Animals Make Life More Fun

The Aphasia Support Group is awesome all by itself...

Mary Gospel (at left next to Mom) and Ann Harlow (not pictured) are the best!

BUT having Jan and Bill's pup visit makes it even better!

Mom is wearing her Seniors in Motion t-shirt from Summer Trace.

Who could resist those puppy dog eyes!

The next day, Pete, (Evan's dog) was back at the Summer Trace Bible Study, having recovered from his emergency surgery.

He got several tasty dog treats from Mom.

Helping with School Supplies

Phil and I asked Mom to accompany us to the store to pick out school supplies for 3 Middle School student back packs we had the opportunity to fill for our church. Who better than Mom, a veteran school teacher, to advise us on which choices to make for each of these supplies!

On the way to the store Mom studied the list we were given.

Below is Phil getting Mom's pick on some items in the school supplies aisle. Mom told us that colored pencils are a better option than markers and that wooden rulers are preferred over plastic. She chose the scissors, approved the number two pencils and made sure that the pencil boxes were long enough....AND that Phil got wide vs. college rule in the spiral notebooks.

With Mom to help us, we had the task accomplished in no time and it was a lot more fun having an expert to lend us a hand.

I'm sure the children who receive these 3 back packs (we chose 3 because we have 3 grandchildren) will be better equipped for it!

Splints, flowers, cards and grandchildren....

Mom and I went to get her hand splint checked today and learned that she will be wearing the splint for 4-6 weeks. Not a great day so... we went to look at flowers! The zinnias were beautiful!

When Phil and I went back to Summer Trace for cards tonight, Mom was at dinner and she was wearing the really neat scrunchie sweater that Ellen Anne Eddy gave her. I told Mom I was taking this picture for Ellen, so she waved!

While Mom and I were playing Kings-in-the-Corner, she was running through in her mind how many grandchildren and great-grandchildren she has. So, after we finished our game, we got to work on a family tree of sorts including birth dates.

Mom has 10 grandchildren (Erik, Jeni, Rebekah, Nathan, Micah, Jan, Robert, Michael, Chris and David) and 13 great-grandchildren (Madison, McKenzie, Kelsey, Eliza, Brianna, John, Lucy, Stephan, T. J., Jayda, Henry, Elijah, and Isabel) PLUS Rebekah and Mike's twins on the way!

Remarkably, just this evening Rebekah sent us an ultrasound picture of the twins: Please keep these two little ones and their Mom in prayer.

Grandkids, Broken Bones and other Events

Thursday, June 25, Mom's granddaughter, Jan Cohn (Sarah's daughter) came to Indy for a week-long work seminar. She surprised her Gram with a visit at dinner Thursday night. When Jan came back to see her on Friday, June 26, the nurses were applying ice to Mom's hand which she had injured Friday coming into her apartment. Jan and Mom came over to our house with an ace bandage and an ice pack.

Saturday, June 27, Jan and Mom (with her ice pack) came back over to visit with Jan's cousin, Mom's grandson, Chris (our oldest son) and his wife, Tamara and their children, Henry, Eli and Isabel, who had arrived for a visit. Mom had a great time watching her great-grandchildren swim and play in the yard.

But now (Saturday) that the swelling had gone down in Mom's hand, Jan and I thought we'd better take Mom to the ER for an X-ray after all. It took some doing to talk Mom into going!!!

So we did not find out Mom's hand was broken 'til Saturday, but we wouldn't get definitive answers 'til we could get in to see a hand surgeon on Monday or Tuesday! Sunday, June 28, Jan and Mom, with her huge temporary splint from the ER, came back for a cookout. We had a great time, including our neighbor, Sally, who took this 4 generation family picture!

3-year-old Eli was especially concerned about Great-Gram's broken hand and wanted to sit on her lap. Eli and Isabel made sure Great-Gram covered her ears for the fireworks.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning, June 30: The hand doctor determined a splint would best serve Mom's needs for securing the break at the base of her left thumb but still leaving her fingers free for use (as her right hand is disabled due to the stroke she had a few years ago). Tuesday afternoon, Jan and her brother, Mike (who flew in Tuesday), joined Mom and I at the Summer Trace Bible Study, which was awesome! Pictured here are Mike, Jan, Mom and Evan (a young man who just finished his last tour in Iraq with the Army) and his dog, Pete.

Jan, Mike, Mom and I hung out at Summer Trace, had a wonderful dinner at Bazbeaux Pizza on the Monon Trail in Carmel, and enjoyed interacting with the Arts District's Man-on-the-Street sculptures by J. Seward Johnson, Jr.

Then we got into an extremely minor car accident. Does this look like $2,000 damage?!

Here is a slideshow of pictures of Mom from the last very busy, very exciting and very eventful 6 days!