We Miss You Dad!!!

It's been 18 months since my Dad passed away on

February 24th, 2008.

The past 18 months have had their bittersweet moments.

On February 24th, just 6 days after Lainie was born, my dad died of cancer. He got to see a picture of her before he went though.

While life and time are flying by and our kids are growing up so fast, I think of how long my dad has been gone and it seems crazy, like he has been gone way longer than just a year and a half.

I miss him everyday!

Here are some pics of my dad with the boys over the last few years.

Dad and Logan

March 2006

This was taken in Lubbock, Texas, where my parents served a mission for our Church.

Dad getting kisses from Jacob

Feb. 2007 - My parents home in Utah

Dad with Jacob and Nash
Feb. 2007

Dad and Logan
May 2007 - Our house in Albuquerque
This is after my Dad was diagnosed and was doing chemo treatments.

Dad & Mom with the boys
May 2007 - Albuquerque

Dad with Jacob
Jan. 2008 - My parents house in Utah

Me (8 months prego with Lainie), my Mom
Logan, Nash, and Dad holding Jacob
Jan. 2008

This was taken the last day I saw my Dad. Ragan took a bunch of pics for me and then we flew home that morning. I was so far along with Lainie that this was the last trip I could take before he passed away.

I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life and the beliefs that I have, knowing that someday I will see my Dad again. This doesn't mean that I don't miss him all the time - I still cry and I laugh and smile too, sometimes through the tears, at all the great memories I have of my Dad. He was such a great person and Dad! I even miss the "Flairs" he would give me.

We MISS You DAD!!! We are doing our best to keep your memory alive so that your grandkids will know what a great man you were!!! We LOVE YOU!!!!!

Our Baby is 18 Months Old

When did this happen???

Where is my baby and who is this little girl???

Where did the time go???

I cannot believe that Lainie is 18 months old already, as of yesterday. It has just gone by so fast and thank goodness for cameras so that I will always have the pics to remind me that she really did use to be a little baby.

Here are some pics to celebrate her year and a half mark - I've been snapping photos for several days now.

Here is my Big Grown up Girl!

Love her smile!

Here she is 18 months ago!

Totally posing for me.

She is just so much FUN!!!

Looks like she is bowing, but was really leaning towards the camera being cheesy!
Still cute!

She is so happy after her nap!

Looking at her pretty toes!

Diving away from getting her pic taken.

The past 18 months have flown by, but I wouldn't trade or change any moment that I have got to spend with my little angel. Lainie truly is such a bright spot in our family! I don't know what we would have ever done without our sweet girl!

Lainie is up to the usual things that girls her age are doing I'm sure, but it is all new to us to watch a girl do things around here.

*She loves soft things - blankets, stuffed animals, my hair. She just rubs anything soft against her face and makes the cutest sounds. She loves stuffed animals, but prefers dogs. She evens barks whenever she sees any animal - live or stuffed. It's so cute!!!

*She is such a picky eater! She's small for her age and won't help change that with her picky appetite. So, she gets some things that are less than healthy sometimes. She loves french fries and cheese. She's also trying cereal fruit bars and gets veggies if I hide them under pasta. Crazy how picky this girl is!

*She has a fiery temper - don't know where that came from - and let's you know if she is unhappy. But on the other side, she is so sweet and loving. She loves to give hugs and kisses and will even say "Love you!" if you are lucky to hear it since she practically whispers it and hides on your shoulder.

*She loves to run and play with the boys and can be pretty rowdy! But she is also so girly about everything she does. The way she walks, holds her hand, and even how she eats. It's funny to watch her and her girly ways!

We LOVE YOU Lainie!!!

1st Day of School

Wow! The summer went faster than I could have imagined and I now have two boys in school starting their second week already. Nash is in the 2nd grade this year and loving it so far. Jacob is now a KINDERGARTENER! He loves it!!!

So, the first day went really well! We ran ahead of schedule so we actually found a parking spot, which is a miracle at the school. We took Nash back to his area to find where his class goes and he found his friends right away and started catching up with them. After wishing Nash a great day, Jacob and I headed to the Kindergarten section of the school. I have been so nervous about how he was going to handle the separation - full day kindergarten is a big adjustment from preschool! We walk up and he sees the playground and his eyes just grow huge with his excitement. So, I tell him he can go play if he wants to and he launches his backpack at me and takes off for the slide before I can finish the sentence. The bell rings, so I explain that we need to get him in line for class. Told him bye and have a great first day and he walked into class and didn't even look back. He was a champ!

I, on the other hand, handled it not as gracefully! Got to my car and the tears started welling up in my eyes. Why is it so hard to let go that first time? I've been so excited for him to go and learn new things and grow, but everyday I'm just so excited to pick my boys back up and hear about their adventures at school. They are so funny - the whole ride home they are comparing everything they did during the day from what they ate for lunch, what they learned, how many recesses they got and on and on. It's fun listening to them and they don't even realize they are getting along while doing it! YEAH!!!!

Jacob - 1st day of Kindergarten

Aug. 2009

Nash - 1st day of 2nd grade

Aug. 2009

Nash and Jacob

They are so excited for their first day of school.