Past, Present, and Future

These past few weeks have been difficult and have held a lot of reflection.  Heavy on my heart is the health of my grandmother.  I am sorry that it did not work out for her to meet Zoey or for me to see her recently.  I have been reflecting on the fact that she seems not prepared to die.  She is 91, all of her children are grown and retired.  She has outlived her husband, a son in law, and 2 grandsons taken far before their time.  She has lived to have 5 great grandchildren.  She has also been ill for many years and is a very religious woman.  I in no way feel that it should be her time or even that she should be prepared to die.  I know facing death must be extremely difficult, but if she is not embracing the end, how would I ever have a chance of being prepared.  And of course the pending death of a love one makes you think of the shortness of life and that my plans to be able to see my grandchildren may not even be possible.

And on the other end of the spectrum is the fact that I have a newborn baby.  The beginning of life is so precious.  And I have been blessed with 2 amazing girls.  Sam just had her preschool end of the year celebration, which was also a bit emotional.  It was also just our 9th anniversary, so I have been reflecting back on 9 amazing years.  Of course, this all comes as we prepare to move and start from scratch in Florida.  We are excited about all the possibilities of our new life, but it also means leaving some of our best friends.  We just had lunch with one family that we may never see again. It is so sad to think that.

Overall, I hope that we can put aside the everyday stresses and enjoy the last few weeks in Huntington.  And that we can embrace the change and live life to the fullest.  I hope my girls always know that they are loved and so special to us.

Zoey being cute.

Baby ducks at our neighbors.  So cute!

Sam's teachers told me on Tuesday that they would love a small bench for the kids to stand on for the smart board.  I asked Nick and he produced in a big way.  They are the Irish, like Notre Dame, so he used his dremel and made an amazing bench with IRISH on the top and shamrocks on the side.  What an amazing man!

I usually give Sam the band aids one or two at a time when my mom sends them.  But she gave Sam a whole box, so I let her go to town.  She put them all down her leg.

Zoey is not a huge fan of tummy time, but she loves back time, especially with the baby gym.

                                              

 We were so far away and the lighting was not great, but here is Sam walking in for her first song.  She was a monkey.  I will post video below.

Here are Nick and Sam at the fountain in front of her school.  Goodbye Saint Joe's, we will miss you even if Sam does not.  What a great school!

An Irish Prayer

May God give you... For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.