Day 38 - Monday, February 7, 2011

Day 38 - Monday, February 7, 2011 - Grandma getting giggles out of Ashton.

Day 37 - Sunday, February 6, 2011

Day 37 - Sunday, February 6, 2011 - Superbowl Sunday. Spence was loving on some Ashton. They were attached at the hip for the first half of the game. So cute.

Day 36 - Saturday, February 5, 2011

Day 36 - Saturday, February 5, 2011 - Jordyn got to spend the day with Bailey, her b.c.f. (best cousin forever).

Day 35 - Friday, February 4, 2011

Day 35 - Friday, February 4, 2011 - Surprise! We surprised Traci by arranging with Aaron to show up at 24th Street Tavern for her birthday dinner with the family. Cheers.

Day 34 - Thursday, February 3, 2011

Day 34 - Thursday, February 3, 2011 - Game night at Tina and Glenn's. Liam and I taught Glenn and Cordelia how to play Farkle and drank some throwback Mountain Dew.

Day 33 - Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Day 33 - Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - A big snowstorm was brewing yesterday, so my mom offered to come spend the night last night so that she would be here today to watch the kids, assuming the nanny would be snowed in and knowing I would still have to work. We are so lucky to have grandma around.

Day 32 - Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Day 32 - Tuesday, February 1, 2011 - Ear infection.

Day 31 - Monday, January 31, 2011

Day 31 - Monday, January 31, 2011 - Found this in a notepad that I had grabbed to make a list. Written by Liam, whose football jersey is number 24 and whose password, and sense of self, apparently, is awesomeness.

Day 30 - Saturday, January 30, 2011

Day 30 - Saturday, January 30, 2011 - A rare sleepover with west side cousin Allison. PJs, Pillow Pets, popcorn. Good times.

Day 29 - Saturday, January 29, 2011

Day 29 - Saturday, January 29, 2011 - The Garden of Prayer at White Chapel Cemetery is where my dad is laid to rest. Despite not yet having a grave marker, my sister was able to locate his grave by traipsing through the foot of snow, guided by my Aunt Doris via cell phone, whose husband (my dad's brother Uncle Carie) is laid to rest right by my dad. I made snow angels next to the statue, while my sister looked for the grave site. When she found it, we knew we were at the right site because of the three white floral arrangements placed upon it, with the ribbons "Our Poppa", "Best Dad Ever", and "My Guy".

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

Day 28 - Friday, January 28, 2011

Day 28 - Friday, January 28, 2011 - Happy 40th Birthday to Kid Rock and Amy!!

Day 27 - Thursday, January 27, 2011

Day 27 - Thursday, January 27, 2011 - The Shellnut ladies lunching at Red Lobster. Denise, my mom, me, Vicki, Shawn, Aunt Erma, Tina, Aunt Thelma, Aunt Doris. Another circle of love.

Day 26 - Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Day 26 - Wednesday, January 26, 2011 - Who needs toys when there's a cardboard box around?

Day 25 - Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Day 25 - Tuesday, January 25, 2011 - After two years of saying she would NEVER wear high heels because "I'm too tall to wear high heels!" She has finally agreed that even tall girls can wear them. I'm so proud of her!

Day 24 - Monday, January 24, 2011

Day 24 - Monday, January 24, 2011 - So much love and support. It's been less than a week since my dad passed away and I've been lifted by all of the words of encouragement. Thank you.

Day 23 - Sunday, January 23, 2011

Day 23 - Sunday, January 23, 2011 - Owen's new favorite toy, rag doll Ash. Available in stores soon.

Day 22 - Saturday, January 22, 2011

Day 22 - Saturday, January 22, 2011 - A winning Pinochle hand was one of the many little treasures stashed in this gorgeous arrangement that my cousin Sara put together.

Day 21 - Friday, January 21, 2011

Day 21 - Friday, January 21, 2011 - As the funeral procession approached the chapel at the cemetery, firefighters from the Hazel Park Fire Department were standing guard in front of a ladder truck outside of the chapel. (On the coldest day ever!) After holding it together pretty well through out the funeral, this sight caused me to lose it. What an honor.

Day 20 - Thursday, January 20, 2011

Day 20 - Thursday, January 20, 2011 - All dressed up for my dad's visitation. Surrounding my mom with love. Smiling through our sorrow. Game faces, everyone. Game faces.

Day 19 - Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Day 19 - Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - The love has started to pour in with this gorgeous arrangement from Kevin's family.

