Kyla's Story

2008-08-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Kyla

May 3, 1978 - August 13, 2006

I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one,

I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.

I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,

of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.

I'd like the tears of those who grieve,

to dry before the sun of happy memories that I leave when life is done.

National Day of Prayer.......May 3, 2007

2007-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

The 56th Annual National Day of Prayer will take place Thursday, May 3, 2007 which just happens to be Kyla's 29th birthday. Even though this has been going on for years, I love the fact that it will fall on her birthday this year and choose to honor her life and memory with prayer. Please join us, her family, to pray for world peace and the healing and miracles for all who are seeking cures.

The theme for this year is "America, Unite in Prayer" and is based on the verse from II Chronicles 7:14 which states: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." ~NIV

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

Upate

2006-09-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Time marches on even though we are missing Kyla so much. The celebration of life was nice and all of our families and many co-workers and friends attended. We had a gathering at our home following the service for family and Barb, Kristi and Mike outdid themselves providing all of the food and drinks. I felt in a fog for that day/evening and still do sometimes. All we can do is take each day one at a time.

The inurnment was done on September 5th. Brian, Jill, Wade, Kelli, Emma, Dave, I and Dave's parents were all there and decorated her memorial with a tribute to her life. I will try to put a picture up later when I have one. Brian and Charo have gone back to Spain. Brian is preparing to begin a new job this next week and looking for a place to live. He has been pretty homesick especially given all that has happened in our family lately. He was undecided if he wanted to go back but decided to give it a try at least until Christmas. He will be coming home for the holidays and perhaps will be feeling a little better by then.

Jill and Kelli are keeping quite busy and seem to be coping. I know they miss Kyla like crazy. We sorted through Kyla's belongings because Jed moved last weekend. So I think most things are taken care of now. Emma has begun a new school and is playing soccer. Little Lucy is with new day care providers and seems to be doing OK. We have been able to keep the girls every weekend since Kyla's service which really helps me with missing her.

Perhaps I will update this once in a while to keep everyone updated on the girls.

A slide show like this was played at Kyla's memorial service. She loved this first song and it somehow speaks of how she felt about family. The second song was one I chose because it just speaks to me of her life song. The third song her siblings chose to go with the photos of her with her girls.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Celebration of Life Service

2006-08-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

A Celebration of Life for Kyla will be held at the First Christian Church, 1166 Oak Street in Eugene on Saturday, August 19, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. Inurnment will follow at a later date at Springfield Memorial Gardens.

Driving Directions: Oak St. is a one-way street headed North. It is bordered by Pearl St. to the East (a one-way street headed South), and Willamette St. to the West (a two-way street). First Christian Church is just off the corner of 12th and Oak. The parking lot is behind the church, accessible from Willamette St. If you are headed to Eugene from the I-5 freeway, you can take the I-105 exit. Follow I-105 West until it ends, and turns into Jefferson St. Jefferson St. heads South, and you can then turn left onto 13th Ave, heading East. Follow 13th until Oak St -- turn left on Oak, and the Church will be on your left after 1 block.

Below is Kyla's obituary. If you click on the image it will be come large enough to read.

Goodbye To Our Lovely Kyla

2006-08-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Kyla passed away at 3:10 pm today.

All of us (Brian, Jill, Kelli, Wade, Charo, Dave and I) were with her. She did not suffer and went very peacefully just as we prayed. We were so very blessed to have her for as long as we did and to take care of her until the end. God blessed her with so many wonderful people that cared about her and we wish to thank everyone who expressed that to her and to us. All of the donations, cards, and phone calls are so very much appreciated. We have been surrounded by love all the way through this process. I will let everyone know the date, time and place for the celebration of life as soon as we find out more details. We are hoping for this next Saturday.

The day before Kyla passed away I sent Jill and Kelli to buy a pair of pajamas for Kyla that she could be wearing at the end. They did a beautiful job and came back with pale pink silk pajamas and a surprise for me. They could not resist. They bought three pairs of gnome pajamas, one for each of them and one for me. So last night they made me put on mine and Dave took a picture of us. Silly girls. I know this is something that Kyla was laughing at...my dislike for gnomes was a great source of entertainment for her as well as her siblings. I want to also note that Jill and Kelli took the time to put matching polish on Kyla's toes and their own the evening prior to her death. One last thing to do together. Such love.

Today

2006-08-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Kyla is sleeping all the time now and after talking with Hospice we have her tremors which turned out to be small seizures under control. Hospice could not send anyone out when I requested it because they are short staffed so I worked with the nurse on phone duty. She was very helpful but I could really use some support to know about time and things. A woman in contact with us was kind enough to direct me to a web site that she had made up for end of life and what to expect for brain tumor patients. After taking care of her father she felt this was something that was needed. Indeed it did help me tremendously as the nurse from hospice had never gone over these things with me.

I also talked with my mom who has taken care of many dying patients and she was able to walk me through some things to expect as well. She was probably the most helpful of all to me both medically and emotionally. Thank you mom! I love you tremendously.

Jill and Kelli spent last night and are spending tonight with us and we are taking turns staying in the room with Kyla since we know that the time is near. Her breathing is very ragged and slowing somewhat. Dave moved an easy chair in her room for us to sit in. I could not bear it if she was alone.

Update

2006-08-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

We are seeing a very rapid decline. Kyla did not respond to much at all today. Yesterday she slept most of the day but was able to rouse enough to eat dinner herself at the table with very little help from me. I had to feed her breakfast and lunch but she was awake and able to eat although had difficulty moving food to the back of her throat. When I checked her at 2:00 am, she had a very bad headache but was unable to answer me when I asked her about her pain....just nodded. I gave her the pain meds and she seemed to be able to rest after that. Her eyes were open this morning for her bath but she does not have any muscle control much now. She did not respond much at all today, just a few brief moments, one of those was when her friend, Teresa and her daughter, Delaney were here. She opened her eyes and motioned for Delaney to come to her and stroked her arm for a few minutes before going back to sleep.

Barb came and spent the morning with us yesterday and the nurse also made a visit. Kyla is having tremors off and on and her feet and hands, especially her left hand, are posturing. Jill helped me today to take her to bathroom and because it seems to be so hard on her I decided we should probably not move her from the bed any longer. It just seems to take so much out of her. She woke up tonight around 10:30 and said hi to Dave and responded with a nod that her head hurt. She was able to swallow her medications for seizures and pain crushed in applesauce followed by a couple of sips of water. She ate very little today, just a few bites and sips. I feel time is short for her. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Good Days

2006-08-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Kyla had a good day yesterday. I even managed to convince her to let me take her outside for a walk in the wheel chair. Maybe she remembers me giving Emmy a ride on her tricycle and crashing on the way downhill in our driveway several years ago and was afraid of my driving! But she just chuckled when I reminded her of that episode....can you imagine how dumb I looked? But we did walk in the sunshine and there was a wonderful breeze. When we came back up on the deck she decided she wanted to sit in the swing with me so we stayed out there for about an hour and had a chance to talk and I could tell her how much I love her and will miss her, my little girl. This brought both of us to tears and she said she would miss her girls the most. Since her surgery in March she has not cried or been able to feel much emotion about things. The surgery and disease had affected her judgement, emotions, etc. so this was good to see that she really does feel things, just not in the way we remembered. Barb and Kalli brought us dinner that evening and after eating she was pretty wiped out and went to bed.

Today she spent most of the day sleeping after her shower. That seems to make her so tired and relaxed each day. Shirley, the hospice nurse made a visit this afternoon and showed me some exercises to do with her arms and legs and ordered the medications we were running out of. Kyla stayed awake most of the late afternoon so that she could see her cousin, Eric and his girlfriend, Stephanie in the evening. After they left she was very tired and so I got her ready for bed and she is now sleeping peacefully.

Little Lucy loving her momma on the day Kyla left for Disneyland

Grandpa Leroy with Lucy and Emma during his visit to Kyla

Addie Mae and Kalli posing before swimming on a very hot day

Vonda with the girls, Lucy, Lexie and Addie Mae

Emmy posing before swimming....check out her cool goggles!

A toothy grin from Lucy

Byron and Lucy get a ride from Uncle Brian (aka Uncle Handsome)

Byron with the cows

Byron takes a swim

Caring for Kyla

2006-08-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Since I wrote last, Kyla has declined fairly rapidly. She is now is in a wheel chair as her left side mobility is affected. She doesn't communicate much...just answers yes and no mostly. But every once in a while she will talk a little. She spends much of her time sleeping, either in the recliner or in bed. I try to keep her out in the house with us during the day even if she does sleep. It just feels better to have her with us. Brian and Charo spend most of the mornings with us and Jill and Lucy, Emma and Byron spend the afternoons. I have been able to get out a couple of time to run an errand or two and that is so great. We now have a hospital bed for Kyla which makes it much easier helping her up and down. She basically can't take care of herself at all now. I shower, dress, and change her. She can still eat but even I have noticed that she is having a little more difficulty each day.

We have had so much company since her move out with us. Her grandfather from Baker, Leroy came to see her, her aunts and uncles, Barb & Rick, Loretta, Kristi and Pat, Gary and Patti, Mike and Linda, & John and Lisa, cousins: Kamisha, Jason, Aaron, Shalon, Schelly, Jordan, Addie Mae, Lexie, Kallista, Molly, Sean, Celina and Marisa all have visited in the past week. Her friend, Teresa comes at least once a week as well as visits from Susan and Alison, Joe and Shari, Dez, and others that I just can't think of now. I read her all of the notes and messages and she feels all the love and support right now and we all thank each of you for your time as well and lovely cards and messages, phone calls and visits. It means more than you know.

Kyla and Emma had a wonderful time in Disneyland. Jill did such a great job taking care of Kyla. Thank you Jill! You are terrific. Our days are spent caring for Kyla and surrounding her with love as she prepares to leave this world. I will try to post again soon.

Moving Kyla and Disneyland

2006-07-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Emmy at Disney Land. Look at that happy face!

Brian came home from Spain last Friday. Needless to say he was shocked by the deterioration of Kyla and so sad to see her this way. She is declining at a fair pace and is now moved out to our home and I have taken a leave of absence to care for her. Her knees are very weak and she can't get up from a low sitting position without aid so it is quite difficult for her. She knows her mental state as well as her physical state is changing and this bothers her most. But she is not showing much emotion about things because the area of her brain that controls that was affected by her last surgery as well as the disease. It is probably a blessing because if she were sad or scared I just couldn't cope. It is heartbreaking enough to watch this wicked disease steal her away from us and feel so helpless to do anything to stop it.

Hospice has been so wonderful. There are some great people working to help people like us. Last week a volunteer came and videotaped Kyla for her girls. She plans to return this next week to do a little more if Kyla feels up to it. The hospice chaplain is really sweet and comforting to Kyla as well and seems to put her at ease. The nurse is visiting once a week at this point and will come as needed. She has been helpful to get Kyla back on track on her Decadron which she had stopped taking (she thought she was).

One of Kyla's greatest wishes was to take Emma to Disneyland this summer as promised. Her co-workers in Linguistics submitted her wish a few weeks back to a wish foundation but because of her decline we could not wait for them any longer and planned the trip for this week. Jed and Emma went as well as Jill who is caring for her while there. She needs a wheel chair and help going to the restroom as well as someone to manage her medications. They have been having a good time and I am so glad that she could follow this through for the sake of creating a wonderful memory for Emmy. She was even able to go on some of the rides with her. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful kids. I don't know what we would do without them. Kyla is so very loved by all of us. I will post soon with some pictures of Disneyland and of course Lucy and Byron, who Wade and I took care of while their mommies were gone.

Sad News

2006-06-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to have been away for so long on the updates. Somehow I just did not have it in my heart to type these words. But because so many people have asked about Kyla I need to let you all know how things are going. Since my last update another MRI was done and after sending the scans to UCSF, we received the sad news that the treatments were not working and that the cancer has now spread across the midline and is inoperable. Kyla was given the option of continuing with chemo which is not helping or to stop and try to have quality time with what she has left. She chose the quality time.

So the last several weeks have been a whirlwind of setting up hospice and making decisions. Kyla has such a positive outlook and is at peace with where she is. The only thing that worries her she says is telling Emma. We are working with hospice and social workers on that so I know God will give us the grace to work through this. Aside from the horrible side effects of the Decadron, she feels well. She is having a few problems with her memory but is not in pain. She wants everyone to know how much she loves them and appreciates all that has been done for her these past 4 years. So for now, we are taking each day and loving her.

Avastin Treatment and Surprise Visit

2006-06-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

Kyla was able to return to work on the 24th. However, because she was weaned off of Decadron on Mothers Day, she has been having trouble waking up. So her oncologist put her back on a low dose of Decadron for swelling. She seems to be a little better although tired from her treatments. She had a doctors appointment and blood draw on Friday the 26th. Monday she had an Avastin infusion and that went very well. We were told by a nurse that if she was well hydrated it should help with the IV situation. It seemed to work great and the IV went in the first try. So we were only in the hospital for and hour and a half then went to lunch. When we arrived back at Kyla's house Dave and Wade were busy working on her arbor again. Wade mowed her back lawn and her flowers that I planted are beginning to grow nicely.

My brother Jay and his wife, Lori, came for a surprise visit over the long weekend. We had a great time visiting with them and their dog Max. Saturday we had Kyla, Emma, Lucy, Kelli, Jill, Wade and Byron out for a BBQ so they could visit with Jay and Lori. We got to see a large group of turkeys and several young bucks in the front yard. But the best thing was a momma turkey brought her little babies out (8 of them). They were darling. Sunday Dave and I as well as Barb and Rick were able to go to dinner at a great Hungarian place in Albany (Novaks) with them. A wonderful place to eat. We will have to go back soon. Jay and Lori just purchased a Deli in Baker so they will be VERY busy for quite some time. I am so glad we had a chance to see them.

Treatment, MRI Date and Cousins

2006-05-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Kyla's chemo and Avastin treatment was last Tuesday and she tolerated both well. It is the IV that seems to be the big problem....it always takes 2 to 3 hours to get them in. Treatment at the hospital is very slow. It seems we do more waiting around for things like the medications and nurses in general than anything. We ended up re-scheduling her treatment from Monday to Tuesday because she was not scheduled by the oncologists office for some reason. She was finally weaned off the Decadron and is doing well so far. She has another Avastin treatment on the 29th and then an MRI on June 5th. We are praying for good results. We see her oncologist this Friday to check on her blood counts.

We started building the arbor for her back yard but need to get back and finish. Hopefully this weekend we can spend some time doing that. I had a lovely mothers day. The Saturday before we gathered and did yard work for Dave's mom for mothers day. A long day but the yard looks lovely. Kyla, Kelli and Dave cooked me a wonderful brunch and Jill was treated like a queen by Wade. Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful mom's out there, including my mom and Dave's as well as Kyla and Jill.

My sister, Kristi and her family arrived for a special visit over the weekend. Lucy and Emma spent the night with us and Emma got to sleep in the pop-up tent camper with her cousins. The kids all had so much fun together looking for lizards, feeding chickens, gathering eggs and feeding the cows. That and fishing in the swimming pool and building a secret fort. Oh to be that age again! Dave's cousin Nate and his wife also came for a short visit of course at the same time so we had to split the visiting up but we were so glad to see everyone.

Happy Birthday to Molly, Pat and Linda!

Happy Birthday Kyla!!!

