On my way to pick up my dad at the airport, I voted! Go Mitt!
Two artists hard at work.
This was the first time my dad has visited us here in Ogden and it was SO NICE to have him with us. He was so thoughtful and brought little gifts for each of the kids: A blow-up globe for Hazel, Silly Putty for Charlotte (which later ended up on the backside of Hazel's pants), wooden blocks for Eloise, and an army rubber duck for Edison. So thoughtful. I'm pretty sure he could have brought paper bags for all of them and they would have thought he was the coolest though. He won their hearts long ago.
Eloise showing Grandpa Dean the chickens.
Look at those leaves!
She was so cute in her red skinnies that I had to catch a picture of her.
The girls got to show off their gymnastics skills with Grandpa Dean watching, but before we left for that, we squeezed in a nice game of croquet!
My dad was kicking butt, so we sent the girls to distract him.
This one in particular is the most smitten with my Dad.
Croquet poses.
Sadly, on Tuesday night, my sweet grandmother passed away in her bed back in Oregon. My Dad left early to take care of the arrangements for her cremation. How I love this woman and will treasure all my memories of her. I'm glad I got to be with my Dad when she passed as we knew it was coming soon and we both felt a mixture of relief for her and sadness knowing we wouldn't see her for a while. We talked a lot of the spirit world and our favorite memories of this dear woman.
Some of my favorites:
1. How she used to iron Grandpa's handkerchiefs so carefully and let me fold them for her.
2. She used to have a bag of activities and surprises for me when I'd visit so I'd have something to look forward to each day.
3. She used to pull out special toys that belonged to my Dad and his sister and let me play with them.
4. When I was small, she would lay down with me until I fell asleep so that I wouldn't have to be scared at night.
5. When my Dad and I would arrive at the farm in the middle of the night, she would bring me up to the kitchen and make me sugar-cinnamon toast for a snack before she tucked me into bed.
6. She was an avid collector of swans and, toward the end of her life, tiny dolls (all of which we recently inherited--hello family service project!)
7. She loved finding treasures at Goodwill and took me with her often.
8. She showed me how to make a pie crust once and it failed miserably! We both laughed and tried again.
9. She spent years rubbing oils on her cuticles to make her nails grow. By the end of her life, she had the most beautiful, long nails.
10. She spent her life serving her husband, children, and grandchildren. To me, she is the essence of "mother."
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