Catching up on Photos

I have a plethora a photos from recent days that I cant let slip into the memory card world before I do something with them, so please enjoy a few of them.

Sullivan will be 6 months on Saturday, I cannot believe how time is flying.

Sweet Sullivan

Showing off his teeth.

Enthralled with the elephants.

We cant get enough of each other.

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year, Ill mention a few of the big ones. We are thankful for Sullivan, for each other, for our health, for a happy and healthy marriage, for our nuclear and extended families, for our warm home and fulfilling jobs. We are especially thankful when Sullivan sleeps his rare 8 hour stretches. We are even thankful when he only pulls off 4 hours in a row.

Maggie hosted Thanksgiving this year, and did a great job as it was her first time. She ended up with about 30 people, my mom did most of the cooking, but let Maggie worry about all of the house prep. The layout works perfectly, it was almost like the house soaked us all up, lots of room to mingle, and lots of toys for the kids to occupy themselves with. I especially like that I can put Sully in to Anna's crib when ever he falls asleep. It was a nice day, many of Dave's family members were there, lots of my family, as well as many extended family members. We had the traditional feast and the celebration lasted from about 2pm until 7pm. I was exhausted by the end of it.

We had a small gathering here on Sunday in order to celebrate with Dave's mom. She has Alzheimer's and she does much better in a small group and a familiar place. There were 11 of us (not counting two babies), it was fun. We plopped Helen right in the middle of the commotion so she was able to soak it all in. We had brunch and a fire in the fireplace, so it was really cozy and homey. This really is a wonderful time of year.

The Munce Family on Thanksgiving.

Mama with her little turkey :).

Dave, Sullivan, and Grandma Helen.

Resting Peacefully

My Grandma took her last breaths on Tuesday, November 13th. My mom was in Mitchell along with all of her siblings. Their whole family was able to get to the hospital within about 5 minutes of her passing to pray around her body and support one another. The end had finally arrived, and although it was expected, it was still quite sad, nonetheless.

Sullivan and I went on Thursday morning and had the 'simple' assignment of making a photo board for the Memorial Service. Simple is an understatement. My Grandpa is an avid photographer, he always has a camera tucked into his pocket, ready for a photo op, he even has a printer set up and on 24-7 to print off the favorite photos he takes, or that we e mail to him (yes...he is internet savvy, has an ipad and a facebook account at the age of 97!). Sullivan, my mom, Grandpa, Aunt Janet, and I spent Thursday going through photo albums, if I would need a specific person in a photo, I would put my grandpa on the task, he was usually able to come up with a handful of options for me. I cant think of a better way to spend my time...talk about bonding. My mom quickly became Sully's favorite, she rocked and sung him to sleep for most of his naps.

Dave joined us on Friday in time for the memorial in Mitchell, we then traveled the short road to Mt Vernon for the funeral and burial on Saturday morning. I was able to get up and say a few things on Friday, which I will include below. My Grandma baked the best home made cookies and sent them home with us in ice cream buckets every time we saw her. Because of this, many of the grandchildren or their spouses baked cookies, we had the Great Grandkids distribute them in ice cream buckets at the Memorial Service. The guests loved the personal touch. Everything was done so well, and with such heart, just how my Grandma would have wanted it.

Memorial for my Grandma

Great Grandpa Wally and Sully

Status Quo

Not a lot has changed since my last entry. My grandma remains hospitalized and they are keeping her comfortable. It seems one moment things are looking up, and the next, she is struggling to breathe. Sullivan and I went over for the day on Tuesday. I was quite anxious about traveling alone, and had a little conversation with Sully. I asked him to be good, and fortunately, he was just that. He slept the entire drive there and back. My grandma was less alert on Tuesday than she was on Saturday but she managed to smile at Sullivan. She is still so pleasant. My brother Alex came while I was there and it was sweet to watch them exchange words and to hear Alex tell her how much she means to his entire family.

My grandma has been hanging on and it really is a blessing that she has. My mom and her siblings and my grandpa have constantly been at her bedside. There is no better way to showcase the love she has given others than through the devotion they have to her in her final days. I have watched my mom spend hour upon hour in the hospital room, her eyes bloodshot from tears and lack of sleep. She walks over to my grandma from time to time and tells her how much she loves her, chokes back a few tears before giving up and letting them flow. She has been so loyal and such a leader, setting a priceless example to me. My grandpa sits by her side, enjoying the conversations and company, but sad that the end is near. My mom has told us of things my grandpa has said to her, like that he gets on his knees to pray each night that she gets to come home, and that he is ok with her going home (to heaven). When she asks if he will go with her, he says that he is not ready yet but tells her he is excited for her to greet him when he joins her there. It is a sad time, but a peaceful time. Most of the people who want to say goodbye have been able to, a gift many people would give anything for.

