If You Want A Happy Ending, Take 2

Yesterday I posted this quote:  If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.  --Orson Welles

It had been one of those not-quite-perfect, but content days...a good enough place to push pause and say, "And they all lived happily ever after."

Something in me just knew that with 5 teens, 2 dogs, 2 jobs, and a mortgage, content was just as good as happily ever after.

I was right.

Take two.

I love my teens, really I do, which is why I didn't go bat-freaking-crazy when I could have.  (Patting myself on the back...)

But not coming unglued is far from happily ever after.

Take two.

Take three.

Take four.

Take twenty...

However many takes it takes...

And keep repeating, "My job is to keep you safe, and healthy, and to love you.  That was not safe, or healthy, but I still love you."  

If You Want A Happy Ending...

I heard this quote the other day:

If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.  --Orson Welles

The End.

(Don't you wish you could do that in real life?)

Memories and Meaning Making

I don't know where to begin.  My heart if full of gratitude that helped us pay it forward today.  For all those who participated in Random Acts of Kindness:  Celebrating 5 years of Kindness, thank you, thank you, thank you.  Sometimes those words don't seem like enough, but it's all I have.

Thank you.

I've said before that we've always tried to make this day meaningful.  

I've explained before where the idea for Random Acts of Kindness came, and as always, it was a blessing to reach out--probably more of a blessing to us than to those who received Random Acts of Kindness (at least that's how I usually end up feeling).  I've asked people to share experiences, which I  have a hard time doing, because the anonymity of what happened is important to me.  I also encouraged the kids to just listen to their hearts through the day and act on feelings of kindness and helping others.  Isn't it an amazing feeling when you act on a impression, and it ends up being exactly what was needed?  It's the incredible nature of kindness. There is no end.

I'm not sure where the idea came from for watching the sunrise today.  Watching a sunrise with my kids was on my summer bucket list this year, and today seemed like a good day.  

The location?  Cedar Fort, home and burial place of Joie's family...about a 45 minute drive from our house.

I told the kids last night they could go if they wanted to go, but they didn't have to (and of course I added that we'd be stopping to get donuts for breakfast).  

By 5:00 a.m. we were all heading out the door.  

The Chevron by our house sells Krispy Kreme donuts...  What were they thinking not opening at 5:00 a.m. for us???  

Next stop, grocery store that sells fresh donuts...  Also not open.

We decided on donuts after the sunrise.  (Then saw a sign at another gas station on the way...  Donuts!  And chocolate milk.)

We made it to Cedar Fort before the sun.  Joie climbed out of the Durango first thing, and made herself comfy.  What a picture...more tears.

And everyone else did their best to get comfy too...

Megan and her BFF, Satori

I think he was having second thoughts...

Satori, Megan, and Jeran

Seriously...do you know any other family who is this comfortable at a cemetery?

Eventually Joie and Gabby decided on a better view...

Sitting on top of the Durango

All of Utah is smoky this year.  We haven't had many clear days because of all the wildfires.  The smoke made the sunrise bright red.

There is so much meaning in a sunrise, don't you think?  I thought of how we don't know what the day will bring, and how none of us know five years ago what that day would bring.

Mostly when I think of sunrises, I think of new beginnings.  New days are a gift--a chance to move forward.  

This afternoon we met family in Brigham City for the  Brigham City temple open house.  Brigham City is also close to where the accident took place.  It was the UHP office in Brigham City that got the call, and was on the scene taking care of all the details...  And with the  meaning of temples, families, and all, it just seemed like a good place to be today.

Becky, Larry & family; our family; my parents

And it was good to see this face again today...

Megan must have thought so too, because there are more pictures of Nate than anyone else on the camera.  (Nate has been back on the farm again for the past few weeks, and is finally home for the school year...and I only embarrassed him a little by hugging him in the parking lot when I saw him.)

Temple then fun (no pictures, but swimming and cousins are always a good combination).  And Jaci and her girls were kind enough to stop by when we were swimming.  Wish we lived closer!  It was so good to see them again for a few minutes.

And our day ended with a sunset...  Sunsets can be just as meaningful.

Yesterday Tim took the kids to lunch.  This was Joie's fortune in her cookie...  I love it when they're right.  

