2022 :: week 25

June 19

Father's Day was weird this year. Anthony was out of town with his family and my mom was in the hospital. My sisters and I prepared a potluck meal for my dad: meatballs (Emily) and mashed potatoes (me) with apple crisp (Jill) for dessert. Dad didn't stay long because he doesn't like leaving Mom at the hospital alone for long.  

June 20

I told the kids we would get Chick-fil-A for breakfast while Anthony was out of town and they did not forget. I had trouble sleeping on Sunday night and tried to sleep in a bit on Monday. More than one child checked on me more than one time to make sure I didn't forget about my CFA promise. I was up well before 10:30am, when they stop selling breakfast, but apparently the kids didn't trust me when I said I would be up in time. Anthony left Saturday afternoon and didn't arrive home until after midnight on Tuesday. I have a lot of experience holding down the fort when Anthony is gone, but it was much harder this time. Bedtime was a struggle every night for one reason or another, it was super hot, and I was dealing with residual stress from my mom's stroke. 

June 21

Anthony's maternal grandfather, Robert Chipman Fletcher, passed away on June 14 at 101 years of age. Anthony and his siblings gathered in Utah, along with all their aunts and uncles and many cousins and loved ones to celebrate his life. Sunday the family gathered at Uncle Russ and Debora's house for BBQ and signing practice. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren sang "Each Life that Touches Ours for Good" at the funeral they cousin choir sounded wonderful. Sunday evening was the viewing. Monday was the funeral and Tuesday was the burial. In addition to the formal funeral events, the John kids got together at the Nielson's to play knockout and spend time together. Anthony had a great time reconnecting with his family.

June 22

Miles is really into sidewalk chalk. Lauren and Will are great about taking him outside and drawing with him. 

June 23

The boys and I waited in the van to pick up Lauren and Daphne after softball practice Thursday evening. Softball and baseball season is almost over and I am looking forward to a month off before fall sports start. While we were waiting I was feeling thankful for our van and how dependable it has been over the past 6.5 years. Also, Elliott has lost two teeth this past month and he loves showing off the hole in his mouth. 

June 24

Lauren's softball game was at 6pm so the entire family was able to attend. The team she played was tough, but the Monarch's came away with a decisive win in the final inning. It was a hot night. Will's team played immediately after Lauren's game was over, at 8:15pm. I took Lauren and the little guys home while Will's team played. One of Will's teammates walked off the field after giving up two walks. The coach put Will in and he pitched the entire game. Their team lost, but we were proud of Will for sticking with it and doing his best. His team is comprised of mostly 6th and 7th graders, playing against teams of mostly 7th and 8th graders. They have learned a lot, even though their record isn't very impressive. 

June 25

Lauren and Dad put together the Harry Potter Hospital Wing Lego set Saturday evening while I read from Worlds Collide, the final book in the Land of Stories series. We had a sports-free Saturday, which was really nice. 

2022 :: week 24

June 12

Lauren gave a talk in primary on Sunday. Her assigned topic was "The Lord has done many wonderful things for me." Anthony helped her write her talk and shared a few examples of prayers that have been answered for our family. We have been doing a lot of praying for "a miracle for Memaw" these past few weeks, and have seen miracles. That evening we went to the Allred's house for dinner to celebrate Jill's birthday. Will was telling the family about the high adventure, and commented that his fellow deacons were impressed by his burping prowess. Aunt Jill challenged him to a burp off and I had to leave the room because I hate the sound of burps.

June 13

Elliott had a baseball game Monday night. Will's friend Gunnar has wanted to come to a game for weeks, but due to lots of rain and muddy fields it took awhile for schedules to sync up. Elliott was a little nervous with extra "fans" in the crowd and had the worst hitting game of his brief career. He made up for it with some great slides and doing the Griddy after he scored. I have since banned him from ever doing the Griddy at a game again. After the game Gunnar watched the Celtics game with Will and Anthony. Anthony has gained a reputation amongst Will's friends for being a very loud fan. Anthony yells at the players as if they can hear him, and Will's friends think it is hilarious. Will was playing a videogame with friends when Anthony was watching a game earlier in the playoffs and yelling "pass the frickin' ball!!" very loudly. Several of Will's friends heard his loud remarks as they were picked up on Will's mic and expressed interested in watching a game with Anthony in person.

June 14

Tuesday night Anthony took the kids to Shawnee Mission Park to meet up with friends from our new ward. Will had a great time on the high adventure and was excited to see some buddies. I stayed home to work on getting the house ready for the Gessell family who was planning to arrive the next day for a 4 day visit from Virginia. I had worked out a pretty fun intinerary and we were all really looking forward to their visit. Late that evening Anthony's mom messaged that Bobpa passed away. We knew that Anthony would need to head to SLC and the next morning Gessells postponed their visit so Alicia could travel to SLC as well.

