Fisher

Seriously, like father like son. At the funeral home an older man came up to Don and thought he knew him. He asked Don his name, then his last name. About that time Don's dad walked in. The man looked at Dave then Don and said "I knew you were to young to be Dave." Too funny.

We spent our last two nights with Don's dad and wife. And of course baby Nova. Such a mello little girl.

Nova Lin AKA, Novocaine, Nova Scotia, Super Nova

Alika played a little pool.

Don's dad played a little pool.

The morning we were to leave there was a significant snow storm in Bloomington. It was a challenge getting to the airport. Don and his dad went to put gas in one of their cars about the time Don's brother Danny called to say his car was in the ditch. We left four hours early and we got to the airport about 30 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave. The plane was delayed about 30 minutes. We got into Atlanta (yes, Illinois to Atlanta to Utah. So dumb). We ran to get to our plane in Atlanta made it just as they were boarding. We then sat on the runway for two hours due to computer problems. We got into Salt Lake about 2 a.m. Sean and I slept all the way. I had the window, Sean had the middle and a stranger was in the aisle. I woke up at one point and saw that Sean was asleep on my lap with his feet in the strangers. Cute kiddo.

Arthur Illinois

When we told people we were staying in Arthur they said "I didn't know there was anywhere to stay in Arthur."

I can't remember the last time we stayed somewhere that had a metal key. We kept that room locked up tight, you never know there might be a crime wave in Arthur Illinois.

The other funny thing about the motel was the towels were threadbare. The kind of towels you would use for rags at home. We were the only guest. When I asked the lady if we could stay an extra hour after check out time she sighed a huge sigh and finally said "yes." Seriously, it's not like they had to turn our room over for all the people waiting. It was a decent place. It was clean and you could walk to Yoder's for lunch. There was a coffee shop with really great breakfast sandwiches close by. There was wi fi and cable television.

There was a certain degree of nostalgia because I don't know that we will ever go to Lovington or Arthur again now that Sharon is gone.

Amish, Amish everywhere.

That's a serious chicken coop

We checked how many horse and buggies were outside a restaurant before we went in. (Not that there are a lot of choices in Arthur but we wanted to eat somewhere besides Yoder's for breakfast, lunch and dinner.) Apparently the Amish are not connoisseurs of Mexican food. We went to the only Mexican restaurant in town. There were a half a dozen buggies outside and a room full of Amish inside, we had high expectations. The food was not great. Alika told the waiter the food she ordered was not what they gave her and he said "that's how we make it here." Alika thought that was funny. "Yes, it may be an omelet but that's how we make pizza here." The humor factor outweighed the fact that what we were served was nothing like any other Mexican restaurant would serve. Basically everything you ordered was a taco regardless of what the menu said.

Hm, lot of horse poo.

There were lots of cute Amish pictures I would have taken except Amish don't like their picture taken. There was a school of Amish children walking down the street, Amish working in their fields and an Amish woman and her children standing next to a bicycle with her skirt and cap ties blowing in the wind. Alas, I had to be content with picture of horse and buggies.

Hanging out in the motel room. When I told Sean we were going on an airplane he asked "are we going to England?" That kid really wants to go to England.

 

I have a brother named Arthur so the State Bank of Arthur warranted a picture.

Lovington

We came to Lovington for Sharon's memorial service. It was great to see lots of family.
At the service Sean kept asking why everyone was crying. Don said because we miss Grandma Sharon. Sean said "I don't miss her."

Addie and Dava both read poems. October sang two songs. It was a very nice service. The minister who spoke at Grandma Ev's funeral conducted. He did a good job and I think Sharon would have approved.

 When we were driving to the cemetery a herd of deer crossed the road in front of the precession. I thought Sharon would appreciate that.

 When we got to the grave site Sean asked what was in the "box." Don told him it was Grandma Sharon. He asked me how she fit in the box. I told him it was her ashes. He kept asking how the ashes got out. I told him the box was sealed and the ashes wouldn't come out. I let him pull on the lid. He kept asking how the ashes got out of Grandma Sharon. I explained cremation to him. Tough concept for a five year old.

Addie read "I think that I shall never see". October sang two songs. Dava had a sapling for each grandchild so they could plant a tree.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

   Joyce Kilmer

After the funeral we went to Yoders for a family luncheon. Sharon had received a royalty check for articles she had written that are coming out in the April magazine. We used that check to pay for lunch. I thought that was awesome because Sharon would love the fact that she bought all her family dinner.

