25 Years Later

Another year has passed.  Another year yearning she was still here. 

I can't believe it has been 25 years.  For whatever reason that seems like such a big deal.  I missed her just as terribly all the other years, but some years just seem heavy. 

I spent the night watching home videos with Cole.  It was so nice having her come alive again in our living room.  Laughing at the familiar scenes that I have seen over and over.  I love the one where I'm 8 months old and sick with a fever.  She is nursing me and cuddling me and whispering to me as I fall asleep.  Then she looks at the camera and says that she wanted to film this so that I would always know how much she loved me.  And you know what?...She may have only been here for three years of my life, but I have known and felt her love for me every day of my life.  What a blessing that is.  She loves me.  She wants me.  She prays for me.  None of that is past tense.

I have been thinking about this for awhile now, and it finally really feels like the right time.  I want to remember my mom but I also want the world to remember her or to have the opportunity to know her.  So I am going to share some of her letters or letters written about her.  For those of you lucky to have known her, maybe it will bring back fond memories and put a smile on your face.  And, for those who never had the chance, I hope it will give you the opportunity to learn about her and to keep her living in the hearts of others. 

It was just on Mother's Day that the Deacon at our church stopped me as I was leaving and said, "Being a mother is in your genes.  You had the most amazing mother."  So true.  It says so much that those who knew her have never forgotten her.  Now you will all have a chance to be blessed by her :)

So tonight, since she passed 25 years ago today, I thought I would share the homily from her funeral.  I read it aloud on Sunday when we went to the cemetery with my Dad and my sister Sarah and her family.  My Dad also played "Thank You" on the car stereo and made angel food cake (her favorite).  It was a very special time.  My Aunt Barb also had a Mass said for my mom on Tuesday morning at John XXIII.  My cousin Todd, my Uncle Ken and my Aunt Barb came and Cole took the morning off work so he could be there with us.  It meant so much to me.

I love you Mom.  Thank you for loving me so fiercely...even from Heaven.

(I realize this is horrible quality...if you can zoom in you may be able to read it.  But I hope to post a scanned in version soon)

 

 

  

Butterfly Kisses Dance 2015

Brace yourself for a whole lot of cuteness!

 

This is the second year (and third Father/Daughter dance) that Felicity and Cole and have gone to together.  It is so cute how excited they both are about it.  Felicity has been asking for the past few weeks if it was time for her date with Daddy yet.  She picked out this dress herself and said she wanted a braid (although it is hard to see because of the flower), and she also said she needed "lips" aka chapstick!

 

 

They met up with my sisters hubbies and kiddos but unfortunately Cole didn't get a picture of the group on his phone.  It is so fun that they all get to share these fun experiences with each other!

 

 

 I love these times with her!  So precious.  They had a wonderful time together.  Cole wanted to take her to dinner after the dance.  He asked where she wanted to go and she adamantly said Chic-fil-A.  But since it was Sunday they were closed so they settled for Subway instead.

 

She loved getting a rose from Daddy.

 

 

Tavian was so sweet.  When he saw Felicity for the first time after getting ready he gushed over her and told her how beautiful she looked!

 

 

 

I decided Tavian and I needed a little special time of our own.  He saw the preview for Big Hero 6 awhile ago and has been talking about wanting to see it.  It is currently at the Cinema Saver 6 so I decided it would be the perfect date for us.  My dad was nice enough to come over and watch Beckett so that Tave and I could go together.  Cole set some stuff up with Tavian ahead of time and it was so cute!  When we got to the theatre he told me not to look because he had a surprise for me.  He pulled a rose out from behind his back!  Melt me heart!  He was so excited to make me feel special!  Then he even pulled $10 out of his pocket to pay for our tickets.

 

I really enjoyed getting away to do something fun just the two of us.  As for the movie, he liked it, but said he probably doesn't want to see it again because it was "a little intense".  Lol.  Such a funny kid. 

 

 

 

He was bursting to hurry home so he could start drawing pictures of all of the different parts of the movie.  I love how creative my boy is! 

What I Wore Sunday: Sunday FUNday!

 Happy Sunday!

 

Wow, this weekend was awesome!  The weather was amazing and it made for great family time.  We went to church on Saturday night again.  I really enjoyed the second reading.

 

Reading 2, First Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

¹⁶ In fact, preaching the gospel gives me nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion and I should be in trouble if I failed to do it.

¹⁷ If I did it on my own initiative I would deserve a reward; but if I do it under compulsion I am simply accepting a task entrusted to me.

¹⁸ What reward do I have, then? That in my preaching I offer the gospel free of charge to avoid using the rights which the gospel allows me.

¹⁹ So though I was not a slave to any human being, I put myself in slavery to all people, to win as many as I could.

²² To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak. I accommodated myself to people in all kinds of different situations, so that by all possible means I might bring some to salvation.

²³ All this I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may share its benefits with others.

 

Those last lines are so powerful to me!

 

Mom's lap is never empty! (which is pretty wonderful!)  We were five minutes late
to Mass....again...which is no Bueno!  So we found ourselves in the back on the floor.
Not ideal, but we'll take it!

And here is my contribution to What I Wore Sunday

 

Blouse: Forever 21

Red Skinnies: Wal-Mart

Earrings: ?

Tan Ankle Boots:  Zulily

 

Earlier in the day on Saturday, since the weather was so freakin nice, we decided to go on a family bike ride.  I am loving that Beckett is old enough to enjoy it with us now!  I can already tell this summer is going to be full or them!

