Depressed about Pop-pop

After Jackie's beautiful Ash Wednesday service at school, I came across this equally beautiful assignment.

So we've all been really missing pop-pop and sad about him.  The silver lining is hanging with people who are also missing and sad about him.  Like Coco and Grandma.  The kids never want to leave her side.

Aunt Jeanette cuddling w Benny the morning after our sleepover.

We had to head back to Wilmington for school and remembered Jenna's bday gift to Jackie!  The girls spent hours making the little plastic cat and dog.  I always wanted these when I was little.

We also had some earring drama- turns out only gold backed earrings are good enough for our girl.  Not even remotely shocking.  ;)

Benny in dada's flyers hat... about to start dancing.

Sweet girl fast asleep.

We came across this from Pop-pop.  He had just given it to Benny at Jackie's birthday party the week before he died.  He was so excited to teach Ben chess and have someone to share in his love of Star Wars.  Jim told me I should frame this card, but we are still too sad to look at it just yet  so we tucked it away in Ben's underwear drawer. 

Benny and Hill have taken a liking to a book I received from my baby shower with Jackie that contains all the traditional nursery rhymes - like Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill and Little Boy Blue. 

During the blizzard the girls drank hot chocolate every night.

I read my friend Cara's blog and remembered how much fun it is to get out and be part of the world, so we met up with Jackie's friend, Lily, from school, and her mom and little sister and hit up the natural history museum.

Em came with us because she had a half day!  We picked her up from school at headed there.  jack had off because her school had no electricity.

There is a cool dinosaur exhibit.  I loved watching Benny and Hilly start to get to know Olive.  It was really cute.

My kids LOVE puppets and puppet shows.  Especially Benny and Hill.  They always want to go over to the little library by our gym to play w their puppets.

Em and Miss Amy bought the kids gifts to cheer them up: mermaid tail blankets and a football and some cars for Ben.  Our friends checked in on us constantly- getting mass cards for Rodney, asking if they could please take the kids or pick them up, sending us flowers, etc... It was hard to leave Allentown, but when we came home we were greeted with so much love. 

How great are these blankets???

It cracks me up how Hilly's feet look in the tail.

Reading books together and snuggling.