Eli

Eli's uncle Garrett gave him his first real set of golf clubs. He thought he was so cool. Now he can be a great golfer like his Papa and Uncle Garrett.

Eli and daddy with buddies Sam and Josh

at grandma Maree's

I never realized how much fun it would be to have grandchildren. It is also amazing to see your son as a father. Eric is a great dad and loves his boys. Everyday is a new experience. Eli keeps us on our toes and laughing. Noah is just growing so fast and learning so much every day. I just thought I would share a few fun pictures. The proud daddy with his little men.

Eli pondering what he should do today.

Eli posing for mom.

Eli met new cousins this year.
This is Kallie's little guywho came to visit from Texas

This is a new cousin from Sacramento

Eli had so much fun with his new friends

It took awhile for Eli to warm up to Noah

Now he actually rolls on the floor and plays with him.

My Little Super Hero.

Eli with his thinking cap on.

Eli's little cousin Sophie

Eli loved junping on the bed with his cousin Madelyne.
It's hard to believe that Eli will be three next week.

He is a great joy

Happy third birthday SUPER HERO ELIJAH

Hospice

The Hospice nurse came to evaluate dad for Hospice. He is doing pretty good except for pain issues. I thought they just acccepted him as a patient but I guess it doesn't work like that. They take the information back and decide as a team if he is a hospice candidate. They are supposed to let us know at the end of the week. This a picture of Grandpa at his 89th birthday party. This is the way I will remember him.

This is grandpa holding baby Noah when he was a month old. It is amazing that my grandchildren have two sets of great grandparents and a great-great grandma. She even lives in Oroville.

For Angelee

Coconut-Cranberry Chews

Prep and Cook time 1 hour

The mixture may look dry until it comes together as a dough. If it's too crumbly to form into balls, the dough needs to be mixed longer. It should be a smooth homogeneous mass.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups butter room temperture

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange peel (optional)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 large egg

3 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked dried coconut

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 1/2 cups butter, sugar, orange peel and vanilla until smooth. Beat in egg until well blended.

2. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir to mix. Then beat on low speed untill dough comes together about 5 minutes. Mix in cranberries and coconut.

3. Shape into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven until edges just begin to brown 11-15 minutes. Shorter baking time will yield a chewier cookie. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes then remove to racks to cool completely.

Enjoy the cookies Angelee. They are one of my favorites.

November

At the end of October I took grandpa to the doctor because he wasn't feeling well. The doctor did a blood test and when he got the results he wanted a sonogram. When the doctor got the results of the sonogram he wanted a cat scan. The results were not good. Grandpa has metastatic cancer. They are unsure where the cancer started but we know that it has spread. The test showed a large concentration in his liver and spots in his lungs. Dad has decided that at his age he does not want to pursue treatment. When I took dad home to tell mom her comment was "I guess were having a race." Dad's diagnosis was a big shock to me. We have been blessed to have mom with us much longer than the doctor's thought possible. I never thought that Dad would go before mom which may be the case now. I am sure the cancer has metastisized throughout his body and into his brain. He is unable to complete his thoughts and forgets what he is talking about. He looks like he has aged so much in just two weeks. Everyone has been so kind. They offer to help but what can they do? Time can move so quickly. One day things seem managable and then everything seems so out of control. My brother is coming this week from Utah. It will probably be the last time he sees him alive. Dad's only brother called today. He would like to come but can't get here for a week. At the rate things are going dad may not even know his brother in a week. Bro. Jagoda and Bro. McBride were so nice to give dad and mom a blessing. Bro. McBride even went back and fixed there Tv remote. Remotes are difficult for older people to manage. I called my mom's sister Leora so that she could tell the other siblings. Leora was just as shocked as I was. Frank came and spent the day yesterday and David is coming tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to call the doctor and make arrangements for hospice. It is hard for me to imagine but I could loose both of my parents before Christmas. I think mom has just been hanging on because she was worried about dad. When he goes she will give up. I am so greatful for the temple and that our family is Eternal. This will be my greatest solace in the months to come. My friend Maree brought me a beautiful flower arrangement. I look at it everyday and I am so grateful for good friends, our ward family and the gospel. It is hard to plan for Thanksgiving, but I do have so very much to be thankful for.

October

Eli loves my bed. He comes in my room in the mornings and says "grandma can I get in you bed"? Who can turn that down. He climbs in and tells me stories about Bateman, Joker, and Spiderman. He's my little super hero. October is my birthday month. I stopped celbrating when I was 29 again. My parents took me out to dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. My friend Jan took me to breakfast at the new Denny's on the Saturday after my birthday. That same afternoon I went shopping with Becky Walt and Scottie which is always lots of fun. Walt does the driving and I sit in the back with Scottie. Scottie is growing up so much that I don't get to spend much time with him anymore so this was fun for me. We played dinosauers most of the trip. Not really my thing but he was having fun.
The ward had trunk or treat and a pie baking contest. Dava made a great Chocolate pie that was gone before I got to try it. I made a Surprise Pecan Pie. We didn't win but this pie was gooooood. I will make it again sometime.This is our little Noah and Angelee's Charlie. Charlie is a month older than Noah but she is so tiny and dainty. Noah is a Giraff and Charlie is Cheese. They are so cute together with mom Dava and grandma Marie.

