The holidays are almost here!?!?

It's hard to believe that it's December and we started decorating the house for Christmas today....didn't school just start?  Time seems to be flying by, certainly the last few months and the last year for that matter.  We seem to be keeping ourselves busy, mostly good busy with some challenging stuff mixed in along the way, thus the lack of a posting for a while.

The fall has seen a lot happen - Jen's been to middle school camp and choir camp, I've been to Toronto for a week long conference, choir is in full swing with one concert behind us and another coming up, both kids are in the school choir and have been to Choralfest and are preparing for the school Christmas concert, Christmas piano recital was last week, we closed up the lake, curling has resumed for the kids and Kris has started hockey, I seem to have been taking a lot of training courses (that time of the year) and even presented part of one, Grandma's visited us each month for a few days each time (took in Grandparents chapel, hockey, curling and whatever else was happening) and will be back again soon, the kids joined me for the Recognition dinner when I received my FCA certificate, we spent a long weekend in Minneapolis (shopped and visited cousins), had cousins in to visit from Montreal and managed to make it to work and school on a regular basis (and based on the first term report cards and teacher conferences school is pretty normal and going well).  Wow - no wonder why I'm tired!

It's also been challenging at times - November is one of the big months for remembering things over the last few years - between the 21st and the 24th we had the anniversaries of Karen's seizure and hospitalization last year and her initial diagnosis three years ago.  Our trip to Minneapolis earlier that month was our first time back there since our last trip with Karen just before her diagnosis at a time when we were starting to begin to notice something was not quite right.  Each of us deals with all of this differently and it's sometimes difficult to always be able to support each other the right way while dealing with your own emotions at the same time....we all try to remain patient with each other and find our way through.

Today we were the readers/candle lighters for the Advent candle at church and after a quick lunch we went to Chapel Lawn for Christmas cookie decorating and a Holiday memorial service - it was much smaller than the Mother's Day one we attended in May but we were glad we went none the less.  I passed on the office Christmas party on Friday - not quite ready for that kind of event solo just yet.

I still follow the blog that inspired this one (a man with a brain tumour and his wife we met at CancerCare) - he passed away 2 years ago but like us, his wife maintains the blog.  Her latest posting struck a familiar cord with me - she also experiences many milestones in the fall each year and wrote about her feelings - check it out at http://ramsyshannonunruh.blogspot.com.  I also visited last week with another client/friend who lost her husband to a brain tumour last year.  Both that visit and the blog posting helped me know my experiences this fall have been pretty "normal".  It's good to have these supports and reference points as we find our way.

I need to thank all our friends who help out and check in regularly - whether it's helping get the kids off to school when I have an early meeting, chauffeuring from choir, going for lunch and letting me bend their ear, making a regular phone call to check on me, planning get togethers including the kids for a fun dinner/evening or just the check ins to see how we are doing - it's all appreciated more than you know.

The kids will likely have more to say so hopefully we'll get another posting up soon as the holiday season moves along

Thanks again for all the support and caring.  I hope everyone has a happy holiday season and we'll see or talk to you soon!

Love
Doug and the gang

School starting....again

Sorry we disappeared off the face of the earth....again.  We've had a good, busy summer and just haven't had time to update you.  We thought we'd share some of our highlights of the summer with you...so here goes:

First Kris:
- going to Montreal and going ziplining
- going to Camp Assiniboia
- paddle boarding on the lake at Mont Tremblant
- seeing many of my cousins
- trying to go wakeboarding (not for me this year)
- going to MiniU
- going to the Canada Day parade at the lake
- pier jumping
- playing soccer
- going to the science centre in Montreal
- going to the orthodontist...NOT!

Now Jen:
- bungee jumping
- art camp
- rock climbing (lots)
- swimming
- shopping
- everything at camp Assiniboia
- ziplining (also more than once)
- sleepovers
- water skiing
- seeing Les Mis
- my birthday!!!

