Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!

Cole starts "school" tomorrow! Remember when I said I was sort of excited? Well...I've changed my mind! Now I am nervous and anxious!

We are all packed up and ready to go. We'll post pictures tomorrow.....

Horse Races

Here are our pictures from the horse races this weekend! We had a blast!!!

The Ross' and the Johnson's had a horse run in the 8th race! David got to go down and act important:)! George Ray came in 3rd place! Woo Hooo!!!

The boys...

The girls...

Okay, this is a random picture, but for some reason I thought it was hilarious that we were the VERY last people to leave!!!

After the races we walked to Pompei for happy hour and dinner. Here is David carrying Kim's breast pump! How funny is that:)!!!

Miss Priss said her feet hurt, so John came to the rescue:)!

Chris's new lady friend...

The girls having Happy Hour...

Weber and Patrick's table for 2. Looks romantic:)...

1st picture of Chris and Victoria...

Chris didn't pose right, so Victoria had to straighten him out...

Chris defending himself:)...

Okay, now that's a good picture! Everyone's happy:)!!!

Mrs. Marilyn

Last Wednesday was Mrs. Marilyn's last day with Cole. She has been with us for the whole 1st year, so it was really sad to see her go:(! Cole will start "school" next week! I am actually kind of excited. I think he is ready to make some friends:)!

St. Patrick's Day

As you can imagine, we celebrate St. "Patrick's" day with a bang at our house:)!

Cole was in awe of Patrick's hat...

Drinking Irish Beer...

Oops, Suzy blinked! Ha, ha...

Bottoms Up

I hope everyone has a great weekend! We are headed to Hot Springs after work today. I can't wait:)!

Playing at The Promenade

Here are some pictures of Cole and Cy's last trip to the Promenade...

Cy and Cole fighting over the only girl on the playground...

Life at Grammy's

For those of you that know Grammy, you know what a special person she is. She is ALMOST 91 years old, and has lived every day of her life to the absolute fullest! She is a direct contact to the Lord above; literally a Saint on Earth!

About 1 year ago, my aunt Judy moved in with Grammy to assist her in her everyday life. After some adjusting for both of them (Ha, ha! Worth a whole other post by itself), it has been a blessing for both of them. Judy is the 4th of 7 children, and has always been Grammy's "favorite"!

Over the last year, Judy has sent the family "Life at Grammy's" emails. They have made for much entertainment, and I even suggested that Judy start a Life at Grammy's blog!

As you can imagine by her age, Grammy's days are becoming more and more precious.

The road ahead (however long it may be) is going to be a rough and rocky one for the McNeil family. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Below is Judy's "Life at Grammy's" email from today. Obviously not quite as entertaining, but so open and honest.

Thank you to Kathy for staying with Grammy on Friday and Friday night – she was a handful! However, she woke up Sat. and was back to normal again. Kathy’s presence worked miracles. Brittany, thanks for coming to visit Friday at lunch – I know Kathy enjoyed the company.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful – enjoyed visiting with Steven and Kenny and Karen when they came by.

Monday, Brenda and Chris cleaned the carpets and organized mom’s sitting area – it looks soooo much better.

Funny things first–

I got a baby monitor so that I could hear mom at night if she called. The first night I woke up in the middle of the night and kept hearing something strange – I listened and didn’t hear her talking. I went back to her bed and she was sitting on the side of her bed – she had on that silk night cap that she used to wear to bed so her hair wouldn’t get messed up! She looked so cute! She didn’t realized what she was doing and went right back to sleep.

Monday night I went to bed and woke up hearing music from the monitor - I couldn’t figure out what it was – just very peaceful music. I wondered if mom and I were hearing the same music! Turns out the monitor was unplugged (after the carpet cleaning). Don’t know where the music was coming from – but I enjoyed it.

Now for the sad stuff –

Last week when mom was in the hospital, the CHF nurse that sees her every Monday asked me to come talk to her. She suggested that it was time for me to call hospice and see if they could provide some services. She was very sweet and said most people say they wish they had called hospice sooner.

Arkansas Hospice came out yesterday afternoon and signed her up. They already reviewed her hospital and medical records and said she was eligible. Hospice provides “end of life” care. This doesn’t mean that mom will die within six months – just that she will die naturally with no further aggressive treatment for her heart condition. No more hospitals or clinics for things related to her heart condition. If she falls or has other reasons to go the hospital, that is different. They have a doctor, 24 hour RN service, CNA and social worker as a part of her team.

Important - If she has a heart related problem, stroke, dehydration, blood sugar issue, no ambulance will be called. We’ll call hospice and they will handle it. The purpose is to give her comfort care, but nothing to prolong her life. Mom told me again – no CPR, no extraordinary measures.

This morning her CNA came (Paula) and gave her a bath and helped her dress and clean up. She was really good and mom really liked her. She will come MWF and spend 1.5 hours – she also will change sheets and do light housework if needed, and some wound care treatment. If she wants a bath on the weekend, they will provide someone for that also.

It was really hard to do but I think it is for the best. Mom is fine with it. As you know, she says she is ready to die. I know she doesn’t want to continue living this way. She said she had a dream Friday that she was at the steps of heaven but no one would let her in – so she became a preacher instead. We decided God just wasn’t quite ready for her yet. Anyway, we talked about hospice and what it meant and she is ready for it.

You guys know I am not a big crier but this has really hit me hard. I stood out in the rain yesterday smoking and crying and trying to come to terms with all of this. Then, I’ve done nothing but cry all day today at work. I know I’ll be okay tomorrow after I’ve cried it all out.

In the meantime, some thoughts going through my crazy head –

I’ve been so lucky to have spent this last year living with her and getting to really know her.
She’s really funny.
She’s got a great smile.
She never complains.
She’s got some great stories.
I love her so much.
Who will greet her when she gets to heaven? Daddy? Grandma and Grandpa? Bob, Barbara, Helen, Fritzi, Alfred, Edmund, Emma Jo, Babe, Charlie?
Will I be the only one with her when she dies? Or will there be time for y’all to come?
Will she be glad to leave or will she be scared?
What will I do when she’s gone?

My mind and my heart are full …….

Love you all.

Judy

Here are some picture from our last visit to see Grammy. Cole and I met my cousins Lacey and Jordan and their kiddos. It was so much fun! Grammy loved every second of it. In the video, she is singing "Miss America"! PRICELESS!!!

Hot Springs

Here are some pictures of our last trip to Hot Springs.

Cole loves to play peek-a-boo with Bud through the window...

Barge ride. It was a little chilly, so we stayed on shore...

Throwing hickory nuts with Aunt Lindsey...

Bud blows in Cole's ears, and he loves it. You would never guess it by his expression in this picture:)...

Eating some lunch...

Baby Bella in her Bunny ears! She is so cute!!!

Passed out!

The boys...

Brady wanted a picture with Cole by himself...

So, of course, Ryan had to have one too:)...

Visiting with Melissa and Mamaw...

Playing basketball with Uncle John...

Busy body, doesn't want to be held while he eats his bottle. He might miss something...

We love going to Hot Springs! We will be there again this weekend, and we are going to the horse races! I can't wait!!!