And the light at the end of the tunnel finally got brighter...

It has been a horrible, terrible, very bad winter. Mom got sick before Thanksgiving and was in and out of the hospital until about 2 weeks ago. The cause, to the best of the doctor's knowledge, was pneumonia and complication associated with that. Poor mom was not only in and out of the hospital, but spent some time in a rehabilitation center and lost over 35 pounds.  During her illness, Dad was also in need of a lot of help due to the fact that he can't drive and has doctor's appointments at least once a week. But, it appears that it is all behind us now. Mom is home and growing stronger every day. We still have to help out with grocery shopping and playing taxi driver for them, but at lease she is home and on her way back to normal.
We couldn't have made it through these past two months if it hadn't been for the support we got from family. My kids helped out with driving to and from appointments, chores about the house, and staying with Dad when they could. My brothers came down as their schedules and own family needs allowed. It is our hope and prayer that Mom will continue to improve, Dad will stay healthy, and things will stay normal for quite a while!
During it all, my greatest comfort and joy was spending precious moments with the grandchildren. They were few and far between. But, last night they all stayed the night, we watched Dispicable Me 2, played games, and today we explored local state parks to find the perfect place to camp during Spring Break. It is so wonderful to be back to norma!