Wednesday, January 26, 2011

What is SuperPat up to?

Well, it seems that SuperPat might have more in common with Momma Spud than we first thought.  It seems that Momma Spud's arch nemesis is the Couch.  Capital Letters for effect and respect. Well SuperPat's love affair is with his bed.  It is so warm, cozy and inviting.  In the morning, with the sweet smell of SuperGirl's morning lavations and shampoo floating in, the warm sun shining in the window, and the soft doggy snores to accompany his dreams, it seems that nothing can rouse SuperPat from his roost.  One is left to wonder if SuperGirl should try to slip a pea or two under the mattress.  Maybe that is too subtle though, perhaps a bowling ball would work better.  Is there nothing that can save us from this terrible trap?  If anyone has ideas, please weigh in.

On a more serious note, SuperGirl has gotten really tired of feeling jealous of SuperPat's lounging, so she submitted an employment application for the new grocery store in town.  Keep your fingers crossed and the prayer lines open, we are sure hoping for something great.  Maybe this will be the way at last to break the magnetic pull of the sheets.

Once the bed problem has been solved, it will be on to the mystery of who reversed the velcro on SuperPat's wheelchair cushion so his bum stays stuck to the wheelchair seat...

Top secret letter from Momma Spud (Mel's mom) to SuperPat

Aha! Someone is trying to sabotage the A. Tator family! Sometimes Darth Tator's ugly old couch seems to call out to me and I just succumb to it's softness. There isn't a couch like it in the world! What comfort! What JOY! What BLISS, after my hard workouts each morning! Sometimes, I just can't help it. Is it a trick? I just need to know. Don't my aching bones deserve a soft place to land after that Fitness Coach is done with me? I think so!!!!!!! It feels like heaven. Who says something old can't be useful! I get such delightful naps. I can't bear to part with it now. Darth Tator, your couch lives on for a few more months . . . till I find out the intent of our enemy. What's our Deal SuperPat????? Are you with us or against us. Come on!!! Let's go for it!!!!! Just so you know, once I got started with my Fitness Coach, she never lets me off. I'm working hard and not missing a day... soon I'll be a lean mean Mama Machine. I KNOW! They are HOPING I'll take naps so I won't sleep at night. Aha! That is where my real power is going! I don't sleep well at night anymore. My bed feels like lumps! I hear your bed feels mighty fine. Have they got you too??? Help!!!!! I need you, SuperPat! Save me!!!!!

Love,Mama Spud

PS Papa Spud is saving for a treadmill but it may be too late.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Top secret letter to Super Pat

Here is a top secret letter from Mama Spud to Super Pat in response to his comment about the Mr. Potato Head Gift that the Spud Family gave us for Christmas.  Sounds like Mama Spud has her "eyes" on you Super Pat!

Just to defend myself . . . I didn't give you those cute, sweet, fun, adorable, amazing, bright, strong potato Heads to make you feel bad. (Evil laugh under my breathe!) The Treadmill seems to be where SuperPat is now getting his powers. Hmmmm!
Just so you know, I put those rugs in your way to see if you really could make it. Sorry you took a dive . . . but there it is! The Challenge is on!!!!
Heh, I've now got a Personal Coach . . . AND I'm thinking about throwing out the couch. Darth Tator . . . sorry but it's going to burn!!!!! Too many using it for a bed and slacking off. So! I'm wearing out the LRoom carpet with my feet . . . and we'll see who wins. What is the new deal? I guess I still owe SuperPat moola but I think he should owe me the weeks he doesn't walk. Hahahahaaaa!



Love,

Mama Spud

Monday, January 3, 2011

Update on Pat's walking

Well we should probably start off by saying that Pat did not win the bet... yet.  I heard that he is trying to get double or nothing going.  We were touched and overwhelmed by the comments and praise from our family and friends, most of who we did not realize even knew about the bet.  We truly are blessed with the very best support group.  So here are some highlights from our trip and recent gym sessions:

For the Utah trip, I want to go on the record saying that Pat was the one who requested that we keep the second story room in the hotel with no elevator.  He did a great job climbing up and down the stairs a few times without seeming tired at all.  He said he wouldn't have minded even if he was on the third floor.  (but I bet our bellboys were glad they didn't have to carry the bags up and down another flight). 

Pat decided that it would be best to take his wheelchair with him due to the sheer distance and I am glad that we did even though he didn't use it much.  He walked and walked and walked especially at the temple.  He was standing so much straighter and walking faster and more evenly.  He seemed like a different man almost.  You could tell that he really didn't feel like he had to rely on a spotter to walk behind him anymore like he used to.  I think given 6 more months, he could make the whole trip on his own with the walker.

We did have a small blip on the radar, he did fall down once at the rest stop but a nice police officer offered to help him up and we were back on the way again.  Considering all of the rugs he traversed without falling, the fact that he fell on this one is pretty amazing.  Don't tell him but it might have been partially my fault anyway because I was looking away when he fell and didn't exactly see what happened.  But that is part of learning to walk on his own.

So now for the truly amazing news.  Last week we decided to drag our saggy rear ends back to the gym.  (It had been a while).  Pat got on the Elliptical and managed to make it a few turns around before he got off.  It was quire an education for him, but it didn't stop him from talking smack when at my 20 minute mark I was slowing down because I had chosen to much of an incline.  He quickly stopped the smack talk when I threatened to make him get back on and do a whole minute this time.  That wasn't the amazing part though. 