Support...  That's a good way to describe what we feel.  There's no way to ever pay forward all the kindness that comes our way, but it sure is good to try.  

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.  

Wow

Wow.  That's all I really can say, and it isn't often I'm speechless.

Ok...  So I'm not really speechless, but close.

It has been an incredible gift to see this Random Acts of Kindness day spread.  I've had kindness on the brain all week.

Today I tried to get a picture in my mind of the world being filled with thousands of acts of kindness.

But it was the mental picture of people receiving these thousands of acts of kindness that brought tears to my eyes.  (And that was when I was speechless.)

I wish you all had the opportunity in your lifetime to get a Ruth hug.

Warmth.

And now that warmth gets to spread.

Thank you all.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting up before the crack of dawn to buy donuts and drive with whichever kiddos are willing (hence the donuts) to Cedar Fort to watch the sunrise.

And praying all day for opportunities to be kind.

Kind to my family...

Kind to those I come in contact with...

Easier said than done.  I posted this on our event page on facebook already, but for those who aren't on facebook:  Yesterday a woman pulled up beside me at a stop light and beeped her horn.  My first reaction in this random contact was a little guarded and defensive.  She motioned for me to roll down my window.  I did.  She told me my right brake light was out in back, and she just wanted me to know before I got a ticket.  I remember thinking as we all pulled away how my first reaction wasn't kind.  I expected something other than kindness, and my guard was up.

How did we get that way in our world?

I grew up in a rural area of Idaho.  (Hi, Juniper, Malta, Raft River, Elba, Almo, Sublett, Naff, Bridge...and all the other little spots on the map where I grew up.)  When we go there, my kiddos are intrigued with what we've started calling the "two finger Malta salute."  They notice that everywhere we drive, people drive with their hand on top of the steering wheel, then when we pass someone going the other way, they always raise two fingers in a sort of informal wave.  They think it's pretty cool that people do that.  It's quite a transformation for them to go from a world where we don't look at each other sitting in lines of traffic at stop lights to a place on the map where everyone acknowledges everyone.

One human being recognizing another.  Kindness.  Simple.  Random.  Human to human, making us all feel human and connected.

Pass it on.

Anytime.  Anywhere.  Anything.  Nothing is too small.  A smile.  A wave.  A kind word.  A phone call.  A helping hand.

I can't wait to hear the stories.

 (Comment here to share stories we can post later, or comment on our facebook page.  We can't wait to hear how this spreads...stories of kindness are already popping up there.)

Someone Hand Me a Tissue...

Joie wanted to use iMovie to make a video, so she took over my computer yesterday afternoon and has been busy since.       

This is the end result...

Someone hand me a tissue, please!  (No, wait...maybe the whole box of tissues.)

Don't Cry Because It's Over. Smile Because It Happened.

Nick's brother's wife, Heather, took this picture of Ruth and Nick and their little family when they visited Utah, the last time they were together.  She posted this on facebook:  I took this photo on June 8, 2006 in front of the Salt Lake City, Utah temple. That was the last time we saw Nick, Ruth and Audrey. I don't think we could've picked a better way to spend our last time together.

Another quote:  Nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it.  (L.M. Montgomery)

Memories of conversations...

Memories of hugs...

Memories of humor...

Memories of time together...

Wishing we had more, but smiling to see them in old photographs smiling back at us.

Crying (we can't not cry...it just escapes sometimes), then smiling because of something we remember.

When Joie was in the hospital after the accident, they (the hospital) was kind enough to give us a conference/meeting room where both families would gather when we were there.  The gift of that room was being able to be away from crowded halls and waiting rooms and just be ourselves together.  

There were tears and tissues...lots of tears and tissues.

But what surprised me then was the laughter.  I loved how we could be crying one minute, then laughing the next at a funny memory.  I remember almost feeling like I was watching myself laugh over funny stories and memories, and the relief of knowing we could still laugh.  (Then cry again the next minute.)  Isn't the range of human emotion amazing?  I love how memory preserves that for us.  

Smile because it happened.  Because of memory, it never goes away.

Ahhhhhhh...Sharing

Megan's BFF and soccer buddy is staying with us for the week.  Do you know that just today they spent 3.5 hours at combined soccer practices?  They're Energizer bunnies, I tell you!

