Sarah Palin

According to the awesome "World's Smallest Political Quiz" that I just took, I am a centrist with libertarian tendencies. I don't know that that makes McCain my ideal candidate at all (where are you, Ron Paul?), but I do know one thing: I am thrilled to be able to vote for a woman!! What can I say? My inner feminist refuses to die.

Doris DeGraaf Patten

Grandma with new baby Jonah, 2006

My paternal grandmother, Doris DeGraaf Patten, passed away nearly two weeks ago, early in the morning on Monday, August 18. Grandma would have completed 84 years this November, had she lived, and her death came just shy of my grandparents’ 62nd wedding anniversary. In those years, Grandma birthed ten children, raising nine, as one passed away in infancy. Her grandchildren number twenty-two, and great-grandchildren ten, with three more on the way. Grandma was afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease in the last few years of her life, and so her death actually came rather gradually. In fact, about one week before she passed, my dad called to tell me that Grandma had stopped eating and drinking, meaning that, unless she resumed, the end of her earthly life was certainly not far off. A few days before she died, several members of my extended family were able to set up a vigil, and so my grandma was not alone when she passed; both Grandpa and a daughter were with her. I guess that this is “the thing” about such diseases as Alzheimer’s: There is no ‘surprise’ rending of the family; loved ones may be present at the moment of death itself; and the death is taken by members of the family with a certain amount of peace. At the same time, the family must watch the loved one suffer, find appropriate care (at astronomical cost in today’s world), and, I suppose, make actual ‘decisions’ of some sort about the loved one’s life and death. Death, however it comes, is a reminder of mankind’s break with God, yet for the Christian death always anticipates the coming resurrection of the body, the final act of the believer’s salvation, wrought by God Himself.

“O God of spirits and of all flesh, who has trampled down Death, and made powerless the Devil, and given life to thy world: Do Thou, the same Lord, give rest to the soul of thy departed servant, in a place of brightness, a place of verdure, a place of repose, whence all sickness, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. Pardon every sin which she hath committed, whether by word, or deed, or thought; for Thou art good, and lovest mankind: for there is no man who liveth and sinneth not, and Thou only art without sin, and Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and Thy law is truth.

“For Thou art the Resurrection, and the Life, and the Repose of thy departed servant, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with thy Father who is from everlasting, and thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit: now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.”

Ludington beach

(Just so you know, I've given up on choronological order, due to the fact that some pictures are here, some pictures are there, others are I'm not sure where. I think that I'm actually moving in reverse chronological order. Just so ya know.)

On our way back to Chicago (well, out of our way, but that's beside the point), we spent part of a weekend at a house in beautiful Ludington, Michigan, hometown of one of our Chicago friends. Of course, the only pictures I have of the whole weekend are of our children and my husband on the beach. From looking at these, you'd never know that there were 8 other adults and 1 year-old baby Miles with us. Maybe next time... For right now, though, I hope that you'll think that these pictures are as sweet as I do. These trucks from Gangee are, after Thomas the Tank Engine and tracks, Jonah's favorite toys. You're not surprised, are you?
Jonah wanted to tell us all about the giant car ferry "boap" he just saw: "Ho-o-o-o-onk!"
Manny was fascinated by the sand. Yes, he did eat it. A lot of it, actually.
Hand to mouth, sand to mouth.




I'm pretty sure that I have the cutest kids ever. Sorry, everybody else.

