Marshmallow Pictures and Giant Water Slide Party

On Monday July 18, our family met at the Heritage Park in Cedar Hills  (beautiful place) for family pictures--Katie was our great photographer! It was such a stressful day--with traffic jams, a wardrobe malfunction (I couldn't get my new earrings in my pierced ears), complaints from the guys that they felt like a BAG OF MARSHMALLOWS in their new white shirts, WIND and RAIN--which made some people think we should cancel (perish the thought after all the stress of geting there!), but Katie was able to take some pictures that we are excited to see. I appreciate her patience. We discovered that Daxton likes to pose and be photographed. Sarabeth said she thought it was helpful that it was a cute girl taking the pictures!

It was great to have a "girl" get-together on Tuesday July 19 at the Trellis Cafe at Thanksgiving Point--love the tomato basil soup (but mother doesn't). I'll post some pictures, but some didn't turn out very well so I apologize that not everyone is included. It was so fun to see Julie who was here for a short time from Arizona. We enjoyed the visit, food and fun together--wish we could do it more often!

Sunday the 24th we went to the Pleasant Grove Concert in the Park--the group that played was called "The Sixth Ward Funeral Potatoes". Mother enjoyed their music--they played violins, banjo, cello and sang.

Sunday was also David's 38th birthday. We celebrated on Monday with a giant double water-slide in our back yard. Thanks to everyone who came--it was so much fun and David is already talking about next year's party! Mother really enjoyed the day--sat in the shade, watched the kids slide and play in the water, visited with family and neighbors. Loved the food--the salads and desserts were fabulous--thanks for donating!  After that full day, I thought Mother would be ready for a day of resting, but Tuesday morning when she got up she said, "Let's go out for breakfast!" So we went to Mimi's in Orem--great muffins! Tuesday afternoon she went with me to run some errands--isn't she fabulous! Here's a few pictures of the water-slide party--I didn't take very many and most of the ones I did take weren't very good.

Mother so enjoyed the visit and dinner out on Friday night with Danna Lee and Adam--she said, "They were so nice to me!" Art and I were gone for the evening and I'm always happy to know that mother had visitors!

As you can tell, mother is doing quite well--not everything she would like to do, but I think she's amazing! What a great example she is to us--endure to the end! She loves the visits with family whenever possible so drop by if you get a minute in your busy schedule--or even a phone call is great!

Grandma sends her love to all!

It's Good to Remember When the Sprinklers Are Scheduled to Turn On!

Last week was kind of uneventful--we didn't have birthdays or holidays to celebrate! I guess the highlight of the week was taking Sarabeth's kids on a "Garden Tour" Saturday evening. Sarabeth comes every week to work in our garden in exchange for produce--good deal for us, huh? Daxton usually works along with her--at least for a while--and so he has taken quite an interest in how the garden is growing. They came Saturday evening just for a visit and Daxton asked if I could show him the garden--of course Aydia wanted to come too! I showed them the little baby cucumbers and the corn that is as tall as Daxton now, the carrots and green beans that have blossoms; we went looked at the rhubarb and onions--I was so enjoying having them in the garden with me. Suddenly, our peaceful tour was shattered when the sprinklers came on and we all got drenched! Daxton laughed and thought it was delightful--Aydia screamed and didn't think it was fun or funny! Art, Sarabeth and mother were laughing at us from the safety of the deck!

We weren't sure we should go to the Concert in the Park on Monday--it looked like rain, but we decided we wanted to get out of the house so we went to Paradise Cafe and got sandwiches, then to the concert. There were not very many attending but we only had a few little drops of rain and were glad we went. The performers were a barbershop chorus and another quartet--enjoyed the quartet more than the chorus. We did a little shopping on Tuesday--Mother said she just wanted to ride along, but at Costco I convinced her  to go in with us--the wheelchair makes that possible and with Amy pushing the grocery cart, it was a good outing.