I know this because at the end of the 2nd practice they both came jogging across the field like they had all the energy in the world, then came home and built a fire for s'mores, and are just now going to sleep (like I believe that), outside in a tent they also put up today.

Don't you ever wish you had that kind of energy?

My day started off with a fire inspection at my new office (we passed except they wanted us to make sure we re-hang the fire extinguishers after painting).

...Then a few hours of work.

...Then a presentation tonight to a local group of counselors.

I came home from the latter exhausted, but somehow when I went to pick up the girls from soccer and witnessed their display of youthful energy, I got a boost.

When energy gets shared, it's contagious.

When kindness gets shard, it's contagious.  (We're over 850 people attending our Random Acts of Kindness Day, just on facebook).

When emotion gets shared, especially difficult emotions, they somehow diminish.  How is that?

Yesterday I couldn't shake the funk that was in me.  I could even hear it in my voice.  It felt like I could choke on emotions that I was trying to ignore.  (Distract yourself, Mary...don't focus on grief...keep moving...)

Then finally at some point Tim called and I started telling him (through a few tears) how I felt.  I told him it was Monday, and the last time I talked to Ruth was the Monday before the accident.  I remember the conversation well.  I was trying to be a mom to her--telling her what I thought she should do about a problem she had.

That's how our conversation ended.  A million times I've wished I could go back and get a do-over on that one.  I would have been more supportive, and less bossy.  I would have called her back to tell her so.  Instead I let myself get pulled back into my busy life, knowing I'd see her in Idaho that weekend, and knew we'd all relax and have fun together.

Hard facts to face.

It was good to say all that to Tim.  Ahhhhh...sharing.

What happened next surprised me...  Remember how I said Tim and I got in the habit of just carrying our grief alone?  Well, we somehow both remembered our quest to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, and Tim started talking about how he had also been thinking about Ruth and Nick, and some of the conversations he and Nick had.  He recalled Nick bringing a tarantella they caught near their home to our house about a month before they died.  Nick left it as a present for me.  I somehow convinced a neighbor kid to take it on as a pet.  (I'm sure his parents thanked me.)  Tim also remembered he and Nick trying to hack into our home wireless network together.  (Unsuccessful, by the way, just in case you were thinking of doing a drive by.)

And other memories.

Then after a few kleenexes I felt better, and that huge lump of emotion stuck in the back of my throat went away.

Note to self:  Don't fight it.

The Original Act of Kindness--Kinda Long But Worth Reading!

Jaci and Jeareme Hawks will forever be heroes in the life of Joie (who is also DJ...aka Diana Jo Weaver Jarman...Joie.)  So often we've wondered how it is that they came to be right where they were on the afternoon of August 18, 2007.  It's a miracle.  Really...  Events that lead them to be in that very spot at that very time.  Literally, they were the hearts and hands of Ruth and Nick as they acted to protect Joie on the afternoon of the accident.

Because of their kindness, a little girl was not alone in her fear and suffering that day--the day the rest of her family lay lifeless at the side of a remote freeway in northern Utah.

Jaci told us later that their family had plans to go camping that day, but as the day unfolded, one thing after another got in the way of their plans.  Jeareme, who was fixing fence, got a flat tire, and instead of camping, they were working to get two vehicles home after repairing a flat.

As they drove across the overpass on a remote section of freeway near Howell, Utah, where they lived, they weren't prepared to see the cloud of dust and destruction in front of them.  At the same time they had been driving home, Ruth, Nick, Joie, and Audrey were driving to be with family in Idaho.  Without a warning, the tire on Ruth and Nick's truck blew, sending them into the median, and then into the path of an oncoming semi truck on the other side of the median.  The semi truck and what remained of their truck came to rest on the opposite side of the road.

For a week after the accident, that is all we knew.  We knew nothing of the kind family who had been there with Joie.  Our minds filled with images of Joie laying alone and helpless on the side of the road.  We didn't know what she had felt or heard or seen, or how long it took for help to arrive from the nearest hospital.

Then a letter came in the mail.  "We just wanted you to know we were there with DJ..."

With those words we came to know the Hawks family.

