6 months

today it has been six months since my dad passed away.  i’m always amazed at how quickly time passes these days.  i miss him immensely.  he was far from perfect…but then so are we all.  over all, he was a great dad.  he was a fun dad.  he used to play out in the snow with my sister and i, helping us build a snowman and make snow angels.  he used to take us on bike rides and have water gun fights with us.  my dad was always the one who took care of us if we were sick.  he would get up in the middle of the night to clean up our messes get us settled again.  if we couldn’t sleep, we could almost always find our dad in the living room watching one movie or another…and he would let us stay out there with him until we fell asleep.  he was very opinionated…and once he had an opinion or idea about something, you better not argue with him.  i got in many an argument with my dad when i was growing up b/c we were both so stubborn.  he always let me know he was proud of me…always supported any decision i made. 

he was the best poppo (grandpa) to my girls (& my sister’s boys).  he loved those kids with all his might.  and they adored him.  i always knew he would be a good grandfather…and he truly was.  it makes my heart ache to know he can’t see them grow up and get older…and especially that they don’t get to have him around anymore.  they are so young…i’m so afraid they will forget him.  i know liberty will probably have some memories…but leila and nadia?  oh how sad it makes me.  when we lived in michigan, the girls spent a lot of time with him.  he would have them over to spend the night often (well, not nadia).  they could do no wrong in his eyes.  he was always laughing at their crazy antics or naughty behavior.  to this day, when leila sees a package of oreos, she smiles and says, “poppo’s cookies!”  when we lived away, my dad called all the time…at least every other day.  we would talk on the phone for hours some times (i remember getting annoyed by how long the conversations would last sometimes)…and of course he would talk to each of the girls.  he used to sing them made up songs…he had a horrible voice, but the love and joy when he sang shone through.  this last time we moved away we both had skype accounts.  boy did my dad love to get on skype and talk to his grandgirls.  and the girls loved it, too. 

after his heart attack when he was on the hospital, he was always trying to make sure i wasn’t worried about him.  he always talked cheerfully and  reassured me that everything was fine.  i still cannot believe he is gone.  i miss him calling all the time (he did that even when we lived in michigan).  the girls miss him.  

i wanted to share some pictures of my dad, but couldn’t get my scanner to work.  i do have a few pics on my computer already, so i will post those.

my grandma & my dad

my dad holding me as a baby

doesn’t nadia look a lot like me?  do you see it??

my dad & my girls nov 2009…that’s the last one i got of him with all 3 of the girls.

this is the last picture i have with my dad.  it was taken on my birthday this year a couple days before we moved to california.  my dad took everyone out to dinner to celebrate (and by everyone, i mean my family, my sister’s family, my mom & her now husband & his brother, and my aunt).  he was always generous like that.  i’ll always be thankful i made sure to get a picture with my dad that day.  i love you daddio!