Dots of Life

beauty queens

 the other night, adi and anna pearl were having a "taylorswift-athon" in anna's room.  they were singing, dancing, doing their makeup, and their hair... so, ....these are my beauty queens...  check out their "vixen" poses in the last picture...not so taylor swiftish if you ask me!

remembering my dad...

when checking on my fathers online condolences... i came across this lovely note.... i have withheld the nurses name, but i wanted to share...

• how special my dad was to so many people... and how brave....

• how lucky my dad was to have carol in his life and how he depended on her so much

Dear Mrs. Hamilton,

"I just wanted to pass on my condolences on the passing of your husband. Although you probably won't recognize me by name I looked after your husband many times in the emergency department.  He brought a smile to my face from the first time I met him many years ago when he was still able to talk to me until more recently when I anxiously awaited your arrival to help me decipher what he was trying to tell me.  I also wanted to express my admiration for you and your daughters for the way you all devoted your lives to caring for him .  The other nurses and I were always in awe of the fact that you were able to keep him at home for as long as you did. He always looked for you as soon as he arrived in the ER and you were always there. I appreciated that as did many of the other staff.  I will miss Bob but surely not as much as you and your family will.  My thoughts are with you"."

pure joy

this smile is pure joy to me.  such a positive little girl.  she makes my heart melt about 1000 times a day.

i love her crazy hair, the way she plays with my ear when she is falling asleep next to me, how she looks up to her big sister so much, how she can get away with anything with her big brother, how she makes her daddy laugh with the comical things that come out of her mouth.

i am enjoying every last ounce of her "baby" years.  this soon to be 5 year old (gasp) is growing up right before our eyes... and i am savouring the moments.

a day with the griz

our little buddy has been a little under the weather for the last few weeks and i was more than happy to take a turn at spending some quality time with him...

rollerblading, bike riding, shopping, skipping, playing ball hockey, harmonica, basketball, eating timbits, skateboarding, a walk to the store, a tour through a police car...

... hopefully a day of play turned out to be just what the doctor ordered and that he had as much fun as i did!

my future farmer????

tonight is the night that ben has been waiting for..... 4h starts and ben finally gets to meet his "calf" that he will be showing at area fairs and festivals.  we are so thankful to the sills' for letting ben "borrow" a calf.... uncle ron has offered to give ben a cow of his own, but it would be hard for us to transport the calf to the various events.  so the sills' have also offered to transport ben's pride and joy.  i can't wait til he gets home to hear all about his 4h adventures. 

easter morning

the kids were awake and in our room at 6:45...ready to go downstairs to see what the easter bunny brought.  we suggested that they wait in anna's room until 7:30...and surprisingly they did, without question.  at 7:45 the egg hunt was done, easter presents were adored and chocolate was being had.  so much fun in so little time.

i love this fuzzy, blurry picture. it so perfectly captures our easter morning. 

the kids were happy with their gifts... anna pearl loved her chocolate soccer ball so much that she has yet to take a bite of it; ben loved his boogy board and is dreaming of summer days at the lake; and adison was overjoyed with her watermelon seeds...just what she wanted to plant in the garden this summer (such a smart easter bunny).

after the easter bunny....

... we hosted a family easter dinner.... for 21 to be exact.  our house, full of family, chaos, love, food, fun, laughter, conversation, presents (and more presents).  the macDonald's, the bridge's, the marcovs, the hamiltons.... our family.  what a special treat for my kids to have all of their family together. we are blessed.

i was so nervous preparing the meal... was their enough food, would everything taste good, would my turkey turn out.... but everything turned out splendidly.... so yummy.  so many leftovers. 

 i especially enjoyed watching our littlest family members today... griffin and georgia. we just love them to pieces and we enjoy every moment that we get to spend with them.  they are busy for sure, but i did manage to capture their attention for at least a moment.... griffin on bens skateboard in the front yard, and gigi enjoying her easter dinner.

and soon we will be welcoming another little one into our family.  we are so excited that griffin is going to be a big brother.  his mommy and daddy (uncle scotty and aunt z-lan) are expecting a baby this september. congratulations.  we love you guys so much and can't wait to meet this little miracle.

missing him

i am amazed at how almost every moment of every day... my thoughts are consumed with my dad.  and of his passing. and of the overwhelming feelings of love and support that we have received in this last week.  i was so amazed at the heartfelt turnout at his wake and service.  so many old friends, coworkers, relatives, neighbours, caregivers....  my dad was blessed with the many people he had in his life.