2006-05-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today Kyla turns 28. Does time fly.....seems like only yesterday she was that impish little girl that was begging me to clean house. Yes people, she loved to clean. I used to think of her as little "Miss Suzy Homemaker". Truthfully, I am so very honored to be her mother. I see her as such a positive person, always so strong and sure about her life. She has a stubborn streak in her that I know has been what is needed to face this disease like she does. She has a loving heart and is so protective of her family and she has such a great sense of humor and contagious laugh. We all love you Kyla.....have a wonderful birthday!

Her infusion of Avastin went well, just extremely slow getting started. Her next chemo and Avastin infusion will be May 15th. We had dinner last night with Joe and Sheri and Dave and I are taking her to dinner tonight for her birthday. Then Saturday we will be having a family birthday dinner for her at our house and hopefully get her birthday present started. She wants an arbor built in her back yard so that is the plan.

Kyla at six weeks

Eight months old

Kyla's first birthday

Kyla at four

Kyla in first grade

Treatment Plan, Birthdays and Easter

2006-04-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated.....very busy and hectic times for all of us. It was confirmed that the cancer has returned. So now the treatment plan for Kyla is chemo (Carboplatin) every 28 days and an infusion of a drug called Avastin every two weeks. My understanding of Avastin is that it is a monoclonal antibody also known as targeted therapy which works to make chemo more effective. Kyla has had one infusion of chemo and Avastin two weeks ago as well as a shot of Neulasta the day after to boost white blood cell count. She is having an infusion of Avastin again on Monday, May 1st. So far she has done well with the chemo but the steroids are another issue. The side effects are terrible for her and the doctors in San Francisco decided to wean her off in two weeks instead of a month. That was a big mistake and the swelling on her brain caused some difficulties for a week until we got her back on and feeling better. So now the plan is to wean her off very slowly.

We had a belated birthday dinner for Kelli the week after our return from San Francisco. We had a nice Easter brunch with Jill, Wade, Byron, Kelli, Kyla, Jed, Emma, Lucy and Dave's parents. The little ones looked so darn cute all dressed up. We also celebrated little Emma's 6th birthday amid all of this. On her birthday she wanted all of her family to have dinner. Her pick for the dinner was tuna fish, macaroni and cheese, carrots and broccoli. Then on the following day Kyla and Jed made her a cute castle cake and they had a tea party for her and her little friends. Happy birthdays go out to Uncle Mike, Jason, Jeremy and my dad.

Lucy pointing at the turkeys in the field

Kelli celebrating her belated 21st birthday

Byron loves his Spanish bull that Uncle Brian sent from Spain

Emmy colored the eggs for Easter

Emma and Byron all dressed up for Easter

Lucy dressed up for Easter but didn't want to pose with her sister and cousin

Surgery

2006-03-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

Kyla's surgery was Tuesday the 14th and she came through fine. After another MRI before surgery Dr. Kunwar was concerned because the enhancement in the left frontal lobe had enlarged since two weeks ago. To clarify, this enhancement is in the old area from four years ago. So he cleaned it out as well as another spot on the right side (the area that was operated on in January). The preliminary pathology looks like abnormal cells but won't know for sure until next Thursday when the final report is back. If indeed it is progression they will discuss chemo as the next step.

So as far as Kyla feels she is still in ICU until the drain tube is taken out and is somewhat confused from the swelling but that should get better in a little time. I stayed in ICU the first night and Kelli stayed last night so I am off to the hospital now to relieve her. Thank you everyone for all the prayers and wishes.

San Francisco Trip, Another Surgery Scheduled

2006-03-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

Kyla flew with Jill to San Francisco on Wednesday of this week for another scan. The MRI shows a larger bright white spot and after being presented before the tumor board the consesus is that it looks like necrosis. However, they can't be positive without a biopsy. She is scheduled for surgery to remove the tissue and have it biopsied on March 14th. So it looks as though we will be in San Francisco for a week again soon. We are still waiting to talk with her surgeon as to what type of surgery, time, and how long she will be in the hospital.

Kyla returned to work half time in February and had two migraine headaches unexpectedly. We think that she became too tired which triggered the headaches. But because of the nature of this illness, we can't be sure. It could be that the headaches were caused by pressure from the necrosis. She says she is not nervous and would rather have it now than wait until later since her hair is not all grown back. The only bad part is that she will be back on the steroids again....she was just beginning to feel better. I admire her greatly. She has such a positive and good spirit.

Lucy and Emma have colds again. Just seems to keep going around and around. Spring can't come soon enough. Prayers.

MRI Results and Fun With Emma and Lucy

2006-01-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

Kyla and Kelli flew to San Francisco early yesterday for her appointments today. Kyla just called to say that her MRI was clear except some bruising and scar tissue. We will hear tomorrow if she needs to go back next month or in two months. It depends on what the tumor board has to say about the scan.

She is continuing to heal and aside from the usual side effects from the Decadron (weight gain, joint pain, etc.) is doing well. Her hair is growing back but she says not fast enough for her. Unless things change, she plans on returning to work the first of February.

Dave and I kept Lucy and Emma Monday through about noon yesterday. Both girls were very good but sure keep us running. I had to have a tea party with Emma on the floor and of course Lucy just wants to be on the go constantly so not much else gets done. Sometimes I wonder how I did this with four kids......

Kyla, Lucy and Emma on Christmas day

Jill, Wade and Byron on Christmas day

Emmy decorating Christmas cookies with Gram

Little Christmas girl, Lucy

Byron decked out to go see Auntie Kyla in the hospital

Hard to believe there is three months difference in age

Lucy with her usual big smile

Emmy trying to maintain the wriggling Byron and Lucy for a picture

A New Year and Update on Surgery and Treatment

2006-01-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

We arrived in San Francisco on December 26th and stayed in The Millwood Inn and Suites close to the SF airport. The staff at the motel were very helpful, the price was reasonable and the rooms were clean and comfortable. I would highly recommend this place. Plus it was just a hop on the freeway to go to UCSF....took about 15 minutes especially with Wade driving like a true Californian! Thanks Wade.

Kyla checked in to the hospital at 10:00 and her surgery took place at noon. It lasted until 7:00 p.m. and they were able to place the cathetars for the treatment at the same time. She was pretty sick in the ICU from the anesthesia but the next day began to feel a little better. They moved her to a shared room on the neuro floor that afternoon and began the infusion. Jill, Kelli and I took turns staying with her in the room at nights and other than not much sleep and the boredom of being confined for four days, she did well. The cathetars were removed on Sunday afternoon, the 1st and we checked her out on Monday, the 2nd and drove home. She is now home recuperating and beginning to be very tired of being housebound. That is a good sign that she is feeling better. Kelli, Jill and I are taking turns watching the girls during the days and Jed keeps Lucy at night. Kyla will be going back to SF on the 24th for an MRI and a check-up. She is also slowly being weaned off of Decadron and hopes to be back to work the first part of February.

Thank you to everyone for the prayers and good wishes as well as financial donations for her multiple trips. Words can not express how blessed we are.

Surgery Date

2005-12-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

The date for Kyla's surgery is December 27th. She is in San Francisco today getting all the pre-op things taken care of such as a scan, blood work up, etc. She will be back on Friday and will be able to spend Christmas with her little ones. I know she is happy about that but at the same time just wants to get this over with as quickly as possible. She is able to use the IL-13 treatment again thankfully. We will all leave on Monday the 26th and it looks as though we will be there a good 10 days. The infusion is set for January 2nd due to the holidays and weekends.

Kelli and I are watching Lucy and Emma for these couple of days so things are hectic. I will try to keep everyone updated while in San Francisco if possible. Thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes. Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

December MRI Results

2005-12-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Kyla's MRI on the 9th was not what we hoped for. The spot that was there last time has doubled in size and has been determined to be cancer. This is a new spot, not in the same location as the three years ago....that continues to be clear. The good news is that it is operable at this time and we are hoping to use the IL-13 treatment again. However, that is not a for sure thing since it is still tied up in FDA approval and she is no longer on that protocol. Dr. Butowski is trying his best to see if she can use it. If that is not an option he is talking like the Gamma Knife is the next option. He wants to get her in for surgery as soon as possible.....before Christmas. We are hoping to hear the date and outcome tomorrow some time. I will keep everyone posted when we find out.

Needless to say, we are anticipating being in San Francisco during the holidays and/or shortly after. So we are sorry to miss family and friends and want to wish everyone the very happiest of this holiday season and want you to take the time to hug your family and tell them how much you love them. Kyla is in good spirits and she has a strong faith and a strong family and friends network.

MRI Results and Grandkids, Grandkids and Grandkids

2005-11-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Kyla's MRI showed a small white spot this time. But the doctor as well as the tumor board at UCSF thought that it looked like a blood vessel dying off from radiation effects and the IL-13 treatment. It was like this on one other scan a while back and that is what it turned out to be and had completely disappeared by the next scan. However, she will have to go back in December for another scan just to make sure.

Jill and Kelli went with Kyla this time and they decided to drive and spend one extra day for a little fun. These trips are usually quick over night trips and filled with anxiety for Kyla so they hoped to have a little fun. However, mother nature was not cooperating. They had to chain up over the mountain pass and had to stop and spend the night in Weed, CA because of two feet of snow. So it cut into their time but they took the coastal highway back so the roads were better.....just a bit longer.

Dave and I took care of the grand kids with help from Wade, Jed, GG and Jo, Jill's sister-in-law. There was only one afternoon/evening that we had all three at once. I do not know how parents of twins do this but we really enjoyed the time we spent with them. They are so darn cute!

Lucy in her Johnny Jump Up

Byron waking up after a nap

Emmy eating her dinner

Jill and Kelli laughing at Kyla with her posing

Kyla goofing off before her trip

Lucy wants to play with Byron so bad

More Birthdays, Next MRI Date, Happy Halloween, Goodbye to a Friend

2005-10-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

The beginning of this month said goodbye to a good friend and retired professor, Steve Keele, who passed away from an inoperable brain tumor. I so much enjoyed talking to him about huckleberries, his horses, cows and trips he had made and admired his work as an educator. He will be greatly missed!

The month has been a busy one. Emma helped me pick out fabric to make her "Glynda, The Good Witch" Halloween costume so I spent most of the month sewing. Jill dressed up little Byron as a yard gnome, much to my sadness. Poor little boy! Little Lucy was a Winnie the Pooh Honey Pot and they really looked cute. We had a weekend visit from Alicia, my niece, who is going to school in Portland. She gave us copies of her beautiful art work, one of which was a pencil drawing of Lucy and Emma. She is very talented! Thanks Alicia for sharing with us. I also spent a little time in our pool, but not by choice. I guess you could say I was trying to have a "shocking experience". I was using the electric leaf blower and tripped and fell in backwards with the blower going. I don't know why I was not electrocuted but the blower shut off as soon as it hit the water. I have never swam so fast in my life.....a little spooked I guess! Glad we live out where no one could see how silly I looked!

We had more birthdays this month. Happy Birthday to Max, Lisa, Marisa, Brian, Braedyn and Dave as well as Happy Anniversary to Max and Delpha! We took Max and Delpha to dinner with Mike and Linda for his birthday at River Ranch and went to Braedyn's birthday party as well as had a family dinner/party for Dave. Brian had to spend his 30th alone in Spain but we called him and celebrated by having his favorite thing, huckleberry sauce on cheesecake. If it counts Brian, we love you and were thinking of you with every bite! Halloween was spent with Max & Delpha since it was their anniversary and Dave's birthday. We also had a nice lunch with Tony while he visited.

Kyla goes to San Francisco next week for an MRI. Jill and Kelli will go with her this time and spend an extra day doing something fun. These visits are usually very quick and make Kyla very anxious so it will be good for her to have a distraction. I will watch the grand kids which will keep us all very busy.

Lucy and Byron

Another tooth lost for Emmy

Auntie Kelli snoozing with Byron

Lucy and her big smile

Grandad Dave holding little Byron

Glynda the Good Witch, Yard Gnome and Honeypot

Poor little Byron as the Yard Gnome

Lucy as Honeypot

Emmy as Glynda the Good Witch

40th Birthday, Duck Game

2005-09-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

September was so busy. Emma began kindergarten and is really loving it. She is meeting lots of new friends and (surprise!) likes recess best. She lost her second tooth on the bottom and the two top teeth are ready to go soon. Kyla is back to work now and is as busy as can be with the girls and such. Little Lucy is still growing and changing so fast. She is now smiling and cooing and laughed out loud for the first time. She still has acid reflux so she is pretty miserable with that but slowly improving.

Kelli is watching Emma and Lucy in the mornings and taking Emmy to and from school for this year. She is also taking classes and working delivering pizza too so we haven't seen much of her lately.

Jill and Wade are busy adjusting to being parents. Little Byron is growing like crazy and is already 11 1/2 pounds at 4 weeks. He is a big boy. In fact he looks as old and Lucy except he needs to fill out a little more. His hands and feet are bigger than hers.

Dave and the kids took me to a lovely dinner at Mookies Place for my birthday. They surprised me with a Sony digital photo printer and served me a lovely cake that Kyla, Jill and Kelli created.

Jay, Lori and their boys came to visit for a weekend to see the Ducks versus Fresno. It was a 40th birthday gift to Jay from Lori and the boys. We had a birthday dinner on Friday with Barb and Rick and on Saturday went to the game. It was a great time and the stadium was full. Good game (we won!) and good company. I don't know how they keep up with those crazy boys! They insisted on going swimming in our pool which was ice cold as well and always on the go! Made me tired just watching all that energy. Happy 40th Jay! Another brother, David, had a birthday in September also. Happy Birthday Dave!

Here are the pictures that I should have put up last month.

Little Byron David at one month

The monkey mural that Jill Painted

A view of Byron's monkey room

Vonda holding Byron on her birthday

Happy 40th Jay!!!

Allen, Jake and Trevor...Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil and See No Evil.....Don't let them fool you!!

Rick and Dave holding babies

Jay, Lori and boys at the Duck game

Look at those boys' faces!

The Duck Family

Little Hands

Lucy at four months

Lucy and Byron

Emmy spending time with Grandad and Grandma

Weasel Hunt, Back to Spain, Byron Arrives, Year 50 for Gary

2005-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

August has gone by in a blur. To catch up....Charo and Brian have both gone back to Spain. Brian to Madrid where he is working on his MA in Spanish and Charo to Granada where she is working on her research. We really miss them but perhaps we can visit this next year. It would be wonderful to go to Spain for our 25th anniversay (hint, hint Dave!). Before Charo left she taught Kyla and I how to make a real Spanish Paella. The evening was very fun and we even got to sit on the back deck and relax with some other friends. On Saturday, the 6th was Jill's baby shower. Kristi and Pat came along with Jordy, Addie and Lexie. It was so good to spend time with them but of course nothing goes smoothly around here. Before leaving on Sunday Jordie had a bike wreck and ended up having stitches in his knee. Nothing worse than road rash! Of course that put them back home VERY late. Thanks for coming guys. We love you. But Jill and Wade received so many nice baby gifts and are so excited.

Barb and I drove to the coast for the day on the 12th just to get away. It was a crazy day beginning with a misunderstanding of where to meet in the morning and ending with me not being able to get the key in the pickup ignition. In between we saw a car wreck and Barb and her car were called "Tubby" by a big Tubby woman for blocking part of an intersection. We could really do nothing but look at each other and just laugh when she shouted at us. On the 13th we celebrated Gary's 50th birthday at Mike and Linda's home. He doesn't look a day over ummm about 55! (heh!.....sorry Gary, just couldn't resist).

