Kaleb's front teeth

Kaleb had his front teeth pulled by his dentist, Dr. Scott Henderson. :)

After his teeth were pulled, Kaleb spent the day watching cartoons with Grandpa Grover. Just like old times, Kaleb, Grandpa, Dr. Henderson and cartoons.

Some Things Never Change

Dawn brought her new Camaro by the house and gave Grandpa Grover, John, and all of the kids rides.

Sleep Overs

After a 6 month hiatus, Grandma and Grandpa are back in the sleep over business. Jayden was the first one to have a sleep over. He got to Grandpa Grover's at 7:00, ate, watched tv with Grandma and Grandpa and was asleep by 7:20. Way to ease them in, Jayden.

This weekend, James was having his sleep over. He has really taken to "Uncle John" and when Grandpa Grover went to bed, he and John hung out looking at old pictures. James was disappointed to find that Grandpa Grover isn't an early riser anymore. At 6:00, when James woke up, everyone else was still sleeping!

Next weekend Lex will do his first solo sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's. There was some question as to whether he'd do it without his brothers, but upon further reflection, he'll likely be thrilled to Get Grandma and Grandpa to himself without those guys!

JOHN!!!!

We are so excited that John has come all the way from Norway. We are even more excited about the giant suitcase full of Norwegian chocolates! Mmmmm.

Aunt Katie and Aunt Karyl went to pick him up at the airport. While they did take 5 laps around the airport before picking up John, Uncle Gar and Ty still hold the record at 7 laps. :)

Here is an old picture of John and Grandpa Grover from around 1979.

Jayden and Uncle Chris's Birthday

August 13 was a big day for birthdays this year. Jayden celebrated his 5th and Uncle Chris celebrated his 50th birthday. While he won't admit it, we all know that Uncle Chris is more than a little disappointed that he didn't get to go to an amusement park and have a Build Your Own Sundae party.

Jayden had Grandma Linda, Grandpa Grover, Aunt Jen, Uncle Paul, Kaleb, Keeley, James, Levi and Lex at his Sundae party. Friends Keith and Rick were also there. He had a second party with Grandma Georgia and Grandpa Mike after his Daddy got home from work.

Grandpa Grover isn't Hungry

Grandpa Grover hasn't been feeling hungry for the past few days. Grandma Linda can get him to drink Ensure shakes, but no one else can convince him to eat anything. Everything makes Grandpa Grover's tummy hurt. :(

Another Meeting with Dr. M, the Neurosurgeon

Aunt Jen, Aunt Katie, Aunt Karyl and Lex went with Grandma and Grandpa to see Dr. M. Dr. M. had said that he may need to resect the newest growth. After not hearing from Dr. M., we called out the big guns: Dr. H. Dr. H. is wonderful. She lives in the same community as Aunt Katie and Aunt Karyl. She has grandkids who play sports with James and Kaleb. She takes very good care of Grandpa Grover. She explained to Dr. M., who is usually wonderful, that he blew it. We got in the next day for an appointment.

Aunt Katie wasn't feeling well, which was too bad for Aunt Katie, but provided a necessary break in nervous energy. Aunt Jen and Aunt Karyl thought it was pretty funny. :)

Dr. M. had conferred with Dr. A. and others and decided that a surgery wasn't the way to go. Dr. M. would have to take Grandpa off of his chemo meds for at least a month to prepare for his surgery. After surgery, it would be difficult for him to heal because of residual chemo meds in his system. He would have to wait at least another month after the surgery to start chemo again. Two months off of chemo is too long, so the surgery is off. The doctors agreed that had the tumor shown itself from the beginning, they would have done the surgery, but they haven't seen tumors show up this late in the game, during chemo, before.

Dr. M. told Grandpa Grover that they aren't giving up on him and that they will be as agressive as he can tolerate, as long as he can tolerate. He also told Grandpa not to waste a single day and that if there is anything he wants to do, he should do it. Good advice for all of us, I suppose.

Uncle Scott and Karyl's Boys

Erica, Uncle Scott, Heather and the puppy

Grandma Linda's Birthday and Visitors

Aunt Jen had tickets to go to Colorado for Grandma Linda's birthday. We had a week of parties. Grandma loved all of her flowers and pictures.

