Grandma Jean's Funeral

Monday, July 6th, we laid Grandma Jean Klis to rest with her husband in Fort Snelling Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Grandma Jean was born in Chicago, but lived her whole life in Minnesota.  Jeff always loved her Sunday dinners, and we'll never put ranch on baked or boiled potatoes without thinking about (and thanking) her. She adored children, and even in her aged years was kind and playful with, and interested in our babies.

When comes the end of a life, we all reflect on what it was and how it interplayed with our own, and sometimes, the reality leaves us wishing there were more interwoven scenes.  We missed doing a lot with Grandma Jean while she was alive. But what we don't have to miss, from now on through forever, is the opportunity to be like her. She wove a beautiful legacy of love, her enduring gift, for her family and in memory of her, we are committed to living more charitable lives. "Charity, a pure love, excels and exceeds almost all else."

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth no itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemingly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in inquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth..."

1 Corinthians 13: 3-8

Independence Day In Wisconsin

  

With Pepper loaded for a long weekend, the kids and I picked Jeff up from work on a Thursday and began the 15 hour drive to Wisconsin to spend the Fourth of July with Jeff's parents.  We arrived on Friday afternoon just in time to send Jeff and his family off to visit with Great Grandma Klis, whose health had been failing, and her time had finally come. Jeff was able to see her out, along with much of his father's family, and we counted it as a tender mercy that we got there just at the right hour.  

Grandma Jean's passing made for a more subdued weekend than we had originally planned, but judging from the photos, we also managed to get in a good amount of fun.  Independence Day is one of our favorite holidays. Wisconsin is good place to spend the firework-filled celebration, and Jeff was gleeful at the chance to shoot off fireworks right in the yard- to mixed reviews. While the rest of the cousins sought shelter inside to wait out the show, Sawyer sat them out for the fire and boom. Elouise loved the sparkle and hated the noise, and even took to chastening the fireworks for being too loud. S'mores and sparklers, an afternoon at the lake and even a quick trip to the good old Mall of America rounded out our weekend.

It all proved to be well worth the trip.

 

Summer with the Indians

{my favorite church primary Sunday school teacher, Sister Marsh}

{this is Louie's BIG HUG poised and about to happen}

Every summer the Cleveland Indians host a "Mormon Night" for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They sell discount tickets, have dollar dogs, and this year they even did an uh-mazing fireworks show set to 60's music.  It brewed up the perfect night to celebrate my mom's birthday, and run into some good friends from church, too. 

The stadium has a great indoor childrens' play area, since babes' 7th inning stretch came at about the 2nd inning, and all those extra family hands were so......handy! in making the experience fun for everyone including the babies. Sawyer loved the game. He brought a glove and his binoculars and laughed and laughed as the ketchup chased the mustard around the bases, was crazy about the multi-level kids' play space, and munched his dollar dog with delight. Elouise was ready to move in to the playhouse, loved the company and the cracker jacks, and everyone was pretty excited when we flagged down the cotton candy man. 

The Indians played the Orioles- so fitting for our Maryland-born birthday girl- and she and her sister were singing along with 60's tunes at the end of the game, songs they never really liked when they were young. Something about air hazy from humidity and fireworks, and thickened with family ties, finally endeared the Beatles as, at the very least, hilarious, in the present summer, joy-filled night. Just right for a fabulous celebration.

Beach Life

Things to remember about the beach this year:

• Lula loves sand. LOVES sand. Rolls in it, lays in it, buries herself in it, makes angels with it, eats it, digs in it, exfoliates with it. She and sand are forever bonded now.
• Sawyer is a fearless crabber. He seeks out and chases all kinds of them, whether it's trying to foist them out of their holes or digging little sand crabs out of wet sand to race them with cousins, it was the year of the crabs.
• Sawyer can fly his own kite.
• Pool or beach? Bike ride or movie in the theater room? We could not lose. 
• Family time. Lots of family, lots of time. Dinner and dessert were shared all together every night, and we all got together for a giant family home evening treasure hunt ending at the beach with kite flying and bubbles.
• I finally got a driftwood nativity at Morris Farm Market! I've been wanting one for a long time now, and this year it finally became mine.
• Jeff was dad extraordinaire, swimming, body surfing, and up-for-anything. He is invaluable on vacation, and also, simply an outstanding father.