Freedom Isn't Free

Memorial Day always stirs in my heart an extra boost of love and pride for our military and their families.  This year was no different.  There are hardly words to express gratitude to the countless men and women that serve our country at great sacrifice to themselves and their loved ones.  I don't often post things on this blog that don't specifically relate to my family, but the experience I had this week is one I hope to always remember.

May 14, a young soldier named Cody Towse from Elk Ridge, Utah was killed in Afghanistan.  He was serving as a medic and was helping a fallen soldier when a bomb exploded killing him.  I can't tell you how many tears I've cried for this young man's family.  While I know he's not the first soldier to be killed in combat from Utah, for some reason this one has seriously affected me.  I don't even know him or his family.  Yet, my heart still breaks for these parents who have had to bury their son and will feel this loss the rest of their lives.  I think what has affected me the most is one of his last Facebook posts.  He wrote, " “I feel like Afghanistan is becoming another forgotten war, but our brigade lost five men a few days ago and I can’t stand that most people will never even hear about it.”   These men and women who protect and defend deserve our utmost respect.  No matter your political beliefs, please be grateful and express that gratitude for all they do for our country. 

Wednesday, May 29, his body was returned to his family to be laid to rest with full military honors.  His dad had flown out to Delaware to escort him home.  They landed at the Provo airport where a procession of local police, firefighters, paramedics and military vehicles and personnel escorted his American flag draped casket home.

I was compelled to be a part of honoring him, Jared felt the same.  Center Street in Provo was lined with people holding flags and showing their respect for Cody's ultimate sacrifice.  Main Street in Spanish Fork clear to Elk Ridge was also lined with those showing their love and respect.  It was an awesome sight.

  
I stood with tears pouring down my face, my hand over my heart with love and respect for this soldier.  His love of country and family, his ultimate sacrifice and his family's loss is truly inspiring.  My prayer is that his family can feel the peace that comes from our Heavenly Father in the most difficult of circumstances and that Cody can see that his sacrifice was not in vain.  Please, offer up a prayer tonight for this sweet family and for all our service men and women all over the world.  They need our love and support. 

Memorial Day

Monday was Memorial Day and the weather was beautiful.  Ethan and Abby have been begging to hike to the Y since last summer.  We love to hike as a family, but we always ended up doing different hikes last year and never got to that one.  So, we decided that Memorial Day was the perfect day to do it.  We started out bright and early to avoid the heat and hopefully the crowds.  We were successful at avoiding the heat, sadly we were not so successful at avoiding the crowds.  Oh well one out of two isn't so bad. 

Those are people who are barely being tolerant of my picture taking.  Except for Sadie who informed me that I needed to take a picture of just her because "the camera loves me."  I would love to offer an explanation for her, but I just don't have one.  She keeps us on our toes at all times and never ceases to make us laugh.

 We reached the Y fairly quickly and had a nice time pointing out things we could see from the top.  Abby was so excited to point out that we could see two temples from up there.  Ethan was thrilled about seeing the BYU football stadium and Sadie wanted to jump off the Y and land in the wave pool at Seven Peaks. 

 We finished the day with yard work, Jared building me a fun thing I've been wanting for my table, a BBQ with family and s'mores with our dear friends the Sundells at their new house.  We all fell into bed completely exhausted at the end of our fun, yet busy day.

Goodbye 6th Grade, Hello 7th Grade

Abby graduated from 6th grade on May 24th.  She was so excited to finally be done with elementary school.  She is beyond thrilled to think about going to junior high.  In fact, she told the principal that the thing she's looking forward to most about 7th grade is EVERYTHING!  That's Abby for you, always happy and positive. 

(This is her "really Mom, in front of all my friends" face.)

Abby had to work really hard at school this year.  She stayed after school three days a week for math tutoring, she was the secretary on the student council and she had hours of homework every night.  She had an awesome teacher, Mrs. Pike, who we loved for all she taught little Miss Abby.  However, learning requires work and Mrs. Pike wasn't afraid of giving these kids lots of work.  Abby is absolutely ready to conquer anything those seventh grade teachers have to throw at her.  With her happy and positive attitude and her ability to be kind to almost anybody, she is bound to have a fabulous year.  Congratulations Abby, we sure do love you!

