"Will Nana be sad in heaven?"

That is what my wise-old soul 6-year old daughter asked me tonight. She was sending a balloon up to Heaven to my Mom and she asked me if Nana would be sad in Heaven this week watching Papa Marry someone other than her (my dad is getting married on Friday - my wonderful Mom passed away in an accident two years and 5 months ago). I told her that Nana would be very grateful that Papa was not lonely anymore and she said "Yeah, I know, but I bet she will still be kind of sad." And there you have it, a taste of what this week will be like for our family.....

Today was an AMAZING day filled with love and laughter as we visited The Beckham family who is in Chicago for my Dad's wedding AND we played softball tonight with my Mom's brother and his family from Colorado there to watch us. I was told how well behaved my children were (which fills be to the brim with pride and gratitude) and a Mom told me she and other moms were in the stands tonight talking about what good, fun, happy coaches Mari and I are for our softball team. I am so happy they think that and they even asked if they could get their daughters on our team next year.

So, amidst a week of happy and challenging moments, I have found SO MUCH JOY. I was given a photo of my Mom today that I have never seen before. She looks so happy and so real in the photo. It was a very kind and thoughtful present. This next couple of days is going to be a challenge, and we will all have very different lives than any of us anticpated in my family.... but, we will still be surrounded with JOY daily, and I pray we always know to look for it.

Here are just a few JOYFUL photos that I stole from Shannon's site.

Auntie Shannon & Sunshine

We were so sad to say good-bye today to Aunt Shannon whose weekend plans totally changed, and she never once complained. She is one-in-a-million. I can only hope my girls have such a true friend one day. She thought it was odd and funny that we toss all of Kaya's blankets in the freezer before we put them on her at night... just one of that kid's MANY funny and odd habits!

AND, it was FINALLY nice enough to let the kids play outside. Only for a few minutes because they were freezing, but at least they got out the sidewalk chalk and rode some bikes before running back into the warmth of our home.

One last note - we buried our good friends Mom today. They have been such wonderful friends to our family since our Mom passed away. Please think of them in your prayers because they are left behind now that Grammie Anna is in Heaven with my Mom.

Aunt Shannon Visits Us

Kaya loved playing with Aunt Shannon's Laptop and Photo Booth. Both girls simply loved spending some time with her!! Shannon LOVED watching high school musical one AND two OVER AND OVER AND OVER. The weekend was not what we had planned due to a change that had to happen, but it was nice anyway.