The Coltharp family...our golden years!

The trip to Utah and other things...

noreply@blogger.com (Coltharp Golden Years!) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:53:00 +0000

I went to see Jennie, Dave, Sam and new little Joshua in February. My main job was to keep Sam busy and happy while Jennie took care of Josh. It was pure pleasure for me, and I hope it was for Sam, as I felt a real bonding between us, maybe for the first time. Having alone time with him for a few days was really wonderful. I was able to participate in helping Sam get potty-trained. Everyday we took a trip to the market so we could get out of the house. Sam was soooo well-behaved. He didn't quite know what to think of his new little brother, but I think he'll learn to love Josh before too long! We took Joshua to his 2-week doctor visit. I was apalled at the filthy office and tried to talk Jennie into changing doctors, if for no other reason than that! Keith and I have our plane reservations to go back in June, as Keith has not yet seen Josh. I can't wait!

In March we took a drive to Utah to see our other two new grandkids, Brigham Ottley Coltharp and Dinah Elizabeth Coltharp. As it worked out, they were blessed on the same day in the same ward. We enjoyed all our grandkids, except the Davenport ones, as everyone else came out to Provo, Utah. John and Micha had quite an experience with the birth of Dinah...totally different from what they had wanted it to be. Dinah was two weeks overdue, so they ended up taking Micha to the hospital, where, after over 24 hours of labor with no success of delivering the baby, they did a C-Section on Micha. Dinah ended up in NICU for 5 days, as she had some lung damage from being in the birth canal too long. Well, after all that, and everyone was home, they are enjoying their new sweet little girl and everyone seems to be fine. Micha and John sure do love that little girl. And so do we. She looked like an angel in her long white blessing dress.

Brigham looks like Brian, until you get to his mouth! He's definitely got the Ottley look as well! He's so much a boy and so darling! When we were at their house, I laid him on the couch next to me and we carried on this long conversation. He was "talking" and smiling and cooing so sweetly! But as soon as I took my camcorder out, he stopped. Leslie says he's a good nurser and a pleasant little guy. The girls, Ayla and Alexa are big helpers for their brother.

Ayla and Alexa played dress-up with some clothes we got them for Christmas. That was a riot, because they are soooo much little girls! At our hotel, both the girls pretended they were servers at a restaurant and had a little pad and pencil and took our orders and served our food. They are so much fun. I want to eat them up!

Aaron (Cindi's and Braxton's) little 9 month old was a pure delight. He is happy almost aways and he is such a cuddly happy, chunky cute little guy. He was almost crawling when we were there, and it seems that right after we left Utah he started crawling, and is continually getting into things! Poor Cindi is worn out from running after him!

Jonah enjoyed being with his cousins, and he was such a good playmate for them. He's the oldest and is very careful with them and loves helping them. Jonah is getting to be such a wonderful young man. He has a lot of misdirected energy at times, but he really loves his cousins. Everyone had such a good time at the hotel in the pool and visiting in the room. I'm glad we had a nice hotel where everyone could gather for fun. We also went out to eat a few times together and had a great time.

It was good to see Sharon, my sister, and my nephew, David and his wife Dulcie, their son, James and their new little girl, Chloe. They came to the blessing. Leslie's sister was good enough to invite us all to her home after the blessings for a brunch. It was nice to have someone with a home big enough for everyone! The weather was cold, rain, and snowy most of the time, and the trip there and home was scarey with blizzard conditions in some spots, but it was so enjoyable.

After the sleep study...AND MORE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Coltharp Golden Years!) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Well, just as we suspected, Keith's sleep study showed definite sleep apnea among other sleep disturbances. He is definitely a candidate for the CPAP device. We're waiting for the DME company to call to set up a time we can go in and learn how to use the device and bring it home. He needs the full mask that goes over his nose and mouth. We are hoping that it will help him sleep (and me too!) and moreover, improve his overall health.

