Ankle Surgery

I have avoided this topic on this blog but was reminded by Samantha it is part of our family history and needs to be on here. I had a tumor removed from my ankle on July 17 and Samantha and Dustin have been taking care of me. Lauren and Lindsay have taken me for hair repairs, etc and been very helpful, too. Had a follow-up appointment with doctor today. I was disappointed that I had to keep the stitches, boot, ice machine, etc until I go back next Monday. Samantha took the following picture of me in all the apparatus last week.

And this is what is inside the big boot. The tubes connect the the electric ice maching that recirculates ice water through the gray boot. Got another layer added today when the doctor added what she called a compression cast beneath the ace bandage type layer.

First surgery I ever had that I got flowers from my surgeon!

More Cindy Pictures

Since tomorrow is Cindy's birthday and I have been laid up after surgery, I am trying to make up for lost time and post two old pictures of her today.

Cindy with her little Air Force playmate Curtis Bannert. Curtis lived behind us with his parents Danny and Linda. His daddy was also in the Air Force. They were from Brownsville, Texas.

Cindy's 8th birthday. Shown here with little sister Christy and her best friend Amie Scott.

AHA CINDY!

Aha, Cindy, you just thought you were escaping the birthday pictures! So I have been sofa bound from surgery but I have managed an escape long enough to get a picture of you out there in cyber world.

Cindy and Rodney in 2001 in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Samantha is an Excellent Home Health Care Worker

Thank you God for my very helpful grandkids. They are such a blessing as I recover from ankle surgery. Here is Samantha with the bell my surgeon sent her so I could ring for help. She has proven to be excellent help.

Carlos and His 5K Buddies

Carlos is at church youth camp this week and ran in the Speed-The-Light 5K. Yes, that is our grandson with the cup on his face. Silly boy!

TWO OF OUR FAVORITE GIRLS

Two of our favorite girls having fun with their local friends while enjoying being home from college this summer. Love these girls.

 
Sarah is on the right and Lauren is next to her. Lauren attends Baylor University and Sarah attends the University of Arkansas.

Samantha With Her Cookies

Ooops! Grandma forgot to post the pictures of Samantha with cookies she made to take to the lake on July 4th.

FUN LOVIN' COUSINS

These two cousins live in two different states but they always have fun when they get together. Last Friday they spent the day enjoying Hawaiian Falls Water Park thanks to tickets from cousins Lauren and Lindsay.

Steffinee, Samantha, and Isabell Enjoying July 4th With Their Cousins

Steffinee, Samantha, and Isabell enjoying cousins Junior, Jameson, and Jackson at Grapevine Lake.

July 4, 2014

July 4 Lake Grapevine Camping

Chad's family enjoyed their annual campout and the fireworks on Lake Grapevine. This year they were joined by some of Mary's family. Here are Steffinee, Samantha, Mary, Mary's nephew Jameson, Isabell and Jameson's older brother Junior.

Steffinee and Samantha Ready for July 4th at Grapevine Lake

Samantha and Steffinee with their cousin Jackson ready to head to the lake for camping and fireworks.

Samantha, Jameson, and Jackson

Samantha was excited to see her little cousins from Ft. Rucker, AL when they arrived Thursday evening.

Cousin love - Jameson, Jackson, and Samantha

Eleven Years Ago Today

July 4th changed forever in the minds of our family eleven years ago today when my precious mother left this life for her reunion with my dad. Losing her was especially hard as I had been her caretaker for 18 months after she had suffered a massive stroke. She worked hard to gain back as much as possible and she did remarkably well. But she was tired and ready to go on to her eternal home. We miss her very much. The highlight of her life was her great-grandchildren and they returned her love. This is a picture of her with the first two four years before her stroke. This is one of my favorite pictures because it shows her doing what she loved. Two of her favorite things were to see the Texas wildflowers in the Spring and to spend time with her great-grands. Here she is shown doing both. Our youngest granddaughter Samantha never met her great-grandma yet she feels she knows her. One day she said to me, "Grandma, I feel like I know Mam-Mam because Dustin and Steffinee have told me so much about her." What a great tribute to a great mam-mam.

Mam-Mam, Helen Sowders, with Dustin and Lauren.

Gaming

Samantha, Tucker, Steffinee, and Dustin getting July off to a lazy, gaming day. Samantha and Dustin are glad to have Steffinee here. Tucker is here while the Harts are at St Kitt's and he is glad to have so many buddies.