Last week was definitely full of ups and downs. I will start with the downs, so I can end on a happy note.
The Downs (with attempts to make silver-linings):
* My Grandma passed away this past Thursday. She was 92 and had Alzheimer's for a few years. She didn't have health problems, though, until the last couple of weeks. In those weeks, she suffered from a broken hip, heart problems, strokes, and eventually stopped eating and drinking. I know she is free from pain now and can think clearly. My prayer is now that she will be surrounded by those she knows on the other side and that my other grandparents can teach her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope she accepts God's plan, so we can someday have her as a part of our eternal family.
* I cannot go to her funeral. My grandparents moved to upper, upper state New York almost eleven years ago. They both grew up there and wanted to be buried there, so they moved to where their burial plots are. Richard's brother offered to let me use his frequent flyer miles, but all of the flights are booked (Spring Breaks?) to any airport within a three hour region of where my grandparents live. I mostly wanted to go, so I could give my love to my Grandpa who is 99 and has been in bad health for years. He cannot hear very well anymore, so I had my Mom give him a message of my love for him the other day. His response was, "Oh, I know." That was a good enough response to make me feel okay about not being there... he knows I love him.
* Nelson had his first bad fall. He is such a boy lately! He is always looking for trouble and getting dirty. On St. Patrick's Day, I got him out of the car and he did his usual thing - run down the driveway to get to his favorite spot to sit (the end of the driveway before technically getting to the road - there's lots of good rocks and dirt to eat down there). Well, on his way down the driveway, he tripped and fell on his face. It freaked me out because of the blood in his mouth and forehead. This is what he looked like a few hours after the "incident":
Notice the dirt around his mouth. He did get to eat some of it later that day! It must be okay for him because his wounds have healed up quite nicely less than a week later.
The Ups (no silver-linings needed):
* Great weather! It was so nice outside last week (although you wouldn't have guessed it today)! We spent every afternoon outside playing with neighbors.
* Farm Country! One of our neighbors invited us to go to Farm Country and Thanksgiving Point on Thursday. Nelson had a great time! He rode on a horse for the first time, wandered around acting all big, and fed the goats. He was a champ at feeding those goats - no fear there. Thanks, Britt, for inviting us!
* Great friends and neighbors! I have to say that I love my neighborhood! I was able to visit and spend time with great friends on the day my Grandma died. It definitely helped keep my mind off of things that I couldn't control. Not only did I go to Farm Country that day, but later that night I went with a group of girls from my ward to "Bride Wars". We always have fun Girls Nights around here.
* Richard got a raise! Richard came home last week with a letter from his work. He was promoted one position and with that promotion came a raise! We feel very blessed at this time of a weak economy for Richard to not only have a steady job, but to also get this raise! My hot husband worked hard for this! I am so grateful for the sacrifices he makes for our family!
* Nelson is an even bigger flirt! We noticed a couple of weeks ago that Nelson would randomly wink. We thought it was just a twitch or something. Well, last week he winked at me while in his high chair, so I winked back. He winked back at me! He only does it sometimes, but I was quite impressed with his winking abilities already. I think my little sis taught me how to wink when I was in high school.
* My little sister was in town! Speaking of my little sis, she was in town visiting her in-laws for Spring Break. I got my share of time with her, too. Which always makes me happy!
* Last but not least, ShamRock Fest! I already mentioned that I have awesome neighborhood friends, and a few of them showed me how awesome they really are by coming to our annual ShamRock! It was fun to mingle, eat, and (for a few of us) rock out! Nelson surprised me by being really into the karaoking! He danced (which consists of spinning, bending his knees, and twisting) and held the microphone like a champ. Here we are singing a duet together:
And, here he is with Dad wearing matching St. Patty's Day hats.
Thanks to all who came to our party and were a support to me this week! I am so lucky to have such great people around me and in my support system. I, of course, am most thankful to my sweet husband and little boy who go through the ups and downs of Jeanne-Marie all of the time... and still love me!