i was also deeply touched by the show of support from my friends, new and old.  friends from our "hockey family", members of our church family, friends of ben, neighbours, coworkers.  and i can't tell you how much it meant to me that all of matthews friends/coworkers travelled from kingston to pay their respects to matt and i and our family.  i am still amazed at their kindness... steve, joanne, robyn, warren, penny, allison and chris.... words cannot express how much that meant.

we have also received so many kind gestures... cards, plants, flowers, casseroles, baked goods, emails and facebook messages.  everyday i receive a message from an old friend, recounting a story of my dad....like the one from darrell, who remembered one evening when i was having a pool party while my dad was at work.... he came home early and we thought we were going to get in big time trouble.  but instead, dad came out with wieners and threw hotdogs on the barbeque for everyone!  or the message from jamie who said that he thinks of my dad everytime the moira river rises in the spring... and remembers many a day when we were younger...spent sandbagging at our house...missing school...having fun... oh, the good old days!

i really can't describe how much i miss him.  his good natured spirit.  the look of joy in his eyes when the grandkids were around.  i am really trying to get over his final few weeks.  they were truly horrible and i am so very sad that he had to suffer as he did.  he was such a fighter.  i know i could never be as strong as he was.  i am also still struggling with the fact that i was not aware that he was going. it seems odd... that after all he'd been through, that i would be shocked that he is gone.  it's just that he always bounced back and defied the odds.  i am just waiting for the bounce back. and i think it is hitting me more and more...  the missing him.

happy 8th birthday anna pearl

i really can't believe that my biggest baby girl is 8.  wow, it has been such a joy to be her mom...she makes me proud on a daily basis.  her heart is made of gold, she is just the most caring big/little sister and she is definitely my right hand lady.  she is a caretaker...always has been, always will be!

she has many friends... which i can attest too, as they start calling the house at 7 am and do not stop until 9 pm.  she loves music.... especially taylor swift and she loves to sing and practice her guitar.  she is always willing to let her little sissy in on the act...whether it be dancing, singing, colouring, playing or talking to her friends.

she is daddy's little girl...he adores her.  they both share a love for the philadelphia flyers and they love to gang up on benny boy when it is an ottawa vs. philly game.  they both love pasta and they just really "get" eachother.

she is passionate about soccer and this sport brings out her competitive side.  she is fierce on the soccer field and i am crossing my fingers for her that she can make the under 10 all-star team in belleville this year.

to celebrate her 8th birthday, we have invited 5 of her closest friends and cousin over for a fun-filled birthday party, which includes...

make your own pizza's, decorating easter cookies, an outdoor easter egg hunt, cupcakes and a trip to the theatre to see the premiere of hannah montana's new movie.... she and adi are super stoked.  then, anna is having one of her besties, haley over for a sleepover.  we are spending the evening with good friends at a hotel in belleville, complete with a swimming pool and pizza party.  anna will be so happy to see brooke and arianna... we are looking forward to a fun-filled day and night.

anna pearl is hard to buy for as she never asks for anything... so for her birthday we just picked her up a bunch of little things... a pink camo guitar strap and stand, hannah montana thigh socks, hannah montana toiletries, a philadelphia flyers t-shirt (from daddy), guitar picks and dinner out to montanas with the family.  i also surprised her with a boquet of balloons at school... which has kind of become an expected traditon for celebrating anna's birthday.  nan and dede gave her a jonas brothers bomber coat and some money...and we will be celebrating with the rest of our families on sunday......

she really is such a great kid... i hope her birthday turns out to be everything that she has imagined for the past 6 months of daily planning...lol.  we love you anna pearl!

robert kenneth hamilton...

the eulogy i read at my dad's service...

 

What can we say about Robert Kenneth Hamilton?

He was the youngest and much loved son of Kathleen Hamilton and the late Burrell Hamilton.  He was the loving and devoted Husband of Carol. He was the baby brother of Ronald and Allan and brother-in-law of Janet and Jackie.

He is sure going to miss Janet’s baking and Jackie’s home made fudge. He was also the son in law of Helen Dunn and brother in law of Bob Dunn and Debbie and Keith McMillan.  He thought the world of his nephews Jeff & Brad and nieces Lori and Heather.

He was the proud Dad of Kerri and Kim and step-father of Peter, Derek and Shaun Stickle. He was very pleased with the choice of his daughters in marrying Matt and Chris and Peter’s wife Carrine.