61st Anniversary

In September Grandpa and Grandma celebrated their 61st. anniversary. In todays world this is a huge accomplishment. This has been a difficult year for them with grandma's declining health. We didn't expect them to make it to 61 years. They preferred a quiet night at home with Kentucky Fried Chichen for dinner. Robin, David's friend and a special family friend brought them a beautiful basket of fruit, a cake and this plant they are posing with. They are not fancy people but they have withstood the trials of life together.

The Ocean

In September we took a trip to Fort Bragg. I love the ocean. I could sit on the beach all day listening to the waves and feeding the birds. It is one of Gods greatest creations. I always hate to leave. This was Noah's first time at the beach and it wasn't his favorite thing. Eli on the other hand loves to play in the waves, eat the sand and chase the birds. This is his second time at the ocean and he had a great time. I think he will be like me and never want to leave.

Joey also loves the beach but was a little misplaced being there without a special person to share it with. He loves to skim board or surf. He has always told me that he is really half Hawaiian and needs to live on a beach somewhere in Hawaii. Maybe someday he will have his dream.

This is a very happy family enjoying nature and enjoying time together. Someday when the boys are a bit older we will spend a week camping. This trip was hotel all the way.

I could be ready to go again tomorrow.

Grandpa's 89th Birthday

This post is all backwards. Someday maybe I will get this right. This is Eli and his new found cousin. This is his sad face because she had to go home and he didn't want her to leave. He was having so much fun with his new friend.Aunt Leora came from Lehi, Utah and her great grandchildren came from Sacramento to visit. It was the first time we had met them and it was a very nice surprise visit.

Mom loves music. When she was young her family entertained themselves by singing. Mom played the guitar and the auto harp. All her sisters were singers. This is Uncle Dick, mom's youngest sister Janie's husband. He drove Janie and Leora out for a visit. It was great having him. I think Dick loved his visit. He wanted to go fishing for Salmon. We spent Sunday afternoon singing Hymns. Everyone picked their favorite hymn and we just kept singing. Mom enjoyed this a lot and I'm sure it brought back memories of her childhood.

Aunt Jane is mom's youngest sister. She has a contagious laugh and is always lots of fun. I lived with her family for awhile when I attended LDS Business College in Salt Lake. She has always benn very good to me.

I was fun to have everyone here visiting and to celebrate grandpa's 89th birthday. We had two days of celebration with different groups of family coming each day. It was a lot of fun laughing, singing and remembering old times.

My niece Mariah, David's daughter, came which was really nice because we don't get to see her very often. Noah loved Mariah and she was a natural. She will celebrate her 18th birthday in October.On Sunday, my cousin, Leora's grandson brought his family for a visit. They are the only other Utah family members that live in California. It was fun for Eli because they had a son and daughter that Eli had fun playing with. I lost track of how many people came but it was lots of fun and I think grandpa enjoyed his birthday celebrations.

Swimming Fun

July was my month to be in the pool. I am so glad that Walt and Becky are so willing to share. Everyday after work I head for their pool to relax and exercise. I took Eli with me a lot which was also fun. He is getting more comfortable in the water and actullay stays in most of the time. He always wants to get in the hot pool to get warm. He won't jump in yet but once in awhile his mom would drop him in. He didn't like it much but it didn't keep him from coming back. He really enjoyed swimming and would always ask if we were going to Scotties house to swim. He really likes Scottie which kind of drives Scottie crazy.

Jason and Jodi celebrated their 4th anniversary June 4th. Time goes by so quickly. They are doing really well in Elko. It is a long way from me but at least I can stop on my way to Utah. June 11th is also Jodi's birthday. In fact June is a big birthday month. My friend Jan turned 70 in June. She looks so young and is finally getting ready to retire. Cindy, Maree, Dee and Becca also have June birthdays. June was a great month because I went beach hopping with Walt, Becky and Scottie. It was very relaxing and fun. At the end of the day we played Nertz. I always loose but I have fun. There were also two weddings in June. Eldon McBride and Tara Hipes. We always have a lot of weedings in our ward which is really fun. Mom seems to be holding her own and it was overall a good month.

Mayis a big month for our family, but this year it was especially big. On May 13 th, Noah Russel Hudson was born. He weighted 8 lbs 10 oz. and was 20 inches long. Isn't he beautiful! May 14th is also the anniversary of the boys adoption and Eric and Dava's 4th wedding Anniversary. May is the month my family began and Eric and Dava's family began. It is fitting that our family should add it's newest member. Welcome to our family little Noah.

May 1st is the boys brother Adam's birthday and May 15th is Joey's birthday. It is hard to believe that the little boy that came to me at 6 months old is now 22. My life has been richly blessed by my children and grandchildren.

Joey holding little Noah at the hospital.
They will always have a special bond

being born the same month.

