A Strange, New World of Grief

The girls and I are navigating our way in new, uncharted waters.  I have never experienced this kind of grief before; up close and personal.  We are missing a vital member of our little family.  It's truly a day-to-day thing; the girls have lost a parent, and I have lost my partner, backbone, supporter, person always on my side who knew me better than anyone else.   With God's help, we will keep on going.  The garden will get planted, but won't be as lush, the family traditions will go on, but won't have the same feeling.  We will create new traditions as a new family unit. 
Things will never be quite the same, but we will still be okay.

Hello from Maggie

A Saturday at the Zoo!

While Sadie spent the weekend away, Maggie and I went to the zoo.   We did the pony ride, the train ride, and the zoo walk.   What a great day.

Maggie needs her sleep....

Ever since the spring time change, Maggie has been more and more tired and grumpy.  She needs her sleep, and on school nights she sometimes stays outside until dark, which has left her tired.    Last night I pushed her to get her into bed, and she was asleep before 8:30.   What a difference a good night's sleep makes! 

Easter 2012

Our tradition is to take Easter morning pictures underneath the bois d arc tree in the front yard, but this year,  rain kept us from it.   What sweet girls I have.  Later in the day, Maggie and her cousin Harper used their Innotabs together.

Second Grade Musical - A Texas Hoedown

  Maggie's second grade musical was a Texas Hoedown.  It was so adorable.   It was on a Thursday, the first Thursday since we buried Keith, and it was a day when I really wanted to climb into a hole and pull the hole in after me.    But attending the musical was a great lift.   The kiddos did a great job.  I found a western shirt for Maggie at the thrift store, and added some pink ribbon to embellish it a bit.  We also bought her a pair of cowgirl boots and the outfit was complete.    Sadie was a great sport, because we arrived over an hour early to get front row seats.   She was a trooper about the long wait.

Maggie's School egg-hunt

Maggie and I created this bag last night for her second grade egg hunt today.  She didn't have a basket, and I don't like the baskets anyway.  So, she sewed on the button under the bow and we sewed this together.    Each child at the egg hunt had an egg with their name on it, but someone else picked up the MAGGIE egg, so we had some nervous moments looking for it.   As a result, she didn't pick up very many eggs.  I was glad I was there to comfort her until her egg showed up.   When you are seven, these little things are a big deal.

Looking for the missing MAGGIE egg.....