The Gift of Family

I said I'd post some pictures from the time of my Grandpa's funeral

so here some of them are:

This is Elizabeth with my grandma's sister Lorraine.
Elizabeth makes Lorraine smile--every time!

The day my grandpa died, I took just the girls in the car and headed

down to there house, an hour and fifteen minutes away.

Ruby and Ivy spent some time coloring at Grandma's table--

which would be the very same table at which I used to sit and color.

I nearly talked myself out of driving down there,

thinking she would have enough company...the little ones might be distracting...

what if Grandma's too sad...etc.

All of those fears were dispelled when, as we opened the car doors and

Ivy hopped out, my normally-very-quiet Grandma exclaimed,

"Here's my Ivy Joy!" and opened her arms wide for Ivy to run to her.

She remarked to someone standing near her at the funeral a few days later,

(as she was holding Elizabeth)

"It's these little ones who keep me going..."

Ahhhhh, Grandma.

After the funeral, we walked over to my grandma's house for more visiting.

Ivy and her cousin Wade played with my brother's dog.

Daisey is  THE MOST tolerant dog I have EVER seen.

Daddy asked Ivy to smile nice for the camera.

This is what he got:

Hm.

Christopher always smile nice for us, though.

Andrew was delighted to spend some time throwing the football

on the yard with Dennis.

He comes alive when playing football! 

Elijah loves his RDO hat--it's the John Deere dealership

 for which both my dad and my brother work.

Cousins!!

Linnea and Callie always have fun seeing each other at Grandma's.

Callie lives far away in WI, so it's not often

but they always jump right in like it's been no time at all!

Ruby knew just where to go to get the old dollies from Grandma's basement

and she sat on the step combing it's hair--

while the wind blew her own around!

Ivy and cousin Reid chased each other around the yard.

My (available!) brother is a KID MAGNET.

All children flock to him--it's amazing!

This is my grandma and her siblings.

Grandma is in the back with the black shirt on.

She is the oldest of seven.

A brother is missing from this photo and one sister has passed away.

And HERE is my grandma with all her great-grandkids!

Every one was able to be there that day!

(Ivy was so excited that we let her have root beer, she wouldn't put the can down.)

My grandma and Lil' Bit.

Yep, these are what keep her going.