We love and miss you already Jan!

Janet Ranheim  78 years old
Mother, Wife, Aunt, Grandmother, Friend
We love and miss her so much!

Yesterday Heaven got a really special lady!  We wished we could have had her with us for longer, but we're happy because we know she's in heaven and has no more aches or pains. 

She declined rapidly after my last post.  Dave kept us informed and on Thursday, May 10th, Dave and his family made the difficult decision to remove all life support and make her as comfortable as possible.  The kids, dog, and I packed the car and starting driving to Minnesota.  We made it about eight hours the first night driving 7:15 PM until about 3:00 AM.  When we were ready to stop we went to the first hotel we found- the weird thing was it was the same one we had stopped at in December.  Apparently my car is starting to know the way.  The next day we traveled the rest of the way to Madison, WI, and my sister and husband took the kids out to dinner and fishing so I could get a nap.  We stayed the night and the next day drove the rest of the way to MN.  We met Dave and his dad (Ted) at the hospital and Jan was doing well enough that the kids could see her. Brennan really wanted to see her and be able to say goodbye.  Kate just went straight to grandpa and stayed in his arms.  They only stayed a few minutes and then Dave's sister (Kris) came to get the kids and take them to her house.  Dave and I stayed with Jan a few hours.  It was so nice to be able to see her and say goodbye.  She looked comfortable and was in a deep sleep. 

We all went to Kris and John's house for dinner.  We shared stories and enjoyed each others company.  Dave's brothers (Craig and Paul) were also there.  Ted left early to go back up to the hospital and then Paul and Craig met at the hospital as well.  We left Brennan for a sleepover with his cousin Erik and took Ingrid and Kate back to the house so Ingrid could watch Kate while we went back to the hospital.  Kris, Dave, and I spent a few hours with Jan as well.  Dave's family had been doing this for almost three weeks!  They really surrounded Jan with constant company and love!  It felt good that I could visit as well!

Ted went back up on Mother's Day and sat most of the day with Craig.  Jan finally gave up her fight at 3:25 PM.  Her last words had been a few days before when one of the nurse's pointed to Ted and had asked who he was.  She responded, "That's my best friend."  They had been married for over fifty years and her best friend was by her side the entire time!  She left this world and entered heaven very peacefully.  Ted said that it was very fitting that Jan passed away on Mother's Day.  What she treasured the most was being a mother and grandmother! 

As I write this post, I have tears running down my face.  Jan was my biggest fan of this blog.  She checked to see if there were any updates constantly!  I had known Jan for 18 years and in all that time she was supportive, loving, and kind.  She loved our adoption journeys with both Kate and Brennan and thought they were a great fit with the Ranheim clan.  She was such a caring grandma and just enjoyed her time with the grandkids.  She made each one feel special and appreciated.  She'd plop them on her counter when they were little and have them help with the cooking or baking or maybe just to chat.  She will be missed so much! 

I can't imagine how Dave is feeling!  I am so happy that he was here for the last two weeks!  In his words, "Jan was the best mother ever."  Ted and I both said she made being a parent look easy.  She certainly raised four amazing kids that surrounded her with their love always and especially at the end of her earthly life.

Kate said a prayer to grandma last night and when we got back to their house she ran and sat with grandpa.  I'm not sure what they talked about but grandpa had his hands on Kate's head and they looked so sweet together.  Brennan was crushed when I initially told him before we left to drive to MN and cried for a long time.  Family is so important to him and he was so sad.  He broke my heart. Being with his cousins has helped so far, because they all know grandma is in a better place.

Ted and his kids (Dave, Paul, Kris, and Craig) gathered Sunday night to make some plans.  While they gathered the kids and I went to one of grandma's favorite restaurants.  They had talked about talking at grandma's funeral, but I'm not sure that will happen.  They were so sweet making plans though.  They all seem to have a good understanding and realize how lucky they were to have grandma in their lives.

