The last week has been a hot mess – quite literally – for our family. On Monday, July 9, just as I was helping the kiddos into the pool for their first swim lesson I received a phone call from Mike. I almost didn’t answer, but I did and was quite surprised to hear that his Grandpa had passed away that morning. Just the day before we thought he was on the upswing and discussed plans to visit him over the weekend. I hurriedly cleared our calendar and we headed up to his parents on Wednesday morning for the rest of the week.
I won’t drone on about the details of the visitation, funeral, etc. Suffice it to say, those sucked. In short, Grandpa Anderson was a very good man and will be missed greatly by our family.
However, Grandpa Anderson’s death did bring all of the family together. Despite the poor circumstances it was very nice to see everyone. On Friday evening, the family gathered at Jim and Sherri’s house for a cookout and to swim. My trio was thrilled to see everyone. The picture of Anna below is her on Great Uncle Dan’s shoulders. She was having so much fun – and I don’t think he minded entertaining her either. 
Sometimes, good things can happen as a result of bad circumstances. One very good thing that happened over the weekend was a reconciliation between Mike and I and his brother, Peter and his wife, Jenni. This is definitely not the place to explain the entire situation (as I’ve learned…) but suffice it to say that it was this very blog that drove a wedge between us all years ago. I hadn’t seen Jenni since I was pregnant with Bo and Peter since well before then. Mike has seen his brother a few times during this time period. If you would have told me two weeks ago that I’d be posting these photos, I would not have believed you… (And yes, I asked permission!)
Aunt Jenni met Bo, Clara, and Anna for the first time this weekend. When Anna saw her for the first time (after the dinner at the church), she walked right up to her and gave her a big hug. It was adorable. Uncle Peter met Anna and Clara for the first time this weekend (somehow I don’t have any photos???) but he had met Bo once before. This photo is from April of 2008.
All relationships require work and I’m sure our relationship with them will need extra attention over the next few years but I hope that for all of us this is a step in the right direction. I think Grandpa Anderson is already working his magic. Life is too short for anything but the pursuit of happiness.