A Final Farewell.

This past weekend we were able to spend time with Kevin's extended family as we reflected, remembered and said goodbye to his Grandfather, Orlin Edward Ford. On Saturday we headed to Bountiful for a viewing, the service and a luncheon. The service was beautiful. Each of the speakers did an incredible job portraying Grandpa Ford precisely as he was. My sweet husband had the honor to be one of the speakers. There have been very few times I have seen Kevin during such a vulnerable, emotional time and I was so proud of him as he stood before the congregation and shared his memories, love and appreciation of his grandfather. He even had the audience laughing as he recalled a few of the sweet memories of Grandpa and his Grandparents homes distinct doorbell.

We headed to Provo which would be Grandpa's final resting place. Kevin's father, Ken, offered a beautiful prayer to dedicate the grave.

Grandpa Ford was a WWII hero. He flew in 35 missions and served his country proudly and honorably. The American Legion Honor Guard out of Utah was in attendance at the burial. Grandpa was honored with a 21 gun salute and the flag that lay across his casket was folded and handed to Grandma. It was especially a neat experience because my Brother-in-law Doug, who is currently serving in the US Army, was asked to participate in the presentation of the flag. It was a heartfelt moment to see him hand the flag to Grandma.

That evening we hosted all of Kevin's siblings and his parents at our home for a Ford Family sleepover. We had pizza and ice cream, played games and stayed up WAY PAST OUR BEDTIME. I am so grateful for the time we got to spend with Kevin's family. With a sister in North Carolina, us in Utah and the rest of the family in Washington, the times we can all be together are rare.

We were missing Jeff's wife Hayley and their children, but we are so grateful that Jeff could come out for the weekend.
Sunday we went for a Sunday drive up to Temple Square.

It was a beautiful sunny Sabbath day and the perfect place to be to reflect on our family. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.

I am so grateful for the legacy Orlin has left behind. He is survived by his sweet wife of 65 years Lenora, 3 children, 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren with 3 on the way.
We will all miss him dearly.

Until we meet again Grandpa.

Recovery. Day Five.

Are you still out there readers? It's been the craziest week and I apologize for skipping out on my posts, however, my usual mommy time has been occupied with wisdom teeth removal recovery, sleeping during the day, loosing sleep with two little kids who have changed their sleep patterns, dealing with the loss of a family member and preparing to head out of town next week. It's been pure madness.

This is day 5. Dang Ginger Genes... Bruising for days. and this is WITH makeup on. 

Today is the first day that I feel 50% of my self again (which is a huge improvement). The kids are both napping (praise The Lord) and I have MAYBE ten minutes to write before the laundry needs to be switched, the dishes need to be unloaded, I have to finish sanding a chair and then the babysitter comes over so Kevin and I can sneak out for a MUCH needed date to the temple.
With Kevin's grandfather passing away on Sunday, our hearts and minds have been focused on Kevin and his family.

Grandpa Ford was such an incredible man and I am so grateful for the short time I got to know him and for the wonderful example he was to Kevin. I still need to find that famous scone recipe of his and add it to my recipe book. I've heard they were the BEST SCONES ever.
After a week of the TV playing mom to my kids, we unplugged for the day and played with our building blocks and alphabet puzzles. We went for a fall walk around our neighborhood and collected some pretty treasures to make a fun fall art project.

I can see why my kids have been so naughty this week. They need A LOT of attention. I have missed spending every moment of the day focused on them and what they need. Time is one of my love languages and I think I use that time very wisely when it comes to my children. I don't lock them in their rooms to entertain themselves, I choose to have the toys in the family room (which always leaves it a HUGE MESS) so we can all play together. (Of course once the basement is finished toys will FOREVER be banned from my living room) I have always loved to be down on the floor playing, reading, creating and imagining with my children. Now that Hayden is a little older and is playing more with Hunter, it is such a special time to be loving and teaching them.
If you stuck around waiting for me to post again... here is a sneak peak of our family photo shoot we had a while ago that I'll be posting this weekend. My beautiful friend Ashley did an incredible job. If you haven't had your family photos done call her NOW!  

 (PS. These are just SOME of the unedited photos we had to choose from)