Merry Christmas!

We received the best Christmas gift, ever!!!! Dad got to come home for a few hours Christmas morning. The nursing home staff brought him in their van and they overshot the house, and he told them they had passed his house, to turn around! Lol We had a wonderful visit and he enjoyed his time here!! Here are a few pictures.... Caroline has more on her camera.








He opened his gifts and asked for coffee several times. Broke our hearts we couldn't give him any. He kept saying this looked just like his house! =) He kept his eyes on Gracie the majority of the time.


She pushed her baby around for Pop to see!
She warmed up and showed him some of her dancing skills. I'm not sure where this child has gotten her moves, but she gets down! Lol
As he was leaving, he told us he wanted to do this again. We agreed and told him this was the first of many trips home. Hopefully we will have him home for good soon.
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!


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Christmas card

There are so many of you I'd love to send a Christmas card to and I figured this might be the easiest way!!!!! The Rhodes and Morgan families wish you all warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year. We are thankful for each and everyone of you and all of your prayers. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!




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Tues 12/21

This has been a rough, emotional past few days for us. Like I've said before, we go though periods like this. Mom said the other day.... It's sad and overwhelming right now. There are sooo many people that love and care for my Dad and knowing this really helps us get through these tough times. We just take it day by day.... Well really hour by hour.
Dad still has good alert periods and not so alert periods during the day. He does best in the mornings. Caroline has been spending a lot of time with him these past few days and they have had some good convos. She brought a Delta magazine to read to him and she started and he told her he had already read that one! Lol!!!! She was reading him a story and mispronounced a word and he quickly corrected her!! He is doing well with his therapies and continues to work for them. He is enjoying all his visitors and the sweet cards! I really can't say how much it means to us how many of y'all have stayed loyal to my Daddy. Mom, Caroline and I went to dinner tonight and stopped to tell Dad goodnight on the way home. He was very confused and said he wanted to go home. Mom is still up there with him now. So hard for all of us....... :/


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Friday 12/16

I've wrote a post last night and fell asleep while writing it. I went to open it up this morning to finish it and it was gone! UGH! Sooooo.... Let's try this again.
Dad is doing good. We are glad to have him so close... It's definitely made things easier for us these past few weeks. We are able to come and go throughout the day, which has been nice. Dad has enjoyed seeing some familiar faces as well. Thanks to all of you that have stopped by to see him. Since we are in and out so much during the day, we put a lil book out for visitors to sign. We like asking Dad about his visitors during the day.
Dad is finally off isolation and he is enjoying being able to wheel himself around!!!! Caroline went to see him the other day and panicked when he wasn't in his room or in therapy. She started walking towards the nurses station and there he was! He had heard some music and wheeled himself down the hall to see what was going on!! =) He is taking baby steps as far as progress/improvement goes, but we have to remind ourselves to be patient.... And baby steps is better than nothing.
These past few weeks have been soo crazy and hectic for us. I'm sorry I don't update as much as I used to. There just isn't enough time in the day these days it seems like!!!! I am going to try to make at least one post a week.... I want to keep those of you interested in Dad's improvement informed of the latest!
I can't believe Christmas is a week away! Definitely hard to get into it this year. I was looking through pictures the other night and it's hard to believe how much has changed since last Christmas. Never would have imagined.........









I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! Remember to tell your loved ones just how much you love them..... You never know what tomorrow will bring.

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Headed to Heber!!!!!

Well......Dad is back in Heber Springs!!!!!!! Mom, Dad and I left Baptist hospital around 11:30 his morning. A few tears were shed as we loaded the car and told the nurses bye. Dad has had so many wonderful nurses throughout these past 8 months. We've told them all as we've left, that we will be back and let Dad walk in to see everyone. I can't wait till that day comes.


Anyways.... I brought a James Taylor DVD and Mom rode in the back with Dad. He just kept looking out the window at first, with a big smile on his face! When we came upon the Arkansas River bridge, I asked him where we were.... He said, "Arkansas River." =) By Conway he was singing along to some JT songs! Definitely brought some tears to my eyes. He was truly so happy the entire ride. Around Greenbrier he told us he'd been through some rough times. We told him yes he had, but he had been a fighter and pulled through everything and we were soo proud of him. Mom fell asleep on the ride home ( so typical of mom.... Always falling asleep in the car and we always get a laugh out of it!). Dad and I were cracking up when she dozed off.... I even snapped a picture, but she would probably kick me out of the house if I posted it! =) When we got to Heber we drove by the house and he was soo happy to see it (and the ole miss flag out front!) and then we drove by his office. All the girls came out to see him... He was soo happy to see them and kept telling us he wanted to get out of the car! He was ready to go to work! Lol
We got him settled in his room at Seven Springs and of course he was exhausted!!!!! Mom is with him now and she said he's been asleep for awhile.... I'm figuring he is out for the night!!!! =)
Dad is in room 503. We are ok with him having visitors, we just ask that visits be kept short and sweet. He tires very easily and we don't want to overstimulate him right now. I know he will enjoy seeing familiar faces. Just some FYI.... He isn't talking as much as he had been, so it's kinda hard to understand and hear him at times. He is more alert in the morning opposed to the afternoon/evening. His short term memory isn't great right now, but he remembers things pre April 22nd. He isn't standing or walking yet, but is able to sit on his own now.
We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!!!!!

Jack Rhodes Room 503
Seven Springs Health and Rehabilitation
1040 Weddingford rd
Heber Springs, Ar 72543

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Tuesday 12/6

I abandoned the blog again.... So sorry!!!!! Gracie and I headed to Memphis last Wednesday to spend a long weekend with her Daddy. While we were there, I managed to get sick... Boooo!
We did enjoy some family time, though. We got back Sunday and now Gracie is sick. We are heading to the Dr this afternoon. Hopefully he will give her some good meds.... We were up and down all night.... Screaming, coughing and sneezing.... Not too much fun for either one of us! =(
Mom and I are bringing Dad back to Heber tomorrow. I'm anxious to see how he responds to seeing the outdoors and being in the car. It's been 8 months since he's been out of a hospital. We are hopeful he will enjoy driving by familiar places. Since I've been sick and G is now sick, I haven't seen him since last Tuesday, so I'm anxious to see him.
Friday night Mom was on the phone with one of Dads High School friends, Pete. Mom set the phone down and Dad picked it up and said, "Hi, Pete! I had a stroke...they tell me to keep working hard, keep on working hard." Mom was soo shocked, cause she didn't coach him on what to say, he did it on his own. The therapists must be telling him this and I'm glad it stuck with him!!!! One thing we are thankful for, is he is happy. He never gets frustrated when he can't do something and we've never seen him depressed. He is leaving all those feelings up to us! =)
Once we get Dad all moved in, I'll get his mailing address out to those of you that would like it.
I will update again once we have Dad settled in his new room! =)


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