The week of the 15th we had a family dinner with all of us as well and Grandad and Gram Evans and Mike and Linda to say good-bye to Brian. I made his huckleberry pie for him the next evening (this is for an early birthday since he will be gone again on his birthday). Then I took him to the Portland airport early on the 18th. We miss him so much already!

We had a great chicken massacre the beginning of the month. A weasel killed all but four of our chickens and so we have now bought 6 more and keep a radio on at night to keep the creatures away. I think it makes for very smart hens. I guess we will know when they report the news to us each day. But with all the weasel talk, we kept Emma and Lucy over night one Friday and Emma made Dave go on a weasel hunt. I had to laugh because he asked her what she would do if she caught one and she gave him an exasperated look and said "Grandad, we are just hunting for weasels, not catching them".

Finally for the biggest news this month, Jill and Wade had their baby, little Byron today. He was born at around 4:20 pm weighing in at 9lbs, 7oz, 20 3/4 inches long. He has lots of black hair and big hands and feet. Jill painted a cute monkey in a tree in his room and is all set to bring him home from the hospital.

I will put up pictures a little later.

4th of July, MRI Results, Birthday and the Tooth Fairy

2005-07-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was spent at our home with Mike and Linda, Mat, Jason, SaMara and their children as well as Barb and Rick and Delpha and Max. Mike fixed wonderful smoked pork sandwiches and we had lots of salads. The kids swam and chased butterflies and lizards. Brian couldn't visit long as he had to work so maybe before he leaves for Spain again, we can get everyone together. Speaking of Brian, he has been dealing with the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco about his visa for school. A long story but they are not easily satisfied with the information they request.

On the 8th Kyla went to San Francisco for another scan. It was clear and we are all very happy and relieved about this. It was the first scan using Magnetic Resonance Imaging Spectroscopy since her pregnancy (about a year). She had a few other regular MRI's but this one is an advanced imaging technique used to enhance traditional MRI images. She made it home a little later than expected as her flight was canceled and she had to catch a different one to Portland and rent a car and drive home. Dave and I kept Emmy and Lucy who kept us on our toes.

The next weekend we had Jill's birthday BBQ....Wade did a great job grilling the chicken and Jill seemed to enjoy herself even if she is miserable in this hot weather. She got a digital camera for her birthday...just in time for the birth of little Byron. Less than a month to go!!!

Little Lucy is growing so fast and is such a doll. Another big event----Emmy lost her first tooth and the tooth fairy left her not only money, but a note and a gold chocolate coin. We are getting ready to help Jill and Wade move this next weekend so all is well but busy.

Kelli holding little Lucy at the 4th of July BBQ

Little Lucy on Uncle Wade's lap

Kyla and Leslie at the birthday party

Jill, the birthday girl

A bunny that Emmy swears Gram and Grandad can catch and tame for her pet!

Emma loses her first tooth

Visit to Weiser, Update on Lucy, Spanish Travelers

2005-06-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kyla came home from the hospital Saturday afternoon. She was very anxious to be home in her own environment (of course she had so much company all the time she needed to rest at home!). Dave and I took her dinner for that night so I got to feed and change Lucy while Kyla was in the shower. She is just absolutely darling. Emmy is having a bit of an adjustment and was very tired from all the excitement so she fell asleep in her bedroom while we were there. Poor lamb.

I don't think I have mentioned that both Charo and Brian are here for a few months. Charo is doing some work at the University and Brian is preparing his visa application to return to Spain as a graduate student. We love having them here even if it is for a short while. Brian hit the ground and started working for a friend. He landed a job at Hynix for the summer so we really haven't had much of a chance to see him. Since he doesn't have a car he has been using our green beast (truck). I think he may use most of his salary on the gas for that thing. He was happy for the extra money so he can buy a laptop for school.

Yesterday Emmy participated in a demonstration that Charo was giving on running a particular study. Kyla brought both of the girls to the experiment as she was already out and about having a doctor appointment and such. Emma did a terrific job and was really happy to see how her brain talked.

Dave's aunt passed away and Dave, Jill, Kelli and I made a quick trip to Weiser for the weekend to attend a memorial service for her. It was a very nice service and we had a lovely visit with family. Of course as we are driving through Eastern Oregon we happened upon a shoe tree (only in Eastern Oregon), the third one I have seen on that drive. It is very funny to see in the middle of nowhere.

Spring is here officially. We have a new litter of pigs across the road from our place. So cute and funny. We also have a female turkey with only one foot. Quite comical seeing just a leg with no foot on the end. We don't know how she lost it but the poor thing just hops around until she gets tired and then rests in the grass. If I can catch a good picture of her I will post it.

Kyla has her next MRI July 8th. Maybe I will get to watch Lucy and Emma while she is away.

Kelli's toothy smile in Weiser

My niece, Kalli reading her first book

Grandma Barb with her smart granddaughter

Uncle Aaron holds the thin child

Neighbors baby pigs

Little Lucy

Emmy participating in experiment while Gram and Lucy watch

Delpha, Mildred and Evelyn before Evelyn passed away

Jill and Kelli in front of one of the shoe trees

Jill in hot old Weiser, Idaho

This is the only kind of bird in our house

Baby Lucy Has Arrived

2005-06-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Kyla gave birth to Lucy Maye yesterday. Everything went well and both mommy and baby are doing great. Lucy weighed 7lbs. 9oz., was 20 1/2 inches long and has black hair and two dimples. She is so very adorable and Emmy is so proud and happy to have a new baby sister. I will write more later. But here are a couple of pictures.

Kyla with Emma and Lucy

Little Lucy Maye

Fishing, Year 27 and Mothers Day

2005-05-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

Dave and I took Emmy fishing at Alton Baker Park the last Friday in April. Kyla bought her a cute fishing pole just her size and she practiced casting in her back yard. Much to our surprise, she can really cast that hook and line out to the middle of the water. She patiently fished for a while before we had to move to a different spot. We did get to see some really cute ducklings with their mama swimming as she fished which helped with the boredom and lack of bites. A little ice cream helped in the end since we didn't catch anything.

Happy birthday to Kyla. We had her birthday dinner on Sunday the 1st since she wanted Dave's famous seafood chowder. GG and Grandad Max came to help her celebrate as well as Jill, Wade and Kelli. On the 3rd (her actual birthday) she went home after picking up Emmy from preschool and was trying to fix herself some lunch. She had a grand mal seizure in the kitchen and Emma did so great. She was scared but managed to get help from the neighbor. Kyla had just weaned herself off of Keppra a couple of days before so they put her back on it. She had another smaller seizure on Saturday while down town. After being monitored she went home with an increase in dosage. The nurse said that in the last trimester of pregnancy it is not unusual for this to happen to someone who is prone to seizures. We all pray that she can get through this last four weeks of her pregnancy and have a healthy baby and heal.

On a mothers note (me) I am so sad to see her so heart broken by all that has transpired from Jed. He will never fully understand how much he is/was loved by her. I can't help but think that this stress along with the pregnancy might be causing the seizures.

The kids took Dave and I to a brunch at Ambrosia on Sunday for Mothers Day where the food was pretty great. Then Dave took me to buy a couple of hanging plants. A special happy Mothers Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, and a very special Happy Mothers Day to Kyla who is such a terrific mom and to Jill who will be a first time mom soon.

Emmy and Grandad fishing

Four little ducklings with their mommy

Happy 27th birthday to Kyla......We love you!

Emma modeling the new dress from GG and Grandad Max

It's a Boy for Jill and Wade, Weekend and Birthdays

2005-04-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

Jill and Wade invited Dave and I to come to her ultrasound today. It's a boy! One of each this summer will be lots of fun. Jill is pretty excited and they plan on naming him Byron David.

We kept pretty busy this weekend. Dave finished a section of our deck in front and it looks great. Plus a great benefit is that we don't worry about falling through now. I worked on our master bathroom and finished painting. Now I move on to the bedroom. It looks so much better to get all the old wallpaper off and a fresh coat of paint.

Kyla, Jill and Wade came and had dinner with us on Sunday and Kelli came late that night to do laundry. Emmy was being kind of naughty so stayed home with her dad. It rained all weekend but it is supposed to be nice all week. I hope it lasts in to the weekend because those monster weeds are screaming my name.

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Mike, my nephew Jason and my dad....all born on April 17th.

Easter, Seizure, Another MRI and a 5-Year-Old Birthday Jump

2005-04-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

On Easter we had a nice brunch with Barb and her family. Em and Joey had fun hunting eggs and playing together. Barb outdid herself as usual.....so much food and all so delicious. Dave, Kelli and I went home and that evening we received a call that Kyla had had a seizure outside a bookstore after eating dinner. So the evening was spent in the emergency room and then we kept Emmy for a few nights until Kyla's medication was on board. It seems to be non-tumor related but they can't be sure. Since Jed decided to come out and they are working through some things she is under an incredible amount of stress and sadness. She also had a glucose tolerance test earlier in the week which may be a major factor. She went to San Francisco for a scan just to be sure and everything looks fine still.

While Kyla and Jed were in San Francisco we kept Emmy again and she woke up on her 5th birthday demonstrating how she is sure she can jump higher now. She is such a hoot! I fixed her a birthday breakfast and then her mom and dad took her to lunch. Tonight (Friday) she is having a couple of friends over for a sleepover and then a family dinner on Sunday at our house.

Special Easter brunch at Aunt Barbs

Emmy and her birthday cupcake

Preparing for the birthday jump

The great five year old birthday jump!!

Happy Birthday to Kelli

2005-03-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

A belated Happy St. Patricks Day to all! Today is Kelli's birthday and we will be having a Napoleon Dynamite birthday for her. She loves that movie so we are doing kind of a theme for her. Kyla and Jill are kidnapping her and taking her to see an improv downtown after dinner with all of us and GG and Grandad Max. It will be good for all three girls to get out together. They have a lot of fun when they do.

Kyla had a doctors appointment on Wednesday as did Jill. Both are doing well and we are excited to have some new little ones in a few months. I kept Emmy at my office while Kyla was at her appointment and we printed out many Easter coloring pages as well as put together puzzles and drew on the chalk board. Saw our 20 turkeys strutting through the driveway this morning. The four males with their tails all fanned out were so comical.....they gobble at us whenever they hear any noises.

My niece, Kalli....isn't she just adorable?

Kelli bugging Napoleon......Gosh!!

MRI Results

2005-03-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

Kyla's MRI scan was clear. It is such good news considering she hasn't had a scan for a while. Emma and I spent the past couple of days at home collecting eggs, having a teddy bear picnic, feeding our neighbors goats apple slices and carrots, coloring, putting together puzzles and baking. A fun few days.

Babies, Babies, Emma's Visit, Fender Bender and World Traveler

2005-02-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

Kyla will be going to San Francisco this Thursday for another scan. I will post the results as soon as we hear back. They have decided on a name for little Miss Nagel......Lucy Maye. At least that is the talk now so if it changes we will be sure to let everyone know.

Kyla and Jed went to see a play last weekend and so we kept Emmy overnight on Saturday. It was such a beautiful weekend and she kept Grandad Dave on his toes most of the time outdoors. However, she and I colored probably a zillion pictures and made peanut butter cookies as well as reading Amelia Bedelia a couple of times. We have one white hen that is pretty tame and will come up to us. Emmy decided she not only wanted to pet the hen but she picked her up. That was great until the hen wiggled and Emma dropped her. The hen went head over tail and ran off. Pretty funny to watch Em and all her escapades.

We just found out that Dave's aunt has cancer and is in treatment now. Dave and I did manage to drive to Weiser, Idaho to attend her birthday party. It was so nice to see all the cousins and have a chance to catch up as well as see how Evelyn is. Cancer of any kind is such a wicked disease but Evelyn is her usual smiling, good natured self. A little bit of history about Weiser.....I was born there as were all my siblings except one. My brother, John was born in the car outside of Huntington on the way to the hospital so he technically was born in Oregon instead of Idaho. We lived in Durkee, OR and mom's doctor was in Weiser. Can you imagine having a baby in the car?

Jill had her first doctor appointment and an ultrasound. Everything looks good so far although she was disappointed that it was too early to know the gender. We will find out April 18th! She and Wade invited Dave and I to go to the ultrasound with them so we are looking forward to that.

Kelli was in a little fender bender while on the job delivering pizza. Someone didn't yield right of way and so now she is in the process of taking care of the insurance business. She is looking for another job so she won't have to put so many miles on her car. Talked with Brian this morning and he is doing well. He now is teaching English to employees at a car rental business at the airport in Granada. Last weekend he and Charo went to Sevilla where he managed to see real Flamenco dancing as well as the largest Cathedral in the world. They also got to see the tower in which the conquistadors stored their gold on their return trips from America. I guess it's a pretty amazing city. A couple of weeks ago they went to Portugal and next weekend they are going to Madrid, and then two weeks later Holy week starts. He is really enjoying all the different things that he has seen and the Spanish culture. We love the pictures so keep them coming Brian.

Weekend and Article in Associated Press

2005-02-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was uneventful. Sunday Jill, Wade, Kelli, Kyla and Emmy came to have Dave's famous clam chowder. Poor Jed was again working all weekend at the library to prepare his two presentations at school and other homework. But Kyla took him some dinner and a brownie so at least he didn't starve. Kyla is suffering from a sinus infection but each day is feeling a little better. Because she is pregnant she is unable to take much to relieve some of the symptoms. Jill feels well and finally has health insurance so she can go to the doctor. Her first appointment is on Valentines Day.

Kyla was interviewed by the Chicago Associated Press for an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by her neuro oncologist, Dr. Chang. The article talks about the variety of brain cancer treatments and the need for more research.

Next MRI Date

2005-01-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

The next MRI date is set for March 4th.

Kyla, Jed and Emmy went to see Jed's brother, Benji, sing at Lane Community College Saturday afternoon. Benji has his own band in Sisters but this was a Jazz group through his school I think. That evening they had dinner with us and then Sunday Jed spent the day at the library working on his homework. Emmy has been sick with a bad cold and now Kyla has it. Can't wait till all this junk goes away for the year.

Brian has returned from Crete and is now teaching a couple of students in Spain. I am posting a few of his pictures below.

Picture of Brian and Charo's apartment in Spain

Brian says this is the most important seat in the house

A view from their balcony

The street near their apartment

Babies and Such

2005-01-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

It's a girl! Kyla and Jed found out today and we are all very happy especially Emmy who had decided she wanted a sister. We are meeting GG and Grandad Max for GG's birthday dinner tonight. What a fun bit of news.

A Little Surprise!!!

2005-01-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Jill and Wade are expecting also. Timing might not be what they wished for, but God gives us a little one when he thinks it is right. We are all happy about it and she is due about three months after Kyla so the little ones will be close in age. Wow! Grandparents twice this year. Fun! Kyla will find out on the 21st what gender they will be having. Can't wait.

Happy New Year

2005-01-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

Kyla has graduated to having a scan every four months now instead of three. This will be a little better for them financially because it cuts down on the amount of trips they have to make to San Francisco. Her next MRI will be in March. She feels well and is excited about the upcoming baby.

Christmas was spent at GG and Grandad Max's home with the Evans'. Kelli's trip to Scotland and England was great and she took many pictures which are below. She loved the visit but decided that two weeks was not enough time to explore. Because she took my camera, I don't have many pictures of our Christmas this year. But it was worth it for her trip. New Years eve everyone spent at home quietly. It was rather nice....Dave and I watched movies until midnight and just relaxed. I guess that means we're old!

