Sweet Memories

This is my brother-in-law, Scott. His birthday is today, he would have been 23. He tragically lost his life almost 7 years ago due to a motorcycle accident. He was 16. This is his last school picture taken his sophomore year in high school. There are only a few moments that I remember with him, but there are a ton of things that I remember about him. Here are just a few... he had the best smile, the bluest eyes, and the most genuine personality. He was sweet, kind, fun, hilarious, goofy, awesome, and a truly incredible person. Oh, and his walk. If you knew him, you know the walk that I speak of, if you didn't know him, well... I'm sorry, but it's indescribable. He is a person that I cannot imagine not having known. And although I did not know him very long, only 3 short months before his untimely passing, it only took me 3 short seconds to love him. I am so grateful just to have known him for the small amount of time that I did. And because of this, I am blessed.

This photo is one of the last pictures of Scott, it is actually the last family photo with him in it, taken a mere week before he passed. (The photo you see has been cropped and enlarged, but it originated from a family photo). It is amazing to me, that even in the midst of such tragedy, there is a bit of grace shining through. This last photo is proof of that. And even though he was unconscious, the fact that we were able to have that last day with him to remember and reflect with him still there was a moment of grace all in itself. God is amazing.

There are 2 more things I would like to say about this:

1) If you are the one driving the motorcylce, dirt bike, or ATV... ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET! It could save your life.

2) If you are driving any other type of vehicle... BE AWARE AND WATCH FOR MOTORCYLCES, DIRT BIKES, OR ATV'S! Remember that they are smaller than you and much less protected than you, which means you need to YIELD TO THEM! It could save a life.

If any of the persons involved in the accident would have done either of these 2 things, this tragedy could have been avoided.

Happy 23rd Birthday my dearest Scott. You are greatly missed.

Family Photos!

So we had some family photos taken last week by my wonderful sister (not a professional, but still nicely done). So here are some that show the struggle of a family photo with young children, which also happen to be my favorites. I love my family.

And the grand finale...

with some lady in the background! Oh well, at least all of our faces are showing, in focus, and not upset this time.

First Teeth!

My baby Zac has gotten his first teeth over the past week! He's getting so big, so fast. He's definitely the biggest of all of them at this age (5 months)... he's 18 pounds! and wears a size 6-9 months and that is starting to get a bit small for him! He's my tubba tub and I love it.

It's kind of hard to see the teeth, only one really shows in these pictures, but there are definitely two in person. He's so smiley and happy all the time, unless he's tired or hungry obviously. He's got such a great personality, so fun and loving. I adore him. He has such a darker skin tone, hair color, and eye color than my other kids... it's so different than what I'm used to. It's definitely a nice change of pace. :)

Ben's the Big 0-2!

This is Ben. He is 2 today. It's amazing. He is such a fun little boy, he loves to laugh and smile, and it shows. Everyday he's happy, just in love with being a kid. He has such a genuine spirit.
Lately he has been saying actual words that make sense. And what is the most astonishing to me is how he uses them. He is so 'matter of fact' about things. I told him it was time to take a nap, he said "no," so plainly and definite that I had to laugh. No whining, no crying, just no. And it's almost like he thinks whining is a joke. Earlier his dad came home to wish him a happy birthday and to say hello then he had to go back to work, so we all go the window to wave bye and after he drives away Ben, with eyes squinting and a little whiny voice, says "Daddy, no bye bye Daddy, ooohhhh, nnnooo, Daaddddyy," and then started laughing. The great thing about him is that he's been like this since he was a tiny little baby. Always smiling and laughing (well, by 6 weeks anyway) and very playful, but so mellow. He's not so mellow anymore, but you get the point. He comes to me all the time pointing at where he was and telling me something in his little language and then laughs, like it was so funny. I love him. He just tugs at my heart-strings. He is so content just being. I love it. I just hope he stays this way!

4 Short Years...

My oldest son, Scott, started preschool in August, he's 4 1/2 and oh so big. I was looking at some baby pictures of him yesterday and started thinking about how weird it was that just 4 short years ago he looked like this...




and now he looks like this...
Now, some people might say, yeah he's growing up and?, but to me it's the weirdest but coolest thing I have ever seen. I have two other boys, Ben is 2 and Zac is about 5 months, and looking at them now I can't even begin to fathom them being as big as Scott and that's the part that's weird, it's so hard to imagine what they will be like a few months from now, let alone a few years. The cool part is knowing that I will be there to watch the transformation taking place.

5 years ago I remember feeling like 4 years was an eternity... and now I wish it would slow down a bit so I can enjoy it more. And what's really amazing is that in these 4 short years, I have witnessed three of the most incredible things I will probably ever see... the growth and development of each one of my oh so different children.