Thomas Stanford Adamson

My Grandpa Adamson died on Wednesday. He was 81. Over the past decade he slowly changed as Dementia set in and completely wiped his ability to communicate. He was always a rough ol' cowboy with a vocabulary that intimidated me as a child and made us giggle as teenagers. But in his later (and much quieter) years he always had a big grin on his face and was ready to pat your shoulder. Last month grandpa began to show more and more aggression as he couldn't express himself and was, more often than not, terribly confused. So the decision was made to put him in a home where they could care for him and where he would be safe. Unfortunately, he was only there for 2 weeks when he slipped and fell in the bathroom.

On Saturday, the 10th, Grandpa broke 5 ribs, which then caused thoracic hematoma (bleeding and fluid in his chest cavity). He was taken to the ER on Monday, where he was given enough morphine to stay comfortable as his lung capacity decreased. Tuesday night some family gathered but we all felt he would last through the night at least, so we left.

Wednesday, the 14th, the doctor told us that his oxygen was decreasing. And it was obvious from the rattling in his lungs, and the fever on his skin that he wouldn't live without the oxygen mask. Grandpa had signed a DNR and so to honor his wishes, we knew we needed to stop the oxygen and let him live as long as he felt the need. So, family trickled in from near and far as we kept Grandpa comfortable. He was non-responsive, but hanging on, waiting for the last of his loved ones to come.

At around 8:30pm, when everyone had finally arrived that could, we removed the oxygen, gave grandpa a priesthood blessing and a wonderful send off. He only lasted a few minutes after that. In the room, he had a sister, brother-in-law, 3 of 4 children and their spouses, 6 grandchildren, and even little Sofie, a great-grandchild. 4 generations to say goodbye and definitely had loved ones to welcome him to the other side. It was peaceful and an incredible experience to be there when the veil was at its thinnest! Grandpa's last breath was one that was surrounded by the strongest of bonds.

Sofie enjoying the legacy that Ol' Shag left. Some people may not know that we are house sitting for G-ma and now the late G-pa, here in Pleasant Grove. G-ma broke her arm and had to have surgery just a few days after G-pa went to the Rest Home, so there was no one here to look after the house. Derek, Sofie and I moved in on Saturday, just a few days before G-pa passed.

G-pa'd probably tan her hide and say a few choice words if he was here! ;) He always took great care of his things.

Wish we had some Wranglers!

The Anniversary Post!

I'm too lazy to get one of our nicer wedding pictures, but this one works. On October 7th we celebrated our 3 year anniversary! Still in love! I'm not terribly good at wonderful tribute posts, but I do love Derek and it's been a beautiful 3 years!! We've been able to learn even more about each other and begin to expand our family in these last 3 years. It's been a great start to an eternal journey!

On the 7th, we just got dinner at Costa Vida (one of our favs) and took it to my grandma's empty house (explained better in another post) and ate it in front of the fire.

On the 9th, my "sister-in-law" Whitney got us 50% off at the Homestead, so we spend an evening out there in Midway for way cheap! The first time we left Sofie overnight, and she did just great, even for having pink eye! The canyon and midway were totally gorgeous with all the leaves turning! I'm so glad we got married when we did because it's the most gorgeous time of year to go anywhere!! For dinner we ate at a Mexican place called Tarahumara, which was pretty tasty!

Here's to the years to come!

What Mama's Up To

Well, first I got to spend some time making sure all the chilluns didn't land in the fire. It's rough with all those little toddlers! It was a busy time between my mom's birthday and General Conference.

And then of course, after all those chilluns came for a stay, I got to spend the day holding a screaming baby girl with an earache, sore throat, cough, and pink eye! Poor child. She already had the cold, and the cousins brought the pink eye. :( But now she's on plenty of Tylenol and amoxicillin (and steroid cream for eczema adds the cherry on top). Rather than sleeping in her crib, she prefers her mommy's arms.

I'm a busy mama. A happy mama.

