Surgery Day

Just a quick update on Curt . . . .

We had to be in Payson by 8:30 a.m. to prep for his surgery. (For those of you unaware, Curt was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few weeks ago after a biopsy found cancer. He had to wait for the biopsy to heal before they could perform the surgery.)

Anyway, we got to Payson Hospital at 8:30 a.m. Finally, at 10:30 a.m. he was taken back and I was sent out to the waiting room to wait with Chris, Amanda, and Cody, who showed up for moral support. At about 2:15 Dr. Kronmiller came to the waiting room to talk to us. He removed his prostate along with lymph nodes (I think--or he just checked them--I'm not sure up to this point). The Dr. said the lymph nodes looked great so they don't think the cancer had spread past the prostate (let's hope and pray). They, of course, will test the lymph nodes to be certain the cancer hadn't spread. He was pretty confident that this operation should take care of it. I certainly hope so.

Around 3:45 p.m. he was finally in his room, where he will stay until Thursday or Friday of this week.

I was really holding it all together really well until this morning before we left. Curt said, "Let's have a prayer." I offered the prayer and could hardly make it through it. Curt assured me everything will be okay. By the way, his brother, Steve, and Steve's son, Shaun, gave him a blessing last night. It was really nice. I am so thankful for the priesthood and the opportunities it affords us.

I drove home about 8 p.m. and will go back up in the morning. I hope Curt continues to get better and better until he is able to come back home. Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers. We really appreciate it.

What a Memory-ial Weekend!

Can I just tell you, first of all, how important family is? I love them all so very much. We were able to get together--all of us--for a Memorial Day camping trip that has really turned out to be memorial. Everyone from my immediate family was there--Cashelle, A.J., Madalynn, Audrey, Thomas, and ??? (to be delivered in September, a boy); Chris, Amanda, and Cody; and Lacey and Landon. The only problem with the whole camping trip is that it was extremely WET! Curt took up the smaller trailer earlier in the week for Cashelle, A.J., and their family. When we got around to taking our trailer up, it had rained A LOT. Thankfully, Landon was able to go with Curt to take it up (we camp just north of the Cottonwood Bridge). It scared the beejeebees out of them both. But, they got it up there. Landon was going to take up his grandma's trailer but we didnt' dare. Sadly, Lacey and Landon "camped" at our house in the trailer. They spent the whole day with us, but at night had to travel back down the canyon to their trailer. I'm glad we didn't try to take it up. Otherwise, it would still be there--just like our two trailers. Anyway, we stayed at our house on Friday night and headed up the mountains bright and early Saturday morning. The picture below explains what we found--lots and lots and lots of MUD! This was the front entrance to our trailer (Curt and I). Need I say more? Here is little Audrey sporting her shoes in a puddle of mud. There was mud everywhere! By Sunday, it had dried out pretty good, at least where we were camped. Then Sunday night while we were sleeping, it rained practically all night long. Everyone was worried what we would do. We had to leave the trailers--Curt and I will go pick them up sometime this week. As we were setting up camp, we decided we needed a fire. Chris and Landon were trying to get it started. Chris used some gas to get it going, and when he jumped back, the flames followed the gas. His sleeve, truck (with Cody inside), and ground was in flames. I freaked out (as usual) but we got things under control fairly quickly.
Here is a little snowbank behind Cashelle and A.J.'s trailer. That shows you how wet we were. Not only did we have rain, we had snow to boot.

Chris, Amanda, and Cody enjoying the sunshine.

Chris and Amanda bought a tent to bring up. This is the crew setting it up. It was pretty good sized. I was worried about Cody getting cold but I needn't worry. We kept him in the trailer with us in his little bed. He slept like a lamb. Amanda and Chris claimed it was pretty nice in the tent with their new queen-sized blown-up mattress. Lucky even got to share the tent with them at night.
Cody in his little outfit to keep him warm in our trailer. They had found out just a day or two prior that he had a double ear infection. They kept him bundled up pretty good.

