Aunt Cleta

We lost my Great Aunt Cleta Nagel on March 8th. I wanted to post for record the words I wrote about her (follows). It's so hard to lose anyone you love, it's been a really tough year with the passing of Nana and Grandpa Ehmann, both in June last year. I'm grateful for their long lives and all the wonderful memories I have.

My Aunt Cleta was such a magnificent person and the thought of her just makes me smile. I have such wonderful memories of her and being at her home growing up. The long summer days at the ranch catching crawdads, looking for the newest litter of kittens and playing out in the yard while she gardened. I loved her laugh, kind of a giggle and her beautiful smile. Of course we must mention her amazing cooking. So many dishes are in my memory bank, but my favorites that will NEVER be forgotten; macaroni ‘n cheese and pies from scatch, mmm chocolate cream & carmel were highlights.

"Aunt Cleta may not have been a mom, I remember hearing that Uncle Dave was as much of a kid as she could handle. But I truly believe that God had bigger plans for her…as a daughter, wife, sister, friend, and in my mind, the most incredible Aunt. She used to give Tammy and me a gift when it was the others birthday. She was so fun to play games with, she is the one who taught us poker. I remember many games of cootie or whatever else we asked her to play. It’s been a long time, but I loved staying the night during wheat harvests, what a special time.

I’m still coming to terms with the fact that those Sundays riding in the back seat with my sister listening to football and heading to Uncle Dave and Aunt Cleta’s are over. I hurts to not have her here but I know how much she missed Uncle Dave and I rejoice knowing they are together again."

Updates

Time for an update. A lot has happened since the last post.

Whitney's update:

-March 3rd was her last day to nurse. I was sad that she has grown so fast on top of the great diet it was for me:)

-Feb 8th took 4 steps, Feb 28th up to 8 steps and officially walking on March 14th (it was a very gradual process). She loves it though, so much less frustration and getting better at it every day.

-Mid Feb her first molar broke through. Ouch.

-Whitney remains impressively smart with her talking (she will repeat just about any word eg. avocado), pointing to body parts & pictures and overall understanding of what we're saying. She is unbelievabe with using a fork and insists on eating with one every meal. She loves the bath (look at that hair) and has recently become a fan of the hot tub. This should be a great summer ahead at the pool.

Nathan's update:

-Not a single day of preschool has Nathan complained about going. He continues to love it and I think he's grown and learned so much. It's fun to hear him talk about his first real friends, Zak and Lucas, the only other boys in his class of 11. He is writing more letters and shows a lot more interest in reading. He can sound out most 3-letter words, it's astonishing.

-I still have to monitor Nathan and Whitney all the time. He can be pretty rough and mean, not saying she isn't the same at times. The jealously and fighting starts so early!!!

-Nathan loves the computer and is getting quite good at using the mouse. He is currently really into Bob the Builder and loved the Madagascar 2 movie. The Magic Treehouse series still captivates him. We have the first book on audio CD, I think he's listened to it no less than 30 times.

Matt and I are going to St. Lucia next week for Bud and Jen's wedding. I will definitely post some pictures. It is going to be hard to leave the kids (in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa), but nonetheless, six days is a long time:(