She is clothed in STRENGTH and DIGNITY, and she LAUGHS without fear of the future.

My mini me looks so much like me when I was a child that it freaks me out! It is so funny to go through my baby pictures because you can see my personality throughout the pictures and Madi's is so much like mine it is just so weird. Guess she is going to be a totally amazing, awesome person like her mom :)

In other news, Gracie taking her hair out of her bows got on my last nerve so I cut her bangs that were totally in her eyeballs. The second I did she smiled so big and started posing. I have the cutest little pictures of her today.

I didn't tell her to smile or look at me one single time! She instantly pulled out her own natural sass and model talents!! Is she not the cutest little sweetie ever??? And why have I not done bangs on her sooner? That is the real question! She rocks this look!! 

And not to leave Brody out, he also got a hair cut today but he decided to whine the entire time and nonstop afterwards too which is SO A.N.N.O.Y.I.N.G! I'm for sure he will out grow this little stage by his second birthday!! ;) 

Because no weeks is ever accident free, below is Madi's shiner. She now climbs on and off our bed and her climb off this morning wasn't as graceful as it usually is. We are going to wrap the kids in bubble wrap and call it a day! 

Just another day in our amazingly, wonderful, richly blessed LIFE :) 

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Eight years. I remember when my dad became sick and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. I remember the C word which to this day is the worse word there is. I remember a painful journey, many sleepless nights, and unforgettable memories that were being made. I remember the beauty of death and God's presence. These events are still as if they happened yesterday.
I remember telling myself to just get through it. To make it one more day. I remember thinking to myself that 10 years from March 20. 2004 it wouldn't feel like it did. That I would be better.
In some ways I am better but those weeks leading up to March 20th 8 years ago forever changed my life. I was 17 years old when he died. I remember thinking that 46 was too young to die and also being so thankful that I had put together a surprise birthday party for him when he turned 46.
You see my family forever changed when my Dad went Home. It was so evident that he was the glue that held everyone and everything together. Our family had issues as does everyone's. Maybe ours were bad but he still held everything together. Looking back I can't imagine the load he carried.

My mom, dad, and me 

There are so many things that remain in my mind consistently about my dad. Experiences that still to this day are thought about. We had a lake house when I was growing up. My dad built it. We would go every weekend. When I think about my childhood that is what it was. Going to the lake house and going boating every weekend. My dad was an awesome skier. He skied on one ski and I thought it was really cool. I wanted to ski to. Skiing looks a lot easier than it is. He set out to teach me how to ski. It took forever and I wanted to give up so many times. I think I was so mad I was in the water crying but you know what? He wouldn't let me give up. I learned how to ski that day and was the happiest girl in the world because of it.
I often wonder in what capacity will my children know my dad. For me that is the biggest loss my kids have is not having my father here. I know for sure that I want my kids to know about my father and his life but I struggle with taking them to his grave site. I don't go there often. Pretty much once a year to clean it off and make sure it's okay. I know he isn't there so I feel weird being there. It's something I still work through but know our children will know him.
I have so many goals in life because of my dad. He was the hardest worker I've ever met in my life, literally.
I am so grateful that Ricky knew my father and they were so close. They were amazingly close and loved each other very much. The one regret I have is that I don't have a single picture of Ricky and my dad.
After all these years I know that God has a purpose and a plan for each of us but it is still hard to understand why he had to take him. I just have to trust and have faith that there is a greater purpose.
Today is the first day of spring. March 20, 2004 I thought to myself, what a beautiful day to go to Heaven.

Krista

This picture was the last picture we took together on Ricky's birthday in February. I  never would have thought I only had a month left with him.