In Peace She Went

My sweet grandma Katie died yesterday at 96 yrs old with basically nothing wrong with her but just being old. She was born in 1914 in Ohio and had a crush on my grandfather when she sat behind him in 7th grade. They ended up getting married in Sequim, she lived in the same house when she married until she couldn't live by herself anymore and went to a local assisted living place. She was amazingly aware at the end, responding to us just 2 days before she passed away. She was so tough..... anyone that knew her loved her joking spirit and how she said thanks for everything all the time.

I have so many memories of her growing up until now. She loved us all so much.

She always was happy to see you at her house, would always try and feed you and no matter when you stopped by she always always had homemade cookies in the cookie jar.

- thousands of ping pong games in the rec room

-having a giant drawer of flour and sugar for baking and letting me measure things out

-trying to teach me how to bowl- her sitting down in huff shaking her head with a smile on her face after probably my 5th gutter ball. " I don't know what you are doing, I can't help you."

-When all of us were in college and missing home late at night we all knew to call her because she would be awake and happy to hear from us.

-We always had huge family dinners at her house, her basically making all the food, a long table full of people and she made the BEST fried chicken.

-When Anthony and I got to spend the night at her house and we were supposed to go to bed, we would stay up laughing and not going to sleep. She never got mad at us just at some point would open the door and tell us it was time to sleep and we would zonk out.

- She made oatmeal with evaporated milk and lot of sugar and let us pick what we wanted for lunch. My brother usually picked peanut butter and honey and I usually picked chicken noodle soup.

-She and my grandpa loved to play cards I remember being little enough and sitting on their lap and watching them play with their friends trying to figure out how they shuffled the cards so well and how they played the game. Soon they taught us.

-She loved my kids. I remember sitting on the couch feeding Abby with her sitting right by me leaning into me and patting her bottom while we rocked saying how beautiful she was.

-Even in the nursing home when it was hard for her to remember my kids, Wes and I would come in to see her and she would say how big and strong he was and how beautiful. He loved to go see her, he would try and brush her hair and always wanted to touch her face. He didn't do that with anyone else.

-Abby remembers going to visit her at Sherwood, sitting on her floor drawing pictures in a tablet kept there for her while we visited.

If I can manage to walk through this world with half the dignity and grace that my grandmother and mother have I will be lucky.

No sleep

So many many things swimming around in my head, a head that is hurting from no caffeine today. I am so tired, these children won't sleep all night. We all are so tired, except Wes of course he's rarin' to go.

He went to the bathroom on his potty tonight and gave me a high five for it.

I told him tonight as he was drinking his milk to go to sleep that his mama was really tired, that he needed to stop waking up and just sleep all night. Think it will work? Trying to rationalize with a 19 mo. old probably isn't the best tactic, ughgh.

Maybe soon we'll just have to let him yell and figure it out...

double ughghh....

Happy 8th Abby

Abby's birthday card from her Papa- for a girl who loves dragons so much, isn't this sooo awesome! Love you Joe.










On the way to Great Wolf Lodge. Actually I think this is them in the driveway waiting for us to get the car packed. :)














After hours in the waterpark, a tired, hungry but super happy boy. :)












Abs up her Wolf Den bed- top bunk with all her Webkinz who made the trip with her.












The way home, ice cream on her face, a smile, Wessy saying "cheeeese," which he apparently can't do without closing his eyes. :)







Happy Happy 8th birthday my girl. A joint family birthday party with her uncle Ben, a cake she designed her self- a dragon of course. Then off to Great Wolf Lodge which is a crazy, wild indoor waterpark. Lots of work for the parents but tons of fun for these kiddos and the parents too, actually. I was totally screaming going backwards on the tube while Abby was laughing her head off, having already been down it a few times with Joe. :) Managing the water with the crowd not many pics were taken, bummer but you can't do it all. A few pictures i wish I had is Wessy being in the wave pool hanging on and all grins in the waves and walking straight into the waves, getting bowled over and going right back for more. Abs's and Joe's face when she got off the Alberta Falls waterslide, her jumping up and down after going on her first few slides she was so excited, her winning 250 tickets at the arcade playing straight ice ball and few basketball games, and of course Joe standing right in the area where a giant bucket with 1,000 gallons of water dumps right on your head- all smiles and that laugh.
Abby you are growing up so quickly. When you turned 7 i felt so excited but 8 makes me feel a little melancholy. There are times when you are completely mature and charming and those other times that you can still seem 5 at best. I love all of you girl.

