March highlights

 

Halle got her braces off on Tuesday March 15th!! It was a happy day for both of us. She looks even more beautiful and grown up! Three kids done with braces now and two more to go.  

The girls had fun trying on my wedding dress on March 16th.  They have tried it on several times over the last few years. I think Addy was three the last time she tried it on.  

On March 17th we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with our traditional green jello, gold coins, and mint ice cream. We also got to talk with Kenna on the phone that day. 

My sister Teenie flew in that day for a friends wedding.  My Dad paid for all of us to eat at Crowne Burger. We had fun eating, laughing, and talking.  It is the second time I have seen my sister this year!

We bought a hot tub for our backyard! Kev got it up and running on March 21st.  Halle and Parker came home from YM/YW on the 23rd and tried it out. The view from our backyard at night is beautiful! We can even see the temple.

We love that the weather is warming up again! Kev and I went for a Sunday walk on March 27th above our subdivision. 

Oakley Elizabeth Foster

 

I want to write down some of my thoughts about sweet baby Oakley. She is our cousin Preston and Melissa's daughter. She was only 8 months old when she passed away.  Oakley was such a beautiful, happy, and strong baby girl. Her sweet and resilient spirit has blessed all of us!  After we got this heartbreaking news I was thinking about a quote I had once heard that reminded me of her.  I searched and couldn't find it.  Then a couple weeks after her funeral I found it.  The quote is by our prophet Russell M. Nelson and it says, "A perfect body is not required to achieve ones divine destiny.  In fact, some of the sweetest spirits are housed in frail or imperfect bodies. Great Spiritual Strength is often developed by people with physical challenges, precisely because they are so challenged." 

Oakley and her twin sister Eleanor were born on July 7, 2021.  They were the 6th and 7th children to be born into the Foster family.  They had many siblings to love them and help take care of them. Sweet little Oakley started to have some serious health problems a couple weeks after she was born. She spent many of her months at Primary Children Hospital.  She had a feeding tube and a tracheotomy tube put in. 

We were able to drive up to Preston and Melissa's house in November to meet the twins. I loved being able to hold sweet baby Oakley for the first time! 

Halle also got to feed cute baby Ella.  I watched as Melissa lovingly took care of Oakley and told me about the lengthy process that they went through everyday to make sure she was cared for. 

Preston, Melissa, and the kids came out to our house for the Foster family Christmas party on December 12, 2021. 

It was no small effort for them to come and be there with us.  We loved having them in our home and another chance to hold those sweet babies. 

April was such a loving aunt to Oakley.  I love this picture of her holding her while the rest of us ate dinner. 

Addy also wanted a turn to hold Oakley.  Oakley was loved and adored by all of us!  You can also see that she was starting to put on some weight in this picture.  We were so happy that her health was improving. 

They had this picture taken of all seven of their kids at Christmas time. At the funeral all the kids took turns sharing their favorite memories of their baby sister. It was beautiful and brought me to tears. They talked about how Oakley and Chandler shared a special bond.  He even taught her how to shake her head to say no. 

This adorable picture was taken of the twins not long before Oakley passed away.  Her sweet little smile is priceless. Melissa shared at the funeral how Oakley had a speech therapist and a physical therapist that came to the house weekly.  She said that Ella would also join them in their activities. Melissa mentioned that Oakley only weighed one pound less than Ella at 8 months. 

We were all shocked when we heard of her passing. Oakley had been doing so good and this was very unexpected.  We are heartbroken for Preston, Melissa, and all the kids. Oakley's funeral was on Saturday March 26th. Both Preston and Melissa spoke at the funeral. I can't even imagine how hard that was for them.  They both gave a beautiful tribute to Oakley. Preston even sang Oakley's favorite lullaby that he sang to her every night.  

The siblings were all pallbearers and helped carry her casket. They all wore yellow that day in honor of Oakley.  Melissa shared how the color yellow is bright and happy like their baby girl.  It was also Uncle Brian's favorite color. 

Heather, Dan and their kids came down from WA for the funeral. The kids were happy to see their cousins. Austin and Cassie both rode with us in our car back to the church. 

Their ward members had a really nice lunch prepared for all of us. They even had snacks, juice boxes, and mac and cheese for all the kids.  You could tell how much they love Preston and Melissa's family. 

Kev was happy to hold our cute niece Ayla. She even made cooing noises at me when I talked to her. It brought us comfort to gather together as a family. 

Oakley couldn't have asked for better parents. I admire the Christlike way that they both cared for her.  They made so many sacrifices so that she could have the best life possible. Our hearts ache for them as they grieve.  I know the loss of Oakley has been devastating for them. Preston shared in his talk how he knows that he will see Oakley again someday.  We are grateful for this gift that we can be together again with our loved ones.

