Memorial Day Weekend 2012

Since we didn’t want to be around the house all weekend, we opted to show our kids “up north” and take them to Lake Superior. Sofia referred to it all weekend as the ocean, then on Sunday it became “her ocean”. We left right after work on Friday and got back Sunday evening. It was an adventure and even though it didn’t feel like it at times (yelling due to not listening), we all had fun and made some good memories. There was also an incident that will not be discussed. The weather was cold and windy on the way home, but Saturday was perfect for being outdoors the entire day. That gave us Monday to recover and relax. All of us have been tired and our schedule has been crazy (though with good things). The testament that the girls had fun was when they started listing off our activities to Nana and Papa when they joined us last night for dinner.

Here’s some of what they mentioned:
- They got to sleep in bunk beds!
- Rock climbing at State Parks (Meaning we narrowly saved ourselves from getting soaked and made our own way on the beach.)
- Hiking at a few State Parks (Tettegouche, Temperance, Gooseberry Falls)
- Tram ride up the mountain
- Alpine slide (We’re definitely going back for that. Samantha loved being able to do it herself and Sofia loved going with her dad.)  You can see the video at the end of the post.
- Swimming
- Toured the Split Rock Lighthouse (The girls really liked talking to the "characters" from that time.)

Fonzie goes to sleep

We put Fonzie to sleep yesterday and we all miss him so much. All of us were in the room with him when he died. He was our dog, part of our family. We all talked a lot about him last night and Sofia said this morning that he was her brother. Samantha agreed with her. Daddy and I still think every jingle is Fonzie's dog tags.  I don't know when or if we will get another dog. Fonzie had such a great disposition and was very tolerant of kids... He left such a void that we are all feeling now, but time will tell and we are all too raw from the loss to make any decisions. For our last day with Fonz we took him to his favorite place on earth... The dog park. He played with the other dogs and smelled everything, as per usual. Since it was such a hot day and the age he's at (over 100 in dog years), Fonzie was worn out pretty quickly.

I'm grateful to Fonz for forcing me to get over my fears of big dogs, for teaching me how to live in a pack, and all the years of annoyances, adventures and love.  In all the walks he went on, someone always pointed out his beauty. I'll never forget the strange looks from people whenever we went rollerblading, or correcting all the folks who thought he was a wolf. I'll remember the times he ran over our kids and others, the wrestling matches and his reaction whenever Daddy said he was going to pick him up (Fonzie would run).
Fonzie is forever a member of our family and is forever loved by us. We will miss you Fonz, so much.

Rest In Peace, old friend. 

Grammy turns 70!

Grammy is 70!

Happy Birthday to Grammy!

We took her out to dinner and she appreciated the firework for her:

In true Grammy fashion, she informed me on Mother's Day that she was expecting another poem, so as "requested", here it is.

A POEM FOR GRAMMY’S 70th BIRTHDAY!

Just a few notes about my mother

Who I’m often told is like no other

She’s stubborn, fun and not a quitter

Even her crazy daughter didn’t make her bitter

To be a grandmother, she didn’t expect

She loves to spoil them, as she can

Her granddaughters are full of love and respect

Many more adventures is their plan

You have to love her

She is a trip

She sticks by you

And will never flip

Nothing keeps her down

She is compassionate and funny

It’s been hard for her to say no

Remember my cats and pet bunny

Grammy is cherished and loved

Full of support, not afraid to defend

She is a force of nature

And remains my closest friend

She offers to clean up when no one else will

Helps those in need with rides or a meal

A treasure to her community

She is the real deal

To say I am grateful is an understatement

She gave me my fire, helped me let go of my wrath

Fought for me against the establishment

And somehow managed to keep me on my path

70 years old, Oh my!

How the time has flown by!

All I can is HOORAY FOR MOM!

For all the years she has kept me calm. 

Mother's Day 2012

We hosted brunch again for our extended family this year.  It was a great day to play with my niece and nephew, catch up with other family members and just enjoy my children.  Samantha and Sofia read to our guests and entertained us all with singing and dancing.  Daddy was exhausted, but pulled everything together as usual.  His efforts were appreciated by everyone, especially me.  I'm so glad for the family he and I have created together.

My annual picture of all the moms in attendance, minus Aunt Shelly.  Even Fonzie wanted to be included.

For all of the mothers who have passed on, I gave white roses to honor those women.  A mother's impact is never forgotten and I felt it was important this year to remember and acknowledge that.

Chaperoning Samantha's field trip

Both Daddy and I took the day off to chaperon Samantha's field trip to the Arboretum.  It was beautiful to see it in the spring!  Her teacher said that we were probably the first couple to chaperon together in her 40 years of teaching.  I'll take it as a compliment.  There were a lot of other dads, so Daddy got to make some friends too!  It was an adventure and fun to watch all the kids.  It was also Daddy's first bus ride in a long, long time!  Samantha was so proud to have us with her and very excited too!

Find the ladybug on Samantha's arm.

Find Samantha after rolling down the hill.

See Samantha having fun on the bus.

It was a good day.