The Potty

Just now Abby is reading to Wes while he sits on the potty and tries to pee.
Is it possible that she will do the potty training.
Wow, who knew?

A ride on the new ferry the Chetzemoka, Port Townsend to Whidbey Island and back.












Love this photo of Abby cracking up






Sweetie boy Wes with his long hair. Hair cut on the calendar for next weekend. He's going to look so grown up. :(



Abs and I

Full

At our house last night. So lovely.

Last night

Last night Abs in the tub.
Abs: Momma, I think i want to go to Ireland. maybe live there.
me: sounds good baby, then i can visit. Maybe you could go to college there.
Abs: yeah, that would be cool.
-somehow it came up about having to pay for college
me: how i did it was try to get really good grades in school so i could get a scholarship that paid for it. otherwise you don't go or you get loans to pay and then you pay it back.
Abs: ohh... so that is how you do it.
me: we are lucky because you have a farm across the street to that you can work all summer to earn money when you get bigger and can run the tractors.
Abs: yeah... i really want to do that. but mom I don't really want to get any older because working all the time seems hard. Can't the world just stop growing right now and we could all just stay this old? Then Wessy would be cute forever!
me: he will still be cute when he's older just like you are and no Wessy has to get bigger so his momma can stop chasing him around.
And we laughed. Then she went on splashing the water out of the tub because she is being all crazy and me getting mad at her for getting water all over (happens almost every tub she takes.) Funny how there are little moments of vision and then you snap back into life and the moment is gone.
I just want to be able to look back and remember.

Today I walked for more than an hour with the sun on me the whole time....ahhhhhh.

Joe and I heading out on New Years Eve in Portland to find the Aladdin Theatre to see Brandi Carlile. We ate at a tiny place called Tastebuds, started with coffee and ended with a dessert which cannot be named it was that good. We stood in line in the seriously freezing weather and got in. At one point I was only three people away from the stage- can i just say she is so awesome!! We had a great time and horray for 24hrs away. :)

Our sweet tree in the snow
Abs doing snow angels on the driveway with barely enough snow.
Mr. Snowman
Sweetie kids watching the snowplow

Leaving...

Liam- won't quite do a real smile at this stage - 3 yrs old :)

Luke- a week away from being 5 yrs old. :)

My brother, Jenny and the boys left today to start their Portugal adventure. They were able to be here for a few weeks- time to just be, have dinners, play games and more games, hug, laugh and wrestle with those boys. Abby got some great cousin time in, even had Luke for his first spend the night at our house, right before he turns 5. It was really hard to say goodbye I love them so much. Passport applications were mailed today though, in hopes that we get on that plane and fly ourselves to Portugal to see them in the next few years. I can't wait to hear about their adventures of finding a house, learning the culture, about the markets, and the boys' Portugese school. I can't wait to hear about the bars, the food, and the wine that everyone says is fantastic, the beach, and mostly the people- what they are like and how lovely they are. I can't wait to see you there.

Christmas Day 2010
Christmas Pajamas!! Finally he is awake so we can open stockings!!
Sleepy Wes and I on Christmas Day

The Snow

Thinking to myself and wondering just how many more years i have to be taller than Abs- not many.

Wessy trying not to fall on the slippery snow- his tongue must help!

Joe and Wes looking all good. :)

Love This....

November Snow!

The sledding crew- Cousin heaven!
Jake, Abby, Angelina, Luke and Liam.

Wessy all suited up to go out. Had his first sled down the bunny hill. Once down with Jake and once with his momma!

Happy Happy

A full moon and snow today. Funny how birthdays go.... another day, sweet phone calls

and messages, a dinner with my family. Friends coming over

for hugs.... how it used to be about gifts when you were young

but as you get older you see the true gifts are just the people themselves with their

arms around you tight, their smiles reflecting yours.

Today

Today the sun was sought, cookies were made, long naps had by the littlest.

A few jobs are more complete, the floor is semi-clean, and baths were taken.

I smiled more and I just didn't feel as heavy.

The fire crackling, the fish tank bubbling, Joe reading to Abby, and the moon comes out again...goodnight.