June 15

Wednesday I was able to go to sit with my mom for awhile. I haven't been able to help as much as my local sister have, so I was glad to be able to go. My mom was having a good day. She 

June 16

Miles and Elliott completed their session of swimming lessons of Thursday. When I registered the boys for lessons in early April I was worried that the pool water would be too cold. It turns out that I didn't need to worry about how the cold the water would be at all. We spent a good portion of the week under a heat advisory! Elliott had a great time with his lessons and become quite proficient in front and back crawl. His kicking is a lot more coordinated as well. The goal for Miles was to do a bob and...he has yet to do a bob. But he will blow bubbles and put his face under while wearing goggles. I feel pretty good about where he is at. All of our kids have had to decide for themselves that they are ready to put their head under the water. 

June 17

Lauren had a late softball game Friday evening. Anthony and I left Will home to watch the boys, so we both got to watch the game without the usual distractions. She played really well! She caught a fly ball to record her first out of the game and went 2 for 3 hitting, with a really great hit just past second base. It is fun seeing Lauren grow as a softball player. Her coach has moved her up in the batting order as the season has gone on. Lauren didn't play softball in the fall, and started a year after a lot of the team, so her progress feels extra satisfying. That night 

June 18

Lauren has been making homemade popsicles almost every day this summer. She has used orange juice, apple juice, lemonade and chocolate milk. Everyone liked the lemonade the best, while the low-fat chocolate milk was the consensus least favorite.  

2022 :: week 23

June 5

Sunday evening we had local family members over for a simple dinner. We had cold cuts and fruit and lil' smokies in barbeque sauce. Everyone came, but not all at once. It felt weird to gather without Mom. Obviously we have gathered without her before, but we always knew when we would be seeing her again. Now we can see her, but don't know when or if we will ever get to talk and interact with her the same way again. It feels a lot like when my parents dropped me off at college. When I said goodbye to them, my life changed. I no longer lived with them and was going to be separated from them for most of the year. They were no longer a daily presence in my life. Of course I could still call, but the day to day interactions were different. Cellphones and texting and facetime made keeping in touch easier. Then we moved to Overland Park and my parents became bigger fixtures in my life again. I didn't personally talk to my mom every day, but we had a family group chat that was used daily, and she would often send my sisters and I links to articles or things that made her think of us. It makes me feel so sad that I don't know when or if I will ever get another text or phone call from my mom.

June 6

Monday was the start of a new and more "normal" week. Monday morning I dropped Will and Tyler off at SMS for Coach McFall's annual Sunflower Basketball camp. They spend the morning working on drills and them scrimmaging. Each day the teams change, but individual stats are kept and compiled throughout the week. This is Will's third year attending and he seemed to have a lot of fun. His buddies Knox and Gunnar were there as well, as well as a few kids he recognized from honor band and previous camps.

June 7

Will was invited to go to a Royals' game with his friend Tripp and his family Tuesday night. It was his first Royals' game of the season and he had a great time, despite the Royals abysmal play. They lost 7-0 that night, but Will is still a loyal fan.

June 8

Elliott and Miles started swimming lessons this week. They have class from 10:30-11am Monday through Thursday this week and next. Miles is in the Preschool Beginner class and Elliott is taking the Level 2 Elementary class. My goal for Miles is for him to feel comfortable in the water, and after some hesitation the first day he is really enjoying his class. Elliott is working on his front crawl and front and back float. He can doggie paddle with the best of them, but doesn't know any real swimming strokes yet.

June 9

Bright and early Thursday morning Will headed to the Beaver Lake and White River area of Arkansas with the Young Men of the Oak Park Ward. I asked Will what he enjoyed most about the high adventure and he said that highlights include going to the lake to fish, swimming and skipping rocks and hanging out with his new friends. They went kayaking on the White River and hiked in the Ozarks. They visited the Throncrown Chapel too. The deacons slept in one huge tent and he said they stayed up late talking and having a good time. He had a little bit of trouble sleeping because it started to pour around 11pm, but other than that it was surprisingly comfortable. They ate Burgers, hot dogs, roll-ups, Braums, roasted marshmallows, pancakes for breakfast. Anthony helped him buy a carving knife before he left and he had a lot of fun sitting around with his new friends and carving with his new knife. 

June 10

Thursday afternoon my mom was moved from OPRMC to the stroke rehabilitation unit at Menorah. Before she moved the local family stopped by to say hi and the brothers in law and my dad gave my mom a blessing. The move seems to have taken a lot out of her as she has spent most of the last 24 hours sleeping. I snapped this picture of a rainbow outside the rehab center as I left. There has been so much stress and uncertainty the past two weeks, but seeing the rainbow gave me a peaceful feeling and reminded me that things will work out. I don't know what "work out" even means, but I know that I am going to have to become comfortable with not knowing the end from the beginning.

