Visit with Grandma and Grandpa: Part 2

The second day they were here we had a nice relaxing day at home and took a trip to the park down the road.

Caleb had his first ride in the swing -- our little slug! The boys loved having Grandma around.

She is the greatest grandma. She was always so sweet with Caleb. He'd snuggle with her forever if we let him.

Meanwhile, Don took the train down to the city and enjoyed walking around downtown. That evening, Lori and I drove down to the city to meet up with the guys to go to Beauty & the Beast. It was so awesome! I loved it!

The music is so fun and it was nice to have a night out -- although I was a little worried about Caleb being with a babysitter for the first time. But he was just fine and we had a great time. We ate McDonalds ice cream cones on our walk back to the car.

Day three we were going to bike along the lake, but it was way too hot and muggy, so we opted to go to the local market instead.

That afternoon Grandma and Grandpa took the boys to see Cars 2 at the theater. After that, Aaron and his parents drove to the airport to pick up Luke and then into the city for a few hours.

Stay tuned...

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa: Part 1

Aaron's parents came to visit! The boys didn't know they were coming and were thrilled to find them in our basement one morning. Our first stop was to the Morton Arboretum.

It was a super hot and humid day, but we had fun and especially enjoyed dipping our feet in the water.

All the flowers and trees are so pretty and it was fun to have two people who appreciate them along for the ride.

That night when we got home I decided last minute to join Aaron in the city for a social gathering with some co-workers. We went out for dinner with just the two of us and I was so grateful for our wonderful babysitters at home!

Funeral trip

Caleb and I took a quick trip to Utah for my Grandpa's funeral. It was a short visit, but packed with fun and a lot of tears too. It was a very emotional couple of days -- crying hard, laughing hard, feeling the Spirit, etc. I'm so glad I was able to be there.

It was fun to show off Caleb. My dad couldn't believe Caleb is the same baby he saw 7 weeks ago. Cousin Addy was a great helper, and a beautiful one too! All the Berkey kids enjoyed helping with bottle time.

And their beautiful momma was a pro at bouncing!

The first comment always made about Caleb was his size. He is one week younger than his 2nd cousin Tate and check out the size difference!

My sweet grandma was glowing the whole time. It was so beautiful to watch her. I was particularly touched whenever she approached the casket. There is no question that Grandpa was the love of her life and seeing her with him was to witness pure love. The day of the funeral when she said her final goodbyes before they closed the casket, she kissed him right on the lips. It was so sweet, not weird at all, as if he was just taking another one of his naps. I love them! One of the speakers at the funeral said their relationship shows you what the gospel can do for a righteous man and a righteous woman -- so true. She wrote this poem in the days after his death:

What is the aching I feel deep inside

I've never felt it before.

I can't hear you speak, I can't feel your touch,

I can't hear your shoes on the floor.

Yet, also I'm feeling a peace I do know,

I have felt it before.

A spirit so calming and filled with great love

A feeling so sweet and so sure.

Oh, thank you dear Savior, for caring for me

And my family I love so dear.

Please stay with us, be with us,

Help us to know thy Spirit will always be near.

The funeral service was the best I've ever attended. (I just listened to it again online and it was still amazing!) The veil was thin. It was so spiritual, so filled with love and such a wonderful tribute to Grandpa and the life he led. He was such an incredible man, so full of love, and as someone mentioned during the funeral, it is so ironic that he died of a weak heart. His heart was the strongest part of him. After the services we all drove to Franklin, Idaho for the burial. Here's a quick shot of my immediate family that was able to be there -- man, did we have fun together!

All the grandsons

They all placed their rose boutonnieres on the casket...

...just as the small rain drops turned into huge hail stones. It was crazy! Within minutes it turned from the most beautiful afternoon into the wildest storm. It only lasted 15 minutes or so, but it got us all out of there in a hurry. We think Grandpa was playing a joke on all of us, letting us know it was time for the mourning to stop! As we drove away the sun came back out, creating the fullest, most beautiful rainbow. We could see the whole thing, end to end. It was amazing. We attempted a family lunch at the park and then hit the road back to Utah. As we passed back by the cemetery we noticed one car there, and the silhouette of a single person standing next to the grave. It was my father, saying his final goodbyes to his dad. It was a precious moment I don't think I'll soon forget.

Back in Utah we of course stopped for frozen custard. My brother Jason was so great with Caleb. He just became a father himself and suddenly loves babies!

We're looking a little rained out here, but we loved the special time with our oldest niece.

My immediate family all stayed at the same hotel that night so we could have a little more time together. It was so fun to have time uninterrupted by my wonderful children! I felt like I really got to catch up with my siblings. The next morning my dad got a little more time with Caleb -- such a great grandpa!

Before leaving town I got to see Aaron's sis, Lindsay and cute Chandler. They escorted Caleb and me to the airport.

I am so grateful for families. And I have an incredible one! So grateful to be able to see them and to honor an incredible man who started it all. I'm also grateful to my amazing husband who played Mr. Mom at home so I could be there. Thank you Aaron. I love you with all my heart!

Grandpa Hobbs

My sweet Grandpa passed away on Father's Day.

These are the last pictures I got of him - when we saw him over Christmas. He was such an incredible man and I was so grateful to be able to call him grandpa. He somehow figured out how to balance life. He was so fun, such a hard worker, dedicated to the gospel and his family and especially to his sweetheart. I admire so much the relationship they have and hope to have a marriage as strong as theirs. I love my grandpa and can't wait to see him again. Caleb and I flew out for the funeral. I'll try to get pics of the trip up soon.

Wesley is 3!

My Wesley is 3 today! He started the day getting a new pillow pet. He wanted one just like his big brother's. He even gave him the same name.

Tonight we went to dinner at 2 Toots. Our friends joined us for cupcakes. Wes was pretty excited when they brought out his birthday cupcake.

He LOVES horses right now, so he was thrilled to hop on this one for a minute.

We went to a nearby park to open a couple more presents.

Wesley is such a fun kid. He is a communicator -- always talking up a storm. I love listening to him talk like crazy in the back seat of the car. We're noticing that he is so outgoing with his family and close friends, but actually pretty shy in other settings. He has been really loving and snuggly with me lately. He has the sweetest brown eyes. He's having a hard time getting used to a little brother, but he's still awesome. We love our Wes.

Two Months Old!

Caleb is 2 months old today. It's amazing how quickly this is going, and how much he is growing. He is one big kid! We love his chubby little face and can't get enough of him.

Caleb is a sweet boy and a really good baby. He's starting to sleep better too. One night last week he slept from 9:30PM to 7:15 AM!!! I couldn't believe it. He hasn't had another night quite that good (it's 11pm now and he's wide awake), but now I know he's capable of it. The trick is giving him a little formula at his last feeding.

He's sooo smiley. If you catch his eye for one second he'll flash you a big grin. And he's working on his giggle. We've seen a few attemps. Somehow, another boy has stolen my heart. Happy 2 month birthday, Caleb! We love you!

Chubby Cheeks

Our little Caleb is getting some pretty chubby cheeks. He is definitely getting enough to eat!

He's starting to do tricks with Daddy too.

We sure to do love our chubby little boy!