In memory of my Grandma Bernice 1918 - 2009

It is hard to just write a short blog entry to summarize what my Grandma Bernice meant to me and Aaron. She passed away on April 8th at the age of 90. While that is quite an impressive age to live to--I always thought that she would live until she was 100. Despite her age, she just always seemed eternally young to me. There are many adjectives that I could use for her--strong, devoted, blunt, kind, loving and determined. But, mostly, she was just my Grandma Bernice and I loved her very much. To be in her presence (and my Grandpa Bob's) was just so peaceful and easy. She was just always there--even though we always seemed to live so far away. So, to be without her is going to take some time to get used to. The pictures shown include one of me and Grandma when I was 4 years old, the second one is from my Great Aunt Marion's wedding when I was six (and I was the flower girl) and finally, a picture taken of Aaron and I with my grandparents at our wedding reception in September 2000.

Happy 5th Birthday Drew!

It has been a stressful and sad couple of weeks for us, but it was wonderful to make Drew's 5th birthday a special day for him. Grandma and Grandpa Randolph came to visit on Saturday before his birthday and brought an awesome WALL-E birthday cake (see picture) and gifts! On Monday (his birthday), it began with the not so fun annual visit to see Dr. Williams. Unfortunately, it also meant getting four booster shots. Since I was a little nervous about his reaction to the shots, Aaron volunteered to take him. Drew came through it like a champ! After his visit to the doctor, we took him to Culver's for lunch. He, Claire and I all enjoyed the hot dog kids meal! Aaron had a grown up Wisconsin cheese melt. Then after lunch, it was on to the Columbus Bowling Palace for his first game of bowling. Drew and I got to spend some time together, as Aaron stayed home while Claire took a nap. Drew had a blast bowling--and even beat his Mommy! He scored a 73 and I scored a sad 61! Finally, we attempted a visit to Chuck E Cheese, but after Aaron stood in line for a half hour waiting to order a pizza, we left. Apparently, there was an issue with their registers, but they failed to do anything to communicate with their customers or make an effort to help us parents who were trying to keep two kids happy at the table! Plus, the place is a complete zoo with kids running around and the arcade games making a lot of noise! (okay, I am getting to be a little bit of an old grumpy lady!) So, we went over to the Pizza Hut that was just across the street. While Drew said Pizza Hut was a "boring place", we had a nice waiter and hot pizza and breadsticks in less than 15 minutes. Overall, it was a busy and fun day! It is hard to believe our little guy is 5--that's a whole hand! :)

We could not be prouder!

There are just some moments when you are so proud of your children...well, I would guess this video clip above would not be one of them. But, it is pretty darn funny! I recorded this right after we had dinner---and the kids were in rare form. For some reason, Claire thinks it is hilarious when I say the word, "yuck." In typical Drew fashion, he had to share his favorite word too. We are working on making his favorite word something else, but for now, here it is.