Reverend Vernon McGarvey, 64, of Moberly, died Sunday, September 25, 2011, at his home surrounded by his family. After a diagnosis of terminal colon cancer, he enjoyed two pain-free years with his family and friends, traveling to the Middle East and Europe. He was able to see his first two grandchildren born during this miraculous time.
Thank you for all the kind messages and calls we've received over the past 24 hours. If we haven't returned a call or text it's only because of the deluge of information we're pushing through over here. Know we appreciate and share them with the rest of the family.
Tonight we have gone to a pain patch that will possibly replace the IV drip. If it controls the pain tonight, Dad will go home on Sunday and hospice will take over for the duration of his care.
On Saturday, the family convoyed up to Macon to visit Maples Repertory student theater camp's last performance of "Cinderella: The Untold Story." It was the first "full" theater show Cooper's been able to sit through and Heidi, well, she's a seasoned pro by now. There was lots of singing and dancing and Heidi sang and danced her way about while Cooper sat thoroughly entranced (it probably helped that he missed a nap). The show was laugh-out-loud funny in parts and it was great to see Nathaniel Richards treading the boards as the leading man.
A short note: This was Cooper's first time out with sunglasses. He's got two pairs (a Spidey set from Aunt Janet and black set from his Dad). He's been picking them up and slowly getting used to wearing them at home, but today was the first time he chose to wear them out of the house! There's more pix over here...
“Cuts and Scrapes. No need to dig out the hydrogen peroxide: All you need is clean water (to rinse the wound) and a little soap (to clean the skin around the cut); anything stronger can cause irritation. Skip the antibiotic ointment, too: Exposure to fresh air is the quickest way to allow wounds to dry and heal (any creams will keep it moist). If the scrape is in a spot that will easily get dirty (like your hand) or rubbed by clothing (like your knee), cover it with a bandage; otherwise, leave it be.” 
Vernon & Glynnda are in Prague today!
The day after Heidi's birthday we threw a bit of a bash to celebrate her gracing us with her presence one year ago. Since one of the things we called Heidi during my pregnancy was "Little Who" because we didn't know who was inside there, we decided on a Seussical theme. Plus, anything Seuss-related is just plan fun. After lots of prep and planning, which are some of my favorite things to do, we invited 50 friends to feast and celebrate with us. Heidi was her charming self and greeted all of her guests, made the appropriate ooo's and ahhhh's when opening her gifts, and, much to Grammie's delight, did not cover herself in cake. She was ever the princess, using a fork and daintily dipping her fingers in her cake. Grammie put a halt to it all before it got messy and whisked her off to the bathroom for clean-up. 
We are so thankful for all of the friends and family that helped set up and tear down. When the RSVP's hit 35, Johnathan convinced me we should move the festivities to the church fellowship hall instead of our home and I'm so glad we did. Heidi and all of her friends had a blast! And even if she doesn't remember it, we have plenty of photos to show her years from now of all of the people who have loved her dearly from the very beginning!
Maybe I was a little misty-eyed all day remembering every hour of craziness one year ago today... while sitting calmly at my desk. I may have yelled out to my staff in the other room, "Heidi will be here in 2 and a half hours from right now. I just started pushing right now!" They patronized me and sighed along with me at how fast the year had gone. But it has gone quickly. Lightning speed quick. In fact, all year long I've said, "I know now why it's a cliche: that whole thing that parents say, 'Oh they'll be grown and gone before you know it.' Because it's true." 
Johnathan turned the big 3-0 on Tuesday and though he had his BIG official party at his home on Sunday evening, we just had to do some celebrating on the real day! So, since Johnathan doesn’t care for cakes of any kind, I always bake him a pecan pie from a real Texas pecan pie recipe made with real Texas pecans, shipped in from Comanche, Texas. After prayer meeting, it was time to celebrate with some Mexican cornbread, black-eyed peas, salad and pecan pie! The best part came when he opened his birthday card and found cash to put on his trolling motor when he goes fishing!
Heidi was asleep when Sasha Hlavac, Suzi’s mom, came by for a visit and to bring Heidi and me our Valentine’s presents. As you can tell from the pictures, Heidi loves Purrcy, the Lion, the latest addition to her animal kingdom! It shakes and growls and doesn’t scare Heidi for a second! She loves to cuddle up with it, and I am going to enjoy every bite of my chocolate rose! Thanks, Sasha!
