10 Reasons to Smile.

Good morning hugs from Elijah. :)
Snow! Our first sticking snowfall of the year. (Pictures to come later - when I'm dressed to brave the cold.)
Chocolate covered strawberries. Mmmmm...
A fun kara run last night, and another scheduled for tonight.
Waking up early enough to go running before my kiddos are all awake. Go me!

Season 3 arena! (Meaning some rocking new helms for my girls next Tues, as well as the season 1 shoulders I was waiting for.)
LV reading to me. He's doing so awesome at school. :)
My comfy blue hoody that's going to keep me warm today.
Kirsten & I are planning a girls day out - we're going to go see Enchanted and do a little shopping.
A good book, a cuddly babe & a warm blanket with room enough for both of us. A nice way to spend our morning before heading to drop LV off at school.

Thanks to K for grabbing this rare smiley shot of me, full-sun squinting and all. I'll smile for pictures more once I get my teeth fixed. (I let my wisdom teeth come in right before I moved to UT and they made my already crowded teeth crooked enough to make me crazy. That's why I never smile big for pics.) ><

Single Mommyhood

Well, not really - but yeah. Vern went down to St. George early yesterday and will be home at some point tonight. B was gone last night too (sleepover) but is home now. So what did my littlest kiddos and I do with ourselves during our small dance with freedom yesterday? Well, we cleaned and cleaned - then we cleaned some more. Once Ej & LV crashed Kirsten & I pulled out the Christmas decorations. Here's a little of how the front room looked before we went to bed...
Now I just have to get some shots of the other little decorations by daylight and get B & the kiddos to help finish up the last of the cleaning. (Laundry - yay?!)

huggishness

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you find yourselves smiling, thankful & well fed.

Is it bad

...that I'm still not sure what I want to say about the last few weeks, and an amazing man that I love very much?

We went from busy taking care of and being with dad, to busy with funeral stuff to - well I'm not sure what to call this stage. I'm trying to get back into the habit of sleeping & hoping that those who had cameras handy will share photos. I think that I've had more sad moments these last 2 days than I did when we had stuff to do, and am less in the mood to be around other people or to talk about things. A good friend tried yesterday (thanks Jody) and I'm not sure either one of us knew what to say. So yeah - I'm just a little lost at the moment.
I do still feel the peace and calm that prevailed during those days at the hospital. This has been such an amazing experience. I'm grateful to be part of this family. And dad, well - I miss him so much but am happy for him and grateful that he didn't have to suffer the worst for very long. The timing and the way things happened was such a blessing.
I had the honor of being right there with him when he died and can tell you that it was the most peaceful, beautiful experience. I was able to promise my own children that if you live life like he did, then dying isn't a negative or scary thing in any way. The room was filled with love, warmth and a tremendous calm. There is no doubt in my mind where he is right now. Moving forward for him was a joyous thing. I'm so thankful that I could be with him and feel of the spirit around him - to have that witness and a glimpse of the joy he felt. I know that he meant that when he said it.
So yeah.
I guess I'm still going through the mixture of happiness for him, sadness when I look at our family and know that there will be hard moments - he'll be greatly missed, to mending my own heart. I love that man. I'm grateful for him. He taught us and was an example to us right up until his last moments here on earth.

There, I said some of what I could say. Not nearly enough, but something for now.

A special thank you needs to go out to my squirrely friends. (Especially the beautiful Carin, who came down from Ogden and surprised me at the viewing.) They are just the sweetest.

More to come

I'm just not sure what I want to say right now, so please bear with me. I can at least share this so that people will know what's going on.
Dad
I don't expect to be at my computer much for the rest of this week. Forgive me Robin for not getting to my e-mail.

hugs, April

Another Sunday Meme

I know I know - what's with the lack of pictures? :p Maybe this week will be a little more normal & I'll feel like playing with my camera. For now though, here's a thankful sort of meme. :)

April's Thankful...

For friends who take the time to listen and who try to understand me. (And still like me anyway.)
That LV & Kirsten go back on track tomorrow. It’s been nice having them home during the day, but I’m ready for them to go back to school.
That prayers are heard and answered, and that I personally know this.
That even at 16 Brandon is affectionate with his mom. :)
That pumpkin pie shakes are still available at Arctic Circle.
To be part of such a loving and close family.
For Christmas. I love celebrating the birth of our Savior. I love the treats, the music, the lights and all the fluff without forgetting why we’re celebrating.
For lots of loving shoulders to cry on, some great reasons to smile & the honest belief that everything will be okay.
That you are reading this blog. It makes me feel like sometimes I reach beyond these walls that I call home. Even if most days I have nothing to say.
For hugs and kisses from my kiddos. They’re crazy, but they’re awesome. ;)
For the Internet. Without it I would not have my squirrelly friends, WoW friends or this blog.