We love you so much Jan!  We will miss you forever but your memories will always be with us!  Thank you for touching our lives and making us better people!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 10, 2012 

Jan's funeral was beautiful!  Pastor Paul at Normandale Lutheran Church did an amazing job and everything was beautiful and perfect!  Over 200 people came to the visitation which was at the church Wednesday night and the funeral on Thursday.  Jan's friends are so amazing!  It truly was touching to be able to see so many people who loved Jan so much!  Some of her friends go back over 40 years!  They stood by each other through thick and thin and have so many stories to share!  They are a true inspiration to us all!  Her best friend since they were eleven years old, Lee Linhares, passed away the morning of Jan's funeral.  It was special to think of Jan waiting by Heaven's gate to greet her best friend! 

Dave drove back with us to Raleigh.  We left Friday morning and got home Saturday night.  I only had to drive about three hours on the way home.  It was so nice having Dave at home with us again! 

Dave and his family are doing alright.  Ted has a lot of support and people keeping him busy.  Everyone has such amazing faith and belief that Jan is in a Wonderful Place.  They are at peace knowing that they did everything they could do for their sweet mom and wife.  She didn't want to ever have to be in a nursing home and God heard her prayers. 

Like Julie always said to Kate during the time Jan was sick, "God has a plan."  We thank God that His plan allowed all of us to say our goodbyes and that Jan had quality of life up to the time she got sick.  That's exactly what she would have wanted.

We love and miss you so much Jan!  Our prayer to you is to believe that we will all take care of each other!  We'll miss your guidance, but you taught us well!

xoxoxo

Here's Kate with Lee in the summer of 2011.  Lee is the one that gave Kate her special doll. 

Jan would have loved the flower arrangements!  She also would have
approved of the picture of her!  She had told Ted that for once she
looked better than him in the church picture.  :-)



The church sponsored a luncheon after the funeral.  It was SynntendeMai
which is Norway's Independence Day.  Jan would have LOVED that!
Notice all the Norwegian flags and special dessert!

The kids wrote this on the board going into the
basement/storage area. Her grandkids loved her soooo
much!

Some of Dave's friends that remember
so many occasions with Jan.  Some of their
favorites were her fresh baked cookies that
she always had available when they were
in high school.

Here we are in front of her
favorite Mexican Restaurant. 
Kate, Ingrid, Brennan, Erik.

On our drive home we stopped in
Madison for lunch.  Wendy,
Norman, and Dan met us
at the restaurant.  It
was a nice break!

Prayers needed

Prayers are needed for Dave's mom as well as my mom. 

Dave's mom has been in the hospital for twelve days because of three small strokes and now pnemonia.  Dave flew up to be there with family and to help as much as possible.  The kids and I wish we could go too but we'd have to drive about 21 hours to get there... we're happy to do it, but as long as she remains stable we'll wait.  Jan (Dave's mom) is a "fighter" and wants to continue fighting, and so we pray that God gives her the strength and patience that it will take to recover.  Jan is truly one of the best people around- in fact I fell in love with Dave's family almost before I fell in love with Dave.  She has always been supportive, kind, patient, loving, exciting, and fun to be with. She has the best stories, and we can't wait to share more memories with her this summer!

My mom fell while painting some cupboards in her house and broke a vertebrae in her lower back.  She spent three nights in the hospital and is now resting at home.  She needs to rest for six weeks and then they will see about further surgery.  My mom does not like to be still for long... but she is patiently counting down the days so far!  We hope and pray that she will be a good patient and give her back time to heal properly!  We can't wait to see her this summer as well and pamper her a little, since we can't be there right now.

Ted and Jan- Dave's parents summer 2011

Penny- my mom  summer 2011

Both of our moms were in the hospital at the same time... it was so hard to be so far away!!!  They are both in our prayers!  Of course we have to be thankful that Dave and I have both been blessed with such wonderful moms, and that we've been able to have them in our lives all of this time! I have many friends whose moms went to heaven already. 

Spring Break!

Kate with Julie's newest nephew.  Kate
can't wait to hold him after spring break!

We had a GREAT spring break!  We were so busy that not much house cleaning occurred though...  oh well!

