Our Spring Break started off with a great first day and then went down hill from there. We had a fun park day with a group of friends and the kids had a ball! Here are a few fun pics (the only pics of the week)...
Jens thinks he's a big kid now! This was our first time at the playground since he became a toddler on me, and I was so nervous about how he'd do, I knew the days of
sitting in the shade, chatting with friends were over, and I was afraid I'd be having a heart attack the whole time with him on the big playground. But he did great! I was still getting stuff out of the car and by the time I got to the sidewalk, I looked up to see him coming down the big slide! He LOVED the playground! He also loves being big brother's shadow, especially when there are balls around...
Pierce, Jens and cute Reese. Reese is one of my cute Activity Day girls, and she is a sports girl all the way! A great friend for Pierce. I love how Jens follows them around, "shooting" the ball, even though the hoop is miles away for him.
I
love this picture. Madi and her two best friends, Annie and Aubrey. These girls have so much fun together and play so well together. It is so fun listening to their fun and games. Love these toothless smiles, love these girls!
After our fun day at the park, Jensen came down with croup. He woke up at midnight Tuesday morning and I immediately knew he had croup. We have such bad luck with getting sick over school and holiday breaks! I thought we had over come it, but this school year it seems to be back with Madi getting sick on Christmas Eve and then this, (not to mention the week we've had this week - to come in our Easter post) It was really bad and he struggled through the night, which meant not much sleep for me or him. I took him to the Dr. first thing in the morning and they gave him a steroid shot. This took care of the awful strider, and made it easy for him to breathe again, but we were told he was still contagious for 5 days! So there went our plans for socializing with friends and cousins for the rest of the week! Bummer for the kids! Mark, Lisa and Baby Calvin were in town and I was so bummed I didn't get to see them. The kids were good to play with Jensen outside each day and that perked him up, I am grateful that they are so good to play with him, they are great big brother and sister to him!
On Wednesday evening I got a text from my friend April, that our friend Ashley's little girl, Amelia, had been life flighted to Primary Children's after being found under the water in her Grandma's swimming pool. I was shocked, panicked and heartbroken. Over the next 3 days Amelia lay in a coma, I prayed and pleaded with Heavenly Father to bless Kurt and Ashley with a miracle, to save Amelia. I know miracles happen everyday and I knew it was possible to have Amelia be saved, but after having lost little
Todd, I was so scared in the back of my mind thinking that she would die, it seems there are so many little souls being taking back to our Savior so early in these days. I felt as I could do nothing but pray, pray for Ashley and Kurt and pray for Amelia. It felt as though everything else going on in life was so insignificant, how could I think or worry about anything else when Ashley was sitting in the hospital with her baby girl, not knowing if she would survive. I was pretty much consumed with worry and did nothing for the rest of the week. I got an email from Ashley on Saturday night letting me know that they had decided to let Amelia go the next morning. I just sat and cried and cried. It seemed like too much of a heartbreak to lose such a sweet little girl, just 2 years old. My heart felt like it was breaking over and over for Ashley. On Sunday morning Jensen woke up early, I brought him in my bed with me and just held him and hugged him and cried, thinking of Ashley letting her baby girl go that morning. By Sunday evening I received word that Amelia had passed away.
I am including the beautifully written and inspiring words from Kurt and Ashley as they updated friends and family of Amelia's situation. Their faith during this heartbreaking trial is truly inspiring.
Kurt and I aren't the biggest users of face
book. We have been updating friends and family of our situation through
phone calls and others means. But we wanted to make this post to thank
everyone for all the prayers and love that has been sent our way, and to
let you all know of our situation.
Tragically we are faced with the reality of having to say goodbye to our sweet Amelia. As you may well know,
she was involved in a drowning accident. She was rushed to the hospital
and her family gathered round to give her a blessing before she was
life flighted to Primary Children's from St George. Being involved in
business at the airport, Kurt's dad and brother had the opportunity to
help load her and Kurt into the airplane in St George. After arriving at
the hospital in SLC Amelia was met by Elder Anderson of the quorum of
the twelve apostles. She was given a beautiful blessing by Elder
Anderson with her dad and his cousin Tim standing in. The next morning
the presidency and latter day twelve apostles meet in the temple and in
their prayer circle they prayed for our Amelia. We know 100 % recovery
was more then possible, but blinded by the Vail we know not the better
good nor the will of our heavenly father.
As the days
progressed, which seemed to us more like weeks, we were always faithful
that the Lord could grant us a miracle and bring our little girl back.
However we understood, and still do, that we do not know everything and
have accepted the fact that our way isn't the same as the Lord's way.
With that framework in mind we faced each hour holding our girls hand
and praying for her recovery.
As each minute slowly passed,
and we searched and prayed, we began to feel peace. In the midst of our
unspeakable trial we found ourselves calm and collected. We didn't and
haven't given up on our Amelia. But we felt the spirit so strongly
testifying to us that she was under the Lord's care and a full recovery
will be made of body and mind, it will not be here on this earth life
now.
Amelia has filled so many and touched so vast with little
tender mercies knowing she did not have much more time with her family
and friends.
Please remember her with happiness and know she
is working hard for her siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandpa,
grandmas, Mimi, papa, friends and all those she has meet here on earth
and in heaven. She wants us all to return to Amelia and Jesus.
