A moment in time.
I just found this tiny little clip on an old card. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eswfpD8aygk?rel=0&w=640&h=510]
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My son is brilliant.
Art was eating some canned mandarin oranges and we were making up silly songs. He made the first line of his song end with the word oranges so I said, "Now you're in trouble! Nothing rhymes with orange!" to which he replied, "I know a word that rhymes with orange -- ORANGE, the COLOR!" Ok, so I think that was pretty cool. -- Jessica
Mobility.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Jessica Parker" Date: Jun 28, 2011 2:33 PM Subject: time to put the cat food up. To: "Garvin, Ben" Bailey just made her way over to it. She's slow, but does move.
Duke Nursing Magazine story
Helen Gordon, a friend of my father's in North Carolina (and a friend of ours, too) teaches a nursing class at Duke. And their fancy magazine asked if they could use some photos for a story they were featuring on her use of our blog in the classroom. Sure. And then I just got this thing in the mail from Helen. I'm so impressed with their choice in photos and the layout. Good photo editing! The story itself is fine (some typos--it's not the first time Jessica has been called Jennifer), but who cares! It's an honor to be in the magazine and especially to be useful to a class of near nurses. Here's a link to the entire pdf of the magazine if you'd like to read the thing (page 18 & 19), or click the image below to enlarge it.
Dinner tonight?
Erin, Evva's mother, called and proposed a meeting of families for dinner. YES, SURE, FUN. Having kids I think makes you inevitably spontaneous. Planning is so difficult, forethought is an afterthought. So having a friend call up and say 'dinner tonight'? That's a gift! Everyone has a playmate with they come over, too. The parents, Art and Evva & Lewis and Oscar. We had a lovely summer dinner and walk to the park. And Arthur and Evva are always good for some super cute photo. Here's yesterday's: "So she didn't actually eat all those noodles," said Erin as she picked up Netta for the reveal. Oscar, Evva, Arthur and Lewis.
Family of six.
We went to the zoo today, all six of us. As we were strolling around Jessica looked at me and said something about how she felt our family was complete. And it's true, as we all piled in the minivan for our miniadventure there was a sense that nobody was missing. Arthur, Lewis, Netta, Bailey, me and Jessica. That's a lot, but it's also just right. Here are some photos from our time at the zoo. Blurry Lew on bear.
Super stroller.
We bought a stroller online in anticipation of our twins a long time ago. It was rickety, not so well made and the front wheel wobbled violently if it wasn't locked straight. Our satisfaction was not guaranteed and we returned it for a full refund. And then bought this beautiful thing off craiglist for $150 yesterday (less than we paid for the cheap one!). I just love a good bargain (talked him down from $250)! Anyway, I realize stroller talk is likely incredibly boring to just about everyone reading this blog so please feel free to skip along now. But this thing is so beautifully made and designed! The frame is made with some sort of super strong and light metal and it rolls with such ease. We could have never afforded such a fancy thing new and Jessica and I both admit we have judged folks strolling around in SUPER expensive strollers. But it really is nice to have a thing of such quality--it will last until the girls (and boys) are lots lots older. Good for jogging, too. Here...
Paula's letter.
Paula Grill, Adria's close cousin growing up in Chicago, wrote a wonderful heartfelt letter to Adria a couple weeks before she died. Jessica and Emily read it aloud to Bubbe in the hospice and she even made a funny face when Jess and Emily showed their shock at learning their mother, too, slide down the stairs on pillows (Something Jessica and Emily got in trouble for as kids). Jessica read the letter in full at Adria's memorial service last week and I wanted to post it here for others to read. ---------------------- Dear Adria, I think it has been over 25 years since we've had any contact -- a very long time. I am exceedingly grateful to have found you recently via the Internet through your son-in-law's incredibly wonderful blog. In the many pictures posted of you it was easy to recognize the beauty you have always been, and I so appreciated learning about the various activities and people in your life. Adria, right, with her brother Zachary and cousin Paula. I'm ...