We started with a trip to Pullen Park on Saturday.  Kate had gone there on Friday with Erika (the lady her watches her on Fridays) and LOVED it!  Brennan had a birthday party at the park so we dropped him off and then took Kate to the rides and park.  It was a beautiful day!  On Sunday we went to church and then out to lunch at our favorite Chinese buffet.  After lunch we headed back to church for the Easter Egg Hunt.  Kate was so excited!  Brennan thought he was too old to hunt for eggs, but when he found out there were only four kids in his age group he decided to participate.  Both kids had fun although we had to miss the crafts and snacks because Kate had a fussy moment.  When she ended up falling asleep on the floor we knew she as exhausted! 

Kate loves the therapy pool.
Caitlyn always makes PT fun!

More pictures from Harry Potter Day!

On Monday I packed the kids up and we headed to the NC Zoo.  It's about an hour and a half away and so we made a day of it.  The weather was perfect and we had fun together!  Our favorites were the gorillas, giraffes, and elephants.  Kate loved the carousel and Brennan loved the dinosaur exhibit. 

Kate always gets a ton of exercise with
Julie!  Here she is at Monkey Joe's.

And more Harry Potter pictures.

On the train ride at Pullen Park.

It was a beautiful day at
Pullen Park!

Kate loved the carousel at Pullen Park! 
Here she is riding "Kate" the bunny.

And of course she had to ride
the little boats too!

Kate found a lot of eggs!

I always think it's funny that the
Easter egg hunt takes place in the
cemetery at our church.  :-)

Brennan is serious about landing
his helicopter at the zoo to
save the elephants!

On Tuesday Kate had her five year old check up.  She only had to get one shot, so she was happy!  She didn't even flinch when they gave it to her! After the doctor appointment we headed for haircuts and then went to the mall to see the Easter Bunny.  Kate was so excited to see him!  Of course we made a quick stop into the Lego store too.  Brennan had fun picking out Lego's from the pick a brick section.  We then headed to Raleighwood to eat lunch and watch the movie Big Miracle.  We met Lisa, Reese, and Emma at the movies.  It was a great movie!  We headed home after the movie and the kids played Lego's the rest of the night.

On Wednesday we met Renee, Dari, Darian, and Delaney at Monkey Joe's.  We ended up playing there for four and half hours!  Definitely got our money's worth and the kids got enough exercise to last them for days!  Kate still had a little energy left to go to gymnastics Wednesday evening. 

Kate knew exactly what to do
during the egg hunt!

 On Thursday we enjoyed a lazy morning!  I also got a little house cleaning done.  I took Brennan over to his friend's house around 2:00 PM and then Kate and I ran a few errands before her PT appointment.  We got the sad news at her PT appointment that Raleigh Neurology was discontinuing their pediatric therapies effective May 11th.  Caitlyn will keep us posted as to where she ends up so hopefully we'll be able to follow her to her new location.  I also got the sad news that our insurance company denied us our appeal about Eastpointe Prosthetics.  Oh well... I'm not too worried about it yet.  We'll see how much Kate's braces cost when we use an out of network place...  After Kate's appointment we headed home and met back up with Brennan and his friend (Lyon) and Hollis.  They hung out with us for the evening and we ordered pizza. It's always fun catching up with Hollis!  Lyon ended up spending the night and so the boys played Friday morning while Kate and I enjoyed another lazy morning!

We walked down to our neighbor's house and played some basketball and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  Brennan also finished his science experiment and we put his presentation together.  Now he just needs to find time to practice it.  In the late afternoon we decided to go see the movie Hugo at the cheap theatre.  Hollis and Lyon joined us and we all ate popcorn for dinner and enjoyed the movie.  Friday night Brennan's friend, Teddy, stayed the night and the boys set up a art show and sale Saturday morning.  They didn't have very many customers but they ended up making $3.00.  :-)

Saturday we went back to the Chinese Buffet and played outside. 

Kate has said several cute things this week (of course!)...

When I said we were going to the zoo she asked if there would be animals there?  Was it an animal zoo?  Hee hee.

Brennnan and Kate have been sleeping in the living room together so we blow up the air mattress for them each day.  Kate calls it the "bunk bed". Brennan thinks that is hilarious and so now we all call it the bunk bed.

