Sad news and good news, too

Well, it has bee an eventful week so far.

Last Saturday we found out that Mike’s grandmother died in the wee hours of the morning. She was 91 years old and in poor health. She was his grandmother on his mother’s side. As sad as it is to lose a family member, it was a blessing to know that she was no longer suffering.
As soon as we got the news, we began planning our trip to Michigan for the funeral. We stayed with Mike’s parents and we were able to spend quality time with all of the family. As it turned out, the weather in Michigan was terrific, and it was so nice to see everyone again. We ended up having a very good time despite the circumstances.

And, fortunately Louise was able to meet Grandma Koslowski back in the fall. We weren’t sure how Grandma would do since she had her good and bad days, but as it turned out, Louise really brought her to life and the two of them had a great experience together. We’re so grateful for that memory!

I wish I had pictures from the trip to share, but I was too busy making sure Louise stayed out of trouble. Louise says “Thank you Grandpa and Babu!” And special thanks to Melissa, the best auntie ever, for all of the gluten free goodies and for making our life easier by borrowing and toting around all of the baby gear we used.

Sadly, when we returned, I found out that my great aunt on my mom’s mom’s side also passed away. We missed the funeral because we were on our way back from Michigan. I’m sad to say that Louise never met Aunt Martha. Aunt Martha, too, had been in bad health, but it caught me off guard. I had thought that we would get another chance to see her. It just drives home that spending time with the people you love is important to do now rather than later.

Now on the lighter side, Louise had a wonderful day at childcare this morning. When we arrived, her face lit up and she ran over to her teacher and gave her a big hug! I was so proud! She played all day and wasn’t even ready to go when I came to pick her up. She has really bonded with her teachers and pals and you can tell that she feels like the classroom and play areas are her own. I’m so proud of my little gal!

And I also have to add really quickly that it is spectacularly beautiful outside today: blue skies, sun, green leaflets, and flowers. The woods are dappled with white dogwood blossoms; it is really beautiful. We even have a few tulips left!