Aunt Jen extended her trip and was able to stay long enough to see Uncle Scott, Aunt Shari, Heather, Erica and Uncle Chris come visit.

Levi liked to wear Erica's boots. Jayden, Levi and Lex liked watching Erica do her hair and make up. Everyone but Lex thought it was funny when Erica was afraid of the grasshopper in the minivan.

Everyone enjoyed the bar-be-que and the kids swam and swam and swam in the pool.

Overall it was a nice chance for everyone to get together. And Uncle Scott went home with a new puppy!

Family Pictures

Better late than never...

Jumpstreet Pictures

These are the pictures of Grandpa's most recent project. This is the one he was working on when he got sick.

No Change, Restarting Chemo

Grandma, Aunt Jen, Aunt Katie, Aunt Karyl, and Aunt Zelda all went with Grandpa Grover to have his MRI and to see Dr. A to review Grandpa's scan. The tumors haven't grown, which is good, but they haven't shrunk, which is disappointing. There were a couple of shadows Dr. A was concerned about, but we're hoping they are from the radiation and not new growths.

We were all disappointed, especially Grandpa to find out that Grandpa had to start a 4 hour chemo treatment. He's taking BCNU, Taxol, and Temedar in addition to the regular meds. Here's a picture of what we refer to as "the pharmacy."

The Big Scan

Grandpa Grover has a scan July 2. We will find out how much the chemo and radiation did and what happens next. Aunt Zelda and Aunt Jen have come from California. They will join Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Katie, and Aunt Karyl at the scan and following appointment.

Everyone keep us in mind tomorrow.

James hit a Home Run!

Grandma and Grandpa didn't get to go to as many of James' and Jayden's baseball games as they would have liked this season. Fortunately, Grandpa was feeling up to it, so he and Grandma were able to join Aunt Karyl, Uncle Matt, Lex and Levi to watch James and Jayden finish their seasons. As a special treat, James hit a homerun. Grandma and Grandpa were so happy to be there.

Aunt Katie and Uncle Paul would have taken Kaleb and Keeley, but Aunt Katie has been banished because she has a cold. :( Feel better Aunt Katie!

John and Bob

Grandpa Grover's boyhood friends came to visit. We all heard stories we'd never heard before. Grandpa laughed and laughed. Everyone had a good time. It is nice for good friends, old friends, to get together. Everyone is so glad they came, even if they couldn't break a secret pact and tell some of the really good stories!

Tornado!

A tornado touched down near Elizabeth, CO today. It wasn't too far from Grandma and Grandpa's house. Everyone is safe.

Katie's BDay and the California Cousins

The California Cousins and their moms went to Colorado to see Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Katie, Uncle Paul, Kaleb, Keeley, Aunt Karyl, Uncle Matt, James, Jayden, Levi, and for the very first time, Lex.

Jen, Jen, Michaela and Ian went out to Colorado to visit on Aunt Katie's birthday. (Jim will point out that it was his birthday, too!)

Grandpa had a really tough week last week, but this week, he's doing really well. Maybe the threat of so much activity scared his illness right out of him! Whatever the reason, we were happy to spend so much time together.

We took LLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTSSSSS of family pictures. We did it two years ago, but couldn't get the big boys to cooperate last year, and let it go. This year we did it again. There is some question about whether some prankster has moved Grandma and Grandpa's wagon wheels closer together because it was like trying to squeeze into a log jammer ride. So, while we all falsely claim to be taller, tanner, and thinner than the pictures show, we truly are pulling off a feat: smiling while our relatives sit on our feet and rest their elbows between our ribs! We'll have to wait to post those until Karyl gets them loaded. For now, here are all of the cousins.

Grandpa's Legs Hurt Today

Grandpa Grover's legs hurt today. His blood pressure has been low and that may be making his legs hurt. We're hoping they feel better tomorrow.

Uncle Chris and Ryan and the Garage Sale

Uncle Chris and Ryan had some business to take care of in Colorado, so they stopped by to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone was happy to see them. Uncle Chris supervised Ryan and Jim while they worked on some projects around the house.

Everyone was helpful at the garage sale. The kids helped by buying things with money they had earned by helping Grandma pack boxes and digging in the yard.

It was sad to have Uncle Chris and Ryan leave, but it was fun to have Don and Phu and Chris and Ryan come for a quick visit.