New Name

My parents are out of town, visiting Arizona, where my mom's grandfather lived and worked at the turn of the last century.  Whenever they are away the kids have lots of questions and more or less are mildly obsessed with it.  Last night's dinner conversation went from one family member to the next and then turned to names.
My dad's mother's name was Philomena originally, but she didn't like it, and changed it to Phyllis and eventually Fifi.  It's also traditional, according to her, to name the a granddaughter after the grandmother.  I'm not sure how this works, but she adamantly told us not to name the kids "Philomena" because she detested it.  So of course after hearing this story, Vivian decided to change her name to Philomena Vivian Myrra (after her other great-grandmother- the last two are actually her names).  Then she practiced writing and saying it a lot.  Luckily she decided it would just be her "home name," at school she would still go by Vivian. 

Although she did ask this morning how we pronounced her new name.

Spontaneous Tap Dance

My sister took this video at Vivian's birthday party when she broke into a spontaneous dance in the kitchen.  My grandmother, Fifi, used to love tap dancing and would do the same thing in the kitchen, so it was very bizarre to see.  There is a lot of my grandmother in Vivian, her fiesty love-of-life attitude, her dancing, and some of her actions.  I wish they had known each other, but it seems like somehow perhaps they do.

Fifi

Just before Thanksgiving we lost our grandmother, Sam's great-grandmother.  It was a relatively quick time, in which it was unclear as to whether she would bounce back, as she had in recent years.  Now, it seems surreal, since events and time moved so quickly, and trying to keep up with work, and then Thanksgiving being on top of us.
There are many things to say about her, and to miss.  For now, a few of my favorite photos of her in recent years.  One is of her at our wedding reception, taking a bow, as we were married on her wedding anniversary.  Fifi loved being the center of attention, so the picture is somewhat fitting, and she looks young and vibrant in it, which is how she lived her life.  The other is of her with Sam the day after he was born.  She seemed to find joy in him and I'm glad that he was able to visit her during her last days with us.  It's amazing that she lived to know some of her great-grandchildren.  I wish she had been around for a few more years so I know that Sam would remember her.