Christmas 2015

Yes, I am way behind on blogging, but I will get caught up.  Christmas morning we started unwrapping gifts around 8 am. 

 Erica's Christmas list was by far the longest with 28 things on it.  No, she did not get everything, but she did get a portable speaker, Vans, clothes, etc.  Erica is growing and she had a huge need for some new clothing.  She was so happy that she is officially in junior sizing and can now shop at the same stores as Cara.

 Ashlin's list may have been the shortest.  She condensed everything into clothes, Legos and socks.  She did get a few new outfits, Legos and socks.  But, she also got a Wii game, a CD, a movie, and the first season of "Pretty Little Liars".  The kids are obsessed with the show!

 Justin received some new clothes, socks (his always have holes in them), and a few new Lego sets.  He did get a few Wii games and movies also.

 Cara refused to have her photo taken, but her list was pretty teenage looking.  She asked for new clothes, Converse shoes, perfume, boots, etc. 

 Then the kids moved downstairs where Santa had left a big box.  The big box turned out to be a ping pong table which got used by the kids over the break from school.  A few neighbor kids came over and a few tournaments occurred.

Another big box sat in the living room and they had no idea what it was!  Santa brought the four of them a motorized Mo-ped.  It is battery operated and is black.  It can hold up to 170 lbs. They had to wait until some snow melted to try it out, but it has been seen speeding around the neighborhood.

Unfortunately shortly after opening our presents, I received a phone call that my Dad was in the ICU unit at the hospital with heart problems.  Dad was having pains in his left arm and his heart rate was at 36 when he was admitted.  After running some tests, the cardiologist determined that Dad needed a pacemaker to get his heart beating faster.  Dr. Kim told us that Dad has lived with a low heart rate for probably over a year, but he learned to adapt his lifestyle to his heart rate.  But, he did not have a heart attack or blockages.  To say the least, I was very upset and worried.  I spent many hours at the hospital with Dad.  The doctor would have let him go home on Christmas Day, but Mom and I were not comfortable with that.  Dad had been hiding symptoms from Mom and that made me very upset.  By being at the hospital quite a bit, I was able to hear what the doctors, nurses, physician assistants, etc. all had to say about his condition and process.  We also got to watch one of his favorite shows together, "The Andy Griffith Show".  They were running a marathon one day.  We will need to make some changes to life on the farm for him to handle the pacemaker, but it will work. 

 Therefore, Christmas was celebrated at the farm without Grandpa Bob.  He insisted that we go on and have it.  But, no family photo this year without Grandpa there.  Plus, with my Dad in the hospital I did not attend the Leader Christmas in Bloomfield; so, I have not photos to share from that fun day.  Dad received his pacemaker the Monday after Christmas and his heart rate was immediately 30 beats faster.  After six days in the hospital, he went home with some physical restrictions, but feeling much better.

Take care,
Michelle