It is simply ridiculous how long it's been since I've written! I am ashamed! Oh well! I'm over it now!
There is no way I could recount the past 3,4,5,6 months, so I'll just start with the most recent and (maybe) work backwards. Livi is now a 9 month old sweet doll baby. She is a big eater, smiler, laughter and talker. She just barely started crawling, and we're totally cool with that! Will is just loving kindergarten and thriving. It's amazing when he counts by twos, does addition, and reads. It makes my mommy (and teacher) heart melt! He's showing his natural skills in basketball lately, and I just know Grandpa Great is smiling down on him when he plays. Sammy is fabulous as ever! She is a great peer to the students in her preschool class. She is loving her gymnastics class, and still perfecting her princess skills!
Our family was rocked with the sudden illness and death of Grandpa Huggins a month ago. It has been a terribly sad, confusing, gut-wrenching time for our family. While we grieve, we are awakened to the realization of the incredible family Grandpa built. While he was suffering in the hospital, all of us, all 20-some of us, took turns keeping vigil by his bedside 24-7. And now we are just so incredibly blessed to be able to surround Grandma as she deals with the loss of her husband of 63 years.
Although we had the opportunity at his funeral, it was just too hard to share thoughts and memories of grandpa then. Now as I think back, I just keep wishing that I could tell everyone about him; from memories I have from childhood to my most recent memories of him with my kids. Grandpa had this innate sense of knowing a person's character. He was never outspoken, but you knew how he felt about you if you had time to shut up and listen. Grandpa was an excellent example of a devoted husband and father. I remember hearing the Wynonna Judd song "She is his only need" when I was in high school (I think) and thinking, "This is them." They were a perfect combo, and now half of it is gone.
The furthest back that I can think is the stories of Grandpa pushing me around in the wheelbarrow at their house. I can remember spending the night and sleeping in one of Grandpa's white t-shirts. All of us cousins would pile up in the bed with Grandma to hear Little Black Sambo and say prayers. Inevitably, one or two of us would wind up in bed with Grandma and Grandpa. He would "complain" about getting kicked all night long! I'm not sure which one did it, but one of them kept a giant container stocked with skittles and m&m's for us to dip into as we pleased; a tradition that still continues!
My childhood memories of Grandpa include the vision of a quiet, solid, happy, proud man. Never away from Grandma's side, he provided her the perfect balance. As I grew and thought that I was the wisest of them all, Grandpa was still a part of my life. Being our "next door neighbor"; Stacy, Eddie, and I were there a lot. I just recall Grandpa's calm, quiet presence every time I visited. He would listen, most likely disagreeing with my wild opinions and ideas, but rarely voicing his opinion. When he spoke, you listened, and respected what he said. As I moved out of the college years I realized that my parents and grandparents were kinda cool and pretty smart, too.
As we started a family, Grandma and Grandpa Great were a huge part of our children's lives. Will was the first "Great" and named in honor of Grandma and Grandpa's first son, Willie, who they lost when he was 3. It was just magical watching Grandma and Grandpa with Will. I will never forget how priceless that time is with them! Grandpa loved throwing the ball with Will. He brought out construction cones when Will was about 18 months so he could practice hitting a ball off of a T. And I'll never forget Grandpa coaching Will on how to do a push up just a month before he died. He maintained that calm, strong, solid demeanor, even then.
Grandpa always got a big kick out of Miss Sammylou! He really liked to egg her on when she was exercising her diva spirit. She just loves to put on lipstick and perfume with Grandma the second she gets over there. After Sammy and Grandma used up all the Chanel No. 5, Grandpa said there'd be no more of that! He kept their perfume stocked, but just something a little cheaper! Sammy would always go sit on Grandpa's lap and he'd show Grandma just to get her fired up! He just loved that!
Grandma and Grandpa helped us out on countless occasions. They came over to babysit Sammy and Will if our babysitter fell through. Even at 80 years old, they were there doing everything they could to help. I'll never forget Grandpa pulling up to the back of the house with extra groceries or the latest soup they'd whipped up. He was not a big phone talker. At all! Lately though, he'd call me just to ask if the kids were watching a certain TV show that he saw or to tell me about the great meat special at Price Chopper.
I don't think he ever did hold Livi, but he just loved to play with her. He'd get her laughing by getting head to head with her and pulling away just as she tried to grab his glasses. He'd always say, "I don't care!" or "You're not gonna bite me!" It was just so fun to watch him with her!
Without fail, anytime I visited their house, Grandpa walked me all the way to the door, waited for me to get in the car, and said, "Come back." Those two simple words held so much. As I come to grips with the fact that he's gone, I think of those words often. I know for sure that he's with countless loved ones in Heaven now, including his little boy, Willie. That gives me peace. I just wish I could hear him say that again.