Family Ski Day

 

The kids had Monday March 14th off from school.  We stayed an extra night at our hotel in Logan.  We drove that morning to Beaver Mountain Ski Resort. It was our first time skiing there.  Kenna used to ski there the winter she was at Utah State. We even got to Facetime with her in the afternoon since it was her p-day. 

It was fun trying out all the runs that were new to us.  We even had good snow for skiing.  The other bonus of if being a Monday was that it was not busy.  

A nice man at the top offered to take a picture of all of us. 

Halle and Hayden found this swing set by the kiddie runs.  They also had fun trying out the magic carpet and reminiscing about when they first learned to ski. 

Parker's skiing has improved a lot this season.  He got new ski's for Christmas and has gone a few times with friends.  He decided to full send it down the mountain sitting on his ski's.  It was funny to hear the reactions of everyone that saw him fly by!  We had a fun day skiing together! 

Ayla's blessing day

 

We drove up to Logan on Saturday March 12th.  We stayed the night at a hotel so we wouldn't have to get up extra early the next day. It ended up being a smart choice since it was daylight savings and we lost an hour of sleep.  We were able to drive into Hyrum and make it on time for the blessing at 9. Spence gave Ayla a beautiful blessing. His Dad Ken played a musical number for the meeting. We always enjoy hearing him play the piano!

We went over to their clubhouse afterwards to have brunch.  It was fun to hang out and talk with everyone. I enjoyed talking with Megan's mom.  She wanted to know how Kenna was doing on her mission. Her youngest son is getting his mission papers ready right now.  

 

It was fun having Heather, Dan, and the cousins come down for the blessing. Hayden enjoyed hanging out with Logan. 

Halle was happy to have a turn holding sweet baby Ayla.  Grandma Sue made the dress Ayla wore for the blessing.  She also made a similar one that all my girls wore. 

Both Kev and Dan took a Sunday nap afterwards. I couldn't resist taking this picture of them. 

Heather, Dan, and the cousins came over to the hotel we were staying at to swim. 

Logan loves to swim and jumped over and over again into the pool.  Parker entertained us with his loud belly flops. 

We went back to Spencer and Megan's townhome to have dinner and hangout.  The guys smoked a delicious brisket for everyone.  We are happy we were there for Ayla's blessing and that the kids got to spend more time with cousins.

Weekend at the cabin

 

We went up to the cabin on Friday March 4th.  We ate dinner and then just relaxed and watched a movie. 

Addy fell asleep while we were watching.  She looked so peaceful sleeping there. 

I came up to the mud room to find this sight.  Halle had left her snow boots attached to her pants. She even put her goggles on the doll head she found in the toy room. It really did look like a body laying there!

In the afternoon we put the snowmobiles on a trailer and drove up to Smith and Morehouse. This time we took a left instead of going up around the reservoir. It was fun exploring a new area. 

The snow that was coming down was thick and wet. Addy and I took this selfie when we stopped for a minute. 

We drove on a bridge right over this river. 

The snow did let up after awhile and we could see the sky again. 

Hayden had fun making snow balls and Parker took off to play in the powder. 

It was nice to get back in the car and warm up with the heater.  Hayden made this lovely face on my window. 

Halle's 15th birthday!

 

Halle turned 15 years old on Wednesday March 2nd! It just happened to be her early out day from school. 

We took some pictures of her before we left to do our birthday traditions. 

Our first stop was to get some Waffle Luv.  

Then we went to the balloon store. She picked out a cute sunflower mylar one. It was a beautiful spring day! It even reached 70 degrees. 

Halle was so excited to go to the puppy store. She chose out this cute dog to hang out with.  He even took a short nap in her arms. 

Halle wanted to eat at Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner.  Parker told them it was her birthday and they brought her out a pazookie. We came home and she opened her gifts from us.  Some of her favorite gifts were a thread wallet, a lamp, and a plug in scentsy for her room. 

We had a family party for her on Sunday March 6th. She was happy that her grandparents and some of her cousins could come.  She wanted cupcakes with chocolate covered strawberries for her birthday dessert. I had fun making them for her. 

We sang to her and she opened up presents from the rest of the family.  She got to celebrate all week long.  One of the highlights was that she got to talk with  Kenna.  It has been a memorable year for Halle. She loves to babysit! She loves animals and really wants a dog.  She enjoys taking piano from her grandpa and is learning to play the James Bond theme song. She has excelled in ballroom dance and can't get enough of it. She is really looking forward to getting her learners permit so she can practice driving. We are grateful for the love and kindness she brings to our family! We love our Halle!