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.