Grandma & Grandpa

So much has been going on here at the house. For those of you who didnt know Jason and I live in my Grandparents basement, we have been here for about 1 1/2 years. It's been so nice to be so close to my Grandparents in the last stages of their lives. It has been a blessing to live down stairs. I love my Grandparents! My Grandma Dodie is such a kind, loving and giving person. She is so selfless in everything that she does. She has helped my Grandpa for the past 3 years since he had his stroke. She spends all of her time by his bedside because he does not like to be left alone. If she is gone for too long he cups his hands around his mouth and hollers her name.

About a week and a half before Mothers Day it was a Tuesday morning about 7:00 and I was lying in bed. Out of nowhere I heard a big thud. That usually means that my Grandpa has fallen (it was the first time that him falling has happend) so I ran upstairs to help. I walk into the room to find my Grandma on the floor and not my Grandpa. I helped her up, and she was hurting really bad so I took her to her bed to rest. At this time she helps my Grandpa eat breakfast so I did that for her instead, along with some other things. My Grandpa had had some more mini strokes 2 weeks earlier so we was even less mobile, and his memory was slipping even more. He keeps thinking it was 20 years ago or more when they were back in California at the funeral home. Just the side affects of the stroke. Anyways, that day my Grandma went to the hospital and we found out she had fractured her hip really badly and needed surgery. I took my baby monitor upstairs by my Grandpa so he could call my name when he needed help. He called it about every 5 minutes. lol...I was running up the stairs alot for the next couple of days. My Uncle got a place for my Grandpa to stay permanently. We packed up his clothes, got all of his stuff together and moved him out. It was hard to see, but I knew it was the best and the easiest. My Grandma had surgery and I went to visit her in the hospital. She was a little out of it. She was just singing songs the whole time. Before she became a member of the church she was a member of The Fontana community Church, and she was singing alot of songs from the Church. Here she is singing this one song that she kept singing over and over. I would ask her to sing another song and she just kept singing this one. So I thought I would share it with everyone. My Grandma makes me smile and laugh. I grabbed the hymn book by her bed and started flipping through it to see if she could remember any of the songs. We started singing songs together, and I loved every mimnute of it. I think my Grandma told me "Bless your heart" about 50 times. She is now in a rehabilitation center and is doing better. Not singing as much, and is walking slowly. It is so hard to see my Grandparents go through this. My Grandpa hasnt been doing as well, and is only getting worse. He keeps having little strokes. He doesnt remember much and sleeps alot. It is so weird for me to not have them upstairs. To not hear my Grandpa yelling for my Grandma, or to hear his walker making noise as he goes to the bathroom. This past weekend my Aunt & Uncle and cousins drove up to visit my Grandparents and say their goodbyes to my Grandpa. He is not doing so well and we think he may be leaving soon. They all and my other cousins and Aunt & Uncle spent the weekend clearing out my Grandparents house. Items were divided among siblings, MANY things were thrown out and taken to DI. My Grandma had alot of random junk I guess you could call it. The house is now empty upstairs and it is the weirdest feeling. It makes me sad. 24 years my Grandparents lived here, and nothing was ever changed or moved, now it is all gone. On Saturday night we (all the cousins and Aunt 7 Uncles) went out to Chuck-o-rama for dinner. I hung out and talked with them until 12:00 and they left back to Cali early yesterday morning. Anyways, so that means my Grandparents house is now up for sale. Jason and I wont probably be here much longer. It makes me so sad to think that we wont be able to ever visit this house again once it's sold. So many memories. So many fun times and great family memories.

Here is my Dad with his Mom
Me with my Grandma

My Dad with my Grandpa

And me with my Grandpa

Here is the video of my Grandma singing the song.