Papa's headstone was finally put in and we went to see it today.
I thought it was going to make me super sad when I saw it but it didn't.
Dale and I have felt his presence since he has passed which has been a huge comfort to us. I feel like whenever I tell him that I love him and I miss him, he can hear me. That's why visiting his gravestone didn't feel like I was visiting Papa. He is not in the cemetery, he is a spirit and can dwell with his family and loved ones.
Still, it was a special moment and we felt it was important for the kids to see it.
He has such a nice headstone: The kids WOULD NOT give me a nice pic!
Today is Race's half birthday! He's 6 months old today. I could have sworn I just brought him home from the hospital last week but here we are, halfway to one year.
He is for sure my last baby and I'm trying to savor every moment of his babiness. Kinda hard to do when it's your 5th kid. I think the last one should grow extra slow, don't you?
Like all the others, he is a happy happy kiddo. He rolls and rolls and he tries so dang hard to scoot but just can't get the hang of it yet. He is very proud of his two toofies which he will happily use on your finger should he get a hold of it.
I took some pictures of the little Racer to commemorate his half birthday today.
On Saturday Ella got to have her first "friend" birthday party. When I asked her what she wanted as a theme she picked a ladybug theme. Ella gave me lots of ideas and I think she ended up having a pretty fun party! She got to invite all her friends and felt super special.
We got to take some pics before the tornado of 5 year olds hit the house. The calm before the storm.
Janice and Sally stayed up late to help me create this:
Place setting:
Bugs on the wall. I got the idea to do these from here.
I will miss my kids while they are at school but let's just say I'm glad they are there!
We took some pics before we rushed out the door.
Tabby who is a THIRD GRADER!!! Amazing. What a cutie!
Rex who is excited to be in first grade. Stud!
And Ella Rose. My cute little kindergartner!
My attempt at a group shot. This was the least chaotic pose they gave me.
My big kids ran off with out a second thought to their classes and I barely got to smooch them but I did get to go into Ella's class with her and help her hang her backpack and find her desk.
I will miss my little Ella a bit. I'm used to Tabby and Rex being at school but last year she was my little sidekick while the "big kids" were away. Now she's one of them.
So I guess I have an open spot for a new side kick. I think I know who will fill it...
My dear father in law Jerry Morris passed away a week ago on June 12th from pancreatic cancer.
He is an amazing man loved by many many people. Yesterday was his funeral. It was a beautiful day mixed with tears and smiles. He doesn't want us to mope around and be sad. He wants us to be joyful. I tried my best to be. It hurts to know he's moved on to heaven but it brings me happiness to know he isn't in pain anymore. He fought the good fight and endured to the end.
He lived a outstanding life and made many friends along the way. You could tell how much he was loved by the packed church house.
He only lived about two and a half months after his diagnosis but those 2 and a half months were spent with family. We visited with each other, told stories and grew closer. I know Papa loved that.
He leaves behind a beautiful legacy of righteousness, obeying the Lord and serving others.
Before he passed, he made us promise to make sure our chair in heaven isn't empty. I tell my kids every day that we must make sure our chair in heaven isn't empty because more than anything, Papa wants us to join him there.
One thing Papa loved to be was a missionary. He loved opportunities to share the gospel with anyone who was interested. He even found a way to do it after he passed. When he knew he was dying, he recorded a message that he wanted played at his funeral. It's a beautiful message of hope and love. I've attached it to this post. I hope you listen to it. I know he would want as many people as possible to hear it.
I'm so proud of my sweet Tabby! She turned 8 today!
She's such a genuine and caring little girl. I'm amazed at her love for reading and art. She treats others with fairness and kindness. With the exception of her siblings sometimes =) there isn't a mean bone in her body. I love her to pieces!
She is getting baptized later this month and my mom and I took some pictures of her sweet little self.
Our big Easter Sunday celebration was again at my parents house this year. We had the traditional breakfast for dinner followed by an epic egg hunt. The kids waited inside while the grown ups hid the eggs. I didn't even try to say it was the Easter Bunny who left the eggs and I'm pretty sure they all saw us walking around hiding the eggs. I think the kids put two and two together on that one.
Gunner trying to bust out before it's time to start:
Ella finding the loot:
Tabby scored the most eggs:
Race watched with envy:
Done!
Grandma had a big sheet of coloring paper:
We followed everything up with a kids and grand kids picture.
