Rough patch

I have been a little MIA from the blogging world lately. We have been busy, busy but this time with not so fun things.  My sweet Uncle Jerry passed away just before Christmas and it seemed to have started the domino effect. My Uncle Jack had to go in for earlier than expected open heart surgery the day after Christmas and then my dad ended up in the hospital for almost a week's stay with a "rotten gallbladder" (those were his surgeon's words!).
Gladly, I report that my Uncle Jack (Pops as he is known to Drew and Anna Kate) is home from the hospital and seems to be recovering well! My dad is also recovering slowly but surely.  He was very sick before having his gallbladder removed and it is going to take him a while to get back to 100% but he is definitely going in the right direction. Needless to say, our life has been a little flipped on its ear. I am really hoping to return to normal soon and that all of the sickness is behind us for 2014!
It is hard to think about my Uncle Jerry being gone. His passing was so sudden and something no one expected.  I want Anna Kate and Drew to know about their "Uncle Papaw" and what a sweet and kind soul he was. I can only hope they grow up to be the kind of person he was. His relationship with them was something that was so very special because he chose them. He and Norma genuinely wanted to be a part of their lives. He never had grandkids of his own but I think he thought of Drew and Anna Kate as partly his (and of course, we were happy to share). Anna Kate and Drew looked forward to their time with Uncle Papaw and Uncle Norma and were always excited for them to come visit, especially on Mondays and Tuesdays while they were with DotDot. The Monday morning before he got sick, they said to me on our way to DotDot's house that they hoped they would come for a visit that day.  Anna Kate apparently decided they needed to go on an adventure and I think encouraged DotDot to call Uncle Papaw and Uncle Norma to come along. They went to feed the ducks and to lunch. I am so very thankful they got to have that day with him! I hope he enjoyed it as much as they did (they still talk about it weeks later!). We will miss him tremendously and I hope Drew and Anna Kate remember their special relationship with him. I hope to that they will be able to bring a little light to Uncle Norma's life. Her relationship with Jerry was one of great love. You could tell they had so much fun with each other and truly enjoyed their time and life together and I can't imagine her grief. I hope she will find some relief by continuing her "adventures" with Drew, Anna Kate, and my mom. I know they all look forward to them.
I have said before how lucky my little people are to have such wonderful people in their lives who love them dearly and lead by such great examples. I know they will have many fond memories of their childhood and all of the wonderful people who helped make it so special.