I have a new favorite store. It's Macy's!! I could spend hours in there, and in fact, I do! Even when I don't end up buying anything, I travel all over the store 2 or 3 times, trying several things on in each dressing room as I make my way through that gigantic funplex! I have actually bought several things there over the past few months. And one of the best things about Macy's is that they have huge mirrors all over the walls, so you never have to travel far to hold up a sweater or a blouse to see if the color or style is right for you. Anyways, a Macy's gift card will be my new favorite gift....hint hint.

We were just blessed with a new grandson, Brigham Ottley Coltharp, on January 23, weighing in at 8 lbs 7 oz. He looks pretty handsome in his pictures, and Leslie says he's a good nurser! Brian was a good nurser, the best out of my five. Alexa and Ayla are having fun playing big sisters to him, and I'm sure they are a big help to mama Leslie. The girls also got new bunk beds last week, with Alexa on the top and Ayla on the bottom (which is a good thing, because Ayla has fallen out of the bottom bunk a few times!).

I'm trying to figure out how on earth I'm going to go see Jennie's baby and spend a week with her the last week of February, and then go see Brian and Leslie's baby blessing, possibly in March, and then Micha and John's baby possibly in April. My boss just doesn't have the same view of "multiply and replenish the earth" as my kids do. They think I should be at work most of the time, instead of taking time off to go see my grandkids and kids. The nerve of them!

Jonah's dad bought him his cub scout uniform this week, and he looks so.....scouty! and cute! But he wouldn't like cute, so he looks officially like a cub scout! He has a best friend, James Anderson, in our ward, and they are like two peas in a pod. We love James! Don't you wish you could bottle all that energy and use it on yourself at the low points of your life?

Heather is still working at Mountain Vista, where she has been for a few years. We've been trying to help her improve her health with some awesome aloe product. It has helped her energy, etc., although it will take some time for her colon to heal completely. She is another Macy's freak, and we love going together and just being girls out doing the shopping and oohing and ahhing thing! Thanks, Keith, for watching Jonah when we perform this ritual!

Braxton got a new job in Orem, Utah and he and Cindi will be moving out of Braxton's parents home into their own apartment soon. With three of our kids and their families now in the Provo area, it seems more and more likely that we will end up somewhere in the vicinity one day. I really miss my Aaron, and wish I could be seeing all his growing up milestones. Cindi's good at sending little videos and pictures.

I miss my Sam, Jennie and Dave's 2 year old. He's been pretty sickly, and they may have to have tests run after the baby's born. But we have little videos of his squeaky little voice saying all these wonderful words and saying the word "grandma" on ocassion. I wish I was in the stage of my eternal progression that I could be omni-present. I'm just so mortal and stuck in one place at a time.

My mom is still at Castle Rock Care Center. She's been there since April of 2007. Her favorite pasttimes are watching TV and working jigsaw puzzles. She loves getting calls and cards from family members, and everyone tries to keep in touch as much as they can. She still likes to eat her junk food, but she's actually not eating as much as she used to, and is getting a little more tired. I'm glad to be able to have her close, because when she first had her brain hemmorhage in October 2006, I thought I had lost her. Love to you all!

After the holidays...

noreply@blogger.com (Coltharp Golden Years!) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:54:00 +0000

It is Keith's 65th birthday today. I love him so much! I hope he has many more birthdays!

It was a different kind of Christmas this year, with all our grandkids and kids out of state except for Heather and Jonah. Jonah actually made it a nice Christmas, because we were able to still celebrate Santa and have the excitement of getting ready, decorating the tree and house, etc. He got a Wii from his grandpa Hatfield, and he is loving it! It's been good exercise and a great diversion for him. He has Wii Sports and Mario.

We got all our packages sent off for the kids and grandkids' birthdays and Christmas and it was sad to think we wouldn't get to see them open them up (the little kids). I'm so glad we were able to have everyone over for Thanksgiving, except Brian's family. We sure miss those little girls, Ayla and Alexa. Sam and Aaron were sooo cute! They are changing so fast. I love talking on the phone with Sam, Ayla and Alexa. Pretty soon we'll be talking to Aaron, too!