There is a sister in the ward that used to be mother's visiting teacher and she was so sad when her visiting teaching district was changed and no longer included mother. (Mother and I were so sad too!)She told me that she was going to come and visit every month anyway and she has been faithful about doing that. She is so sweet and always brightens mother's day--she brings a message or story or something. Seems like she's always inspired to come at a time when I'm going to be gone--she came this week on the day I had a doctor appointment. She's a blessing in mother's life.

Thanks to Buffy for sending a sweet card--mother enjoys getting mail from family. It was great to talk to Kent when he called--I believe it was Thursday evening. So sorry to hear that he and Sheila have been sick. Also talked to Nyla on Skype Sunday evening--mother always loves visiting with her.

Saturday Heather came and we went to "scout" a place for family pictures. Mother enjoyed the beautiful park we found near us--it was nice because it has a paved bicycle path so it was easy for mother to enjoy the scenery from her wheelchair. Katie is taking family pictures for us tonight--appreciate having a photographer in the family!

Yesterday mother went to Sacrament Meeting--always so glad when she can come with us. We enjoyed a Concert in the Park in Pleasant Grove Sunday evening--an amazing family with five children who all play string instruments--violin, cello, and one played the piano. They played some wonderful classical music.

That's pretty much it for this week. Have a great week!

4th of July Week

This past week I think mother felt pretty good as we continue to celebrate every chance we get! Most of our July 4th celebrations happened on the weekend and we spent a rather quiet day on the 4th. Amy and I went to the Stadium of Fire with Heather's family on Saturday. Sarabeth came that night and did fireworks with those left at home-- Art, David and Mother. 

Sunday night our family came to do fireworks in our backyard we had homemade raspberry ice cream. Mother enjoyed the show, but was too tired to go to the park with us where Spencer shot off his "aerial" fireworks--previously illegal--he was so excited.

On Monday, the 4th, we took lunch to Art's parents. Enjoyed visitng with them--Art's dad is quite frail and as we sat around their table together, I couldn't help but feel so blessed to have this "season" to enjoy our wonderful parents.

Tuesday was the Concert in the Park for this week--American Fork Symphony. Enjoyed that evening.

Heather came on Thursday--I was gone for the morning to a Relief Society meeting and she went through some mail and paper-work. When I got home from my meeting, we all went out to lunch at Paradise Bakery.  Love those chicken-walnut sandwiches!

The rest of the week, we enjoyed the back yard, sitting on the deck and the sweet summer life with a few rainy days sprinkled in.

Here are some pictures from mother's birthday party back in April, 2011. I know there's a lot, but I tried to be selective and it was hard to choose--I took a LOT of pictures that day!

Have a great week! Mother sends her love to all!

Party On...

The month of May begins a flurry of celebrations at our house--we have lots of summer birthdays, the holidays (and weddings this year!) that all require parties and fun times together. Here are some pictures from some of those celebrations.

Karen's Birthday--Early May and even though the weather
was still quite cold, we had a good day on my birthday so
we went to a park after watching Seth's ballgame.

Mother and her dear friend, Lorna.

Taken in Logan the day of Kirrah's wedding.

Notice mother's house in the background.

Here are some pictures from Kirrah's wedding reception.

July 3--fireworks in the back yard--here are all the girls in the family watching the show--sorry you can't see the fireworks.

Mother seems to be enjoying the summer months and celebrations with us. She is fairly healthy but has ups and downs--some days she is so sad--it's heart wrenching. I always try to be cheerful and hope it helps. One of the things our parents taught their children was how to work hard and be ambitious--no laziness allowed when we were growing up on the farm! So I know it's hard for her to feel like she can't do much. She thinks she's being lazy, but of course she's not! One day she said, "I wish I was ambitious like you." I told her that she is an ambitious person, she just can't do all she used to. 

Have a great week!

A Concert and A Wedding

Originally I planned on posting every Sunday--sorry it didn't work out last Sunday--I'm not even sure why. So, I'll try to remember and catch up before next Sunday.

