Grandpa Nelson

My Grandpa is dying. He has been for a while, but it's for real this time and it sucks. Sunday night, as my Grandpa walked to his kitchen in his apartment in an independent living facility in Holt (Lansing), MI, he suddenly looked very confused. My dad asked him what he was doing, to which Grandpa replied, "I don't know." Dad got him into his recliner and it went downhill from there. Yesterday morning, Grandpa was moved into Eaton Community Hospice in Charlotte, MI. I arrived a little after 1 pm, and found my Grandfather propped up in a hospital bed and looking more like a skeleton (halloween decoration style) with some loose skin thrown over him than my Grandpa. His dentures were out and his eyes were glazed over. He was agitated--moving and twitching involuntary--and mumbling constantly. Occasionally he would talk to us, and it was a struggle to understand him; my Dad interpreted the best he could. My brother pulled in/to the parking lot just after I did and was with us all afternoon, as well. He, my Dad and my Uncle Mark sang Hymns around Grandpa while I stood beside the bed, held Grandpa's hand and cried ... I sang my part in my head but it just wasn't coming out! It was like that all day ... Brian and the kids stayed for a few hours--there is only so much hospice a 6- and 7-year-old can take!

Dad and I stuck around until a little after 8:30, and then decided to head back to Grandpa's apartment to get a good nights rest. I was hesitent to leave Grandpa but we left Dad's cell and Grandpa's apartment phone numbers so they could reach us easily should Grandpa's condition worsen. We went back to Grandpa's apartment--I place full of his things and also a place he won't come back to. We changed the sheets on Grandpa's bed so I could sleep there and looked through some old photo albums. I thought it would be weird or feel disrespectful, but it was strangly comforting to me to be amongst all my Grandpa's "stuff". I slept restlessly, waking up several times thinking about Grandpa, only to say a quick prayer and fall back into a fitful sleep.

We arrived back here around 9 a.m. and were greeted by Grandpa's nurse, who told us she thought we'd notice a big change in Grandpa--but instead of meaning he was a step closer to death, she meant he was much less agitated and anxious. When we got into Grandpa's room, he was alert and aware. When has not restless and twitching, but still and completely in control of his body motions. He spoke to us, and we could actually understand him! He has no recollection of the past few days--when I mentioned that I could understand him so much better, he looked confused and said, "You were here?" He didn't remember any of it. I went and got some coffee for Dad and I, and discovered donuts so I brought one back for each of us as well. When Grandpa saw them, he wanted coffee and a donut, too, so we cut a donut in half and Dad dunked it and fed it to Grandpa, after getting his teeth back in for him, of course. As I write, Grandpa is getting a bath from his Hospice nurse, Evelyn, and Dad and I are in the Family room waiting. This is a beautiful facility--the nurses are kind and helpful (to Grandpa AND to us) and the place is homey and warm. The family members of the other patients are friendly and kind; the patient next door to Grandpa is a 32-year-old attorney with a brain tumor. Her name is Lilly and she has been here for almost a week ... her family is from up-state New York and although obviously grieving, very kind and inviting--the donuts this morning were compliments of Lilly's Dad.

So, we've been given a gift and been able to communicate clearly with Grandpa this morning. He's still dying, but I have to admit that it's a little easier when I know HE KNOWS what is going on. Brian is stopping by with the kids a little later on, and Jason and Anne will be here with their kids, soon, as well. I still pray that the Lord takes Grandpa home soon ... he's in pain and I know he would prefer to be with all his family in Heaven for Thanksgiving rather than lying in a bed here, no matter how nice a place it is. I'm grateful that my dad was able to get up here to spend this time with Grandpa and it's been touching to see my Dad interact with his own Dad in this state ... emotional, but very touching. This time is precious--I'm go glad I've been able to spend it with Grandpa!

(Grandpa in August, 2010)

Nicholas' first baseball game!

