They Say It's Your Birthday!

We were not planning on being in Utah for the boys' birthday this year but it was nice to be able to celebrate with family. On Sunday night we had a little party for Brady, Easton, and Aria (Brady and Easton were born on her 1st birthday). We had cupcakes and opened presents. It was fun!

Easton!Brady!Our little family!Brady thanking Grandpa Great!My handsome Easton!We love Grandma and Grandpa Great!On Monday we went to Grandma White's house and had a birthday party with Ryan's family. It was so fun! Julie made these yummy cupcakes and the boys scarfed them down! Grandpa picked out these fun musical cards for them which they played with for days!He also picked out some other fun things!Garrett picked out some train tracks and Thomas the Trains for them too. They loved it so much they would not stop playing to look at the camera!They had a great birthday and we are so glad we got to spend it with our families!

The Funeral

I was able to go with my mom, cousins, aunts, and sister-n-laws to dress my Grandma. I was very nervous about going and almost backed out last minute but I am so glad I decided to go. It was a very neat experience for me and helped me have a little closure. This picture was taken right when we finished.The night before the funeral Kelsey realized she had borrowed a dress of my Grandma's for a 50s dance last year and never returned it. She came down and asked if we thought she should wear it to the funeral. We decided it would be a sweet tribute to her. We went over to her house and took some dresses and some jewlery. A few of us wore her dresses, Abbey wore her wedding dress, and all her daughters and granddaughters wore a piece of her jewlery. It was a neat thing for us to do. She had great taste!After the funeral we all went back to my parent's house and we let balloons off into the sky. It was fun and of course all the kids loved it. The funeral was a wonderful tribute to my Grandma's life. We love her so much and miss her everyday! I can't wait to see her again.

Aunts and Uncles!

Chad flew home from Washington D.C. to be at the funeral. We miss him so much. He is such a great uncle. I love this picture...all the kids are in it except for Austin and Laila.Love this picture too. My kids love these girls!

Family Pictures

My whole immediate family was able to come to town for the funeral. It was the first time we have all been together since my little brother got home from his mission 2 1/2 years ago. It was so fun! I did not go to bed before 1:30 every night. I love my siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews!

We have not had a family picture since before Ryan and I were married so we insisted on having one. We threw together outfits and attempted to take some. It was hard with so many people and 10 kids under the age of 6 but we did our best!

The whole family!My siblings! Sisters!Handsome men!We love this lady!The greatest parents!Daddy's girls!Have I ever mentioned how much I love my family?!?

Happy Birthday!!

My babies are 2! I can't believe it. These last 2 years have flown by. I love both of these boys more than anything. They bring so much happiness to my life and put a smile on my face every day! I feel so lucky to be their mom! Happy birthday Brady and Easton! I love you!

Evelyn Amanda Thompson

My Sweet Grandma passed away last night. We jumped in the car and are now in Utah to be with my mom and family. It is a bitter sweet day. We will miss her dearly but are so glad she has gone home to be with our Heavenly Father and my Grandpa Joe who passed away 12 years ago. The time I spent with my Grandma recently and the pictures I took with the boys are a gift I will cherish forever. My older sister Renee had taken her kids to visit her yesterday and were there at the time of her passing. Here is a brief description of what happened in my dad's words.

"It is with sadness that I announce the passing of Joeen's mother Evelyn earlier this evening. For some time the family has been aware of a growing aneurysm in her brain, for which there was not a reasonable option for treatment. Over the past year she had experienced increasing difficulty with confusion and balance and had suffered at least one stroke. Today she ruptured the aneurysm, and passed away peacefully shortly thereafter.

Her last awake moments serve as an appropriate metaphor for what was most important to Evelyn. Renee was visiting with her children, and Austin was running up to Great Grandma who started to lift him up. At that instant she collapsed into Renee's arms, and was gone. I can vision Evelyn's wonderful smile as Austin approached, and the gratitude she would have felt to have such precious visitors. Her life was completely devoted to her extended family, and it some how seems fitting that her last moments would have been shared with one of her beloved grandchildren and a great grandson, reaching out to greet them.

It is not often enough that I reflect on the blessing of a wonderful family, or credit Evelyn adequately for much of what is good and wonderful in my life. From the frozen plains of Northern Minnesota and Norwegian immigrant heritage, raised by a widow during the Depression, this shy, humble, and self effacing woman raised six wonderful children who returned her love with a host of charming grandchildren who adored her. All of her energy was expended loving and supporting her extended family
and honoring the faith she adopted after marrying her husband, Joe."

Like Father Like Sons...

Brady and Easton LOVE their dad and LOVE to do whatever he does. We had a relaxing conference weekend hanging out as a family. On Friday night we watched the BYU football game! The boys insisted on sitting on the couch by their daddy and yelling "touchdown". The next morning Ryan was doing his "perfect pushups" and Brady and Easton wanted to try. This is now their favorite thing to do! I love my 3 boys!