the caregiver and "adopted son" to mom's great aunt maryann, as well as visit the site where maryann and her husband carl are buried. up here in Weed, we are in the shadow of Mt. Shasta [which has very little snow on it... surprising for this time of year!]. we've had the chance to see many of the local sites in the "state of Jefferson" and visit Mt. Shasta City and the headwaters of the Sacramento River, McCloud and the reservoir 10 miles outside of town [great fishing... dad and brian caught 9 rainbow trout! mckenna was the official "netter"], and our friends' Dale Creek property. we even took a drive up to Medford, OR, to tour the Harry & David plant and then to Ashland, OR, to visit Lithia Park and walk the town. the fall leaves are so beautiful up here... we all can't seem to get enough of that "eye candy"! it truly shows the handywork of our Creator.

we are having a great time up here. thanks to all who are praying for us.... keep up the great work!

dad's birthday

my last post mentioned a surprise in store and many of you know what that surprise was... it was a birthday party. SURPRISE! and was he surprised. about 35 of his friends and family came out for the fun. he didn't know what was happening. he thought he was just coming over to our house for a quiet birthday dinner. i will post pictures soon.

so many thanks to all of you who sent cards, letters, flowers, goodies and donated blood. dad said it was his best birthday ever and in all his 80 years, he had never had a surprise party thrown for him!

so happy birthday, dad. you've arrived at 80 with style and class. and we are so glad!