A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That

You know how sometimes when you look at something all the time, you don't really see it? That's apparently what I was doing to my blog because it wasn't until very recently that I suddenly woke up to the fact that the family picture in my sidebar was completely out-of-date.  With no Tobin in it, the picture was no good.  The only problem: we didn't have a family picture that had all five of us in.  You'd think, with the vast quantities of pictures we've taken during the past almost 8 months of Tobin's life, there would be a good family picture in there somewhere.  But alas, there wasn't.  The only thing to do was to herd everyone outside one evening after supper to plop on the grass in the front yard, then hand the camera to my dad and tell him to take a bunch of pictures in hopes of getting a decent one out of the batch.  Taking pictures with three little ones is not always the easiest thing in the world, but I like this one and am glad to use it to replace the old outdated pic!

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Remember the plan to have a very special mother/son time with Josiah yesterday?  Unfortunately, after much hype and anticipation, we arrived at the waterpark to find it...closed.  Yep, closed.  What a bummer.  I didn't think to check if it was open every day of the week this month.  Because Jeff and Josiah had gone a few months ago with our church group on a Wednesday, I didn't even consider the possibility of us not getting in.

Plan B involved renting a movie and bringing it home to watch as a family...still fun and not the usual course of events on a Wednesday afternoon, but not exactly as good as the waterpark.  ;)  Fortunately, Plan B also involves Josiah and I returning to the waterpark on Sunday afternoon; and I just happen to know that, barring unforeseen circumstances, it will indeed be open that day!

Yesterday after the excitement of Jeff being off work and running errands with David and Tobin while Josiah and I were off on our date (or non-date, as it turned out) and watching a movie after we returned, etc., David was having quiet time upstairs.  I could hear him playing happily with various things, and then everything got quiet.  This was the scene I found: David asleep in the hall in Tobin's bouncy seat.  :)

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Everyone remembers what happened 7 years ago today; and although I didn't know anyone personally who was killed in the tragedy, I remember the collective shock and grief we as a nation felt.  I think most of us could clearly describe where exactly we were when we heard about the 9/11 attacks.  It's just one of those landmark events that divides time in a nation's history and remains permanently in the consciousness of the people.

But in my own life, another event on September 11 has even greater meaning.  Eleven years ago today, my grandfather died.  His name was Otis Winters; and he died at the age of 89 after dealing with Alzheimer's Disease for many, many years.  He was a tiller of the soil on his farm in a tiny mountain valley in Pennsylvania; and he had such a kind, gentle nature.  Someday I'd like to write more about him and my grandmother and my cherished memories of time spent with them; but for now, all I can say is that I'm proud to be his granddaughter, and I still miss him.  I'm looking forward to seeing him in heaven--with no hunched back (a left-over from when his back was broken in a farming accident) and with a clear mind--in a more glorious state than I can even imagine.  Someday, Granddad, someday...