Sunday marked Nicholas' very first baseball game; he's in the Fishers S.P.O.R.T.S. program and plays with all 1st and 2nd graders. We've tried for several years now to get Nicholas interested in team sports--he has his father's hand-eye coordination and we have always thought he would be good. BUT! Nicholas has never been very willing to play anything ... for example, a couple years ago, we saw some kids playing soccer in a local field. When he expressed an interest in what they were doing, I encouraged Nicholas by mentioning that his Uncle Jason (Nelson) has always played soccer and that I'd be happy to sign him up. He thought for a minute and then said, "No thanks. Maybe when I'm an adult I'll play!" and that was the end of the discussion!! He has completely shyed away from all team sports, until this year. With his consent, Brian and I signed him up for baseball AND basketball! The thing that appeals to us most about S.P.O.R.T.S. baseball (not sure what the acronym stands for ... my cousin Jeremy and I made one up but I'm pretty sure it was incorrect!) is that the kids practice for an hour on Sunday, and then play their game directly after that, hence the time committment is super easy! I don't think basketball will be quite the same but this will at least ease us into it.

Sunday was hot, but Nicholas had a huge posse out to cheer for him: Uncle Joe and his friend Candice, Uncle Larry and Aunt Nita (in from Seattle) and Cousin Jeremy and his woman, Katrina ... and of course, Brian, Paige and I. The game took FOREVER, but Nicholas had SUCH a good time! He played outfield and catcher, and was up to bat several times--four that I remember, but it was probably more. The coaches were very encouraging and it was apparent that the boys were all having fun. Nicholas only hit the ball one time that he was up (which is surprising because he hits the ball consistently when he and Brian play in the backyard) but when we asked him if he had fun, he answered us with a resounding, "YES!". He also informed my Uncle Larry that his favorite position is "batting" ... that's my boy!! =)

Nelson-Family Weekend

When I was just a few months old, my dad was called onto staff at Pennway Church of God as the Youth Pastor in Lansing, Michigan. We were there for three short years, but our family has a lot of history in Pennway and it has always been a church close to our hearts--many of my dad's family are still regular attenders, as well as several people who have been dear to our family since we lived there years ago. With that said, this past weekend Pennway had its centennial celebration; they asked Dad to come out and preach on Sunday morning--which of course he was honored to do. Brian and I drove up to Lansing on Friday night and spent as much time with our family as we could--prior engagements kept us from staying through Sunday morning, but we were able to spend quite a bit of time with tons of Nelsons at Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha's home. Jason and Anne came over with their family Saturday morning, as did my cousin Nicole with her family. Dad and Mom stayed at Grandpa's apartment but the three of them spent much of their time at Uncle Mark's house, as well. Dad, Mom and I dragged Brian, Nicholas and Paige to the church for a luncheon on Saturday, but it was our only time away from the group ... the rest of the time was spent laughing and enjoying one another's company!

One important thing to note about Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha's house is that they have two birds: Nicky and Ricky. We LOVE these birds ... we get them out every time we go over and love on them and talk to them and fight over who gets to hold them. Apparently I'm not the only one--Aunt Martha told me that Jason does the same thing I do when they visit--I guess it's obvious that we share a few genes! =)

Nicholas with one of the birds ... I don't know which is which, but this is the nicer of the two!

Paige with her Monna and Pa-pop all the herself!

Paige and Pa-pop and also with her baby cousin, Lydia Lee

Pa-pop with his girls ...

... and his boys!

The first family picture with Lydia

Tia Marta and Tio Mark with their great-nieces and nephews

Although Jon isn't the youngest, he definitely demands all the attention like he is. He honestly could have entertained us for hours--just him and the hose. What I didn't capture on film is how, just after he'd take a drink, he'd spray himself in the face with the hose. Warped as we are, Dad, Jason and I would just die laughing ... why would we offer to help the kid when he was bringing us such entertainment!?!? He could have cared less--just kept on going--I can't even count how many times he did it ... we were just about in tears by the time Aunt Martha brought out popsicles and saved him from himself!

popsicle time ... the end!

Nicholas' New Bible

From the day they were born, people have been giving the kids Bible story books, and those are the books to which the kids refer as their "Bibles". It occurred to me a couple weeks ago that Nicholas doesn't really have an actual Bible to read and take with him to church. [OK, he does have one, but it has Max Lucado's "Hermie" the caterpillar on it, which just isn't COOL to a 7 1/2 year old boy!] Now that he is reading, we agreed that it's time for Nicholas to have a Bible, an actual Word-of-God Bible, not a paraphrased Bible Story book (although we're still fond of those!!). I got input from a few people and found myself at the Christian Bookstore after lunch, looking through numerous Bibles geared towards children. I finally settled on the NIV Adventure Bible (thanks, Lisa!) in a sleek blue and black--no reason God's word can't look cool, too! When Nicholas got home from school, I showed it to him right away--he was excited about it, but more excited about going outside and burning off some energy. That was about what I expected, so imagine my surprise when he came in, on his own, before dinner and asked if he could read his Bible! I told him the pages are fragile and he needs to be careful ("I know, Mom, that's how the pages in the Bible's at church are!") and set him loose. He immediately opened to a colorful page with several scripture references in answer to common questions, such as Why do people die?, Why are there angels? and Is the devil real? The kid spent a good 1/2 hour looking up each scripture reference ... asking us questions about which books were where ... and reading to his hearts content. To say I was "proud" doesn't encompass all I felt to see him sitting in that chair, reading his new Bible. I am SO very proud of Nicholas--I see him striving to make wise choices daily, and struggling (mostly with himself) when he doesn't. I'm so grateful that he enjoys reading, and that tonight's book of choice was his Bible. I'm sure there will be times that it collects some dust, but for now, it's one of his favorites, and I can't think of a better choice!!





Incidentally, I got several questions about the devil tonight, as Nicholas was lying in bed:

Nicholas: "Do you believe in the devil?"
Jennifer: "Yes, he's very real."

Nicholas: "Are you scared of him?"
Jennifer: "No, because I have Jesus in my heart, and Jesus is way bigger and stronger than the dumb 'ol devil!"

Nicholas (in a whisper): "Did the devil kill Jesus?"
Jennifer: "No way! God let Jesus die--that is the only way anyone could hurt him--he died on the cross for our sins, but only because God let it happen. The devil isn't strong enough to hurt Jesus."

Nicholas: "Do you think he's big or small?"
Jennifer: "Oh, I don't know, I have never seen him. What do you think?"
Nicholas: "I think he's small, and I don't like that because then he can sneak into my room at night while I'm asleep and get on my bed."
Jennifer: "Well, if he does, Jesus would kick him out before you even knew he was there! Jesus won't tolerate that devil coming near you--he will fight for you!"

He still looked a little nervous but seemed to accept my answers and laid back down. My precious, deep-thinking boy ... I pray that he sleeps well, knowing he's in the care of Jesus!

First Day of School!!!

The kids started school last week--Wednesday, August 11th! Way too early, but I'll save those opinions for another post and stick to the subject! As evidenced by my foggy camera lens, it was a SUPER hot and humid morning when we walked to the bus stop ... Nicholas started 2nd grade and Paige is our big kindergartner this year!!



Despite the heat, everyone was in good spirits, and Paige was not the least big nervous! "Excited" would be the word to describe her mood--she was literally all smiles as we waited.


Paige and her next door neighbors from each side, Eden and Sophie

THE BOYS! (Owen, Nicholas, Adam, Jacob, Quinton, Zach and Blake)

Pavestone Court kindergarten girls: Meredith, Lizzie and Paige

Seriously--ALL SMILES from this girl!! She made us SO proud!

Nicholas said he was nervous, but it really didn't show.

