Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Addie

meet adorable addie- i'm photographing her every month for her first year just like i did for her big brother forrest and am currently doing for her cousin george. so fun to watch these babies grow :)aUntitled-2

Monday, February 14, 2011

grandma

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My Grandma died today...she was 98 years old and lived a long full life. I feel so lucky to have had her in mine for so long. She was an exceptional lady. She had a sharp mind till almost the very end, I think due to the fact that she was always busy...meeting with her friends, playing bridge, working on her puzzles, knitting, reading... She was fully engaged in life, smiling, inquisitive, interested in other people, she was kind and strong. She was famous for her homemade pickles and cinnamon rolls. I never saw her in pants- she only wore skirts and dresses. She always wore jewelry and I can't picture her with out her gold rings and necklaces. She collected bells and Hummel plates and had candy sitting in crystal bowls around her house. She traveled the world and had been just about everywhere but lived in southern Minnesota her whole life.

My son was born on December 1st- her 98th birthday and she was giddy- she told me it was her best birthday present ever and I was delighted he shared a birthday with her- what a lucky omen. A few days after Christmas this year she had a stroke and we feared she would die within the week- I flew up to Minnesota with Ben and stayed with her for 4 days over New Years as I wanted her to meet him, and I wanted a chance to say goodbye.

I rushed in to see her and show off Ben as soon as I got to the hospital- leaving my camera bag in the car- so I didn't capture their first meeting but it is something I will never forget. She was lying in her bed and held him facing her. Ben was instantly smitten and started beaming at her until he burst into a wide smile- it was his first smile ever and he happily sat with her smiling and cooing and she held him as she laughed and cried. It was one of those magical moments I will always remember.

The collage photo above I composed from that trip and sent to her last week for an early Valentine's along with the photo below of the 3 of us. Happy Valentine's Day Grandma- you will always be in my heart. Love, Kris
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Friday, February 11, 2011

happy weekend

hope your weekend is a HOOT! love ben :)aKLK_0157s