Granny Annie

Andrea Fitzgerald

January 23, 1933 - May 8, 2017

Granny Annie was one of the most vibrant people I have ever known.  She could have 16 grandchildren in her house at the same time and make each one feel like they were the most special.  She taught us how to sing Christmas songs, how to play hopscotch, and how to do chores without complaining (a task I can't seem to pass on to my own kids).  I can vividly remember her teaching me how to keep the books at a baseball game, how to bet in penny poker, and the brilliance of Abbott and Costello.  Any time March Madness rolls around, I reminisce over my childhood excitement of filling out brackets with her and the magical run of the Gophers in '96.  Similarly, any time I hear a silly song, I am transported back to her kitchen while all of us grandkids laugh to Spike Jones, Open the Door Richard, Chickery Chick, The Thing, and the infamous Beetlebaum.  One of Granny Annie's silliest traits was her fear of airplanes.  As someone who lives in the metro, I am often driving underneath descending planes and I always laugh as I picture the times she would scream and take her hands off the steering wheel when one flew directly overhead.  

It was certainly tough to see someone of such overwhelming character robbed of her spirit by Alzheimers.  We were so blessed to have Grampa Don and other family members there to take such good care of her this last decade.  No one loved a parade like Andrea and I am going to choose to view her funeral procession as one final, loving parade in her honor.

 

During this circle of life week, we are thrilled to welcome a new nephew, Henry Cris Zeilinger, who was born May 6 weighing a little over 7 pounds.  We're so happy for Jake & Kelsey!  They're all doing well in Virginia.

Here in St. Paul, the girls are getting ready to be done with school and want Como Pool to open.  We've settled for walks around the lake and listening to music.  We've also been playing some soccer, volleyball, and jumping rope to enjoy the sunshine.

Bike ride to ice cream   ---   Tattoos - Little Miss Chatterbox & Little Miss Fun

Fries at Como    ---    Derby excitement

Still wearing the hat     -----     Como walks

Spring is in bloom    -----    Sloth impression

Easter

Easter 2017 was a lovely day full of fun and family.  The girls have been blessed to hang out with both sets of grandparents in consecutive weekends and have had a blast all around.  Playing with Maggie and Charlie is always a treat, although no one is missing out when it comes to their singing of Moana songs.  The weather was gorgeous, we made it to a few parks, and got a chance to drive the power wheels around the yard.

Both girls continue to love the water and now love the sauna as well.  Sadly swimming lessons are coming to an end this week.  Vivian has taken to writing stories in her notebook.  She has recorded four one-page masterpieces and takes great pride in it.  Nina still takes pride in her art and was frustrated with her inability to draw horses.  This led us to visit the zoo so she could look at zebras and other animals to improve her accuracy.  Her dedication was very cute and I was impressed at Vivian's patience because that was one long zoo trip.

"Maybe I'll try diving"    -----    Maybe not

In like a lion...

Time continues to rush by and we are appreciative of how nicely our girls play.  They can often entertain themselves with toys, writing, reading, coloring, and tasks.  One of Ben's favorite things to hear is the sound of Nina laughing as she reads herself a book.  Nina currently likes reading comic strip fiction and her class won "bookopoly" in a school competition.

One of Pip's recent ideas was making her own perfume (after seeing a Peppa Pig episode in which they did the same).  The crazy thing is, her perfume actually worked.  She put a couple flower petals into a container of cucumber water and after the petals dissolved, she and Kara put the concoction into an old Aveda tube and it smells great.  She has been coached not to spray too much and likes bringing it with her to school and daycare.

The girls had fun going to Grandma and Grandpa's for spring break and got to visit the Reptile Zoo, the library, and even McDonald's!  They came back up to Saint Paul for the Saint Paddy's day parade and to show off their hard work at swimming lessons.  Both girls partook in "Jump Rope for Heart" in school and both donated their own money to help in the fight against Leukemia.  Nina was excited to win her own jump rope and use it all over.

Spr-inter

The spring warmth was nice while we could play in the back yard, ride bikes, and go to parks, but the cold winter has returned so we've been shoved back indoors.  Luckily swimming lessons have also returned and it's nice that the girls can go in without us now.  We also swung by the newly renovated Capitol during one of our cold days and had fun exploring there. They continue to grow and every day is full of Nina's reading and drawing and Pip's stories and instructions.    

Class play 'Jolly Jaguar Factory'    ----    Wacky hair day at school