Viral Pneumonia

Here is a picture from last week. All Hurricane wanted was his trophy.

Sweetheart and I were thanked for our service at church for working with the Young Men ages 16-18 and being the Cub Committee Chair.

We have been asked, and we've accepted to minister, get to know, and work along side the young single adults (ages 18-30) and the welcoming committee for the ward. Welcoming committee is more of helping people get settled when they move here. Letting them know where the closest grocery store is, when the book mobile come, and other stuff like that. We will have fun working together.

I finally got into the doctor on Wednesday. She had me take a chest x-ray before seeing her. When I saw her, she did all the things a doctor does when you are sick. Then she looked at the x-ray and saw that my left lower lung didn't look right - viral pneumonia. The best thing about this so far is that I've learned how to spell pneumonia. Treatment is no antibiotics. She did give me an inhaler with albuterol for coughing during the day and cough syrup for the night. I haven't had the cough syrup since Wednesday night. I've slept through the night for the first time in 2 weeks! I've used the inhaler every day except for today. I feel that I'm getting stronger, but Sweetheart doesn't want me to push it. He's concerned I'll relapse.

Sweetheart and the boys worked really hard to clean off the floor so we can tile.

There is no carpet in the hall way and in front of the front door.

Sweetheart didn't think would take as long to get the floor ready as it has.

This is Sweetheart....

Everyone asks how Mama is doing. She has been hit hard by this illness. She's had to stay in bed for the better part of the last 3 weeks. People have brought us meals, helped us by watching our boys, and been very kind to us.

I've done my best to keep the house together. I've gained a much greater appreciation for the challenges of a single parent. Today I spent time with Underfoot and Hurricane, teaching them about how to program a computer. The website is the best I've ever seen. I am excited to share the joys of computer programming with Underfoot and Hurricane.

Today Mama showed me something else that I find extremely interesting. It is a beehive that allows you to harvest the honey without disturbing the bees!

 Apple Tree

Be well!

 Almond Tree

 Apple Tree

 Apple Tree

 One of the Ladies

Sickie

Hurricane: He finished soccer today. He scored a goal and finally got his trophy. He doesn't care as much about the pictures of himself or the team. He LOVED his first day of Little Chefs Cooking Club. He has invited 8 friends to come over and learn how to cook. The chefs started with Ants on a Log and Jello.

They learned about germs and how to handle a butter knife. He is convinced that he could run the club on his own without Mom's help. He missed school for 2 days because he was lonely for his Mom. He feigned illness to stay home. One day he stayed home he ate 1/2 a container of Nutella, a jar of pickles and poured the juice on the couch, and helped with packages that came in the mail. He knows how to thoroughly unclean a room and not miss a beat.

He is an excellent Lego ship builder.

Underfoot: He finished soccer as well. He had the goal to score a goal this season and didn't make it. Sweetheart and he conversed about how many goals scored doesn't stack up to be a good person. Playing sports is not his passion. He gives his heart and wants to make it work so much but either time and/or coordination isn't on his side. Last Saturday he participated in The Great Paper Airplane contest hosted by the Pima Air and Space Museum and Mars International.

He again went in with high hopes and was eliminated in the first round. Again Sweetheart and he had the opportunity to talk about how participating is important. The Dean family taught us the phrase, "It is better to participate than to spectate." He participated. Growing up I didn't win anything either unless I was unopposed. I can relate with Underfoot wanting to feel like he won something or at least the "Praise and honor of Catan."

He has been very helpful around our house and being more responsible about taking initiative on his homework. He taught his brother the piano and hasn't grumbled once about having to practice.

Sweetheart: He is a superhero. He has gone to work, cleaned the kitchen, tiled and grouted the Master Bathroom (he took confidence from Katie Stokes that he could do it),

got rid of the tile in the front entrance, and taken care of boys. He even coached my last soccer practice. He stayed home on my birthday and the next day to take me to Urgent Care. He has worked and is a very tired monkey.

