It's already starting...

Me(After finding a suspicious puddle): Emily, did you go pee pee on the stair?

Emily: No

Me: Then who did?

Emily: Bryce did it! And he peed on the stair yesterday!

Oh boy! What have I gotten myself into?

How to Comfort in a Difficult Time

Last night I was able to go to a church function and see a lot of people I know. It was great to be with friends. One of my friends asked me how she could help someone who is going through a situation similar to what my family and I have been through. It made me realize that there are probably many of you wondering the same thing. I know it is tough to feel helpless and you don't know what to say. Here are the things that I really appreciated:

1. Just an email letting me know you are thinking of me.
2. Commenting on my blog that I am in your prayers.
3. A card in the mail.
4. Bringing dinner by unexpectedly.
5. Bringing a Christmas tree while I am gone because you know I won't get a chance to with it being so close to Christmas. (This was an AWESOME surprise.)
6. Offering to come with me to take care of Bryce. (Sarah, you are amazing! This was such a blessing!)
7. Coming to the funeral to show love and support.
8. Asking me about my dad so I can share the wonderful things about him. (This is a tough one because you know that it will make me cry.)
9. Just a phone call to check in on me.

Now I know everyone is not the same, but I know most people just want to know that they are cared about. I understand that many of you don't know what to say, but just knowing I am not alone is enough sometimes. Sometimes I want to be alone, and other times alone is the last thing I need to be. Please just don't be afraid to show me or someone else in a similar situation that you love them. We are all doing the best we can. Let's be there for each other.

Please post if you have any other suggestions for my friend.

I will post updates on my children soon.

So hard to say goodbye

I am sure you have all noticed it has been a while since my last post. 2 days after my last post my sweet father passed away. I was in the car when my mom told me, and I could barely catch my breath. I pulled over and just began sobbing. My kids and I were on our way to Chuck E. Cheese, and poor Dallin didn't know what to say to help me feel better. The next week was kind of a blur as I got ready to go home to be with my family again. We decided to leave Dallin and Emily with some good friends here and we just took Bryce. My awesome friend Sarah offered to come with us to help take care of Bryce. What a blessing she was to have with us. (Thanks Zook for watching your 4 kids and taking 2 days off work to let Sarah be with us.)

The funeral was beautiful. There were so many people there-it was standing room only. My dad has touched the lives of everyone he met. I loved talking with people that he worked with that I had never met before. They all said how kind he was and how he never complained. That is truly how my father is. He makes everyone feel special and that they are important.

My little sister and my older sister put together the eulogy and it was beautiful. I felt it really showed the man he is, especially his sense of humor! Each of the siblings talked about their favorite memories with Dad and then my mom spoke. My mom even read some things out of my dad's journals saying he was proud of his children. That really meant a lot to me. I feel the funeral was a great tribute to my dad.

That night my siblings and I all went back to my parents' home in the mountains. There was snow on the ground, so we hung out inside. My mom pulled out a book that my dad had written some of his childhood/adulthood memories in and we took turns reading the questions and his answers. It was wonderful.

The rest of the weekend was really low-key, just enjoying time as a family. I know my dad is so happy seeing all of us getting along. I hope we will continue to strengthen one another as we go through this difficult time. Thanks for everyone's love and support and prayers for me and my family. I wish you could have all known my dad. I will do a post soon about my dad and all his great qualities. Right now I just want to say how much I love him He is an awesome father, grandfather, friend, son, and brother. I love you, Dad!










The first and the last photos were taken by my friend and amazing photographer, Lisa Dillon. I am so grateful that we did this photo shoot!

I also posted about a run I did the day after my dad died.