Last week was busy and eventful. We went to the Concert in the Park in American Fork. It is one of our favorite things to do in the summertime--great local talent, beautiful surroundings and it's free! Last Monday was a special treat--Jenny Oaks Baker. She is an accomplished violinist and the daughter of Dallin Oaks. After seeing her in concert last summer, we have become fans! She plays a lot of hymns and inspirational music. I was grateful for a good neighbor and friend who picked up David and Amy and went to the amphitheater early to save a place--then I went later with mother so she didn't have to wait so long for the concert to begin. The Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra also performed--an amazing group of local musicians who have only been together for a short period of time. The director, Mr. Peugh, told us that he had been talking with a friend a while ago who mentioned that he has always wanted to direct an orchestra playing the William Tell Overture. Mr. Peugh thought that would be a fun piece to play so the orchestra started rehearsing it. Then he asked his friend to be the guest conductor for the piece--his friend was Glade Jorgenson. He said Mr. Jorgenson graduated from BYU with a degree in music in 1939, then, because of the war, joined the air force--became a pilot and spent the rest of his life working in aviation, never using his music degree. He came up on stage and conducted the William Tell Overture--he is 95 years old. It was a highlight of the concert. I think mother really enjoyed it.

I had planned on taking my camera to get some pictures, but forgot. There was a lady sitting next to me with a camera taking a lot of picture--we actually squeezed together so she could sit there so I asked if she would be willing to take a picture of my mother and email it to me. She was very gracious and emailed these pictures that very night--

After I got them, I emailed her and told her about this blog so she emailed these pictures that she had taken of Jenny Oaks Baker and the guest conductor:

Jenny Oaks Baker and the Timpanogos Orchestra Conductor

95-year old Guest Conductor

I thought it was nice of her to send the pictures.

Saturday morning we got up and drove to Logan for Kirrah's wedding luncheon and sealing ceremony in the Logan Temple. Mother really wanted to go and she felt fairly good so we decided to try it. We enjoyed the luncheon at noon, then went to visit Lorna Wanlass, mother's next-door neighbor in North Logan. She told us she had knee surgery just five weeks ago--she seemed to be recovering nicely. It was a good visit--sat on her beautiful back lawn.

Tyler and Lacey Faddis, the renters in mother's house were out in their yard--they have planted a little garden in back so we visited with them for a few minutes. They are such nice people and seem to be caring for mother's house very well.  I introduced him to mother--she's met him before, but needed a reminder. When I told her who he was, he said, "We're the lucky ones who live in your house." I think they understand how fortunate they are to be able to live in that beautiful home. I really wanted to take some pictures with them to post on the blog--got my camera out and turned it on--no picture on the viewer. Then I realized I had taken the battery out to charge it and forgot to put it back in. Tyler took a couple of pictures on his camera and said he would email to me--haven't seen them yet.

After the visit, we went to the temple--beautiful sealing--beautiful bride and handsome groom. How speical that mother could attend her great-granddaughter's wedding.

After the wedding, mother was very tired but really wanted to visit her good friend, Barbara Berger. We stopped by her house for a few minutes, then started on our way home. Mother was exhausted and we considered staying in Logan in a motel for the night. I wasn't sure that she would be able to rest in a motel and it was only 5:00 p.m.--didn't know what we'd do for the whole evening and night. So, mother laid down on the back seat and I drove home. She was very tired and couldn't go to church the next day, but by Monday she seemed pretty good. I've decided if we travel to Logan again, we need to plan on it being a two-day trip.

That's pretty much the week! Thanks for your love and prayers. 

Summertime and Fresh Strawberry Shakes

Summer decided to show up for quite a few days lately--we love the sunshine! This week has been the Pleasant Grove City celebration--Strawberry Days (don't you love that name--so much better than Steel Days or Black and White Days, don't you think?). We don't get too involved in the festivities--guess we're old, but we do love the fresh strawberry shakes available at Taco Amigo in Pleasant Grove for a "very limited time". The owner is actually our stake patriarch and usually brings the famous shakes to the High Council Meeting, which Art attends because he's the Stake Clerk. This week High Council was cancelled because several of them were volunteering at Strawberry Days that night. Art was very disappointed (rare to be disappointed about a meeting being cancelled!) because he was sure it was the night Brother Keetch would bring shakes! So, we just had to go get some to make up for it!  We love sitting on our deck in the evening with one of those delicious shakes--mother shared one and enjoyed it very much. Anyone wants to come visit soon and we'll spring for the most amazing strawberry shakes you've ever tasted! (If you don't believe me, just ask Kent and Sheila!)