Our plan is to work another two years, if possible and then move to wherever we feel inspired! With the world economy the way it is, we aren't sure what is in store for us or anyone else. We want to be near our kids, and it's hard to know where to live, because they are all spread out!
Keith's Parkinsons is not too bad right now. He's going to undergo a sleep study in a clinic this Friday evening (all night) at a sleep clinic, because of his apnea. He will probably need a CPAP device that goes over your mouth and nose and forces air into you to keep him clear so he doesn't stop breathing at night. His apnea has been pretty bad.

We love all our family and friends!

Counting my blessings...

noreply@blogger.com (Coltharp Golden Years!) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about all the good things I have been blessed with, which include trials and tribulations, believe it or not! I was in the temple yesterday, and I realized that no matter what is happening out there in the world or in my own family, what continues beyond this life is really significant and is what matters. When I catch the vision of Eternity, and the Lord sees fit to give me a glimpse into it, everything I fret and stew about everyday sink into insignificance! Being in the temple anchors me and reminds me of why I'm here, doing what I'm doing and going through what I'm going through. How lovely and peaceful the simple blessings are. Whatever is happening here on the earth right now will eventually resolve itself. I hope I become a better person, not in spite of adversity in my life, but because of it.

Cindi and Braxton and Heather are going to be fixin' the bird for Thanksgiving this year! I will get to be on the sidelines for the first time in 35 years! I bought an electric turkey roaster to free up the oven for all the yummy sides. Heather has a great recipe for a basted turkey she's going to try this year. I'll be contentedly holding little Aaron and/or Sam and sniffing joyfully the aromas that waft their way into the family room.

Keith went off his Parkinson's meds over a week ago, and he feels like a million dollars, instead of like a zombie! He is pursuing holistic alternatives, which we have high hopes will help. Keep him in your prayers!

Am I the only sane female in my family? Vampires falling in love? Do you know what vampires represent? Well, my girls (and I hear Braxton is too!)are hooked, and I'm probably just a square, so I'll watch those babes while they go see the blood-sucking lovers on the big screen. Does that sound gross? Well, it is what it is! I still love my girls!

Jonah will be eight on Sunday, and will be baptized soon. When I asked him what toy or game he wants for his birthday, he excitedly clapped his hands and asked "Can I get my own set of scriptures with my name on them?". Of course you can, Jonah! That's what his grandpa and grandma will be giving him! He turns his collar up at church to look like Joseph Smith. He wrote his testimony in a book of Mormon and gave it to his friends. What an awesome boy he is!

Micha and John, so you won't feel left out, you can help with T-giving dinner, too, but only if you want. I can't wait to see you all and hug your little tummies full of my grandkids!

We got our first snow today! It melted by noon, but it was white! Hope we have good travelling weather for you guys! I love you!

P.S. Count your blessings!

Some thoughts for the day...

noreply@blogger.com (Coltharp Golden Years!) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:06:00 +0000

Keith and I just celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary...to say the least, it is mind-boggling to think of having lived together for most of our lives! Our lives are soooo busy that we haven't celebrated much of anything for a while. Just cards, maybe dinner and a movie. I'd like to make our anniversaries more meaningful, our lives more meaningful. The main thing that gives our lives meaning and keeps us going in our older age is our five wonderful children, their spouses and their children---our grandkids!! They are the joy of our lives.

There is so much happening in the world right now that greatly concerns us both. Politically, we are in trouble with the main parties running for office. Neither one represents the Constitution of the United States, and they all are a part of the "powers that be", which are trying to rob this nation of its sovereignty and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I hope that people will take more responsibility in studying the issues, the candidates and their voting records, and their affiliations. Check out who they have in the past or are currently "hanging out with" and have their loyalties with. Please don't vote as a "group", or as a "culture", but as individuals with enough moxie to stand apart from the majority of "believers" of one or the other main political parties. There is much at stake, and many of those who think they are voting for righteous men and women are doing so because they have been duped by the honorable promises and "charm" of these candidates, and because they happen to be "Republican". Don't vote for the party. Vote for he or she who will uphold the Constitution. This means that you must study the constitution and know what's in it.

Politics aside...We are the proud grandparents of 5 now, with 3 more on the way. We love those little cuties sooo much! Will update more later!