(j)aces: March 2014

I know, it's hard to believe. As Abby said (when Charlie started walking at 20 months), "I don't know any other babies who can walk!!" Well, Jonathan must have a little competitive streak, because he beat Charlie by a hair and started walking at 19 months. Before I post the evidence though, here are a couple of his recent favorite hang out spots.

On top of his toy box so he can knock on the window and wave at all of the people walking by:

Sleeping on top of his toy box. He had some assistance here from a certain older sister. After falling off in this position, it is no longer a favorite hang out spot.

This, he LOVES. He will climb up on the table and just scream at us. Almost like a, look at me, what are you going to do about it?

And, alas, the walking video. And what would any Stoughton video be without the musical accompaniment of Andy singing. :)

One last video of Jonny dancing. Dad and Marge love sending very LOUD, musical cards. The kids love them. Apparently Jonathan does too.

We are now a family of 6 walkers! That's tougher to get to than some might think. :)

I don't have it in me to go back and recapture all of the events to bring the blog up to date. Anything I write would seems fake, looking back and writing about it as if present events haven't happened. So, Christmas came and went, and something happened to January. Then came February. February 6th, Bill called to tell us that Mom was getting worse. Alli and I talked on the phone, starting to make plans to fly to Denver. We started looking a week out, then it changed to leaving in a couple of days. That evening Bill called again to say Mom had fallen and wanted to talk to my sister and myself. She got on the phone, and I honestly couldn't make out what she said, but I told her that I loved her and that we were flying out in the morning to be there. My dad picked us up at the airport at 1:30pm. Alli had a message on her cell phone that Mom wasn't doing well and that they were trying to get her to "hang on" until we got there. We got to Mom's as fast as we could. Dad dropped us off and we ran inside and then upstairs to where Bill was standing, only to hear, "she's gone" when we reached him. She had died just 10 minutes before we got there. We started to walk in the bedroom where she was lying, and after a quick glance at her face, I knew I couldn't do it. I couldn't bear to see her gone. Maybe it was denial, but I never did manage to go in and see her. My uncle (Mom's brother) was already in the air - on a flight he had planned weeks ago to come visit her. She was doing "great" at the time. Who would have though he would end up travelling on the day she died. In a very real way, it was amazing timing to have Bill, Morg, Allison, and myself there for the weekend. We could openly grieve, share, laugh, whatever, without guard. I knew each day that it was a precious time. The week between her death and the memorial service was hectic and full. There was so much to do, which kept my mind at bay of reality. We all went back to Denver the following weekend for the service. That was a great time of gathering for friends and family. As hard as it is to be at Mom and Bill's house - just expecting her to walk in the room - there is a comfort about it as well. It was hard to come home. So, now we have turned a chapter. I still pick up the phone sometimes at 4pm to call her. Ashley had a reality check when she wondered if Grammie would call her on her birthday. Charlie pauses for a moment after he prays for God to heal her. It takes some getting used to. I miss her terribly. I realize now all I took for granted having her here. I am so glad we were able to get the kids out to see her one last time. She loved them so much.

Trip in August with the girls: