Don't cry!

So, this Monday marked three months since my sister passed away. Yes, it was a hard day...and so were the days leading up to it. I was having a cry session and although I look at Ginger's blog all the time, I found myself looking on our private extended family blog which I hadn't done for a really long time. As I scrolled down looking specifically for posts from Ginger, I immediately came across one that she had entitled, "Don't cry, Heids!". Of course, I cried even harder, but then had to smile as I could almost hear Ginger telling me those exact words at that very moment. She had posted it a long time ago sharing her amazing view of the ocean from her home. She knew how much I missed the beach and sunshine, and didn't want me to be too sad as she shared her excitement for this luxury in her life. And even now, she didn't want me to cry, or even be sad, but to be happy, and to remember that we would be together again, that this separation was but a small moment. How grateful I am for these sweet, comforting experiences.

BYU Ballroom Dancers Come to Port Orchard!

The BYU Ballroom Dancers were coming to our hometown so I thought it would be fun for Don and I to take my girls for Babysitter Appreciation night. When I suggested it to Don he insisted that I go ahead and make it a special "girl's night" and he would sacrifice and stay home with the younger kids. Wasn't that sweet of him? We invited Brittani, and her daughter, Brinsley and Ginger's friend, Jasmine, to come with us. It was a very impressive production and a lot of fun. The girls were hilarious at the end trying to get the dancers autographs. You would have thought they were famous movie stars the way the girls reacted over meeting them. It was so cute.

My little "Wheat Thin"

That's what we like to call him. A few months ago, a group of my friends got together and started a preschool for our little ones. I was excited for the opportunity to host it in my home every once in a while and to allow Ethan one morning each week to be with children his age, while learning and having fun in the process. Before it even started I was almost positive that Ethan would have a hard time going. He is super shy and only knew a couple of the kids in the group. But, I thought I'd give it a shot and see how he did. The first day all the moms stayed with their children, and Ethan was quite clingy. He talked about "pre-school" all week long, making sure he would get to go again, and making sure that I'd be staying. The next week I did stay as the helper, but the third week, he actually went on his own and didn't even cry! I was so excited and so was he. Well, this was right around the time that we found out we'd be moving and life started to spiral out of control. I knew I had to drop some things or I'd just go insane, expecially with my husband traveling so much and trying to keep my home "ready to show" at all times. Pre-school was unfortunately one of those things that had to go. I figured Ethan only had a month or so before we moved anyway and I wanted to give someone else a chance to take his place as early as possible. I told my friends and then broke the news to Ethan. This was one of those moments you never forget because you feel like the worst mother in the whole world. I really didn't think he'd be upset about not getting to go anymore, but when I told him he wouldn't be going to "school" anymore, he just stared at me for a second, then his lower lip and chin started to quiver and he barely spoke as he said, "But Mom, I really wanted to go to pre-school".
Then the tears began, for both of us.

Cub Scouts, Here we come!

We officially entered the world of Scouting when Davis turned 8. It has definitely been a whole new world for me, but thanks to my Scouting Pro sister-in-law, Stacy, she has walked me through the entire program. She went to the Scout store and picked up everything for me...the shirt, the scarf, the book, the belt, the patches, etc. There's so much to know! Stacy even told me where to put the patches, and unfortunately told me the wrong place for one of the patches, (though she insists she didn't.) During a pack meeting, the boys were all lined up in front when I noticed one of Davis' patches was completely in the wrong place. Stacy was sitting next to me and we started laughing so hard we could not stop for about 10 minutes. It was so funny and so embarassing! (And if you think I have gotten around to fixing it, you're wrong.) Davis has loved every minute of Cub Scouts so far. I just can't believe how many more years of Scouting I have to go......

This was the Raingutter Regatta where the boys had to make their own boats and sail (blow) them across the raingutter. It was very exciting and so fun to have his cousin, Ben, there to compete against.