Jeareme later told us that as he approached the scene, he knew instantly Ruth and Nick were dead.  He went to little Audrey's side, and she too was lifeless.  He then saw movement in the distance as Joie tried to sit up, and he ran to her side.  Later he told us he was at her side before the truck even stopped moving. Jaci started a DVD for her girls in their car and within minutes had joined Jeareme.  Someone thought the truck was going to catch fire, so they moved Joie away from the scene, and comforted and soothed her in their own truck while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.  Passers by were slowing down and viewing the devastation and bodies at the side of the road, and Jaci and Jeareme, acting out of love and respect for the parents of Joie, used blankets from their own truck to cover Ruth and Nick's bodies.

How is it that the very people who would be there that day were a couple almost the same age as Ruth and Nick, with little girls close to the same ages of Joie and Audrey?  "We just did what we would have done for our own girls," they told us.

But on that day, the little girl they held in their arms and comforted was a complete stranger.

And because two strangers who were passing by didn't hesitate to walk into that tragic and devastating scene, one little girl lived without the scars of being alone that day.  Because of their protecting love, she didn't see the horrific scene from which she had somehow escaped.  Because of their understanding of how to talk to her and soothe her, she remained calm until help arrived.  Because of them, what could have been horrific for Joie was cushioned in love and kindness.

Later the Highway Patrol told us that the accident scene was one of the most devastating they had seen in their careers, and certainly the trauma of that day didn't escape Jaci and Jeareme.  I still reflect with tears of gratitude on scars they have carried forward into their lives because of having experienced that day.  They aren't ones to dwell on the scars, but they know, as do we, that some things you just don't forget.  But because they walked into tragedy with love, their actions have forever shaped the life of one little girl...

And the countless other family members who will forever be thankful that they were there when others who loved Joie couldn't be.

We can't begin to count the people who reached out during that difficult time.

Jeareme and Jaci weren't the only ones who stopped.  We'll never know how many people were there helping that day.

Others called.

Others helped us all get where we needed to be.

Others took care of our children.  (I remember about two years after the accident talking to my children about where they had been those days I was at the hospital with Joie.  I didn't even know.  But they did, and they knew they were surrounded by warmth as well.)

Others took care of Ruth and Nick's house and their horses.

Others sent gifts and cards.

Others called and brought food to feed the small army of family members that had gathered at our house.

Others cheered us and made us laugh.

Others comforted us and held us while we cried.

Others took time to listen.

Others took time to help.

Joie's classmates made signs expressing their sadness at her loss that were hanging on fences as we pulled into the church for the funeral.

Others wore purple to the funeral in honor of a little girl who wanted everyone to wear something purple for her that day.

Others helped with logistics.

One neighbor made it a point to write down the names of my childrens' teachers when class lists were posted that week.

Everyone, everywhere was reaching out.

And because of those small acts of kindness, our loss was also cushioned in love.

And so it was that Random Acts of Kindness Day was born...

A fitting tribute to the lives of Ruth and Nick, who also lived their lives helping others.

A few weeks ago, our family was discussing the question, "What kind of life do we want to build as a family?"  (We're just making sure our teenagers have a lot of eye rolling practice.)  I was a little surprised they were all willing to take this discussion seriously.  Their answers wowed me, and reflected their personalities.  Joie's answer: "A meaningful life--even if it gets hard you can still find good."  

Jaci and Jeareme will never know the end of the ripples of that act of kindness.  Joie grows up in the wake of those ripples.  We live in the wake of those ripples.

And who knew that those original random acts of kindness that comforted us in our loss would travel around the world?

But they have.

As of this post there are over 600 people attending our event via facebook, and hundreds of others who are joining us in other ways.

People are posting on the event page where they are from.  Japan, Germany, Hawaii, Marshall Islands, Belgium...states all over the United States.

We'd love to have you join in.

This afternoon my sister-in-law, Tawny, created a permanent facebook page that will remain where people can post their experiences of the Random Acts of Kindness day.  We will work on making responses and experiences of Random Acts of Kindness into a book.  (Please join us there as well.)

We've also added a tab to our blog specifically for Random Acts of Kindness posts.

Other ways to share:  Email, link to us on your blogs, pin this event on Pinterest...  Wow.  All for one little girl.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Four Hundred Forty Four and Counting

Update:

Joie is home from Brighton Camp.

Nate is still in Juniper, helping out on the farm.

The rest of the family helped paint my new office today.