Here's A.J. taking a picture of our truck. He rode with Chris. We had decided to take a little "drive" up the canyon. Madalynn, Audrey, Lacey, Landon, and I were with Curt in his truck; A.J., Thomas, Cody, and Chris were in Chris's truck; Cashelle and Amanda were on the 4-wheelers. (I might have gotten who was with whom a little mixed up.) Anyway, we came around a corner and Cashelle chickened out on the 4-wheeler so Landon took over--he is real good with them. Amanda got her 4-wheeler stuck, Chris got her unstuck, then Chris got his truck stuck. Curt had to pull him out. Chris mentioned that this was the first time he could remember getting stuck and dad was laughing about it. Then, we even went up higher! I was freaking out (I am NOT a 4-wheeling momma--in fact, Cashelle and I were holding hands over one of the bad spots). Okay, I admit it, I am a chicken. I have my brothers to thank for that. They used to take pleasure in scaring me to death up the mountains when I was a little girl. Now, aren't you ashamed?

Here is Chris, stucker than stuck. Lucky hopped in the back for a little ride. She took a little spill herself with Amanda. When we got up to Milky Falls, Chris was spinning doughnuts, sliding down the hill, just being Chris. So, Amanda decided to try it with the 4-wheeler with Lucky behind her. (She's pretty brave on that thing!) She spun one way and Lucky spun the other and rolled through the thick mud. As we started back down the hill, she kept looking back at us like she was saying, "Please help me! I wanna ride in the truck!" Yes, even the dog was scared. So I'm not such a woos after all.
Another picture of Chris stuck right on the main road.
Chris again wondering how the heck he's going to get out of this mess. Thank heavens his father was here with a big chain. We got him unstuck and just keep going (much to my dismay!).
Back at camp. Lacey and Madalynn on the yellow Suzuki; Amanda and Audrey on the Honda. We had so much fun in spite of the wet weather. In fact, the first night we camped there, I looked up the road from where we had our trailers and noticed a herd of elk had moved right in on us. That was awesome! While there, Lacey and Landon brought Lacey's pink .22, and we did some target practice. Chris got in on the action with his pistol.
Okay, you might be wondering why I took a picture of a pepsi can. Curt had gone off on the 4-wheeler to see where the elk had been the night before. We were all getting bored so someone (I can't remember who, really) came up with the bright idea to shake up a full, unopened can of pop and put it in the campfire. Landon did the shaking. At least we were smart enough to move everything out of the way. The lid started to expand. I was hiding behind a bush. Then POOF! The lid popped off and the can exploded in the campfire. Then Lacey had the bright idea to try another one, but put it upside down in the fire. So, Landon and A.J. shook up a Fanta strawberry soda and stuck it right in the middle of the fire, upside down. I saw Curt coming back and said, "You better hurry up. Here comes, Curt!" I didn't think he would appreciate our little experiment. He got down to the camp before the show. Finally, it popped, the can flew up into the tree with a stream of red soda below it. We laughed and laughed. Later that night, we decided to do a double--two cans of pop. After the first one blew embers all over our camping area, A.J. and Landon thought the other one must have already blown without us knowing and approached the campfire. BOOM! It exploded scaring the both of them to death since they were right by the fire. That is the story behind this pepsi can.

Here is Lacey nd Landon lounging around the campfire.
Cashelle, Madalynn (hiding her face with her hands), and Thomas on the Suzuki. We had so much fun on the 4-wheelers.
Cashelle, Madalynn, and Thomas again.
This should have been up with the other pictures. Here is Curt chaining up Chris's truck to pull him out. Notice the nice May weather in the background--SNOW!
We really did have a wonderful time, in spite of the wet weather. We had to leave the trailers behind. Curt and I will have to go get them sometime this week. I love all you kids! Thanks so much for coming camping with us.

Mother's Day 2008

What a great mother's day for me this year! I feel so blessed with the children I have had. They all have great spouses and wonderful kids (Lacey and Landon, your turn is coming). Chris, Amanda, and Cody came to visit this weekend. It was fun having them here. We will all be going to Cashelle's house for a birthday party next weekend (Madalynn and Thomas will be the birthday kids).