I Am Speed

Ethan became a cub scout one year ago when he turned eight years old.  He was so excited to begin scouting, especially pinewood derby cars.  Unfortunately, our ward had already done them for the year so he missed out.  So sad!  However, this year when it was announced that pinewood derby car races would be on May 16 was giddy.  Jared was giddy.  It was all kinds of boys being giddy at our house.  They spent hours and hours working on this car with our friend, Rick Jeske.  Let me just say, I had no idea how serious boys could be about pinewood derby cars, however, I get it now.  We're SERIOUS about these things! 

The boys all had different turns to race down each lane of the track.  Remember how I told you we're very SERIOUS about pinewood derby cars?  Well, just look at how serious he is about getting the car on the track just right.

I'm happy to report that all that seriousness paid off.  He won every race.  That's right folks, his car was the fastest.  He was thrilled.  Though, truthfully, I'm not sure who was happier, Ethan, Jared or Rick.  :)

One Year Ago Today...

Last year May 19 was a Saturday.  I remember it well.  Jared and I were sitting at the table eating breakfast. The weather was beautiful so the  kids had already run off to the backyard to play.  Jared's brother, Loren, had been staying with us for the week.  He, too, was outside playing with the kids.   I had helped my dad place my mom in hospice care earlier in the week.

Jared and I had taken our kids down to say their goodbyes to my mom on Friday afternoon.  My mom couldn't speak much at this point.  She was in severe pain and her oxygen levels were so low that it took great effort to speak.  However, she hugged each of my children one by one and told them that she loved them.  As we were leaving, my mom grabbed my hand and pulled me to her side.  Jared saw this and stepped out into the hall with the kids.  She pulled her oxygen mask off and told me to sit beside her.  I did and she pulled me close and said, "I need you to know how proud I am of you and I need to tell you that  I love you.  Do you know that I love you?" I told her that I did know that she loved me.  She finished by saying, "I love you so much, Stacy."  Those were the last words I ever heard her say to me.  I spent all of Friday evening at the nursing home with my dad, my sister and my Uncle Larry and Aunt Darla.  Other friends and family came through that night as well.  She didn't speak at all that night.  She listened as we all visited with her.  She nodded her head to answer questions, she smiled and at one point she even laughed at Lisa and I teasing our dad.

So, that Saturday morning one year ago, Jared and I ate breakfast and made our plans for the day.  Jared was going to work in the yard with the kids and Loren.  I was going to spend the day at the nursing home with my mom.

That's when the phone rang.  It was my dad telling me the news.  My mom had passed away just 20 minutes earlier.  I told him I'd be right over and hung up the phone.  I turned to Jared and collapsed into his arms sobbing.  I eventually pulled myself together and went over to see my dad. 

I picked up my sister along the way and when we arrived at my dad's house we were met by my Uncle Steve and Aunt Nancy.  They would prove to be a huge strength to the three of us that morning.  We went over to the nursing home and cleaned out her room, we scheduled a meeting with the mortuary, we spoke with numberless family members, we began funeral arrangements, etc.  My brothers would arrive in town later that day and late that night.  It was a busy and incredibly emotionally exhausting day. 

The week would continue in the same exhausting manner.  We were blessed with amazing friends and ward members that offered so much support.  Some of them brought us meals, others called and gave support, others dropped by little treats and snacks, we even received emails from ward members offering love and support.   We also felt the prayers of our dear friends and family and the spirit of the Lord helping us through the week. 

I can't say enough about how amazing and what a strength Jared was to me.  He took the whole week off work and ran the entire household.  He took care of kids, homework, cooking, cleaning and laundry.  I would leave each morning to take care of many different things.  He would call me often throughout the day to check in on how things were going and if I was eating and what I needed from him.  He would hold me at night while I cried.  When my dad asked me to speak at the funeral, Jared helped me write the most difficult talk I've given in my life up to this point.   He was truly amazing.  I know I couldn't have made it through that difficult week without him. 

