"I sent for this..."

Last weekend Stella, Emily, my mom and I went to St. George to visit my grandparents. My grandpa has lost about 60 pounds since his surgery a year ago and hasn't been doing great. He can't eat much at all due to his enlarged heart. However, I've got to hand it to him. When we got there he was working out lifting weights. He sure tries! And with all he has going against him I never hear him complain. He is happy where he is, sweet to my grandma, and has such a positive outlook. 

He was absolutely thrilled to see his princess Stella. He had tears in his eyes when she hugged him. It took about 5 minutes before he even acknowledged the rest of us! And she sure loves him. She is very tender with him.I love watching the two of them together. 

While we were there we went to dinner both nights with my grandparents, did a little shopping at the strip mall and Tai Pan, watched movies and went swimming. We decorated their condo for the holidays and they were just tickled (a word my grandma often says). She had bought a Christmas church decoration for her table and she said at least 10 times while we were there, "I sent for this. I don't remember how much it was. It's smaller than I thought." When she repeated it yet again on Sunday Emily and I couldn't help but laugh quietly at the redundancy. What surprises me is with her memory going her thought process and wording is exactly the same every time. 

I'm so glad we made the time to go see them! I didn't want it to be something I wish I had done after the fact. The hardest part is leaving knowing that it could very well be the last time. I hope not. As hard as it is to watch their health both mental and physical decline, I'm not ready to let either one of them go! I'm selfish like that. My grandpa just has a way of making you feel special and tugging at your heart-strings. Our goal is for him to get through the holidays and then we'll make another trip down!