Easter

Easter was pretty simple this year, but really nice. By the time I went to bed, I felt really good about the day we had. I wasn't sure beforehand how the day would feel without Kary's family and mom & dad--it seems pretty empty and a little lonely without that part of our family joining us. But, like I said, the day turned out really great and Oggie and I felt so fortunate to spend it with loved ones, friends, and family! We have pretty great families!

We started out by coloring eggs on Saturday night---5 dozen!!!! Would you believe that it only took about 10-15 minutes to color those eggs? Cade just kind of threw them into any empty coloring cup he could find. Then, we had Easter Sunday at our house. Jan and Les, Linda, Grandma Carol and Grandpa Vernon, and Katie Massey all came over. Between Jan and I, we had some pretty darn good food! Oh, and Grandpa Vernon made a very tasty potato salad!! After lunch, we went outside to hunt for Easter eggs. It was a lot of fun, and Caylee really got into it. Mom and Dad were able to stop by that night on their way home from visiting Kary, which was really nice. Sharee wasn't able to be here since she went up to train with Kary, but I was able to talk to her the night before, which was really nice also. Like I said, all in all a pretty good day!

A Weekend With Colton

A couple of weekends ago, Colton came to stay with us while Sharee went to spend the weekend with Kary. We were all excited to have him stay with us. When he got here Friday morning, Christopher made sure he was set up with his Bronco beanbag chair and a chocolate doughnut, while they played Mario Bros. One of the cutest things was Caylee's love for her cousin! From the moment he got there, she wanted to flood him with love and attention. He was trying to watch Christopher play the Wii, but Caylee just kept on trying to hug him, rub his head, and sit on his lap. Then at night, she would try to hug and kiss him. She would sit on his lap and lay back against him. It was the sweetest thing ever, and Colton was a pretty good sport about it too! Connor and Cade had a really good time playing with Colton all weekend. All week before Colton got here, Connor kept asking when Colton was coming. I kind of figured that they would all be sick of each other by Sunday, but they really weren't! They had such a good time!

The Garden City Zoo

Jan had never been to the Garden City Zoo, so she took the day off yesterday so that we could all go to the zoo. It was really fun. She and I had Arby's, and the kids wanted McDonalds (of course). Then we made our way through the zoo. It was a fun day!

I do like them Sam I Am!

To celebrate St. Patty's Day, we read Green Eggs and Ham, and then we cooked some for lunch. The three younger kids loved them. Christopher was gone working, so he missed out--bummer! Maybe I'll fix some for him tonight! :o) Here are a few pictures.

An Awesome Uncle!

I ran across this picture of Kary holding Caylee. He is just the best uncle! He has always loved kids. Krystal and I were talking about what a good dad and uncle Kary is; and how he has always loved our kids and been so good to them. When Jonah and Christopher were little, Kary would play with them every chance he could get. One of my favorite pictures I have in an album is of Kary holding Christopher. Christopher loves Uncle Kary!! It breaks my heart to think of what Colton is going through and how he must be missing his dad. And it also breaks my heart to think of Kary missing out on Chelsey. I know he can't wait to be with his family again.

Such a good picture!

What an awesome picture of Kary with mom and dad! I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this entire ordeal is for them. I am struggling with it tremendously; I can't imagine watching my child go through this. They are wonderful examples of love, strength, and faith!

They will always be there for him, no matter what; and I am certain he feels comfort knowing that!

Normally . . .

Normally right now I would be super excited for Spring time and I would be anxiously starting to get the camper cleaned up for the first trip of the season. We would be getting ready to go to Woodland Park with mom and dad, and Kary's family. We would meet Konnie there. Every time I drive past Camping World to go see Kary, I think of stopping there in years past on our way to Woodland Park. Part of me wants to be excited for spring and summer, but I'm so bummed that things aren't "normal". I long for things to be normal; not for my sake, but for my brother's sake and his well-being. While I am extremely bummed that things are the way they are, I am happy that there is hope for things to get back to normal someday. We still have my brother; he is getting better. Someday we'll be planning that camping trip again, along with trips to Fun Valley and Garth's cabin. But for right now, I'll just reminisce, look at old camping pictures, and look forward to when we can go again. Here are some pictures from last year that I got from mom and dad's camera.