Bob's funeral weekend.

Again, we are fortunate that we had Poppy at our house taking care of the kids.  I had a babysitter lined up to come over at 8am to help him.  And when we found out we were going to be in Iowa longer than anticipated we called Aunt Nessie and again she offered to help without hesitation.  

Andrew and I got to the hospital around 1am on Sunday morning.  Nick and Callie got there around 10 minutes before us.  Bob had been checked in around 3pm.  He'd been in and out of the hospital for a couple weeks.  There weren't any definite diagnosis during any of his stays. We learned that his liver had been taken over by cancer and b/c of his liver being enlarged and the cancer taken over the organ that his organs were shutting down/if not already shut down and there wasn't anything to help him.  

It was difficult for so many reasons.  But like we tell Miss M we will all miss Bob and all we can do now is tell stories of him and remember the good times.  

Bob ended up passing around 4:30pm in the Burlington hospital with his children by his bed.  The boys and Missy and Cambria and I went to Amigos as an ode to Bob.  He loved to eat out and he loved to eat at Amigos.  We've been there so many times with him.  The place hasn't changed at all.  Nothing. Not the food, plates, bar, wall paint, chairs. Nothing. It was like taking a step back in time but it felt right to be there.  We ate, we laughed, we told stories. 

Monday I drove home to pick up Poppy and the kids. I got home. Annessa had the kids already packed.  She sat with me in my room to help me pack for Andrew and I.  She loaded the kids. Poppy got pop for us and we hit the road to Burlington again.  

The family was to be at the funeral home Tuesday morning to get ready for the visitation later that day.  The family set up picture boards and other important things of Bob's.  We took Poppy and the kids.  They ended up doing well.  Big Willie ran around like a bulldozer.  Miss M asked a few questions then she saw Bob lying in the casket and more questions came in.  It wasn't excessive. I think she was just taking it all in. I don't even remember what I told her about someone dying.  She didn't want to go to the casket to see Bob but she wanted Andrew to go see him. She was more upset that he wasn't going to see him.  

Andrew and the kids sat on the floor and went through pictures and Andrew told them stories.  

One really learns how wonderful their friends are during a time of need.  My friend Megan dropped off a bag of toys for the kids which were perfect for the car, hotel, visitation, funeral.  It was the best gift.  There was a floral arrangement from friends from Miss M's school.  Then when we got home our friends lined up dinners for three or four days. The thoughtfulness was touching.

Poppy did crafts with Miss M since it was in the bag of goodies while we finished up at the funeral home. He looks like a natural.

The funeral was on Wednesday.  The funeral was very thoughtful.  Craig and Jessie came up to be supportive of Andrew but also to help take care of our kids. It was a quick trip for them but it would have been difficult for me to get through the funeral without having people to entertain them.  It takes a village.  Each of the boys spoke at the funeral. They each had their own spin on their father. It was touching. They all did an amazing job. Andrew got a little wordy and lengthy in his discussion but I wouldn't have expected anything else.

We finally loaded up the car, exhausted, to go home. We stopped at a gas station and Andrew picked up a Diet Coke bottle saying "share a coke with Robert". It was an appropriate end to the weekend b/c Bob loved pop as much as I do.