My mother is a great example to me. Not only did she raise six children of her own, she practically raised a few of her grandchildren, too. She definitely has a reward coming in heaven. I love her so much. For mother's day Amanda helped me plant her little flower garden on the east side of her house by the sidewalk. Then we had a BBQ for lunch. It was a great day.

My mother-in-law is definitely tops in my book. I could never have ordered any more perfect in-laws. Grandma Kjar, we all love you so much. You are one of the most caring people I know. You never think of yourself. We gave Grandma Kjar some flowers, a crossword puzzle book, and a cute little chocolate cake from Sam's Club. She is currently in Payson Hospital trying to adjust to a new knee implanted on Wednesday. We love you so much!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there!

Weekend at Pompa and Gammie's

Cashelle, Madalynn, Audrey, and Thomas came to visit this weekend since A. J. was in Mexico City. We had a real nice visit. Amanda called on Saturday morning to see what we were doing. When we told her Cashelle and the kids were here, she said if she'd only known that they would have come up, too. So, Madalynn called Chris. It didn't take much convincing--they decided to come up, too. They were going to bring Landon and Lacey with them, but Lacey had to be in St. George at 2 p.m. I can hardly wait until Memorial Day weekend--we are ALL going camping. It's going to be great!

This picture is an older one--but it is one of my favorites. This is my two favorite granddaughters, Madalynn and Audrey. Madalynn is turning 6 on Thursday, May 1! I can't believe she is that old! Pompa keeps convincing the kids they can't grow, because we want to keep them little. They don't listen very well. Here is Cody--getting his first haircut. Chris wanted Carol to give him his first haircut so bad since she gave him his first. But, she wasn't at home. She has a a wedding next weekend so I'm sure she was up north. So, Amanda decided to be brave and cut it herself. She did a GREAT job. I remember cutting Cashelle's bangs once--no more hair cutting for me! You can see how long his hair was, and here he is only 8 months old.

Here is mommy, getting ready to do the do. Cody is keeping a watchful eye on the scissors.
Nope, Cody isn't enjoying this at all! Daddy finally had to come and help.
Here is the final result. Doesn't he look handsome? I think he looks so cute anyway--but the haircut made him look more grown up. Amanda, you did a great job!
One of the favorite toys for the kids to play with is a Fisher-Price tape player and headset we got Lacey when she was little. Now, it's Tommy's turn. I had to laugh when I saw where he put the earpieces. Audrey used to put them on her little cheeks, right in front of her ears. Don't I just have the cutest grandkids? I'm getting excited for another one in September--Cashelle's having a boy. That will give us two girls and three boys. Our family is growing! Now it's Lacey and Landon's turn one of these days (right?)--we'e looking forward to it.

Sunday Dilemma

Wow, did I have a mess today. Yesterday, Curt bought some oatmeal/raisin cookies at Wal-Mart, which is one of the few treats he thinks he can have now. Anyway, when we got home and I was putting groceries away, I noticed that he had bought sugarless cookies. This is great for normal people, especially since we just recently found out Curt has diabetes. But, Curt has restless legs syndrome, and artificial sweetners aggravates his condition. (We have often joked about what he CAN eat--no sugar, no artificial sweetners). Luckily we found an herb sweetner called stevia. He can have that as far as we know. (In fact, we bought him some cola at a health food store sweetened with it.) Anyway, after he left for his college ward, I thought I would be a sweet wife and bake him some oatmeal cookies.

I proceed to get into the cupboard to get out the oatmeal. To my surprise, there were little "shavings" around the oatmeal box. It was full of weevil or some kind of bug. I thought, "Great." I better clean out the pantry--the whole thing. I took everything out of the shelves, threw away anything that was in a box (macaroni and cheese, skillet dinners, etc.). I wiped down the walls and shelves with Lysol. While it aired out, I decided to go to Wal-Mart (I know, I shouldn't be shopping on Sunday) to buy some oatmeal. I also bought some insecticide that can be sprayed in the cracks of the cupboards and shelves, too. When I got home, I sprayed the insecticide and vacuumed out the shelves. As I was vacuuming, the power went out. I thought, "Great." It was only about 10:30 or so, so I figured when the power came back on I'd still have time to get to church (mine doesn't start until 1 p.m.). Besides the insecticide needed to dry before I put anything back in the shelves.