And last but not least... Dad!!!!
- relaxing on the beach or by a pool
- visiting with family and friends
- eating the strawberry pies Jen and Kris both made
- getting out in the boat
- tending to the yards and gardens (sort of successfully?)
- BBQ's
- not having to make school lunches
- successfully avoiding the media when they camped out on our street (nothing else happy about that story)
- going ziplining
- eating bagels on a patio at a Montreal street fair
- finding out last week that I've been elected as an FCA (used to think only old CA's got those!)

So all in all not a bad summer - we had a lot of fun and saw a LOT of our family and friends which was great!  Now the kids are back to school and all the activities will be starting up soon.

Thanks as always for all your thoughts and prayers - we appreciate it!

Love,
Kris, Jen and Doug

It's summer!

We made it!  School is out and we are back from a week at the lake, just the three of us for the most part.

We survived June and celebrated Jen's birthday with early dismissal on the last day of school. The report cards were good, especially considering all that happened in the last term.  We will miss the daily interaction and support from everyone at school over the summer but we know where to find you all if we need you.  We were also touched by some year end tributes to Karen that will make sure her spirit lives on in that place she loved and spent so much time.

We headed off to the lake for some R&R and took in the local Canada Day festivities and spent some time with friends and family (and celebrated Jen's birthday too). For the rest of the week we were mostly on our own, enjoying some great weather and spending lots of time in the water or out on the boat (remember it was last July that Karen made me turn around on the highway and go back and look at the boat she knew I wanted and then made sure I bought it).  All in all the week was great and we enjoyed being at the lake but it was also the first time we'd really had a chance to spend an extended time together just the three of us without things to do and at times that took a bit of getting used to but I think we are finding our way.

This week the kids are off to MiniU and I'm back at work hoping to clean up some of the piles in my office and hopefully get some contractors back to work on our office renovations....do they know I'm not always as patient as I once was?

That's about it for now. We are hoping the nice weather keeps up and plan on making time to enjoy it.  We also plan on spending time with friends and family so hopefully we'll see you soon!

Thanks as always for your kind thoughts and prayers
Love
Doug and the gang

Almost summer

June seems to be flying by and we haven't had time to post an update...sorry about that.

This month has been birthday party month (5 down now I think) as it usually is and this weekend was our turn, Jen had her sleepover on Friday night and Kris had his pool party this evening.  We seem to have survived and the kids had some fun but there was no mistaking someone was missing.  Apparently Karen did teach us enough about organizing a party to make it work though.  We have one more friend's party to go on Thursday for Jen, and her actual birthday as well then I think it will be summer.

On top of that we've had soccer (the Grizzlies made it to the win column this week and Kris got a couple more goals), school field trips, exams for the middle schooler and various other recitals and such.  The kids both came home from their track and field day with ribbons and they made Father's Day special for me despite the challenges of the day.  The trips to the lake have been brief ones to cut grass and plant flowers and we now have some flowers in the gardens at home too.  There has also been lots to do at work but we seem to be getting there.

Thanks as always to everyone who helps out so we can do what we need to do and get where we need to go - I won't mention names so I don't miss anyone but you know who you are.

School wraps up on Friday along with a bunch of deadlines for the accountant at work so I think we'll be able to finally enjoy some quiet time and enjoy summer together soon.

Thanks to all who keep us in your thoughts and prayers - after two months we still face lots of challenges but knowing we have many people supporting us helps us along.

Love
Doug and the gang

Go Foofighters!

It's been a couple of weeks and we have a few updates.

Sunday was the annual Spring Sprint for the Brain Tumour Foundation.  We started participating in 2011 and continued the tradition in memory of Karen this year.  We have lots of thank you's as our team was 20 people strong and we have raised over $5,300 (which brings us to over $15,000 for the three years!). The kids and I are so blessed to be surrounded and supported by so many wonderful people!  Thanks!

The kids also gave me a big birthday celebration last week...thanks to Shari, Cathy and Grandma for the assistance with the cake and shopping - the kids really appreciated the help and I really enjoyed it all.  Thanks again!

