Anyone need a ride???

Enough...

My Uncle John passed away suddenly last week. The entire family has of course come together to try and get through this, but it is hard.

John was loved by so many people and he really loved my kids. It is hard to imagine them growing up and not knowing him.

Megan loved to pull out Uncle John's proudly displayed chest hair and play with his chain and ring. John loved it when Uncle John would put his ring onto his fingers. Each time we were together he would measure how big the kids were getting by seeing how many fingers his ring would fit over.

He was someone who always was smiling and having a good time. He would do anything for you and was always there for you if you needed him.

I will always look back on my childhood and remember the times I was whisked away by him and my Aunt Meg to a cookout or a swim at his sister Kathy's pool. He taught me how to ski...something that I am surprised I survived. He took me on more boat rides than I can count. So many of my favorite childhood memories involve my time spent with Aunt Meg and Uncle John. He always treated me and my sisters like we were more than just his nieces and we loved him unconditionally.

I miss him terribly and am having a hard time processing the loss, but hope that he is at peace.

This is our fourth family member that has passed away since September (Grandma Peggy, Grandpa Harry, Mary-Lou...my mother-in-law) and I hope that we are now going to have a break from death.

I have been looking for a picture of Megan with my Uncle John, but have not found one..if anyone has one can you please send it to me. Thanks.

These are two of my favorite photos of the boys. Uncle John came over to check on Grandma Peggy and helped me out with the kids for a while. I think that he was in heaven when the babies were around...

Recent Photos

Some of these were taken when we were in Indiana visiting family.
The kids love the water table...Megan threw my cell phone into it today! I dried it out and it appears to be working ok...time will tell.
They are getting so big and are walking everywhere. I will try to get some video of them walking and talking so that I can share with you all.

Strawberry Jam!

Wednesday night my friend Kelly and I made 36 jars of strawberry jam! This week I plan on making four more batches. I am so excited that jamming season is here. I am thinking about making blackberry this year. I will be making peach jam as well as apple butter before the jamming season is over...

If you are lucky, you might be getting some for the holidays!

Our First Dental Visit

Two weeks ago John was walking around the living room and lost his footing. He fell face first into the hardwood floors and was unable to catch himself or even get his hands down. Basically...he ate the wood.
There were tears and snuggling, but no blood. I noticed the his tooth (top tooth one off from the front) looked like it had been pushed back up into his gums. I had hoped that he would be OK and had been keeping an eye on it. The tooth appeared to be yellow and a bit sensitive when brushed. I decided to take him to see a pediatric dentist last week.
It turns out that not only did his tooth go back up into his gums, it also broke. The tooth basically cracked all the way across and the front tooth has a fracture. I was concerned that the tooth died, but the dentist feel confident that it is still alive. We go back in three months and if there is no change then we will do an x-ray. If the tooth dies then we will have to have it pulled.
I didn't even realize that it was cracked and feel so bad about waiting to take him to see the dentist.