On February 9th the world lost a wonderful man. My Grandpa Wendell passed away at the age of 91 after battling leukemia and pneumonia among other things. He fought to the end but it was his time. He lived a full life and was always ready to share his stories. My fondest memory with him was our RV trip to Yellowstone. He took us to see all of the sights and would make frequent stops for his grandkids to collect buffalo hair that was stuck to tree bark. (I'm embarrassed to admit how many years I kept that ziploc bag full of hair!) He had a need for speed and I remember clenching my teeth while he hauled ass down the Wyoming freeways in the biggest RV I'd ever seen. With one eye! More on that later. Cant say much for his younger years, but I'm pretty sure all of his passengers were uneasy especially when a cataract slowly formed in his one good eye. He would also play this game while driving where he'd be pulling up to waiting cars at red lights and try and go as long as possible with out hitting his brakes. He lost his right eye at the age of 3 after running around with a pocket knife his parents got him. He was told he'd never get that pilots license he'd dreamed of but he proved them wrong. Not only did he have planes, he had sports cars, RV's and motorcycles. He was a mans man, strong and stubborn but had a soft side that became more apparent the older he got. When my Grandmothers's alzheimer's started progressing I saw an exceptional man who took care of her the way she had always done for him. A kind man who was loved by many. Rest in peace, Gramps.
These pictures were taken at his 90th birthday party...
I found much comfort in the fact that I was able to spend time with him during his last days. Heartbreaking to see him suffer but I wanted nothing left unsaid and to give my extremely frail Grandfather one last hug. Or ten. He was surrounded by people who loved him and I think he felt that.
Here's a pic of Jordan, Rian, Bennett and my cousin, JT...
Ellery is crazy about coloring these days and her drawings are actually starting to resemble things now! Here's a picture of daddy. Who's either in need of a hair cut or a fire extinguisher...
Barbie's get a camping trip? With smores? Lucky!...
Playing with their puppies from Katie...
Abby's Sea Star Spin at SeaWorld. Say that 5 times fast...
It started out with making tire tracks...
Ellery loves playing school. She's always the teacher and the rest of us are always the students. She even licks her finger before turning the pages in books, just like Ms. Judy. Our babysitter, Natalie used to love pretending to be the teacher as well and look what she gave Elle! Roll Call!!...
Notice the teacup? Nola got invited to our tea party...
Rian and Beck...
The weather was summer-like so we spent the weekend at Dave and Kathy's in Solana Beach. I took a morning jog to the Del Mar Powerhouse where we said our vows and it made my day...
Gearing up for our first whale watching trip!...
We only saw one whale but multiple times. Her behavior seemed strange to our captain and he wondered if she was injured. After following her for a while we neared the Mexico border and had to turn around. Upon our return to the marina he got a call from a different captain who tracked her and believed she was giving birth!
Dolphins playing in the wake of the boat...
Coronado Naval Base. Each one of those jets costs 60 million!...
Such a fun and memorable experience!
Beck saw this ball from across the street and Dave said "you really have an eye for balls!' Ellery chimed in, "and I really have an eye for princesses."
We spent the wee hours of the morning last Saturday at the ER. I assumed Beck's bark-like cough was Croup but soon every breath seemed like a struggle and his fever spiked. He hated the doctors and nurses and cried "duh" (done) every time the came in. They confirmed it was Croup and gave him some steroids to reduce the inflammation in his airways. Around 3am the steroids kicked in and he was bouncing off the walls, telling me all about balls and how he'll bounce them and kick them and shoot them. Whew. Mommy needed to go back to bed...
And the baking soda...
Play-doh fun!...
My old roommate, Lara came into town. My kids adored her and gave her zero privacy as they followed her everywhere. We loved having you here Lars and need to do it again! Making Valentines...
Helping to make Valentines dinner...
We've got both kids in Gymnastics once a week and still in swim lessons twice a week. Ellery has had a huge boost in confidence with swimming lately and it's just awesome to watch. Here she is after swim at story time with Polar Bear...
We had another death in the family this month. Our fish, Bees Movie died after a couple of wonderfully boring years on our mantel. We said our goodbyes over the toilet and set out for a new fish friend the next day. Ellery really wanted a pink and purple fish and I told her that chances were slim we could find that. Wrong. She spotted her immediately. Introducing Rapunzel, the newest Pannier...
Kid City and Balboa Park!...
We had a landscape design/build team here the last three weeks and they transformed our front and back yards. The kids and I (and Nola) have been playing in their giant sandbox daily. I'm in love with the new space and I see many years of enjoyment in it. I will take some more pics once the dump truck and port-a-potty are out of here...
