Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Quick Update

Things are slowly going back to normal (whatever that means)..I keep thinking about all the ( what if 's) with my dad. I hope he knows how much we are going to miss him. The other day I was watching the "little mermaid" with the girls (one of my fav. Disney Movies) and in the end where King Triten comes up from the water to say good-bye to his princess since she just got married, and Ariel whispers in his ear "I love you Daddy". I seriously could not stop crying. Hopefully Heavenly Father heals this open wound soon.
On another note, Josh will be having surgery on his atnoids, and possible tonsils. The doctor is going to call next week to schedule it. School is almost over, and then on to the "dog-gone days of summer". At least my mom will be coming out to visit. I hope we keep busy, it is actually the only way I stay sane these days it seems like. The busier I am the less I think of being sad. I hope everyone has a good month, and keep smiling at your neighbor~ you never know when you will need that smile returned.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Fun Run Super Eagles!


Today was the Fun Run at Hale Kula, for those of you that don't know, it is our biggest fundraising event of the year. Parents, soldiers, teachers, siblings can all run and donate fore the cause. It was a really cool, but a very LONG 7 hour day. The point of the race is to run/walk as many laps as you can in the time allotted. The Kindergartners started it off, and Joshua surprised me!! He ran 7 laps!! He was taking it slow and steady, I was so proud of my little man! When it was Hailey's grade, Daddy and the girls showed up to support the cause, and Daddy got to run with her. It was truly a sight to see! Here are some pictures from the big event=-)
Josh before the race, and then Josh while he was running...

Hailey before the race, and then running with Daddy...

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Easter #2

So the day before Easter the neighborhood had an Easter Egg Hunt. (sorry so late for this post) Here are the kids having fun. They had face painting, egg hunting, games, and food. This event seems so long ago considering..At least the kids had SOME SORT of Easter fun before tragedy struck. Enjoy the pictures!
Here is Audrey; she would not let go of her basket if her life depended on it!
Up top is Josh being a big helper, and down below are their faces..Audrey is a bunny, Hailey a wolf, and Josh the sun!!
Here is Audrey catching on quick to all the action...

Avery was totally content just playing in the water, David found a Jackson Chameleon.. it changed colors like four times!! Pretty cool...

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Dedication to my Dad

While everyone was having a great and wonderful Easter, ours unfortunately was cut short by the passing of my father. It was a whirlwind of emotion to say the least. David had to put out an emergency American Red Cross alert so that he could get emergency leave. When we got the green light for that, we had to call and make flight arrangements. Although I really needed him there with me, it ended up being only Hailey and I going to Florida. We left last Monday the 5th, and got back last night. There was a lot to do. My brother and Mom flew in on Wednesday, I got there Tuesday morning @5:30a.m., but with the time difference and the flying from one side of the states to the other, Hailey and I were up for over 31 hours before our day ended. We planned my dad's cremation (his wishes), cleaned out my dad's apartment, made a lot of donations to Hospice, had a memorial service at the Eagles Club, and had to say our tear felt good bye's to my dad. It has really been hard for me. I found out some great and wonderful things about him from his friends, and "second family" there in Inverness, FL. I can understand why it was so hard for him to leave there. I just never got to say my "good-bye" to him, I had nothing TO say good-bye too. They told me at the funeral home that I wouldn't want to see him in the state he was in (He had a heart-attack and was DOA at the hospital; they kept him in a "holding room" until further instruction, and then driven to the funeral home..so no embalming took place) they said he was inti~bated at the hospital and his face was ajar, plus his teeth were taken out.

I have never had to plan a funeral before, I actually had no idea it took that much time and energy to do. Going through my dad's stuff was very heart-breaking. I am just now able to sit and ponder over my dad and how much I am going to miss him.
Here are pictures of the Honor guard doing a salute and taps for my dad..he was in the army for 12 years (the picture up top is him when he was 18); he got shot in the knee during the Vietnam War...
This was all of us~ Cap and Bam (Jessica's parents) Jessica, me, Hailey Bret and my mom
This was just some of the floral arrangements they had there...


Here is the flag flown at half mass for my dad...

here he is at Bret's wedding, the last time we saw him....His memorial service is not something we are used to as members of the church, but I know it was how my dad would of wanted it, and I guess that is all that matters, I just wish I had more time with him...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Easter Hunting Fun..

Josh and his class had an Easter Egg hunt today. He was so cute out there with his determined little face on!! He cannot wait for Sunday=-) As a side note, we FINALLY got some answers on his hearing. He has 15% hearing loss in his left ear, and due to the deformed Eustachian tube, he has a clarity problem. meaning, he cannot hear everything we say correctly. There is no way of knowing what words he can or cannot hear; it just means we have to be more patient and understanding with his LOUDNESS. It is supposed to correct itself by the time he turns 7, so here is to hoping. Hope everyone has a blessed Easter weekend, and remember why we are celebrating such a sacred day=-)
Here they are, waiting for the hunting to begin...

Up top, Josh is making sure no one sees how many he has...Down below he is on the move...