Phantom

I traded this cute little boy in...


for...


to...


My sweet and wonderful friend, Chantelle, knew it had been a trying last few months and knew just how to cheer me up! She surprised me with tickets to see Phantom of the Opera for my birthday. She arranged things with my hubby and we went to Denver to see the show. It was so much fun and it was great to get away for the evening. I forgot my camera but thankfully Chantelle had her trusty point and shoot!






So fun. And so thankful for wonderful friends. They make me smile :)

Blizzard

A few days late to be posting these but the pics are cute and I wanted to remember them...

The blizzard didn't bring as much snow as we were hoping for but because of the blizzard conditions and horrible WIND we did manage to have a few significant drifts. Most of all, we enjoyed the extra long weekend and time with daddy!

Once the sun came out we bundled up and went to play...


This was Hunter's reaction to the snow..."oooooooooooohhhh!"


Thinking the neighbor girls are having a lot more fun...

Crawling through the tunnel at the neighbor's house


Hangin' with Kayla & Lydia



Sliding down one of the snow drifts wth daddy. Hunter LOVED this and laughed so hard.


You've got to love Spring time in the Rockies!!

another example

of the how great our God is...

watch Jess & Joel's interview with their local Fox News station HERE...

and visit their blog for MORE.

nothing takes away the pain of losing Cora...but it sure is nice to see a glimpse of God's bigger picture every now and then.

27

Started with my favorite boys...

And ended with my favorite boys...


It was a perfect birthday.

Highlights included:
-An extra long shower while Michael took care of Hunter (PRICELESS)
-Coffee & breakfast made by my wonderful hubby
-Lunch with my friend Chantelle
-My Gym with Hunter (he LOVES that place...pictures another time)
-Free Babysitter :) ...thanks Chantelle
-Mexican dinner (yummm...my favorite) with Michael
-Shopping

16 hours...

alone in a car gives you lots of time to think.

I went to Kansas on the 5th to be with dear friends and to remember, celebrate, and honor sweet Cora.

Michael stayed in Colorado and watched Hunter for me (with help from family -- thanks!) and I made the trek through the plains of eastern Colorado and Kansas again. This time it was different. The last two trips were with Michael and it feels like both times we raced to Kansas and were full of worry, sadness, and tears. The first time we raced back we had just found out that Cora had cancer and would be having her first surgery. The second trip we raced to Kansas minutes after we got the gut-wrenching call at 3:30 in the morning telling us that Cora was with Jesus.

But this time...it was just me...alone...remembering & thinking. There was still some worry, sadness, and tears but mostly it was a time of reflection. So much has changed. Hard to believe it would have been Cora's first birthday and that she wasn't here to celebrate it. Hard to believe it had already been nearly a month since Jesus called her home. Hard to believe that Jess & Joel are facing each new day without their sweet little girl. I cried on my way...and I smiled a little as I thought of Cora's sweet face...and I worshipped our God as I looked out at His creation and felt HIS peace...the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). I watched too...I watched for pink balloons.

The trip was good. It was good to laugh and good to cry. Good to remember and good to make new memories. Good to be with friends.



My birthday is tomorrow. 27 years old. I have a lot to be thankful for. And a lot to work on. I'm thanking God for my friends and family, my wonderful husband, and my precious son...



and I'm treasuring each moment I have with those I love. But mostly, I am thankful that God loved me enough to send his only son to die on a cross for me...and for you...that we might have LIFE and PURPOSE and HOPE.

one

Happy Birthday precious Cora. We love you and miss you.

not fair.

I was at a friend's house this weekend and I was talking to her about the last few months. We were in the kitchen and her kids were sitting on the couch watching a movie...we didn't think they were paying any attention to us. I was getting a bit emotional (seems to happen a lot lately) and all the sudden one of her kids was sitting right next to me and said, "It's not fair." My friend smiled a little and then she said...ever so softly, "sometimes, life's not fair." I could elaborate on the rest of our conversation with her sweet little girl but I'll leave that one just between us. The point really is...life's not fair. We don't always get what we want and things don't always turn out the way we think they should. There's lots of pain. And lots of hurt. And many hardships. BUT...thankfully...we still serve a loving God who promises to walk beside us, comfort us, and give us HOPE.

Ryan's heart procedure didn't go as expected. In fact, it went quite the opposite. As mentioned before, the doctors were hoping to go in and balloon his heart valve delaying surgery for another year or two and possibly qualifying him for an experimental surgery that would allow the doctors to replace his valve without having to do open heart surgery. Unfortunately, they found that the right coronary artery in his heart is 99.9% blocked and they will have to do open heart surgery to replace his valve and perform a bypass. Not the news we were hoping for. This will be Ryan's 4th open heart surgery. It will be in April or May. Not fair.

A lot hasn't seemed fair lately.

And with that, I guess you better get to know Ryan and Kendra so that you can be praying for them in the months ahead. You'll certainly be hearing about them from me :)

I'm pretty sure this is how Ryan felt after hearing the news...


Here is Ryan, my sister, Kendra, and their little boy, Sawyer. Picture Perfect.


While you are praying for Ryan & Kendra...don't forget to keep praying for Jess & Joel and their families.


And now...something that makes me smile. Because sometimes...we just need to smile.