Franklin

I wanted you all to meet Franklin. He has pacifiers in his butt. You wouldn't put them in your mouth now, either.

Life

I know, I know. It's been over a month. I'm one of those obnoxious bloggers who leaves you hanging, waiting for something new. Those people drive me crazy. And now I'm one of them. Not to make excuses or anything, but the last 7 weeks have been pretty crazy. First there was a wedding...Then Christmas...
Then we had a few rough weeks. My sweet great-grandma passed away on January 6th. It was her third winter in a row contracting pneumonia, and she just couldn't fight her way out this time. Though it was a roller coaster of emotions, I feel enormously blessed to have been able to spend a few of her last days with her. During that time, I thought a lot about fond memories that I don't want to forget, so here they are:

-she was the best book reader this three-year old girl knew
-she was a fantastic Slap Jack player (or at least it seemed that way when I was four)
-she was always concerned about feeding people, even if they repeatedly stated that they were not, in fact, hungry. On a related note, did you know that the fastest way to cool hot oatmeal is to put a little piece of ice in it?
-she loved quietly and deeply--I found a spoon yesterday that she saved and gave to me after Owen was born. It was mine when I was little and stayed with her. It had a precious note attached about how much she loved me, and Will too.
-she had a spunky side that not everyone got to see. I once witnessed her and my great-grandpa disagree about something. I thought he was the tough, stubborn one. Guess they both were.
-she was incredibly frugal (she lived through the Depression--who can blame her), but able to be giving at the same time. During college, I mentioned that I missed her apple butter. The next time I came home, she opened her cabinet to show me at least 20 jars.
-she loved to garden and can (see above)
-she made a funny noise with her mouth and scrunched up her face whenever she thought something was a load of crap
-she could make a piece of grass whistle like you wouldn't believe


And then, a week later, Will's Papa passed away too. This is my post and not Will's, so I'm not equipped to offer memorialization of him. Due to distance and life, I never had a chance to know him. But I will say that I was made strikingly aware that I am an Alley. To see Will and his family hurting, made me hurt too. I love them dearly, and I'm glad that I was able to be there with them during that time.

So, please overlook our absence from the blogging world. We pray that life will be a little less hectic now. It's not like we've got a new family member on the way or anything.