Once he got on the treadmill, he really started to shine.  He walked 5 minutes straight without stopping and then got off while I ran a few miles.  Then he got back on and did two separate chunks of 4 and 3 1/2 minutes for a grand total of 12 1/2 minutes.  He kept saying just one more minute, one more minute when I asked him if he wanted to get off.  I made him get off because it was pretty clear from the way his left leg was shaking that he would be falling on me soon if I didn't kick him off.

And today, it just keeps getting even sweeter. Pat got himself on the tread mill (he has never done this before) and while it was not the conventional way of getting on, he did it all by himself which is not to be sneezed at.  He only did one straight shot today, but it was 8 1/2 minutes which is by far his longest stretch ever.  The fact that he can even walk on the treadmill pretty much by himself is amazing.  He tried to get Reed to agree to by a three month gym membership and go to the gym with him when he hits a 15 minute stretch but maybe he should have waited until Reed agreed before telling him how long he walked today.  hee hee.

And for the record, Mama Spud sent us a potato head family with pets for Christmas so we could be reminded of how close we are and who is going to be on top and who is going to be a pile of potatoes!

The wedding and reception

I didn't want to include my thoughts about the wedding and reception in my trip post because it was too special for that.  Spoiler aler - I am feeling kind of sappy, so please feel free to skip this post if you are not.

For me one of the best moments was when we were taking a rest from our many laps around the temple and we saw Kat for the first time.  She asked us where Tim was and while she seemed nervous that he wasn't there yet, there was a peace about her that I had never felt before.  I remember looking at her an something touched my spirit with the thought that my sisters and I were finally getting to have one of our spirit sisters who had been separated from us by birth.  I don't know how to explain it other than to use the phrase from one of my favorite books "I think you may be a kindred spirit after all". 

In thinking about our family dynamics and everything I came to wonder if maybe some of the peace that I saw was because Tim is finally Kat's and Kat is finally Tim's and nothing can change that.  I know that is how I felt on my wedding day.  It doesn't matter who does or doesn't approve (not that it mattered anyway), we are an eternal family now and no one can change that.  This probably isn't making much sense, it is one of those concepts that makes perfect sense until you try to explain it or write it down.

The reception was so elegant and beautiful, and everything I think of when I think of the woman Kat is becoming.  I couldn't think of a way to make it more perfect and I really enjoyed that it was small and intimate instead of what it would have been if it had been in Idaho.  We really enjoyed getting a chance to celebrate with everyone who was there.  But Kat and Tim had better plan a visit to see us sometime, we sure didn't get as much time to hang out with them as we would have wanted. 

Back on the wagon again

I have been promising Pat for days that I would get back on the wagon again and blog about our trip, his gym success, etc.  So I guess it is time to make good on my promise.

We had such a wonderful trip to Utah for Kat and Tim's wedding.  I have to admit that even though I really wasn't onboard with the idea at first, it turned out so wonderful that I wouldn't have had it any other way.  So here are some of my thoughts about the trip.  I will blog about Pat's accomplishments in a few minutes.

Things that weren't so great
  • The Provo Tabernacle burning down - and staying in a hotel right next door while it was still on fire.  I will always remember going to Stake Conference there when I was at BYU and not remembering a single thing the speakers talked about because I was so busy looking at the beautiful building around me.
  • Poor Julia teething.  She is such a fun pleasant baby and she has the most beautiful smile, but you could tell she felt awful and my heart just went out to her.
  • Pat having to walk double laps at the temple because of some confusion with the workers about what we were trying to do.  He says he didn't mind much though and he didn't complain ...much.
  • Reed loosing our car at the temple parking and having to walk and walk and walk and walk only to have him turn around and say that he thought we should have gone up at level three instead of down.  Next time, we opt for valet parking.  :)
  • Aunt Debbie not getting to come.  Pat says that it just wasn't the same without her.  Not that we don't love all of our family tons.  We would say the same about Loren, but we know he is right where he needs to be.
Things that were awesome
  • Getting to see all of our wonderful family that came.  Pat loved meeting a few members that he had only heard stories about.  Now he knows what we mean when we talk about Uncle Kevin hitting his head on the ceiling fan because he is so tall.
  • Pat seeing the lights on Temple Square for the first time.  We want to go back when we have time to go to the visitor's center and watch the nativity.  We were sad that David Archuleta was singing with MoTab so we couldn't go.
  • Lunch with our friends from Greeley at their restaurant in Lindon where we had some pretty amazing Australian Barbecue.  I loved getting a chance to catch up with them, it has been about 5 years I think.  Pat loved the food, but what is new.  Dad, all I have to say is that you really missed out.  It ended up being the same price as McDonalds.  The really funny thing was that as we left, they mentioned in passing that they had opened a second express location in Provo.  So we could have all eaten there, but we wouldn't have gotten to see the McFaddens.
  • Getting to hold, see, play with our nieces and nephews who we never see enough of.  But of course that always makes us baby hungry.  Pat get walking!!!
  • Dancing at the wedding reception and seeing the look on Pat's face when Dad and Mom danced by.  That really made his day.
To sum it all up, we just wish we could have had one more day with everyone.  We love you all!