10/10/08
Before you go.....
It was nice that we flew up a little early so that AJ could see Grandma and Grandpa Tolman for a few days before the left on their trip. We enjoyed hanging out and visiting but I think AJ's favorite time was spent at the part across the street. Alaina and her frineds love to play there and have all sorts of little forts. She loved showing them to us and AJ had the best time exploring.
10/8/08
This one's for you Poy
Grandma Tolman got AJ these new PJ's and I just thought they were so cute! They have little hockey players and pucks all over them, which we love in our family. (I guess!?!) Anyways here's Age practicing his goalie moves and being a model for the camera.
And here is what your pictures of AJ will look like if you don't start clicking before he notices you have the
camera. He just comes running up to it and smiling like this.... Maybe he'll grow out of this face?
And here is what your pictures of AJ will look like if you don't start clicking before he notices you have the
camera. He just comes running up to it and smiling like this.... Maybe he'll grow out of this face?
Getting here
So we are now in Edmonton, 2 days ahead of schedule, we were planning the funeral for Thursday at 3:00 but Grandma just wasn't ready to leave us. The doctors are baffled, as are we, but I know the Lord doesn't make mistakes so I am not looking for what I can learn from this experience and putting my faith in the Lord. We are planning on Tuesday now for the funeral so...... we'll see if that works out. Anyways it has been emotional and I want to lift some spirits with these cute pictures of AJ and my journey home. Aaron took us to the airport at 6:45 and then headed right to school. When we said our good-byes I got way to emotional because mortality has been on my mind so much lately! I know that all will be well but in the moment I guess I got caught up. By the time I was in the Airport and Aaron was gone I had so many tears streaming down my face that a worker approached me to see if I was lost or needed assistance! ha ha ha, what a nerd! I couldn't wipe my face cuz' I had the backpack on, AJ in my arms, as well as trying to pull a 57 pound suitcase. That's right 57 pounds which means that unless I wanted to pay and extra $100.00 (half a months grocers) I needed to take out 7 pound and add it to my carry on. After check in I was wandering around looking for my gate, ready for the mental picture, I had a 25 pound backpack on (bright red!) my camera in it's case slung over my shoulder and resting on one hip, Age AND his pooh blanket (of course) on the other hip, my hoddie tied around my waist and slipping further down with each steep, and let me tell you I was sweating!!!! All I can say is good thing the seat next me me on the plane was empty! (Talk about stank, he he office quote) Anyways here is AJ winning over all the ladies in our terminal and acting all GQ while we wait to board the "Airbus" (That's all the called it our whole trip!)
The flights were both really quick and AJ did great. He loved being in the plain especially now that he understands what they are. Our WHOLE first flight (1hour) was spent in this exact position. He only moved one to get his milk!
Once we finally arrived in Edmonton Grandpa Tolman came to pick us up and after a delicious meal of lasagna we decided to relaxes with a quick dip in the hot tub! 
For any of you who don't know Alaina this is here. She is a fish out of water and she love to play with AJ.
HA HA HA HA HA. i AM PEEING MY PANTS AT THESE GINORMOUS PICTURES!!! I will work on getting them to a better size!
The flights were both really quick and AJ did great. He loved being in the plain especially now that he understands what they are. Our WHOLE first flight (1hour) was spent in this exact position. He only moved one to get his milk!
Once we finally arrived in Edmonton Grandpa Tolman came to pick us up and after a delicious meal of lasagna we decided to relaxes with a quick dip in the hot tub! 
For any of you who don't know Alaina this is here. She is a fish out of water and she love to play with AJ.
HA HA HA HA HA. i AM PEEING MY PANTS AT THESE GINORMOUS PICTURES!!! I will work on getting them to a better size!