Longest bike ride of Art's life.
Arthur, a full fledged bike rider now, and I rode to Anodyne coffee shop for a donut this morning. He complained and whine a bit up the hills but I CRACKED THE WHIP! Here he is riding super super fast down a grassy hill. He loves riding his bike.
Bubbe's memorial service was today. [updated]
Today we had a memorial service for Bubbe who died last Saturday. The past week has been a blur and I'm sure that feeling won't dissipate anytime soon. When I have quiet moments and think about Bubbe it's very sad. I miss her and love her so much. but I was just a measly son in law. As Arthur has pointed out on numerous occasions, "mama must be really sad because now she doesn't have her papa OR her mama." Thats what makes sense in his smaller world. And he's right. The service today was quite wonderful (thanks for helping make it so perfect Emily). People stood up to share their memories of Adria, Jessica played her cello, Brian read some wonderful poetry, folks cried and remembered the woman they loved. In an effort to preserve some of those memories and photos I plan to post a series of blog posts about Adria and her life, both from recent history and long ago. I don't expect to have time to put them together anytime soon, but there's no hurry ...
Art can ride a bike.
I spent the past three weeks searching for a bike for Arthur. Man there are lots of crappola bikes on craigslist. I finally found one (A Raleigh used for $50 at bike store ) and today we took it out for a spin. I had absolute confidence Art could learn in one solid try, in part cause he's awfully old (I see much tinier kids riding bikes all the time) and also cause he's just really coordinated and sporty. We practiced for a while, Jess took this fun photo, and by the end of our outing he was riding by himself. He can't yet start on his own, and has trouble turning, but he can ride a bike! I'm happy for him. And look forward to riding ALL OVER TOWN with him.
Bubbe died.
Bubbe took her last breath with my sister and me at her side this past Saturday evening before seven o'clock. We told the kids the next morning. Lewis wanted to know if she could still talk a little bit even though she died. Art recognized that Lewis doesn't know "anything about died" and so he asks lots of questions. After visiting potential site for a remembrance service and then stopping at Bubbe's to pick something up Art said, "Maybe we can go to Bubbe's house to think about her," as opposed to a cemetery or somewhere like that. I'm sure he can't fathom that anyone else would ever live in her little house. As my brother-in-law, Michael, so aptly said we are experiencing a mixture of sorrow and relief but over time the relief will fade and the sorrow will take over. Those will be hard days. Right now I am enjoying a phase of disbelief and denial that belies my true heartache. Nothing else really needs to be said.
Lewis, ajar.
I love how Lewis' mouth is always open when he's climbing or working hard. Here he is climbing at the park.
The gift of Nan.
While my sister and I tried to be with my mother for the last weeks of her life my mother-in-law gave me the greatest gift a person could have given: time. She stayed in our house and grabbed the girls at 6:15am every morning so Ben and I could sleep in. She cleaned and did laundry so I didn't have to scramble when I was home. She got the girls "on a schedule" so they were rested and agreeable. She watched all four children on her own twice so Ben and I could go out at night. She took care of herself with daily outings to coffee shops and the YMCA so she felt recharged for MORE childcare at the house. She tolerated my mother's needy cat downstairs in her space so I could easily box him up for visits to the hospice home. She also changed his stinky litter and fed him his stinky food. Perhaps her biggest gift was that she gave me flexibility. Nan is a woman who likes to have a plan and she allowed me the ability to flake out day after day with no agenda other th...
Preschool's over.
Today was the end-of-the-year party for Willow, Art's preschool. His last day of preschool (of his ENTIRE LIFE!) was yesterday, a sad and exciting milestone for sure. Art's teacher Ms. Jen has given him a wholesome start into the world of schooling. And of course Evva never misses a chance to hold a baby... -------------------- And some photos from yesterday, the last day of school. Lewis came, too. Arthur's friendship with Silas has been the defining relationship of his preschool years. Here they are having a passionate discussion about something. I love how they hardly even look each other in the eye but instead just talking into space right next to your friend.