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Little Bub, 3 months old.

On his daddy's dirtbike.

Beautiful weather this morning for a hike. (We had him in a carrier. Worked well for the first half. He had a hard time the last half.)

Taking a breather.

I love this adorable boy. I hate my chin.

My boys!

My Other other blog

I'm a Typeling.
It's sort-of like an Inkling.
But different.
The Inklings were such writers as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. They used to hang out and talk about writer stuff.

I do the same thing. But with a group called the Typelings.
We now have a blog.

www.typelingsaz.blogspot.com

Check it out.
I'm Hero.

We're able to smile

We had a busy weekend. 

Drove to Utah last Friday for my Grandma's funeral.

Drove home Sunday. 

It's about a 10-11 hour drive. 

Little Bub was a DREAM!! Kid you not. I'm kinda freaking out because I'm afraid of what my next kid is going to be like. (A nightmare?) He slept a lot of the time, only cried when he was hungry or stinky, and only had a fit during the last half hour of the drive home. 

Something we learned: he does NOT like the cold. 

Grandma's funeral was in Provo. Her burial was in Logan.

I don't think we could have laid her body to rest in a more beautiful place.

Little Bub. Bundled up. He screamed in the 40 degree weather in Logan. Did. Not. Like. It.

Arizona boy.

Nieces at the cemetery. Smiling face.

My Dad. Lots of our ancestors (on both sides!) are buried in this cemetery.

What an awesome day the Resurrection is going to be for those who are buried here.

Another smiling face. My hubby!

Cool story:

Grandma knew she was going to be headed home to Heavenly Father soon. So she started setting aside money for her final expenses. Some of it was for a nice lunch for her family to have after her burial.

The total cost of the bill was $3 short of the amount she had set aside for the lunch.

You have to click on this picture to enlarge it. The look on my Aunt Ginny's face is hysterical.

Lookin' good.

And this guy celebrated his 8th birthday that day! He got his first set of golf clubs.

Another big smile.

Bret looooooves getting his picture taken. Isn't he adorable? 

Baby and Daddy. Of course.

I love this picture. SIL Cassandra having a laugh at her oldest boy's camera shyness.

Way cute smile.

And here's me and my adorable niece. More smiles.

It was a beautiful weekend. Marked by a solemn occasion. Lots of tears shed. Tears of grief, tears of comfort, and tears of love. The deepest and purest love in existence. The kind that lasts forever. We're a family. Forever. And because of that, we were also able to smile.

Whatever happens in this life, I want my family to be around me in the next.

What I didn't get to say

Dear Grandma,

Yesterday I got the news that you were freed from this life. Your pains and suffering were over. God needed you to come home.
Though I'm relieved that you are no longer weighed with the terrible anguish of your ailing body, my heart is broken.
Partly because you're gone and partly because I missed the chance to come see you before you left us.
I was coming to see you soon. We made the plans, worked out the schedule, set the date, thinking, hoping you had more time. But I was too late. I wish I would have come when I had the first opportunity.

There were so many things I wanted to tell you.
First, how much I love you. I have many wonderful memories of you throughout my life. I remember your visits to Arizona every year and how much I looked forward to them. I remember the little motor home you and Grandpa brought to stay in.
I remember coming to your house for summer visits, one at Christmas, and the fun we had with the cousins. I remember your laugh and your smile, your twinkling eyes, your generosity, and your example.
Next I would thank you for my Mother. You brought her into this world and raised her to be who she is today: one of my best friends, a mentor, and a rock in my life.
Then I would tell you how much I admire you. Your intelligence and accomplishments (a Master's degree in Chemistry!) have inspired me to pursue my own education and create higher goals for myself.  I hope one day to reach those goals and make you proud of me. I also hope to have your courage, your wit, and your ability to stay positive during difficult trials. I'd like to think I got my healthy sense of humor from you.
And lastly, a request I wanted to make. Some might call it a strange one or an unnecessary one. But after hearing about your illness and the grave prognosis, I knew you would soon be with my Ella. I wanted so badly to ask you to give my girl a hug and to tell her how much I love her and miss her. I wanted to ask you this in person, before you moved on to your next great adventure.
I missed that opportunity.
I'm so sorry.

But now I honor you. You lived a great life. You are a great Lady. And I am forever grateful that our family is eternal.

Love,
Amy

Patricia Nielson

Beautiful, inside and out.