Lauren, Turner and Molly came to visit. We met at the cabin and snowshoed in. Molly had such a great time! Of course, so did I. This all happened 2 days before I had to give a talk in church, teach my young women lesson, and the same week I received an assignment from the Bishop to help each youth in our ward get an ancestral name to take to the temple by Youth Conference in June. And Mom had cornea transplant surgery Monday and on and on. I'm so glad I got to have fun with Molly, Lauren and Turner in the middle of everything that was going on!

This month is my 51st birthday. I picked the personal history question about my birthday. I was born on February 29th. Yep, I am a Leap Year baby. So, technically, I will be 12 3/4 this year. When I was a kid I kinda liked the attention that came from having an unusual birthday. I celebrate on the last day of February. Or whenever anyone thinks to wish me a happy birthday. My sweet husband usually gives me a big celebration when it is my "real birthday." Nice. I love it! I need to figure out a good way to remember other peoples birthdays better. I will have to work on that one!

Just in case you want to know

My friend, Joy, answers a question in each blog about her personal history. I decided to copy her and we will see if I actually follow-through with it. Also, I hope I keep up better with current events in my families life.

My name is Stacee. I don't know where the name came from or why I was given the name. I do remember hating it as a child and really wanting my name to be "Kimberly." I still can't figure out why Mom and Dad didn't name me Kimberly and why they chose to spell it with the double "e." It's never spelled correctly. My Grandma Reed was kinda angry that they spelled it that way and NEVER spelled it any other way but "Stacie," which is how she thought it should be spelled. Over the years, I've gotten used to it.

Now my favorite names I get called are: Honey, Mom, Oma, and Sister Pitt. They are usually names used with love.

Speaking of Oma. . . here's some favorite new pix of me being the Oma! I can't wait until I get to have my picture taken with Danny again!
This is a cute hat I made Molly.

Slow, but sure start

So, my daughter, Lauren, is pretty amazing. I am impressed that she has the courage to put her new year's resolutions online for the world to see. I guess I've never been that committed to make it that public. This year, though, I did tell my friend, Joy, my goals. We made a mutual commitment to improve our scripture study. Thank heavens I have to account to her each week!

My scripture study is going well. I have never been good at daily stuff, but I am improving a lot! And when I study now I am really studying instead of just reading words (which is what I do a lot.) This week I read about Mary's visit by Gabriel telling her she is going to be the mother of Christ. Her response was "behold he handmaiden of he Lord, be it unto me according to thy will." It reminded me of several incidents in the scriptures where people were visited by a messenger telling them about a calling/ assignment/ mission. They all answer similarly, but with the words "Here am I." In Hebrew there is a word that means "here am I, I will do whatever is your will." The word is "hinani." I learned it in my Isaiah class. The concept of being willing to do whatever the Lord needs me to do is the ultimate discipleship, or supreme humility. I'm still working on it, but I feel that the more I learn, the more I understand what is required of me. I had fun finding lots of examples in the scriptures, Samuel, Isaiah, Jacob, Paul, etc. Then todays lesson in RS in Lauren's ward was about sacrifice. Fits right in.

Changes are good!?!

Thanks Lauren for reminding me that it has been way too long since updating the blog. What has been happening with us?

In April, Jessica and Danny visited us for a few days. It was wonderful!!!
Jessianne graduated from BYU with her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.

In May, we got to go visit Lauren and Turner because she graduated with her Master's degree in Education. The week before that, on Jessianne's 22nd birthday to exact, we signed papers on a new house and moved in. We now live at 479 West 1810 North, Orem, UT 84057 with the same phone numbers. 4 days after we moved into our new house, Dad decided it was time for them to go home. I am so proud of him for going to blind school to learn how to manage and cope so he can take care of Mom. And Mom is making great progress!!! Together, they are figuring out how to manage on their own. What courage it takes to start a new life when most folks their age would give up and move into a home!

The camera got packed when we moved and I haven't discovered it yet. But unpacking is still happening so there is a chance I will find it soon :) Then I can post photos of the house.

I am liking the new house a lot! I am still adjusting and trying to find the right places to put things away. That is hard for me because my brain doesn't think in a very orderly way. But I am deciding where I want a few things, like some of the art and some of the photos.

The Sun is Shining

Mom's been home for 2 weeks now. We are falling into a nice routine. She gets a lot of therapy; physical, speech, occupational and an aid who comes in to do the shower stuff. I feel like Mom is making really good progress. Each day she is a little stronger.

Dad is continuing at the blind school. Last night as he was practicing his Braille, he said, "I feel like this is finally coming together." He is enjoying socializing with other blind people and seeing what they are accomplishing without sight. It has to be giving him confidence to try new things. He takes pride in coming home telling us what he has cooked at school.

My cat is huge! Miles weighs 10 pounds now! He is a big, lovable ball of soft fur. I love holding him. He is learning how to take naps with me. That is wonderful!

Meantime, spring will be here soon. And this morning the sun is shining!

My new motto is "One Day at a Time."

After 50 days in the hospital, I got to bring Mom home yesterday. I must admit that I was a little nervous about having both Mom and Dad here to take care of. Yesterday's discharge was a long, drawn-out process. But, it turned out to be a blessing because the very minute I was pulling out of the parking lot, my phone rang. It was the Moran Eye center calling and I was able to go pick up some documents I need for Dad that otherwise would have taken several more days to receive. Glad the timing worked out that I was able to pick up the documents while I was still at the hospital campus.

I know things will smooth out and I'll be able to figure out a routine with Mom and Dad once Dad is in school M-F and we know when home health will be coming. This morning it was 10:00 before I got my breakfast and 10:30 before I got my shower. But I did get Mom dressed, breakfasted, teeth brushed, toileted twice and up and down the stairs before then. Dad is really learning to be as independent as he can be and that will improve I know.

Another blessing is that the blind school arranged a ride for Dad back and forth to school until he gets trained to use the bus. That is a huge relief off my shoulders!

I am constantly praying for patience and long-suffering so that this can be as pleasant as possible for all of us.

One day at a time!

The wait is over. . . or is it?

Monday when Dad and I went to the hospital they moved Mom to rehab! What an interesting experience this is for me. I am learning so much about brains and how they work. I am amazed at how many processes are involved in eating. Picking up the spoon, rotating it in your hand properly, getting the spoon to the food, getting the food on the spoon, keeping the food on the spoon while you bring it to your mouth, getting the food into your mouth, closing your mouth on the spoon, pulling the spoon out and leaving the food in, then swallowing! Whew it makes me tired watching Mom re-learn all this. She has made incredible progress this week with rehab. She is awake most of the time and working hard to re-learn. She still has no short-term memory. I don't think she can read, although she can recognize letters. She repeats the same questions over and over. But she is walking with support and a walker.

This week I feel like the critical part is finally over and we are on the road to recovery! Finally! But she still has so much to learn. And so do I as care-giver. We have such a long road ahead of us. But another bit of good news. Dad is starting "blind school" this week as a day student. So, I will drop him off at 8:00 am and pick him up at 4:00 pm. While he is learning, I will go to the hospital and help mom with her therapy. We are going to have to re-figure this if Mom is released from rehab before Dad can get into the apartments and be a live-in student. But the sooner he is self-sufficient and independent, the sooner he can help me take care of Mom :)

I have a wonderful family! Lauren provided me with an opportunity to get away to play this weekend. Jessianne facilitated it. So, I went ice-climbing for the first time! In Ouray, Colorado. It was as hard as I thought it would be, but it was MUCH, MUCH funner than I thought. It was a really great weekend. Thanks girls! for giving me a respite! I love you!