To see some exciting competition, click on the video below. He first competes against his friend, Zack, and then his cousin, Ben.

Healthy Competition

"Tantalizing Tastebuds"

For those of you who know my sister-in-law, Melissa, KNOW that she is the most amazing cook. Well, I am pleased to announce that she is finally doing what we have always encouraged her to do... sell her yummy treats! She started a blog to advertise, but is only selling it locally right now. Check it out at tantalizeyourtastebuds.blogspot.com

The Phantom of the Opera!

We finally got to see "Phantom" with our tickets Don gave me for our anniversary in February. I hadn't seen the production since I saw it in High School (in the super cheap seats). We had amazing seats this time and even got to move up to the third row with Don's parents after the intermission. I have loved and listened to the music since high school and it was a spectactular show. The costumes were beyond amazing, and the music was incredible. I loved it!
Don's siblings and their spouses were all there, too but we were spread out all over the theater. Don and I were actually on our way to a little getaway that weekend, so we stayed in Seattle that night and flew to Dallas, Texas the following morning to decide if Don would take a job offer out there. It was such a great trip for us! We definitely needed some time together as Don had been traveling so much. And since the sun was shining in Texas, we decided we'd take the offer! (Well, the sun wasn't the determining factor, but it definitely helped!)

In Memory...

When we returned from my sister, Ginger's, Memorial Service, Don's parents came over and brought us a beautiful tree for us to plant in Ginger's name. I was so touched by this sweet gesture. We were anxious to plant it, but knew that we would probably be moving some time soon and didn't want to plant it in our yard and then have to leave it there. So, we asked Don's parents if we could plant it in their yard, knowing that their lives were a bit more stable than ours. And we knew we would always be back to visit them so we would get to see the tree grow and thrive.


It was a sweet experience for me to see my husband and children each take their turns to dig the hole. It began to get dark before we were finished digging, so Don sent us all into the house and finished it himself. I remember peeking through the window to check on his progress only to find him sitting beside the tree just weeping.


I love to see that tree each time I go to Don's parents home and know that it is alive and thriving, just as Ginger still is.

First day of School and Derek!

Yes, I am just now posting my first day of school pictures! I am trying to catch up, okay?

The kids were very excited for their first day back as always...the new backpacks and pencils, shoes, and lunch boxes. Everything was so clean and nice! Ginger was starting 6th grade, Gillian 5th, Davis 3rd, and Ryan Jane was my little 1st grader! I was happy to be keeping my 3 year old Ethan home with me, debating whether or not I would be doing a co-op preschool with him. That first day back was so sad for him. He was Davis' little buddy all summer long and sure missed him. It hadn't even been an hour before he started asking if it was time to pick up the kids. Then he proceeded to ask every 5 minutes for the rest of the day. Poor kid. Several times during the day he would head upstairs for a minute, then be back down. I had wondered what he was doing, but didn't find out until I went into the boy's room and found one peanut butter cracker and one pretzel on Davis' pillow. At first I was mad that Ethan had been eating in his room and had even dropped some of his snack, but then realized he had purposely placed them there. When I asked him about it, he said, "I'm saving them for my brother". So sweet!
The kids woke up that first day of school to Uncle Derek! Derek is my youngest brother who currently lives in Utah. He had come into town for a few days for a visit and the kids were so sad to be leaving him for the day, even if they were anxious to start school.
We had so much fun with Derek here. We packed in the fun, probably exhausting Derek in the process. We took him on a ferry ride into Seattle and spent the day at Pike's Market. He came out to eat with us on our traditional first day of school dinner out. He was here for our Stake Conference and even taught our Family Home Evening lesson for us on Monday night, which was inspiring and sweet. We have missed Derek so much and absolutely loved having him all to ourselves. I just had no idea how much that boy could eat!

