2nd half of April & 1st week of May

 On April 17th Marie had her Barnyard Moo-ical. She was a cow.  

 Marie with her good friend Isabelle 

 Marie has a speaking line during the performance. 

 Our favorite activity lately is biking. 

 zoom zoom 

 Marie has learned to ride a two wheeler. And several of her teeth are loose. She's growing up all too fast. 

 One weekend while we were working in the yard the kids found a worm snake. Right now Peter is really into snakes so this was very exciting.  

 May 4th was a very busy saturday for us. Peter had his soccer tournament followed by a team pizza party and awards.  

 After getting all cleaned up we headed to Williamsburg for our family pictures. This picture captures our kids' personality perfectly. 

 Sort of out of order, but I don't have the time to fix it, so here are a few more pictures from the end of April. The chickens have thrived out in the garage even with Thomas handling them.

 I went to Minnesota for a week. My Grandpa had a stroke late in the night on Thursday April 19th.  It was severe and caused paralyses on his left side.  Joseph and I took the first open stand-by flight home, which was Sunday morning.  It was direct so I got into Minneapolis a little before 9am and down to Mankato by 10:30am. 

 Grandpa was still responsive when I arrived. I was able to hold his hand and feel him squeeze mine back. He also held baby Joe's hand. He tried to speak some.  He'd also move his should so we'd rub/scratch his back.  We stayed with him all day and then I had to go back to my mom's to put Joseph to bed. I worried the whole night about him passing with no one there.  I learned later that my mom had gone back for a few hours with my sister Prudie and that nurses had sat with him as well.  He was one of their favorite patience. His positive attitude and jovial spirit made him easy to work with. 

On Monday we got to the nursing home at 9am. Grandma was there already. She had gotten there at 7am. He was a lot less responsive. The lady that conducts their muisc class came in and sang 'Til We Meet Again to Grandpa. She told us how fun he was to have in class and how she'll miss him. That was very special.  The hospice nurse came in later. She increased his morphine to make him more comfortable. She said when the body is under less pain/stress people tend to go more easily. She also said the Lord's prayer to him to help him feel better about leaving. 

Around 3pm in started to snow so Grandma decided to go home before it got bad out. Prudie had left as well. I got Joseph asleep so it was down to just my mom and I. We started working on a across word together. Then we noticed Grandpa close him mouth. Instinctively we knew it was his time. I held his hand and told I loved him as he moved on. It was peaceful and reverent. I'm glad I was able to be there for him. He was always there for me when I was growing up. At some points he was there to make my oatmeal in the morning and tuck me in at night. He was a perfect example of what a Husband and Father/Grandfather should be, loyal, loving, and selfless. I think my Steve is a lot like him. 

After a nurse verified that he had passed we called Grandma, Prudie, and Gerald. Everyone came back to say goodbye. My heart hurt not for Grandpa, but for my Grandma. She seemed so lost. 

The funeral was held on April 24th. There was a good showing. Many friends came to support my mom and grandma. A man whose father own the bottling plant my Grandpa worked at for 30 years came. This man owns part of the Timberwolves, which is a fact my Grandpa would have loved to share. He loved Minnesota sport teams and local trivia. 

At the grave side the Mankato Area Veterans Memorial Rifle Squad performed military honors after which I heard a cardinal singing. I thought it very fitting since my grandpa could imitate that bird call. 

Grandpa will be missed, but I know we will meet again. He is now with his family members he had been missing. He was the oldest child and the last to go at the age of 96. The picture below was take in the fall of 2006. It is of Uncle Bud (Grandpa's brother), Grandpa, and Peter. 

While I was gone Steve did an amazing job taking care of the kids and our home.  Marie, however, chose not to listen when he told her it was time to leave the park. She instead ran back up to the do the monkey bars one last time and fell. It resulted in a broken arm.  She actually has loved having a cast. It got her a lot of attention and it's a great chicken perch.

More family pictures.