Kate is very concerned about the Easter Bunny and how he can sneak around.  She also wanted to know if he is afraid of dogs?  Everyday she asks us how many more days until Easter...

The cutest though was when she was telling me the story of Jesus and how he died on the cross.  She had the story perfect!!!  Julie does such a nice job teaching her so many things!  The true story of Easter hasn't been lost in the bunny excitement. 

Brennan working on his science fair
project.

Comparing their loot from the egg hunt

I guess this explains why she had a melt
down after the egg hunt!  It takes
one tired kid to fall asleep on the hardwood
floors!

Playing in the park at the zoo.l

 It's been a great week!  I am so happy we still have tomorrow off. I have some work meetings on Monday so Kate will go back to Julie's house.  Brennan will hang with Dave. 

On Monday night I head down to the beach with my co-worker, Sue, for the night.  We'll meet up with our second graders on Tuesday morning for our Sound to Sea field trip.  Our second graders are going to be so excited for their overnight field trip!  When we get back to school on Thursday the kids have to run the half mile for their physical fitness test.  By Thursday afternoon they are all going to need a vacation again!  :-) 

Our relaxing and fun week was great!  Now to get some energy for the craziness of our life... of course that's truly how we all love it!

The bunny on this carousel was
also named "Kate".

Kate loved seeing the Easter Bunny!

We had so much fun at the NC Zoo!

Happy Spring!

 Yep!  They are sitting in a huge mud puddle!  Julie
said it took about thirty minutes to persuade Kate
to join her friends in the mud.  So cute and so
funny (and so good for Kate)!  Have I mentioned
lately how much I appreciate Kate's teacher?!!!  Oh and she
washed all their clothes too!!!!

Our days continue to be so busy with play dates, Great Minds activities, church, gymnastics, fishing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, work, and school.  We are all really looking forward to Spring Break and having some lazy mornings and catching up on housework.  We love our little house but these days it's REALLY feeling little.  I can't wait to have some time to sort through toys, papers, and clothes!  It always feels better when everything is organized again!

We were so excited to find out that Kate was awarded a $1,500.00 medical grant that I had applied for!  Thank you United Healthcare!!!  The grant money can be used for more physical and occupational therapy appointments.  Our insurance, which ironically is United Healthcare, only covers 20 appointments a year, so with the grant money we'll be able to continue Kate's every other week appointments.  That should truly help!  Ideally she should be going to physical therapy once a week, but thankfully we have Julie as Kate's preschool teacher and she makes sure that all the kids get tons of exercise everyday!  That has helped so much!  We do worry about when Kate begins kindergarten though... when she doesn't get enough exercise you can really tell the difference.  Her legs are stiff and her balance is a little "off".  I'm getting ready to apply for another grant though, so hopefully we'll get a little more help to pay for the appointments that she needs once school starts in August.  Of course Kate's weekly gymnastics helps too. 

Kate's new braces are working great!  Her toe drag is much better and a pair of shoes lasts much longer!  Unfortunately we are having a little trouble with the insurance company though... the orthopedics company we used is out of network... I've written an appeal to the insurance company so we'll see what happens.  We LOVE Eastpoint Prosthetics and want to continue working with them, so hopefully the insurance company can make an exception.  Fingers crossed... If not we may just see what it costs to continue to work with them even though they are out of network.  Eastpoint Prosthetics is being super patient with the process, so that's good news! 

We were very excited to find out that Kate got into Hilburne Academy for kindergarten.  They are a smaller school that worked with me as I tried to figure out the public school selection process when I went to turn in Kate's application.  Once we found out she was in, I sent an e-mail and have been corresponding with several people to figure out how to get Kate's 504 plan in place before school starts in August.  It truly helped that we had Preschool Services already assess her back in December!  There are so many people to coordinate with, but thankfully we have time to get it all figured out.  Everyone has been so nice and helpful!  The 504 plan will give Kate accommodations such as someone to carry her lunch tray, help her up any stairs, etc.  Kate does great but when you throw in running, jumping kids, we worry that she'll be knocked over and fall down.  We also don't want Kate to get "teased" for walking slower, etc.  She's pretty spunky though and we always say, "I wouldn't mess with Kate!"  We're pretty sure she can hold her own!  Our plan is for Kate to attend public school kindergarten for a year and once Brennan graduates fifth grade from my school the two kids will switch places.  Hilburne Academy goes through eighth grade so should be a great middle school for Brennan!  Of course if Kate ends up loving Hilburne, we'll keep her there and save some money each month.  :-) 

