The Twirling Princess and Her Princess Friends

We're back from Disney World with 600 pictures and you need to view them all. Just kidding . . . Actually I am not done slogging through them.

All in all, we had a pretty good vacation. Katie had her moments when she won't listen and moments where she was over excited, but we made it through the five days. We did visit all of the parks, but spent the most time in Magic Kingdom.

We arrived Friday evening and just got ourselves familiar with our resort. We stayed at the Comtemporary and in an upgraded room which meant we could see Magic Kingdom and the nightly fireworks from our balcony.

 Katie and I at the Orlando airport.

Katie and Rick watching the fireworks from our balcony.

Fireworks. Cinderella's Castle is in the middle of the white flash. It looks like it is blowing up.

Saturday was our first day in the parks; however, before we even got off of the resort's grounds, Katie fell and skinned her elbow and knee pretty bad. So it was back to the room for us until Katie could calm down. Throughout our stay, Katie shared her boo-boo story with everyone. I mean EVERYONE. Anyway, we started off at Magic Kingdom. Katie met the princesses and got autographs, as well as rode rides. Magic Kingdom's rides are all pretty tame and she really liked Snow White's Haunted Adventure. We had a dinner reservation at the Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios. The meal was outstanding as was our waiter. 

Sunday was Katie's birthday and we had made her a 10am appointment at the Bippity Boppity Boutique. We had purchased the Castle Package for her which included hair, make up, nails, costume, shoes, wand and tiara. Katie wanted to be Ariel, but she did not choose the pretty ball gown, she chose Ariel's everyday outfit because she wanted fins. Rick and I tried to persuade her to do the ball gown, but she would not have any of that. Actually, I was rooting for the Belle gown. It was absolutely gorgeous. But since it was her day, we let her wear fins. She also got to pick out fake hair. She immediately insisted on black, but we reminded her that Ariel had red hair and Katie relented and chose the red. Whew! She would have looked so goth with jet black hair.

In all the preparation to get ready for the trip, I forgot to buy a card and wrapping paper. Rick made a card and used newspaper for wrapping paper. As you can see, she was happy. Besides the vacation, we got Katie a Princess snow globe and a Princess bracelet.

Waiting for the Bippity Boppity treatment.

While she was at the BB Boutique, her back was to the mirror and when the stylist was finished she swung Katie around. Oh how happy Katie was.

Katie cracked us up. As we strolled through the park, she waved a royal wave and bowed her head every once and while. She was delighted when people commented on what a pretty princess she was and when they wished her a happy birthday. (Her sash says, "Birthday Princess.")

Katie is extremely out going and friendly. She was continually striking up conversations with people. In each line that we waited in, she made a friend. Each monorail or shuttle bus that we rode she made a friend. It didn't matter if the other person spoke English or not, Katie chatted with them. When she was talking with a little Italian girl, the two of them carried on a conversation in their respective languages and by their expressions it was a fascinating conversation. In the above picture Katie is making friends with a Disney photographer.

 Posing by Cinderella's castle. She sure has the princess stance down pat.

 We were greeted by Cinderella when we went to her castle to dine at her Royal Table. 

 While we ate, Snow White stopped by . . .

. . . and so did Aurora. (Katie was intrigued by her long hair.)

 Belle made an appearance also, but she didn't have on her ball gown. However, below Belle had her gown on when we stopped by the Princesses' character meeting area.

 And we can't forget Ariel. Katie was pretty pumped to chat with her.

While watching a performance by Mickey and the Gang on the castle steps, Katie twirled and danced and was in her glory. Rick commented, "Like mother, like daughter." (On our wedding evening, Rick and I were sitting on the porch of the Grand Hotel and my wedding dress was made for twirling so I did.) After the show was over a woman sitting near us was chuckling about Katie because she was posing. The lady commented how good Katie was with picture-taking. She also asked me if I entered Katie in beauty pagents. I told her I did not and then she advised me to do so. All I could think of was that show Toddlers & Tiaras. Those little beauty queens and their stage mothers are rather freaky/scary. So it's safe to say I won't be doing that. 

The professional poser.

Katie and Rick waiting for the parade to start. We were very lucky that we found an empty table at a sidewalk cafe.

Here's Katie making another friend. This lady was from London and worked at Disney. Katie also struck up a conversation with the ladies sitting on the curb. Of course each conversation included a recap of how she got her two boo-boos, as well as a showing of the scabs.

