melissa, thank you so much for bringing us up to speed as to ada's surgery and prognosis. it's been fun to watch her fly around with that little cast. nothing slows her down for long.

it's hard to believe that those twins are already six years old and Eli just had his six year old birthday yesterday. these little ones are growing up much too speedy for my liking.

my love to all of my dear hearts. xox

Ada's surgery Wed. went even better than I expected - as far as convenience goes ;) I was expecting to be there 2 days. We were able to go home the same day.

Here's the deal; she has hemiplegic cerebral palsy (which you already know) that affects her right side.

She walks on her right toes, and so the top half of her calf muscle is REALLY tight (so is here Achilles heel) making it impossible for her to go all the way flat on her foot without hyper extending her knee.

The surgery was basically a calf extension (I don't know ho they did it), but now her foot goes all the way to the ground. She will be in a cast for 4 weeks and then a splint after that for a little while, until we can get her weak muscles strengthened (with therapy). This will all hopefully improve her gait permanently, so that she can walk and run 'normally". This is important because she trips a lot and it affected her posture, (we've been worried about her developing scoliosis).

She was a fun little patient. Not ever nervous, always cheerful, and has hardly complained at all. The only time she started complaining was when her room mate (who had a much more severe procedure done) began crying and writhing in pain. Many people came to her aid with lotion, ice packs, back rubs and wheel chair rides. Ada observed all this very carefully and then, coincidentally, she suddenly and dramatically began undergoing more than she could bear. The theatrics were very convincing to the nurse. Soon Ada was gaily enjoying her own wheelchair ride and her pain control was promoted from just regular Motrin to the Lortab.

She's already walking around in her cast...so it looks like things are going well for her. I'm really excited and I hope this helps her out a lot.

Anyway, that's the update. Her cast is bright green with purple hearts on it. She loves it, and has been getting so much attention. It's kind of stealing the thunder from Jack and Ada's birthday today (she's getting loads of attention and get well gifts), which is noticeably bothering Jack.

....all that twirling for the camera reminds me of her Aunt Kate!

Ada at the Gait Analysis Lab, Shriner's Hospital 4/23/07.

She was an adorable little patient. They video taped her walking, running and doing all sorts of tricks. The only thing that made it difficult for the therapist was that Ada kept looking at herself in the monitor (she loved seeing herself on TV). She would smile, twirl and spin...finally they had to turn off the monitor for a minute so that they could get her to walk across the room away from the TV. (They turned it back on though and let her spin to her hearts content). They hooked her up with all sorts of high-tech gear. They could see which muscles were firing, when and for how long. Then they stuck all those balls on her and created a computer animation of her gait. It was all pretty amazing. They will do this again a year after her surgery.

Is that a Red Bull she's downing? Ah, she's her daddy's girl...

Cute picture. She is so much fun.

2006

CHRISTMAS LIST

Sam gives to Katie

Melissa gives to Joe

Alison gives to Sam

Doug gives to Laurel

Katie gives to Melissa

Danny gives to Doug

Ed gives to Danny

Valerie gives to David

Laurel gives to Elizabeth

David gives to Valerie

Joe gives to Alison

Elizabeth gives to Ed

I know it's plenty early... Just let me know if there are any repeats, or if you've been going back and forth with the same two people. I can switch things up a bit if needed.

M

adorable!

The first day of school was so full of promise...or was it dread? :-) xox

First day of school for the kids. Jack can't wait.

awwww, not only have you been a wonderful son, but an outstanding brother with a great sense of humor.
I do love you. me xox

It's all true...every word of it.

Ha! That girl is so much fun. Great picture!

whaddya mean nobody reads this blog, Ed? How'd you get on here anyway?

That Claire is adorable! Fun to see such a happy sweet face. xox

Christmas List:
Sam gives to Ed
Melissa gives to Katie
Alison gives to Joe
Doug gives to Sam
Katie gives to Laurel
Danny gives to Melissa
Ed gives to Doug
Valerie gives to Danny
Laurel gives to David
David gives to Elizabeth
Joe gives to Valerie
Elizabeth gives to Alison

Happy Birthday dear Edward....Happy Birthday to You!

Took this shot today on my walk along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I have enjoyed observing plant and animal life in all of the four seasons now along my walk, and fall is the most glorious. Along with it's brilliance, fall often brings to me a touch of sadness, but this year I've felt only a deep appreciation for it's beauty and for the natural cycle of life.

Two weeks ago I saw a tarantula cross the path not far from where I took this pic. I stopped and watched him deliberately make his way and then became concerned as he was heading for the road. I grabbed a stick and placed it in front of him, he climbed on it and I placed him on the other side of the path facing in another direction. He promptly whirled around and headed back the same way he had been before I intervened. I guessed I was interfering with his errand, so I left and looked for him on my return trip, but he had gone where he planned to go.

