The Humor has Returned

Dale and I returned home from the hospital late this morning. Dale is doing remarkably well. He is walking and joking. I knew last night after surgery that he was feeling much better because he was trying to make me laugh. I've been the witty one in our family for the past couple of weeks, since he has been feeling so bad.

Dr. Pencek told us that he removed a piece of disc from Dale's spine about the size of the tip of your thumb, he said that it was pressing on his nerve so that the nerve was as tight as a guitar string. He said he was a little nervous that it might pop when he removed the pressure. Thank God that didn't happen. I can't even imagine what we would have to deal with at that point.

Dale is on a 5lb weight limit and can't drive until he is seen by Dr. Pencek in 10 days, it will be a long 10 days for him. We are hoping that he will be back to work in just a few weeks on light duty.


In other news, please keep my cousin Nic in your prayers. He is headed off to Afghanistan for a second tour. He will be doing some training at Fort Brag before leaving. Nic was in Iraq just two summers ago.

Our hearts go out to Clair and Sharon at the loss of their dog, Taylor. Taylor was so lovable and always greeted us with a wet nose. We are so sorry for your loss.

Finally, the fire investigators believe that the fire may have been caused by a candle lit in the upstairs bedroom of the neighbors house. From the sounds of it, the house is a total loss. They are still waiting for the major loss adjuster to make the final determination, but their is so much smoke and fire damage upstairs and a ton of water damage in the downstairs portion. The fire investigator took the footage that Tammy taped for study material in different classes that he teaches around the country.


I hope every has a great week.

There is still no official word on what started the fire. The homeowners are staying with relatives and are starting to get a few new belongings. A friend that stopped by the house said that they were at JC Penny's getting some new clothing, which the store was giving them a $500 shopping spree. Kudos to Penny's. I snapped a couple of pictures from the doorway of the back door and some of their belonging that the fire department brought out in trashcans. I was way to scared to venture inside from more pics. It is amazing how horrible it looks!

I tried loading the 11 minute video, but blogger said that is was uploading for the past 30 minutes. I will try to upload a smaller clip later.

Not much to say today, we went swimming at the athletic club after church this afternoon. Connor had a great time splashing around with me and grandma. I think he might just turn into a little water baby. Dale just lounged pool side. He wanted to make sure he didn't get a sunburn.

I guess some of you may not know, but Dale is having back surgery on a herniated disc in the morning. Dr. Pencek will be removing a portion of Dale's disc between his vertebrae that is pinching his nerves coming off his spinal column. Dale has been in a great deal of pain and on many pain killers for the past 2 weeks. His right foot is numb and that is driving him crazy. Dale is looking forward to feeling better. He will probably stay overnight in the hospital, just for observation. His amount of time of work is dependent on how he is doing. Please keep him in your prayers.

WOW!!!

What a day!!

I thought we were having a really great day by taking Connor to the zoo for the first time. Everything that happened today pails in comparison to what happened after dinner. After cleaning up the dinner dishes I stepped outside to water the flowers on the front porch and found that our neighbors house was on fire!!

Thankfully everyone made it out o.k. Chad and Tammy were over for dinner and video taped and kept an eye on Connor, while Dale informed some neighbors and I stayed with the homeowner. It was so awful to watch their house burn and not be able to do anything.

The pictures are no justice for the strength and intensity of this fire. I will try to upload some video in the next couple of days!!

Please keep them in your prayers, I can't imagine what they are going through.





Connor did have a great time at the zoo. He loved the reptile house, but wasn't so keen on the super sized tortoise that we were able to pet. The train ride was the highlight of his day, until there were firetrucks and firemen at our house!!

WOW!!!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!!!

I hope everyone is having a great Father' s Day. Connor gave his daddy a pen holder with stickers on it. It is so wonderful getting little gifts. I use to think how horrible it must be to get stupid little gifts from you children, that is until you get a little gift from your own child. I can't wait for these gifts when Connor actually starts to take a bigger part in making them.

Dale will be spending most of his second Father's Day in bed. He threw out his back on Monday night while working. He has been on our floor since. Dale has a very large herniated disk in his lower back. He is currently taking Vicatin for pain, a double dose has finally given him some relief so that he can sleep. He made a trip to the ER last night to try and get a stronger pain reliever. The gave him a shot, but it did no good. We are hoping to hear from a neurosurgeon on Monday. Please keep him in your prayers.


To all our fathers:

Thanks for all you do, we love you. Happy Father's Day!

First ER Visit

On Monday night we had our first trip to the ER for Connor. Thankfully he just twisted his ankle and was sent home within an hour. I was so relieved. Connor was running down the hall and fell, letting out a "pain" cry. He refused to walk on his left leg, crawling would work!! Every time he put pressure on his left ankle for the next 3 hours his leg would buckle. It was awful to watch. We decided he should be check out after taking with our doctor. By the time we left the ER he was walking pretty good, wobbly, but much better. By Tuesday afternoon, he kept reminding me that I wasted money by going to the hospital. I was really hoping we would make to 3 years old before we made an ER trip, but o'well.

Great Weekend

We have had a great weekend, busy, but great.

On Saturday morning our realtor stopped by to put the final details together to get our house on the market and it is official, our house is for sell. I pray God brings us a good buyer and helps us find a new home to buy. We are aiming for Mt. Zion or Warrensburg school districts. It was a little bit of a sad moment watching Dale help the realtor put the yard sign up. We have had so many wonderful memories here the past 6 years.

Saturday afternoon was spent going to the park with Connor and Grandma Faye, a little shopping at the mall, at playing in the kiddie pool on the deck. This very white girl is now a very red girl. Who knew that a person could burn so quickly.

We were then off to see Grandpa Pope and Tammy for a cookout at their new home in Mt. Zion. Grilling out is the best!! Cheeseburgers, chips and dip, baked beans-- yum, yum. We had a great time getting to spend a few hours with everyone.

After church on Sunday morning, Bob, Faye and I went to take pictures of Connor at Scovill Park. He is such a good little boy. Dale and I have to pick the best out of over 200 pictures. Bob's camera is awesome.

It is now nap time and I ran an errand to meet with my sister Erica. I'm going to ask a favor of everyone this week. Please keep Erica and her friends in your prayers. She is leaving the country on Tuesday for a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. She will be with a group of about 50 people that will give vaccinations and general medical care to people in need. I can only pray that their are all safe and have wonderful time.

I must also say Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband. 12 years ago today we started dating. It is amazing how long and short that sounds. I feel like Dale has always been apart of my life. I love him so much and I'm so happy we have never given up.