Rapunzel and Katie in the Storybook Garden

Well, that was the first few days. I will continue tomorrow. Stay tuned . . .

This and That and The Kitchen Sink

Rick left this morning for Springfield, IL. He'll Come home Friday and then fly out again to Springfield on Sunday. The hard part is that the second week he gets home on Thursday and we fly out Friday to Orlando and Disney World.

Speaking of Disney, I am immersed in my Unofficial Guide to Disney. Despite graduating from Mickey's College of Knowledge (seriously, that is the name of it.), so much has changed that I feel as if I have no prior knowledge. However, one thing I do remember is to not go to Disney without a plan. You can be anal and plan down to the minute or do a more flexible plan. Regardless, without a plan you will be overwhelmed and miss so much of Disney. A couple months back Rick had called WDW-Dine and made "reservations" for various popular sit-down restaurants, so I needed to make an Excel spreadsheet calendar to keep everything straight. This will be our first family vacation. We have traveled a lot as a family, but it has been typically to visit family or tag along on Rick's business trips. Rick seriously needs a true vacation. A vacation where he is removed from work and the missile base. Unfortunately, it will not be a relax and kick back vacation, but it will be good to leave the "To Do' lists at home.

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I totally misunderstood Rick the other night when he came upon a rattlesnake. I thought he didn't kill it, but he had and not with the usual one shot. He had to shoot it a few times, which is so not like Eagle Eye Rick. When Rick encountered the snake he was on our ag. land. He was over there because he saw two loose calves. He thought they were owned by the people that rent acres from us to use as pasture land. Rick couldn't get the calves in the fence, so I had to call our tenants and they rushed over. They had a shovel in the truck, so Rick further killed the snake with the shovel. After the poor shots, he wanted to make sure it was dead, dead, dead. So our rattlesnake count for 2011 is 1 and it technically wasn't on the land we consider our yard. (Only in Texas is 14 acres a yard!)

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Today I talked on the phone with my sister Linda. Nick and she are at my mom and dad's. They leave for home (Florida) tomorrow. She said that they have had a good time. My mom is doing the same, which is a positive. At least the medication has slowed the progression of her Alzheimer's. Here's a shocker. My dad is driving again. After he had his stroke, he did not drive. Now my mom does not drive because of the injury to her shoulder that she suffered back in November. With Dad being a typical Finlander (they all have sisu) he started driving again. He just didn't like depending on anyone for transportation to the doctor or to the store. They don't go very far and dad only drives 30 mph, which is the speed limit in town, but I imagine it must feel good to be driving again. He has made amazing progress these last five years and it's sisu that has made that happen. For the non-Finlanders, sisu is a Finnish world that has no English equivalent. It is a combination of determination, stubbornness, strength of will, perseverance, the ability to keep going despite the odds, getting the job done without complaints even when it is hard work or near impossible.

So I am tired, tired, tired. Katie was up last night chasing the cat. Of course Cody started his polite whining when he saw Katie moving around. By 3:30 pm, she finally remained in her bed but Cody didn't settle down until 4 am. I would just fall asleep when I would hear Katie running around, so I would get out of bed, put her back in her bed, tell Cody to be quiet then sleep for another 20 minutes before it started all over.

I described Cody's whining as polite. When it is morning and he needs to go out, he whines these short little whines and barks suppressed barks. He knows he is not supposed to be barking or whining, so he tones it down a bit. He also talks to me out of frustration. He wants to bark but knows not to so he starts making this real guttural sound. It almost sounds like the noise that escapes when one yawns. He will also bite his front paw when he is fighting the urge to bite me. Other than those few things, he is still not the brightest bulb in the box. We have a trellis at the end of our sidewalk. There is a gate in the archway of the trellis and when Katie closes it behind her, Cody can't figure out how to get to Katie. All he would have to do is walk 3' around the trellis and he would be on the same side as Katie. Instead he sits there and barks and barks. Last week Cody fell into the pool and it was confirmed that he is the only Lab that does not like water. The muzzle that I ordered was too small for him but because of the return shipping costs, I would only get a few dollars back so I kept it. I did order a new one for him from Dean & Tyler. It is leather and has an additional strap that goes down the forehead. The first muzzle did not have it and he could slip the muzzle off of his nose. I don't necessarily like muzzling him, but we have at least six more months of his chewing. When I let him roam around the house I have to follow him because he pointedly looks for something to chew. Yesterday, Katie and Rick were in the pool and I was hemming Rick's pants, so I let Cody out of the kitchen. Bing, bam, boom he ate one of Katie's hard plastic head bands. I didn't even see him take it. I am undecided about what to do with Cody while we are at Disney. We can leave him home and our neighbors will come over twice a day to take care of him; he could stay at the neighbor's house or we can kennel him. If he stays here, he will be alone a good part of the day and he would go batty. I can see him eating a cabinet or knocking the gate down and chewing most of the contents in our house. The neighbors have three, large dogs so if he goes there, we would have to arrange a recon play date to see if the dogs get along. I am also concerned about what he will chew if he stays at the neighbors. So right now, the kennel is looking as the best option.

