terrible weather and our poor Emma.

she probably feels like the forces of nature are against her.

Thursday night she spent the night at my sister's house and the next day she went with my niece, nephew and her uncle (my brother in law) to his brother's house and they spent the day there.
the weather started picking up and just as they were getting back to their house the storm really came after our little part of the world.
they spent some time in their basement while we were over here huddling in our bathroom (the basement is a trick... I'll just leave it at that)
their place got hit pretty hard and they have such a mess, but thank God they still have a home.

now that experience was harrowing enough for every one (I have some issues myself with the experience we had here)
but tonight she and the youngest two are staying with Grandma and Grandpa and guess what... they ended up in the basement because of the weather.

hoping for a happier post...

I thought it was about time to post something chipper-er on here...
but all I can think about is the weather.

we have had a lot of rain which is good, but the sun is nice too. it's just that we see a lot less of the sun than we do rain.
a few days ago we had some bad weather here in MN. in several areas in MN there were tornadoes and I am terrified of them, especially being in our teeny weeny house.
I don't pray as much as I should, but boy howdy! I prayed so much that night that our house would be left unharmed and that my family would be safe.
when I was little, storms made me nervous and I would be a little afraid, but I always had Mom and Dad and they would keep me safe so in my childish mind I didn't really have to be scared.
but since I've had children, strong winds and hail and greenish yellow skies chill me to the bone.

and despite all my terror that I feel when these types of storms arise, you can see me standing next to the biggest windows in the house or even stepping outside to watch the clouds.
I must get that crazy streak from my dad. He's always been a bit of a thrill seeker.

(edited this because it took a huge left turn and I didn't really mean to vent)

I have certainly learned that being a grown up does not make a person invincible or even brave. if anything I've become more afraid of things and know that parents have a lot of imperfections

it was a good service

we had Grandma's funeral this morning. it was a really good service. it was personal and hopeful and it wasn't dreary and depressing like so many funerals I've attended.

there was a moment or two when I had a couple of good sobs but for the most part I was able to hold it together and that was a good thing because Erica, my sisters, my niece and I sang and that's really hard to do when you are crying. I know this from experience.
11 years ago when my Grandma O died and my sisters and I sang for her we got really choked up and it was very difficult to pull it together in order to finish the song.
I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and think that it wasn't as emotional and heart breaking to say good-bye to Grandma K, but after 11 years we've become much better at disciplining ourselves, plus we had a good 'counter attack' all set up. at the first sign of a cry during the songs we would pinch either ourselves or the woman closest to us to help focus on the song.
it also helps if you don't think about the words as you sing them and don't look at anyone else.

I will miss grandma, but at the same time I am glad for her. through so many deaths of my own loved ones I have come to realize that the sadness and pain I feel is just me feeling sorry for myself. so I will be happy for Grandma - happy that she is with all her loved ones again.

my maternal mothers

this is a very very old picture of my great grandmother, my mother, and my grandmother.
(mom is in the middle, her mom is on the right and her mom is on the left)

two of these ladies have passed and soon my grandmother will be following them.
grandma hasn't been doing at all well, especially in the last couple of weeks and has been rapidly failing

I never knew her as well as I should have
:(

pictures of the party

Ronan is so small for being so big.

like any 3 year old he has to do everything himself just because he wants to prove that he is big or because he is eager to be grown up.
over the years and through 5 kids I've come to a point in my life where I don't care if things are always perfect, just as long as my family is happy. so if the candles are not completely centered on the cake I have no problem with that.

and if the cake isn't cut in perfectly symmetrical pieces my life isn't over...

Ronan did get a little help cutting his cake because he wasn't cutting any more than the frosting but he did get a minute to do it himself. that was fun and funny.

then it was time for presents. it was an Iron Man theme. he loves Iron Man so it was the logical choice of birthday present.

he said "cool" a lot and look at that smile!

what a great birthday

three years ago

Ronan at one day old.

more pictures after cake and ice cream tonight