There is talk of a drive-in movie tonight.

I'm preparing for a presentation I'm giving next week for work.

And as of the time of this post, there are 444 people attending our Random Acts of Kindness Day:  Celebrating Five Years of Kindness event on facebook (see here).  Let's hear it for social media!  

In other news, Megan is selling cookie dough for her high school soccer team.  Anyone, anyone?  It's a measly $16.00 for a 2.7 ounce tub of cookie dough that makes 48 cookies.  See how easy that is?  Buy your own sugar induced coma for $16.00 a tub.  (If we start a facebook event page, do you think we can get 444 people to buy cookie dough?)  

And thank you, thank you, thank you again to everyone who is supporting us and spreading the word about this event (Random Acts of Kindness...not the cookie dough, although if you see Megan wandering your neighborhood, please open your door).

You all rock!

Catching some Z's

Exhausted but relaxed would be how I felt last night.  It's been so long since I've slept like that...

Last thing I remember: Watching Olympic BMX with the kids after a date with Tim.

Next thing I remember: Waking up on the couch with a blanket over me, dog laying on top of me, with Gabby asleep on the other couch.  (Apparently we were having a mommy-daughter-doggie sleepover, or so I was told.)

How I know I must have been tired:  1) I fell asleep before anyone else in the house.  2) There was a dog sleeping on me.  3) I don't remember anything that happened between BMX and waking up with a dog and a blanket on me.

Ahhhhhhhh...  Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

Worth Posting Twice

Last year, during our Random Acts of Kindness season, Joie created a smilebox and posted it to her blog.  I posted it last year, but it's so worth sharing again.

Click here and be awed by the amazing wisdom of a (then) 12 year old.

Want to join us for Random Acts of Kindness:  Celebrating 5 Years of Kindness?  It's easy.

• Mark your calendar for August 18th, 2012 and do something (nothing is too small) for someone else that day.
• Spread the word.  Get others to join you (see previous post).

Wow.  We can't thank you enough.

(For more on how Random Acts of Kindness has grown over the past five years see here.)

Random Acts of Kindness Day: Celebrating Five Years of Kindness

Random Acts of Kindness is an August tradition around here.

It's hard to believe we've been doing this for five years.  Tonight I read over my first Random Acts of Kindness post.  I remember well the feelings of the pressing weight of an upcoming anniversary none of us wanted to acknowledge, but couldn't forget.

I also remember the need to escape the weight of that grief.

Which lead to thinking of the kindness that had surrounded us during an incredibly tragic time...

And also thinking of the kindness that had been characteristic of the lives of Ruth and Nick.

And so it was that the idea for this day was born.

Once again, this year we ask all of you to join our family in commemorating the lives of our loved ones by celebrating kindness on the anniversary of their deaths--August 18th, 2012.

Each year this event grows.  Through facebook and blogs, people spread the word, and we've been amazed at the response as complete strangers join us in celebrating simple acts of kindness in honor of people we love.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for spreading the word...  Because really, what an awesome opportunity this is to practice kindness.

You can help us spread the word one of the following ways:

• Post a link to this blog post on your blog, facebook, or other social media site.
• Visit our facebook event page here and confirm that you are going to this event.  From there invite friends.
• Pin us on Pinterest.
• (Drag Mary into any other forms of social media/sharing that might be easy enough for her to learn)

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.  You know that feeling of being surrounded by love when things are difficult?  We feel it every year.  We've felt it from the beginning.  That love and support has always been there when we need it.  We've never been alone.

I love to think that we can share that feeling with others.

(For more about the history of this day see Random Acts of Kindness.)

Joie Turns Thirteen! (Warning: Long)

This morning I woke up thinking of the pictures of Joie's 8th birthday--her last with her first family.  (Truth is I think of those pictures each year on Joie's birthday.)

Joie left this morning for a week of Beehive Camp, but after she left, I went on a digital hunt for the pictures of that day.  

No luck.

But something in me still wanted to see those pictures.  Eventually, I remembered that at some point someone had scrap booked those pictures (and many others) for us, so I found the scrap booked version... (But if anyone has a digital version of these pictures, please, please, pretty please share...thank you very much.)

For today I'm sharing pictures of pictures in the scrap book.  (Just go with it.)