I continue to pray for peace and comfort to my grandma, grandpa, mom, and all of her siblings.
 

Life is "grand."

We received the call last week that my Grandma Scott had been admitted to the hospital once again. She has struggled with congestive heart failure for years and it has been a constant battle to keep her fluid levels adequate (one week she is dehydrated, the next she is struggling to breathe and in need of lasix, etc). This hospitalization has unfortunately been a bit more involved.

My mom went to the hospital to check in on her on Friday morning and found her unresponsive and gasping for air. It appeared the end was near. My mom called her siblings and they were praying around her when she started to come around. Fortunately is was not her time. My mom has continued to sit by her side through this journey and slept in the hospital room next to her that Friday night, giving the term pillow talk a whole new meaning.

Maggie, Sullivan and I went over to Mitchell on Saturday to visit and spend some time with grandma, because, unfortunately, we know our days are numbered. My grandma was quite sleepy for the first half of the day, but would arouse when the nurse told her that she had a great grandbaby there visiting. I would hold Sully up and they would study and smile at each other. I then started thinking about the word "grand." The room was full of "grand" people, grandmas, grandpas, grandaunts granduncles,  grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Grand is defined as magnificent and imposing in appearance, size or style. This pretty much wraps up my feelings for every person in the room. Our feeling of love for my grandma was what we all had in common, and it is quite magnificent.

My grandma had perked up significantly before we left, which was very nice to see. They plan to move her to a nursing home tomorrow and will proceed according to her progress. My grandma has had a wonderful 89 years on this earth, sharing 70 of them with my grandpa. I know she is ready to go, but my heart is not ready to see my mother and grandfather endure the pain of her loss.

Sullivan and Grandma studying each other.

Dr. Sullivan

Sullivan had his first successful Halloween. I had received a baby doctor's outfit from a friend of mine as a gift and it just so happened to be sized right for Halloween (ok, it was a smidgen small). I was so excited to get him in his little scrubs and hat, he was adorable.

We spent the evening at my brother's house (Alex and Mandy) where all of the cousins, lots of neighbors, my parents, and many of my siblings were. We had dinner and took a few photos. Unfortunately Sullivan fell asleep before the trick or treating took place, which was just fine. I am sure next year will be a whole new ball game as he will be mobile.

We got home in time for Sullivan's bedtime and passed out some candy to our neighbors. Dave was also able to get in a horror movie (one of his favorite past times, which he is rarely able to enjoy in our current state of life ;)). All in all, Id say it was a successful day.

Dr Sullivan, ready to make a few house calls :).

Anna, Hudson, Grandma, Capri, Sullivan, Sophia, Owen, Grandpa, Isaac

Part of Dave's ambiance while watching movies...
skeleton candle glasses.

Cashing in on Mother's Day

I was about 36 weeks pregnant on Mother's Day this year, Dave was thoughtful enough to get me a gift, even though Sullivan was not yet born. They had given me a weekend away to a Frank Lloyd Wright lake cottage in Wisconsin. I was excited about it, but it was so far off, and we had so much going on in the mean time, that it was kind of pushed to the back of my mind. I was finally able to cash in on the trip this past weekend, it was the most perfect first Mother's Day gift I could ever imagine. We made the six hour drive in about six and a half hours. Sully did great; we stopped twice each way to feed and do a diaper change, otherwise, he pretty much snoozed and played while he was awake.

The cottage was really amazing. It was very peaceful, no TV, no internet, just nature, puzzles, books, and a ginormous fireplace. It was R & R at its finest. We spent the day on Saturday working on a puzzle, reading, eating, and exploring the grounds around the cabin which is located on top of a hill near Mirror Lake. The cottage and lake are actually in a State Park, so, as you can imagine, there wasn't much activity going on, which is what we were going for. We spent Sunday walking on nearby trails in Dells, and in the State Park. We had perfect weather to get out with jackets on. 

Dave is a really great trip planner and gift giver...I love it when he combines his two great talents.

Many thanks to my boys for a great weekend away!

The cottage included my own personal bell boy :).

Thoughtful Sully, remembering to order flowers
for our arrival.

A view from inside the cabin.

Mama and Sullivan getting ready for a hike.

Family photo on the cabin patio.

Mirror Lake State Park hike.