Brennan has been busy with school and is doing well!  He is so much more responsible about homework although he left one assignment for the last minute.  He was supposed to read Harry Potter (the first book) and said he was reading at school when I asked.  When I went to his conference with his teacher she asked if he was reading it at home...  so he was busted!  We got the book and started reading it with only a week and a half to get it completed.  Of course that was on top of his daily homework, etc.  Poor kid missed some play time and TV time but we read it together and he actually ended up enjoying it!  He was really happy he did read the book when Harry Potter Day arrived!  His entire classroom was transformed into Hogwarts for the day and everyone dressed up.  It was such a fun day for everyone filled with wand making, spells, potions, and even a Quidditch match at PE time.  They also had a guy come in with owls to teach about them.  Hopefully my hesitant reader may be hooked on a series to read for awhile... I was impressed with his reading skills when we read the book together, but can't figure out how to get him to truly enjoy reading on a daily basis?!!  Oh well... I guess I should be happy he has the skills necessary, even if he doesn't love it. 


Kate continues to go on amazing field trips and learn so much at her school.  One day Kate commented that she wanted to pet a sheep, so Julie arranged it and off they went!  What a blessing that Kate has been exposed to so much during her first year in America! 

Kate was looking through some pictures on my phone this morning and came to a video of her crying that was taken in September.  We certainly don't miss those days... although now she is in a yelling mode!  I guess I'd choose yelling over the crying but I hope we can convince her (SOON!) that talking is just as effective as yelling/whining.  We keep saying she is working through all the toddler stages in one year... it's probably healthy and we do have a five year old Kate more and more often! 

A few more milestones that she's accomplished-
She can write her name now, she can jump,  she can do a somersault, she can (almost) ride her big wheel without help, she can dress herself, she knows most of her colors (although gets red and green mixed up), she can color within the lines, and she can do a 24 piece puzzle by herself!  It's so funny to teach her something because when you are teaching her or helping her the first or second time she does. not. get .it. at. all... then all of a sudden you help her a third time and she totally gets it!  She amazes us!  It's been nine months and she's learned about as much as a four year old does in that time.  I think she'll be caught up by August!

 So life has settled down although we stay quite busy!  Looking forward to spring break in one week...

Fishing at Springdale with Brennan

After holding these baby chicks at
school, Brennan was trying to convince
me that we could have chickens on our
deck!  I love this kid!

Kate singing at church.
She always looks so cute
and sings her heart out!

Kate was at a park with her
classmates and was so proud
that she could climb on this structure.
She wanted Julie to take a picture so we
could show it to Caitlyn (her PT therapist).
Caitlyn was very impressed!

I love this picture!  Back in
June we would never have let
Kate walk Zamboni for fear
that he would pull her down.
It shows how much stronger and
confident she is when walking!

Brennan helped Kate do her very first Lego
set! She did great and even knew how to
follow the directions.  I guess watching
Brennan put Lego sets together for
nine months helped!

Celebrating my dad's birthday at Golden
Corral- one of his favorite places.  It's hard
 to believe that he has been in heaven for nine years...

The kids wanted to sleep in the living room
the other night so we set up an air mattress
for them only to find them BOTH sleeping
on the hard floor in the morning!  Silly
kids!

Kate knew she was going to the farm
with Julie but insisted on wearing
her dress!  It's amazing to see her
feeding the goat when she wouldn't even
touch an animal in June!  Thanks Julie!

The perfect Easter picture!!!  Kate told everyone
about the baby bunnies!

Harry Potter Day at TRS!

Kate was Little Bo Peep
for nursery rhyme day at school.