Holidays

We had a nicely drawn out holiday season that stretched into January.

On Christmas Eve we went for a hike in Hopkins Forrest with some friends.  It's an annual tradition that just makes my heart so happy.  Additionally, one of Eve's dear friends spent time with Seamus instead of his own friends.  This kid has a heart of gold.  

 Christmas was quiet with just the three of us.

 Jim's folks and Scott came for New Year's weekend.  It was so great for Seamus to spend lots of time with his grandparents and uncle.  They spoiled him rotten!!

 The requisite Hess truck photo:

 Even Josie had a lovely Christmas.

 One of the benefits of having grandparents visit is that they are happy to babysit.  Jim and I were able to sneak out to the movies to see Rogue One. 

 Jim and I rarely go to the movies together, so this was wonderful.  It was particularly emotional following the death of Carrie Fisher.  Here's a photo of me from Halloween in 1979.

 After the new year we were able to drive down to see my parents in NJ.  It was a lovely time and we had lots of fun. 

And now, it's back to work.  My classes started last week, and I'm happy to be back.  I'm teaching a new class this semester (Cinema and the Psyche) that I am very excited about.  I'm also less than 8 weeks away from driving again.  I hope that time goes incredibly swiftly. 

Professional Photos

Here are the photos from our annual photo shoot with Carrie.  As always, she did an amazing job!!!

Ah, where has the time gone?  Things have been quite busy, so I am a bit behind on the blog.  On the whole, we are doing well with small speed bumps along the way.  The seemingly never ending kitchen renno has made lots of progress.  We now have a fully functioning kitchen and Jim is finishing the smaller details and trim work.  I am soooooo happy to be able to cook and bake again.  He has worked very hard on this.  He also replaced the patio door, which was no easy task.  We had a broken outer glass pane, so this really needed to be done before winter set in.  In October, I had a tonic clonic seizure and have since been diagnosed with epilepsy.  I'm not allowed to drive until the spring and have been put on medication to prevent further seizures.  It's working, and I am working on accepting my loss of independence.  I am so grateful for our wonderful friends and community.  People are incredibly helpful and I couldn't do it without them.  I am finding this holiday season incredibly tough.  I guess I mistakenly thought the first would be the worst.  Grief is a tricky thing.  I miss Eve with all of my heart.

Here are some pictures of our Fall and Winter.  I will post kitchen pictures when Jim finishes the trim work.

Here is Seamus in his school picture:

 This is his Halloween costume:

 Here we all are.  I am wearing my Freudian slip. 

 Baking Jim's birthday cake:

 Christmas tree cutting with the Daly family:

School trip

Seamus went apple picking with school.  Here's a shot taken by Daly's mom that belongs in a catalog!

I just laughed so hard.  Seamus saw me typing this and asked me what the brown bag tucked behind the computer was (it was M&M's).  I said, "Nunya."  He said, "What is nunya?"  I said, "Nunya business!!!"
He walked right into that one!

Back to school

I've been quite busy, so the blog is in need of updating.
Here's Seamus doing a little home improvement:

The Girl Scout troop in Eve's school had a very special project that they donated to the school.  Here is the Buddy Bench that is now on the playground.  

As you can see, it is in memory of Eve and is there so children can easily see who needs a buddy to play with while on the playground.  This was an incredibly kind gesture and I am honored that they thought of our daughter.  The children at this school never cease to amaze me. 

Speaking of school, Seamus started Kindergarten this year.  He switched schools and now takes the bus! 

He ran on so fast, I only got a blurry shot!

Here he is coming home:

He did quite well transitioning to his new school.  Well, except for the stomach bug he got the first week. He has made friends and seems to fit right in.  We went to open house this past week and he proudly showed off his school work.  Here is a picture that he drew of our family.  I am so proud of him and happy that he included Eve. 

This T shirt is illustrating what he did this summer.  I especially like the seagulls.

He was also asked to demonstrate an expression.  He chose the expression from a list provided to him and Jim thinks he nailed it perfectly!  Our son the performer.  :) 

I've started volunteering at the school library which makes me both happy and sad.  I didn't have the strength to be very involved when Eve was in school there.  I think that was particularly because it was too painful to see her next to her typically developed peers.  I'm happy to help and be part of Seamus's day, and I feel guilty that I didn't do it for her.  It's a tough mixture.  I will say that my inner nerd is so very excited to be in the happy place of my youth - the library!!

I'm very busy at work, but happy to be back.  I have wonderful students, and of course, wonderful colleagues.