School is slowly winding down with more field trips and track and field days and less homework.  Soccer is in full swing.  We've started planning our summer and if the weather would cooperate more we could get some more gardening and yard work done.

That's about it for now.  Thanks again for all the love and support and regular checking in on us. We really appreciate it all

Love
Doug and the gang

Back to the lake

Two years ago we returned to our cottage with a sense of renewal - after a challenging six months, Karen was feeling a lot better and going to the lake meant going somewhere that she had never been sick.  For two summers, she maintained that stable health situation and last fall we closed up in the normal way unaware of what lay ahead.

This weekend, we entered that time gap again and returned again to a place where the last six months hadn't happened but of course it was different this time.  Things that have become part of the new normal at home were in our face at the lake....the empty place at the table or the hook with no towel in the bathroom, and of course there was the time spent cleaning up Karen's gardens to allow for the new life starting to grow.  All in all, though it was good to be there, to visit with our summer neighbours, be close to Bob and Cathy, and enjoy some time with Maria and Lisa who were visiting nearby.

The kids had no school Friday so we ventured out together to Super Store (I hate Super Store) and did the annual open the cottage shopping spree (knowing we had to go to that store for the best prices on the supplies we needed).  It was a successful, cooperative trip (which was good for two kids who normally hate grocery shopping) then after Kris' swimming lessen and supper we headed off to the lake.  They were also both a huge help unpacking when we got there then off to bed.  Over the weekend, with the help of our friends, we got most of the opening up routine done, mostly in dry conditions, so things are ready to enjoy when the weather finally cooperates.

The past week was pretty quiet, lots of soccer, a choir audition and the regular stuff - almost anticlimactic actually and the coming week should be fairly calm too - more soccer and Festival of the Arts at school along with the regular work and school.

Thanks to everyone who checks in on us regularly, it really is appreciated.  I hope the posts are keeping you regular readers up to date.

Take care and enjoy your week!
Doug and the gang

Mother's Day

Another day and another one of those "firsts" we will keep encountering.  This one actually turned out to be not too bad.  There was the usual apprehension as the day approached but as with last week, the lead up was worse than the day.  The bonus in it all was that today was the first day in weeks that we could actually sleep in and not have to get going anywhere in the morning and we definitely took advantage of that part to catch up on some sleep and have a relaxing weekend breakfast at home.  We did the cemetery circuit, first to my Mom's then Karen.  I heard somewhere that this day is the busiest one of the year at cemeteries and based on the traffic at the two we visited that seems to be true.  There was a nice service at Karen's and a balloon release and flowers.  There was definitely comfort to be taken from all the other people, both young and old also visiting and taking part.  After we went to Grandma's for supper with the family.

The week was another busy one with it's own ups and downs.  The kids both experienced some cough and cold stuff through the week but seem to be on the mend now.  Kris had his school Spring Concert Thursday which was great and he was the lead guy in the 4 headed monster!  Jen and I attended her art show reception at the local MLA's office Friday, along with Auntie B!  Kris and I did our best to keep from freezing at the Physiofit 5 km run Saturday morning (run can be defined as brisk walking at my age and I still beat some of the 3 km walkers so I figure I did OK!)  Jen completed one of her babysitting course practicum sessions with her favourite babysitter's kids.  The rest of the week was the usual school and work stuff.

That's about it for now - thanks to everyone who has checked in on us this weekend (and throughout the week). It's nice to know you are there for us

Take care and I hope you all remembered your Moms today, wherever they might be

Thanks again for all the love and support!
Doug and the gang

How are we doing?

I've come to the conclusion that there's really no correct answer to that question - we get asked it a lot and you are never quite sure how you are suppose to answer or how your answer is received.  I'll tell you what we've been up to and you can make your own conclusion...

It was a busy and long week but for the most part I think we didn't do too bad.  We returned to work and school on Monday and with the excitement and anticipation of getting back to friends and normal activities that day went well.  After a couple of days with the excitement gone things became a little more subdued.  For me visiting lawyers and filling out forms and the other details to attend to also tended to put a damper on things.

By the weekend, things really ramped up with Jen's season ending choir concerts on Saturday and Kris' birthday on Sunday, along with Sunday School wind up.  Grandma spent the night in order to take everything in and Cathy and Bob and joined us for church.  The birthday party followed and despite lots of apprehension Saturday I think the big guy ended up enjoying his birthday.  There was the noticeable absence and the cake was from Safeway not one of Karen's famous ones but the day was beautiful and we ate outside.  The choir concerts were also wonderful as usual and somehow the artistic director of PTV managed to work in the song Karen and I danced to at our wedding (both Louis Armstrong and PTV are right that It's a Wonderful World and a reminder never hurts).  We were also reminded that in those bittersweet or just bitter moments You've got a Friend.  It's interesting how a concert song list set months ago can include songs so appropriate for the moment....thanks Ruth.

Kris also had his soccer season kick off indoors at the university and now waits a couple of weeks until the fields are dry enough to play outdoors.

I also need to acknowledge all the good folks at the office.  The monthly denim day was turned into a two day deal for April and the proceeds directed to CancerCare in Karen's memory - they raised a crazy amount of money in two days - thanks to all of you for the contributions and everything else you have done and keep doing for me!

One final thank you for this post - I have the good fortune (if you can call it that) of knowing a couple of very good people who are at various stages ahead of me on this path of loosing your spouse in your 40's - I spent a fair bit of time talking to both of them this past week and really appreciate them lending their ears and wisdom - you both know who you are.....thanks!

That's about it for now - we'll continue to post some thoughts and updates so you can keep tabs on how we are doing.  Thanks for caring

Thanks for everything you do for us and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers
Love
Doug

I Remember Karen...

We had set up a poster-board at the funeral and sticky notes for people to write down their memories of Karen.  I though I should post some of the funny and nice ones for others to see.

-I remember when I was playing soocer and I axadly hit her
-Her shining smile
-I remember Karen was an excellent friend, helpful & hugger
-I remember taking Karen skiing! She took the chair lift up and rode the snowmobile down because she hurt her knee. She was not happy!
-I remember when she got mad at us because we got to close to the river in their backyard
-I remember Karen baking the best dessert I ever had
-I remember the soccer fields, the lattees, the long walks and the long talks
-Funy
-I remember how helpful she was with the kids
-I loved how matter of fact your mother was. I loved that she was as quick to accept a hug as she was to give one
-The first time I met Karen, I knew she was going to marry Doug! I looked at her and said, this mans gonna marry you! Sure enough it wasn't long after...

There are tons more notes but for now that's all I'll post.

And I'll pass it over to Dad...
Things are quieting down and we are off to a soccer meeting soon - the start of a new routine I guess.  This morning we took Paul to the airport and said goodbye as he returned home to his family.  There are so many people to thank for all they did over the last week and every one was important and appreciated but I need to specifically thank my "keep it all together guy" for walking with me this last week - words can't express how much I appreciate it.
Back to Jen...
As Dad said, thanks so much to everyone that helped us this past week.  We appreciate it SO much.  I'm going to end this with a comment from one of the Mom's earlier posts, which is also the quote her eulogy ended with.  'We can't chose the path of our life, but we can chose how we live it.'
Jen

Tribute

KAREN

Peacefully on April 21, 2013, after a courageous battle with brain cancer, Karen passed away at Riverview Health Centre.

Karen was born on July 25, 1965 at St. Boniface General Hospital and grew up near Ste. Anne, MB. Upon graduation from high school Karen attended the St. Boniface School of Nursing obtaining her RN in 1985. She made many lifelong friends while attending school and later working in the St. B. Pediatric unit. With one of those friends she headed off to work in the US, first in Florida, then California and then they took time off to travel Europe. After returning to Winnipeg, Karen completed the Intensive Care Nursing program and later began working in the Health Sciences Centre Adult Emergency where she stayed for over 15 years finding a passion for her nursing there. Along the way she grew her circle of friends further.