We also took Derek to the BYU game against the University of Washington. It was an incredible, exciting game and a beautiful day as well. The game got tight there at the end, but BYU came out victorious! Stacy, Steve, his dad, and our friends, Danielle and TJ, joined us, too. Ah, the good 'ole days at BYU!

Labor Day

It's tradition to gather together as a family for days like Labor Day or Memorial Day and spend the day barbecuing and enjoying the outdoors. We lucked out with beautiful weather and Craig put together a huge Triathlon for all of us to participate in. There were contests for everything...from shooting the most baskets...to throwing a football the farthest...to putting a golf ball...to running a mini marathon, etc. It was quite competitive as you can only imagine with the group we were with and a lot of fun.

We also celebrated the September and October birthdays. Always a must for family gatherings.

Isn't this the best shot of Ethan? It cracks me up!

Partying with the Family

What's better than a party at home with JUST YOUR OWN little famiy? Hhhmm, maybe that princess party, but this one was fun, too!


And there's nothing better than Dad's homemade Crepes with fresh strawberries and whip cream. That's our kids favorite birthday breakfast every year, but Ryan picked it for her birthday dinner! (So, we made it her cake, too!)


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOPS!

Princess Ryan Jane turns 6

Ryan wanted a princess party for her party this year so we (King Donald and Queen Heidi) sent out a Royal Decree requesting the honour of all the princesses in the kingdom to join us for her celebration!

And they came...all decked out in their fanciest attire.


They "kissed a frog", searched for jewels in the sand, made their own tiaras and picture frames and showered Princess Ryan with gifts. We even had Princess Aurora (Gillian) and Princess Belle (Ginger) as the special helpers for the party. It was quite the celebration!

Playin' in the Rain

One of those warmer, autumn rains that you can't help but allow your kids to go out in. You can tell by their smiles that they were loving it.

Sun Lakes 2008

A huge group of our friends take a trip to Sun Lakes every year together and have been inviting us to go for 4 years now. With Don's schedule and our annual family reunion, we have never been able to make it. And this year, Don had a business trip he couldn't miss, so we didn't think we were going to get to go again. Well, after much coaxing from some very good friends, they talked me into going without Don. This trip was just weeks after my sister died and I knew I would need to be around friends, especially with Don gone for a week. It was too late to reserve a cabin, so Shelly and Brittani were kind enough to let my huge gang of six share their cabins. We had so much fun bunking together and soaking up some much needed sun.


One thing they do every year is drive down to the Basalt Cliffs to go cliff jumping. On our hike over to the cliffs I couldn't help but notice this HUGE sign right in front of us...


I knew for sure that I would NOT be jumping since I had injured my knee a couple weeks before. But as you can see by this picture, I gave into peer pressure by a number of friends, as well as my own children. How can you hurt your knee just jumping into the water? I know how. It hurt so bad! But, at least I got a cool picture to prove how brave I was. Make sure you get a closer look on the look of terror on my friend, Brittani's face. Hilarious!


Ginger had no problem jumping and even jumped off the SUPER high cliff without my knowledge! Gillian was very nervous, but eventually did it and was so proud of herself. Davis did hesitate a little bit, but did it several times. Ryan was all prepared to do it, but when it came time to jump, she burst into tears and chickened out. A while later, she pulled herself together and was determined to go, but panicked and broke down again. She had this internal struggle going on! Poor girl. She wanted to so bad, but just couldn't make herself do it. She cried the whole way home. And Ethan...he was definitely thinking about it!


Another Sun Lakes tradition is to have a Lip Sync on Monday night for Family Home Evening. We were late in joining the group and without Don, I was not about to get up there and perform with just my kids. So Shelly and I decided to let our kids be the performers and Brittani had her kids jump in at the last minute. They were the band and singers for "Fabulous" from High School Musical 2. It was fabulous!

We spent four days and three nights just relaxing and boating and swimming and basking in the sunshine. It was a great trip for all of us and a great blessing to me to be surrounded by good friends at a time I needed them. We only wished Don could have been there with us.