We decided to take the bike trailer this time because we were going on a pretty big outing that included stopping at Sprouts and we wanted to make sure we had somewhere to put the groceries.  We purchased our sweet bike trailer at a garage sale last summer for...wait for it....$15.  Amazing!  It is double amazing because it also serves as a running stroller which has been awesome in using when the weather is nice enough to go on runs with the kids or get Tavian to/from school!  Money well spent :)

First we rode to Panera for a few bagels and some hydration, then stopped at the library to play and read, and then quickly stopped at Sprouts for a few items.  It was a wonderful way to spend the day!

And this little cutie was all tuckered out by the time we got home.  I love how big the helmet looks on him!
Such a sweet pea!

 Today has been amazing as well for a lot of reasons.  We had so much fun yesterday that we decided to head out on the bikes again.  This time we rode to Starbucks, and since we didn't need storage space, we decided to leave the bike trailer at home.  It is awesome and easy to get around with Tavian on the tandem bike and Felicity and Beckett in the front bike seats.  The WeeRide Kangaroo bike seats are another priceless investment!  Soooo much fun, and the kids LOVE it!

 

This is how we roll! :)

Enjoying the beautiful day on the lawn outside of Starbucks

That is what you call cuteness!  It was pretty windy out so we still bundled up!

I feel so blessed to get to make memories like this with my family.  If only every day could be so fun!

 

Cole and I were cracking up at the creative way Felicity put her
bike helmet on.  I can't say how much protection she will get from it but it sure is cute! :)

We made a stop at a park on the way home and had a wonderful time playing together!

 

 On top of all this goodness, Felicity and Cole also attended the Father/Daughter Dance today.  I'll save the details and the cuteness for another post coming soon! :)

 

Hope you all were able to enjoy some nice weather this weekend!

 

Head on over to Fine Linen and Purple for more What I Wore Sunday 

What I Wore Sunday

 

  Happy Sunday!

 

We went to Mass on Saturday night again.  My sister and her family and Cole's brother and his family were there too so it was fun getting to say hi after church.

 

I started reading The Lamb's Supper and I am really enjoying it.  I feel like the Mass is already coming more alive!  I love that there is always more to learn and to appreciate about this beautiful Church.

 

Here is my What I Wore Sunday:

 

Sweater: Target Clearance (super warm and comfy!)

Skinny Jeans: Most likely Ross

Riding Boots: Ross

Earrings:....?

Sorry about the quality of photos.  My S5 has been taking pretty horrible photos.  I don't think they were always this bad but I can't figure out how to make it better!

My sweet lovie.  I can never get enough of her

 

I was just talking to Cole today about how she is growing up too fast. :(  I may or may not have started crying!  I just want to bottle up her littlness and soak up every second.  I pray she will always give me kisses and cuddles and let me love on her and hold her.

I love how she cradles my face for kisses.  It's the best!

 

Oh, how I love her.

 

This is also Super Bowl Sunday.  Unfortunately the Broncos aren't playing :(  But, the Super Bowl (and football in general) pretty much equals yummy food.  And I'm all about that regardless of who is playing!

 

 

Here we have yummy homemade chicken wings, homemade Salsa, and a delicious Margarita consisting of Coyote Gold, frozen mangos, and Shock Top Beer.  Delicious!

I also made smoothies for the kids along with homemade Burrito Bowls and King Soopers Kettle Corn.  Yum!

 

Tired of hearing about all the sickness in my house?  Yeah, me too!  I'm tired of talking about, writing about, and especially living it!  Unfortunately Tavian came down with rsv this past week, and over the weekend Felicity and Beckett both started coughing...WHY???  And Felicity is also fighting a fever today too.  In other words, I am so not ready to start another week.  If we survive this winter it will be a miracle!

 

Check out more WIWS at Fine Linen and Purple.

Beckett is ONE!

Beckett turned one on December 30th.  Unfortunately we weren't able to celebrate because he was so sick.  I actually took him to a doctors appointment on his birthday.  Not really a fun way to celebrate.  But then he kept being sick.  I started to wonder if we were ever going to get to do anything for his birthday.  I wanted it to be a fun, special day, and I didn't want him to not feel well for it.  I am so glad that we waited.  Finally, on Sunday, we had a fun celebration with some friends and family at the swimming pool in Loveland.  All the kids had such a fun time swimming and Beckett loved it!  He is such a water baby. 

It was worth the wait to see his happy, smiling face.  (He is still not 100%, but he is doing so much better and for the most part he is back to his happy self!)

Since I was having such a fun a time in the pool with the kids I wasn't able to take any pictures.  Luckily my sister and Cole's mom took a some for me.

 

 

 

They kept kissing each other, then as soon as we got the camera they weren't having it anymore!

 

Tavian and his cousin, Verona, playing together

Tavian and Cole had so much fun together!

 

My sweet Godson :)

Not the best picture, but we were so happy my friend, Stacy, and her family could join us.  Tavian is great friends with her daughter Molly.

 

 

McKenzie spraying water...probably on her brothers!

Haha...Bapa with Estella!

So many fun memories with my baby boy

 

Singing Happy Birthday to our big boy!  He was so serious while we sang!

 

Trying to get him to blow out his candle!...look at that face!!

Mommy helped :)

He was so cute because he made this face right after I blew out his candle.  He was trying!!!

 

We are so blessed by Beckett Edward James



Digging in!  Yum!

It was initially sad not getting to celebrate on his actual birthday, but in the end it didn't matter.  All that matters is that we had a wonderful day loving on Beckett and celebrating his life.  And I'm glad he felt well enough to enjoy it!  Tavian and Felicity were so excited to celebrate their brother.  

 

We love you, sweet Beckett!