Celebrating Dia De Los Muertos

We celebrated as a family, Dia De Los Muertos today. We all colored skulls, including Daddy. We put together an altar in honor of my dear Madre and Daddy's PohPoh (grandma). We explained to the boys all that we added on the altar, flowers, sweets, food, photos, our skulls, and lit candles to celebrate our loved ones who have passed on. We had each of the boys pick 3 candies out of their Halloween stash to share with the altar. This was their contribution in honoring grandma (abuelita) and great-grandma. I think Aidan understood the significance of this celebration, and Miles and Liam well maybe next year.

Yosemite Time

More summer good times to be enjoyed with the family... We enjoyed a weekend in Yosemite with Grandma and Grandpa.



Thanks to Grandpa and his travel expertise, we stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge right outside of Yosemite National Park. A really great place that we truly enjoyed. So if you miss making your year in advance booking for the Yosemite Lodge you might just want to give this place a try. This place had 3 outdoor swimming pools, 1 indoor pool, 2 restaurants, one of which was a delicious pizza place (we had a fabulous seafood pizza that had shrimp and crab with a white sauce that Liam just couldn't get enough of) but best of all was, that it was right outside of the park entrance...maybe a 10 minute drive if that.





It's been about 13 yrs since I last visited Yosemite so I'd forgotten the awesomeness of it all. It was Daddy and the boys first time there so it was like we were all experiencing it together for the first time with our skilled tour guides Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa did a great job establishing a daily itinerary for us. I was initially a bit sceptical about a schedule but soon realized that Grandpa was definitely in the know. So thanks to Grandpa we had a great time enjoying the sights.




A short jaunt to Glacier Point to take in the spectacular views of Half Dome and the surrounding landscape,



a trip to Bridal Veil Falls which the boys were thoroughly amazed at water crashing down as well as the flowing river, a short walk through the valley, lots of swimming at our hotel,



fun picnics,





and a final swim at beachy area in the valley.



This was truly a fun trip, the makings of wonderful family memories. It sure is turning out to be a really nice summer.

A Daring Adventure

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
Helen Keller

I believe this is how Grandma (my MIL) lives her life. She never stops to fret about her ailments or think about her limitations. She's always ready for the next adventure. The boys love this about her, she's playful, takes risks, and always gives it her best. Her most recent adventure, a trip to Portugal and Spain with Grandpa has taken an unfortunate turn. Grandma is in the hospital with a terrible headache, so we've told the boys. What we haven't told them is Grandma had a brain hemorrhage and is in a hospital about 5000 miles away....and now it's an abyss of unknowns. So many details, some simple, some not so simple but these details help fill in the gaps to what feels totally out of control. There are no heroes in an event like this, we simply do what we can.

• cancel airline tickets, reserve for a later return flight


• cancel their newspaper delivery


• contact health insurance and her primary care doctor to alert them of her current status


• contact travel insurance, to clarify terms of coverage


• prepare for Medivac (air transportation back to the states)


• prepare for daddy's trip to go assist grandma and grandpa with their return

and so on, and so on......



And so my artful Thursday has taken on a somber mood...making a memory book for grandma. This project has actually gone on through the weekend,



involving the boys in letter writing and artwork for it. I wanted to include photos of the boys, our family, something to remind her we are all with her, maybe not by her side physically but by her side in spirit.























I kept it simple. Not knowing what her current cognitive status is, or if she's visually/perceptually impaired, I thought simplest would be easiest to process. Most importantly letting her know that we are...

Believing
trusting,
waiting,
hoping,
praying for her recovery.

A Visit From Abuelito

The boys Abuelito (my dad) is visiting for a week. Tomorrow will be his last day with us. I think the boys are going to miss him. We don't see him very often maybe 1 to 2 times a year so this has been a really special time for the boys. Abuelito has stayed in Aidan's room on his trundle, this has been a special treat for Aidan...like a long sleep over. Because Abuelito primarily speaks Spanish, the boys have had an opportunity to practice. I had a real kick out of Liam yesterday, as he sat on Abuelito's lap. I overheard him saying "me llamo Liam." then went on to just say some random things "la casa, arriba" and continue with counting in Spanish. It turns out he knows more than I realized. Each one has had their special moment with Abuelito, an exchange of words, some time on his lap, a story read together, a bedroom shared.

A Visit From Grandma & Grandpa

The boys love their grandparents and have so much fun when they come to visit. All the rules get broken when they're visiting, sweet treats, later bed times...oh boy how fun! The boys are fortunate to have such loving grandparents and it's nice to see them enjoy their time together. The boys have really bonded with them, when they aren't visiting, the boys ask often to call grandma and grandpa. It sure is true love!