Day 18 - Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Day 18 - Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - Liam's Resolutions of 2011: Promise #1 - I promise to get better at my handwriting. Promise #2 - I promise to work harder in wrestling. #3 - I promise to spend more time with my grandpa. :(

Day 17 - Monday, January 17, 2011

Day 17 - Monday, January 17, 2011 - My mom called me this afternoon to tell me that the hospice nurse said that my dad only had two hours to two days. After packing an overnight bag and collecting all of the kids from three different schools and driving for what seemed like days, I arrived at their house about 15 minutes after he passed away. These beautiful flowers were blooming at his bedside as we all said our goodbyes, shed our tears, and sang one of his favorite hymns, It Is Well With My Soul.

Day 16 - Sunday, January 16, 2011

Day 16 - Sunday, January 16, 2011 - Owen's first big homework project...a timeline of his life on a green poster board (his favorite color). He helped adhere the photos and the letters, which explains why they are not perfectly aligned, and he insisted on drawing a candy basket (since one of the photos is from a past Halloween). I love that he added his own little touches and wanted to be involved in the process.

Day 15 - Saturday, January 15, 2011

Day 15 - Saturday, January 15, 2011 - I love it when a plan comes together. Last minute tickets to Kid Rock's 40th Birthday Party concert. So. Much. Fun.

Day 14 - Friday, January 14, 2011

Day 14 - Friday, January 14, 2011 - Dinner and games at my parents' house with Jerry and Sara. Sequence is definitely a family favorite.

Day 13 - Thursday, January 13, 2011

Day 13 - Thursday, January 13, 2011 - Liam's unacceptable behavior report from the bus yesterday is simply unacceptable. There's a first time for everything. Let's just hope this is the last.

Day 12 - Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Day 12 - Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - When I asked Owen to set the table for dinner tonight, he insisted on "making it special". He wouldn't let anyone come to the table until it was "ready". And by ready, that meant that he had wrapped both a knife and a fork inside a paper napkin and fashioned napkin rings out of rubber bands and placed them on top of every plate.

Day 11 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Day 11 - Tuesday, January 11, 2011 - After nearly FOUR YEARS in this "new house", I finally have hardware on the kitchen cabinets. You have no idea how happy this makes me. LOVE!

Day 10 - Monday, January 10, 2011

Day 10 - Monday, January 10, 2011 - This is Ashton doing what we call "the John Gruden" face. Liam used to make this same face when he was this age.

Day 9 - Sunday, January 9, 2011

Day 9 - Sunday, January 9, 2011 - The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Hillary at the annual Jankowski Christmas party in Grand Rapids. (I love how Owen is kissing Ashton's foot.)

Day 8 - Saturday, January 8, 2011

Day 8 - Saturday, January 8, 2011 - Liam's first individual wrestling tournament of the season, in an older age bracket (9-10, which he is at the younger end of) and a heavier weight class (67 lbs, which at 63.4 ounces he is at the lightest end of), and he took third place. Not a bad start to the season!

Day 7 - Friday, January 7, 2011

Day 7 - Friday, January 7, 2011 - Fluorescent green nail polish? Check. Hollister sweat pants? Check. Ginormous grin on your face because you just got your Learner's Driving Permit? CHECK!

Day 6 - Thursday, January 6, 2011

Day 6 - Thursday, January 6, 2011 - Owen's latest infatuation has been Army men. I discover them in obscure nooks and crannies around the house, and they never fail to make me smile and roll my eyes at the same time.

Day 5 - Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Day 5 - Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - Owen is on Ashton duty, making sure his baby brother doesn't knock his noggin on the tile as he learns to crawl.

Day 4 - Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Day 4 - Tuesday, January 4, 2011 - Bought this piggy bank at Target. Love the chalkboard on its side to specify what we're saving up for. Put a system in place to let the kids earn money towards a family goal.

Day 3 - Monday, January 3, 2011

Day 3 - Monday, January 3, 2011 - I love it when Jordyn bounds down the stairs and slides in to scoop up the baby or give him a kiss. Ashton is a very loved, and spoiled, little fella.

Day 2 - Sunday, January 2, 2011

Day 2 - Sunday, January 2, 2011 - I hung up my new calendar today. A Christmas gift from Owen. Aside from the fact that there's no 12 in January, and 16 & 17 are on the calendar twice, it's a great calendar! I really do love it. The artwork is stellar, albeit somewhat abstract.

Day 1 - Saturday, January 1, 2011

Day 1 - Saturday, January 1, 2011 - Celebrating my parents' 46th wedding anniversary on New Year's Day. Ashton puts another smile on Poppa's face.