Katie has been acting up this past week. She has the eye roll and the snottiness of a teenager. I hope she likes the taste of Irish Spring because there will be a bar in her mouth if she keeps it up. Katie is looking forward to school and I am anxious to witness the much talked about change that we will see in her. I am pretty sure that Katie will like school. She likes going out into the world and being around people. She also likes to learn and is a bit of a teacher pleaser. Of course she doesn't strive as hard to please us. If she doesn't like school we, Rick and I, will be in for thirteen years of power struggles with Katie. Please pray for us. Katie is also becoming a little, high-maintenance fashionista. It drives me up the wall. Before we go to the store she has to pretty herself up i.e. comb her hair, put lip gloss on. Often I end up waiting for her to finish primping and preening. For Pete's sake we are going to Wal-Mart not a swanky boutique on Rodeo Drive. She also likes eye make-up and I have put it on her when I knew we were staying home. Unfortunately I have created a monster. She thinks she should wear it all of the time. I have stressed, stressed and stressed to her that she is actually prettier without the eye make-up. It is disturbing to me to witness her mature interest in clothing and make up. Perhaps it is just a phase. She is still at that age where she wants to be just like me.(I should enjoy it because once she hits her teens she will do a 180 and despise me.) She even wants wrinkles, eyeglasses and to be lactose-intolerant just like her mama. It's rather comical when she scourers her body to find a wrinkle.

Ever since moving to Texas, my feet are no longer soft. I am getting those cracked heels. I figure it is because up North I wore shoes and socks that kept my feet moisturized as opposed to down here where I run around in flip flops in this arid climate. I discovered the other day that my feet are also starting to crack around my toes. For years my dad has had the same problem with his hands. He would develop deep cracks on his palms. He always had white medical tape on his hands keeping the cracks closed. When I was a child I developed those deep cracks on the bottom of my feet and here it is 40 years later and they have reappeared. The freaky thing is the cracks develop not on dry areas, but on the balls of my feet and in the creases around my toes, places that are well moisturized and not dry. I need to Google this phenomenon and hopefully find a remedy.  Other health news, my lactose intolerance is gotten really bad. I used to be able to sneak a spoon full of ice cream when I was fixing a bowl for Katie or Rick. However, lately I cannot do that without a severe reaction. It could be all part of getting old. I am sure doing that.

Well, it's time to retire to the master suite. (Aren't I fancy?!) Perhaps pictures tomorrow. Ciao!

Dad, Mom, Katie and I

We're home and we're tired.  However, Katie is the only one remedying that situation.  She is asleep.  I want  to post a few pictures before I turn out the lights.

 My mom and Katie.  You know my mom does not have wrinkles on her face.  She looks pretty good for an 85 year old woman.

My dad and Katie.

My mom and I.  Katie took this picture and did a good job.  Please disregard my no make-up look.  I was on vacation so I was entitled to sport the low maintenance look.

My dad and I.

Well, I gotta dash or should I say, gotta drag myself into bed.  Ciao!

Blackberries, Backwards Pants and Joy

Katie and I have been picking blackberries.  My mom had some leftover dough from pasties, so Katie and I made a pie.  Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with the camera and my dad dug into it.  So here is our partially eaten, home made blackberry pie.

No matter how hard we tried to convince Katie that the zipper of her shorts goes in the front, she was insistent that she had them on correctly.

This picture looks kind of weird because her lower body seems to be facing the camera and her upper body appears to be facing away.

I leave you with a picture from the other day.  It's a joyful Katie on the beach.

Vacation In A Vacation

I already blogged about Katie's major no-no while we were in Philadelphia and as promised here is a short recap of our weekend.  This is a lengthy and perhaps boring post, but I am doing it more for myself and for Katie to read years down the road.  If you want, you can skip to the bottom for the pictures.

