He's Fishing in Heaven

Early this morning my first grandparent died. Now I only have 3. They are all exactly 84 years old. My parents are 63 and I am 42.

I am so grateful that I made the drive to the nursing home last night to go see him one last time. I talked to him some, but he was asleep, preparing to move on to a place where he can hear perfectly, he can fish all day, he can build houses if he wants to and he can watch over all of us. I told him it's okay to move on, it's okay to let go. I hugged him and gave him a big kiss. I told him the kids and Aron also love him. I told him it will be nice to have him watching over all of us.

Samuel's birthday was Monday, my cousin's birthday was yesterday, and my 15-year-anniversary is tomorrow. He picked a good day to die, right in between all these things and we will always remember him.

Here are some things I wrote about him about a month ago in case you're interested. Here are some photos of him during times before the Alzheimer's took over and then that brain hem started the fast decline.

Please pray for my family during this difficult time. He has 4 sons, 8 grandkids and 9 great-grandkids.

Aron and Poppy after Sam was born

Poppy and my dad on a fishing trip

Poppy, my dad, Uncle Tod and Joel

Happy 4th Birthday, Samuel!

Don't let this picture fool you. Samuel, age 4 today, is not all studious. No, he's a daredevil terror who loves to watch me freak out at his little antics! Is it enough that he was born with meconium aspiration? http://www.thekerrieshow.com/2009/10/meconium-aspiration-birth-story.html

No! He has to give me daily mini heart attacks as he climbs things he shouldn't climb, Sharpies the newly painted walls, draws Xs on my minivan with a rock and more.

He doesn't like to be "the baby" ... he's the big boy, running around with the other kids.

We love you, Samuel! Happy birthday today. You're going to have a great birthday and a great life!

Here's what we'll be doing today: http://www.bubblews.com/news/1285430-happy-4th-birthday-to-samuel

All I Want for Christmas

Is this. The Fisher Price Little People Play Family House. I have a huge thing for vintage stuff. I was born in 1971 and this was born in 1969, so I played with a toy just like this growing up and I have this nostalgia thing going on and I just want this so badly.

I guess I would  let the kids play with it ... during supervised visits, of course. I don't need Sharpie all over it, for dang's sake (I'm talking to you, Samuel). Then I would hide it in my closet.

#Free #LEGO Monthly Mini Build!

I honestly don't know why I'm telling you about this because that just means more people in the dang line, which is long enough already. But I like to share, and if that bites me in the butt, so be it. My karma will be intact.

The first Tuesday of every month LEGO stores do this thing called a free monthly mini-build. They give you a little package which contains all the pieces to make this tiny creation in the store. You don't grab it and go, people. They want you to build it there, fueling your already obsessive love of LEGOs and then peruse the other LEGO offerings in-store then go home $200 poorer.

But I digress. Here's what the boys and Callie build in July after their dad stood in line for a century. Sorry it's so tiny; blame LEGO because I got this off their site. It's a crab, people.

Here's what they built in September (we missed August and September): (it's a pirate)

If you miss one, you can download instructions for how to build it at home, but sometimes your kid might not have all the pieces. Bummer.

So when Michael kept asking about going again, AND MICHAEL NEVER ASKS FOR ANYTHING, I decided I was going to make it happen. It might entail paying a sitter tomorrow while I go stand in line with the 2-3 oldest kids, but I'm going. I'm camping out at the LEGO store so we can get that dang mini build witch, so there!

So here's the link to check these out in the future. Find your store to find out the exact times and all that.

See you in line! I'll bring the wine! (hey, that rhymes!)

Callie, the American Heritage Girl

This is my little American Heritage Girl. It's like Girl Scouts only different. Meetings are held at the church where I became a Catholic and where Aron and I got married and where Callie was baptized. Her peers are other Catholic girls and homeschooled girls. I love how she is wearing zebra pants with her uniform! That's my little fashion baby! While she was in her meeting, here's what we did:

Sam played some b-ball cuz that's how he rolls.

Joel, Michael and Eva talked about Christmas lists

Later, the Littles got into some sidewalk chalk trouble on their faces!