We stopped in Lovington at Sharon's house to pick some things up. Sean ran into Sharon's room looking for her and was upset when she wasn't there. That's why he was so confused why we were all crying because he fully expected her to be back at the house waiting for us. Alika was crying and trying to explain to Sean that Grandma Sharon wasn't at the house that she had died. Sean wanted to know what planet she was on. Sad to watch a little boy struggle with the concept of death. He didn't like it one bit.

Dava had her foster kids and Dava's other son Kyle had his three little boys there so Sean had fun playing with cousins. The boys mother has filed an appeal with the courts over the termination of her parental rights. It could be another eighteen months before their adoption is final. Dava doesn't care because by then they will be out of daycare and right now the state is paying for daycare.

It was nice to see all of Don's Uncle Pete and Nancy and his dad. His cousins, Aunt and Uncle from his dad's side of the family were at the funeral as well. We left Arthur after the funeral and now we are in Fischer staying with Don's dad and wife.

Green eggs and ham

Lucky the Leprechaun came for a visit. He'd been visiting Sean's school and apparently came to our house. He left a note for Sean with words  he could read directing him to a gift.

 Sean is doing amazing with his reading and math skills. He is able to add and subtract. He is beginning to understand the concept of multiplication.

 I went to a kindergarten orientation for the dual immersion program. The principal said that to be ready for kindergarten the kids needed to know some of their colors and identify some of their letters and shapes. Seriously!

 If Sean doesn't get into the dual immersion program he is definitely going to stay at the Montessori school. The dual immersion program is three quarters of the school day and the regular kindergarten is only two and a half hours a day. I'm annoyed that kids in the dual immersion are given opportunites that other kids aren't. A select group of children are given preferential education. The principal said "no, all are kids are given great education opportunities, it's not the haves and have nots." I disagree. I think there is definitely a difference. I think they should offer an hour of a foreign language for all students beginning in kindergarten, then everyone would have the opportunity to be bilingual. The principal kept referring to their "monolingual children. and bilingual children." After spending an hour telling us how learning a second language improves children's test scores across the board they tell us it's OK if your kid doesn't get into the program. I've been doing a lot of research on the benefits of early a second language early in childhood and the benefits are huge.

 

We had green eggs and ham for dinner along with a side of green mashed potato's. I don't like eggs so I had to have something else.

Mom said, "you're not really going to put food coloring in the eggs." Oh yes we are! We did refrain from painting her ham green.

Ski school graduate

Sean has been taking ski lessons at Wolf Mountain with his cousins. I've worked every Friday so this was the first week I was able to go. It was also ski school graduation. Tyson and Sean with their instructor Christan. Sean learned lots. He was able to ski down the big mountain!

Jackson and Tyson took snow boarding lessons.

Tyson and Sean eating at the lodge.

Harrison

Jackson, Braxston and their class

Tyson and Sean eating at the Mexican restaurant after skiing.

Andrea's wedding

My cute niece Andrea got married last week. She and Jordan have been dating for years.

Andrea, Jordan and his son Trevyn

I was able to spend time with a couple of other nieces, Jaclyn and Catherine and my nephew Peter

My brother Brad and his daughter in law Stacey.

Flower girls on a window sill

School pictures

My baby is getting so big!!!!

This is my favorite.

 

Going, going...pretty much gone

The weather man says we have had below average snow fall for the year and it's going to be a dry summer. You couldn't tell it was below average at my house. It's been years since we've had this much snow. Then again it's been so cold that the snow has stayed on the ground for months.

Shovel

King of the mountain

King of the mound.

Snow head

As proof that spring is in the air we took a little trip to Farmington Bay to check out the bald eagles.

The birds were out in force. The kids were unimpressed. Harrison wanted to know why we had to do something so stupid. I told him if Legacy Parkway is extended through Farmington Bay we may not be bothered by those pesky eagles much longer;(

To make the children happy went to lunch and swimming afterwards.







March

Yippee March is here. Hopefully the snow will melt and people will stay healthy.

Mom is much better. She won't admit it that she feels good but she is coming upstairs to eat and fixing her own breakfast and lunch. She is even sitting in here chair and reading. She is still on the fentanyl patch and taking some Lortab. I think with the amount of pain she is in on a regular basis the fentanyl patch should be a keeper.

Sean's lab work came back from PCMC. No Cystic Fibrosis or any additional health issues. We have to go see an immunologist. The appointment isn't until April.

Sean lost tooth number 2 yesterday. He put it under his pillow and wants "regular American money."

Sean watching AJ play some way too violent game on his phone.

Steph's family did a virtual baby shower for her. Pieko wearing a mother to be crown. Poor Pieko, the indignities.

A picture of the skyping. Just sayin that watching other people eat really good food in another country doesn't do much for me other than make me hungry and jealous.