Daddy's Girl!

Sofie is getting an early start on learning her short game. Dad couldn't be more proud!!

Can't Beat It

Man! I wish I could bottle this up and sell it! I'd be a millionaire. Or at least keep it in storage for the later years when I'm deprived of baby giggles! But at least I can put it on an SD card and share it with everyone!! (Hope you don't mind naked baby)

Big Day! Lots of Pics!

On Saturday Sofie and I got to spend the day with our friend Lisa and her two darling babies. It was Essence's first birthday so we got to celebrate by going to the Hogle Zoo and Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and cake! Sofie mostly couldn't see the animals from her little seat, but she loved the elephant!

Mommy and Baby (can't see the cute baby elephant though)

Sofie wondering what in the heck that giant tall thing was that was chomping on his dinner!

Sofie and Esse just chillin' in front of the monkeys. (Although this picture doesn't show it, Essence is a month younger and is about twice Sofie's size! And Esse was even a premie!)

Sofie and Esse playin' footsies!

Darling Essence has gorgeous eyes!

Almost 2 months old, Baby Eden spent her time sleeping in the stroller and only woke up to have this bottle. (Don't worry, the oxygen is only a precaution)

Chuck E. Cheese!

Both Sofie and Essence LOVED the crazy dancing stuffed Mouse thing.

"Rhapsody in Bleu"

Here is a new recipe I tried this week. It's a lowfat version of Chicken Cordon Bleu, and I really liked it! I got it from www.hungrygirl.com which is a great site if you're interested in lowfat/low calorie alternatives for the food you are used to eating. It uses The Laughing Cow cheese wedges that you can buy in the specialty cheese section of stores. They make a Light Swiss that tastes great! p.s. the picture isn't mine...mine didn't turn out so pretty!

Rhapsody in Bleu
Warm chicken, wrapped around melted cheese and juicy ham that won't break the calorie bank?!

-for one serving-

Ingredients:
One 5 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Cheese, room temperature
1 oz. (about 3 slices) 97-98% fat-free ham slices (I only used one because that was the serving size of the ham I bought)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put chicken in a large sealable plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and seal. Using meat tenderizer or a can, carefully pound chicken through the bag until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Remove chicken from the bag and season to taste with salt and pepper on both sides. (My chicken was exceptionally thick, so I cut it in half before pounding it)

Lay the chicken flat and spread the cheese wedge over it. Evenly layer the ham slices on top of the cheese. Starting with one of the longer sides (or any side, if it's square), tightly roll up the chicken breast cutlet, and secure with toothpicks.

Place chicken roll in a baking dish lined with foil and/or sprayed with nonstick spray, and then cover the baking dish with foil.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil covering the dish. Continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy! (I cooked 6, and it took about an hour...not the 35 minutes they claimed)

Serving size: 1 chicken cordon bleu (entire recipe)
Calories: 222
Fat: 4.5g
Sodium: 692 mg
Carbs: 2g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 40g

More sweet dance moves

Pardon the diaper...

Sofie has a habit of turning her milk upside down in her lap during dinner...

But I thought this was a darling video.

Playdate

Today Sofie and I got to enjoy the company of my friend Jess and her sweet Ashlyn! Ashlyn is a little over 9 months now -So Darling!!

Teaching Ashlyn bad eating habits...plastic greasy burger!

Sofie wasn't sure about another little person in her toys.

But they played very nice and even shared the rubber cheese!

Life in the Fast Lane!

Life is rapidly changing these days, and I'm struggling to catch up!

The fun swimming pool from G-ma and G-pa Blatter! It's the perfect size, and is small enough to be an indoor pool too, which will be perfect for the winter!

Sofie is starting to really get around! She's still too short to figure out the stairs though, thank goodness I don't have to worry about those yet! Oh, and yes, we are sportin' the mohawk today!

Sofie is starting to show a bit of obstinance these days as well. Cute, but sometimes a bit tiring!