Happy 4th of July

So, it has been a very busy last couple of days. We really enjoyed a fun 4th of July. Our ward had a pancake breakfast with a flag raising ceremony and then a bike parade. Joseph was chosen to be the caller for the flag raising and did a great job of course! Then we ate and the kids decorated their scooters and then went around a couple of times in the parking lot. It was so much fun, the kids loved it. We then met some of our good friends and went to see Cars 2 which we loved! Then got KFC and then drove out to Parker to watch the fireworks. The line to enter the park was over 2 miles long, so we went out into an open field near by and set up our chairs and enjoyed our KFC picnic and then watched the fireworks. Overall, a fun day. We sure missed being around family in Utah which has been our routine the last couple of years, but had a great time here.

The other bit of news as seen sort of in the picture, is that Rachel lost her first tooth! About 10 minuets later, Joseph lost his 10th tooth. It was a busy tooth losing day for sure. The tooth fairy left some Hello Kitty headbands for Rachel and then a set for Juliana as well, because the tooth fairy felt sorry that Juliana has not lost a tooth yet, she cannot help it, right? As for Joseph the tooth fairy left him a note saying she owed him a ticket to go and see the new Harry Potter here in about a week. Looking forward to still a lot of pool time as summer is now in full swing for sure.

Just Because, I love you and Miss you

June 18th, 2011 marked the 2nd year anniversary of our sweet angel Katherine's death. This is a very somber time for our family. We try to keep the day simple and sweet. We had flowers delivered to her grave and then did a balloon release hoping that she will get them up in heaven. We always make a donation to the Children's Hospital in exchange for beautiful flowers being placed in the chapel of the hospital in honor of her. Katherine, we sure love you and miss you so much it hurts. I look forward to the joy that I will feel when I get to see you again. Farewell my sweet angel daughter until we meet again at Jesus' feet where I know you are right now. All is well, Carry On. Farewell.

Graduations and Father's Day

So, June was an eventful month for us. My son Joseph graduated from 5th grade. My sweet girls Rachel and Juliana graduated from Kindergarten. Needless to say it was a busy week for sure! The graduations went really well. The girls were quite emotional during the slide show portion of the graduation. I know they loved this year, but have many more great years to come. Congrats to all three of my kids for their hard work and devotion to school. I am so proud of you. Just because I am feeling very sentimental, I am also putting the picture of when Joseph graduated from kindergarten in this post because it does not seem like it was that long ago.

We enjoyed a very nice father's day. The kids and I made Mike breakfast in bed in which we all ate in the bed. The kids loved it of course as did Mike. Overall a very quiet day, but I know Mike enjoyed it, so it was worth it.

Off we go into a busy July! I love this time of year!

Easter and the March of Dimes

So here are some pictures over the last week or so. We had a great Easter as a family. We did a Easter Egg Hunt with our sweet Katherine of course! (and Bob)

We then went to see Katherine after church and gave her the Easter Lily. We then enjoyed a great dinner with some great friends, all in all a really fun and enjoyable weekend.

This past Saturday we all went on the March for Dimes downtown. Mike signed up for it through work and we walked 5 miles up 15th Street and then down the Platte River Front and then back up 14th Street back to Civic Center Park. It was a cold start to the morning for sure, but the sun came out and it was quite pleasant. The girls rode mostly in the back of a wagon, but everyone was such great troopers. It was great exercise, and seemed a bit longer than 5 miles if you know what I mean. Another fun day as a family. We enjoyed a BBQ put on by the bank afterward.

Just Because

We are off track from school right now. We are in the last week of our three week break. Because of this, we have a bit of free time on our hands to say the least.

With some of our free time, we went to see our sweet Katherine yesterday. She is buried in a beautiful spot in a very historic cemetery in Denver. There are many large and majestic trees that line the roads and are in the middle of the burial plots. The trees are beginning to bloom. You know which ones I am talking about right? The ones with the white buds in small bunches. So sweet and tender, so delicate and soft, white and pure. It is the beginning of a new spring. A beginning of a new year for our family.

We had a tough last couple of months of the year. Mike's job of over 12 years was terminated and we were unemployed for about a month. It was stressful, a heavy burden to bear. He was able to secure a job as a finical service consultant at Bank of the West just after the first of the year. As you can imagine it was very different for him, a huge adjustment for him and for me as well. He is working really hard and adjusting well to the new roll. If there is nothing else in life that I have learned is that life changes all the time. You never know what will happen or what the day will bring.

Joseph went for a "buddy day" at Thunder Ridge Middle School this past Friday. He went to check things out and to get the lay of the land so to speak. It went really well. He had a great time. He actually said he loved it, which was a great comfort for me as a mother for sure. He has already turned 11 and is now entering into a new stage in his life. He is no longer a little boy, but now a young man. I have been doing a lot of praying and pondering about how to best teach him and guide him through these years of change and transition. I know it will be difficult, but also worth it to see him succeed and be happy which is all that I want for him and for my family.

Our other big news is that we bought a piano. I was able to find it off of Craig's List and felt we got a good deal. It now sits in our front room and is a great addition there. Joseph has now progressed into the higher levels of his piano books and needed a pedal and a piano for that matter, so we took the plunge and bought it.

Tonight I plan to attend the monthly group meeting that I help to facilitate at Children's Hospital. This group has been very successful and we have gotten really positive feedback about it. It is bittersweet to go there for me. It is bitter to go and have to relive what happened to Katherine. Yet it is sweet because I get to remember her and say her name and talk about her in a safe environment where no one will judge me or squirm or think, well its time to get over it now. Or you should not go see her grave once a week, that is not normal. This is a sweet, safe place to talk about and celebrate my angel in heaven. I have made some quite good friends there as well, it is always really nice to see them and visit with them, commune with them. There is a mother there who I have come to know over this past 19 months or so. She lost her son in the same manner as Katherine. She is very nice, but she and I are very different. She is lost in a sea of darkness and doubt. She has no beacon light beckoning her back to safety and happiness. I know she feels a lot of resentment and anger about what happened. This is very normal. I have felt those things as well. The main difference between us is that I look to the Savior as my beacon light. He is my rock and my salvation.

Last Easter was very difficult for me. I was angry and upset about having to face another holiday without my baby. But, this Easter already feels different and better. I am finding myself rejoicing in the knowledge that the Savior died and was resurrected. If for no other reason, He did this for me so that I may be able to see Katherine again.

As the weeks go by, the trees will continue to bloom and grow. By the time her 2nd year angel day arrives, it will be warm, green, soft, and welcoming. I will look forward to feeling the warmth and softness of that day.

Farewell my sweet angel until we meet again at Jesus' feet where I know you are right now.

The past month

So here are some really cute pictures from the last month or so.

I was able to attend the kid's Valentine's parties. The girls had so much fun as you can see. It was a fun, although a bit loud party.

Mike and I went out to lunch for V-Day at Sam's #3. I met him during his lunch hour while the kids were in school. It was so much fun and worked out great. May I highly recommend the green chili sauce there, so good, I want to bathe in it. We got the Mac and Cheese dip topped off with the green chili sauce, wow! Mike then treated me to some new shirts. It was a fun date.

Then the kids and I went with our friends off to the Littleton Historic Museum where there is a farm complete with different buildings built to look like there were from the 1860's. They had a blacksmith shop there with a blacksmith making a hand made curtain rod. My friend's son asked him if he could make him a sword, his mom's answer was Um, No!

Finally, Joseph got his arrow of light from Cub Scouts. He will be turning 11 this week, and is moving up into 11 year old scouts. So, congrats to Joseph on all his hard work, we sure are proud of you.