Emmy models her new outfit from Nanna

Kelli and Kim at the airport in Portland ready for the great adventure

Kelli and Kim begin the tour of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh Scotland

A view of the city from Edinburgh Castle

Kelli, Rachel and Kim ready to go on a flight over London with Rachel's dad

Big Ben in London

This is the size of most of the Christmas trees in London homes according to Kelli's hosts

Happy Holidays!!!

2004-12-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all who read this and for those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays! We have had a busy November and December. Since my last post, we have managed to have a fantastic Thanksgiving at our home with the entire Evans bunch. Lots of good food and great company. Thanks for all of the help everyone!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we had a graduation party for Wade who finished his degree at the U of O. He is now in the process of job hunting……Good luck Wade! His family as well as ours and friends were there and we had a great time. His mom and grandma fried probably 20 or 30 pounds of chicken…I would say that is love, Wade, love!!!!

Dave, myself, Kyla and Emma went to a tree farm the next day to get our Christmas trees. Poor Jed was cramming for his finals and working on his papers. He was so glad to have three weeks of “guilt free TV” as he put it. Kelli left on the 15th to fly to Scotland and England for two weeks. Lucky girl! She was visiting friends over the holidays.

We were lucky enough to have our newest addition to the family. My niece, Kamisha, had her beautiful little girl on November 21st. She is so sweet....can't wait for Kyla and Jed to have this new little one. December brings more birthdays...Happy birthday to Wade, Jordy, Sean and Eric Everyone have a relaxing holiday and treasure your love ones every moment.

Wade enjoying his graduation party with his grandma

Demi, the little daughter of one of Jill's friends....so cute!

Jill, Kelli, Molly and Eric goofing around at Thanksgiving

Emma visiting with Santa

Emmy thinks she found the right tree

Taaaa Daaaaa! This is the tree Kyla picks for herself

See what too much studying has done to Jed!

MRI Results, Halloween, Birthdays and Stork

2004-11-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Kyla and Jed went to San Francisco for Kyla's MRI. However, she did not have a scan because of some very exciting news. She and Jed and going to be parents again! We are all thrilled and excited and at least, I, am a little nervous for her. So they decided not to do a scan since this is her first trimester. She will have a scan in three months. The doctor appointment went well and she feels good.

Aside from that fun news, since last month we have had a lot going on. Brian is enjoying Spain and has made a visit to France. He has been sending us some pictures of his surroundings. He leaves today for Greece to take a TEFL Course (Teaching English as a Foriegn Language) in Crete. He will be there for a month and is excited but a little nervous.

We spent halloween, which is also Dave's birthday and his parents anniversary, at Kyla and Jed's house. I fixed dinner and we celebrated in between trick or treaters. But we did get to see Emmy and her friends Alex and Lilly all dressed up. They looked very cute. Later Jason and SaMara brought their three children over to see Dave's parents before driving back to Portland.

There were many October birthdays for family....Happy birthday to Max, Lisa, Marisa, Brian, Braedyn and Dave and Happy Anniversary to Max and Delpha and Dave and Laura. November brings many others.....Happy birthday to Tristin, Celina, Carrie, Patti, Tony, Jacob, Brett and Charo and Happy Anniversary to Loretta and Ralph and Tony and Karen. Whew! Our families are just getting too big.

Speaking of birthdays, my niece, Kamisha is due to have her first baby, a girl, this month. So we will be adding another November birthday to the list. I gave her a baby shower last weekend and she looks so darn cute. We are all very happy for both Kamisha and Jeremy and can't wait to see the baby. Kristi and Addie Mae came all the way from Baker and spent the night with us. We had Emma for two nights while Kyla and Jed were gone so she spent an extra night with Addie Mae after the shower. They had a great time playing and feeding the chickens.

Emmy and Gram make halloween cookies

Emma and Alex all ready to trick or treat

It takes a lot of hot air for Dave to blow out his one candle

Dave and all his girls

Kamisha and her mom, Barb at the baby shower

Some of the Fuzi women after the shower

Emmy and Adde Mae ready for bed

August MRI Results and Catch Up

2004-10-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

Since I have been so lax in updating this my first comment will be yes, in August Kyla had another scan which was clear. I am sorry for not keeping up on this but with Jill's wedding and other things all summer I never took the time to sit down. I will try to be better about that because we know how important it is to keep everyone informed in Kyla's progress. She is feeling very well and is working part time and working on their home.

I will try to remember what has been happening for the past several months. Over the summer Wade had his bachelor party which was a trip to the Water Park in Seattle. They all had a lot of fun even if it was a few months early. Everyone pitched in and gave him a new surf board for his gift. We had a huge load of bark dust delivered and blown in around the back of the house and in the blueberry patch and garden. Dave put up my deer fence and we planted a garden which we got to enjoy all summer. We tore the old deck off the back of the house and one of Brian's friends, Todd, helped Dave and Brian build the new deck. It turned out fantastic but was barely finished two days before Jill's wedding. Dave also built me a grape arbor for Mothers Day and we planted two different kinds of grapes.

We had a dress up birthday party for Jill in July and Barb, Rick, Dave and I went to Bandon to watch the fireworks. There was a Burt family reunion which Kelli attended with her grandparents in California and several day trips to the coast to finalize plans for the wedding. Brian and Charo went to Baker for the Miner's Jubilee with friends and we had our annual "sisters vacation" in Sun River. Jill had two wedding showers, one put on by the ladies at her church and one by Kelli and Kyla.

Brian graduated from college in August and there were lots of last minute details in for Jill's wedding and of course the big weekend (Labor Day weekend) in Newport. Her wedding was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We came home from that and had brothers David and Jay, sister Kristi and their families as well as mom come stay with us. Lots of people but very nice birthday present for me to have them there. Kyla and Jed brought a birthday cake and I think that was the first time I have had siblings and my mom sing happy birthday to me in years.....I don't even remember the last time. Made my birthday one of the best. Thanks everyone for a memorable weekend....not just for my birthday but for coming to Jill's wedding and spending time with us.

A week later we had a going away party for Charo and Brian who are now living in Spain. September seems to have gone by in a blur. College has begun again, work is becoming busier now and Dave and I are now alone in the house. No kids living at home.....first time ever. Kind of an adjustment but we get to see them all the time.

Last note.....Jill and Wade spent three weeks in Australia for their honeymoon and are now home. They had such a great time and have lots of video and pictures. Even the small gnome made it all the way and back.

The bride and groom......stunning!

Wade with his groomsmen

Jill with Kyla and Kelli

Wade on the way to his bachelor party.....note the ball and chain

Jill, the beautiful bride holding Lexie

Brian at this college graduation with Kyla, Jill and Kelli

Brian and Charo with their friends at the going away party

MRI Results, Feeding the Ducks, Birthday and Gnome Business

2004-05-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Kyla's scan was clear today......two years this month! We are so blessed....and we found out some exciting news. The IL-13 treatment she was so blessed to receive is now being pushed through to a Phase I trial for first time brain tumor patients. It will be a while until it is up and running because of nature of protocols, but it is so exciting that perhaps radiation won't have to be used and newly diagnosed patients could be treated right away.

Kyla with her "Our Gang" DVD's

Kyla celebrated her 26th birthday last week with a family dinner. Brian and Charo gave her a pear tree to plant and GG and Grandad Max gave her a lilac bush as well as Jill giving her a gift certificate to buy what she likes in a garden store. She is loving spring time planting in her new yard. She also got a set of "Our Gang" DVD's from Kelli and a start on her collection of theTaste of Home annual cookbooks and money.

We had a little face off with the gnome after her birthday. Uuuugly! Emmy spent two days with us while Kyla and Jed were in San Francisco. Grandad took her to feed the ducks and geese in Alton Baker Park. She is so much fun right now.

All

The Faces

Of The

Traveling

Gnome

Scan Date, Birthdays, A Baptism, Birds, Art and Play

2004-04-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Kyla has a new date for her MRI on May 7th. As usual our prayers are for a continued clear scan.

We have had a lot going on lately. Kelli celebrated her 19th birthday in March with a family party and ended up with two guitars. She was happy and decided to keep both. A few days later Dave and I celebrated our anniversary with a nice dinner out at Jake's. Then Jill was baptized in Wade's church the following Sunday. Charo's sister and two friends were here visiting from Spain and came for cake at Kelli's birthday. They spent most of their time on the go visiting Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon before returning home. They treated Dave and I to a lovely dinner while they were here.

Kelli celebrates nineteen years

Jill and siblings following the baptism

Charo and her sister enjoying Crater Lake

Emma's fourth birthday was celebrated with a Nemo theme party. She had several little friends over to help her. Kyla and Jed did a great job decorating the house to look like under water and I decorated the cake. Easter brunch was celebrated at our house with everyone including Grandad Max and GG. Emmy had the usual egg hunt on a beautiful spring afternoon.

Emma's "Finding Nemo" birhday cake

Emma's birthday party

Easter eggs

Jill and I woke to find a little finch on our deck just sitting there. He seemed to be OK but he didn't fly away and when Jill picked him up he just sat in her hand. We put him in our gazebo and left the windows open so he could escape and he flew up to the rafters and so we knew he could fly. Later he was gone so we are assuming he flew away.

The turkeys have been hanging out a lot this spring and we got some really great shots of the males with their tail feathers all fanned out. On Tuesday Barb and I visited Emma at the "Meet the Artist" event at the UO where the children in the preschool had their art exhibited. Emma was pretty proud.

Little finch

Proud turkey

Emmy the artist

Our little rebel 11 chicks are doing fine and are now able to roost in the chicken house. They are really funny to watch. I forgot to mention that Brian and Charo as well as her sister and two friends played a game of hopscotch at the Oregon coast and that Kelli was trying to teach Kyla and Jed at her birthday party how to do the "caterpillar". Here are the goofy pictures.

Chicks on a bar

Kyla and Jed have a learning curve

Brian in his hopscotch mode

New Job for Kyla, Peck and Gnome Business

2004-03-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Kyla just found out she got the job she applied for in the the Linguistics department. It is a half time position and she is pretty happy. Congratulations to Kyla!!!! We knew you could do it.

Jed spent Saturday and Sunday putting in new gutters on their rental with a friend, Scott. Kyla spent the time running errands and cleaning up the yard a bit and then came out to eat dinner with us. Jed came a little later. You should have seen Emmy's face when she saw the new black chick. Her eyes were absolutely huge and she was so excited. This particular chick would hop on Jed's arm and run up to his neck. Here are some pictures of that chick and Jed.

Emmy named her "Peck"

Peck "pecked" Jed's neck

EEEEWWWW, Peck pooped on Jed's neck

The gnome appeared in my car in the drivers seat this morning all buckled in with a note attached saying "I wanna go for a drive with you, baby". Made me laugh. That Jill! I hate that gnome...it is sooo ugly. But Dave won't allow me to get rid of it because it was a gift his aunt had painted for him years ago. The gnome has appeared in many places, but my favorite was the time I, naked, opened our shower door and there he was gazing up at me. Scared the 6:00 a.m. wits out of me. He has kind of a leer on his face.....slimy is all I can say! He is now in Jill's back pack in the back seat of her car waiting for her to figure it out when she gets out to go to class tonight. Apparently Jill tried to sleep with him last night....that will teach her for not making her bed. She couldn't tell the difference if there was a lump or just bunched up blankets. Obviously she eventually figured it out. But we are telling Wade about her cheating ways.

New Chicks and a Trip to the Coast

2004-03-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

Kyla, Jed and Emma spent Saturday at the coast visiting the aquarium. Sunday evening they came to visit and have dinner with us and got to see the new baby chicks that Dave brought home. They are very cute I have to admit but they are living in a large cardboard box with a heat lamp, food and water in my utility room for now. We have to let them be here until they are big enough to go out to the chicken house because those hair brain hens we already have are not willing to take them as their own. So between kicking up cedar chips in their water and food and pooping everywhere in the box, we are kept pretty busy right now. But they are cute!

THE THREE........

FACES OF...........

EVE, ER EMMA

Emmy and Kyla at the coast aquarium

Valentine Cookies, Wedding Cake, Bats in the Belfry, Bump on the Chin and the Flu

2004-02-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

One thing Dave always liked to do was buy those huge cookies that were decorated for each of the kids on their birthdays etc. The place that used to make them closed long ago so we decided to make them for Valentines Day. We delivered them to the kids on Saturday and then Dave took me to dinner at the Electric Station and gave me some very beautiful roses.

The large cookies

Emma's cookies

Monday Jill, Wade, Wade's mom, Liz and I went to the coast to look for a person to make their wedding cake and order the flowers. Something must have been in the air on the coast because the day was not very productive. One lady was called away to a funeral so we had to meet with her catering partner, who did not do cakes. So we didn't get a huge amount of information from her. The second person never even showed up or called to let us know. We found out later on our way home that he was called away for an emergency. But with an appointment set up you would think these people would let us know before driving to the coast. We did meet with a nice English lady but she doesn't think she has the skill to do what Wade and Jill want. The flower store was closed so we struck out there also. However, we had a very nice lunch and toured a lovely Bed and Breakfast. I think Jill and Wade are going to go with Sweet Life Bakery in Eugene to make the cake even though it is a little more expensive to deliver because there seems to be few people on the coast that can do this.

Thursday evening after we arrived home, Jill said there was a bird flying around in the house. Well the bird turned out to be a bat. After chasing the poor thing with Dave's fishing net and catching it three different times, Dave and Wade finally released it outside. We are having two of our chimneys repaired and there is tarp over both of them so I guess the bat was in one of them and could only come in the house.

Dave and Wade, the Bat Busters

Poor Emmy had the stomach flu all weekend. Friday she had a nasty fall at preschool and hit her chin. It swelled up and turned black and blue so she looks pretty pitiful. End of our week!

Happy Valentines Day, New MRI Results

2004-02-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

Kyla and Jed returned from San Francisco last weekend and her scan was clear again. Now she only has to go every three months instead of two. She was very excited about that and so are we. Emmy spent the night while they were away and we picked them up from the airport and then had dinner at Marie Calendars. Last Saturday Emma and her friend Alex, painted hand prints on her new bedroom walls. It turned out very cute.

Emma and Alex the Painting Pros

This morning Jill and I saw the most beautiful pink sunrise....just in time for Valentines day.

February Sunrise

Happy New Year, A New House

2004-01-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

2004! Time is spinning past us. January has been a very busy month. We had a snow storm which is not too common around this area. Emma and Grandad had fun building a snowman and playing in the snow. Kyla and Jed bought a house back in the Thurston area which is where they went to school. The house is bigger than their first and they moved in this month. They are very busy painting and unpacking and have a lot to do to make it like they want, but they are very happy to be back in the area. The other house is now a rental.

Grandad and Emma enjoying the snow day

Snow 2004

Merry Christmas

2003-12-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

On the 18th we had a pre Christmas celebration with Joe and Sheri at Round Table Pizza. Kyla and Emmy came but alas, Jed was ill. Kelli, Isaac, Jill, Wade, Brian, Charo and of course Dave and I were all there. Lots of fun and laughter. Thank you Joe and Sheri!

Too much Christmas fun

Kyla, Emmy, Jill and Noah

We had a wonderful Christmas. Emmy spent the 20th with Gram and Grandad making cookies for Santa. Christmas eve was spent at GG and Grandad Max having clam chowder and oyster stew. Brian, Charo, Kelli and Jill spent Christmas eve and Christmas morning after opening gifts and having brunch we spent the afternoon and evening at Mike and Linda’s. They put on a spectacular dinner for all the family.