Thanks to Andrea and Pam for their visit this week--mother was so glad to have you come and she enjoyed the delicious lunch. I take my grandsons to the library on Wednesday so it was nice that someone was here with mother while I was gone, but I was sorry that I didn't get to see you!

Mother has been up and down this week--somedays I think she is doing better, but then it seems like she has a couple of bad days. She does a lot of sleeping. I was quite worried that she was getting an infection again, but they did some tests and said she doesn't have any infection now. Thursday was an especially hard day--she slept so much and I couldn't get her to eat--I was very discouraged. She has been a little better since then--tonight she enjoyed our Father's Day dinner of steak, baked potatoes, salad, watermelon, Lion House rolls and brownies with ice cream.

We very much enjoyed the Concert in the Park in American Fork last Monday night. The group that played was Joshua Creek--David and Amy bought three of their CD's, which we've enjoyed listening to all week. The concerts are held at the American Fork Amphitheater and it's so nice because it is so wheelchair accessible. We try to get there early enough so mother can sit in her wheelchair on the front row. She really loves it and so do we! We're excited to go tomorrow night and see Jenny Oaks Baker. I sure hope mother feels well enough to go.

I'm so amazed at mother's determination. Yesterday I went to the grocery store and she rode along--she rarely goes into the store with me anymore. I had quite a few grocery bags and when we got home
I was helping her into the house--she has her cane in one hand and I am holding her other hand and supporting her back somewhat. She says to me, "I need to go in and use the bathroom, then I'll come and help you carry those groceries in." I honestly don't know how she thought she could carry a grocery bag, but I'm sure she would have tried! I just told her that David and Amy would help me and she didn't need to worry about it. She's amazing!

Thanks to everyone for your love to mother and especially your prayers in her behalf. Sometimes it's hard to understand why she has to go through this difficult time of life, but we are trusting in the Lord and know that He knows what is best for all of us. I know that I've learned from this experience and I'm grateful for the opportunity to take care of her. It is so touching to me how very appreciative mother is--she says "thank you" for every little thing we do. How blessed we are to have her example of enduring to the end.

No pictures this week--I know she wouldn't be happy with pictures until she can get to the hairdresser!

Love to all!

Time With Family

Gratefully, this week has been better than the previous two. Mother has finished her antibiotic and seems to be doing quite a bit better. I was concerned when, on Saturday morning, she refused to get up for Carolina (the home health aid) have her shower. Said she just couldn't do it. However, after resting for a while she said she really wanted to go to Kirrah's bridal shower. We made it right at the end of the shower, but she seemed to enjoy getting out of the house and seeing some of the grandchildren. Some pictures follow (I'm so proud that I figured out how to add pictures--now if I can just remember!) She smiled, laughed and visited. It was so fun to be together--she loves being with her children and grandchildren. We are hoping to make it to the Logan Temple for Kirrah's wedding! 



Kirrah's Bridal Shower




A beautiful bride and Great Grandma



Friday mother enjoyed having Kent and Sheila visit. Appreciate them taking time to come here--Kent flew in Thursday night and they flew out Friday night with their grandsons who are spending the summer with them. I know it was an extra effort for them to come. Mother always remembers when Kent and Sheila are coming and looks so forward to their visit. By the way, Happy Birthday to Kent and Sheila within the last week!

Danna Lee also visited this week--or was that last week?? She brought the fun bags that Nyla sent from Singapore. Thanks for your visit!

