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INTERVIEW WITH HANNAH
- My favorite part of camping was the pool. I practiced jumping in the pool. I loved it because I had wings on and because Dad, Mom, and Lucy all played with me in the water.
- We slept in a bunk bed. I got to sleep on the top!
- Juice boxes were my favorite food.
Lucy holding glowsticks in her toes!
INTERVIEW WITH LUCY
- My favorite part about camping was playing at the park. It had a silly slide.
- I liked the hot dogs on the campfire.
- I liked sleeping on the bunkbeds – I fell out 2 times!
Both girls had a great camping trip. Highlights included staying the in the cabin – which the girls were really into because we’ve been reading Little House on the Prairie. They washed the dishes after every meal and helped dad fan the fire. Lucy liked sweeping up the dirt in front of the cabin and Hannah liked running in the open field picking flowers.
At night, we roasted marshmallows (they like them better untoasted!) and played with glow-in-the-dark sticks and balls. They were a hit until Lucy chewed on her glowstick and filled her mouth with fluorescent purple. Guess she’s not old enough for that yet! We all laid on a big blanket and looked at the stars. Lucy saw the Big Dipper and mom saw a shooting star.
We could have done another day, but mom and dad were too tired – we didn’t sleep too well with a pregnant belly, hot cabin, and two loud, snoring kids. We’ll definitely go back though – it was a great trip!
Hannah and Lucy wearing their 2010 hats
New Year’s Interview with Hannah and Lucy
What is your favorite color?
H:: pink & red
L: pink
What is your favorite toy?
H: toy purse & jewelry box
L: jewelry box
What is your favorite food?
H: chicken nuggets
L: soup
How do you like to spend your time?
H: playing Wii
L: playing dress up
What is your favorite holiday?
H: Christmas
L: Halloween
Who is your teacher?
H: Susan & Natalie
L: Christine (ballet)
Who is your best friend?
H: Nolan
L: Hannah
What is your favorite song?
Unanimous: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
What is your favorite book?
H: Beezus and Ramona
L: The Cat Family (Richard Scarry books)
What is your favorite TV show?
H: Max & Ruby
L: Yo Gabba Gabba
What is your favorite dessert?
H: Ice cream
L: Candy
Conversation with Hannah today:
H: So was Jesus before or after the dinosaurs?
M: Jesus came after the dinosaurs.
H: Okay. So first there were the dinosaurs, then came Jesus, THEN came Little House on the Praire, then we lived in Flossmoor and now we live in Boston!
M: Something like that.
Top Ten Best Things About Grandma & Gramps Visiting Boston
by Hannah & Lucy
1. Went to the ice cream store! (editor’s note: seriously? this is the #1 thing?!)
2. Dressed up in our Halloween costumes.
3. We went trick or treating!
4. We helped Gramps with his screwdriver.
5. We listened to the Scrub-Its with Grandma during bathtime.
6. We went to Philadelphia and saw Kobe & the aquarium!
7. We set up our new playroom.
8. We went to the Mexican restaurant with the mariachi band.
9. We decorated the porch for Halloween.
10. We found out Grandma TAKES BATHS and she READS IN THE BATHTUB!
We sure had fun! See you in February!
We had a beautiful, sunny, fall morning, so we took advantage by going to Honeypot Hill Orchard in Stow, MA.
We saw pigs, chickens, and goats; lifted lots of heavy pumpkins; ate cider donuts; and took a pretty hayride out to the orchard. We definitely picked more apples and pears than we can use, but that’ll give us something to do this weekend – apple pie, apple crostadas, and applesauce.
Of course, we wished we’d had a big bjorn-full of June to carry around with us. It’s bittersweet to see families with little ones in tow. You want to grab them by the shoulders and impress upon them how lucky they are, but that would be creepy. So we just smile and wish them good thoughts.
Grieving is tiring work – lots of napping going on around here. But home feels good. And the girls are a constant reminder of all that we have. We are still very lucky people, too.
This week Maureen and I said goodbye to our 4 month old daughter June Elise Markelz. The cause was SIDS. We had a service in Boston at the Follen Church in Lexington, MA, and a service in Chicago at St. Lawrence of O’Toole church in Matteson, IL. Both times we were surrounded by so many family and friends that are helping us through this tragic time.
I gave the Eulogy at both services… many have been asking for a copy, so here is the most recent version that I spoke in Chicago.
For those of you that didn’t know June Elise Markelz all that well during her short life… my Boston neighbor Bruce Wright summed it up with the best quote I will remember about her:
“There is nothing small about that baby..” – Bruce Wright
She was big both in size and in love. And in capability… for she has brought all of us together today.
June was the perfect baby. She only cried when hungry. She enjoyed watching Hannah and Lucy play. She loved to be held, loved to stand tentatively on her chubby legs. She was just learning to laugh when tickled. Because she was such a good, happy baby, Maureen and I both felt like we really enjoyed her time. We are confident she knew how loved she was and we saw how much love she gave our family.
I am not religious in the traditional sense, but am guided by a strong ‘humanist’ belief that we all are collectively pursuing perfection both in being… and in knowing. And so from this terrible tragedy I hope that I can learn to live better. Learn to ‘be’ better. And as I reflect, I feel that June is already already teaching me these things.
Maureen and I have always known we were loved… by our family… by our friends… but the true extent of that love and the impact was much more amorphous than it is today. In the last few days we have rekindled old relationships… have been introduced to new people and new communities that have accepted us into their hearts. If June can do this… if she can help all of us be better… know better… live better, than I feel that is the greatest honor of her short time with us all. June has really taught us how loved we are. I thank her for that gift.
Maureen and I have found solace in the writings of many poets and authors this week. Our outlook is best described by one Ekhart Tolle who writes:
Accept, then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.
It has been one week since June’s passing. September 19th was the worst day of Maureen’s and my life. We accept this. But the next day was not the worst day… and neither was the day after that… or the day after that. And neither is today. It is said that a tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom. So we will carry this new tool with us. It will not define us. It will help us be better people. We will use this wisdom in honor of baby June. I hope all of you use it as well.Goodbye baby June. We love you.
We now go forth to celebrate her life each day. Maureen and I are changed because of this and we look forward to seeing how this change affects our life.
June’s memorial song is “You are the New day” by the King’s Singers. You can listen to the song and read the words… for they also showcase the optimism that has been guiding us each day:
Song: The King’s Singers, New Day album, Track #1
Lyrics:
I will love you more than me
and more than yesterday
If you can but prove to me
you are the new daySend the sun in time for dawn
Let the birds all hail the morning
Love of life will urge me say
you are the new dayWhen I lay me down at night
knowing we must pay
Thoughts occur that this night might
stay yesterdayThoughts that we as humans small
could slow worlds and end it all
lie around me where they fall
before the new dayOne more day when time is running out
for everyone
Like a breath I knew would come I reach for
the new dayHope is my philosophy
Just needs days in which to be
Love of life means hope for me
borne on a new dayYou are the new day
On Friday, our friends Russel, Christina, and Aaron came over for dinner.
Hannah says: My favorite part was eating cupcakes with blue sprinkles, m&m’s, white frosting, and chocolate cake.
Lucy says: CUPCAKES TOO!
On Saturday, we went swimming at Reservoir Beach near our house.
Hannah says: My favorite part was dad throwing me up in the air and dunking myself under the water.
Lucy says: DIGGING! WITH THE SHOVEL! I LIKE SHOVEL!
On Sunday, we went to Beaver Pond Spray Park in Belmont.
Hannah says: My favorite part was swinging on the swings and playing in the water. I put my feet in the puddles where the water was going down the drain.
Lucy says: SPRINKLER! TOUCH WATER!
June was unavailable for comment about the weekend.
Hannah's drawing of playing in the water with Dad
Lucy's drawing: ME!
So much happening this summer that there is too little time to take time to blog about it:
A fun visit from Uncle Kevin & Aunt Nicole…
Fourth of July Super Slide Fiasco…
Elbow Dislocation at the Museum for Lucy…
And a happy, smiley Baby June who is already busting out of her 3 month clothes!
This weekend, we are handling an unexplained fever for Lucy, getting ready for a week of preschool camp, and thinking ahead to a weekend in Kennebunkeport and a visit from Aunt Katie at the end of the month. Fun times!
Lucy turned 2 years old today! She understood that it was her birthday and that she’d have cake with candles, but I don’t think she was prepared for presents. Hannah sure was, though, and she woke Lucy up at 5am to get things started! Once Lucy got downstairs, she kept saying, “YAY!” and “for ME!” She has adopted the Markelz way of opening presents – nice and slow. She stopped to color multiple pages in her Dora coloring book in between gifts.
We had a nice low-key day at home. She got to spend some downtime with mom while Hannah was at dance camp in the morning. Then she shared her new sandbox with Hannah in the afternoon. The sandbox is messy, but it’s better than the dirt trench she’s been digging in for the past few weeks. We have just come to accept that Lucy=messes. Yesterday we had vegetable soup for lunch, and I had to wash zucchini off the BOTTOMS OF HER FEET. How it got there? Who knows.
Lucy’s requested supper was spaghetti with meatballs and she had 3 whole servings! We had to cut her off for fear she’d explode. To burn off the energy fueled by the Dora birthday cake, she rode bikes and ran in the front yard while we chatted with our neighbors. It felt so good to be outside after an entire week of rain.
Keeping up with Lucy every day can be a challenge – she is messy and loud and regularly breaks things. She won’t keep her shoes on and pulls barrettes out of her hair. I’ve gone through 2 bottles of stain spray so far this summer on her clothes and it’s only June. But at the same time she is so loving and sweet. She gives kisses freely, likes to hold my hand during dinner, and cuddles with dad every morning when she wakes up. And she’s full of joy. She makes funny faces and silly noises to make her sister laugh. She wears dad’s shoes and mom’s sunglasses. And she’s been a wonderful big sister to June. We can’t wait to see what new things are in store for her this year.
As a gift for Trapper on Father’s Day, I tried to pose the three girls together for a picture for his office. We tried and tried to get everyone (mainly Lucy) to look at the camera, and this was our best result. The girl just doesn’t like to sit still. 
But it’s a great example of each of their personalities right now: Hannah posed and ready, Lucy in your face and crazy, and June looking around, most likely asking, “What am I getting into here?”
Summer 2009
We took our first trip out as a family of five to our favorite diner for breakfast this morning. We did pretty well, but we’ll have to figure out a new plan when June no longer fits on the floor under the booth in her carseat.
The girls are having a nice, albeit wet, beginning to the summer. I can’t tell yet whether Boston is truly more mild in the summer than Chicago, or if we’ve just had some uncharacteristic storms. Hannah finished preschool last week. She really enjoyed her time in the “Monkey Room” and made some good friends. She’ll be going back to the same school next year. She has spent the past two days combing her hair constantly with a comb she won at Chuck E. Cheese. She also has an odd habit of narrating her life in the third person. For example, when Trapper set her plate down in front of her last night, she said, “At last, it was time for Hannah’s dinner.” Not sure what that’s about.
Lucy is her same crazy self these days – and she’s excited that her birthday is coming this week. Or as she calls it, “BerDAY!” when she’ll be “TWO!” (said while holding up one finger). She is talking more and more each day – although I’m usually the only one who understands what she is saying. We’re hoping for some nice weather so we can go to the beach for a birthday celebration.
June is getting CHUBBY which is so fun to see. She’s been smiling at us more and more, and watches us from her perch in the bouncer on the counter. This is the only place we can put her without Lucy endangering her eyesight with “pokes”. She continues to be a good baby, which we are so thankful for.
Today we celebrate our awesome Daddy who does silly dances and takes us to the park while sneaking us donuts and smoothies. He works super hard, but plays hard too. Which is something Mom hopes we learn from him.
We also wish Happy Father’s Day to Grandpa McNulty and Gramps in Alaska! Hope it’s a fun one!