Cookie Exchange, Birthday Dinner and Tree Cutting

2003-12-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Friday Dave and I did some Christmas shopping for a few hours and got a few things. Saturday Kyla, Jed and Emmy went to a cookie exchange and came back with lots of great cookies which they brought out for a treat that night. We had a birthday dinner for Charo and Wade Saturday evening and watched "A Christmas Story".....one of my very favorites.

Sunday I managed to drag all the Christmas decorations down out of the attic and have begun to decorate. In the afternoon we took Kyla, Jed and Emmy to cut our Christmas trees at the Munsell tree farm in the pouring rain. We ran into Joe and Sherry who were there to do the same.

After that we went home and Dave made chili and we had hot chocolate and watched "The Wizard of Oz".....it was Emmy's first time.

MRI Results and Happy December

2003-12-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

Kyla and Jed returned from San Francisco early today. Her scan was clear!!!! What a blessing! Dr. Chang is now weaning her off of Tegratol (her seizure medication) so she is happy about that.

Emmy spent the night with Dave and I last night and we watched Frosty the Snowman before bed time. She is so much fun.....this morning we had a trauma. She stepped out of the car at the UO and tripped and fell in a mud puddle soaking herself and her bear. Luckily I had her clothes from yesterday in the car and so off we went to my office to wash and change clothes. Happy Birthday to Wade!

Thanksgiving

2003-11-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

Barb and I made a quick trip to Vancouver on the 22nd to watch Jordie, Addie and Lexie for Pat and Kristi while they attended Pat's brothers wedding reception. They are a very busy little bunch of munchkins but we had fun. They are growing up so fast. On the 23rd all the kids came for dinner. The only other bit of news was we had a very nice Thanksgiving with Dave's family. Poor Kelli had the stomach flu on Wednesday so she wasn't feeling too great all weekend. Brian and Charo went to Baker for Thanksgiving and stayed with Loretta and Ralph. Charo met most, but not all of the family. She was feeling pretty overwhelmed but she thinks Baker is like the towns in all the old western movies. Of course there were lots of people wearing cowboy hats and boots so no wonder. I would have tried to make it out to Christmas shop a little but I was too tired from cooking all day Thursday so Dave and I just stayed home. We did manage to do a little on Sunday but not much. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.....I know I have much to be thankful for. Happy Birthday to Brett and Charo and Happy Anniversary to Ralph and Loretta.

New Job for Kyla and Weekend with Emmy

2003-11-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Kyla started a new job last week in the admissions office at the University of Oregon. Emma is in preschool at the UO so it works out well for them since Jed also works on campus in the Graduate School. Brian took Charo to her first Blazer game in Portland a week ago and I guess it was kind of non-spectacular.....not a lot of excitement. Dave and I kept Emmy all last weekend and took her to see "Brother Bear" with Brian and Charo. She loved that movie and I must say I really got a kick out of it also. I highly recommend it.

I had lunch with Sue Rich, an old friend, and as usual we laughed until our sides hurt with tales of my Baker visit. I saw my doctor for my knees and now I am doing some physical therapy to strengthen the muscles. Hopefully this will help. We kept Emmy again this last Saturday while Kyla and Jed went to a movie with GG and Grandad Max and then had dinner with all the kids. Happy birthday to Celina, Carrie, Patti, Tony and Jacob.

Spanish Party, Quick Trip to Baker City, Birthdays and Happy Halloween

2003-10-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

We had dinner at Charo's home on the 24th and her father, Domingo, was the main chef. Of course Charo was a very gracious hostess.....it was wonderful!

Charo's family wanted to experience carving pumpkins so we gave them two and they had maybe a little too much fun.

Sunday we hosted the party for them at our home. Kyla, Jed and Emmy were there as well as Jill and Wade, Kelli and Isaac and Brian of course. Jen Simonds provided some entertainment and even with the language barrier, everyone seemed to enjoy the party. Dave cooked a mean salmon on the BBQ and Kyla was such a great help. She made a fabulous dip that was gone in the first half hour and was the main dish washer for all those many dishes. My boss and his wife also came and Sharon just took charge and was working along side of Kyla.

My mom had back surgery last week and is now home but needs help for a while. My sister in law, Laura, helped her until my older sister and I could go home. So it was off to Baker for a week to feed dogs, cats, horses, do some winterizing of her yard, clean house and cook meals. She seems to be getting better but it is a slow process. We returned on Halloween and I missed both Brian and Dave's birthdays. However, we did manage to make it to our nephew, Braedyn's, birthday party on Sunday. Lots of birthdays this month.....Happy birthday to Max, Lisa, Marisa, Dave, Brian, Jen, Braedyn and Happy Anniversary to Max and Delpha.

Fall Upon Us

2003-10-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Things are going well even with the scooping of pounds of leaves from our pool each day. Curious how the world works. The trees are all becoming ablaze with color now, though yesterday and today it feels like summer....in the 80's. It is all so beautiful yet so much pain and suffering is happening at the same time. I choose to think we are given all this beauty because we may not be able to get through the bad things if we didn't have something positive to focus on.

We went to dinner with Charo's family last week at Dos Amigos. Brian and Charo treated everyone to a great Mexican feast. It was a first for some of her family members but I think they enjoyed it. Since they speak no English and Dave and I speak no Spanish poor Brian and Charo were trying to keep up with translating. They are a very nice family and seem to have so much fun together. This Friday they are going to cook a Paella for us which is one of the most famous Spanish dishes with seafood and rice and looks something like the picture above. We are excited to try it......it is Brian's very favorite. Sunday we are hosting a dinner for her family and friends and some of our family. I think it will be around 30 people give or take a few. It should be lots of fun with some entertainment and lots of food. It also doubles as a birthday party for Brian and Jen Simonds and a going away party for Charo's family. They will be going home on the 27th.

This past weekend we cut all the pumpkins even though some are still green. They look so festive sitting on the deck. I mowed the lawn and pulled weeds while Dave burned our huge wood pile. I also worked on our bathroom for part of Sunday and then went to a bridal show with Jill and Kyla. We watched most of the fashion show and I have to say those little flower girls modeling was worth going. They were so cute! We managed to get her toasting glasses and a scroll which takes the place of a guest book. I had never seen one before and it can be framed with all the signatures of the guests.

Another MRI, Fun with Emma, Giant Tomato, Sears Saga, Spanish Boy

2003-10-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Jed just returned from San Francisco where Kyla had another clear scan. Amazing isn't it? We are so very happy about how well she is doing and depending on what Dr. Chang says in December, she may be able to be weaned off of her seizure medication (Tegratol). She has had no seizures since the first one when this was diagnosed in December of 2001 so we are hoping that at some point it will be safe to take the last medication away. Dave and I kept Emmy while they were away and had a great time as usual. We fed the chickens, the cat, Oreo and Buster (the cows). I also had some great help in dusting the piano, we baked cookies and picked tomatoes and pumpkins. Speaking of tomatoes, we took this picture a couple of weeks ago of Emmy with our big tomato, mostly to tease Dave's dad. I think the fact that she is holding the "BIG ONE" with only one hand might be a give away about the fact that we zoomed in on the tomato. But Dave swears it was huge. We also took her to her swim lessons where of course she is doing great. All in all, we had a great time.

September just flew by. A few of the things that we did......I had a great birthday. Dave took me to the coast for the weekend where we had dinner at LaSerre in Yachats. We met with Jill and Wade on Sunday and went to see the place where they will be getting married next September and met with the scheduling person at the Best Western in Newport where the reception will be. We now have that all taken care of. Jay, my youngest brother worked so very hard picking those Northeastern huckleberries and sent me enough for a pie for my birthday. I was so happy because I love to pick those berries and I haven't had a chance for a couple of summers to go home and do that. Dorothy, Isaac's grandmother, took Dave, myself, Kelli, Isaac and Gail (Isaac's mom) to dinner at the Olive Garden. She is such a sweet lady and very interesting. I found out she is working on her 8th novel and has written her memoirs already. She just has such a zest for life and is cherishing every moment. I love to be around people like that.

The continuing saga of our Sears appliance repairs continued but we finally have the condenser fan and ice maker working in the refrigerator after 5 visits and the bottom oven working. All of this on appliances 2 1/2 years old. We spent a fortune at Sears when we moved in to this house and now we have this $400.00 repair bill.

We found out my mom has diabetes and at the same time hurt her back so is looking into surgery for that as soon as they get her blood sugars stabilized. John, my other brother, fell off a ladder while installing windows and broke his arm. He had surgery and they wired the bones back together and we are praying that it heals well. He is so blessed to be here.....someone was looking out for him that day.

College classes have started for all and Brian came home from Spain a couple of days ago. He had a wonderful time, loved Charo's family and friends and was not ready to come home. He is now our "Spanish Boy".

I'll try to be better about updating. I have been so busy the past few months with things outside at home and conferences at work that I haven't had time to really do this much. But the good news is that all is well in our small part of the world.....now if only everyone else in our family would heal.

Dinner, Sisters Vacation, Brian Goes To Spain

2003-09-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

August has raced past me. Where does the time go?? We did manage to have a special dinner for Brian's friends. Charo's cousin, Isabella and friend, Miguel from Spain as well as Santiago, Luciara and Jen Simonds. They wanted a "traditional" American dinner which Brian seems to think is fried chicken, potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, green salad and apple pie. So that's what they got, but personally I figure people from other countries probably think "Burger King" is traditional (at least in my dreams so I won't have to cook traditional). It was a very nice evening and they are all such a fun group.

Jen Simonds entertained all of us with singing and playing the piano while Emmy danced with her dad.

Monday, the 25th Dave and I joined friends for an Ems game and didn't get home til very late. But we won!!! I just returned from my annual "sisters vacation" where we had a great time. It was so nice to re-connect with everyone. Barb, Loretta, Lisa, Kyla, Kamisha, Kelli and Jill were all there. The only missing one was Kristi....we wish you could have been with us. Kelli made a run to Krispy Kremes in Portland and brought us all back a sample (like we all need that!). We shopped, visited, watched a couple of movies, took a day trip to the coast where Loretta's husband, treated us to a spectacular dinner (no he wasn't there....only provided the funds), made our craft which was a wind chime (mine was so ugly I had to start over later), Barb cooked us a wonderful dinner and her husband, Rick kindly let us all invade his home while he took a trip to visit his family.

Brian and Charo left for Spain today. He will be gone for a month visiting Seville (the city he will live in for four months while there for the exchange program beginning in January), Granada (where Charo now lives and works), Almeria (where Charo grew up) and I think Madrid (but I am not sure about that one) . He was pretty excited and should be arriving there around noon today. What a great experience!!

Most Recent MRI, Newspaper Article, Birthday Parties, and Other Upda

2003-08-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Jed went to San Francisco on the 6th and her scan was clear AGAIN! Isn't that the best news? Each time it looks a little better. She was also featured in the local Register Guard which did a followup story on her. The first article was 14 months ago and the second was the first of this month. Associated Press picked it up so we have been getting calls and emails asking about the treatment from the many people that are afflicted with this terrible beast. I just wish there was more we could do. You can read the stories by clicking on the photos left and below.

On Sunday the 3rd we all went to celebrate Greysen's 3rd birthday at Dave's brother, Mike's home. Greysen is our nephew, Jason's little boy. Emma had a great time playing with the cousins and riding around on the battery operated cars. Of course Kyla and Kelli had to clown around being the "2K" sisters.

Other news in the family is that Gary (Dave's brother) had a birthday and Dave went to Vancouver to help him celebrate along with other family members. (Happy Birthday Gary!!!!) On the 15th Kelli moved out to share a house with two high school friends while in college. So far she likes having her own place away from mom and dad. I guess the chicks must try their wings even if it is hard on the mom and dad. Jill has been working long hours to cover for another employee that broke her knee....but she needs the money so that is a good thing. She had a root canal today so isn't feeling all that great and she and Wade are still in the middle of planning the wedding for a year from now. Brian went to Seattle and Vancouver Canada with Charo and some other friends from Spain this past weekend. Had a great time and is hosting a dinner for all his Spanish friends on Tuesday evening (tomorrow). Of course his "hosting" is my "cooking" so I will be busy too. But I enjoy doing it.

Upcoming event......the Fuzi Sisters Vacation. Loretta gets to come this year for the first time. We are so happy to get together and shop, talk and relax with our grown daughters. We missed it last year because of all of the things going on in everyone lives. This year we are just staying here in Eugene and taking day trips to different places but it should be fun. I am so looking forward to it.

Hot July Days, Birthday Surprise, Anniversary, Belknap Springs and Snake

2003-07-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

July has been a very busy and hot month. Everything is so dry now which of course makes for a dangerous situation in the forests. But the upside to the hot weather is that our swimming pool gets used almost every day. For as much cleaning all year it is good to see it in use.

The fourth of July began with a real bang! We were preparing to have a few people out when I tore the cartilage in my right knee. So instead of having guests Dave and I spent some time in the emergency room and I came home with a leg brace, crutches and got to ice it for a few days. It is much better now. The kids and Dave went ahead and made the rest of the fourth dinner and we still had a nice time. Our niece, Alisha, was here staying with Barb and Rick that week and came out to visit before returning home to Baker.

Saturday, the 12th we threw Jill, Isaac (Kelli's boyfriend), Shalon (my nephew) and Isaac's brother Jake a surprise birthday party and BBQ. Jill and Shalon have the same birthday (13th) and Isaac's was on the 12th and his brothers was on the 19th. All of Isaac's family came which was quite a few since he comes from a large family. My sister, Loretta was here (Shalon's mom) as well as Schelly and Wade's family and ours. Lots of people and a lot of fun. Isaac's mom and brother, Luke played the piano for us. They are so talented.....a great big thank you to you both!!

Pat and Kristi and the three little pumpkins (Jordie, Addie and Lexie) came for doctor appointments on the 15th. We all got together on the evening of the 16th at Barb and Rick's for a BBQ. It was good to see them and the kids are growing so much. Barb as usual did an outstanding job on the food. Friday, the 18th Dave and I along with Mike and Linda took Dave's mom and dad to Belknap Springs for the weekend. It was an old gift we had promised a year or so ago. The grounds are so beautiful. We took Jill and Wade the following Saturday (this last weekend) to check out the place for a possible wedding site. However, I think they have their minds set on the coast. But it was a nice day trip and we had lunch and wandered around.

Kyla and Jed celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary on the 25th with a day trip to the coast and dinner at LaSerre in Yachats. Emmy spent the day with Jill playing in the park and swimming at our house. We fed her dinner and took her home just in time to see mom and dad before bed.

One last little note.......we had a large snake in our house on Saturday. It looked like a racer (according to our book), about 2 1/2 feet long. It was curled up in one of our sky lights in the family room. We don't know for sure how it got in but we think from the attic. There is somewhat of a gap between the frame of the sky light and the ceiling. Those are new windows so it is well sealed up from the roof area on top the house. It was really creepy but Dave managed to save the day with LARGE tongs and a plastic recycle tub. We let it go outside so we are all safe now. Gads!

Retirement, Birthdays, Graduations, MRI Results and Such

2003-07-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

It has been such a busy few months. Sorry for no updates in that time. I will try to sum up what has been going on without getting too wordy.

Following Amber's wedding the end of April, I returned to a very busy week of planning for my bosses retirement event (a two day meeting with guest lectures and dinners). Although it was extremely busy, it was a very fun event.....one of the nicest I have been to at the University. However, retirement for Mike Posner just means he is enjoying his coast property a little more. He is the busiest retired person I know. The main dinner event fell on the same day as Kyla's birthday so we had a small celebration the next day. I am afraid that she got a little cheated this year for her birthday....low key and very slow in getting her gift to her. However, I did manage to finally get her flower boxes for her house and will fill them soon.