And looking at those pictures can't help but make me think about how five years ago today, our beautiful girl woke up celebrating her birthday with another family.  Nothing in her face in these pictures says, "I know in 12 days I'll be saying good-bye to all of you."  

But that is exactly what happened.  You never know, people.  Hug your family.  I know I hugged this beautiful girl before she walked out the door for camp this morning, and I'll be hugging her again when she gets home.  And after looking at these pictures, I wonder how we ever got out of the habit of two hugs...one for me, and one for her first mommy.  When did we stop doing that?  When do you ever not need that any more?  That thought and those pictures made me want to run up the mountain to where she was camping and hug her again--a birthday hug for both moms this time.

And now the pictures:

The breakfast in bed tradition that she remembers so well...

And of course, the presents...

And cake, including help from little sis licking the bowl...

Wow.  Aren't you glad Ruth took a lot of pictures?  (I am.)

As I look through them, I can hear Joie telling me the stories of those pictures (way back when we first looked at them together).  

She talked about how messy Audrey was when she licked the cake batter from the bowl...

And it breaks my heart to think of that first year she was with us, when she woke up on her birthday, sitting in bed waiting for breakfast in bed that never came, because her new family was clueless about birthday traditions.  Sad.

I also think of the next year when we tried breakfast in bed only to have it end in an uncooperative sibling melt-down and no future attempts at breakfast in bed.  (Maybe we should try it again next year...or is it a tradition that has passed?  The pictures make me want to try.)

And that Eragon DVD in one of the pictures...  I remember sorting through DVD's a year or two after she came to live with us and wondering how we ever ended up with an Eragon DVD.  Mystery solved.  

And she still has that white horse (the one in the blue package).  At least I think she does.  The last time I saw it, it was pretty beat up definitely well loved.

So, so, so many memories.  Thank goodness for memories.

But there's more to this story...  While I was flipping through scrap book memories, I found some other pictures...

...Pictures of our family with Joie the day she was born.  

Want to know something amazing?  I don't have any other pictures of us with any other nieces and nephews on the day they were born.  In fact, Joie is the only niece or nephew we ever went to see on the day she was born.  Tim and I both come from large families, and when babies are born, both families tend to give the new baby space for a few days.

But I remember being so excited for Ruth that Joie was born that I couldn't not go.  I don't remember exactly why.  I've thought maybe it was because Ruth had actually been at my house when I went into (early) labor with Jeran.  (Translation:  She was with me when my water broke, folks.  We had a bond.)  

Regardless of the reason, we were there with Ruth and Nick that day, and forever we'll be thankful we didn't not go...

Because if we hadn't gone, we would have missed this...

Aunt Mary holding Joie

Megan couldn't get enough of her new cousin.

Jeran, on the other hand, was about as interested in Joie as he is in every baby...

And proof that Nate once thought Joie was the coolest thing on the planet.

(Photos courtesy of Uncle Tim, who was there too, and also held Joie that day...and I can't help but notice the kids are all in pajamas...makes me wonder what time of day we went, because I'm also looking quite comfy in that huge white t-shirt.)

Life is full of twists and turns.  None of us knew back then that after eight short years with her family, she'd be spending the rest of her life as Aunt Mary's and Uncle Tim's daughter...as Megan's sister...and as a sister to Nate and Jeran as well...and now as a sister to Gabby, who needs Joie as much as Joie needs her.

But here we are in 2012, celebrating 13 years of Joie's life with donuts for breakfast this morning before she left for Brighton Camp...

I love that smile.  I remember pictures the first year of Joie being in our family, wondering if she'd ever get that smile back...

I remember when her mouth would pose in a smile that really wasn't...  

That smile is a gift--evidence of a life of healing, and of love that lives inside this girl that won't ever die.

Because she's Joie.  

And folks, she's officially a teenager.  

(She woke up at midnight to create her own facebook account before leaving for camp.)

And there is an awesome birthday present waiting for her when she gets back.  (Hint:  She couldn't take it to camp, but she might be texting you soon!)

Wow.  Looking forward to many more years with this girl (who will for sure get two huge hugs when she gets home:  one from me, and one from the mommy who couldn't hug her daughter today.)

Months and Months of Photos

This post is for posterity.

And for grandma and grandpa.

First, taking care of business...