Mom's 80th Birthday

On April 25th we celebrated mom's 81st birthday. We never thought she would make it but she did. Jerry, Sharon, Dallin, Jen and Mercedes came from Utah. Kara, Adia, Orin, and Hamilton came from Nevada. Marge and Emery came from Live Oak. Frank and Leia came from Red Bluff. Sarah, Scot, Jacob, Ryan, and Sophie came from Corning. Joey, Eric, Dava, and Eli helped celebrate. It was a fun day but grandma was worn out.

Sharon, her mom Marge, and her daughter Kara, and son Dallin.

Four generations with grandma, Jerry, Dallin, and Mercedes.

Mom got sick at the beginning of March. I took her to the doctor and he said she had bronchitis. He prescribed antibiotics and cough medicine and said to come back in two weeks if she was not better. A week later she was not better but in fact she was worse. She was so weak she could hardly get out of the chair. She coughed all the time and her appetite was very poor. On Sunday 15th I took her to the hospital. Fortunately a friend of mine was the triage nurse. She checked us in within a few minutes. Her first comment to me was "Why is she so pale?" I didn't even realize she was that pale, I just knew she was sick. The first thing they did was take blood and x-rays. When the doctor came in to talk to us she commented on how pale she was. The doctor then asked how long she had been in renal failure. My mouth dropped and I said that I didn't know she was in renal failure. When the lab tests came back we found out that mom was very anemic and needed a transfusion. They also wanted her most recent lab tests to compare her current results with. On Monday morning she had a transfusion and they got her last lab tests from her doctor. She had been in renal failure for a year without treatment. They referred her to the Kidney specialist and he wanted to start her on Dialysis as soon as they could get her ready. They did the Dialysis for five days and mom seemed to get worse. She was basically comatose. She was hallucinating and so weak. We decided to stop the dialysis and they transferred her to the extended care unit. The doctor did not feel that she would make it. We called the family and many came to see her while she was in the hospital. After four days she started to wake up. She began eating and could actually carry on a conversation. She was in the hospital from March 15th to April 17th. She decided that she did not want to continue the dialysis and the doctor's felt like she had less than six months to live. While she was in the hospital my brother came from Utah and stayed for several days. His daughter Kara came to visit with her three children. Her grandson Joe came from Utah to see her. Her grandson Jaron and his wife and four children drove out from Utah to see her and her granddaughter Mariah came from Sacramento. Her sisters called every couple of days to talk with her and see how she was doing. Frank and Leia and David and Robin came often to sit with her and dad. She was so excited when she was able to come home. We got everything in place to make things as easy for her as possible. After being home for two days she was back to doing things her way. She was weak but she was managing.

In February I went on a cruise with a group of friends. Every day was something new and fun. This day we drove these great boats to the other side of the island and went snorkeling. I'm not very good but I now have my own snorkeling gear and I really enjoy learning. The weather was great and the beaches were beautiful. The company was great too. We spent a day in jeeps exploring the island and then ended up at a beach for the afternoon. One day we rented jeeps and drove to a beach on the other side of the island. Parts of the Island had nude beaches. Why anyone would enjoy this is beyond me. We took a ferry to St. Johns and spent the day at Trunk Bay. This was a beautiful beach and we spent the day sun bathing, snorkeling and playing in the surf. Of course there was also shopping for souvenirs. On the travel days there was always something to do on the ship. We played miniature golf, roller skating, rock climbing and lots of cards. Every Night after dinner there is a show and karaoke. We even have brave, talented singers in our group and a very supportive audience. You eat too much, stay up too late and laugh a lot. It is the best vacation ever.

Three nights a week you dress up for dinner. Everyone looks tired, sun burned and fancy. The food is excellent and you get to try things you never would try. I even tried snails. (Dennis Jagoda's favorite) I never imagined that Brother Shephard could eat so many lobster tails. I lost count after 5. You are treated like royalty. We are usually the last to leave the dining room. Your stateroom attendants keep your room clean and even leave chocolates on you pillow. The worst part is the flight and customs. That is even bearable because of all the fun people that we travel with. It is definately a vacation that I would recommend. I'm ready to go again as soon as Tom the cruise director picks the destination.

{read the blog below before viewing these pictures}

Phyllis Basham

Juke Basham

Don Ketchum, Phyllis Basham, Louise Ketchum

I have resisted the blogging craze for some time. I decided that I would give it a try and use it as my journal. So much has happened in the past year that I need a record of my life. I enjoy reading updates on people that are special to me and decided I needed to write not for others to read but for myself. I tell my clients that Journaling can be healing and therapeutic so I am going to take my own advice. I am going to start back a year ago when things started happening that I want to record. It may not be interesting to anyone else but it is important to me. The process is slow and awkward to me but with Dava's help, maybe someday I will get the hang of it. So here goes.
Last year my dad spent his 88th birthday in the hospital. He had taken his scooter to the Dollar Store and bumped his leg on a cement bench. He doctored his leg but it still got infected. He was also in the hospital on their 60th wedding anniversary. We got him out for the afternoon and had an anniversary party. It was very enjoyable and many of their old time friends came or sent cards. Here are some of the picturess for the big event.