In 1996, her nursing friends organized her introduction to Doug and in 1999 they married. Soon after they began their family and Karen truly loved her new career as a full- time Mom to Jennifer and Kristjan and a part-time nurse. As the kids started school she built another circle of cherished friendships with parents and teachers at school.

From her first vacation in Hawaii after graduation, to Europe, Australia, Mexico and many parts of Canada and the US, Karen always enjoyed travelling, despite sacrificing some winter vacations as the wife of an accountant. She also enjoyed building and spending time at the family get away at Bird River and tending her gardens there and at home in Winnipeg. In each place, she made new friends, each of whom had a special place in her heart.

Karen is survived by her husband Doug, children Jennifer and Kristjan, mother Pat, sister Cathy (Bob), nephews Kyle, Stephane and Matthew and sister-in-law Donna (Darren) as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins and her many cherished friends who she considered part of her family. She is also loved by her special friend, our dog Hope.

She was predeceased by her father Nick in 1981.

A funeral service will be held at Sturgeon Creek United Church, 207 Thompson Drive at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26, 2013.

The family would like to express our thanks to all the medical personnel who have cared for Karen over the last two plus years and particularly thank Dr. Garry Schroeder and primary nurse Kim Paradoski, Dr. Gerry Krcek, CancerCare Manitoba Chemo room staff, HSC RR6 staff and Riverview Health Centre Palliative Care unit 3E staff for all your care and compassion for Karen and us.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation directed to brain tumour research.

A new angel

This is the post we knew would come when we started this blog over 2 years ago but hoped wouldn't come for a long time.

Peacefully Sunday evening surrounded by family Karen left her "Booger" and the body that just didn't work like it used to and moved on to be free of illness.

The slow decline had continued since we last updated you, with small ups but larger downs along the way.  By late last week Karen wasn't eating in any significant way and mostly looked with a blank stare in the short periods she was awake.  Early Friday morning she had a period of laboured breathing but that returned to be stable over the weekend until Sunday evening when things changed again.  Through it all though she continued to show responses to the expressions of affection from us.

Thanks to everyone who spent so much time with Karen these last 5 months and especially the last few days - your presence and support means so much to us all!

The funeral arrangements are still a work in progress but we will keep you posted

Thanks again for all the love and support and please keep the kids and I in your prayers as we move through the next few days and weeks

Love
Doug and the gang

Happy Easter but where is spring?

Well Spring break and Easter are behind us but it's still looking and feeling pretty wintery around here!  Hopefully the warm weather is coming soon - we've even bought new rubber boots for the kids before we need them...what's with that?

We don't have much to update about Karen - the last couple of weeks have been pretty stable, with lots of nap time, a reasonable appetite (bring a smoothie if you are visiting around a meal time - she always liked her dairy and fruits and nothing has changed that way!) and while she's not that expressive, she still gives you a sense of her mood or feelings on things from time to time.

We had a pretty full spring break.  The kids went downhill skiing for the first time at Frostfire and loved it - after a 1 1/2 hour lesson they were loose on the hill and had a great time - other than us and the friends who joined us there weren't many people so we got in lots of skiing with no crowds (and the old guy who hadn't skied since he became a Dad actually did OK too and could walk the next day!).  I sense a mountain vacation in our future.

We also ventured out to Moose Jaw for a couple of days of mineral pool swims and exploring the Tunnels (didn't see Al Capone but got a sense of what it was like to be a Chinese immigrant).  Thanks to those who visited Karen while we were away and to our dog sitters who pampered Hope!

Finally we made it to church on Easter Sunday, after the successful morning egg hunt - we haven't made it there for a while and it was nice to rejoin that community of friends to celebrate Easter.

That's about it for now.  First day of school and work is behind us and we're settling back into our routine - more swimming starts soon, choir is gearing up for Tour and the season ending concerts and I seem to have lots of meetings on my calendar.