No one currently lives in the house on the corner ... they would probably be really annoyed with all our kids, mulling around in their yard, if they did! Our bus stop has to take up at least half the bus--we've got a TON of school-aged kids on our court.

The morning went off without a hitch--hugs and kisses all around then both kids were on the bus without a second glance. Of the four of us, it was hardest on me, but bittersweet because we're raising them for these moments--letting go a little at a time and allowing them assert their independence. They both met the challenge beautifully, but a tiny part of me wished I were needed ... for that one last squeeze before they went on the bus ... maybe to wipe away an anxious tear or two ... or just to calm their nerves as the bus approached. Regardless of the mixed emotions, I couldn't help feeling we're doing something right as I watched the bus pull away ... they made their mom SO proud!!

Family Puzzle Night

One night, not too long ago, I shut off the TV, turned on the radio and pulled out a puzzle. "FAMILY PUZZLE NIGHT!", I declared. Paige and Nicholas were OK with it, Joe and Brian eventually warmed up to it ... I was rarin' to go from the second I dug the puzzle out of the bonus room!! We kept going even after the kids went to bed ... it was a chance to spend some quality time listening to music and talking (or just talking and running around the house, for Paige!). Here are a few pictures of our fun!

Nicholas and Uncle Joe

The finished product!!

Nicholas goes to Colorado ... without his parents!

The last week of June, my dad drove out from Colorado to attend North American Convention of the Church of God on the Anderson University campus. Since campus is just about a 1/2 hour drive from our house, Dad stayed at our house and drove back and forth. We got to spend quite a bit of quality time with Dad, playing Wii Fit--or watching HIM take "just one more turn" at the game he was playing, and then working hard to beat his high scores while he was away at camp-meeting!!

Anyway, when he was finished with his meetings, Dad and Nicholas loaded up the Town and Country and headed west ... TOGETHER! This was Nicholas' first time away from home for any length of time without a member from his household with him. He had SUCH a good time ... the following pictures are ones taken by my mom and dad while they were up in the mountains camping together over the 4th of July weekend:

Nicholas and Monna on a log

Nicholas cheesing on a walk with the dogs

Nicholas tuckered out ... with his stuffed moose and cowboy hat ... both gifts from his Pa-pop!

Notice what is hanging from the truck. My father is warped.

The truck and 5th wheel that they stayed in

The highlight of the trip was the horseback riding! Before he went out, it was the main thing he mentioned to anyone when he would tell him he was going camping with his Monna and Pa-pop--something my dad had promised him early on. Pa-pop delivered!! Nicholas rode a horse named "Buck", and loved every minute of it!!

They also did quite a bit of fishing. My mom told me that Nicholas was ready to give up when he couldn't cast correctly the first couple times, but dad kept encouraging him, and before long, Nicholas had the hang of it and could cast without any help!!

I'm not sure if this was the first time they fished or not, but Nicholas caught one, regardless. One of my dad's rules is that you have to clean what you catch ...

my mom took this picture of Nicholas' face while dad was showing him how to clean a fish! Needless to say, Nicholas thought it was pretty gross!

The week went off without a hitch ... all except one. Dad and Nicholas were walking down the hill below ... Nicholas was going too quick, and Dad told him to slow down, but Nicholas didn't put the brakes on fast enough and tumbled, HEAD OVER HEELS, down the hill. His fall was stopped by the willow bushes below ... I added the white marking on the picture to show you where he fell. He ended up with some bangs and bruises ... minor scratches, but that was all. The way my dad tells it, he was surprised there were no more serious injuries. I'm just GRATEFUL!!

So, that was Nicholas' big week! It ended with me flying out to spend a few days with my family, and then we flew home together. I was very proud of both my parents (I mean, they're getting old!) and Nicholas--they had a great time, behaved well (except my dad, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks ... he's lucky Nicholas isn't going around asking everyone to pull his finger, among other things!) and enjoyed being together. We're so blessed to have a family that not only loves each other so much, but also so WELL!!