So, today marks one year since my mom passed away. I still miss her everyday.  We've made it through all the firsts without her.  I won't lie, it's been hard.  I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to call her and tell her something funny one of the kids said or express frustration about my day or ask her for some parenting advice.   However, I'm glad she hasn't had to suffer anymore. 

We got together tonight as a family for dinner and to remember our mom.  We went to the cemetery and told things we loved about her.  My sweet little Ethan remembered her love for everyone.  It melted my heart.  If there's anything I would want my children to remember about her it would be her great love for them.  She truly loved being a Grandma with her whole being.  My dad asked us to song I Am A Child of God together so we did.  Then everyone released one balloon in her honor.

It was an emotional day, but still, it was a good day.  Sometimes tears can be cleansing and I feel like today they were.  I'm grateful to a mother who instilled in me a great love for this gospel and for my family.  I'm grateful for many happy memories I have of her that will always be with me.  Today, I'm mostly grateful I was blessed to be her daughter.  I will always miss you and love you mom!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Ethan turned 9 on April 23.  He was so excited for his birthday that he got up super early.  After a yummy breakfast, he was ready for present opening. 

Isn't he darling?  According to Ethan he "needed" a new bike and a BYU hat.

I'm thinking he liked all of his new treasures.  He came right home from school and did his homework in record time so he could go out and ride his new bike.  I'm happy to report that it's "much faster" than his old bike and "much more awesome" as well. 

Ethan has always enjoyed playing soccer.  This past year though, he has fallen in love with the sport.  Thus the need for a soccer field birthday cake.

After dinner and cake he had a soccer game, so we were off to the soccer fields.  He played well, scoring "only one goal" this game.  It turns out you can score 3+ goals every game.  However, it was still a great day and "one of the best birthdays ever."  

Ethan is growing into such an amazing little man.  I love his quick wit and teasing personality.  He is a typical brother who likes to tease his sisters.  He has a good heart and is always quick to help if someone is in need.  He decided to read The Book of Mormon this year and is already finishing up Alma.  In fact, we spent one night in Park City a few weeks ago and right before we left he was missing.  I found him up in his room reading his scriptures.  He looked at me and said, "Mom, I'm trying to make it a daily habit to read my scriptures so I need to finish reading a few more verses before we go."  What could I say to that?  He is a good example to others around him and is always trying to include those who may feel left out.  I'm pretty much in love with this little guy. 

Happy Birthday Jenna!

Jenna turned 14 on April 17.  She tries really hard to be cool and not act excited about her birthday.  But, like every other child, she loves it.  We started off the morning with some cinnamon rolls.  Not the healthiest of breakfasts, but you only turn 14 once and I'm kind of a sucker for my kids.  We have to leave at 7:20 for school each day so I figured she would open her gifts after school.  However, she made it clear that waiting until after school would be nothing short of torture.  Therefore, she opened her gifts before she left for school that morning.

Jenna is a voracious reader.  She asked, begged and pleaded for a Kindle.  Jared and I decided there wasn't a better gift for her.  As you can see, she was very, very happy.  She exclaimed, "This is the best birthday present ever!!!!!" 

There comes a time in every child's life when the birthday cake they want needs to taste really good.  They don't care if it looks like a princess, a castle, a football or a soccer field.  Jenna has reached this point.  She adores my "death by chocolate" cake and her birthday wouldn't be complete without it.

I can't believe she's 14, honestly, where does the time go?  She is turning into such a beautiful and amazing young woman.  She loves learning.  She has such a strong testimony and such a strong desire to do all that is right.  She is such a great influence for good, even in a world that grows increasingly difficult to grow up in.  As her mother, I have enjoyed the last year with her.  We are developing such a different relationship now that she's older than I have had with my younger children.  I love having talks with her about challenges that she's facing and about fun things that are going on in her life.  There was a time when my Uncle Steve told me that teenagers are as good or as bad as you perceive them to be.  I took that to heart and decided that I would love having teenagers.  I absolutely adore this teenager of mine.  She is a joy to have in our home.  Jenna, always stay exactly as you are.  I love you everyday!