Katie and I arrived in Philly Wednesday night, which was the night of Katie's escape.  Thursday Rick was at the client site and Katie and I hung around the hotel.  It was bitter cold outside so we did not attempt to walk to the Plymouth Meeting Mall.  Thursday night we drove north of Philly to have dinner with two of Rick's co-workers and their two sons.  We ate at the Olive Garden and we truly enjoyed the conversation and meal.  Another bonus was that Katie was well-behaved because she was still remorseful about her escapade.  Rick also took me through his old stomping grounds (he was born and raised north of Philly) and I got to see the two buildings where his dad used to have automotive repair shops.  It was also neat to see all of the old, colonial homes some of which have been around since the 1700's.  (Rick's brother and sister-in-law, Keith and Diane, have one of those houses, but I don't know exactly when it was built.)  There is such rich history of the beginning of this country in Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see Valley Forge or even downtown Philly.  Perhaps on our next trip when I also want to see the houses in which Rick grew up, his grandmother's house, as well as the homes his grandfather built.

Friday Rick was at the client site again and Katie and I walked over to the mall.  It was warmer Friday--perhaps in the 50's--but there was still that snappish cold in the air.  The Plymouth Meeting Mall is a larger mall and one of the anchor stores was a Macy's.  It also had a two tiered carousel about which Katie was so excited.  She ended up riding it five times and I had to drag her away from it.  The second time she rode, she chose the upper tier and I sat on a bench by her chosen horse.  I actually got nauseous from just going around and around.  My purchases at the mall consisted of cologne for Rick, sunglasses for Rick, an outfit for Katie from Gymboree and a book for Katie from Borders.  The only thing that I purchased for myself was a soda.  After Rick got "home" we headed to Keith and Diane's, which is north of Philly.  Katie was so jazzed to see her cousins and pretty much kicked Rick and I to the curb.  She was in her glory and decided she didn't need us anymore.

After chit-chatting for a bit, the eight of us in two cars headed to The Shore (Brigatine Beach), but we first stopped for dinner at a local pizzeria.  Katie was more interested in coloring on her place mat than eating, but she did have some tomatoes.  To get to Keith and Diane's summer home, we had to go by Atlantic City which was the first time I had seen that city.  It definitely looked like a mini Vegas.  I don't recall what time we arrived, but it was late and I was beat.  Katie slept in her cousins' room and was still happy as a clam.  No Momma and Daddy bossing her around.  Rick commented that going to The Shore was like a vacation in a vacation for Katie and I.

Saturday Keith made breakfast before we headed out to the beach.  During off season you do not need a pass to be on the beach and you can drive your vehicle on the beach.  After a short tour of the island, which Katie slept through, we found a spot on the beach.  It was windy and the air was cold coming off of the ocean, so I had Katie put on a winter hat and two pairs of pants.  Diane broke out the beach toys--shovels, pails, sand molds--and the kids got busy excavating the beach.  I built a sand castle and Katie, not content with just one, proceeded to build a whole sub-division of castles.  One of Katie's cousins, Lindsay, surmised that since that wind blew horizontally and not vertically, if she dug a deep hole Katie and she could sit in it and be out of the wind.  It was interesting how most of the homes in that area all look similar.  They are typically two stories with balconies on the front of the houses.  Again, like a fool I did not take pictures of the houses.

After the beach, we headed into Atlantic City for lunch.  Atlantic City is so strange.  Here you have these billion dollar hotels and abandoned buildings existing next to each other.  The boardwalk was interesting and packed.  Apparently there was some type of sporting event going on that weekend and the waiting times at restaurants were insane.  At the Rain Forest Cafe it was 1 1/2 hrs.  We finally settled on the buffet at Caesar's.  Once again Katie didn't have much of an appetite; however, we discovered why the previous night while brushing her teeth.  She had a canker sore.  At the buffet she ate mashed potatoes and ice cream.  After lunch we watched the light show in the mall and walked a bit on the board walk.  By this time it was evening and time to head back to the summer house.  Another thing we did Saturday was put Katie's footprints on the summer house's door of shame.  The door of shame is a closet door in the living room where they measure the girls and also where their daughters' footprints are recorded.  Katie liked getting paint on her feet and walking on the door--Keith took it off of the hinges--and here's hoping that she does not try it at home.  Foolishly I did not take a picture of the door once it was back up.

