Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day was a great break from work and school this year. We had the opportunity to spend some time with family and do some service for Kyle's Grandma Robbins at the same time. First we attended the Spanish Fork Cemetery where Kyle's sister Natalie was performing the National Anthem with her choir group. Then we went up to another cemetery in Provo to visit Kyle's little sister Lacey's grave site. Finally, we went up to Salt Lake to visit Grandma Robbins and help her move her old fence out of the way so she could get her yard ready for the new fence to come in. It was a really humbling experience for me because I had thoughts about not wanting to help and wanting to just relax. Then while we were working, she came outside to watch us and broke down in tears. She told RaeAnna and Chelle, Kyle's mom and sister, that we were an answer to her prayers. She was going to get out there the next day and do it all by herself.

I realized once again how important serving others is. You never know when something as simple as moving a pile of wood can mean the world to someone else. I need to make sure that I keep this experience in my mind so that whenever there is a service opportunity, I will remember how important it could be to someone else.

So here are some pictures from our fun weekend....

Gabbie just looked too cute in this outfit. I loved how her hat matched her shorts outfit.

We are waiting for the choir to start singing and Gabs was a little fussy so she went for a walk with her Uncle Jake and Aunt Lydia.

We found this cute jacket at Kid to Kid for really cheap and were really grateful that it was packed in the diaper bag as it turned out to be a cold, rainy day.

Visiting Lacey's grave site has meant a lot to me on the occasions that Kyle and I make it up there. I know from all the stories the family shares about how special this little girl was and is. She means so much to Kyle and has helped him through some really tough times. Gabbie has a picture of Lacey hanging in her bedroom, over her bed and we like to tell her that she is being watched over by her aunt. Here I am talking to Gabbie about her Aunt Lacey.

Daddy wanted us to pose for the camera (this doesn't happen very often as I am still uncomfortable with the way I look after having a baby).

One of the most exciting things about this special weekend was that Kyle's little brother Jake was able to be home for a few days during the weekend. We love when he is around and have sorely missed him. He and Kyle have a very special relationship that I at times do not understand, but I am so grateful that they can share things with one another and just listen.

Kyle was practicing some of his defense moves he learned from his training for his job. Jake was her practice partner.

We sure love it when we get to spend special times like these with our family!