Quad-a-Party and Monday With Friends and Mother......and Deanie and Charlie......

Sunday was a day of celebration!

We arrived at church - late again - but Amber and Mike had saved us a seat and we were prepared to spend the entire day in Dallas.

After church we headed to Quadville for the afternoon.

Kailey took up residence with her head tucked right there under Granddad's left arm where she has snuggled ever since she came home from the NICU. That was her 'sweet spot' then and it remains so now.

We had lunch and naps and party prep before we headed out to the pool late in the afternoon to Party!!

Amber and Mike had rented a community pool and we all had the best time!!

Those awesome balloons that Amber had went to so much trouble to buy and fill were hopelessly tangled!! The one and only snafu of the day!

This is how Granddad dresses for a pool party!

Only tonight did he confess that he was embarrassed by his Indian red arms and his lily white legs.

He said next time he will wear his swim suit!

Me and my super cool daughter!!

There were a TON of people there from school, church, sports, friends and family!

While I did not know most of them - here are a couple of my favorite people in all the world!

Coach Megan from Amber's synchro days and her beautiful daughter!

Megan will forever be planted in my heart as is her mom!

Some friendships are forever!

My youngest son, Benjamin, came and he and Louis Dean hung out some.

Benjamin is the son of my old age and I am enormously proud of him!

He turns 30 in August and I turn 70 in September.

I remember when I was pregnant at 39 seeing an apron that said.....

I was happy to be both - nearly!!!

The Quad Birthday Party was a HUGE success!

When we arrived at the pool to set up, there was another party who rented the other side of the complex. They looked over and asked, "Who's the Birthday Child?"

The quads were all sitting on the concrete waiting for us to be allowed in and we said, "These four!"

The party was the size of FOUR birthdays!!!

All done up in one glorious evening!

Amber and Mike give the very best parties ever. Hands down.

This one was no exception.

There were pizzas.....plenty of pizzas!

Carrots, celery and Ranch dressing......

Fresh fruits in bowls sitting in ice and refilled several times.

Tubs of juice boxes, bottles of water in both regular and mini sizes, and gallons of lemonade.

Then there were the Cookies!!!!!

Not just any cookies but Sugar Coma Cookies made by our special friend and triplet mom, Mary! I have known Mary since she was 18 months old! Her family is precious to me.

I was so happy to get to visit with her along with her older brother!

Their mom, Louise, and I go way back! Like over 35 years.

As I said.....some friendships are made to last forever!

Not one but TWO cakes! One vanilla - the other chocolate!

It was a wonderful party that lasted from 6:30 - 10:30!

It did my heart good to spend time with my two youngest children!!

They are three years apart in age just as Summer and Jesse. Jr. are.

We left home shortly after 10:00 Sunday morning and returned at 11:00 Sunday night.

We fell right into bed.

This morning Louis Dean had a routine doctor check up.

Hopefully his blood work will come back good. He weighs 220 so he was pretty proud about that!

We met our long time friends, Kimmy and June, for lunch at PJ's Cafe on O'Connor Road here in Irving.

Kimmy was my dentist's assistant back in the late 70's through the 90's and maybe beyond.

My memory is not so good.

I do know that I was terrified to go to the dentist and had a long history of dental pain from the time I broke my front tooth when I was 11 years old. Mother finally took me to a dentist because I was in such intense and constant pain. The chipped tooth had broken into the nerve. The dentist started a root canal procedure but after the first visit - and since I was no longer in excruciating pain - she didn't take me back. My tooth eventually turned black and abscessed and caused me a lot of pain later and left me with a true fear of all things dental. Kimmy was the one who held my hand as I had to have all my upper teeth pulled when I was barely 18 years old. She was young and yet she knew how to comfort me and keep me in that chair so Dr. Tate could do what he needed to do. I later required extensive work on my lower teeth through the years and it was Kimmy who continued to hold my hand at every visit. We became life long friends. I taught her to paint through the art classes I taught at home on Tuesday nights and then later I taught her mother, June.

I think we three have forged a great friendship over the years.

Louis Dean celebrated his visit to the doctor by ordering chicken fried steak and French fries with EXTRA gravy.......in Dr. Cebik's honor!

We laughed and had so so much fun that when I paid the bill, the cashier said. "Your table had more fun than anyone who's been in here lately!"

We will be back!

Now, to go back to this morning......(Monday).....

Nita called me while Louis Dean and I were still having coffee to let me know that Mother had slipped into an unresponsive state and that Deanie and Charlie had gone to the nursing home to be with her. The hospice people were on their way. I said we would be there right after lunch. Mother had either had a stroke or gone into a coma, was the thought of the hospice people. They asked Deanie if she wanted her to be taken to the hospital and she said, "No, that was not what she would have wanted. She has a DNR in place and had said just last week that she was ready to go."

So, in the middle of processing all this, I get a text form Deanie.....

We wing our way to Fort Worth and Mother is dressed and in her chair asleep when we get there.

We visit and comfort Lillian who has been so upset by all this.....

Mother woke up and we visited a little bit but I didn't want to tire her out.

Plus she was back to her normal self and had put on an ugly face and was complaining about Lillian.

I pretended not to understand. I am keeping it real.....it is what it is, folks....and not always pretty and nice and sweet.

Mother always smiles for the camera and we parted well.

I do know we are at the beginning of the end.....at least.

From the nursing home we went over to visit with Deanie and Charlie and had the best time.

I had not seen my sister since April! 

We caught up on our lives and all that's going on with both her and Charlie and me and Louis Dean.

We laughed and talked and I felt ever so much better for our visit.

Bottom line.....we will be going back to the ranch later this week and we will take funeral clothes - just in case. (Thanks to my Friend Linda's suggestion)  We thought Mother was hanging on for birthday on June 6th when she turned 92 so we were not all that surprised by the earlier events of today.

Louis Dean and I came home this evening and at 7:00 quickly changed into our grungies and started working outside - again! I cleaned and spruced up the gazebo for her 'summer' look and Louis Dean worked on the Sanford and Son side of the property.

We are asking the little neighbor girls next door to water both front and back while we are gone to the ranch this month and he needed to clear a path for them.

It's nearly time to 'Get out of Dodge' as Louis Dean says.......