Sunday, we all headed back to Philly.  Katie rode with her cousins, so Rick and I had some alone time.  Diane had bought tickets to an afternoon showing of Alice In Wonderland.  Rick and I took quick showers at the hotel before heading back to north of Philly.  Katie tried to hide from us when we all met up at the movie theater and Keith said Katie was a great kid and they had no problems with her, which is typical of Katie when she is away from us.  With us she is a whiney-miney and a handful.  Anyway, I loved the movie.  After the movie, we took one of the girls, Ally, with us back to the hotel and Katie stayed with her other two cousins.  We had planned a swim party get-together for that evening, which included Keith and Diane, their three girls, Joe who works at the client site Rick is visiting, Rick's cousin Cakie and her husband and two daughters.  We ordered pizza, changed into our suits and headed down to the pool.  Rick spent the entire time in the water playing with Katie and his nieces--none of the other men suited up for the pool.  Katie especially enjoyed riding on Rick's back as he swam, as did the other three girls.  Rick worked with Katie on her swimming, but she still cannot do it on her own.  It looks like formal lessons are in order.  Katie had two traumas while at the pool.  First she tripped by the hot tub and banged her shin up pretty good, and second she slipped off of the pool's steps and tumbled into the water.  Rick was right next to her and scooped her up.  Katie finally bid adieu to her cousins and slept like a log that night.

Monday afternoon Katie and I flew back home.  Our flights were relatively uneventful, which is how I like it.  It was strange flying this time because we were in coach.  We typically fly in first class, but Rick wasn't with us and he was short a few miles for first class tickets for Katie and I.  While talking to Rick on the phone prior to flying out to Philly, I told him that I was not looking forward to flying and the embarrassing truth was that I didn't want to fly coach.  (Don't I sound like a pretentious snob?!)  That man spoils me.

Now for the photos.

Katie and Ally

Katie hugging Courtney with Diane in the background.

Katie hugging her Aunt Diane with Rick in the background and Courtney standing by.

Katie testing out the Door of Shame before her paint walk.

Keith putting paint on Katie's feet while Rick keeps her suspended in air.

Katie digging at the beach

Katie with her sand castle sub-division.

The man that spoils me to no end.

Katie, me and Lindsay playing in the sand.

Dyson, who is a Corgi and still a pup.  It's actually Keith's dog.  He needed another male in the house since he is outnumbered 4 to 1.

Katie sitting in the wind shelter hole that Lindsay dug.

In Atlantic City when we were walking back to our vehicle, we found this old horse carriage in a parking garage.  From left:  Ally, Katie, Lindsay and Courtney.

Katie with Ally.  It was way past Katie's bedtime, but she had an important page to color.

Well, that's the recap.  It was so refreshing to get away for a few days.  Despite Katie leaving the hotel room, it was a good weekend.  Katie got to spend time with her cousins which is very important to Rick and I.  Ciao and good night.

Rick's Daily Pic

Since Rick is still in Philly, I best post a daily picture for him.  Below is one of my favorites from the weekend.  It is Rick and Katie on the beach in New Jersey.

The next picture is the only one that has Katie with all three of her cousins, who are sisters.  It was windy and chilly that day so that is why Katie is dressed for winter on the beach.

Mommy and Daughter Trip Recap

Well, I finally decided to honker down and post a few pictures from our trip to Michigan. We had a great vacation, but it was also a working vacation which means I cleaned and organized at Mom and Dad's. My sister Linda and I also had to do some running around to various banks and we also set up other appointments for our parents. We didn't make it to the beach. We drove along Lake Superior a couple of times, but did not get out of the car. The last couple of days that we were there were rainy and/or overcast. Standing on the shores of Lake Superior in the cold did not appeal to me.

Tuesday night Katie, Linda, Mom and I went to visit Uncle Al and Auntie Fern. Uncle Al is my mom's brother. They live on the land that was my maternal grandparents' and where my Mom was born. Katie thoroughly checked out their home and yard. I didn't get any pictures of Uncle Al, but Katie really likes him. I think it has to do with the fact that he shared half of his Hershey's candy bar with her.

Katie peering into a wheel at Uncle Al and Auntie Fern's.

Katie touring one of the several decks on Uncle Al and Auntie Fern's house.

Katie walking by the gazebo attached to one of the decks.

Linda and Auntie Fern in the gazebo. Auntie Fern would have been a great mother to a little girl but she had two boys instead. When I was a youngster there were mother and daughter dinners at our church and Auntie Fern would "borrow" my sister Maryel or I so she could attend. As a side note, Katie took this picture.