June 11

This was the first week it really felt like summer. We went to the pool three times this week. Elliott had a baseball game in the afternoon and it was so hot. Will arrived home a few hours earlier from the high adventure than we anticipated, so we picked him up from the church, grabbed Costco food court for dinner and hit the pool for an hour before close. The Wilsons were at the pool too, which was fun. I just wanted to sit with my toes in the water, but Miles really wanted to swim in "the deep" so I got in and helped him kick around the pool. The song "Summer Breeze" was playing and I felt so grateful for that moment that I get to be alive and create memories with my children. For the John family book club we read 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Obviously, the events of the past two weeks have me thinking a lot about how short life really is, and that you aren't guaranteed anything.

2022 :: week 22

May 29

We had a fifth Sunday lesson at church. That evening we gathered for dinner at my parent's house to celebrate the May birthdays--Jake, me and Matt. Dad smoked ribs and grilled salmon. My mom had desserts for each of us--tres leches for Jake, caramel popcorn for me and cheesecake for Matt. It was a normal evening with adults visiting, kids running around outside and downstairs. My had a bit of a headache and commiserated with my mom about it.

May 30

Our Memorial Day started off like any other. We slept in a bit, did yard work we didn't finish on Saturday, took a quick jump in the pool and went to our ward picnic. After the picnic we were driving to a friend's house when I got a call from my dad. He was upset and said that he couldn't get my mom to wake up from her nap. We changed directions towards my parents' house and called 9-1-1 while my dad tried to wake my mom up. We arrived at my parents about 2 minutes later and about one minute before the paramedics.  Anthony and I followed the dispatcher's directions until they arrived and took over. We knew that mom was alive, her heart was beating and that she was breathing, but she was unable to talk to us. My dad followed the ambulance to the hospital. We said a prayer and then headed to our house. That night after we put our kids to bed we headed to the hospital. We learned that my mom most likely suffered a stroke. We left the hospital around 11pm when they took my mom to get a MRI. I had a hard time sleeping that night. 

May 31

My dad, Jill, Emily and I spent the better part of the day at the hospital. We learned that Mom suffered an ischemic stroke, which means that blood flow (and oxygen) was restricted going into the brain, and that the stroke was in her thalamus. The neurologist explained to us that the stroke location was "before the trunk spread to the branches," so she won't have the typical one-side droopy effects, though her left side appears to be stronger. We are still waiting to see what her deficits we will be, but even 24 hours later her face looked healthier than it did when we found her. A parade of medical professionals came to the room throughout the day. It was Matt Wilson's birthday, so that evening we had the Wilson boys over for a few hours so Emily could get him dinner.

June 1

Wednesday morning we met Tara, Landon and their crew at Meadowbrook Park. The kids were going stir-crazy from the rain and staying home all day the previous day. Elliott lost his first tooth while we were at the park and it made me cry. My emotions are all over the place. I went to the hospital again in the afternoon so my dad could pick up a few things from work. Anthony worked half days Tuesday and Wednesday, which was so helpful. My mom slept most of the day and by the end of the day we were all feeling weary and sad. The doctors talked to us about advanced directives, prolonging life and we all felt overwhelmed and sad.

June 2

Within 24 hours of Mom's stroke, my out of town sisters had tickets to visit. Due to flight delays Melanie arrived late Wednesday and Laura arrived Thursday afternoon. While Melanie was visiting, Mom woke up a bit and was able to open her left eye a tiny bit for the first time post-stoke. After the emotional discussions the day before, it felt like a true miracle. Will wrote "4MEMAW" in marker on his leg. This kid has definitely been influenced by sports stars.

June 3

Friday afternoon I took Lauren, Elliott and Miles to the pool while Tony and Will were at the church for Tony's a summer basketball bootcamp. The summer basketball bootcamp is the brainchild of Tony and Will. They invited several of Will's friends who enjoy basketball to a weekly informal basketball camp at our church building. Several boys in our ward attend, along with a few friends from different wards in the area. It felt weird being at the pool, participating in a "normal" summer activity while my world felt so upside down. It was also the longest I had been outside since Monday, which is also unusual for me in the summertime.

June 4

Late Saturday morning the original 7 Cranes were together in Mom's hospital room. We were chatting and making tentative plans before Laura had to head back to Utah. While we were talking Mom woke up! She started talking a bit and was lucid for almost two hours. The local sisters called husbands (I called Anthony) and had them bring the kids up to say hi to Memaw. Mom seemed to recognize everyone and gave everybody a hug. Mom's doctor stopped in and recorded her talking. Because she hadn't really woken up much all week, her doctor was having a hard time making a case that Mom would be a good candidate for a rehab facility. It felt so miraculous to have her as alert as she was. It felt a little like talking to someone as they were falling asleep. She had no memory of having a stroke and no sense of the amount of time she had been asleep.