I turned on our radio and waited for KMTI to tell me what the problem was with the electricity. I waited, and waited, and waited, for a half hour or so at least. Then I went over to my mother's--she had no power either. But, when Kelly got to her house, which is on the south side of town, she HAD power. Curious. So I called the neighbors across the street. They, too, HAD power. More curious. I decided to call the city manager--no answer. I then call the mayor, who is a good personal friend. She said she would call the power people, because she HAD power, too.

In the meantime, I'm worrying how I am going to get to church because my car is inside the garage, and we have an electric garage opener. I see the release rope, pull it, but I still can't get the garage door open. I even think about calling a neighbor to hitch a ride to church. Now it is close to noon--church starts at 1 p.m. I go over to my mother's and my sister is there. We decided to get in her car and drive around to see if we can see anything. On the street west of my house we see the city bucket truck and an employee getting out of the truck. He has found the problem (I'm so glad I called--they may never have known about it for a while!) and is going to fix it.

As soon as the power is back on, I decide I better get ready for church. By now, it is 12:55--I'll never make it to church now. So I guiltily wipe down all the shelves in the pantry with an antibacterial substance and put everything back on the shelves. Now it is close to 2 p.m. Curt will be home about 3. So I get dinner ready (I haven't had anything to eat up all day to this point, so I figured I might as well wait until dinner is ready) and put it in the oven. Curt gets home a little after 3 and asks how come I'm not at church. I explain the whole situation, and he just laughs. He looks in the pantry and comments on how nice it looks. He told me not to feel bad about missing church, but I still feel guilty for not going. At least my pantry and everything in it is clean now . . .

Happy Birthday Surprise

Last weekend for my birthday, Cashelle, A. J., Madalynn, Audrey, Thomas, Lacey, and Landon came to visit us. We had a real nice visit. Lacey and Landon bought me the cutest musical card "You're Simply the Best" and went to Candies on Main and bought my favorite--a caramel and chocolate covered apple. Cashelle and A. J. and family bought me a book by Sherry Dew, "No One Can Take Your Place." It's a great book--I am enjoying reading it. Curt bought me a nice outfit (levis and a shirt). This weekend, Chris, Amanda, and Cody came to visit. They bought me a set of knives and the surprise you'll see later. We got a picture of Cody "riding" Lucky while they were here. At first Cody was scared of her but before they left, he loved her. When I got home from church today, Curt, Chris, and Amanda had a big surprise for me. They hung my shot glass shelf on the wall. Doesn't that look nice?
They bought me a new tablecloth for my kitchen table and Amanda arranged things nicely . . .
They cleaned off my counter (put all my junk in the little container on the floor) . . .
and hung my pantry door. I was shocked when I walked in. Amanda had done the dishes, too. Thanks you guys! I had the most wonderful birthday. I love my family so much--every single one of them are special to me. I would not trade them for anyone else.

Timber!

Curt decided to play Paul Bunyan today--all by himself. This is a picture of our big ponderosa pine tree on the west side of the house. It has been leaning toward the house so Curt has been worried a big windstorm could topple it into the house. We bought a little electric saw a couple of weeks ago to do it with. It's sad--we have such a hard time with trees and here we are cutting one down! It was a great tree. We were sad to see it go but thought our house was a little more important. Here's an even better picture of the tree. You still can't see the top of it. It really had grown. If you look right under the tree, you can see Lucky in the backyard watching me take the picture.
There's about 14 feet of it left on the ground. Curt climbed up into the top of it, cut the top part off, then cut the big limbs and cut one more part of the trunk. I didn't think he'd be able to do it by himself.

Here he is in the tree. It's kind of hard to see how far up he really is. But he's up there quite a ways.
There's the top of the tree lying on the ground. Notice Lucky peering around the trunk. She was so careful. I was afraid she might get hit but she had a sense of what was going on. When Curt would start the saw, she'd look up, and then run when she saw branches falling.
There he is way up at the top.
What a job. Now we just need to clean up the big mess. We'll worry about that tomorrow . . . .