Stay tuned and we'll try and update you again soon

Happy Easter to everyone, thanks again for everything you do for us and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers

Love
Doug and the gang

It's been a while

After 2 posts in 2 days another long gap - sorry about that

It's been a busy few weeks and we are heading into spring break and hopefully spring (but not by the look of today!) so here's a quick recap:

Karen continues to hang in there but the decline keeps happening. She sleeps more as the days go by and eating is becoming a lot more work.  She's now on a soft food diet and drinks thickened fluids. When doing the selections on the next menu Jen told me they had minced toast?!?  Really? (we didn't pick that one).  The staff at Riverview continue to amaze me with their care and compassion and take such good care of her.  Karen hasn't gotten out of bed for a while now but they tend to her every need (and ours too!). Today I helped them remove Karen's ring -  it had been tight for over a year and a half and she was determined that it wouldn't be cut off so since she's been in hospital a few have tired to take it off without success. We've all been watching it and this week's nurse was concerned so they found the best techniques among the staff and iced her finger and we tired a couple - the second one worked like a charm and didn't seem to even hurt much.  I told her she couldn't get rid of me that easily but I'm sure her finger will be much more comfortable. (if you are having trouble with your rings and have some dental floss I can help!). Other than a little hiccup flushing her port a cath last week (which was also successfully resolved) things have otherwise been pretty quiet.

We were happy to have a visit a couple of weeks ago from a good friend from Montreal.  It was great to see her and I know Karen enjoyed all the attention.  The wonderful thing about this not at all wonderful journey is reconnecting with and visiting with many dear friends - thanks to everyone!

We've also been busy with a variety of other activities
- Jen's opera with the Chamber Orchestra was a huge success (even her brother admitted to liking it) and the Free Press reviewer gave it 4 stars out of 5!
- both kids got great report cards and parent teacher conferences
- Jen successfully completed another swimming level
- Kris has gotten himself invited to yet another Jets game (#3) (and Dad's just getting to his first of the season this week)
- Hope made another visit to Riverview without incident

That's probably enough to bring you up to date.  We'll try to keep you up to date.  In the meantime thanks for all the love and prayers you keep sending our way - you have no idea how much it means to us!

Love
Doug and the gang

2 posts in 2 days?

I know it's unlike us recently but Sunday seemed like a day worth adding another post for.

Jen's choir had a great concert this afternoon - Grandma, Auntie Cathy and Uncle Bob joined Kris and I to be entertained.  It's a busy time for the choir between this concert and an upcoming opera and as always they were fantastic (I know I'm bias but they really are great!)

After the show we went to Riverview and more family joined us to celebrate the February birthday boys in the clan.  Karen seemed to really enjoy getting out of her room and spending a few hours in the common room we had reserved - the kids had room to play cards and do puzzles and the adults could sit and visit.  Thanks to the unit staff for all their help (and the curling score updates!).

That's it for now. Thanks as always for all the love and support!
Doug and the gang

Therapy Dog(s)!

There's been quite a few furry friends coming through lately.  On Thursday, Rigby one of Riverview's many doggy volunteers dropped in for a visit.  Then on Friday, Carmen, one of the St. John's Ambulance therapy dogs cuddled up in bed with us.  But the best visit was today, when our beautiful puppy, Hope came for a visit!  She cuddled up with mom and then took up guarding the door.  Oh and did I say that Hope made friends with all the nurses that looked at her?  We all really enjoyed these visits!

Last weekend the three of us went off to Fargo and Albertville for some fun.  We got stuck in Fargo on Monday and ended up staying an extra night due to the blizzard.  We had lots of fun!  Thank you to our dog-sitters!  And to Lise and all the others that spent time with Mom while we were away!

