Our Mornings at the River

I take Tyler to the river usually once a week after I drop Caden off at school. It is so quiet there in the mornings and the playgrounds are deserted, so we have them all to ourselves. Tyler loves to take his sweet time crossing the bridge, stopping every minute or two to watch a duck swimming by or inspect a spider web or squat down to get a better look at some little fish jumping out of the water. He loves to throw sticks in the water and watch them float away. He also loves the freedom and wide open play space at the river. He LOVES to swing and just loves being at the river in general. Not that I can blame him. There is something so healing and soothing about water. It is such a great way to start our day. Here are some pictures of one of our recent visits :)

A Week of Mourning

This week has been one of heartache and grief.

Our friends the Arnold's (from our ward in Utah) had a baby pass away, a family member miscarried their baby, Friday night one of Cierra's friends from school passed away from a bike accident, and my friend Kayte lost her step-dad Saturday morning.

We have been grieving the loss of these beings and we are feeling sorrow for the pain that their families are going through.

Cierra is struggling with the loss of her friend. School is going to be hard for her and her classmates tomorrow. I wish I could be there with her, but it is something that she has to face without me.

My heart is heavy tonight and I am filled with grief for Connor's mom. He died a horrific death and I hope that they will be able to find peace in the coming months and years.

As I watched my boys running outside this evening, I was hit with a wave of profound gratitude that my children are here with me. They can still run and play and feel the wind on their face. They can throw tantrums and wipe grape jelly on my white skirt. We can watch movies together and they can help me cook dinner. I can be worried when they stop talking or have constant headaches or have a bad seizure day or grow up too fast. They will play in the sprinklers this summer and eat too many popsicles. They will stay up too late watching movies. They will slack on their chores and be online too long. I will hug them a little tighter and hold them a little longer. I will think twice before I yell. I will say yes when Caden begs me to play with him. I will take Tyler outside more. I want to make every day, every moment count. They are my world and I can't imagine what these mother's are going through right now. Death is such a huge part of life and we have been blessed to still have our children with us.

If you pray, please pray for these families who have had losses this week <3