December

It's been a bit of an off month for us.  On December 15th my dear father-in-law passed away.  He was 83 and had lived a full and amazing life. He was an amazing musician, playing the violin for most of his life.  He played at my wedding and I walked down the aisle to him playing Pachebel's Cannon. He was also a school teacher among many other things. He was ill and it was just a matter of time but it was still a shock and still sad.  My mother-in-law took care of him for the last several years as he became weaker and more frail.  She will be lost for the next while.  We spent the week leading up to Christmas saying farewell to him and helping her out.  There is never a good time for someone to pass on but this time of year it just seems so much worse.

The hard part was to keep things as normal as possible for the little girls while making sure they understood that Grampa John wouldn't be here anymore.  They are young enough that they don't totally understand death but are old enough to know that things have changed.  While every holiday is about spending time with friends and family and we have always emphasized this, we decided to make it even more of a focus this year.  During the planning and funeral we got to see many family members that we don't see often.  We spent a lot of time with family and talked to the girls a lot about why it's so important to stay close to family.  We talked a lot about the fact that Christmas isn't just about material gifts but more importantly the gifts of the heart.

Grampa John with Adryanna

Grampa John with Christina

Christmas wasn't all grieving though.  We had many laughs and shared many stories.  The girls got to spend a lot of time with their older siblings and got to be silly and be kids.  They waited anxiously for Santa to come and were so excited Christmas morning when the tree had gifts and the stockings were full.  We all enjoyed a day of fun.

Gram with all her grambabies and grampup:)

Now it is time to get ready for a new year.  The girls will start gymnastics for the first time in January and have both been moved up a level in swimming.  I will end this year with the 5k Resolution Run on New Years Eve and will be signing up for the Women's Half Marathon in Niagara Falls in June.  I will continue on this journey and will be a better mother, wife and person because of it.  Here's to making 2014 the best year!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!