We have been absent from our blog for a little while...mostly due to our unexpected trip to Utah when our sweet little niece (Kevin's brother JJ's daughter) passed away. Although we knew her life would be limited when she was born a little over 2 years ago, we were not expecting her to go at this time (Heather, her incredible mom, just had a baby girl 2 1/2 weeks before this).
Hannah Jane was born in January of 2007. She was born into an imperfect body with a chromosomal disorder causing her to have only 1 eye; She couldn't really see or hear. She had weak lungs, heart, kidneys, muscles and a body that didn't really grow as it normally would. And although she had this body, her spirit was absolutely perfect. She was the most genuine, purest, most wonderful person you could ever be around. When her Dad blessed her as a newborn, he prayed that she would be able to fulfill her life's work, that people would want to be better because of her, and that her life would glorify our Savior Jesus Christ. In the short years of her life, she and her family were able to realize in very touching and personal ways how she had fulfilled each one of those. She is such a beautiful and special girl and we are so very grateful to have her be part of our family. Her dad relayed a quote he found in the book One Tattered Angel that really touches my heart..."In our church we believe in the ministering of angels...You and your family have been privileged to minister to one".
It was early Wednesday morning on the 3rd of June when we got the call from Kev's mom telling us about Hannah. We quickly realized throughout the day how important it would be for us to be there and how important it would be for the girls to get a real and genuinely personal lesson about eternal families. We packed up the car and by Thursday morning we made the 3 day drive out to Utah to be there for her burial on Monday. It was truly amazing to see how our entire family came together during this time. The girls loved being with their cousins again and most of all, they more fully understand that because mom and dad got married in the temple, we can be an eternal family when we die. We are grateful to our loving Heavenly Father for His abundance of tender mercies. We know it was time for Hannah to go, and we know we are better because of her. We love you Hannah.
Kevin and JJ
I love the holidays! I especially love when I can find fun, unique, and memorable things to do. In our little town, the Nutcracker ballet comes every 3 years. I decided, along with my fabulous friends and their daughters, to take our older girls (Kassie and Amberlee) to see the ballet! The girls wore their fancy dresses and we took them out to lunch before the show. The best part was watching their excited little faces light up when they saw Clara, the fancy dancers, the mice and the mouse king, and most importantly...the Nutcracker! They literally were on the edge of their seats and I could see their minds just soaking up the whole thing. This is one experience that we'll cherish and one that will hopefully become a tradition!
Here's our adorable group of girls practicing their ballet moves!
