for my dad

dear dad,

just because i know you'll be asking me soon why i haven't posted for a while...

here you go.

these are my to-do lists from the past three days. 

i don't know where saturday's list is, but it was crazy too.

i'll be back when i can catch my breath.

thanks for being my most loyal reader.

i love you.

-wende

grandpa says

i never knew rich's grandpa moore, but i've heard tons of stories about him and really wish that i would have had the chance to know him better. one of my favorite photos ever, is of grandpa holding his wife's hands while grandma squeezes him from behind - i think it's just so telling of their relationship and how much they love each other, and a little bit of their silly, playful sides. rich affectionately tells me over and over fun stories of things they did with grandma and grandpa and some of the funny things grandpa used to say. like, "move over bacon, here comes something leaner", when he wanted to sit next to you on the couch, or "save your money". and, "you gotta hold your tongue just right", when it was necessary to concentrate real hard on something. rich was listening i guess, because he does save his money, and one of the many "richisms" at our house is "move over bacon". so i thought of grandpa when i was looking through these random photos of ethan the other day. he's so serious sometimes, and he always plays with such a purpose, even when it's as simple as "swimming" nemo through the house. and apparently, he's been listening to grandpa's advice and knows, in order to do anything correctly, he has to hold his tongue just right...

brompa

my dad's birthday was the monday before i left for camp, so, here's my dad's way be-lated happy birthday post. this photo was taken on father's day (which i also haven't blogged about yet) and this photo just makes me smile when i see it. i have the best dad ever! the grandkids all love him because he's loving and gentle and not afraid to be silly with them. spencer used to beg, "can we go see brompa right now?" he is also always available to offer help whenever it's needed, he's helped me move i don't know how many times, poor guy. for a while when i was single, my dad used to help babysit my kids late at night so i could work nights and be home with them during the day - can you believe that? he really is that awesome. two years ago we celebrated his 55th birthday by blowing up photographs of all our faces up and putting them on garden stakes with a sign that said, "happy 55th birthday, love all your favorite faces". my favorite part was seeing his face all lit up and i could tell that he was tickled by the whole thing (which of course was the effect i was going for). i told him i'm not going to do banners in his front yard any more because i won't be able to think of anything cooler than that! so happy 57th birthday pops, thanks for everything.

ten things i love about my dad...

1. he loves and adores my mother - and everyone can see it

2. he taught me to love all kinds of music

3. he gives my kids grandfather's blessings whenever they need one

4. he's not afraid of an adventure and to just have fun

5. he is a very supportive dad and grandpa

6. he's affectionate, always happy to hand out hugs

7. he kisses my mom on the lips in front of us - even when we were teenagers and thought that they were totally disgusting

8. growing up, he always drove the crappier of the two cars so he knew my mom was safe while she was out

9. he kicked cancer's butt

10. he taught us and showed us that family matters

what can i say? he's my dad! love you dad!

oh, and one more thing i love about my dad...he actually READS my blog! sometimes showing an interest in something someone does is the best way to say, i love you - and i know he does!

homecoming

We have been counting down the days to something very special around here. Tonight we finally welcomed home Grandma and Grandpa from their mission in Africa. It has been a long 18 months, longer it seems than their other two missions and it was an exciting time for all of us. There was a long line at the door, grand kids came sworming, but only after Ann got her hugs in first out in the driveway! :) P.S. my pictures are terrible because I realized later I was in the wrong mode, but at least they're something.They look a little thinner but no worse for the wear and we are certainly glad to have them back! Thanksgiving will be especially fun this year, we are looking forward to spending the day with them. Welcome home mom and dad!