God Bless America........and Grandpa Bob.

Today would have been my father-in-law's 74th birthday. He passed away in January of 2001, when I was newly pregnant with Kelsey. We were lucky enough to visit him in Indiana the week before he died. We were able to tell him our happy news, and he was so excited for us. Had Kelsey been a boy, she would have been named Robert.

Grandpa Bob loved our Ryan like crazy and I know seeing him in person made his last days more happy. Mark is the only son in his family, and his dad loved him with all his heart. Bob couldn't have been prouder of his son, and his grandson, they truly were the apples of his eye.






Bob was the perfect mix of sweetness, charm, and sarcasm. (no wonder we got along so well!) He would always tell me how I was his favorite daughter in law (I was his ONLY daughter in law!) A true wise ass - I loved him alot!

I often feel sad that my kids won't grow up knowing their Grandpa Bob, so I make sure they "know" Grandpa Bob. We have many pictures of him around the house. I even bought those "add your own picture" books, where I affixed photos of each child and of Bob, so that when you turn the pages, you see them doing things together.


Right before Bob died, I heard about the "pennies from heaven" theory - the idea that when you find a penny, it's because someone in heaven is thinking of you.....


"Pennies From Heaven"
I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.

Found pennies come from Heaven
That's what my Grandpa told me,
He said, "Angels toss them down."
Oh, how I loved that story.

He said, "When an angel misses you
They toss a penny down,
Sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile out of your frown."

So don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue,
It may be a penny from Heaven
That an Angel tossed to you.

so, imagine my surprise when we were leaving Indiana right after Bob's funeral and walked out to the car and Mark found a penny on the garage floor. I then, shared my penny knowledge with Mark and his mom. We KNEW Grandpa Bob was thinking of us.

Since then, Kelsey finds pennies all the time. I think Grandpa Bob especially likes to leave them for her to find because she is so special to him. She was due August 9th, but her birthday is July 31. She's the ONLY family member to share Grandpa Bob's birthday month. Even though they never met on earth, they have a special connection.

Anyway, fast forward to last month. Kelsey is in Connecticut with my Mom at her cousin Abby's dance recital. After the show, her and Grammy go out to dinner with my sisters family. (which includes 2 smart alecky teenage boys!) Kelsey gets out of Grammy's car and low and behold, finds a penny. She brings it into the restaurant to show everyone. She then says "Look what Grandpa Bob gave me". My mom, of course, knows what she's referring to because I've shared our penny stories with her, but my sisters family has no idea what Kelsey's talking about. They look at her like she's nuts because they know Uncle Marks dad died years ago. Kelsey then, in true Grandpa Bob fashion, (wise ass(ish)-ly!) says - "Well, he's dead, but he still sends me money!" LOL She sure told them!!! Yep, She's a riot, I know Bob got a kick out of that one!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bob - We sure do miss you lots and think of you often! Keep sending those pennies.


It's also the 4th of July today, which it totally didn't feel like. It was kind of cold, and rainy, not real BBQ weather. My Mom and Dad came over for dinner and dessert, so we had a nice, quiet day.

My kids, Ryan especially, have always loved the song "God Bless America", so today, I thought it would be quite fitting to capture them singing it on video to post for all to see. The only problem is, I waited way too long, and didn't tape until AFTER dessert when they were all hopped up on sugar, and restless from spending the entire day indoors. Oops, my bad! :)

So, without further ado, here's the "no-holds barred" version of "God Bless America - NEW YORK STYLE!" I promise you, they are not ALWAYS this rowdy! Man, these kids make me laugh!



We are off to sit outside on the patio in our pj's and watch the beautiful fireworks around us! Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th