Now it`s Dad`s turn to type for a bit...
Hi everyone!  I get to do the Karen update part apparently?  It`s been three months now since Karen went to hospital and as usual she exceeds expectations - I don`t think the doctors then thought she would do as well as she has but having said that she is steadily declining.  Today they changed the note about transferring her to the red one requiring a mechanical lift as she is not able to offer much support to the staff when they were transferring her with 2 people the last few days (when she got to Riverview in January it was the green one for a standby assist).  She sleeps more and is less talkative now but as one of the nurses said to me last week, when you spend time with her ``you really get a sense of Karen`s spirit and who she is and it`s clear that`s all still inside unaffected by the tumour, other than that it can`t always get out``  On that I should tell you that Karen and I were watching the noon news the other day and they were doing a story about Festival du Voyageur - they interviewed this man from the Festival and when his name came up on the bottom of the screen it was the same Icelandic name as ours!  Karen and I looked at each other with strange looks, she said in her normal volume (as opposed to the whisper she mostly talks in) some smart remark about Icelanders and we both burst into laughter!  The kids and I experience similar little bursts of Karen from time to time and they help make visits special.
Karen enjoys having friends visit, but not crowds or a lot of commotion in the room.  You won`t get a lot of conversation but you might just get one of those little bursts, or a look or something that you`ll recognize as typical Karen.

That`s enough from me - back to Jen...
I`m back!
So, thanks for all that everyone does for us!  We really appreciate it!   Thank you for taking Hope for walks, driving Kris and I to school, driving me to my many choir practices, visiting with Mom, bringing flowers for the room and bringing us meals.  I`m sorry if I forgot anything but I don`t remember everything (I don`t know if that`s good or bad!)

-Jen and the gang

Brrrrrr it's cold!

Yes it's January in Winnipeg but boy it's been cold this week!  The kids did not have one outdoor recess all week! (can you say caged animals!)

We don't really have much to update you on.  Karen has settled in well at Riverview and especially enjoys the nursing students that come Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday each week in January - Nicole and Cyle give her lots of attention which she loves and we really appreciate!

We've been seeing the effects of the progression of things, with Karen being somewhat more confused as the days go by and also feeling weaker - last week we walked down to the atrium room on the main floor but this week those outings were by wheelchair.  While some days she might sleep more than others, she still enjoys the company of family and friends.

As always, thanks to everyone for your calls, e-mails, thoughts and prayers - you have no idea how much they are appreciated!

I'm sure the regular blogger will be posting soon and will update you on winter camp

Thanks again
Love
Doug and the gang

The newest, bestest room yet!!

Hi everyone!!  Sorry we kinda disappeared again!

Mom was moved to a new room on Thursday, a room at Riverview.  She still enjoys visitors, but just not at her naptime (1-3ish)  The new room is great, i think it should be called a health-hotel.  It's got an electric, yes I said electric, recliner, a TV(yay!!!) and even a fridge! (great for stashing snacks in!)  It's much nicer than HSC and the food is way better than HSC. 

Thank you so much for all the flowers, visits, overnights and meals.  And thank you especially for the love and hugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You won't hear from me for a few days because I'm off to winter camp with my school on Wednesday!(Lets hope for some warmer weather!) 

Love
Jen and the gang

PS To anyone that read the last post: you do not know I hurt my chin! (Thanks a lot Dad!!!!)

Christmas break

Seemed like time for an update and the young blogger has been busy.  On our last post we were heading off to pick Karen up for another home visit for 2 nights this time.  The visit went well for Karen but on Saturday, which was supposed to be the day the 4 of us got to spend at home together all day, there was a tobogganing incident at noon and after finding someone to stay with Karen and Kris, I was off to Children`s Emergency with Jen where we would spend 5 hours and leave with 7 stitches in her chin (I don`t think I was supposed to post anything about that but people need to know!)

The rest of the week seems to have flown by with a relatively quiet New Years,  a few playdates for the kids with friends and regular visits to see Karen.  Unfortunately we didn`t get another home visit in but will keep working on that for the future.

The coming week will see the kids return to school, me try and fit in some work and Karen enjoy a visit from another friend from afar (Moscow this time!)

As always, thanks to everyone who continues to do so much for us and all of those who keep us in your thoughts and prayers - we truly appreciate all the support!

Stay tuned for the return of your regular young blogger (and her response to my unauthorized posting of her medical information no doubt!)

Thanks again, love
Doug and the gang