Danna Lee and Grandma at Kirrah's shower

Today when we sat down in Sacrament Meeting, mother looked at the date on the program and said, "June 12--today is my mother's birthday". I didn't remember that and it was nice to take a moment to think about our wonderful ancestor and her example--what a great family she has here on earth and with her in heaven. For Mother's Day, I did a "Maternal Line" photo for mother and each of my girls--at least as far back as I had pictures. Thanks to my cousin, DeAnn, for her help with this project. I really felt the spirit of these wonderful women who have made our life so blessed.

Mother's Maternal Line--Great Women!

Today has been the best day of the week--we all attended Sacrament Meeting, then after dinner, Sarabeth and Morgan came and we enjoyed visitng with them and having some treats together. Mother had a dish of chocolate ice cream and two dishes of orange sherbet (with chocolate sauce)! Maybe her appetite is returning! We also went to the Pleasant Grove Concert In The Park--a summer tradition that we love. Today the Utah Children's Choir performed and it was great. Such a pleasant thing to do on a Sunday night! Later, we watched the end of "The Music Man" on TV and enjoyed a Skype visit with Nyla.



Enjoying Ice Cream and Popcorn with the family on the deck

 Thanks for reading about Mother's week and have a great week ahead. Love to all!

"A Very Young Heart"

It was another difficult week for mother. After the episode at the ER last week, she seemed to do a little better for a few days. She was even looking forward to going to Logan for Jennifer's wedding, but when Saturday came, she didn't feel well enough. I was encouraged on Sunday because she attended all three church meetings. Things went down hill from there and by Wednesday I knew we had to do something--I really hated to take her to the hospital again so I called her doctor. She prescribed a stronger antibiotic, but after I described mother's situation, she said, "It would not be wrong to take her back to the hospital." So back we went to the ER. When we arrived, they took vital signs and seemed quite relaxed about her condition. I think they anticipated that she would need some fluids and more antibiotic and then would go home. Suddenly, her heart rate went very high, her blood pressure went very low and they started asking me if she had advance directives. I started crying. Mother was very anxious and agitated, but I'm not sure she was totally aware of all that was going on. However, at one point, she asked me, "Am I about to die?" The doctor asked if she had ever experienced heart arrthymias and said that may be what was happening. They gave her some medication that stops the heart momentarily and then it restarts--kind of like "re-setting" the heart. After administration of the medication, her heart rate immediately went back to normal and her blood pressure started to increase, though they were rapidly giving fluid to try to increase the volume. She received three doses of IV antibiotic and they admitted her to ICU. She was still very agitated and unable to get to sleep--she was very sleepy because they had given her a sedative, but she would drift off for about two second, then kind of jump and wake up to more tossing and turning, kicking and moaning. It was such a hard thing to watch and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't calm her down. It was around 3:00 a.m. before she was finally able to get some sleep.


Thursday all her vital signs seemed good, but she was having a difficult time breathing. The doctor ordered tests--CT scan of her lungs to check for blood clots, then an Echocardiogram to look at her heart, and an EKG. Friday morning test results revealed no blood clots, no heart problems and she seemed to be breathing a little better. Dr. Hill said, "You have a very young heart!" Then he smiled and said, "I've been trying really hard to find something wrong with you, but I can't!" He gave permission for her to go home.

Since coming home, she has done a lot of sleeping. Her breathing was difficult on Friday, but has improved every day. I think maybe the fluids they gave her have caused the breathing difficulties. So far, I've seen improvement every day and hope it will continue.

I am grateful I took her to the hospital when I did--I had considered just giving the new medication for a day and seeing how she did. I think she would have been in a lot of trouble by then We're hoping this week we can do our favorite thing--go out to lunch!


She enjoyed talking with Nyla on Skype last night--good visit. Sarabeth and Morgan also came and visited for a while. She loves to have visitors!

How Can You Tell?

Mother hadn't been feeling well for a while, but the problem is that she rarely feels very well and so it's really hard to tell when she needs medical attention. When I ask her if she thinks we should go to the doctor, she always says no and doesn't think that they can do anything--says, "It's just old age."

