This is the photo I used to put Evan into our Camo pic. I just changed his shirt :)
We were going to a ward Luau in '04. This was just months before he was diagnosed.
I love this one of him in our flower garden with the tulips at our home in Layton, UT. This was the spring before he was diagnosed in July. I loved all the tulips we got at that house! They grew almost like weeds, even in the backyard grass! As I'm watching our bulbs ascend in our garden here, I'm reminded of springtime at the Layton house.
I will probably use this one to put above our family someday as he's "watching over" us.
I've been working on this for days (naptimes and after bedtimes, including mine :) and it's finally finished! Taken in '09 at the cabin. I'm hanging this (enlarged to a 16x20) in our family room, otherwise known as the "Elk Room". Now I've got to find a frame. Know of any Camo frames? J/K :)
(PS - it didn't need to take me as long as it did, but given my level of experience with Adobe, plus losing my first almost finished work (seriously, I was just about ready to order it late one night when my battery died on my laptop, it wasn't saved, and I had to redo all my work. Lesson learned.)
I'm grateful that Jared has a good job. I found myself complaining today about him just finding out that his night float starts tonight. A night float is a night shift for a month, that each resident gets about twice a year, and Jared has it for the month of December. He was planning on beginning it tomorrow night, but called me from work today to tell me that he found out that he'll be working tonight as well. I felt bad for him, he'd gone to bed a little late last night, and has been working since 6 this morning. He'll be back home tomorrow morning sometime to sleep, then get up to go to work at 7pm tomorrow. But as I was talking about this to the cashier while I paid for Kyle and Jace's winter coats (I don't know how I got so chatty, but there wasn't anyone behind me, so I wasn't keeping anyone waiting!) Wait, I know why, because he called to tell me while I was checking out. I thought how ironic it was that I was buying these coats with the money that he earned at this job he has. With so many hard times in the economy, I was embarrassed and quickly told the cashier that I am grateful that he has a job :) By the way, he loves his job, and comes home tired, but really happy, especially on days that he gets to bring new babies into the world. That's a blessing in itself!
I'm grateful for my warm shower. 'nuf said.
I'm so grateful that there is a sweet lady in my ward that let me come to her house, bring my kids to play with her kids, while she cut my long overgrown split-ended hair that was driving me nuts! I feel so much better now :)
P.S. for Evan's birthday tonight, we lit 9 candles in each of our icecream bowls ( 2 per kids; 1 for mom) and sang to him. Then the kids wrote something Christlike that they can do this month onto a chain link, and made a paper chain for Evan's Christmas tree. (It's the one with red bows on it, that a family left it at our doorstep while he was sick, with dollar bills tied to each bow). They also get to put another link on each time they do a Christlike deed. Jace picked our song, "A Child's Prayer", which is kind of our theme song for Evan - his grave stone has "of such is the kingdom of heaven" engraved on it. And the kids got to open a present, things I've been meaning to give them anyway: Winter stuff - coats for Jace, Kyle, and Cami, and boots for Kyle and Lance. It was a nice evening, only we were missing two people: Daddy and Evan.
This music is amazing. It is called "Gracie's Theme" from the album, "Sacred Piano". I want this CD for Christmas if anyone in my family wants to know (hint, hint). It's been out for a while, but I was just browsing on the composer, Paul Cardall's website just now. He was here in St Louis last week visiting a girl at SL Children's Hospital with Congenital Heart Disease, which he was also born with.
I had the privilege of hearing one of Paul Cardall's firesides with my mom about 10 years ago in Utah and knew I wanted to hear more. Years later, I got to know Paul's mom through working with her in the Relief Society Presidency. She was our Stake Relief Society President, and was such a joy to work with and cry with. I love her! For Christmas, she gave me her son's CD, "The Christmas Box", along with the book, "The Christmas Box" by Richard Paul Evans. (Another fav book I have!) And if you haven't read or heard either of those, I highly recommend them. In fact, if you're my neighbor, I'll give you one for Christmas, 'cuz I have a whole box of them that I bought just for the occasion :)
I know I may be sounding like an advertisement, but I really like both of these artists' work. Paul Cardall also just came out with this new book. The following quote is a press release about his latest book titled, "Before My Heart Stops".
"Doctors told four-time Billboard charting pianist Paul Cardall without a heart transplant he would die. And if he was fortunate to live long enough to receive one, he would most likely not survive the surgery.
...Tens of thousands of fans offered support, but it was the love of his three-year-old daughter that motivated him to endure countless painful procedures which gave him a second chance at life....
Cardall now shares his story in a new book, Before My Heart Stops, offering insights and wisdom into matters of love, gratitude, overcoming trials, and fulfilling your destiny. After reading his story, you may ask yourself, “what do I need to do before my heart stops?”
P.S. "Living for Eden" is also another really great album that he wrote and I really like but don't have yet ;)
This is my Evan. Wait, Jared says he's his Evan, too (gotta love back seat readers!) All of us are missing him especially today, on his Angel Day, or Freedom Day, as we sometimes call it. Tonight, for Evan Time we went through photos that we haven't looked at in way too long. I came across this one. I think he's about 18 mo. here at our Layton home.
We also listened to a song that someone wrote about him, his brothers, Jace and Lance (they loved hearing their names), Cool Ranch Doritos, Ramen Noodles, Mom and Dad, and dancing. He loves country music, especially Shania Twain (no influence from his mother), and this song is very country :). I remember thinking it was a pretty goofy song as I listened to it with Evan while he was sick, but today it jerked tears out of me. So many funny things about him that we loved!! I cannot believe it has been 6 years.
Anyway, Kyle and Cami's name is not in the song, but Kyle gets to share Evan's name (in his middle name), and (this is a little stretch, but) Cami's doctor's name was "Evan" when she was born, overseeing Jared's catching job ;)
We live a bit too far to visit his grave, but we have sweet people taking care of it for us, and I have this sweet photo that we took on Memorial Day before we moved.
We are looking for a tree to plant here so that the kids and we can have an "Evan place" for anything we would have taken to his grave.
Ah! We miss you, Evan! Can't wait to see you again!
Someday, it will be all of us, but until then, I will be photo-shoppin':
I made this for one of my family's Christmas gifts. As I went through a few of Evan's non-digital photos, I found this and love it. You may not be able to see that he's wearing his cap inside out. Classic.That's a friend that came to play for a day every week on his mom's "Day off". Isn't that a brilliant idea? I'll have to put that one in my list of things to do. Evan and Jace loved having him over. Great times.
While I'm reminiscing, here's another one. Miss those blue eyes. We used to take Jace and Evan in the bike trailer and ride to the park. He loved chasing the ducks there. This is in the spring before he was diagnosed in July. That boy had energy. I miss hearing his feet clomping up and down the house!
