Crazy Weekend

I am home right now after spending most of the last few days at the neuroscience ICU with my husband. He has developed progressive neuropathy. That means his nerves have started shutting down starting with his feet and progressing up his legs. Then his fingers and hands started the same thing with the numbness moving up his arms and into his chest area. The doctors are trying to decide what is going on. They thought at first it was Guillain Barre Syndrome, but he doesn't have all the markers for that so they are trying to figure out what else is going on.
They did find that his heart is not beating as strongly as they would like and that he is getting liquid in his lungs from the back flow. That doesn't explain the numbness though.
I am so grateful for the kindness of friends and fellow church members who have stepped in to help with my sons. The one who is autistic needed a place to go where he was familiar with at least someone. Fortunately, Donna works in his classroom at school, so they are very familiar with each other. This was a great comfort.
I hope today the doctors will be able to do the tests they need to figure out what is going on with my husband. Most of the other people I talk to in the waiting room at the ICU have family members who have had aneurysms or strokes, so there are a lot of very tired and tense people in the waiting rooms. We do join together and try to support each other.
I am also grateful for medical science that helps keep people alive while the doctors figure out what is wrong. The nurses have been great.
I am sorry this is so disjointed, but I am also trying to battle a migraine.

Music to Poetry

At my master's class last weekend, the professor had us all close our eyes and listen to a piece of music. Our task was to visualize the music. She chose a classical piece by Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist. It was a peaceful and relaxing experience. Then we opened our eyes and wrote in verse form about what we had seen in our imaginations. Afterward we shared our poems with each other. There was quite a wide variety of images. Everything from an actual concert in an auditorium to dwarfs, trolls and elves marching through the Mines of Moria. This is my effort in that exercise.

When the Cello Begins

When the cello begins to sing
The swallows fly into the air
Dancing swiftly out of sight.

When the cello begins to sing,
The sycamore leaves sweetly sway
Waving merrily to the swallows.

When the cello begins to sing,
The sunflowers nod their shining heads
To the swaying sycamore trees
Waving to the swallows.

When the cello begins to sing,
The graceful deer leap up the hill
Past the nodding sunflowers
And the swaying sycamore trees
Waving to the swallows.

When the cello begins to end,
The sun sinks in the west
As the graceful deer disappear over the hill
The sunflowers cease to nod to
The now still sycamores
Waving good-bye to the swallows.

This was a wonderful exercise in listening and imagining. As a culture we spend very little time listening to our inner selves and connecting with the world around us. This exercise is a good one to try on your own, or with your family.

Relax and enjoy!

Marvelous Weekend

I have had a wonderful weekend! We were able to watch General Conference here at home. The speakers were great and the music was gorgeous. I enjoyed the alone time I had while all the guys in the house went to Priesthood meeting.
During the break on Saturday, Oliver and I cut back the peonies and divided some of them. I am going to try and spread them around the yard a little more. They grow well where we have them, but I am sure they will like other areas of the yard.
On Sunday we had the sweet spiritual experience of taking Oliver to the stake patriarch for his patriarchal blessing. It reaffirmed my testimony that the Lord knows each of us individually and cares about the little things we worry about.
After we came home, I noticed both Kent and Oliver were in black suits, so I had them pose for a picture or two.Here are my Men in Black!

Poetry Class

Last weekend I attended a poetry class. The experience was a fun one. We had a great time as a class while creating poems, sharing deeper feelings as well as laughter. I thought I might share a poem my group wrote. It is a list poem about summer.

Things That Make a Perfect Summer

A cool breeze,
Waves crashing,
Family barbecues,
Empty space,
Ice cream with fresh strawberries,
Watermelons with seeds,
Barefoot in the grass,
Morning dew,
Summer rain storms,
Lightning and thunder storms,
S'mores and crackling campfires,
Swimming holes,
A stack of books
You'll actually read,
Freshly mowed grass,
A hammock with a glass of lemonade
Any way you like it,
Fireworks on the Fourth of July,
Long days and cool nights,
No bugs, no bites, no problems!

by Jessica, Gina, Christine, and Cindy

I was pleasantly surprised to find that writing poetry doesn't have to be the painful experience I remember it being during high school classes. This class was a good one.

Happy Baby Pictures

It is hard to stop taking pictures of babies. They are just so cute!
I love to hear Hyrum's little chortle and see his dimples.






Here are some photos I took of Hyrum during our recent trip to Utah.

Hyrum's Special Day

Hyrum was given a name and a blessing by his father last Sunday. The blessing was a special one and many relatives and friends were in attendance. What a wonderful day that was.

Hyrum was not too happy about getting dressed up. We did convince him to smile for the camera once or twice. He seems to be a typical little boy who would rather be comfortable than look nice.

This is the outfit I sewed for him. He did look handsome with his little vest and bow tie.

A happy grandmother with a baby who is thinking it over.


Hyrum wondering why Grandpa won't help him out of the outfit.

Three young men after church. Two of which are changed and comfortable.
Hyrum is wondering if he will ever get out of the outfit.
At last! Someone is feeding me. Thanks Great-Grandma Freestone!
I will not smile for you, Mom. I was in that monkey suit way too long!
There, now I feel better.

Meet Hyrum Lynn Freestone. He arrived on May 12th a few weeks earlier than planned. He weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. and was 19inches long. He had to stay in the hospital for a while to get the breathing and eating things down better.
Here is Hyrum talking with us on Skype. He seems pretty interested in the pictures that move.
Hyrum doing the kissy face thing. Here is mimicking his mother Allison.
Here is Hyrum when he slept through a Fourth of July Parade (even the marching bands.)
We love to see his sweet smile and enjoy hearing his verbalizations. We will be traveling to Utah at the end of the month to attend his blessing. I can hardly wait to see and hold the little guy again.

It's too hot !!!

It was near 100 degrees today. I needed something to cool me off and found this picture of how it looked a few months ago. This is my son, Phillip, enjoying the cold weather. Maybe this will help me cool off this evening.