Remembering Kate

In the past, Memorial Day meant nice weather, going to the lake or camping or just enjoying time away from home. In the future, Memorial Day will be a very special day for us.....as we reflect on the life of Kate and how she brought us so much joy and happiness. I have to admit that things have not gotten easier with time. In fact, I feel that as time goes on.....the pain of losing Kate has been much greater. We did, however, spend a few days in Fillmore this weekend and were able to spend some time at the cemetery. In my personal opinion, I feel that the Fillmore Cemetery is one of the most beautiful, well kept cemeteries I have seen. I am so glad we made the decision to have Kate buried there.

When I think of Kate, I think of lady bugs. She is our sweet little Kater Bugs and I wanted to do something different for her grave site, hence the ladybug theme. I think it turned out really cute. We were finally able to pick out a headstone. Apparently, it takes about 3 months for it to arrive. We're still hoping that we can have it here by her birthday in July, but it's not a guarantee. I'll be excited to get it here and set.

We enjoyed spending time with my family this weekend. Here are some cute pictures of Mia at Grandma Roper's house.

1st Photos

Mia had her first photo shoot at 3-weeks-old. I'm so glad that I decided to have her pictures taken early because she has changed so much just in 2 weeks. I think they turned out darling....considering what we went through. After going pee pee 3 times without her diaper on, feeding her every 1/2 hour to keep her calm and 3 1/2 hours later....we got some great shots. These are some of my favorites.

Good Food, Good Friends and FUN!!!

I had the opportunity to get together with some of my very good friends from college. I lived with these girls my senior year at SUU.....GO T-BIRDS! It's hard for me to believe that I have been graduated for 7 years. Where has the time gone? It was so much fun because I was able to see Summer's darling baby, Taylor for the first time. She and Mia are just 2 weeks apart. We had so much fun eating yummy food and reminiscing about the good ol' days.

Miles & Miles & Miles of Smiles!!!

Miss Orem

My cute cousin Kandice was a contestant of the Miss Orem pagent last night. My mom, my 2 sisters-in-law, Kirstin and SuSan, my niece, Drew and I ditched the hubbys for the night and had so much fun at the pagent. Kandice did such a great job and walked away as the 2nd runner up. The best part was the talent portion of the pagent. While all the contestants did either a song or dance number, Kandice rocked the competition with a karate/numchuck routine. She has been involved with karate for many, many years. It was amazing!! We are so happy for her. Congrats Kandice!

It's What Being a Mom is All About!!!

Who says a 3-week-old can't smile????

I had the most fabulous Mother's Day! I love being a mom and I feel so blessed to have two beautiful daughters, both whom I love very much. I also feel so lucky to have an amazing husband. This year I told Bryan I didn't want him to buy me anything for Mother's Day because I feel like I already have the best gifts any mom could ever have. Being the sweet man he is, he went out and bought the same dress for Mia that Kate was buried in. We had talked about getting the dress for Mia as a remembrance, but we just put it on the back burner. But, Bryan never skips a beat. It was such a sweet surprise. I also woke up to breakfast in bed. Bryan had gotten up early and made homemade (yes, I said homemade) Belgium waffles and eggs....probably the BEST waffles I have ever had.

We spent the afternoon yesterday with Bryan's parents and then drove to Fillmore and spent the evening with my family. My brother Jordan, who is on a mission in Texas, called and we got to visit with him for a bit. The highlight of my day, though, was spending some time at the cemetery. I always feel such a peace when we go visit Kate's grave site.

We still haven't chosen a headstone yet, but we're hoping to have it picked out and here before Kate's birthday.

SISTERS!!!

Kate at 3-months-old

Mia at 2-weeks-old

I'm trying to decide what similar traits Kate and Mia have. I must say that they are completely different.....except for the hair! Looking back at pictures, Kate had a lot more hair and it was quite thick. Even though Mia has a lot of hair, hers seems to be a little lighter and finer. There is one difference between the two of them.....Kate LOVED bath time. Mia......not so much! In fact, Mia's bath time is cut short every morning because she screams and screams until I take her out and cuddle her.

I took Mia to her 2 week appointment yesterday. She has packed on a pound since last week and has grown 1 3/4 inches. She currently weighs 7 lbs. 9 oz. and is 19 3/4 inches long.

Sleep Deprivation =

1. a sufficient lack of restorative sleep over a cumulative period so as to cause physical and psychiatric symptoms and affect routine performances of tasks or:

2. saying really funny, entertaining things in your sleep

We had a late night the other night and didn't end up getting into bed until about midnight. Since Mia has been sleeping in our room, she seems to always want to wake up for a midnight snack. So, I got her out of bed and started feeding her. Bryan started dozing off to sleep. Just then he mumbles, "I don't have to get up." I said, "I know you don't." He didn't respond back, so I figured he was just talking in his sleep. A few minutes later he says, "I don't have to get up.....the boobies are upstairs." WHAT??? I started laughing so hard and he didn't even stir. The next day I asked him about it and he had no recollection of the incident. It's experiences like this that make lack of sleep all worth it :) Poor Bryan!

The Happy Couple....

Weston & Kirstin Roper

May 2, 2008

This weekend my younger brother, Weston, was married. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Kirstin, his bride, did a fabulous job with the decorations as well as all the other details. She really needs to go into the wedding business. We are so excited for the both of them and to have Kirstin part of our family.

For favors, Kirstin carmel dipped all these apples.....they sure were a hit!!

We were a little worried that Mia's dress was going to drown her, but it ended up fitting perfect!

Happily Ever After!!!

Amber

I know I have said this in previous postings, but we were so blessed to have had Amber as Kate's home health nurse. She was heaven sent and brought so much comfort to us when Kate came home with her trach. I know it's so cliche to say that things happen for a reason. I honestly don't know how we would've done it without her help. She has become such a good friend of mine and I'm grateful for her friendship. She just found out that she is expecting her first baby and we couldn't be happier for her.

I was going through my pictures thinking I had a picture of Amber and Kate. I couldn't believe that I didn't take one picture. So I took one with her and Mia.

Mia has been such a good baby. She is starting to be awake more during the day, which is so much fun. Her appetite has increased and she has been gaining weight....(I was a little worried about that) but it feels like I am feeding her ALL the time. I forgot what it's like to have an infant again.....I just want her to stay this small forever :)