The love affair continues

After I stayed in Michigan with the boys for two weeks following my sister's wedding, my parents were generous enough to let us take their car to Chicago, in order to travel back to Michigan three weeks later for Gabe's 10-year high school reunion (ask him how THAT went sometime!). On our first car-enabled weekend in the city we drove far, far out of the city to Union, Illinois to visit the Illinois Railway Museum. It was, I think it's safe to say, Jonah's dream museum, and we had fun taking a train ride and a trolley ride and wandering around the huge buildings full of retired engines and cars. Driving back down the Kennedy, of which the Blue Line train runs straight down the middle, Jonah was looking (and looking and looking) for the "choo-choo." Before I watched this, I was pretty sure that he said, "Where are you, choo-choo?" at least 60 times; now that I've watched it again, I'm guessing that he asked after the train at least 80 times. We never said he wasn't persistent!
Here we're boarding the train for a "fun" 40-minute ride. Actually, it wasn't that bad (good thing Jonah really loves trains!), but in retrospect, I think that this wasn't the best use of our time. I take full responsibility for this idea.
Jonah correctly idenitified this engine as a diesel; I, on the other hand, had to ask my dad if he was correct. Jonah loves to spend time with Dada.Manny, lookin' cute on the way home. He's such a trouper.

Return of the web-log

Not that I enjoy the fact that my husband is working extra late these days (boss has a book due to publisher SOON), but the stars have aligned for once, and I find myself in the very rare position of having the house picked up enough, dinner ready enough for when he gets home, the computer free, and the kids in bed for the evening (though not yet asleep, I note), that I finally have some time to update this little web-log. With pictures and everything. Seeing as how it's been well over a month since an update, you might guess that much has gone on with the Family Sanchez; you would be correct in that guess. Let me share (we're going in chronological order here, one installment at a time)...

My summer may have gotten started with an awesome trip to Boston, but our family summer kicked off with a wonderful trip to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Yup, Happy Valley. Our dear friends the Swishers (also our childrens' godparents) live in State College, and we were able to visit them for a long weekend. Unfortunately, it was also an insanely hot weekend, which really limited our outdoor time in an area which is incredibly beautiful, but we made the best of it and had a lot of fun.

Oh, but before we went, Jonah had to make sure that Blue Baby got some tummy-time on our three-season porch. Seriously. That's why this Cabbage Patch is facedown on the floor. Jonah is a very caring little boy (let's just ignore the fact that he more or less tossed Blue Baby onto the floor and concentrate on the intent, not the execution).

Jonah also thought of going on a whale-watching expedition (hence, the goggles), but he couldn't get the crucial element to his trip, an iPod, working properly. So he gave up and went to Pennsylvania instead.
If you know Jonah AT ALL, you won't be surprised to learn that one of the most exciting parts of the trip was gazing thru the window at the airport, watching all the jets, fuel trucks, luggage carts, and various other vehicles moving around. This was a real blessing thru numerous flight delays.
Jude, Abigail and Jonah partied in the backyard with the Swishers' new inflatable pool and Slip 'n' Slide. Can you tell by the expressions on their faces that they're having a blast? (They really were, and it was nearly impossible to drag any of them away from it.)
Jonah kept busy filling the hard hat (?) with water, running it over to the shopping cart and dumping it, and repeating, seeing as how all the water spilled out within several seconds. This, my friends, is what hot summer days are made for.
90 degree summer days may not, on the other hand, be made for walks thru the nature preserve, but we went on one anyway. (It was worth it.) Here are the men, cluckin' away like a coupla hens.

Ezra and Manny are about 2.5 months apart in age, and perhaps a little too young to really appreciate one another's company. Plus, Ezra probably thought that Manny was such a baby, since he couldn't even sit up without a safety (wimp) pillow behind him, much less pull up to standing, like Ezra was doing. I'm sure next time they see each other, they'll be wrestling and shooting guns like their dads. Awesome.
Jude. Has. A. Train Table. What more does Jonah need? Apparently, not a shirt. (And if you say "a haircut", you're on my blacklist.)
Abigail and Jude were great playing with our kids. They especially loved making Baby Manny laugh and smile, two activities he performed willingly and often.
Here are the happy godparents with their godsons. Brandon and Corene are wonderful and welcoming hosts, and we had a great trip. Here's hoping for many happy returns to Happy Valley. Thanks, Swishers!