Wednesday night we--Katie, Mom, Dad, Linda and I--piled into my rental car and drove up the Keweenaw Peninsula to Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. My Aunt Sara, my dad's sister, was celebrating her 91st birthday. Out of the twelve children in the family--including step-brother and step-sisters--only my Aunt Sara and my dad are left.

Dad and Auntie Sara. They look great for their ages--85 and 91.

My cousin Wende singing the Backstrom Birthday Song for Auntie Sara.

My mom made pasties when we were home. (Pasties are actually Cornish and are calzones filled with ground sirloin, potatoes, rutabagas--turnips for those not from the U.P--think of a pot pie without the gravy. The Cornish copper miners that emigrated to the U.P. introduced them to the area. The reason the underground copper miners liked them is that they would put a pasty in their pocket and it would stay warm until lunch. Also, because the filling is baked in a crust, the inexpensive meat and potatoes didn't fall out in their pocket.) Katie was her little helper and learned how to make this U.P. favorite. She scooped the filling into the crust and sealed the pasty by pinching the dough. It's neat to think that my mother learned to make pasties from her mother, I learned to make them from my mother and now Katie learned how from her grandmother.

Katie and Mom making pasties.

Dad requested that I buy a bottle of bubbles for Katie, which I did. I soon found them outside blowing bubbles.

During our stay, Katie presented several bouquets of wildflowers to her Grandma, Grandpa, Linda and me. During one flower expedition Linda climbed down an embankment to get pretty purple flowers for Katie. When she handed them to Katie, Katie basically said no thanks. It was then that I realized that Katie was picking all white flowers so the pretty purple ones didn't make it into that day's bouquet.

Linda and Katie picking wildflowers in the field next to my parents.

When I go home I usually end up digging through boxes in the attic. Some items that I encountered this time I have not seen since I was a young child. The hat that Katie is sporting in this picture is a hat that my Dad gave to me when I was about nine years old. I wore that hat for an entire summer and rarely took it off. I brought the hat home with me.

Katie eating her birthday cake.

After my dad had his stroke in February 2006 he used a four-prong cane when he walked. He no longer needs the cane, but it was in a corner in the front porch. Katie found it and decided it made a good microphone. In the picture above she is singing her heart out.

My cousin Jack, his wife Gail and their grandson Joshua stopped by to visit. Katie was enamored with Josh who is her fourth cousin. The fact that he helped her build her Dora puzzle that she got from my Uncle Al and Auntie Fern won Josh a place in Katie's heart. Shortly after meeting Josh, Katie exclaimed, "He's a BIG boy!" In the space of ten minutes Josh went from "a big boy" to "my friend" to "my boyfriend."

This is my cousin Jack who is my Auntie Sara's son. Jack and my Dad are pretty close and Jack looks so much like my Dad that you would think they are father and son. My Dad looks like his father and when you put pictures of the three of them next to each other the resemblance is quite clear. Katie took this picture.

Katie and Grandpa or "Bop-Bop" as she calls him. Katie has taken to smiling like a goober when I take her picture.

Mom and me. I look like a deer in headlights. Katie took this picture.

The old homestead. The house has always made me feel very connected to my ancestors. My great-grandfather built this house. After his death my grandfather moved into the house. My father was born in this house. My Grandfather died in this house and was laid out for last respects in the living room--they did that in years past. My Aunt Hilda died in my Grandmother's arms at the age of nine while my Grandmother was rocking her. Hilda had heart issues and took her last breath in the dining room. I marvel at the fact that Katie walks the same floors that her great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather and mother walked. My father is very attached to the family house and I pray that when his time comes he will die quietly in his house just like his father before him.

As for Katie, she misbehaved and was an embarrassment on more than one occasion. For some reason that is how Katie acts when we go to my parents'. It might have something to do with the fact that to Grandma, Katie can do no wrong. She was also super whiny which I attribute to her not getting enough sleep. It was difficult for her to take her afternoon naps when there was so much "excitement" going on downstairs. Also because it stays light out in the U.P. to way past ten o'clock at night, Katie won't observe her usual bedtime.

That's just a small selection of the photos that I took while home. Like always it was good to go home, but it was also bittersweet. Mom's Alzheimer's is not getting worse, but also not getting better. Dad is still sharp as a tack but his ability to talk has not expanded beyond yes, no and oh shit. At this point, I pray that they will be around next summer so Katie and I can visit with them once again.