Wednesday morning I told her I was going to work in the garden for a while, then I would be back in for lunch. She said, "Okay, let's go out to lunch today." I was thrilled that she felt good enough to go out so we went to "Dear Lizzie", a charming boutique and lunch place (I think they call it a "bistro") in Highland. She enjoyed a Chicken Salad sandwich and we always love looking at their pretty things. We experience some "sticker shock" when we see the prices for those pretties but it's kind of fun to be appalled together! Mother loved a watch with lots of bling, but it was too small for her tiny arms and they said it couldn't be adjusted. Last time we were there, she bought a beautiful sweater and has really enjoyed it.

Thursday morning she was feeling really awful. When I asked what was wrong she simply said, "everything!" She seemed to be quite confused and was having a hard time communicating with me. I decided to call on the home health nurse, even though she's been discharged from home health. When I talked with her she said she thought I should take her to the hospital and get some tests done. I told mother we were going to the hospital, she said, "Oh, I'll probably be okay." She just such a trooper! At the ER, they did lots of tests and she was quite unhappy about the whole process. They determined that she was dehydrated and had a UTI--gave her some IV fluids and antibiotic, a prescription for more antibiotics and, five hours later, sent us home. By 10:00 p.m. I was relieved to see that she was doing better, though she still didn't feel very well. The next morning, I said something to her about what the doctor said and she was so surprised--she has no recollection of being at the hospital. Wow, I am amazed are how quickly she can go from going out to lunch, to being so ill she doesn't remember it. And, it's so amazing to me, Thursday, the very next day, she went to get her hair done!

I am so grateful for my wonderful daughters--all of whom had to offer lots of support on the hospital day. Amy helped me get mother into her wheelchair, then lifted one side of the chair while I lifted the other, so we could go down the steps and get her into the car. Sarabeth took Amy to her doctor's appointment (the office that won't allow you to come back if you don't call to cancel at least 24 hours prior to your appointment!), and Heather came and got David when he came home. I depend on my girls so much and I so appreciate all their help and support.

Today has been a great Sunday--mother went to church with us and stayed for the whole three-hour block. What a delight to have her with me. She really wanted to go to Relief Society, but today they had a combined Priesthood/Relief Society meeting and the topic was keeping our family safe on the internet. Wasn't a great topic for her-- but she did okay, but said that it seemed like such a long time. She ate a really great dinner tonight, which made me happy. This evening we went to American Fork Canyon to visit Heather and her family, who are camping there this weekend. She enjoyed the ride and short visit. Sure hope she has a better week this next week.

We were hoping to go to Logan on Saturday to mother's great-granddaughter's wedding reception, visit friends and decorate the graves at the cemetery, but she just didn't think she could make that trip. I know she really wanted to go and she said she would try if I wanted her to--always trying to please others and do what they want.

As I sat with her in the hospital waiting for test results, I wondered if it might be something serious that would take her life. I thought, too, of all the times she cared for me during many childhood illnesses. We don't know how long we have with each other--we're so fortunate to have had the long time we've had-- and sometimes I think she would be glad to be relieved of her suffering, but I realized how hard it would be to have her go. It's a privilege to have her with us.

Mother's Life

Our Mother, Elna P. King, is an awesome lady who has lived a marvelous life. She is the mother of four children, two girls and two boys. We honor and love her and acknowledge that "all we are or ever hope to be, we owe to our angel mother." Successful in our careers and, most important, devoted parents and grandparents, we appreciate all she and our father taught us. Our childhood home was filled with love, hard work, good homemade food and lots of fun.

Mother has 19 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. She is looking forward to the first great-great grandchildren, a set of twins, who will be born later this summer. More info to come about this grand event. Also, this summer, two great-granddaughters will be married, both in the Logan LDS Temple. I am hoping mother will feel well enough to attend the receptions and perhaps even the temple ceremony, which I know she would dearly love to do.

I wish I had begun this blog when mother first moved into her apartment, which is attached to our home and, though I am a novice, I am hoping to make this a place to chronicle her life and times in Pleasant Grove.