Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Hello, Baby Roy!

Joshua Scott Lochhead
March 26, 2010
12:21 p.m.
9 lbs. 9 oz.
21 1/2 inches




Last Moment Pregnant Pics


The night before our induction--"Quick! I haven't taken any pregnant pics yet!"


First moments at the hospital on the BIG DAY...

Monday, March 22, 2010

"Pop Down, Mommy!"

The stool, made by Papa LeRoy, has opened up a whole new world for Gracie. The counters are now within reach, a seat can be established wherever she goes, and if turned upside down, this makes a nice crib for her baby...

Climbing up on the stool, CHECK. Getting down from standing on the stool...

...has GOT to be the next skill learned. At this point she climbs up and then wants help from Mom or Dad to "pop down." Then she climbs right back up. And asks for help back down. Every two seconds or so. This definitely enriches our time making dinner--together! :)

Fishies, Hall Running, and Elevators

So obviously in January and February we spent a lot of time in the hospital. G'ma Dorothy kicked off the whole party with successful brain surgery--a tumor completely removed and is now doing GREAT! G'ma Caroline then arrived after G'ma Dorothy went home and stayed with us for five weeks. And not to be left out, Papa LeRoy came up for heart surgery in mid-February. He is recovering like a champ and is trying to take it slow with his new heart valve and a pacemaker--but those Webers are hard to keep down! :)

During this time, Gracie fell in love with a new "playground." She got used to visiting grandparents after work in the evenings and on the weekends. She became our tour guide along the pathway we'd follow in the hospital--strutting down the hallway, swinging her arms, she'd tell you when we were getting close to the fish tank in the surgery waiting room and knew when the elevators were right around the corner. This, of course, added a whole new category of words for her vocabulary:
"El-e-va-tor" (this brought grins to anyone riding with us...)
"Push buttons" (yes, she only pressed the "need assistance" button ONCE on an elevator)
"March, march...!" (this is how we got her to make it down the long hallways)
"Ba-yoon!" (no hospital room is complete without one of these air-filled decorations)
"Bite." (any poor patient we visited was accosted by this girl who loves to share food)

We are anxious to see how she handles seeing Mom and Dad in the hospital with Baby Brother...we are sure that G'ma and G'pa will have to stop at the fish tank before they come up the elevator when they bring her. :)

Together With Family

We're still remembering our week at the farm to celebrate G'ma.
It was so great to have everyone gathered together...
I couldn't resist taking a few group shots... :)

The Moser Kids--Bill, Brad, Greg, Christi, and Cindy


The Moser Grandkids--Courtney, Jake, Ellie, Ben, Katie,
Megan, Zach, Erin, Garrett, and Allie


The Moser Kids with their cousins, The Jackshas, and Aunt MaryAnn and Rita
(this was the most tame of all the pictures...this group knows how to have fun!)


Daddy and Gracie getting ready for the funeral. Grace loves faces and skin--
and when she gets tired she feels your face like she's reading Braille... :)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Sweet Caroline

G'ma Caroline Moser
June 29, 1929--February 21, 2010

Blueberry muffins on her hospital bed
A picnic made for three
G'ma Caroline and I stole bites
Of this delicious Costco delicacy
Between handing "More, peez" bites to Gracie.

If I'd known this would've been the last time we'd be together,
I wouldn't have left.
But now, amongst many other memory connectors,
G'ma will be on my mind every time I get blueberry muffins at Costco.

It's been 3 weeks since G'ma has passed and I haven't posted because I have been unable to capture how special she was to us. After a rough year filled with doctor appointments she spent her last 5 weeks in the hospital and nursing home here in Spokane. And though her body was failing her, the last few weeks of her life she spent with great purpose--making special time with each of us, praying with roommates and guests coming to visit her, and sharing her heart with us during this part of her journey.

We were able to spend five days with family over the week of the funeral. It was so comforting just to be around other people who loved her as much as we do. My sister wrote the most beautiful eulogy, by my grandma's request, and I've included part of it below, as it so greatly captured Grandma Caroline's life.















Eulogy Excerpt:

"...Over the past few months, Grandma’s body began to fail her. It was tired and Grandma knew it. She knew God would be calling her home and yet, she orchestrated special moments with each of her kids and her grandchildren. Even from her hospital bed, she was thinking of others' pain and sorrow. She did her best to help US cope with the thought of going on without her. She talked openly of dying and meeting Jesus. She talked of her fears of leaving us behind, and her excitement to meet God. She made me promise that when I gave her eulogy that I wouldn’t idolize her by listing everything good that she had ever done…she said that the people who really mattered, were the people who already knew her. They knew her accomplishments, they knew her sorrows, and they knew her heart. So this is her personalized message to you:

Dearest family, neighbors, parishioners, Community members, and friends,

I want you to know that I have enjoyed every moment I have spent with you over the years. I so enjoyed getting to know you and love you. Each of you brought something very special to my life, and each of you has a very special place in my heart.

If I can leave you with anything it is this…when our daughter Pam died, our family was devastated. I didn’t know how I could go on, and a very dear friend invited me to a Bible Study. I found the comfort and peace I was searching for through Jesus. Accepting Christ as my Savior changed my life. My hope for each of you is that you will invite Jesus into your heart, make Him Master of your life, and Savior of your soul.

May God bless you and your families,

With all my Love…Caroline

Radiant…beaming, bright, brilliant. Although I shed tears of sadness because I already miss my Grandma, I can’t help but remember how tired and weak she was…she was ready physically, mentally, and spiritually to meet Jesus. And while I remember how frail she looked the past few months I can only imagine how she transformed when she saw God. I don’t know if she dropped to her knees, stood in awe, or became engulfed in his arms. But, I CAN tell you, she is absolutely RADIANT." --Katie Morrow