10/6/08
178th Semiannual conference
As many of you may know the 178th Semiannual conference took place this past weekend. We didn't actually go to the church for any of the sessions (aside from relief society and priesthood) but we watched them all in our home. Sometimes I think it's better to watch them at home where you have the toys to preoccupied the kids and an area that's baby proof so you're not stressed about what they might be getting into! Anyways conference was AMAZING for me, I felt the spirit so strong and feel certain that the majority of the talks were written for me personal! ha ha. Honestly thought, I have been struggling with all the different feelings that go along with watching someone you love make their way back to our father in heaven, the stress of moving, the distance from home and family, and accepting new changes. I have been looking at the world through my, "Wo is me" glasses.
After listening to the talks and allowing the spirit to bear testimony of their truthfulness everything seems crystal clear with my new outlook focused on gratitude. I am exceedingly grateful for my Grandmother and the wonderful woman that she is. She has taught me so many lessons, shared with my her knowledge and testimony, and together we have made memories that can never die. My heart overflows with gratitude as I realize the blessing she has been in my life and the lives of all those who have known her. I will forever Cherise the times I spent with her and AJ, her love for him was instant and unconditional. She could watch him play for hours and never tire. Although I wish that he could have had time to get to know her better I know there will be plenty of time for that in the hereafter, I feel grateful for my knowledge and understanding of eternal families!
How many blogs have I dedicated to my fear of moving and the stress of finding new friends or fitting into a new ward? TOO MANY. Heavenly Father has organized the church so we as brothers and sisters never need fear of being alone or feeling unwelcome. My new perspective has magnified the many blessings that have come along with our new home in Portland. They are to extensive to name but just let me say that I have no worries or fears about the next four or how ever many years we are here. Already we have so many great friends down here taking care of us. Nicole and I are two peas in a pod (soon to be three) and I know that our meeting was no Chance experience, we have become very close, very fast and for that I am grateful. We have been embraced by our ward family, after only 2 and a half weeks Portland already feels like home. lol, looking back I just think, "oh ye of little faith, why are ye fearful." I should have seen this move for what it was, a blessing, and recognized the unfavorable hue from my "wo is me glasses" making it seem like a trial!
I could go on and on about everything I feel grateful for but I have to get ready for my trip. I will be fling to Edmonton first thing tomorrow with Age and we won't be back for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!!! What will we do without Aaron?? we are sad but looking forward to seeing family and getting to hang out with Alaina!!! Hope your ready to have so major fun Alaina cuz' we are going to have a blast!!
After listening to the talks and allowing the spirit to bear testimony of their truthfulness everything seems crystal clear with my new outlook focused on gratitude. I am exceedingly grateful for my Grandmother and the wonderful woman that she is. She has taught me so many lessons, shared with my her knowledge and testimony, and together we have made memories that can never die. My heart overflows with gratitude as I realize the blessing she has been in my life and the lives of all those who have known her. I will forever Cherise the times I spent with her and AJ, her love for him was instant and unconditional. She could watch him play for hours and never tire. Although I wish that he could have had time to get to know her better I know there will be plenty of time for that in the hereafter, I feel grateful for my knowledge and understanding of eternal families!
How many blogs have I dedicated to my fear of moving and the stress of finding new friends or fitting into a new ward? TOO MANY. Heavenly Father has organized the church so we as brothers and sisters never need fear of being alone or feeling unwelcome. My new perspective has magnified the many blessings that have come along with our new home in Portland. They are to extensive to name but just let me say that I have no worries or fears about the next four or how ever many years we are here. Already we have so many great friends down here taking care of us. Nicole and I are two peas in a pod (soon to be three) and I know that our meeting was no Chance experience, we have become very close, very fast and for that I am grateful. We have been embraced by our ward family, after only 2 and a half weeks Portland already feels like home. lol, looking back I just think, "oh ye of little faith, why are ye fearful." I should have seen this move for what it was, a blessing, and recognized the unfavorable hue from my "wo is me glasses" making it seem like a trial!
I could go on and on about everything I feel grateful for but I have to get ready for my trip. I will be fling to Edmonton first thing tomorrow with Age and we won't be back for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!!! What will we do without Aaron?? we are sad but looking forward to seeing family and getting to hang out with Alaina!!! Hope your ready to have so major fun Alaina cuz' we are going to have a blast!!
