Spring Break......fun and heartache.

Spring break was this past week and since Nate is still working crazy hours (until midnight) for tax season, the girls and I decided to head out of town and be with family for 5 days.

We were looking forward to many things....

-Nate's brother coming home from his mission

-Having sleep overs

-Playing with cousins

-Being with family

-Relaxing

-Nice spring weather

While we did most of those things, the nice spring weather was never found. Snow, snow and MORE snow filled our week. I wish Utah weather would realize it's Spring time and finally give us some warm days!

Despite the yucky weather, we did have lots of fun but we also had some difficult and sad things take place. 

Here's a look at our week....

Monday- April 4th, Nate's Brother Kyle returned from his mission. 

It was really good to see him. He doesn't look a lot different other than being a bit taller. The grand-kids were all pretty small when he left and might not remember him too much, but that didn't stop them from running to him at the airport.

And we also got to see Nate's brother Jeff and our nephew Jackson for the first time since Christmas. They flew in from Texas over the weekend since Kyle was coming home. 

Here are some pictures...

The kids anxiously awaiting Kyle's return....I think they spot him!

They all ran to him and wanted to help carry his luggage.

The proud parents

The siblings together for the first time in 2 years. 

Tuesday-  I spent the day with my Mom, sisters and their kids. We had lots of fun at Incredible Pizza where we ate, played arcade games and enjoyed some miniature bowling.

Lacey's the one with her hands in the air. 

She was doing some sort of victory dance. :)

Tuesday was also the day that brought on lots of sadness. Our friend, who we grew up with and is also Nate's best friend, lost his 5 day old baby girl late Monday night. I had just spoken to our friend the Saturday before with hope that her baby would be okay. Nate and I prayed more that weekend than we have in a long time. We wanted a miracle for our friends. But the sweet baby started to decline over the weekend. She was born with bad kidneys and there was nothing that could be done for her. My heart broke for our friends. I could not imagine the pain they were feeling at the loss of their precious little baby. It's still hard to think about.

Wednesday-   This day was filled with more family time. 

In the morning my mom, girls and I headed down to Utah County to see Nan. I hadn't seen my grandma since Christmas, so it was fun to spend some time with her.

After that, the girls and I headed over to my in-laws to say goodbye to Jeff and Jackson. They had to head back to Texas that night. Jackson made sure to give me some traveling tips for when we come to visit them. He said..."Bring a pillow so your bum doesn't get sore because Texas is a long ways away." You can tell he's traveled quite a bit in his four years of life. :)

Then later that evening, we had a yummy dinner with my parents, siblings and grand-kids followed by Easter egg coloring. Lacey got the job done in about 2 minutes flat. NO JOKE! She is probably the most efficient egg-dying kid out there! But that isn't to say that she didn't have her fair share of mishaps with how speedy she was plopping those eggs in and out of the dye. Let's just say that an entire outfit is now ruined.

Then later that night, some of the cousins slept over at my Mom's with us and we had fun watching Shrek and eating popcorn.

Thursday- we had a fun time going out to eat with my Mom's sisters and Nan for my little cousin's birthday party. Lacey cried when we were leaving. She doesn't like goodbye's at all.

Thursday was also the day that my Uncle J.B. passed away. He'd been suffering from cancer for three months. Cancer is a scary thing and it's sad at how many lives it has taken. I wish there was a cure for so many people suffering from it.

Friday- this is where it gets hard. 

Today we attended the funeral of our friend's baby girl. Nate drove down from Logan for a couple of hours to go with me. My Mom and Nate's Mom came as well. This day was hard for many reasons. One being the feelings and memories surfacing for Nate and his Mom of when they lost their baby brother/son when Nate was a child.

The spirit was so strong in that chapel. You could feel the love and support of many friends and family members there. 

I'm not sure I've ever seen Nate cry like he did when he and our friend hugged each other. Nate even admitted that he had a harder time than he thought he would. Seeing your best friend suffer like this is hard. I'm glad they have each other when life isn't kind. The love and support of a friend doesn't always need words. Just being there for each other is good enough sometimes.

Our friends are some of the strongest and most amazing people I know. 

Even under the circumstances that they were facing, they greeted us with open arms, a smile and love. They expressed to us that they know this isn't the end. They know that this little baby will always be a part of their family and for the few short days she had on this earth, she changed their lives and they will see her again. 

The day was bittersweet. It was hard to not feel the ache of their loss and it was equally hard to not be overwhelmed by the Spirit. It was difficult to see a friend experience such pain, especially a friend who we've known most of our lives. It hit very close to home.

I was moved when our friend got up and took a few minutes to speak about her sweet baby girl she had just say goodbye to. She showed a powerful understanding of the trial she has been given. She is handling it with such grace and courage. What a great example she is to me.
She said something in her remarks about her not being sad for her daughter, but she was sad for herself, for selfish reasons such as not being able to hold her baby girl in her arms anymore. She said she was happy for her daughter because she didn't have to suffer and that she was back in the loving arms of her Heavenly Father where she should be and where she was safe.
I can only hope that I would have my friend's courage and strength to face something such as this. I believe it takes a special person who can handle this heartache like she is doing right now.

This is when I am truly grateful for the knowledge of the Gospel and the peace and reassurance it can bring when something like this happens. I know it doesn't make it any easier or make the pain and heartache go away. But wouldn't it be devastating to think that you will never get to hold your little baby girl again? I can't even fathom that. I'm glad we can know that death isn't the final call to our life. 

I know the days ahead will be hard for our friends and I keep praying that they will find the comfort they need. I wish I had the amazing strength that they have. It was so apparent that day. I'm grateful to have these two special people and their family in our life.

After that emotional day/week, the girls and I packed up our week long stay at my parent's house and we headed back home. 

Saturday- I cleaned, did laundry, took a breather from all that had happened during the week and found myself staring at my girls while they were playing nicely and when they started fighting like cats and dogs. I just couldn't get my mind off of losing a child. I don't want to ever experience it.  I just cannot imagine going through that. This week has reminded me to be thankful for my girls and appreciate them more.

Sunday- after church, we packed ourselves in our car once again and headed back on the road down to Utah County for my Uncle's funeral. It was a nice service and lots of people came. 

Then it was back in the car for the drive home. 

So, there's the whirlwind of a week we've had. So much going on, so many emotions and about 12+ hours of driving between me and Nate.
Thanks Mom, my sisters and my in-laws for the fun that we did have. Maybe next year's Spring Break will be warmer.
 It's good to be home and I hope this week will be filled with more laughter and less sadness.