Knowing the Truth and Sacrificing for the Lord
---------------------------------------------------
"Our ancestors, along with many other faithful Saints, sacrificed
everything because of their testimonies and faith in Jesus Christ. They
knew that the gospel had been restored to the earth once more and that they
were led by a prophet of God. They knew that the Book of Mormon was true
and understood its message and witness. They knew that through the
restoration of priesthood keys, families could be sealed together for
eternity through holy priesthood ordinances available only in a temple.
They knew that temple work was the key to the salvation and exaltation of
the human family. They knew the importance of this work, and they were
willing to give all that they had in order to provide a house acceptable to
the Lord wherein this holy work could be performed. They sacrificed
everything so that past and future generations would have access to the
eternal blessings of the temple."

( Sister Elaine S. Dalton, "We Did This for You," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 89) Knowing the Truth and Sacrificing for the Lord
---------------------------------------------------

This past week I have been making a family tree on a wall in our home. My children's names are the trunk of this tree and then it branches out with their parents names, grand-parent's names etc. Under this tree I plan to have flowers popping up with the name of each grandchild. While writing many many names I have had to think...just how long has it been since someone has said your name out loud. And because you lived; so do I and those children I love so dearly. A whole lifetime has been reduced to a single name written in pencil on my wall. Who are you Mary Ann Price, Esther Stone or Charlotte Lousia Durham? You are more than just a name for me because the gospel has provided a way for us to be a forever family. You are a few of my great-great-great-great-great grandmothers and I thank you for your faithfulness, sacrifice, and courage.

Someday I too may be on the furthest branches of someone's family tree. A name and nothing more...but so much more than five generations from now will ever know about. That is until we meet again. Happy day and let's not only turn our hearts to our father's, but let's make a journal entry as well.

Warmest blessings, mom xox

Happy Birthday to Alison and Carter!

Ed, that sounds like sour grapes....you know Aesop's fable about the fox? In any case your post gives me the giggles.

Christmas List:

Sam gives to Ed

Melissa gives to Katie

Alison gives to Joe

Doug gives to Sam

Katie gives to Laurel

Danny gives to Melissa

Ed gives to Doug

Valerie gives to Danny

Laurel gives to David

David gives to Elizabeth

Joe gives to Valerie

Elizabeth gives to Alison

Google is probably the closest thing to a genuine crystal ball humanity has ever known. This week, I had an infection develop in my finger. I went to Google and did a simple search on "finger infections." Within twenty seconds, I knew I had a paronychia. I went to Google images to compare my own ailing finger to dozens of other sick fingers. In an instant, scores of infected digits stood in rank and file across my monitor, one of them in the process of a good lancing. After my eighth and ninth opinions from various Internet physicians, I decided I needed to see a living, breathing doctor to confirm the Internet's diagnosis.

The doctor said "paronychia" as though it was the first time I had ever heard it. I unintentionally acted unimpressed, and the doctor proceeded to give me a rundown of the etymology of the word "paronychia." Being a word guy, I was impressed. Neither of us was there to talk about words. The doc was there to lance, and though I did not know it yet, I was there to be lanced. The doctor described the procedure, and openly admitted that it would be unpleasant. A scalpel would be inserted between my fingernail and cuticle. The cut would run between .25 and .50 inches under the skin, and the pus would flow freely. Doc left to go get his scalpel, and I honestly contemplated escape. I had a flashback of grade school conversation where various methods of torture were discussed, well away from the recess lady's ears. As I recall it, bamboo shoots forced under one's fingernails ranked right up there with the mutilation of one's privates. When the doc returned, I looked away and he cut. It was a matter-of-fact procedure that yielded not one drop of pus. The doctor was visibly disappointed. I asked why, and he explained that the entire lancing had been unnecessary. He wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic and we parted ways.

Ethos is one of Aristotle's artistic proofs, and can be described as source credibility. Once again, the crystal ball was of great value. In the past it has saved me money, provided me with updated news and shown me images of things my happiness would eventually require. The information (logos) has been good as well. If Google says it, it must be so. Just today, I consulted the magic ball at the recommendation of a colleague. I did a simple search on the word "failure." True or not, I am confident that the search results would not fly in China. Somebody would be getting the bamboo treatment, or perhaps what kids imagine as being slightly worse.

Google could not tell me how to spend $200 billion to rebuild a city. I checked. I suppose there are some problems too big for the crystal ball. I heard on NPR that a guy in the TV will answer the $200 billion question tonight at seven.

S