The next several weekends were filled with planting flowers, weeding, cleaning up outside in preparation for Kelli's graduation. The last week of May and the first week of June was filled with award ceremonies, senior activities such as senior/parent breakfast, baccalaureate, year book banquet, etc. We then had a nice BBQ party following her graduation. A lot of fun, but very busy.

There were several more graduations! Our nieces, Tristin and Autumn also graduated from high school in Baker. We didn't get to go because of our own activities, but congratulations to both girls! Last but certainly not least, Jed graduated from college! After many long years of work, married life, being a father and taking care of Kyla, he has done such a wonderful job. We are very proud of him. Kyla put on a nice party for him after graduation at their house.

AND Kyla's scan in San Francisco on June 11th was clear! She is doing so well.....thank God for all our blessings. She will be going back some time in August....still every two months.

So Sorry......No Updates Were Done For May

2003-05-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter and Wedding Trip

2003-04-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Jed had a seminar on the Saturday before Easter so we kept Emmy all day and colored eggs. On Easter morning, the bunny had to hurry and hide them before Em arrived at our house. Hmmmm! Dave and Brian were suspiciously hopping around outside in the morning....either they were helping or eating....I don't want to know. We had a lovely Easter brunch with GG and Grandad Max, Brian, Jill & Wade, Kelli and Isaac and of course Jed, Kyla and Emmy.

We also made the trip to Baker for our niece, Amber's wedding. She was a beautiful bride and we enjoyed seeing all of our family and friends. The weekend went very quick and was not long enough as usual. We got to spend a little time with Kristi and Pat and the kids, had dinner with mom, Kristi and Pat, Barb and Rick and some of the cousins at the "Phone Company", a great little place to eat. We had dinner Saturday with Loretta, Ralph, Shalon and Schelly and got to see the barn and corrals that Ralph built. We put in a late night visit to mom on our way back to town and then of course spent 8 hours in the car on Sunday when we returned home.

MRI Results and a Baptism

2003-04-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

Kyla called and her scan was clear again! So now every 3 months she will have a scan instead of two. Dr. Chang told her that the first patient in this treatment program is still doing well....over two years now.

We kept Emmy on Thursday night after Kyla and Jed left for San Francisco. As usual we had a grand time even if Dave was still sick. Em went to preschool on Friday afternoon and was covered from head to toe in grass when I picked her up. They got to play tag and roll down hills in the grass. Well worth the dirt I would say!

I have come down with the same stuff Dave had....wicked.....so Saturday we just stayed home and rested. Sunday Kelli was baptized in the river and of course it was pretty cold and it rained the whole time but she braved the water.

Happy Birthday Emmy and a MRI Scan Date

2003-04-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Emmy's 3rd birthday is today. Kyla and Jed had all of the family over for a BBQ and cake on the 4th. On Saturday some of Emma's friends came and shared another birthday party with her. The theme was a frog birthday and all of their things turned out very cute.

Kyla and Jed leave for San Francisco on Thursday, the 10th for appointments on Friday the 11th. We will post back then.

Goodbye to Another Uncle, Wedding Shower and Rap Music

2003-03-31T15:32:00.000-08:00

Dave's Uncle Carl passed away and he, his parents and two brothers attended the funeral in Weiser, Idaho this past week. He got in late Thursday evening just in time for Kyla, Jill and Kelli and I to leave early Friday morning to attend a wedding shower for my niece, Amber in Baker City. We attended the shower Friday evening (Amber will kill me when she finds out that this picture is up).

Saturday we spent visiting sisters, Loretta and her family, Kristi and her family and Barb, who also came from Eugene to attend and help Kristi and Pat out with their little ones. Sunday morning we took mom and brothers, Jay and John and their families to breakfast before leaving for home....another lovely 8 hours in the car. Speaking of in the car.....the girls all made me listen to rap music....they think I am so out of it but I showed them my moves! We arrived home to dinner that Dave had prepared and Wade, Jed and Emmy were there to greet us.

Dave was busy all weekend spreading grass seed and fertilizer in the field, mowing our huge lawn and cleaning up in general. But all that work must have done him in....he is now sick.

Kelli got her hair cut and it looks very cute. I will put a picture up as soon as she lets me take it.

Sunrise, Feathered Friend and a Birthday Party

2003-03-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

This morning I caught a beautiful sunrise. Because of the fog and cloudy days that are common to the area this time of year, I rarely get to see them. Later in the morning there was a red headed woodpecker outside the laundry room pounding away at a tree.

Last night was Kelli's birthday party. She invited a group of friends to have hamburgers and cake and then they went on a scavenger hunt. Each group had to video tape the hunt and we watched Kelli's tape the next day. It looks as though they had a lot of fun, maybe too much fun! Gram and Grandad Evans came as well as Wade and Charo and of course Kyla, Jed and Emma. All the girls came back home and spent the night with Kelli and the next day they went shopping. Kelli got some great gifts and although she was tired from watching videos half the night, she was happy.

Happy Birthday Kelli!!!

2003-03-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

Kelli, The Birthday Girl!

Today is Kelli's 18th birthday. It is hard to believe that our youngest is just about to fly! We will celebrate her birthday Friday with the family and her friends. She has decided that she wants to cut her hair soon so we will update that later.

My sister, Barb and I drove to Portland to attend our Uncle Bill's funeral. We met up with two of our brothers, Jay and John. We spent some time at our Aunt Ellen's home and got to visit with our Aunt Mary and Aunt Ann and Uncle Cody, who John had brought from Baker. It was nice to see some cousins but as usual I wish we didn't have to wait until sad occasions to see everyone.

Planning a Rose Bed, A Frog, Egg, Bridal Shower and Goodbye to An Uncle

2003-03-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Dave and I spent the evening visiting with Delpha and Max and then went to dinner at the Road House Grill. Sunday Dave had to work so I began digging up the sod in front of the garage so that I could plant a rose garden. Kyla, Jed and Emma came and so darn, I just had to quit digging and go in. So it is about a quarter done. After Dave came home, we fed the cows and found an egg. We also found a little frog which Emmy found very funny when he was hopping about.

On Monday Jill and I attended a bridal shower for Jena, one of Jill's long time friends. It was fun and she got a lot of nice gifts. We will be in Baker at my niece, Amber's, bridal shower during the wedding for Nick and Jena so I am glad we got to go to this. The sad news is that my Uncle Bill passed away Wednesday. He will be missed but I am glad he won't be suffering any longer.

Yesterday was quite a wind storm. It uprooted trees which downed power lines. We suffered no damage this year but it was an eerie reminder of last years storm and our new car. Speaking of new things, a co-worker's new home was smashed by a tree. She had just moved in a month or so ago.

This morning I heard some geese honking really loud. It sounded like they were in the trees outside our house. I went outside and there they were....on our roof. I managed to take a picture before they flew off.

Spring Lambs

2003-03-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

Saturday Kyla met Aunt Barb and her cousin Kamisha in Springfield to buy some fabric for curtains from the Habitat for Humanity sale. After that she, Jed and Emmy went to Corvallis with the staff from Jed's office to enjoy a day visiting the OSU Sheep Center, where lambs are being born daily. The OSU Sheep Center hosts school children and other visitors interested in seeing up to 800 new lambs expected to make their appearance this spring. They got to see some lambs being born and then went to a co-workers home afterwards for hot dogs. Emma thought that the mother lamb was laying a baby lamb. I guess she has been around the chickens way too much!

Today I went to Portland with Barb and met with our brother John and his wife Lisa. We went to visit our Uncle Bill, who was in the hospital suffering with bone cancer. We met his step-son, Bob and spent several hours with Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bill. Seeing him so frail brought back many painful memories of dad before he passed away but I am so glad we went. While gone, Kyla, Jed and Emmy came to have dinner with Dave.

Valentines Report, A Weird Rooster, New Hens, Nutty Cows and Fun With Emma

2003-02-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

Valentines day was fun for Kyla, Jed, Jill, Wade, Kelli and Isaac. The girls cooked dinner and made special desserts for their valentines and decorated Kyla and Jed's house as the "Tunnel of Love" with hearts and lips. The guys were all blindfolded until they were led to the door and when Isaac's blindfold was taken off, he said he thought it was some kind of Gothic decor until he saw the hearts and lips because the tunnel was a gray and black stone wall. They served them a candlelight dinner and then watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" after dinner. Jill and Wade went home after that and Kyla, Jed, Kelli and Isaac went bowling.

We (Dave and I) kept Emmy over night and had a great time with her as always. We took her to Alton Baker Park and fed some ducks and geese and we took a walk over to EWEB to see the fountain that sprays water up from holes in the ground. On our way back she picked the one spot to step in dog doo and so off came her boot and we could not get the stuff off. So that ended the park visit and we had to carry her back to the car. So we had dinner, went home and she helped Grandad feed the cows and collect eggs. We got ready for bed and read a couple of stories.

Kyla standing before the "Tunnel of Love"

Jill standing before the "Tunnel of Love"

Wednesday my sister Barb and I went to dinner at El Toritos and then to a movie, "Catch Me If You Can". It was nice to get out together. We don't get to do it that often since I moved way out in the country.

This past weekend was filled with the usual things. Saturday I cleaned house and Dave worked on replacing some outlets and light switches in our bedroom. We went to town to pick out new glasses for Dave and then went to buy three young hens that are laying to add to our chickens.

Speaking of our animals, we have the craziest bunch. I think I mentioned that we have had kind of a strange chicken that we really couldn't tell if it was a hen or rooster. It wasn't laying eggs, but it didn't look like a rooster and we never saw it crow. However, after Dave butchered the other three roosters when they began fighting, I would hear kind of a half hearted sound after the one remaining rooster would crow in the mornings so I was suspicious but could never really catch who was doing it. Well when the new hens arrived he definitely started showing that he was indeed a rooster. I guess he just needed his own harem. The other rooster is really bugging me. He attacked me and Dave this weekend and got a couple of good kicks from both of us. He may have to go! Then there are the strange cows. Little Oreo is such a small shrimp. He thinks he is a lap dog or something. He moos at us every time he even sees movement outside or even through the windows. Then there is the big brown steer that Emma named "Brownie". He is so crazy. Every time Dave goes to feed them, he just practically dances around and he bucks and twists when he sees us coming. Brian watched him chase a deer yesterday and I had watched him chase our neighbors when they were riding on their four-wheelers. Good thing they are all on the other side of the fence. I don't think he is being mean......he acts like he is playing. Of course that starts all of them running.

Kyla and Emmy came to have dinner with us in the afternoon and then Emmy stayed with us while Kelli and Kyla went to see Maya Angelou at the University of Oregon. Jed was meeting with his group from school and then he came and ate and took Em home. Emmy and Grandad spent most of the evening chasing ladybugs and playing hide and seek. The weather was crisp but sunny and we had a delightful time.

Happy Valentines Day

2003-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Kelli was in middle school I believe when this picture was taken on Valentines Day. She really got in to the spirit of things......little did she know that those pictures could be used later. Watch out Isaac.
Today Kyla, Jill and Kelli have something special planned for Jed, Wade and Isaac. I can't say what just yet because it might spoil the occasion. However, Dave and I will be taking Emmy out to dinner with us and she is spending the night....more later.

MRI Results and a Day With Emma

2003-02-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

Kyla just called from San Francisco with the great news that her scan was clean. We are all so relieved and thankful but none of us as much as she is. Her next scan is April 11th, almost a year since the treatment began. Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes....they make a huge difference.

Emmy and I have spent the day taking a walk in the sun and looking for special rocks, which means I have a pocket full of gravel and what not. She had to have a hot dog for lunch so we went to do that and ended up coming home with a Dora, the Explorer doll that dances and sings in Spanish and English. She loves those toys that drive her mom and dad nuts but what is a grandma supposed to do?

Spring is coming, I feel it!

Settling In, A Trip to the Coast and A New MRI Date

2003-02-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

Kyla striking a pose at the lighthouse

Kyla and Jed are settling in their house and busy unpacking, organizing and raking lots of leaves. They did take a break Saturday and went to the coast with Jill to look at places to have Jill's wedding. I think Jill and Wade have decided to have the wedding at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Now we just hope the weather is good....cant' trust the Oregon coast. However, I guess we can have tents just in case. They are still deciding about the reception location but it will all work out.

Dave and I have been busy picking out the trim for the kitchen end of the house so we can get it put together before Kelli's graduation in June. We spent most of the weekend trimming bushes and cleaning the herb garden. I can't wait for the frost to be gone so I can plant flowers. We did manage to go see a couple of movies.....My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Antwone Fisher. Both were good for different reasons....but I especially like My Big Fat Greek Wedding because it was so funny. Some people say Dave is like the father in that movie and in some ways I have to agree.

Kyla is going to San Francisco this Wednesday, the 12th, for another MRI and we are all praying for great results. I will update as soon as I can after her scan.

Roosters and Eggs, Pizza with Friends, Moving Experience, Marriage Proposal and Happy Birthday Delpha

2003-01-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

What a couple of weeks! !

The Saturday before last Kyla and Jed painted in their new home while Dave and I watched Emmy. After a full day with Emmy installing new porch lights and whatnot, we (Kyla, Jed, Emma, Dave, I, Kelli, Isaac, Jill and Wade) had pizza with Joe and Sheri Rose at Round Table then ice cream at Dairy Queen. A lovely evening.

The saga of the chickens continues. On Sunday before last, Emma and I decided to feed the chickens and much to Emmy’s delight we discovered two of the hens have begun to lay eggs again....it looks as though it is an every other day thing right now. You should see the size that the little black hen lays.... smaller than a golf ball. I think it will take about 3 of those to make a large egg. It is very funny. Because we had four roosters, we were beginning to have a few problems with fighting so Dave put on his "Farmer Bill" act and butchered three of them. However, I am not so sure he saved the right one. It is the biggest but he follows me and crows non-stop and now has begun to attack me when I get too close to the chicken pen. He doesn't seem to know where his food is coming from, does he? If he keeps this up, I just might have to have a nice roast chicken for dinner soon.

Last Thursday evening we went over and helped Jed install a new hot water heater in their house. Friday afternoon I took off work to help Kyla clean so they could move in on Saturday. We got most of the kitchen and bathroom done, but not all while Dave installed a new kitchen stove hood. Jill watched Emmy most of the day (thank you Aunt Jill! ) and Jed and Kyla then took us to dinner that evening at Tio Pepe’s, a great Mexican restaurant in Eugene.

Saturday was the big moving day and Dave, Jed and Brian moved all of the heavy things while Kyla and I moved a couple of car loads of smaller things. GG and Granddad Max watched Emmy and provided us with a wonderful spaghetti dinner afterwards. We were all tired and hungry and it tasted great! Thank you so much Delpha and Max! While we were having dinner Jill and Wade arrived and announced the good news that they are now engaged. A tentative wedding date has been set for September 4, 2004. We are so happy to welcome Wade who fits right into the crazy family. He is a great guy and makes Jill very happy.

Sunday we watched Emmy so Jed and Kyla could get a little more organized and put away things with the help of Kelli and we had dinner together when they picked Emma up. We had a great weekend and since we had Monday off because of Martin Luther King Day, Dave and I went to see “About Schmidt”. It was a good movie, but left us feeling kind of sad at the end.

First Home, Swimming with Sharks (no, not loan sharks) and Lunches

2003-01-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

Back to work…….Thursday and Friday. It never seems to be enough time, in fact the more time off, the more I wish I had. Oh well, such is life.

