On the HomeFront

From the time Scott and Tosha arrived on Wednesday evening until they left--Scott on Sunday morning and Tosha and family on early morning Monday--I basically only saw them on Wednesday evening and at the funeral.  Despite that, I was so comforted by them being in town--both to honor their grandmother, but also to provide support to Gary and I and to Jena.  Knowing that they were here allowed us to be with Ben as much as we needed to be.  It allowed Gary to take a break from everything and enjoy a day at Lagoon on Saturday--his first break in weeks.  Their texts and calls along with those from Jessica helped us keep grounded during this hard week.

And Tosha took time away from her family to clean my refrigerator and organize my pantry--two tasks on my "to-do' list which I hadn't gotten to yet...and truly would still not have done without her help.  Gary told me that he tried to stop her, but not TOO hard!  I was so grateful.  Jena continued to take care of the laundry and other tasks as well that helped the house hold together.

Tosha left the bottom note on our bedroom wall and Jena added her own note as well.  (And she must have read Tosha's note, because when I went in to retrieve another laundry soap container, a new one was already in place.  Jena is the laundry master!

Lagoon was a big hit on Saturday---

This was Ava's first trip to Lagoon and at the age of 23 months, she was a daredevil and seemed to love it all.  There wasn't anything she wasn't willing to ride--even things that her mom and dad had to veto for her.

Austen's dad and step mom and other family members joined for the day as well so Niki, Cooper, and Ava were in heaven.

A sign that Gary took a picture of because he knew it would make me laugh later---

With Grandpa Russell

Jena and Ava driving through the mountains----

Scott and Gary were also there--although no photos of them.  They also ran into Elessia and Liam who were there on a mom-son date as a reward for getting his flu shot that morning. Everyone had a fun time together---they said they missed me, but with all of the family, I think they did fine without me!  I do wish that I could have been there.

Scott and Tosha and Austen and family were also able to spend some time with the Page cousins on Saturday night.  Then Tosha and Austen visited some other family on Sunday and then headed back for more time with their cousins.  Cousin time is special and I was grateful that they got to spend some time together outside the funeral day.

Even though I missed being with them, knowing that life was happening outside of the ER room and that Gary and Jena were being surrounded by family made a big difference for me. It allowed Gary and I to do what we felt was needed for Ben.  We are so blessed by their kindness and goodness.

Families are the best!