The Big Snow

Parker Christmas

We had the Parker Christmas on the 28th, because Steve's niece Wendy came into town. His other niece Samantha has a new baby, Murphy, made things fun. She is too little to enjoy it now, but next year it should be really fun.

Parents and children

I have been very blessed with my parent's health. My dad has had some serious issues, but he has pulled through and has his wife to help him through everything.
My mom, however, is rarely sick. She gets things here and there that are uncomfortable, but manageable. The week of Christmas she started feeling bad and couldn't have a bowel movement. She has had trouble with constipation before, and we just figured she had stressed herself out. But by Christmas night, she had my brother take her to the emergency room. It turns out she has a sigmoid tumor that was completly blocking her colon. On the 27th, she had surgery to give her a temporay colostomy bag. The area around the tumor was very inflammed and the bag will give the area a chance to heal some what. She is now in a nursing facility to get her strength back and get some physical therapy. She will go back into the hospital on Wednesday, Jan 8th, and the plan to have surgery to remove the tumor on the 10th. She will keep the bag for a while and then they will reattach everything. The doctor has been nothing but postive about her recovery. He said he has done a bunch of these recently. He is very impressed with her recovery so far.

For anyone who has already dealt with an aging parent, this is not new for you. But for me, it is very strange to see her lying in bed looking very old and fragile. Even though she will be 79 in February, she has alway been strong and healthy. It is very unsettling. Steve's mom is also quite healthy, but he has commented on how she starting to show her age (82).

As I walk the halls of the facility, it more motivating to stay healthy and keep my mind in good working order. It is very sad seeing these people sitting in wheel chairs with vacant stares on their faces.

Christmas Day 2008

Well Christmas, 2008 will mostly be remembered because my mom went into the hospital. We did have a nice dinner though and got to visit for a while. At the last minute, the meal was moved to my house, because my mom was not feeling well. It was fine with us, it gives us a reason to clean house. Steve and I actually like entertaining.

My urban fireplace

Christmas eve 2008

Christmas eve we usually go to my dad's and he goes all out with french onion soup and a fancy meal. But this year, much of the family went elsewhere, so my step sister, Andrea had us to her house. Steve's sister and dad went with us.

Boys just wanna have fun

This was my 3rd annual cookie decorating day. Unfortunately, we didn't have everybody because of previous commitments. But the boys that came had a good time. At the end, they mixed all the icing together as a science experiment