Check out Gillian's first try on the knee board! She was the only one of my kids brave enough to try it.

Gilli on the kneeboard

The Splash Yard

A couple of good friends invited me and the kids to hop on the foot ferry and spend an afternoon at the Splash Yard to let the kids cool off on a nice, hot summer day. The water shoots out from one of five fountains high into the air every 30 seconds or so. The kids loved it and we had fun eating lunch, hanging out and watching the kids together. As you can tell by the look on Ethan's face, the water was COLD and he did not want to go in.

Boat Ride to Blake Island

We seriously have the best Home Teacher in the world! He and his wife treated us to a boat ride to Blake Island one Monday night for Family Home Evening and even took care of dinner! It was a beautiful afternoon/evening and it just doesn't get any more beautiful when the weather is nice out here in the summer in Washington.


The kids loved the boat ride and were thrilled to get to see great, big sea otters out relaxing on the buoys. We hiked along the shore for hours, barbecued, and enjoyed the most incredible view of Seattle across the water. It was a wonderful evening.

Davis' Baptism Day

Yes, my baby boy turned eight years old and was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by his dad. What is it about being baptized that makes your children seem so grown-up? It's hard to believe we have three baptized children now. That really makes me feel old!


Davis was lucky to be baptized with three of his friends from his Primary class; Zachary, Lucas, and Natalie. And he was so happy to have so many members of his family there in attendance, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Steve and Aunt Stacy, Uncle Scott and Aunt Karen, Uncle Craig and Aunt Krisette, and lots and lots of cousins.

It was a happy day for our family, but a little sad for me, too. The passing of my sister was still so fresh it was hard to be really happy that day. The Baptism room was jam packed full of people, with standing room only. But, during the opening song, I noticed the chair right next to me was empty, the only empty chair in the room because Ryan had decided to share a chair with her cousin down the row. In my mind's eye I could see my sister, Ginger, sitting there right beside me, telling me she was there with me and reminding me to be happy and rejoice that my son was taking such a vital step in his journey back to our Heavenly Father. My eyes overflowed with tears and I felt so comforted and happy. It was a tender and sweet experience for me.

I did it!

I finally blogged about our entire trip to California. 16 posts! So, you're going to have to scroll way down to get to the beginning of our vacation since it's all in chronological order. It has taken me a long time to do this, but it was so therapeutic and healing for me. I shed many tears just reliving those last weeks and days with my sister and only wish my weak attempts at journaling did them better justice. Enjoy!

I know it's been quite a while since I updated my blog, but when I think about creating posts about my last days with my sister, it just emotionally overwhelms me. Every time I sit down to work on it and look through the pictures of those final days with her, the tears start to flow and I just have to walk away. I know I need to do it because these are good, special memories for me, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. I will, maybe once my kids get back into school and I am into a routine again. In the mean time, I want to thank you all for your comments, your words of encouragement and love, and most importantly for your prayers. I can feel them and I am so grateful for the comfort and peace I feel from your prayers. The days are getting easier, but harder at the same time. It feels more real, yet I find myself wanting to call Ginger to talk about anything and everything all the time. My heart still aches mostly for her husband and children, but I find so much comfort in knowing that the Savior can and will heal their hearts.

"I Love To See The Temple"

After we returned from California we thought it would be nice to take the kids to see the Seattle Washington Temple. We were so sad to realize that the Angel Moroni was being worked on, so it was covered with scaffolding and kind of hard to see, (and it slightly diminished the magnificance and beauty of the temple). But we were still able to enjoy the beauty of the grounds and feel the peace and Spirit of the temple. The temple has small trails in the forest surrounding it, so we walked around and enjoyed the natural beauty all around us.


Of course Don couldn't leave without snapping a few shots of us imitating the statues. It was funny to find out that my friend went to the temple within a few weeks of us and did the exact same thing!