Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas eve with Nana, Boompa, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Chris, Uncle Mikey, Uncle Greggy, Papa, Mama and Isaac all together! Here are Papa and Isaac spending some time together two days ago.

Papa and Isaac dressed up similarly for Christmas Vigil Mass, but we couldn't get a picture with both of them looking. You can see that they have similar sweater vests, and they both had white collared shirts and suits! At Mass, well... let's just say it wasn't the ideal time of the day for Isaac to go to church. He spent a lot of the time out in the vestibule with Mama or Papa.
Isaac was interested in the tree, but very gentle with the ornaments.
He was also a big fan of all the tools that people received for Christmas!

Isaac did not go and rip open the presents. Contrarily, we found out that he is a very careful present opener! He waited patiently for presents to be given to him, and only helped other people open them when they asked.

We love you Isaac! Merry Christmas everyone, and happy birthday to Jesus!

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Grandma Hurliman, Isaac's great-great-grandma, passed away last Monday around noon.

I have a distinct feeling she is enjoying her new life now, laughing, joking with and meeting up with all the people who have gone before her.

We were able to go to her funeral last Friday, and saw a whole bunch of family there. She was buried next to Grandpa Hurliman, and next to her mother and father in the old cemetary on the hill.

(her mother's tombstone)

What I will always remember is her old house, her hugs, and her smile. Going upstairs by that little staircase as a child was like going into some secret place that you weren't supposed to be (maybe we weren't!). I remember the stairs down to the basement, the dining room, the kitchen, the bathroom even. I remember playing tag outside, and I remember that cactus tree. I remember going up to the barn, and seeing the cows. Someone at the reception mentioned her hugs, and it's true, she did give the best hugs. I guess you just would have had to have had one.

I do regret that we didn't get to see her as much as I would have liked during the last 18 months, but I am so glad that she was so close, or we probably wouldn't have been able to spend any time with her since when we visited right after Isaac was born. We were very lucky. She liked to see Isaac, and she got to hold him multiple times. The last time we saw her she was sitting by the window, with the sun streaming in and a smile on her face. She was smiling as if she was daydreaming, but she interacted with us when we talked to her. She held a flower in her right hand. I'd like to keep that image in my mind as the last image of her. I'm glad that I got to spend such a considerable portion of my life with my great-grandma, and that she got to meet her great-great grandson. We love you, Grandma Hurliman. Say a little prayer for us up there.