Goodbye Papa

We are home from Michigan tonight after a long, emotional weekend celebrating the life of Dr. Jim Walker. There were a lot of tears the past few days, but also quite a few laughs. The stories that we heard from family members, friends and patients were truly amazing. As hard as the mass, visitation, funeral and burial were, it was lovely to have an opportunity to meet so many individuals who were touched by this man. The sheer number of people who came to pay their respects was overwhelming- they had to shut the doors at 7pm Saturday at the visitation despite the long line that continued out the door and down the hallway of the funeral home. Dr. Walker was a fighter pilot in the Korean War, so there was a military ceremony at the cemetery. It was truly inspiring, and something he would have been very proud of. And gathering at Warwick Country Club, the setting of so many happy occasions for the family since he joined in 1963, was the perfect way to end the day.

This photo was taken of Papa giving Elena her first bottle in Michigan. There was a slideshow that included photos of him holding each and every one of the grandchildren this weekend. He loved the babies! Elena, along with cousins Molly & Ellie, were fascinated with looking at Papa during the viewing. They kept running up to the front of the room to peer in the open casket and talk to him. Elena asked why he was sleeping in a crib and when he would wake up. It broke my heart.

Dr. Walker was a voracious reader and shared his love of books with the grandkids. This photo was taken of Alex and Papa during the celebration weekend for Alex's 2nd birthday. Alex is having a tougher time processing this than Elena. Elena seems to just take it in and move on, while Alex is still trying to wrap his brain around things. Alex was Grandma Liz's escort for the funeral processional today, and was in tears right before heading down the aisle because he missed Papa. While our family slept over at Aunt Jill's house (thank you for your hospitality Jill!), Alex insisted on sleeping over with Grandma each night. I don't think she minded the company. He must have given her a hundred hugs today. That kid has such a big heart.

Alex has asked many interesting questions the last few days. Many have revolved around whether he is playing with our two cats who have died. We had to put Geddy to sleep just a few weeks ago, so we have recently been talking and reading about heaven and what happens after you die. I was grateful we had those conversations previously so this wasn't such a foreign concept.

What an amazing legacy Dr. Walker left- a wife of 52 years, 7 children and 21 grandchildren!Jeff is so much like his father. It was nice to learn more about him from all the stories that were shared- it gave me insight into the amazing man I am married to.

We will miss you Papa!

Sticky Wall

Uncle Jimmy now owns the house Jeff grew up in. They host an annual party for neighborhood and family friends that over 200 people attend. The fun festivities this year included a sticky velcro wall for the first time.

Cousin Annie Aunt Lori and Cousin Eric
It was fun to watch the kids AND adults have fun together!

Elena's First Day of Preschool

Elena was all smiles on her first morning of preschool. Her teachers this year are Mrs. Decker (mom of one of Alex's friends) and Mrs. Boyer (mom of Elena's friend Sofie and one of her teachers last year in the 2s class). It also helped put a smile on her face knowing that that her good buddy Eve is in her class. Alex insisted on wearing his "favorite shirt" with Iron Man on it. I don't know that he has ever watched Iron Man, but he sure loves this shirt!
Along with their healthy breakfast to start the day, the kids got a mini powdered sugar donut to eat. Alex enjoyed showing off his powdered sugar covered mouth for my ever-present camera.
My back to school tradition with each of the kids is a "just mommy and me" trip for a milkshake after the first day of school. Alex picked a vanilla shake from Steak and Shake after his first day on Monday. On Tuesday, Elena picked a chocolate shake from McDonalds. After Elena and I returned home on our evening milkshake run, we found the boys playing a little soccer in the backyard.
So Elena and I took the opportunity to sit down together to talk about our day. I am looking forward to hearing all about her preschool adventures this year!

Alex is a Kindergartner!

Alex's first day of Kindergarten was Monday. I can't believe our baby is old enough to be in Kindergarten! Alex had his Daddy take him to school on his first day, which was a nice treat. But of course I was there to capture the morning.

Alex is very happy that his preschool teacher from when he was three, Mrs. Halt, is co-teaching the class along with Mrs. Ganser. It will be an exciting year to watch him learn to read and grow in ways beyond just academics.

The Carnival

The Catholic church down the street has a carnival called Seton Festival towards the end of each summer. Although we have always watched the fireworks display from our front yard on Friday and Saturday nights of the Festival, this year was our first time to attend.

The first ride the kids tried was the dragon roller coaster. Alex was very excited, but Elena was a little less sure. She did just fine though with her big brother by her side.The kids pretended to be starship pilots on another ride.
Alex liked being high above everyone else.
No carvival is complete without a ride on the carousel.
The dizzy teacups were a surprising hit. I put the camera away when we ran into our neighbors, Angie, Alex and Jeff. After a few more rides, we sat down together to eat the delicious fair food including corn on the cob, cotton candy and an elephant ear. The kids danced on the stage to the live music with the parents enjoyed the fun atmosphere together. We had so much fun hanging out with the neighbors, we decided to go to the zoo together tomorrow!