Family bonding

As most of you who read this are aware, we were in Buffalo to spend some time with Grandpa Wagner as he was leaving this world. We are so thankful we were able to have this time together. Saying goodbye is extremely difficult. However, Grandpa kept telling all of us that he was okay and that he was ready to go to God. That takes a small portion of the sting out of the heavy loss. I didn't take the camera out too often while with family, but here are a few of the pictures I did manage to get. 

 I'm sure Gabe and Grandma are having some sort of in depth conversation. Maybe he is learning all the secrets of life here.

 Charlie continued his "crush" on uncle Andy. Look at that smile I caught on his face. This is after the hospital bed was all ready for Grandpa to come home the next day.

 Aunt Debbie went crazy on toys for this guy. This is a vibrating grape that Gabe loves. It is a rather amazing invention and one we are thankful to be introduced to. I love the smile on Debbie's face in this picture!

Gabriel and Grandpa enjoyed some time together on the bed. They had a beautiful conversation and cuddle. I'm so, so thankful Gabe and Charlie were able to see Grandpa and he was able to see them.

First fall leaves

While in Buffalo this past October, we hit a beautiful time of year. The leaves were beautiful yellows and reds. In a small spot of land, we stopped to nurse. I then put Gabriel on the ground to explore the fallen leaves. Here are a few pictures I took from that moment. 

Niagara Falls

With Tom's dad coming home from in-patient Hospice, we had more "free" time than we had expected. So, one morning we hopped in the car and headed to Niagra Falls. This was, what I believe to be, Charlie's third trip to Niagra Falls. Apparently, 30 years ago mom came with Liz Lambert to Niagra Falls, but they missed Horseshoe Falls and only saw the American Falls. So, it was pretty exciting for her to see the majesty of this place. Gabriel began laughing and squealing when we got close to the falls. It was a really windy and misty day. We sure had fun. 

 As you can tell from these photos, Charlie was really not into looking at the camera at Niagra Falls.

Spending time in airports in Philadelphia, Rochester and Chicago

Last month we learned that Tom's dads journey with AML was nearing its end. So, Tom left before us to spend some time with him. We left a few days later to visit as well. My mom was gracious enough to join me traveling across the US with two kids. Both were recovering from ear infections, so I was a bit nervous to get on airplanes. Charlie was super excited and was an amazing traveler. For the circumstances, Gabe did exceptionally well. With this said, this still was one of the longest days of my parenting life. Keeping a 9 month occupied and held for over 5 hours isn't easy. Thanks mom for your help!!!

 This was taken in the Philadelphia airport. In an attempt to feed Charlie, I went and bought him a hotdog and chocolate shake. I was tired and gave in on the request for the shake. Really, it wasn't too surprising that he only wanted the shake. What was surprising was to look over and see that my mom had fed Gabriel the hot dog. This was his first hot dog and he ate almost an entire adult sized hotdog. Also on the trip, he ate french fries anywhere he could get his hands on them. I'm quite certain Tom has finally found another meat and potato guy.

 This is also the Philadelphia airport. Charlie went on an exploration here for planes with wings that bend up. I think this is the airport where he found three. If I remember correctly this is him showing us his tongue after a drink of chocolate shake.

 Both in Seattle and Rochester we happily were at gates right next to a kids play area. Both kids loved crawling/walking/running around these spots. I am a huge fan of these in airports!

This is a photo of my mom laughing at Gabriel eating the hot dog.