Friday we closed on the house deal for Kyla and Jed. They will be moving in the end of January…..it is so exciting to buy your first home. Now comes the work…..cleaning, painting and maintenance. Saturday Kyla, Jed, Kelli and Isaac painted while we kept Emma and did some chores around the house. Emma spent a lot of time swimming in the pond (the round chair pad from Jill's papasan chair) and I had to get rid of all the sharks which was rewarded with gales of laughter. But don't ask me to ever give a repeat performance for anyone except Emma.....I won't do it (see Emma in her swimming goggles on the right). All the kids came and had pizza with us that evening. Sunday was more of the same except Dave spent most of the day on the roof cleaning gutters and spreading moss killer while Emmy and I watched “Babe” and made dinner. Emma and I went in to look at the paint progress and there is still much to do, but at least it is a beginning.

Monday Kyla spent her morning running around getting signatures on yet another missing form for the loan. I watched Emma in my office while she took the paper to Dave at his office for a signature. We read stories and wrote on the chalkboard and visited with Roger, one of the accounting people in my office. She calls him “Mr. Rogers”….I guess from seeing “Mr. Rogers” on television. I also had a nice lunch with Susan Rich, a childhood friend. Thursday I had lunch with “Emma’s group” which consists of Kyla, Jed, Emma, Joanna and Colleen. Joanna and Colleen are both co-workers of ours at the University. Jed brought yet more papers that were missed in signing.

Today Dave took me to lunch and we plan on spending the night at home relaxing, maybe renting a movie or something and looking forward to having Emma this weekend again. The day was beautiful and sunny….a nice change from all of the fog we have had this past week.

Happy New Year and Celebration of Life

2003-01-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

Dave and I spent the weekend relaxing and resting from all the events building up to Christmas and then did a little shopping for some new clothes for Dave with his gift certificates and birthday money. Yes, he held on to his money for two months…..talk about control! He got some great buys and then we went to dinner at Chapala’s and to a movie, “Two Weeks Notice”. It felt wonderful just to get away from the house and cooking and holiday celebrations and do something together.

On the 29th we had a celebration of the one year since diagnosis for Kyla. We had a spaghetti dinner with all the kids and gave her a bracelet to signify our love and support. She is feeling good and so far this IL-13 treatment is doing its job. We are thankful for every day we have.

On the morning of New Years Eve we watched two baby fawns eating our grass outside the living room (see picture at the below). The mom was nowhere to be seen and they stayed around for most of the morning. The afternoon was spent taking down the Christmas decorations and Kyla, Jed and Emma spent the evening with us. Brian, Kelli and Jill all had places to go to bring in the New Year so we just relaxed and watched a couple of movies.

New Years day we finished packing away the decorations, had lunch with Kyla, Jed and Emma and while they took Emma to the “Jonah, A Veggie Tales Movie”, Dave and I went to dinner at the Roadhouse Grill and to see “Lord of the Rings-Two Towers”. This is a time for reflection, resolutions and appreciation for everything we are blessed with. To sum it up we have had a very full year, some stressful and scary but mixed with love, laughter and support from everyone around us. We are very blessed to have so many wonderful friends, family and strangers in our lives. Your prayers and your love continue to sustain us. May God bless you.

2002-12-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve was spent with Dave's parents in their home. Delpha, as is their tradition, fixed her wonderful clam chowder and oyster stew. We opened gifts and it was a nice evening. Jill brought Wade, Kelli brought Isaac, Kyla, Jed and Emmy were there and Brian even made it....couldn't miss a gift! Mike and Linda came as well as Brett, Carrie and Mat.

Christmas morning after Kyla, Jed and Emma arrived, we opened gifts and fixed a pancake breakfast. Emmy got a tea kitchen from Grandad and Gram and she stayed busy most of the morning fixing everyone tea and pushing her baby in her new stroller (see picture on the right). We cleaned up the usual array of paper and boxes and in the afternoon the entire Evans family came for a prime rib dinner. Everyone brought great food and it was a very nice evening. Thank you to everyone for the wonderful company.

We hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed day as we did and pray that God will bless each of you as we feel we have been blessed.

Merry Christmas!

Dinner Out, Christmas Cookies, Burnt Popcorn

2002-12-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

Friday evening Jill and Wade took Dave and I to dinner at the Electric Station for part of our Christmas present. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed being with both of them one on one. We don't get a chance to do that very often.

Saturday morning I made sugar cookies and gingerbread men for a group of Kelli's friends to decorate. Five of her friends came as well as Charo, Kyla and Emma. After much chaos, colored frosting, and lots of sugar, they succeeded in decorating quite a few. We then had pizza and they had a white elephant gift exchange. Amongst the rowdy laughter they had a great time and there was a few very, shall I say, unique gifts, huh girls? After all of the girls left, Kyla and Kelli brought out one of our old favorites, "A Christmas Story" and fell asleep watching it.

Sunday we made a Costco run for a ham for Christmas dinner, which will be at our home this year and the evening was spent with Kyla, Jed and Emma having dinner. After they went home Dave succeeded in burning popcorn in the microwave and we are still trying to get the burnt smell out of the house. All in all the weekend was lovely. We are truly blessed.

Dry Chicken, Card Making, Cookie Baking, New Furniture, Scary Movie and a Manly Man

2002-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

Friday we had Wades birthday dinner (birthday boy below). As always the birthday person gets to pick what they want for dinner and Wade chose BBQ chicken, macaroni salad with extra dill pickles, rolls, broccoli with cheese and CHOCOLATE CAKE. We had to provide him with lots of katsup since he loves the stuff on chicken......ewww! But he keeps telling me "don't knock it until you try it"...somehow I just can't put it on chicken or turkey. Wade's dad, Jack and his fiance, Tammy also came to dinner. It was nice to get to know his family. But the poor chicken was kind of over done.......a little dry so maybe katsup would have been a good idea. Hey that is probably why Wade likes katsup on everything....to hide the cooking!

Saturday Dave and I went Christmas shopping and ended up buying a new dining room set and a bed. It is a belated anniversary/birthdays/Christmas gift to each other. We have been looking for quite a while and finally found a good deal. Kyla and Jed will get our old dining room set and Kelli will get our head board and foot board. We just have to buy a new mattress and box spring for her and she should be all set.

Sunday Jed, Kyla and Emma spent the day making Christmas cards while Dave and I did a little more shopping. Kelli and Isaac took Kyla and Jed to dinner at Chapala's while we watched Emmy. We made spaghetti and then Emma and I made some cookies. When we were all done, I thought "wow" she isn't even asking for cookies. Then I remembered she ate just a wee bit of dough! But it was a very fun evening.

Monday our new furniture was delivered and it is really beautiful! After 22 years, it is really nice to have some new things. Dave and I spent the evening putting together the new bed while Jill, Wade, Brian and Dez watched "Halloween", a movie Dez was in the mood for. You know Dez, it is Christmas now......how about "A Christmas Story" or something? Well she said she needed to have a good scare so I guess she got that. I had a crown put on today at the darn dentist and lunch with Susan Rich, an old friend from high school. It is always fun to get together...we do more laughing than eating. Tuesday was spent buying the Christmas gifts that need to go to Baker for family and today I mailed them all. Quite the lines at the post office...I hope they make it on time.

Jed attended his office holiday party and they exchanged white elephant gifts. Check out what a "Manly Man" Jed was with the purse, jacket and wrinkled shirt (below)!! What great gifts they all received.....wonder who will get that snazzy purse next year?

Shopping, Flat Tire and No Jury Duty

2002-12-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Kyla and Jed spent last weekend putting up their Christmas tree and decorating. Emmy is having a bit of a hard time leaving the decorations alone….but don’t all two-year olds? Unlike us, they have the shopping done. So they should be able to enjoy the holidays like the rest of us wish we were able to do.

I have been spending a few days trying to come up with holiday pictures to use in a letter to family and friends. I never realized I took so many….hard to choose from. Jill went to the coast for the weekend after Thanksgiving just to relax and rest and then came home to Wades birthday on Monday, the 2nd. We are going to have his birthday dinner on Friday, the 13th. Kelli and Isaac volunteered time over the holiday weekend at the Festival of Trees and Kelli house sat for GG and Grandad Max. Kyla and Jed came to get their Christmas decorations out of storage and while Emmy and Grandad played piano, Jed took a nap. He is on a dead run with school and work and all the volunteer time he has to put in for his degree so it was a much-needed nap. Brian spent most of the weekend doing homework but did manage to get out and go to Silver Falls with Charo and her guests from California.

Dave and I managed to get a few gifts after work each night this week but that leaves us getting home so late. This morning Kelli had a flat tire so we spent our lunch hour today changing the tire and taking it to be fixed. During the process of changing the tire, one of the bolt snapped in two….Argh! The good news is that I don't have to serve on Jury Duty....there was no trial! Just a bad time of year to be caught up in that. This weekend we would like to get the tree and decorate but we'll see.

Happy Thanksgiving

2002-11-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Lord, for each new day you give to me,
For earth and sky and sand and sea,
For rainbows after springtime showers,
Autumn leaves and summer flowers,
Winter snowscapes so serene,
Harvest fields of gold and green,
Beauty shining all around,
Lilac scent and robin sound,
Stars that twinkle high above
And all the people that I love.

Wednesday found Kyla and Emma baking pies with me in preparation for Thanksgiving. Emmy spent most of her time rolling out the dough and cutting out shapes......and throwing lots of "snow" (flour) everywhere. We had a great time and Kyla took home a chocolate cream pie and an apple pie for her dinner. She and Jed hosted Thanksgiving for Jed's dad, Jack and brother, Benji. Dave and I spent the day with Barb and Rick, Kristi, Pat, Jordie, Addie and Lexie, Brian, Jill, Wade, Kelli and Wade's friend, Cain. It was a lovely day and we enjoyed spending time with everyone and playing with the kids.

Jordie and Addie got to feed the chickens and Addie is a pro at crowing. Jordie spent some major time fishing out the leaves from the pool. We did a little Christmas shopping over the rest of the weekend but have a lot more to do.

I just want to take a moment to say how thankful I am for all or our terrific friends, family and acquaintances. You are all wonderful and a great support to us and we love all of you. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Busy Weekend and Charo's Birthday

2002-11-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

Saturday was spent working outside blowing all those darn leaves and cleaning up a bit. We still have a lot to do. Brian had dinner with Kyla, Jed and Emmy while Dave and I went to Izzy's for dinner. Today we cooked dinner for Charo who has her 30th birthday coming in a few days. Kyla and Emma spent the day while Jed was at a seminar for school. We had a lovely time with Charo like we usually do.

Powderpuff Football, More Birthdays, Imaginary Friends and MRI Results

2002-11-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

Thursday we had dinner at Lane Community College with Joe and Sheri. The students in the culinary/hospitality program cooked and served a great multi-course banquet with a Fall harvest theme. There was an auction during the dinner for two groups of students to come to your home and cook and serve dinner. Dave had the bidding going on and got up to $250.00. But someone else ended up outbidding him. Whew! Thank you Joe and Sheri for the treat!

Friday Jill, Dave and I met up with Kyla, Jed, Emma and Isaac at Silke Field to watch Kelli play in the annual Thurston High School powder puff football game between the junior and senior girls. Kelli played lineman and did a great job. The seniors won of course and it was great fun to watch. Kells threw in a couple of good tackles (even though it was flag football and she got a team penalty for one of them) but she said she just had to do it. You should have seen the male cheerleaders.....not sure how many games those girls could have won if this went on for more than just one game. They were pretty unusual.

Saturday Tony took Dave to the UO football game and watched them lose to the Huskies getting soaked in the pouring rain. Afterwards we had a birthday dinner at GG and Grandads for Tony and Patti.

Sunday afternoon Kyla and Jed brought Emma to stay with Dave and I and then flew out to San Francisco for her Monday morning appointments. We were kept very busy with all of Emma's imaginary friends which change from moment to moment. We don't know what persona she will take on either. One moment she is Dora and the next she is Cinderella. We all have our own parts we have to play and answer to. Most of Sunday and Monday she was Baby Butter from PB&J cartoon on the Disney network. We also had to feed, bathe, read to, seat belt in her two imaginary friends, Oswald and Deedee. Gosh I am mentally exhausted today just from two days of trying to remember which character I was supposed to be and keeping up with her friends. It is a good thing though because it kept our minds focused on other things. Sunday evening Dave, I, Emma and Jill met Joe and Sheri and Joe's sister and nephew at Round Table Pizza for dinner and on Monday evening we took GG and Grandad to Thurston High School to watch Kelli's induction into the National Honor Society. Congratulations Kelli! We are very proud of you.

OK, the news is great......Kyla's MRI scans look great. No change from two months ago. Thank goodness....we are all breathing a little easier today.

Weekend in Portland

2002-11-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend of the 9th in Portland. Dave's brothers and sisters-in-laws took us to dinner at Alexanders Lounge at the top of the Hilton and we listened to Tom Grant play. Tom even played and sang happy birthday to Dave (guess it pays to get really old or maybe he was bribed). We spent the night at the Hilton then did a little Christmas shopping before coming home on Sunday. A huge thank you to Karen and Tony, Patti and Gary and Mike and Linda. We really had a great time.

Monday was spent sewing together the Christmas stockings that Kyla cross-stitched for Jed and Emma and herself. They turned out very pretty.

New MRI Date

2002-11-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Kyla now has a date for her next MRI....November 18th. She and Jed will go to San Francisco on the 17th and hopefully will be back on the evening of the 18th. We all become anxious when the time draws near but we just keep praying for great scans and try to have faith that there is a purpose in all of this. Thank you to all of the people who wish Kyla well. It means so much to her and to all of our family.

Halloween, Trick-or-Treat, Happy 50th and Anniversary

2002-10-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

Halloween was spent at GG and Grandad's for Dave's 50th birthday and their anniversary. I cooked the dinner and brought it in so we could still see all the kids trick-or-treating. Mike and Linda came as well as Wade, Jill, Jed, Kyla, Emma, Brian and Kelli. Jason and SaMara brought their little guys later. Emma dressed up as an elephant, Greyson was a gorilla, Braedyn was a fireman and Tailen was Little Red Riding Hood. Very cute!

Friday Brian did a little dressing up for a Halloween party he went to. See the picture above...Saturday Tony took Dave to the Duck football game....they won of course! We then spent an hour at Braedyn's 4th birthday party and then went on to dinner for Dave's birthday at Mookie's Place. It was a great weekend but we are still very tired.

Kelli's Homecoming Dance, Happy Birthday Brian

2002-10-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

The 19th was Thurston High School's homecoming dance and Kelli spent the day getting ready. Because of a time limit, she got ready at Kyla and Jed's. Our "other daughter" Dez came and fixed her hair (thanks Dez!!! ) and Jill helped her with her makeup. She looked very pretty. GG and Grandad came to take pictures and brought Uncle Tony and Aunt Karen along. I followed Isaac and Kelli around to take group pictures at a friends house and then they all went to dinner and the dance and had a great time. Dave stayed home and finished laying the black granite so we could put the wood stove back in. It looks very pretty.

Friday, the 25th Emmy spent the night with us and helped me cook and clean. Saturday was spent washing the outside windows and doing outside fall cleanup. Sunday we celebrated Brian's 27th birthday. GG and Grandad came as well as Charo and her friend from Spain, Lola. We had a nice time and Brian, Charo, Lola, Kyla and Jed all went to the haunted corn maze at Lone Pine that evening. I think our visitors from Spain think we are very strange in the USA. Brian helped them carve their first jack-o-lantern and in return Lola cooked a great dinner before she returned home to Spain.

