FINALLY ARRIVED !! ~~~~~

I finally received my placemats and napkins!! They are from a lady in Kentucky. They have a bandana print and a little floral print on the blue. They are cute, but I know my girls could have sewn better than or just as good as this lady. It's interesting to see all of the ideas that come from one pattern, and to see who follows that pattern or does their own thing. (Check out the http://btrsswap.blogspot.com/ ) I can't wait to see how the Flirty Aprons turn out!!

CARE PACKAGE~~~

Your Dad says Thank You for the Care Package!!! Shawn, Bekah and family sent him all kinds of good stuff to help him feel better. He really liked the cards from Isaac, Sadie, and Phebe. Your Dad took the Advil to work with him this morning, it's his favorite. And he really got a kick out of the ball cap and t-shirt. He needed that! He really is the very best Grandpa. And I say thanks for the bubble gum lipgloss and the neat pen! I do like the gloss, it taste so good! And I can write you guys a letter with the pen. Won't that be fun?? That was a cute idea and it made him feel good to receive something from his "favorite son and daughter in law and kids in Arkansas."

STONEY DARWIN UPDATE~~~

Darwin had a follow-up appointment on Friday. He is doing ok, but still gets pains off and on.
On Wednesday(the one before the appointment) night he pulled the stint out~~it turned out to be 15 inches long and Darwin cussed ~~I can't repeat what he said or thought! Once that was gone he did better. He still had blood in his urine but I think he is still healing from all of this.
The Doc told him he still has a 5mm stone in his kidney. This news did NOT make him happy!
So basically it is a waiting game, if the stone moves or not. One of his concerns was cancer, but the Doc reassured him that the Cat Scan did not show anything. Darwin's new thing is to go walking around the neighborhood in the evening when he has a pain, I suggested maybe it would lessen it since that what they do in the hospital. Only he wears his pajamas! The neighbors stop him to see if he is okay because he is slumped and walks like an old man. (Actually, I think he gets a kick out this!)
Darwin did go to work today. After all of this, he is ready for retirement. Really ready. We will see how long he last today. He is still weak and his stamina isn't like it was. We stopped by Mom and Dad's on Friday and Grandma told him he looked terrible!! So much so that she took a picture of him to show the rest of the family....funny. He has lost at least 25 pounds and his pants fall right off!! The good news is he is getting better. It will just take time and now we know how to handle kidney stones.

Dirt and Worms

2 cans tomato soup
1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion chopped (optional or use onion powder)
12 oz. Twisted pasta
Brown hamburger and onions, add tomato soup and let simmer. Cook pasta according
to direction. Combine pasta with sauce and serve!!! Would be good with French bread.

4th of JULY FUN !!!!

THESE ARE A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE 4TH~~
EZRA DIDN'T LIKE THE NOISE AND STAYED ON CLARK'S LAP AT THE PARADE~~I THINK THAT IS ME AND TORI PLUS A FEW EXTRAS ON THE NEW HAMMOCK (that's Taylor-Lincoln's friend)~~KATIE ON THE HORSE SWING~~AND TORI & EZRA IN THE POOL. (WE MISSED GETTING A PICTURE OF KATIE IN THE POOL.)

~~~~THE STONES~~~(Not the Rock Group)

Wow! What a weekend. That is a photo of Darwin at the Parade on the 4th, he was in pain then but joined in the fun anyway. Plus he had taken a few Percocets. By 5 in was dying! So after a blessing, we headed to the ER, after 5 morphine shots in the I.V. (20ml) his pain was under control but not gone. They released him with a bottle of new pain killers. His urologist told us to give him a call if the pills didn't work and he would have him admitted to the hospital up north and do something about the stones. Of course, the intense pain didn't come back until Saturday evening. At 9, Darwin had me call the Urologist, Dr. Platt, only he wasn't on call, his associate was and he sent us to the ER at Timpanogas Hospital. We left Delta at 10:30 and got in Orem around 12. That was quite the ride!! Poor Darwin was in so much pain and every curve and pot-hole made it worse. Then after we got there, the ER Doc was going to send him home. Darwin told him No way! He wasn't going anywhere! So they admitted him, which was a good thing.

On Monday morning Dr. Platt removed the stones by doing a urethra-basket procedure. Check this out on the Internet, it's really something. They slide a wire under the stone and break it somehow and then this little basket opens behind the stone and is pulled out. They did this several times....OUCH! The Doc said he had a hard time getting the big ones out because they wouldn't break up. The hospital sent him home around 10. Needless to day Darwin is in a lot of

pain today. The Doc put a stint in to keep the channel open so he could pass the residue left from the breaking of the stones. The stint has a sting on it so on Friday Darwin can pull it out.

This has been quite the experience for him!! It hurts when he goes to the bathroom, he came downstairs and asked me if I knew how bad that burns and hurts?? I laughed!!! You mean like after giving birth and the epesiotomy hurts?? Then he laughed and said "Touche!" But lets hope he is on the mend and that this doesn't happen again!! Darwin really thought he would be up and running today, but instead he is tired and very weak. Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers on his behalf.