He listened for the garbage truck, and the driver was willing to wait and take the extra tiles. That was a HUGE blessing.

Mama: I helped with the Blue and Gold dinner. The decor was beautiful and looked like a wedding reception. The next day was Little Chefs Club and gathering all the materials for the tile job in our house. After the errands, I was beat and went to bed with a fever. The last 10 days have been filled with hacking and gasping for breathe mixed in with a super high fever and a little delirium.

The fever broke after 9 days. After 2 trips to the Urgent Care, the diagnosis is a nasty virus that knocked me out. The first place told me to go to the emergency room of which we didn't because they would have said you have a virus we can't do anything for you. The 2nd place gave me cough syrup and prednisone. Any prayers, good thoughts, or chants would be welcome as I'm tired of being sick. Today (Saturday) was the first day that I've even cooked for my family. That's a long time.

When I was a missionary, I wrote a letter home once that said, "You're grateful for your health once you don't have it." That was the basically the whole letter. I'd been sick and caused my Mom to panic. She called the mission home and found out I was better. I was a really lousy letter writer then. I am grateful for good health. I'm grateful to look for the good that has come each day. We have been taken care of by many kind people who have brought suppers or watched boys so we don't have more pickle juice in the couch.

As always we end with, be well!

Work...work...and more work....

What a week! We got 3 1/2 days of rain. Straight rain.

Flowering Aloe

This is nothing compared to the snow the Northeast got, but in the desert, rain is a big deal. We'll take all that we can get!

Because of the rain, soccer games were canceled. This opened up the opportunity for Mama to attend Cub Scout training on Saturday. Cub Scouting is getting a facelift to the program. Part of the training was teaching about the new program that will be implemented in June 2015. As the committee chair, she is to help with the transition.

We continued work on the floors in preparation for tile in our house. The 2 bathrooms and kitchen floors are naked. We spent time scrubbing the glue and gunk off the floor. We even started on taking out the tile in the front entry. Twelves tiles are gone. Forty plus more to remove along with the quick set that they were placed. More cleaning off floors. I got a phone call while clearing the kitchen floor, and Mr. Shumway brought a tool and his son to help us complete the job! It helped so much! Mama will pick up the tile on Tuesday, and we hope to start this Thursday.

We can't start earlier because after playing games on Saturday night, I hit a pothole and popped the CV axle off Finn McMissle the Prius. We got some help to trailer the car home. We were going to tow it but didn't feel right about it.

Mama has been asked to be on the Young Women's camp board this year. She has been asked to be the service coordinator. The Stake (a combination of many congregations) will have about 200+ girls participating. She presented the concept that meaningful service is most often simple and individual. Each person can give service with their own unique set of talents, and they don't have to fit a particular mold.

While we were scraping the floor, I dropped the iPad and cracked the screen.

Hurricane is attempting to sounding out words more. He loves numbers and seeing patterns.

He loves to play songs he gets on the piano.

He is no famous composer prodigy but he has a love of music.

He had a 1/2 day this week. He gets to go to music, SUMS, P.E., and art.

Underfoot is happy. He is happy to be alive.

He had a superhero project he needed to do for school. He could create his superhero out of anything he wanted. He chose to sew a 3D guy.

He did most of the sewing with help. We talked and talked about his super power. He decided that his super power is to be nice. He said that his weakness is losing his temper.

We are super proud of him. He loves to read.

Be Well!

Random pictures from our week...

 This is our first attempt at making ice cream. We were finishing it up with cinnamon chip cookies for family home evening.

We are trying to take pictures of us.

 The school met their reading goal so they could have crazy hat day. Underfoot asked his friend to make him a hat. Here is the result.

 We've had carrots in our garden. Hurricane decided to let out the chickens. He then proceeded to harvest all the food. He wanted to show Auntie J. his carrots so she would feel better after her back surgery.

This is the 2nd attempt at making ice cream. Not as good as the first but still yummy!