Look What Flew In!!!

2002-10-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

Great Fall Days, Animals (more than one kind), Another Month of Birthdays

2002-10-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

There is not much medical news in our immediate family for now which is a good thing based on all the things that we have experienced this past year. Kyla is feeling good, keeping busy with Emma and taking a class at the University. Her hair is growing in very fast and it looks great! My sisters baby, Lexie, is in Doerenbecher still and has been experiencing all kinds of problems with the shunt surgeries. Poor little baby has gone through three major brain surgeries in two weeks and is still not out of the woods yet. She is now running a fever and is still in quite a bit of pain and they are trying to determine what the problem is. We are praying for her and for Pat and Kristi who have been staying at her side this entire time.

The sad animal news is that Brutus decided to eat entirely way too much alfalfa and grain and bloated up huge. After a $300 vet visit, he was still no better and was suffering so we decided that it was more humane to do the butchering now. Kind of hard to think of Brutus hamburger! Oreo is doing good and so is Buster. They continue to pester us daily for their feedings. They should be completely weened by the end of this month. Emma loves to come help feed the cows and she told Dave he was the best grandad ever because he lets her feed them with her very own cup full of grain. It is very cute!

The chickens are all doing great and I think Betty can go back to Joanna soon. Her remaining 7 chicks are not so little any more. We now have one of the small roosters crowing every morning. Hilarious sound coming from this little guy! The turkeys are all hiding in our trees. It is now open season on them so they know where to go. Last but NOT least is our problem with hundreds of ladybugs. I used to think they were really cute and harmless, but not so now! The cold weather has brought them in again and I had the smart suggestion from Dave and Brian to put diapers on the chickens and let them come in to take care of the ladybugs. Har har!
We have been working on cleaning up the garden since frost has taken away the remains of any bounty. Grandad Max had his 71st birthday party Saturday and he now has a big screen television set. He got to see the Duck football game in style! Happy Birthday Max! Brian and Dave also have birthdays coming up soon so party planning is happening. Dave shares his birthday with Halloween and his parents wedding anniversary so we will spend that evening with them.

Great MRI Results, Mono, An Elephant and a Visit with the Flanagans

2002-09-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Jed returned from San Francisco and her scan was clean!! She is so relieved as we all are and thankful that our prayers are being answered. She doesn't have to go back for two months now. What a nice break for her! We will keep praying that her future scans are just as good as this time. Thank you to Steve and Cindy for the airline tickets and we are all saying special prayers for Cindy's appointment this week. She also has the same cancer as Kyla and is one of the first patients to be on this treatment and so far has done well for a year!

Kristi and Pat came to visit with Jordie, Addie and their new baby girl, Lexie. She is so tiny still....but has doubled her weight since birth. They had an appointment at Dorenbecher Hospital to talk to a neurosurgeon and neurologist about placement of a shunt for her hydrocephalus. It looks as though it will have to happen within the next two weeks. It was so great to see them and our prayers are with them to get through all these medical procedures and take one day at a time. Barb and Rick came to visit with them on Saturday night and we had a pizza and salad.

On another note, we bought two cows (or should I say one cow and an elephant) from Steve Keele Saturday. After he and Betty Jean dropped them off, the biggest steer escaped....so we spent a little time putting him back in and fixing fence. Since he was taken from his mom he mooed all night long and so none of us got much sleep. By the next morning we were all thinking maybe we would like to have a little veal instead of waiting. He sounds like an elephant....Hmmm! But the good news is that he is over that part now.

Jill has been feeling poorly for a few weeks and found out Monday that she has mononucleosis. So now she has to take it very easy for a while until she begins to feel stronger.

Emmy spent Sunday night and Monday with Gram and Grandad and as usual we had a great time. Brian never had enough to do so as usual he teased Emmy the whole time he was around her.....it will be good when he starts back to college soon. I even managed to have my first ever tricycle wreck (no I wasn't riding it...I was trying to save Emma from going down the driveway too fast).....the driveway is very steep and those things don't have brakes. Well Emma didn't get hurt but I scraped my knees and knuckles. I really do think I am becoming my mom....all I needed to say was Whoa! There are some stories about Grandma Mae that we could tell for months.

A Day with Emma, Floors and Missing Laundry Basket

2002-09-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Karen!!! There are a bunch of family birthdays this month. I won't mention age since mine was one of them and I fear retaliation in some form.....I have kind of sadistic brothers.

Saturday Emma spent the day with us so Kyla and Jed could take a class on all that is involved in purchasing a home. We had a good time chasing the chicks, bugging Uncle Brian and watching Toby the floor guy take out his toe prints and hand print from the floor in the kitchen. Well after we all ended up walking in it accidentally or otherwise, we decided that maybe we will fix it ourselves. Toby came back on Sunday to replace a board that was faulty and he again put a finish (in theory) on the kitchen. Still missed a bunch of spots. However, this is it. No more returning to my kitchen. We have been living over, under and around furniture stacked in the living room for a month and a half. Before he came back to fix the boards yesterday, Brian couldn't find his laundry basket! Hmmm. Later found it in the back of Toby's car.....don't want that back now!! He must have needed it more than Brian.

Sunday Kyla, Jed and Emma came out to sew Emma's Halloween bag that Kyla cross stitched for her. It turned out very cute! I will try to get a picture of it soon and put it up here. We ordered Chinese food and just enjoyed being together.

My aunt Nancy put me in contact with the brother of another brain tumor patient and he sent me an inspirational message that was told by Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America. I want to post it so that we can be reminded that each and every moment of every day is to be treasured (see below).
********************************

If you remember, Lisa is the wife of Todd Beamer, who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane that was heading for Washington D.C. She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him. She's now the Mom of a beautiful little girl, Mary.

Lisa recalled this story:

"I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. "Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is the powers way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someones house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted.'

Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook. Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do."

Birthday, Games and Such

2002-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Kyla, Jed, Emma, Jill, Wade, Kelli and Isaac all went to the coast to have some fun before school started. The day was nice and I will put a few pictures up soon.

Friday was my 45th birthday and Dave made a great salmon, Kyla made a marinated pasta salad and fruit salad. The dinner and company were terrific with all the kids and boyfriends, etc. there to celebrate. Wade brought little "Missy", Barb and Rick's new puppy because Jill was house/dog sitting for Aunt Barb. Missy was so brave that she went out and barked at the baby chicks while hiding behind Kyla's legs. Thank you everyone for the nice gifts.

Fierce dog, Missy

Dave has been doing his Consumer Reports shopping for a new big screen TV for his 50th birthday. We are giving him plenty of time (like 2 months) as we all know how long it takes for him to shop and make up his mind. Another thing that keeps him busy is the installer for the wood floors. We have a second coat of finish down but are still waiting on the final....plus fixing some mistakes. So this is going on the 7th week of a 10 day job. Patience!!!!

Saturday Uncle Tony took Kyla to the Duck game and Brian and Wade went also. We all went to GG and Grandads for hamburgers afterward and got to visit with Tony, Gary and Patti, Mark, Eric and Molly. Karen sent down some pretty cool looking slippers for Kelli. They kind of look like Spike's brother....white dogs. Crazy!

There is some good news about Kyla's particular IL13 treatment that came out today. The press release was from NeoPharm, Inc. which is the drug company sponsoring the clinical trial. The information was presented at the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) Congress showing encouraging preliminary data from ongoing Phase I/II trial. Enrollment has now begun in the first global Phase I/II clinical trial of IL13-PE38; the third NeoPharm sponsored clinical study to date in patients with recurrent or progressive malignant gliomas. They are working to quickly advance this treatment to Phase II/III and get it out there on the market (read more here)

Another story that aired on Dateline NBC is about an immunotherapy trial that Dr. Laiu at UCLA is using. It is so exciting to see all the hard work and hope out there for the thousands of people going through the same thing Kyla is. Our hopes and prayers are that everyone will be able to benefit from this not just now but in the future.

Pickles, BBQ with Barb and Rick

2002-08-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

Charo and her cousin, Isabelle, visit the baby calves on Wednesday before going home to Spain. Charo will return at the end of September but she wanted her cousin to see the chicks and calves before they left.

Saturday was spent cleaning up sawdust from the kitchen so Kyla and I could make dill pickles. We made 26 quarts that night before going to dinner and then I made another 24 Sunday morning. Those famous "Delpha's Dills".....they are the best. Then we all headed in to Aunt Barb and Uncle Rick's for a BBQ salmon. As usual, Barb outdid herself and we got to visit with Jason, Brita and Joe. Joe spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa (Barb and Rick) and he and Emma had a great time......sometimes playing......but mostly arguing. What a fun age!

Barb's back yard is like a hidden oasis. I could just sit out there all day.

MRI Results and Sparkling Stars

2002-08-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Kyla had her MRS scan yesterday in San Francisco and the area of concern last scan is fading away. She is feeling much more positive and we are all so thankful and happy for her. They will be keeping a close watch on this area still so she will be going back in a month for another. Thank you all for the prayers and support and a special thank you to Steve and Cindy for the donation of the airline tickets.

Emmy stayed with Dave and Vonda and we had a great time. She loves the glow in the dark stars in Jill's bedroom so Gram and Em had to make a trip to buy some for her bedroom. After sticking them up on the wall we lay in the dark last night and said our prayers and watched the "sparkly stars" as Emmy calls them until she fell asleep.

Off to San Francisco, Weird Mountain Sheep and Visit with Cousins

2002-08-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Jed are flying to San Francisco today for her appointments tomorrow. Our prayers are for a good scan.

Dave's cousin Nate and his wife Leah arrived Friday evening. Dave, Kyla, Jed, Emma and I went to have pizza with them at Grandad Max and GG's. On Saturday Mark brought everyone out to the Funny Farm for a visit . We had a nice time catching up on everyone and looking at pictures of the new granddaughter. How time flies!

Brian and his friend Amy, made it back safe and sound from the Grand Canyon trip with lots of great pictures. He had a great time and only managed to come home with a bad cold. He is still telling us of his adventures like seeing Mountain Sheep (the picture below looks suspiciously like a stuffed animal on a store shelf).

Monday Kyla, Jed, Emma and Brian went to Alton Baker Park to play badminton with Charo and her cousin, Isabel, who is visiting from Spain. They had a good time and plan on going to see the animals at our house before going home.

The garden is producing tons of tomatoes and cucumbers and one giant flower got in the strawberries somehow. But it is really pretty, whatever it is! Emmy is coming to stay with us and we will have a great time feeding Oreo, Buster and Brutus along with all the chickens. More later!

Hair Cut, Scandinavian Festival, Hot Weather, Slow Floors

2002-08-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

Kyla decided she has had enough of those hats. She had Jed cut her hair so that it is pretty much all one length now and it is very cute! I will put some pictures up soon. Kelli and cousin Eric watched "Big Brother" both Thursday and Friday nights with Kyla and Jed then Saturday morning Jed, Kyla and Emma went to the Scandinavian Festival. Emma came home with a Viking Hat that she just had to have after seeing the "big Viking" walking around at the festival. Wait until you see the picture of her in it. After the festival they came and had spaghetti dinner with us and to look at the progression of the maple floors.

Floors! Our kitchen, dining room and family room are all torn up, in a great mess with sawdust everywhere for the second week now. So the floors are a little slow but the work is beautiful. We are excited to see the final product. There are many stories about this that I won't put here on the site.....just too much!

The calves are doing a little too great. I finished giving the series of penicillin shots to Buster. He developed stress related pneumonia but is now doing much better. It is quite a trial trying to feed them all three at once. We have to try to keep Brutus occupied so Oreo can eat. He is so mean.....butts him out of the way. I will be so glad when this part of the calf raising is over.

The days are hot right now so we are just trying to keep everything watered in the garden....we are now getting great looking cucumbers! Tomatoes are just beginning to ripen.

Brian should now be in the Grand Canyon. He has taken some great pictures and we will post some when he returns in a couple of days......that is where our digital camera is!

Close to Home and the Next MRI Date

2002-08-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

Kyla and Emma went with Kelli to have her senior pictures taken on July 31st. Emma was one of Kelli's props. We get the proofs back soon. They then all went to dinner at the Olive Garden....pay day is wonderful!

Kyla has been staying pretty close to home because they are potty training Emma. So far she is doing great....just a few minor accidents. She has been able to get out a little. On Friday, the 2nd Aunt Barb brought Joe and they all went to see the baby calves and chicks and had a picnic in the trees.

Brian left to go to the Grand Canyon for two weeks with a friend. He plans on taking many hikes and stops along the way. He will be taking lots of pictures so look for some of those coming up later. Sunday we went to cousin Greysons's birthday party and Emma had a lot of fun playing with all the little kids there. Then on Monday and Tuesday Kyla and Emma had lunch with Jed and Emma came to visit Gram in her office and got to draw on the chalkboard. The latest news is that Kyla finally has a date for her next MRI.....August 21st. So now we are sending many prayers that it will be good news.

Anniversary, Old Friends, Wood Floors, Olympics and Baby Calves

2002-07-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to Kyla and Jed---four years. They celebrated Thursday by having dinner at Shoji's and Emmy stayed with Gram and Grandad for the night.

The maple flooring for the family room, kitchen, dining room was delivered Friday and Brian helped to unload most of it before taking off to Bend for the "Home Boy Olympics". From what I can tell....at least what he divulges to his mom, is that he and a bunch of other guys have gotten together for the past 3 years and team up in two's to compete in various "sport" activities. Those include golfing, pool playing, horse shoes, running, beer guzzling, etc. All I know is he came home with a hat that says "Home Boy Olympics" on the front and "Ugly" on the back. The other guys said that they knew Brian would look the best in his because he wears his hats backwards most of the time.

Saturday I had lunch and a long visit with a childhood friend, Jody Lewis, at Marie Calenders then made it home just as another Baker friend arrived , Susan Rich with her daughter Allison. Jed and Emma joined us for a swim for a couple of hours and then we BBQ'd chicken and had a good visit.

Sunday morning three baby calves were delivered and I mean babies! Two of them are 6 weeks old and the other is only 2 weeks old. That means we are bottle feeding twice a day for quite a while. They are really cute.....naming was pretty easy. Oreo is the baby....he is black and white. Buster is the middle sized one and Brutus is the largest, named for how aggressive he is.....he tries to eat his and all the others milk. Farmer wannabe Dave has to get up an hour early every morning to help feed because there is just one too many for me to do by herself. Well it looks like we are tied down for a while now!

MRI and Dr. Appointment

2002-07-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Kyla had an MRI this morning in San Francisco and then an appointment with Dr. Chang. The small spot of enhancement they were watching has increased in size somewhat. Dr. Chang said it can be a number of things. It could be tumor regrowth (we are praying that this is not the case), necrosis (dead tissue) from the medication doing its job (this is what I, MOM, choose to think it is) or it could be because Kyla finished taking the last of her Decadron (steroids for swelling in the brain) a week ago. Of course it wasn't what Kyla wanted to hear this soon.....she and we all wanted to hear that the scan is clean. But she is so strong....an inspiration to us all. We love you Kyla!! So she goes back to San Francisco in four weeks for another scan.

People are amazing! Another patient of Dr. Chang's and her husband donated airline tickets to Kyla and Jed for this trip. So they flew to San Francisco on Sunday and were home Monday afternoon. Much nicer than that 10 hour trip each way.

Emma stayed with Gram and Grandad and as usual we had a grand time swimming, feeding the chickens and reading Curious George about 1000 times.