Grandpa Tim

The other day Arianna and I met up with some friends at the play area at the mall, and had fun playing. There were like a billion other kids there - it was pretty crazy. Of course I found myself watching everyone, as I am prone to doing (I noticed Arianna doing the same thing - she totally takes after me in this regard). The majority of the people there were mothers with their children, but there were also quite a few grandparents obviously enjoying a special day with their grandchildren.
I began to think, as I often do, of Dad, and what an awesome grandpa he would be to Arianna. There I was standing in the middle of all of that chaos, cherishing moments I was seeing between some random grandpa's and their lucky grandkids...noticing how one grandpa tenderly removed his grandson's jacket, and brought him into the play area, and how he watched him closely from a few feet away, ready to swoop in to help if help was needed. Complete strangers, yet I felt like walking up to that grandpa and giving him a hug, and thanking him for the love and care he was sharing with his little grandson...and telling him to treasure this time they have together.
It's not just missing Dad, I guess -- it's also missing my grandpa's. Dad's dad died when I was only 2, and Mom's dad died when I was 10, and I've really missed that special grandpa influence in my life. (I've honestly contemplated asking some certain awesome elderly grandpa-type men I know if maybe they would be willing to be my surrogate grandpa's. Pretty pathetic, I know...) It saddens me to know that Arianna has to miss that grandpa-ness in her life, too (though she does still have her awesome Grandpa Palmer).
I can remember many, many times when Dad would reminisce about his dad, getting all emotional and telling me how much he wished I could have known him, and how much he would have loved me. Now I totally know what he was feeling at those times. I wish so much that Arianna could know Dad, and have his amazing influence in her life, and feel his love for her. Seriously, he would be the most amazing grandpa ever (right along with Jeremy's dad, of course)!
Anyway, sorry for rambling so much... Those were just some of the thoughts and feelings that were going through me during those brief moments in the chaotic play area at the mall, while watching complete strangers...

We don't have a lot pictures of Dad scanned into the computer yet, but here are a couple...

I always get choked up when I look at this picture.

It so clearly brings back the feeling of that moment, and

how much fun Dad and I always had together.

Arianna and Dad would have such fun being silly together!

This is the closest their earthly existences came to crossing.

And now that I've got myself all emotional, I suppose this is enough for one entry.

Luke Skywalker

So, yesterday before church, I was in the choir nursery with Arianna, and she was playing with the toys in the toy box. Well, she brought over a little figure of Luke Skywalker, and I said, "That's Luke Skywalker". And she said to me, "No, that's Uncle Andreas!" Pretty classic moment, I thought. She wasn't that far off, really...

Can you see the resemblance?

Starting Today

Okay, so it's been a while. I have had every intention of getting on and posting every week for a few months now... Well, the procrastination stops now. Starting today, I'm going to be an awesome blogger! Let me clarify: I'm going to do awesome at posting frequently. This may not necessarily mean the posts themselves will be awesome, but just the fact that I'm posting at all qualifies as awesomeness. (There's my little disclaimer.)

And there you have my new pledge to do better. It's different this time than the last time, though. Honest... :)

Enough mumble-jumble. Let me tell you about these pictures I took the other night (Wednesday, to be exact). They're not the greatest quality, but I wanted to just snap a shot of Arianna doing what she does every night at bedtime. She LOVES books. She loves for us to read them with her, she loves to "read" them to us, she loves to "read" them to her little friends (toys, stuffed animals, etc.), and she loves to look at them all by herself. She will sit there for the longest time before bed each night, looking at her nightly selection of books. That in and of itself is pretty cute, I think, but lately she's latched on to a particular book that makes it even more cute. This particular book is Black & Decker's "The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair". It's been a couple of weeks now since she discovered it, and it still holds it's fascination, apparently.

If we are there when she's looking through it, she'll point to pictures and ask us what they are... If we're not around, she will just sit there and study them. I think it's pretty cool myself! Maybe after some more studying, she'll be able to show us a thing or two. We can certainly use a handyperson around here, since Dad's gone. :)