Shiver Me Timbers!

Tomorrow is A.J.'s fifth birthday. To celebrate, we had six of his closest friends over for a Pirate Party yesterday. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun! I found the directions for a great pirate cake at familyfun.com and had to make some modifications so that I could make it work. But I think it turned out really cute. Not professional for sure, but fun nonetheless.I fashioned A.J. a DI pirate costume and our neighbor Jen made some balloon swords. A few extra pirate accessories from the party store rounded out the costumes. We played Parrot, Parrot, Pirate (think Duck, Duck, Goose) and Musical Islands (musical chairs with hoola hoops instead of chairs) and we had a treasure hunt. And of course, in A.J.'s opinion it's not a birthday party if there is no pinata involved. Here's our little swashbucklers ready for battle:I wish I had a picture of the invitation. I still have to get one of those. It was a message in a bottle. Really A.J. had no choice but to have a pirate party. Once I bought the Ahoy Matey set from Stampin' Up last fall, I knew he had to have this party so I could use the set. I'm just glad I was able to convince him it was his idea!

Legacy

I just returned from St. George, Utah. The good news is I got to see all my mom's extended family, some I haven't seen in years. The bad news is we were all there to pay our final respects to Grandpa Mac. He passed away on February 2 at 90 years of age. We've been expecting it for weeks, if not months so it was no huge surprise, but it is still hard to go through it. The hardest part has been watching my mom and aunts and uncles go through it all.

During the funeral, my mom and her siblings each talk about their father and all that he accomplished in his life. In addition to his role as father and grandfather and great-grandfather, he was a professor of agronomy, a scout master, a bishop, a stake president, a mission president and a master gardener. He set the bar high and he expected a lot from his students, his scouts, his missionaries, his ward and stake members and his family. But he was very proud of everyone's accomplishments too. You could tell by how far he would travel to see one of his grandchildren receive an award or get baptized or even just perform in a play or a recital. That also showed his deep love for each of us. He loved the outdoors and wanted to share that love with all of us. And you never had to wonder if Grandpa had a testimony because he lived it every day of his life.

Some of the things I remember about grandpa include the anticipation of a visit from him and grandma and how he would play the "banjo" on us as kids and rubbing his whiskers on our faces. I have fond memories of visiting Yellowstone, Zions, Snow Canyon and many other beautiful places with him as our guide always pointing out the vegetation during the day and the stars at night. I remember how emotional he became when he talked about his family and his testimony, especially in the past several years.

I call all these things Grandpa's Legacy. I watched my own brother lead us on a hike in Snow Canyon this weekend and point out things to my son that I had over looked. I see my parents travel to be there for all of their grandkids important events. I find myself emotional when I talk about my family and my love of the Savior too. All of us following his legacy.

And it has made me wonder what legacy I am building for my family. What will A.J. remember about me? Today he thinks I am mean because he's been in trouble most of the day. But will he know of my testimony and my convictions?

I guess the point of all of this is to live today as you will want to be remembered when you are no longer around. That is our legacy.

In Tribute: President Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

It's a sad day for members and friends of the LDS faith. Our beloved prophet, President Hinckley passed away last evening.

I don't know what I can add to the tributes that have been and will be paid to him in the next few days and weeks. He was an amazing man who led the LDS church through unprecedented growth and helped it shine bright in the spotlight. Whether he was touring the world dedicating one of the numerous temples he oversaw the construction of, or on Larry King Live or 60 Minutes, you could feel his love for the Savior, for the Gospel and for all it's members, as well as his love and concern for all humankind. He will be greatly missed.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by his passing. After all, he was 97 years old. But in some ways I thought he would live for several years to come. His strength seemed to continue into his final days and weeks. Just three weeks ago, he offered the dedicatory prayer for the newly remodeled State Capitol building. While he carried a cane, he was also known to wave it to crowds instead of actually using it to walk.

He will be greatly missed, but it is comforting to know he is with his wife and other family members who passed before him. And it is comforting to know that the great work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will continue under a new prophet as it always does.

Really not trying to turn this into a medical blog. . .

Seems like doctors and hospitals continue to dominate our lives these days. But maybe we are getting to the end here soon.

A.J. had his ear surgery yesterday. It only took an hour in the operating room and there were no surprises so it shouldn't have been a big deal at all. Except, try telling that to a four year old who had major surgery six months ago.

He did NOT want to go yesterday morning. He started crying before we left the house and the only way we were able to get him in the car is to bribe him with any DVD he wanted to watch on the way up. He didn't want anything to do with anyone once we got to the University of Utah Medical Center either.

When the anesthesiologist came in to see us, he definitely agreed he was a prime candidate for Versed. But it was an hour and a half before they came to give that to him because they were running a little late on the surgery start time. We tried to pass the time with TV but he kept asking why he had to be there and why he had to have another surgery.

But once the Versed kicked in, it was a little comical. We asked him how he was feeling and before he always said scared. But with the Versed talking, he said, "Happy!" I asked if he was still scared and he said yes, but that he was still happy.

After, he was very out of sorts. When they brought me back to recovery, I could hear him crying as soon as I entered the room. He had no idea that the surgery had already happened, but he was very mad. It took about an hour for him to get completely calmed down and that was only after they took the IV out and he put his own clothes back on and he was convinced we were really going home. I think that is when he finally decided that it wasn't that bad after all.

But he's been a complete trooper with the pain too. He says he isn't in any at all. He had one dose of Loritab before we left the hospital, but nothing but his antibiotic since we've been home. I kept him home from preschool today, but not sure I'll be able to keep him down much longer.

We won't know for sure how much hearing this will restore because we have to wait for the swelling to go down and that could be months. But we are very happy to have this behind us and we are really glad we did it now before he starts school.

Strep Again

A.J. and I just got back from the doctor's office. We both have strep throat. Again!

A.J. never complains about pain. He's has had a yucky nose for almost three weeks and a cough for almost two. The PA we saw took one look at his ears and said they were infected. He actually didn't do a throat culture on him because he kept saying he didn't want that swab down his throat. Who can blame him, it is yucky!

But my quick strep test came back positive. And since I have it, and A.J.'s tonsils are inflamed and his glands are swollen, they are treating him too.

I actually didn't want to go to the doc because I was sure it wasn't strep. I had strep the week of Thanksgiving. I was in way more pain, and I had that achy fever thing going then too. I knew that was strep. None of that this time, just a sore throat, congestion and fatigue. But James suggested I go and then my mom convinced me. After all, it is Friday and did I really want it to go all weekend? And it turns out I was wrong!

The good news is, within eight hours of being on the antibiotic last time I started feeling better. I am counting on that this time too.