A fond farewell

Personally, I find these types of posts to be a little surreal and foreign, but I would regret deeply not taking a moment to remember my grandfather, Ward B. Pafford, a.k.a. Pappy, who died tonight at the age of 99. The fact that he lived far from Connecticut as I grew up made it difficult to forge a strong relationship with him as a child, but in my adult years I realized how much of a kindred spirit I had in Pappy; don't get me started on our mutual love of Nutter Butters. His sheer joy and interest in the world around him continues to inspire me.

Annie (whose middle name, Ward, is his namesake) met him 3 times during her 4 years and Oscar, once. I know the chances of Annie remembering any of their meetings is a long shot, but I have a photo of the two of them on her bookshelf in hopes that at the very least, she can see what a great smile he had around those he loved. So here are a couple of videos of the kids with him (Annie's just shy of 2, and Oscar is about 6 months old). I love how Annie studies him as they both enjoy their Nutter Butters (sorry for the background noise, the air was on, but that's her saying her name is "Annie Ward" at the end) and Oscar's relaxed happiness in his arms. We'll miss you, Pappy. All love.

Doin' the Oscar Shuffle

Promise to post more soon regarding Oscar's OCD behaviors (a man after my own heart) and Annie's inventive game names (such as Disney World, which most would call "house"), but here's some entertainment while we heal from the latest rash of upper respiratory illnesses:

Christmas 2010

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Ho, Ho, Ho geeze

So much has happened since I last posted. Where to begin? How about the stomach virus that crippled us the day before we were to leave for Connecticut? The first time (and many thereafter) Annie has ever thrown up. I lost count for myself. Thank goodness there was a travel advisory for Louisville due to an ice storm and we could delay our trip a day. Jay got it after we arrived, but in a less manacle form, and Oscar may have gotten it, but we've given up trying to attribute his latest crankiness to any one thing. I'm convinced it's a mixture of teething, constantly being told "no" and his body punishing his penchant for beating the sun every morning with what was in Connecticut at 4:30 wake-up call. Book-end Santa's landing with a blizzard, a stay in the Laguardia Marriott, a subsequent return to a blacked-out Connecticut and a week-delayed departure, and you're pretty much up to date.

But for the good stuff: Christmas was great. Santa brought Annie her requested doll highchair and "many different kinds of stickers." Oscar got some new bath toys, and the relatives pretty much spoiled them both rotten. While in Connecticut, Annie consumed twice her weight in chocolate, rode a carousel, visited some farm animals, hold a very newborn baby, operate model trains and witness the passing of another year. We got to spend the holiday with Jay's sister and her family, including Luke (7) and Colin (4), her very much adored cousins. They even got to play together in the snow of the aforementioned blizzard. Oscar enjoyed witnessing all of this, calling 911 (we believe on accident) and feeding my parents' dog Keiser anything from his highchair he deemed unacceptable for himself (we're guessing about 92%).

Jay was able to make it back only a day later than scheduled (he rerouted to Hartford and through some stroke of kismet and dumb luck, made it back to Louisville in one piece). The kids and I stayed on until we could get a direct flight back to Louisville (I can handle flying with two kids, but I would have to be a special kind of crazy to do it with stops), which ended up being a full week later. Our parents were our saving graces. My parents braved the roads to come get us on the Monday after Christmas after it was clear we weren't getting anywhere from Laguardia. Jay's parents took the second baton in the airport relay to whisk him up to Hartford minutes after we got back to Connecticut. For all of this we are eternally grateful. You can go home again, and again, and again.

So as the new year begins, we are gearing up for Annie's triumphant return to soccer, Oscar's solo attendance to music class, and trying to grab a little rest in between (come on Oscar, just this once!). So happy holidays from the Ferrara Family and here's wishing you good health and ... I'm too tired to think of anything else. But I bet it's good.