Grandpa Peaden

Sometime around the beginning of August this year, my parents informed me that my Grandpa Peaden had been diagnosed with cancer. He was given anywhere from a few weeks to a few more months to live.

He passed away on December 29th.

His funeral was held this last Tuesday.

Grandpa, Austin, & Grandma

While growing up, we didn't live close to my grandparents, so I only saw them when we drove to Utah to visit. They also came and visited us a couple times. We went on some fun vacations with my grandparents and enjoyed visiting them during our Utah trips, but I wish I had gotten to know my Grandpa Peaden better than I did. We have spent a lot more time with them since my family moved closer. However, Grandpa was always on the quieter side, and most my conversations with him were brief. While I loved him, I never felt like I knew him as well as I would have liked to.

I do know that he loved his family though. He loved my grandma. He loved his children and his grandchildren too. He loved having the family get together and share their talents. He was a good man...a man of integrity. Things will be very different without him around.

I also should mention my grandma, who has had her hands full for quite some time now selflessly caring for both my grandpa and my great aunt.

Aunt Janet and my dad's brother, Uncle David

After the funeral, Austin spent some time with his second cousin Grace:

This last picture was taken the last time I saw Grandpa before he passed away. We were at the annual program my family has every year before Christmas.

Grandpa Peaden is the first of my grandparents to pass away. It just feels so strange to me. I guess 2011 was just a strange and crazy year though...at least for us. So much has happened and changed. Austin was born. My cockatiel Boots passed away. Our good friend Wes passed away. Nate's grandpa passed away, and so did mine. My parrot that I had reserved to take home after the holidays passed away too a couple weeks before we were to get him. Honestly, it hasn't exactly been the easiest year.

But, in the words of one of my old favorites, it "Could be Worse."

Happy New Year!

Since we were with Nate's family for Christmas, we spent New Years with my family. That also meant another round of gift giving and receiving. Austin fared especially well in this exchange. As the only great-grandchild, grandchild, and nephew in the family, everyone seemed especially excited to shower him with gifts. He seemed to enjoy it all; wrapping paper and bows are exciting things to fling about and put into your mouth when you are his age.
 

We also fared very well when it came down to candy and other treats. Between ourselves, our family, and our neighbors, we built up quite a nice stash...

We had planned on going snowshoeing again while we were with my family, which has been our annual tradition for awhile now. However, there just wasn't much snow this year to snowshoe on. So, in lieu of snowshoeing, my brother Allan, Nate, Zipper, and I went on a short hike along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail instead. It was a pretty nice day for it too. It was sunny, clear, and warm for the end of December.

Our New Year's celebrations always include a birthday party for my brother Allan. This year Nate and I came across the perfect gift for my brother: a fluffy pink and yellow unicorn princess that talks, snores, and makes other sounds in an annoying high pitched voice.