There is a list of tender mercies of the Lord and tender mercies of
Amelia that have comforted us, many much too sacred to mention here. We
were able to have a small or rather large family pray with siblings and
our parents in a room here in the hospital and were able to share some
of these with our siblings and their children to help comfort them.
I know these coming days weeks months and years will be difficult for
us but we need to remember remember upon this tragedy miracles will never
cease, angles directed by Amelia will be assisting in the safe return
home of so many.
Thank you for the faith, keep it living.
Amelia's Journey Home
Amelia has never liked being indoors. Unless there are shows and
suckers involved and then one of her favorite places to be is what she
calls Amelia's House (pronounced Ya-ya's house).
As mentioned
in an earlier write up we found ourselves at an unthinkable juncture in
life. One in which we had to decide the fate of our little girl. As
difficult as one would think it to be, we already knew the answer.
Amelia was already free, we were the only ones holding her back at this
point. She had already put on her show and cause divided families, long
lost friends, and countless others to knock down walls of pride to
gather around her and each other so she could teach us all some lessons
and share with us some of her spirit.
This morning we took
Amelia off the ventilator. There was much that went into this decision
both medically and spiritually and I can tell you that we have never
been so sure and assured of anything as we were of this. The doctors
told us to expect something under an hour of her being able to sustain
her own life. They obviously thought this was an ordinary girl. She had
others things in mind. Amelia, being miss independent and always her own
boss, decided to show us who was really in charge. As Ashley and I held
her in our arms during the morning we enjoyed the peaceful presence of
the spirit of God and of our girl while cherishing the opportunity we
had to hold her (she is not into fuzzy hugs and snuggles. Head bonks and
best-friend beeps are more her style). After many hours singing to her
and kissing her we began to realize that we were going about this in
the wrong way, and Amelia wasn't going to go along with it unless she
got hers.
We made the decision to take Amelia to where she,
and the rest of us, really wanted to be. To Ya-ya's house! It seemed to
be the right thing to do and it turns out that it was. Getting a
drowning victim out of the hospital is no easy task. Technically we
couldn't take her since all drowning victims are supposed to be examined
by the State Medical Examiner according to Utah statute. But with the
help of an outstanding staff of not just medical professionals but also
compassionate people they made it happen. Strings were pulled and the
door was opened to take Amelia outside and get her homeward bound. This
is where she wanted to be, not in an ICU room connected to machines.
Although those ICU rooms are wonderful places where miracles happen
every day, it just wasn't right for our girl and she was letting us
know.
After Ash and the nurse got Amelia cleaned up and ready
to go in PJ's, I carried her down to the car. Ashley sat in the back
holding her little girl and we hit the open road. We drove out of the
Salt Lake Valley and down I-15 like we were busting out of jail.
Everyone was in a happier place, Amelia included.
Earlier this
same day I mentioned we were singing songs to Amelia thinking that we
were singing her to sleep, as we continued to peacefully roll down the
interstate that role reversed. Ashley was holding Amelia with her little
head nestled up against Ashley's neck and her precious arms over
Ashley's shoulders, holding on to Mommy. I had the pleasure and
privilege of watching this in the rear view mirror. Amelia's labored
breathing against Ashley neck was a sacred lullaby for Ash. Soon I saw
Ashley sleeping and Amelia peacefully resting on her mother's shoulder.
Sometime later, as we continued down the road I could tell Amelia's
breathing was getting softer and it started to fade from my ear. At that
same time Ashley slowly opened her eyes and looked at Amelia. As
Amelia's beautiful face came into Ashley's focus she drew one last
breath and let it out in a soft sigh and then lay still in her mother's
arms. Ashley and I looked at each other in the rear view and we didn't
have to say anything. We both knew that our little girl was leaving the
arms of her mother to be embraced in the arms of her Savior. We both
smiled at each other and enjoyed the silence and peace that the spirit
brings. Amelia was where she wanted to be and after she let her mom know
she loved her and sang her to sleep she left us for the eternal world.
Ashley and I have been privileged to know Amelia and to have her in our
lives. We will forever be changed from what she has taught us in the
short time that we had with her. Amelia is still with us and will
continue to teach us. She has changed venues in order to assist us in
obtaining salvation and to seize the opportunity to be together again.
She is here to help our family make righteous decisions and to comfort
us in times of trial. She is our beacon, our light on a hill, to help us
maintain direction in times of trouble. When we falter she will be
there to give us strength and reason to make the right choice. This
seems to be the theme of this tragedy. All who came into contact with
Amelia were touched by her irresistible spirit. She made friends out of
strangers. And this same little girl has inspired thousands to be
better people in order to get where she is now. This is our wish and
Amelia's, that all who were affected by this and touched by Amelia would
take this tragedy and use it for good. Use her example as a reason to
be a better individual so that you too may one day see Amelia be
welcomed into the arms of your savior as she has been.
Ash and I
have been surprisingly calm and comforted during this time. Never in my
life have I felt the hand of God working such miracles. We are
devastated to lose our little girl, but this pain is overpowered by the
happiness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and by the miracles that Amelia
was able to work with her little hands.