10/3/08
What's going on.
Well I mentioned that things weren't going great with my Grandma last week and things simply haven't gotten any better. Here is the situation last Tuesday morning she had a small stroke. They also found a slight hemorrhage in her brain and so they called in two specialists. The doctors said that the bleeding has been there since her big surgery last spring and that it wasn't causing any problems. With in just a few hours she had her speech and most movement back. The doctors weren't really sure what happened so they kept her over night for observation. By Wednesday at noon Grandma told the Doctor, "my grandson's are getting married, the first wedding is in just two days and I have to be there!" To prove that she was ready to go she got up and walked around the room while chattering away. The specialists both agreed to let her go if she was still feeling good after a few tests and the removal of he IV. So they did the tests and everything looked great and then they removed the IV. Because of her condition when she got to the hospital, her IV was in her neck, and shortly after removing it she lost her speech and slipped into a coma. After a MRI, they found that she had an air bubble in her brain. This is something neither of the specialists have seen in over 30 years of practice. They said that unless you get shot in the head you just can't get air in there. The only other way would be through the IV but the Doctors won't say that's what happened for sure.
Anyways she has been in a coma like state since Wednesday September 24th at 3:00pm. She is completely unresponsive and on level one care which means they are just keeping her comfortable. Over the last 10 days she has been having seizures, which they are giving her medication to help, along with some pain medication. The air pocket in her brain has been blocking the blood flow and stopping any oxygen from getting to her brain. The doctors said that the air will eventually despite into her blood stream but the brain damage she has suffered is extensive. They don't believe she will ever be conscious again, and the Doctors where surprised to see that see made it through the weekend. I am having a very hard time being here when I feel like I really need to be there, but I know that the Lord is with her and my family. I am not praying for a miracle I just want her to know that we love her and I want to know that she is not in any pain. My Grandpa is having a really hard time and I wish I could be there to give him the Love and support he needs but the rest of my family can do that. I have always been so close to home that getting to the hospital was easy, I guess that's why this feels so hard! She is now being moved to palliative care, and I guess we are left to play the waiting game. It has been a roller coaster of emotions for all of us and I am having a bit of a hard time with it. Another family member got some bad medical news and we are all waiting to hear what the next step is. As I work on my talk for her funeral, I have gathered memories from my cousins & siblings, and I am reminded again of the amazing woman she is. I have been brought to tears by their words, she had such an impact on us all! We are loving it here in Portland but are thoughts and prays are with everyone back home.
This is one of my all time favorite pictures (sorry about the quality!) of my Grandma and her four beautiful daughters. I asked my Grandma if she ever wished she had a son and her reply was, "Nothing could ever bring me more joy than my Girls
As far as my Grandpa and Grandma go, I think they ad it pretty much figured out. They had their ups and downs, I'm sure we've all hear grandma scolding "oh Dick! you cut that out!" but they had such a special love for one another, a love that shines as an example to us all!
So here we are, Not any of the great grandchildren, but here is a large part of her posterity. Because of her we are all here. Because of her example we all know where we are going and most of us are working towards that goal. I can not say it enough, she's a very special and amazing daughter of God.
P.S. I just noticed for the first time in my life that I am not in this picture!!!! Where the heck am I?
10/2/08
Bigger pictures
Hummm... I am working on getting some bigger pictures on my blog but it is a little tricky (for me anyways) Here's one of AJ I love. May be more big pictures to come, we'll see!
10/1/08
Last Lazy Day.
So today is Aarons last day of freedom befor dedicating his life to chiropractics and anyone who knows aaron knows how he is spending the afternoon....GOLFING! What? we have been here just over a week and Aaron has already connected with fellow golfers and is out on the green. I think they just went to Par 3 somewhere but none of that matters toAaron as long as he's out golfing he's happy! So live it up Poy cuz' I see yor golf days coming to an abrupt end! (lol, as if he would ever let that happen!)
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