Lost item photos I meant to email to my family but didn't.  These items are still at our house.  Does anyone claim them?

Cute earrings.  If no one claims them...

And the flour babies...  

This was a school assignment last spring for Megan and Jeran to carry around duct-taped wrapped 10 pound sacks of flour decorated as babies.  

Megan named hers Claire (after cute cousin Claire, whose face she borrowed for this project)

And Jeran named his Captain Sawyer America...or something like that.  Maybe it was Sawyer Steve Rogers...  Or Baby Captain America.  Either way, he thanks his cousin Sawyer for the borrowed baby face.

They had to carry them everywhere, phone in four times at night (over a two week period) and hire a babysitter if they were busy...

Gabby the babysitter

Moving right along...

I think this is a picture Tim took of Gabby when he took her lunch at school.  Her new favorite (2nd only to pizza with toppings peeled off) is a veggie sandwich from Subway.  (Please don't sound the protein deficiency alarm.  She can eat quinoa, legumes, eggs, whole grains, and her share of dairy products like no child you've ever seen.)

And a little cousin love...Adrienne is 20 years old, and such an awesome role model of an older cousin for all her younger cousins.  They love her!  (Which is a good thing, since Adrienne is the only girl in her family.)

And a cute pose with the Jarman cousins, who are equally awesome...

Love Megan's look here.  It seems to say:
I don't know them...

And while we're on the subject of cousins, there are the Vernal cousins...those would be cousins from Joie's dad's side of the family.  We visited them in June, and Joie stayed an extra three days.  I love that she is excited to continue to grow the family connections to her dad's side of the family as well.  

Left to right:
Joie, Lexie, Gabby, Hailey, and Gracie

And don't try to explain to Gabby that Joie's cousins on her dad's side of the family aren't Gabby's "real" (hate that word) cousins too.  Don't you just love adoption?  Take a bunch of non-biologically related people, add a judge and an adoption decree, and anything is possible, right?

But when it came time to go, Gabby was not happy that Joie was staying and she was going home with Tim and I...

So not happy, in fact, that she pouted and yelled for the first 15 minutes...

Until I climbed in the back seat with her, a bag of chips, and a DVD...

Yes, those are chips on her tongue.  We just had to share.

And as she settled down, she started talking about how leaving Joie felt like leaving her sister.  So sad.  And she talked about missing her brother.  It doesn't take a lot to remind us of how much she's really lost.  Thank goodness for cuddling.  Thank goodness for chips and a DVD.

Gabby also got a cute haircut...

And Gabby continues to crack me up almost daily with her candor and honesty.  In this picture she walked into the room and told me, "These goggles fit perfect!"

Then this was her reaction when her friend told her they were upside down...

And Gabby on River (one of Ruth and Nick's old horses that has been kept in Juniper and cared for by Dani, one of Joie's cousins).  

River does a little skip to try to throw people off when she isn't happy about being ridden.  This day was hot, hot, hot.  Poor River.  (But to help a little with cooperation, we lead her instead of letting the kids just ride.)

And then there was July 4th...

A fun day that ended in watching Sandy City fireworks (since it was too dry to set off our own).  Joie wasn't happy that she didn't get a spot by dad, but eventually she warmed up was willing to accept second best (sitting by mom).

Megan & Jeran (who were by dad) waiting for fireworks to start...

And Megan got more pictures of fireworks that you could ever scroll through in a single day, which she can post if she feels the need.  (Nothing like watching fireworks twice!)

And then there's my awesomely cool 16 year old.  I think he didn't know I snapped this one.

And there was a (sort of) bathroom remodel that involved a toilet sitting on our front porch for a number of days.  It was called everything from redneck yard art to just plain annoying.  Thankfully no one knocked on our door asking to use the toilet!

And Megan has the job of cleaning my office.  One day she left this note for me.  I was so, so curious...  But I didn't open it until I actually had a bad day.  (Then I kept it in my drawer just in case I have another bad day.)  Sweet Megan.  I love her love.

And a few more Las Vegas photos...

The oldest three

All five of them...

And a little celebrity moment at Planet Hollywood...

And that's a wrap.  (And a lot less mommy guilt about not preserving memories...because scrapbooking isn't even an option.  Not if mommy is to remain sane.)