So it's happened....

I figure since my last post was about my dying grandma, I should extend an update.

She passed away just a few days after I wrote that.

She had many of her family members there at the house with her and went peacefully.

The wake and funeral were beautiful and it was so good to see all of my family that has scattered across the country the past few years. Almost all of my cousins made it in and my aunts and uncles.

We all had such wonderful memories of growing up together and playing together at Grandma's house. In Grandma's basement. At Grandma's cottage.

I love those memories.

Flashback - Dear Quinn,

As an avid scrapbooker I finished Quinn's First Year scrapbook a month after he turned One. Anyway...I thought I'd share a letter I wrote to Quinn on the very last page of his First Year scrapbook. What I love most about this letter is that it's written in my handwriting - and includes a picture of him as a baby and the picture above. And here's some more flashback photos for your enjoyment.

Dear Quinn, (Dec. 20, 2005)
I would never have believed how much one little person could change my life. It's been just over a year since you came screaming into my world - and your father and I have been blessed with many memories.
We were so anxious to bring you to our home. We worked so hard getting things ready for your big arrival, but it wasn't perfect until you came home! We had a real scare when you wouldn't nurse and slept too long; you were 7 days old. We called the doctor and she said, "Give him a bottle. Dont' worry, he'll nurse again, he's just too weak." Yikes - we were so scared, but you took that bottle, got some energy, and started nursing again. You were such a good eater - breast or bottle and when you started eating real food you really loved it! What were we worried about? Besides that one scare, your first year was pretty easy for us as parents! Well, except for when you were 4 months old and decided not to sleep anymore. We consulted your doctor, my doctor, and a few books and decided to use the "cry-it-out" method. It worked beautifully and took less than a week, but as your mom, it was the hardest thing I had to do. I now see that as one of the first things we taught you to do for yourself. And so now you're one - and you want to do everything for yourself - you'll even push my hand away if I try to help you. When you want me to help you, I will be there for you. I promise.
Love always,
Mom

His last bath before his First Haircut.

Because I Rock

The last part of Quinn's bedtime routine involves me sitting by his bed, rubbing his back, and singing a song to him. A few months ago, or maybe it's been a year, I've started asking him what song he'd like me to sing. And for the longest time he'd choose one of the many songs I know: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle, This Old Man, Old McDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Snuggle Puppy, Mickey Mouse Song, Super Why Song, etc. Then all of a sudden he started asking for songs that don't exist. And I would do my best to make up a song using the title I was given. Tonight he said, "Sing the song about Mommy and Daddy and Liam and Maggie and Miss. Danielle and Grandma Edie and Henry and Bethany and Grandma Chris and..." at that point I cut him off and started singing (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell), "Mommy loves Quinn. Daddy loves Quinn. Grandma Edie loves Quinn too. Liam loves Quinn. Maggie loves Quinn. Miss. Danielle loves Quinn too. Henry loves Quinn. Bethany loves Quinn. Grandma Chris loves Quinn too. James loves Quinn. Paige loves Quinn. Grandpa Tim loves Quinn too. Ethan loves Quinn. Luke loves Quinn. Grandpa George loves Quinn too." And after I was finished singing, Quinn looks up at me, smiles, and says, "That's the best song ever! I love that song!"

At the park. On a day that wasn't freezing.

Was it ten years ago???

All through college I was very involved in bands - marching band, pep band, and concert band. Pep band was my absolute favorite. After one season of basketball I became obsessed with our team - we had some great players - who were the same year as I was - so the team was sure to grow and get better and better. And they did. Basketball games were so much fun to watch and participate in - I can still remember all the cheers we'd do with the cheerleaders and the student fan section and all the songs we'd play as loud as we could. The fight song, We Are the Champions, Horse (this one was fun - the tuba players got to dance around on the court and shoot fire out of their tubas!), and a bunch of classic rock songs. I loved all of the players - Jamar Smiley, Skip, Dan Muller (or something like that), I knew them all - their names, their strengths, their injuries and even what they liked to eat at Subway (where I worked - whenever one of them came in I got all flustered as though a true celebrity had come to order a sandwich - I couldn't even muster up a "good game" for any of them - I'd just make their sandwich and let them on their way - they probably thought I had no idea who they were). My last year our team made it to the NCAA championship; this is rare for a "small" school like Illinois State. The best part was that some of the pep band got to accompany them to Sacramento California - the weekend before spring break. Luckily for me, about half of the band was already on their way to Ireland, but not me, I couldn't afford it. With all those guys being gone there was room for woodwind players (usually only the brass players would go for something like this) and I got to go with! We were all so excited because we were the ones with NO plans for spring break - the ones that couldn't afford anything fun - and here we were heading to California for free! On a private jet! With the team! And a daily allowance of $75 for food! And it was so cold when we left! And so warm in California! What more could you ask for? How about the team winning the first game by ONE point in overtime - accomplished by a 3-point-shot AT THE BUZZER. By a player that was playing slightly injured! My gosh - the adrenaline rush was unbelievable! I still remember jumping and screaming with everyone even after we had left the stadium. Awesome. And then celebrating some more later that night (ever go on a band trip? The custom is someone gives up their tub for the ice and drinks. There's usually a lot of card playing and singing, "sing us a song your the piano man, sing us a song tonight we're all in the mood for a melody and you've got us feeling alright" or "bye bye miss American pie drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry and good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye singing this will be the day that I die.") This win gave us (the mini-pep band) a chance to take the bus to San Francisco the next day and since we were getting $75/day for food we treated ourselves to some amazing seafood and then spent the day sightseeing. We were there for maybe 7 hours or so and it was so beautiful. The next day was our second game. Our team did really well the first half and at half time we were down by maybe 6 points or so and we thought we might have a chance to win this (amazingly). Then the second half came and didn't go very quickly at all. I don't remember who we were playing but they basically put us back in our place of some small school that rarely makes it to the NCAA. That feeling of total ecstasy we all experienced just 48 hours ago was totally gone. The team was solemn, we played the Alma mater, and then we were quiet. It was time to head home and by the time we loaded the jet our spirits were lifted slightly. We had made it to NCAA and we had won a very exciting game. By the time the players got on the jet we were ready to cheer and I'm sure they were ready to hear it. It had been an amazing season and an even more amazing trip. That was ten years ago. I know what some of you were doing ten years ago, how about you?