First up, Happy Birthday Pa! We hope you had a lovely day!!! Thanks for always being patient and endlessly entertained by our crazies!
This week, I will break our pictures down by day.
First up, Monday. Maya helped Boom with her flowers and me with my hair.
Tuesday: Boom and I babysat Lucy!!!!!
Wednesday: Maya hung out with G-ma and we went looking for lilacs.
Thursday: Maya hung out with Pa and had her spring concert.
You may recall that her Christmas concert was a bit of a debacle with her mostly staring at the floor the whole time refusing to sing. This time around, it started off a little iffy because she started to cry right after they got lined up on the risers. But her wonderful teacher came up and sat by her for a couple of songs, and then Maya was good to go! She even sang a little bit! And did some smiling! It was adorable.
They sang a song from each month of preschool, in case you may have been confused about "Little Gray Donkey"...which is definitely a Christmas song. You may also be wondering where you have seen her dress before (if you are a regular blog follower and have been for awhile). It was the flower girl dress Callie wore for Auntie Yoda and Uncle Craigles' wedding in February 2015 (that G-ma made!). Maya also had the same dress back then, but obviously a much smaller version, as you can see below:
Yesterday morning the girls snuggled (for about 7 seconds before screaming started). We also tried going to the flower store to get stuff for our outdoor pots, but there wasn't much of a selection yet. It didn't stop me from getting a picture, though.
We went to the park and hung out outside as much as we could. Maya is SUCH a goofball. She is just a miniature tornado. Or as she would say, tor-MATO.
And then last night we played some Bingo while Maya took care of her THREE babies.
This morning I took the girls to Target. Maya insisted on bringing Baby Elliott in her car seat, and I didn't fight the battle. So I got the creepy stare down throughout the shopping experience. At least I also had coffee.
Later we went over to Boom's house. We got to hang out with Boom, Uncle Craigles, Auntie Yoda and Lucy! Lucy spent most of the time sleeping, in many different positions.
Boom and Callie got her to sort of open her eyes, but only for a second. She was a tired baby.
I am off my game this week. Maya has another bad cold, which I am now getting. I'm tired. So I don't really have a Timehop, but I have a trio of almost 1 month old babies who are very serious.
Happy Monday. It was rainy and snowy here and now I can't believe it is only Monday.
Because of my 2 Years post yesterday, I didn't post my wrap-up, so here it is.
I have my 4th race of the year on Saturday morning- a 10K this time. I finished in 1 hour, 1 minute and 28 seconds, which I'm pretty happy with. My mom
came to cheer me on, which was really nice. And the 6.2 mile course was in my old neighborhood and a route I have done probably dozens of times. It felt good.
I signed up for a half marathon at the end of July. I was debating whether or not one of my 10 races would be a half, but decided to suck it up and do it. It is a half that I have done probably 3 or 4 times before (it is crazy I have don't so many that I'm not entirely sure), so I figured I'd try it again.
Anyway, the rest of Saturday was pretty chill. We went to the park but it was cold and windy.
Yesterday morning the girls and I went to see Boom play in the handbell choir for the early service. It was good to be there. We went to the cemetery after that.
Thanks to G-ma and Pa for the beautiful flowers.
As a family, we decided to do something fun together that we thought Dad would like. So we all met at the science museum, specifically for the Sportsology exhibit. It was pretty crowded there, but we had a fun time exploring.
After that we went back to the condo for art projects, baby holding, and pizza.
It was a good day.
The outpouring of texts and messages yesterday was truly amazing. Thanks to everyone for thinking of us and sending us your love. We really felt it.
I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to say today.
It has been two years, and some days I can't believe it has been that long, and other days it seems like it has been a decade. In my mind, life and memories are now marked by "Before Dad Died" and "After Dad Died," and I know they always will.
He was kind yet kickass, quiet yet goofy, patient yet powerful, and everyone's source of calm.
We have now lived our second year without him.
The first year of grief contained a fair amount of shock and confusion, in addition to sadness, joy, and figuring out how to live in the new normal we were faced with.
When I think about the second year, what comes to me the most is the fact that there have been so many good things that have happened. We have felt so much joy, despite continuing to feel the deep pangs of loss.
On May 21st, 2016, Mari and Josh got married. The smiles you see here are so very genuine. It was one of THE BEST days.
In September, Maya started preschool (not to mention Callie started 1st grade). The girls have gotten so much bigger in 2 years. I often think about them at the ages that my dad knew them, and how much fun he would have with them now.
We spent our 2nd holiday season surrounded by our family who continue to support and love us.
In February we were lucky enough to spend a week in Mexico with my Henderson uncles and aunts. Traveling with them without my dad was hard, but also so so so good.
And finally, Baby Lucy joined our family on April 5th, 2017. There's not much to say about it except that babies are amazing and we all know that my dad knows and loves her, despite not being here to meet her.
So the hard reminder in all of this, once again, is life flows on. And you have two choices: you can overwhelm yourself with sadness and the what-ifs, or you can embrace the things that can bring you joy in the here and now.
Do you have songs that so distinctly mark a certain point of your life? I have one of those- it came out sometime in that first hazy year of grief. I listened to it often, and every time I did I cried. It is an instrumental "mash-up" of sorts. I actually think my dad would have thought is was pretty cool, though he wouldn't have known the pop song used. It is a Rachel Platten song, and the chorus lyrics go like this:
...This is my fight song Take back my life song Prove I'm alright song My power's turned on Starting right now I'll be strong I'll play my fight song And I don't really care if nobody else believes 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me...
Well, the Piano Guys just so happened to combine this song with none other than "Amazing Grace."
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found Was blind but now I see
These past two years have been a fight. But, as I hope I have illustrated, there have also been moments of amazing grace.
So in honor of my dad, I invite you to listen to "Fight Song/Amazing Grace" and reflect on your own life- the things you have fought for or fought through, and the moments of joy you have experienced. And after a few minutes, when the bagpipes swell with the sounds of "Amazing Grace", I hope you will take just a minute to think about my dad, or any other loved one(s) you have lost, and give thanks for their continued presence in your life.
