Going Home

I've always considered Michigan as home, it is where I was raised, it contains most of my memories, and where I have lived the longest. However, we recently made a trip to Connecticut unexpectedly, and I felt like we were going home.
Home is where family is, and when Ben's beloved grandmother, Grand Memere, passed away unexpectedly, we knew we had to go home. When we arrived at Ben's mom's house, the feeling of comfort was instant, the roads have become familiar and that feeling of I'm home crept up on me like I didn't expect. Seeing the end of the road and pulling in knowing there were arms there to hug us and love us was wonderful. Sitting at Joyce's table talking into the night, I felt at home. Putting the kids to bed in her house felt like home. Knowing the kids would wake up in the morning and go find Memere downstairs without even waking me made me feel I was home. Sitting on the love seat in the tv room with all three of my kiddos crowded around me so that we barely fit, felt perfectly right and homey.
Going to Pepere's house was like going home too. Without Grand Memere there to greet us with open arms made it difficult, but her presence was everywhere and within everyone. Sitting in the living room with the fire toasty warm, the chairs filled with family and people overflowing to the floor, how could it not be home.
Sitting at Ben's sisters, Kara, lounging on the couch with the kids playing all around us, watching cartoons that make no sense, that too was home.
Grand Memere passing on to heaven was and is difficult to understand and explain, but through this experience I learned that home is where family is and where we belong. Whether it is with Ben's large extended family, or my family in Michigan, or here in Montana with just the five soon to be six of us, home is what you make it.
I also know the greatest home is where Grand Memere is waiting...She walked through heaven's gates last Sunday and reunited with all those that had gone before her. I'm sure she had a big hug and kiss for Ben's dad, and there are many others up there that she is dancing with. She is in the arms of Jesus, what greater home could there be. We will miss her here with us, but she is in each and every person who has ever been graced to know her. She will always live in our hearts and she will live on to our children through stories. Every time I drink a cup of tea or I see a chicken I will think of her. She had the greatest hugs and the mushiest kisses. She was love, she shared love, and she exemplified the role of a wife and mother. Pepere and Memere's marriage was one to be emulated and if Ben and I can live up to the standards they have set we will go far in life, but they set the bar high so it will take constant effort to love unconditionally as those two loved eachother. I know Memere's soul is resting in peace, and I pray for all those who are grieving her loss, that God may be able to fill them also with peace and know that someday they will be reunited with the beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and friend.

Boy Oh Boy

The first images of our little mancub. We are still tossing names around, but starting to narrow it down a little.

This is the telltale picture. The one leg is in a different plane than the other and because it is a 3-D image it looks slightly off, but the tech assured me it is just the picture, his leg is fine and she showed me it at a different angle. He looked great, size was right on and a little ahead. He is a mover and a shaker. Really starting to look forward to July.
His little foot, for his PopPop who loves tootsies, and his soon to be uncle who is a podiatrist.
And just for fun...

Recent Pictures

It's been a while since I've been on here. Here some recent pictures of the kids. Anna started ballet and loves it, Luke and Beau are still in the midst of hockey 3-4 days a week, and Ben and I are just getting them where they need to be and enjoying watching them thrive. I will have to work on getting pictures of Beau, he likes to be goofy when you pull out the camera so a lot of the ones I take don't turn out so well. He just got a haircut and hopefully I can catch him when he isn't looking. Luke loves to pose, and Anna will beg me to get the camera out. Hope you enjoy the new pictures, I'm enjoying taking them and can't wait to play around a little more with photography in the next few months.
I'm also working on figuring out downloading videos. the files are too big for on here the way I was doing it so now I am going to www.vimeo.com and uploading them on there. I will try to blog when I do one with directions on how to get to it. I'll also be trying to blog more often, I'm waiting for a new card reader for our desktop computer so the laptop is sufficing for now.
A small story for the road...
Beau and Luke were discussing what they are going to be when they grow up. Luke is going to be a submariner and a pilot, Beau was disappointed that Luke wasn't going to skydive with him and the Beau said "Luke I know you can fly the plane, we can both live in Michigan and I'll jump and you fly." Luke agreed whole heartedly and said, "yeah, I'll be the pilot and you be the MAN!" I guess I have to inform them at some point you don't have to live in Michigan to skydive, but I didn't want to intervene in the conversation because it was too humorous just listening.

Luke playing with Moon Sand

Hockey Started

The first practice was tonight. The boys were psyched all day. Luke fell asleep half an hour before we had to leave. I woke him up and dressed him and he wanted nothing to do with it. His gear was too big so we undressed. We got there plenty early so we could get Beau's new skates sharpened and rent Luke some because his didn't get here in time. They got their new yellow jerseys, Beau is No. 22 and Luke is No. 3. The terrible mom I am got no pictures of Beau tonight because I was so busy with getting Luke on and off the ice and getting him comfortable I was only able to get a glimpse or two of Beau. Per Beau's words, "I started a little rough and unsteady but pretty soon I was gliding like a bird." I didn't know you glided like a bird on hockey skates but he had a great time tonight and that is all I wanted for his first practice of the season.
I got several pictures of Luke as you will see below. He started out full of confidence. He got on the ice inched his way out there and then he froze. After standing there for several minutes with no one approaching him, he started to cry. He was able to skate or inch his way to the door back to me without falling. Tears and snot were flowing by then so we took off his helmet and got him calmed down. He tried again though with the bucket, he doesn't really like the bucket because he is bent over and can't see enough. He came off again with a few tears. His coach, a guy he knows from church and last year took him back out then and he did well for a few more minutes. Then he came off yet again. This time I went out with him and stood by the edge, that was until he saw the puck. Once he saw the puck he became determined. He fell hard once, cried, got kissed, and then went after the puck. He fell a lot more times then, but he really liked it once he got to chase the puck. He complained that "my butt hurts" when he came off but he can't wait until Friday when he gets to go again.

Halloween

Halloween is over!!! YEAH!
Oh wait, sorry. The kids had a lot of fun. Luke found it spectacular that all he had to do was say "trick or treat" and then thankyou and he got a bucketful of candy. He won't stop talking about it.
Beau insisted last Halloween that he wanted to be something scary this halloween. Lucky for him I happened upon costumes for 39 cents at the PX so he got to scary ones and an ugly pirate one to choose from for this year. He loved trying to scare me and the photo effects of this first picture were pretty fitting of his costume, between the wind blowing and me being cold I wasn't holding the camera steady and this was the natural result of that.
Anna was a beautiful fairy. She gracefully ran from house to house in all her fairy glory.




Luke was Optimus Prime although he didn't wear his mask most of the night and nobody really knew who he was and no one could understand him when he told them. Somebody thought he was cute because he got a whole bag of skittles.
Beau's favorite piece of candy from the night, a gummy eyeball.
I don't know what Luke is doing with his hands or what Anna is looking at, it had been a long night.

Hope your Halloween was full of treats and no tricks.

Pumpkin Carving

This year the kids each carved their own pumpkins. Anna had no help, Beau had a tiny bit of help on one eye, and Luke had just a little help figuring out how to saw. They all did great and had a lot of fun. They also enjoyed destroying their pumpkins yesterday.