He was the doting grandfather of Benjamin Robert Thomas, Anna Pearl and Adison MacDonald, Georgia Bridge, Kyanna and Antoine Stickle.  We all know that “Poppa” , as we all called him, had some really tough days over the last few years but it never mattered how tough the day... whenever one of his Grandchildren walked in the room his whole face lit up and he always had a smile for them.

It was the same for many of his close friends, Ray and Edna Emerson, Murney Bradshaw, Gary & Karen Ray, Sheila & Bob Smith... Dad will really miss Edna’s home made baked beans, Janice MacLaren’s banana bread & chocolate chip cookies, Janice Sager’s turkey dinners and the many treats that all of you would spoil him with.

We all know how he loved to eat! He even had his nurses trained to bring him Tim Bits. Thank you Lois, Kim, Andrea, Heather, Liz and Olga. We can’t thank you all enough for the excellent care you gave Dad. Bruce Letford had been caring for Dad for approximately six years and Bruce you will never know how much we all appreciated the care you gave Dad. He looked forward every day to the horse play you two engaged in and was disappointed on the weekends you had off. And Andrew Evans you were with Dad for quite a while too and you may not realize it but you made his evenings and he has missed you.

I know that we haven’t mentioned everyone but we thank you all. You made his last few years more bareable and you were a tremendous support to Carol. God knows she needed your help with Dad! He was not the easiest man to look after. As we all know he could be difficult and loved it if he could get a rise out of us. If he accomplished this, you would see that twinkle in his eye, as much as to say “Gotcha”!

Dad and Carol are very blessed with the neighbors and friends they have where they live. We never thought that Dad would be content with “City Life” after living in Foxboro for so many years, but he came to rely on the waves and smiles from his new neighbors, as he would sit out on the front porch waving to all of them, even if he didn’t know who it was. Jack & Lynn Banville, George & Brenda Laroche, Janice & Glen MacLaren, Carol & Russ Russel, Dave & Janice Sager, Sherri-Lynn & Rob Trimm, Eleanor & Russ Vanderbekan, Lorne & Mary Williams... thank you for being good friends and neighbors and lending a helping hand whenever it was needed.

Every fall, Dad looked forward to getting out to Foxboro to Murney Bradshaw’s, who hosted an annual BBQ where he got to see all of his old buddies.  It never mattered how ill he was... he wouldn’t hear of missing one of these events. Thank you Murney. You can’t begin to imagine how much this event mattered to him... although Carol told us that after this last one, he seemed to know that he wouldn’t make another one.  BUT you can be sure that he will be there in spirit at the next one.

I know that each of you will carry with you your own special memories of dad and at this time, i would like to share some of the most special memories that i will carry with me about our dad...

Through his life he was called many things... Buck by his brothers, bob, bobby, robert, poppa.... but of course his favourite was "Hammy"

He loved foxboro and the many friends and family that he had there.  he loved tending to his garden, cutting his grass and spending as much time as possible down at the canteen, drinking coffee and sharing good company

He loved to take us on long sunday drives to the local cheese factories.... with fiddle music playing on the cassette deck, he was always sure to have a salt shaker in the glove box awaiting a fresh bag of curd for the ride home

He loved to chop wood in the driveway in the winter and he rarely ever wore a coat.... you knew it was really cold out, if dad put on a coat!

Dad was a provider.... he loved to work and you would usually find him dressed in his green canada transport workpants, a white t-shirt and a mesh truckers cap, sitting high atop his head...even on the weekends... unless of course it was a hot summers day, when he would change into his shorts, making sure to have his black suit socks pulled tightly up to his mid-calf

Dad loved to play cards and could often be found sitting at the kitchen table playing solitaire for hours or challenging my sister to competitive game of crazy eights

He thought the world of his friends and he would often talk of times when he would drag race on the quarter mile down mud cat lane

He liked to tease, but i don't think he was teasing when he often reminded murney and ray, that a chevy was better than a dodge or a ford, anyday!

He was a great poppa...and he had an extra special connection with ben... one of bens dearest memories is of when he was about 3 years old and his poppa took him to uncle ronalds barn to see the cows and to pick a pumpkin or two from cousin jeffs pumpkin patch... ben was the apple of his poppa's eye... and the feeling was quite mutual

And last but not least... i will not think of my dad... with out thinking of carol.  it may have taken him a few times to get it right, but he sure hit the jackpot when he found carol.  they shared an unconditional love and a one in a million friendship.  thank you carol for all that you were and all that you did for dad.  he knew how blessed he was to have you in his life and as bobs daughters we will be forever grateful to you.