Thursday, November 24, 2011

Going Wilder

Maddie's hair is finally getting longer, and i can't help noticing her resemblance... ok, her hair's resemblance to Gene Wilder's in Young Frankenstein. She's already got the mad scientist laugh down, and we'll work on her pronunciation of "Fronkensteen", so it looks like we already have next year's Halloween costume picked out.




Monday, November 21, 2011

Awesome Blossom

Hats off (pun intended) to Mayim Bialik for a pretty great article about parenting that you can read here.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Sweet Grumpy James

Yesterday morning, my grandpa passed away. When my mom told me the news over the phone, I was heartbroken, but I also felt a strange sense of relief. I know that might sound terrible, but Grumpy endured incredible physical pain throughout his life. He spent more time in the hospital than anyone else I know, and it comforts me to know that he's not in pain anymore. As a kid I used to cry just thinking about how I knew Grumpy would have to die someday. And I feel extremely lucky to have been able to spend so much time with him over the years, despite rarely living in the same city.

Here is a page from my journal in grade two:

Ok, it's not the most flattering depiction (though the man really did have an impressive head of hair), but notice the the huge smile, and the faint outline of an angel from the other side of the page. It seems oddly fitting in the wake of yesterday's events. This journal entry seems a little silly, but it's also evidence that my Grandpa was always in my thoughts.

This is probably my fourth or fifth attempt to write about this (not even including my previous post) but the tone just hasn't seemed right-- it hasn't properly conveyed how sad I am. I guess it's just that Grumpy lived a wonderful life, and died surrounded by people that loved him. And I think that's worth celebrating.

He was a beacon of strength and kindness, and even among his 7 kids, 22 grandkids, and a rapidly growing number of great-grandkids, he always made me feel individually loved. For those of you who didn't, I really wish you could have known him. I miss you so much already Grandpa.

With Sweet Baby James, 2005

Grumpy helping with the flooring-- could he have gotten any cuter!?

My cousin Katie wrote a very moving tribute to our grandpa on her blog. If you would like to read it, you can see it here. ♥

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Gentle Giant

I've been thinking a lot about my Grandpa, Ronald Keith "Grumpy" James, and wishing I could be near him. When I was growing up, Grumpy was always there to take us grandkids out for bubblegum ice-cream, where he'd proceed to devour half our cones in one lick, under the guise that he was "helping with the drips". We would convulse in laughter when he showed us how he could open a neighbour's garage door with a click of his own button, and he delighted us further by steering the car home with his knees. Even after the amputation of his first leg, he still seemed so big and strong, and was amazingly adept at using the end of his crutch to twist up our shirts and yank us towards him for a hug. This is how I always think of him-- happy, mischievious, and affectionate. Even in the face of tremendous hardships, Grumpy has always been one of the sweetest, funniest, and all around best people I have ever known... or probably will ever know.
I love you so much Grumpy,
XOXO,
Lindsay, aka (The Orignal) Dizzy

Here are some photographs I had on my computer of my Grandpa through the years: