Remembering Pinch

 We are saddened and heart broken that our beloved father, grandfather, and friend John Henry Millecam returned to his Heavenly Father on October 17, 2016. As I've had this week to reflect on his life, I wanted to compile some pictures I had of my kids with their grandfather. My kids adored him. In fact, my last memory of my kids with him was just a week before he died. We were at their home for dinner and John kept giving Grant donuts from off the table. I kept telling John "No more!" and he'd break a piece off and sneak it to Grant whenever I wasn't pay attention.

I regret that I didn't take more picture of my kids with him. I can't find any of John and Grant together. John was a man who loved it when the kids got to be toddlers and didn't really hold them when they were babies. This fall and winter probably would have been Grant's first year to ride with Pinch on the tractor and four-wheeler because he was finally old enough to do that with him.

John and Deena came to every dance recital, soccer game, and school program. They watched the kids for us many, many times while Blake and I went on dates and vacations. They loaned us their boat and camp trailer so we could make memories with our kids. In fact, most of the pictures of our family out on the lake over the last 8 years, John was driving the boat for us.

They let the kids and I come hang out at their home for hours while Blake was sleeping at our house after a night shift. John always had treats, chocolate milk, and ice cream for the kids. He always cooked us breakfast when we'd come over in the mornings. We'd go for walks with the kids and John would get the tractor out and drive it down to where we were just so the kids could ride home on it with him.

They called him "Pinch" because his favorite thing to do was to pretend to pinch the kids. They would laugh and want him to do it again. Grant would give John high-fives and he'd pretend they hurt. Grant loved that. John told me how easy going Grant was and how smart he was.

Brooke really didn't know her grandparents until they returned home from their LDS Humanitarian Mission in October 2010. Brooke was almost two years old, but she warmed up to her Honey and Pinch right away.

 At Brooke's 2nd Birthday. Giving Brooke a "Pinch" as she went down the slide.

 While I worked full-time, Blake's parents watched Brooke for me once a week in their home. Brooke would sit on Pinch's lap and drink her milk and watch TV. They'd go for tractor rides and car rides to Wendy's.

 John's favorite story about Brooke was during this time of planting peas in the garden. This was a time when I was a work and Blake's parents were watching her. Brooke threw a HUGE screaming and crying fit in the garden because Pinch wouldn't give her more pea seeds to plan. She laid down in the dirt and just cried and screamed so loud the neighbor across the street came over to see if everything was okay.

 This picture is dark, but it's Blake, Me, John, and Deena on their back patio around the fire pit one night

 With John and Deena in 2011 after Deena had ran a half marathon. Blake ran 10 of those miles with her.

 At Porter's baby blessing May 2012

 Brooke's 4th Birthday Dec. 2012

 Porter's first birthday Feb. 2013. John was always trying to give Porter chocolate and sweets before his first birthday and I would always scold John and tell him no. So on Porter's first birthday John brought over three Hershey chocolate bars.

 Christmas 2013, Pinch bought Porter his first camo outfit.

I feel like John had a soft spot for Porter. Porter can be difficult and gets in trouble...a lot. Whenever we were around John he'd be the one to handle Porter and take Porter under his wing.

 John's favorite story of Porter: Once while John and Deena were watching the kids they all decided to go for a walk. John told Porter not to run in the street and to wait for everyone at the end of the driveway. Of course Porter didn't listen and ran into the street. John started scolding Porter, telling him: "A car could come and squish you like a bug?" Porter looks up at John and says "No it wouldn't. Spiderman would save me."

 Porter's 3rd Birthday

 Christmas 2015: Porter got cold and tired walking around to pick out our family Christmas tree. Pinch let Porter ride on his shoulders.

 January 2016: riding four-wheelers in the field behind Honey and Pinch's house.

 Pinch took Brooke and Amelia to Dinosaur National Monument. While they were there, the girls completed a Jr. Ranger Guidebook and Pinch insisted the girls needed the Jr. Ranger Shirts.

 The four Millecam Siblings: John, Rosa, Sue, and Jim around their parents grave.

 July 2016 at our annual family reunion

Blake took his parents down the river a few years ago. He took this picture of them catching a fish.

Daddy Daughter Adventures

 I feel like Brooke has really grown up a lot this year. She's able to get out and do more things with Blake outdoors, which makes him really happy to share his hobbies with her. She has always been a daddy's girl and they've really developed a special bond going on outings together.

Going mountain biking along a single-track dirt trail:

 They hiked 4 miles along the river together

 And went hunting together this weekend. They camped in the mountains and were on the search for a doe and found one!

Brooke is definitely a lot more outdoorsy than I ever was growing up (I have really had to learn to get outside my comfort zone being married to Blake and feel like I've come a long ways in our 13 years of marriage). I love that she loves her dad and is willing to try new things to spend time with him and is developing her own love of nature. I also love that she comes home and is excited about reading and art and making crafts. She loves to help cook, dance, sing, and loves when we let her "babysit" her younger brothers. It will be fun to see how all her hobbies/interests develop as she gets older.

August In a Nutshell

 August seemed to fly by (why does it feel like I'm always saying that?) and we made the most out of our last few weeks of summer.

 

I love Grant's expression in this picture. Porter and Grant have started playing together more and it's fun to see them have a shared interest in cars and trucks (which sometimes leads to fighting).

 Porter wanted me to take a picture of him one Sunday.

 We went to Blake's annual work picnic and we did all the traditional fun things: the kids got their faces painted, playing on the bounce houses, ate lots of yummy food, and climbed on the equipment.

Porter and Brooke also play really well together (most of the time). I peeked out the window to see them working on some sort of concoction in the bucket.

 A couple days before school started, we had one last hurrah on the lake.

 Brooke loves to knee-board.

 Porter is always a little unsure when it's his turn to waterski, but once he gets up, he's all smiles!

 We tubed as a family for about 2 minutes before we realized we were too off balance and got dumped over.

 We love homemade salsa and eat our stockpile each year, so it's always exciting when we get to make more. The tomatoes, onions, zucchini, and peppers all came from our garden.

 Brooke had successful first day of school!

 Porter decided his tummy was a treasure map.

 Wrestling with daddy

 Wrestling with Dad

 Picking tomatoes from the garden

 Grant helped by eating sticks he found

 Porter broke his clavicle when he was wrestling with Blake one Sunday evening. He cried for a little bit right after it happened, but then seemed fine so we thought he was ok. Then a week later he tried to do a somersault on the floor and started crying again saying his shoulder hurt. So we took him in to get it x-rayed and sure enough his collarbone was broken.

Grant turned 22 months in August. He sure is changing and turning into a big kid! He's talking more and more and wants to do everything the older kids are doing. I can't get him to sit in his highchair anymore, he wants to sit at the table and only feed himself with a spoon (or his hands). We got rid of his binky and after a couple sad nights, he's binky free! I tried to get a picture of his new big boy haircut.

These were taken earlier in August, before we got rid of his binky. He loves to stand and look out the window. He get so excited when he sees a bird or someone walking their dog.