Makezie 18th birthday

 Happy birthday to our beautiful Kenzie. I can't believe you would be 18. We miss you so much, but I know you are doing great things in heaven. 

Hope you are celebrating with all your sweet friends and family. Thank you for making me a mom 18 years ago and choosing me to be your mom. You changed me for the better, and I will always keep your memory alive.

Oh, the things I wonder, would you be driving, dating, working, would you have grown much taller if you got that healthy heart you really needed?

We celebrated you today by donating all the toys that your friends and family donated to your toy drive to Primary Children's Hospital this morning. I hope you know you have amazing people who love you so much. You definitely put your mark in this world and touched so many lives in your short time here with us. I am so beyond proud of you for who you are.

We also went and visited you today, ate Olive Garden for lunch, and did the startbucks challenge you wanted to do after your transplant. We miss you and love you so much and wish you were still here with us. Happy Heavenly birthday, sweet Angel. 

#HappyBirthdayKenzie #LoveLikeKenzie #findingjoyinourgrief #missmygirlalways #apieceofmyheartisinheaven #DonateLife 

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Paetyn 4 years old

 Happy birthday to our little caboose baby, Paetyn. I can't believe she is 4 already. In the first part of her life, she was raised in the hospital with just Kenzie and I, and she couldn't have come at a better time. She gave Kenzie and I so much joy on some of the hardest days that Kenzie went through being stuck at the hospital. She was able to get Kenzie to smile when she felt like crying. She was definitely the best therapy baby to not only us but to others at the hospital.  

Now she is 4 years old and is still the best therapy baby for me when I feel like crawling in a corner to cry. She loves everyone and loves to snuggle and play with her siblings. She still loves to nurse before bedtime. I finally got her fully potty trained 2 months ago. She was my most stubborn child when it came to potty training, but we did it before she turned 4, yay! 

Today, she wanted Oreo's for breakfast and wanted Sam's club pizza for dinner, lol. Unfortunately we didn't make it in time to get the pizza so she decided to eat at McDonald's with a play place. Then after we ate, she wanted to open presents at the cemetery with Kenzie and then had brownies. 

I love you, Paetyn, and I hope you had a happy birthday. Time really needs to slow down. But I'm so thankful I get the chance to watch you grow and learn

Paetyn wanted to have a party with some of her friends. She invited her friends to a birthday party that I wasn't aware of until I got asked if she was having a party because she invited their kid, lol. So I threw a party together at the last minute. Paetyn is obsessed with chucky, so we went with that theme, lol. So I made a chucky cake, made a pinata out of a cereal box, made a chucky toy box for a photo shoot, got some snacks, and called it good. Paetyn had so much fun just playing with her friend. It was simple but she had a blast

Paetyn Conversions 10/10/2023

 Conversion with paetyn as we spent the afternoon in the car together 

Paetyn "sometimes moms cry"

Me "yes, sometimes moms do cry and that's okay" 

Me " it's also okay to cry and be sad sometimes but then you have to try and pick yourself up so you're happy again cause you don't want to be sad all the time"

Paetyn "Like me, I cry a lot but then I get happy again"

Me "yes, you do. 

Paetyn "mom you cry a lot when you talk about Makenzie "

Me  "yes, I do. It's just because I love and miss her" 

Paetyn "I know,  it's sad that she passed away and went to heaven"

Me "yes, it is" 

Paetyn "I miss Makenzie too"

Me "Me too, sweetie. Me too"

Conversions like these are the best. Kids have such special spirits about them .

Braxton 16th birthday

 Braxton is pretty chill so he didn't want to do anything for his birthday besides hang out with fa

mily. Instead of picking a place to go out for dinner he wanted a tomahawk for dinner. It reminds be of the Flintstones, lol. He was loving it and the girls loved the bone as well haha. 

He got some fun presents from his sisters and wanted a cheesecake to celebrate his birthday!! 

I love him so much and love who he is becoming. 

Happy birthday again Braxton!! #16thbirthday

Bishopric

 Tyler has been in the Bishopric for the last 2 years with these amazing men. I always have a hard time when the bishop changes. Ever since we have been going back to church these past 14 years, we have been blessed with the most amazing Bishops, and Bishop Travis Perry   is no exception.  He has been there for our family through the most hardest time in our lives, with having to say goodbye to our sweet Makenzie. I will miss seeing the picture of you and Kenzie in the Bishops office. It always brought me joy every time I walked into the office. 

Bishop Perry went at least once a week to the hospital to see Makenzie even if she didn't talk to him or was having a hard day he would just sit and rub her feet or just sit by her. He showed that love to everyone in our ward, and today was a very bitter, sweet day for our ward. 

After him being the Bishop the last 5 years, today he and his counselors got released. Apparently, the Bishop couldn't look at me while he was bearing his testimony because I was crying, and he said, "I have to stop looking at Monica cause she is making me cry." Sorry Bishop, I have just come to love the person you are and how christ like you are to everyone. The next bishop has some big shoes to fill, but I know he will be just as great as all our other bishops we have had in the past. 

I have also seen Tyler Madsen grow these past few years as being the 2nd counselor and sitting besides these two amazing men. I have witnessed Tyler become closer to our savior Jesus Christ and watched him get out of his comfort zone and be more of a people person and show love to those who need it. 

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be able to support Tyler these past couple of years and become closer to our savior as a family. 

Last night, we had a BBQ with the bishop and all his counselors. He had the last 5 years and their families. It was such a perfect way to celebrate the last 5 years of friendship and service.

Makayla 10th birthday

 Happy Birthday to our spunky, shy but loving girl Makayla. We are so grateful she is apart of our family. I'm so grateful she still loves to snuggle me. She loves everything from dancing, camping, now fishing, playing with friends, and learning to play the piano. 

When she turned 1 years old we were camping in California, this year we got invited to go with some friends camping and it happened to land on her birthday this year. Today she got to pick all the meals, so she picked pancakes, strawberries whip cream, and lots of bacon. For dinner she wanted steak, potatoes and corn on the cob. The kids had so much fun fishing we skipped lunch.  We are so glad she had such a fun day. We topped off the evening with brownies and singing her happy birthday.  

We love you Makayla and glad you had a fun birthday camping with friends. 

Happy birthday sweet girl.