The Kindness of Strangers

I was at Walmart on Monday getting some shopping done before our company came into town, we had been there for like two hours and Abby had actually done really well. We made it to the checkout line and as we waited Abby kept saying "boon" and pointing to the balloons that were by the checkout stand. Abby actually used to be scared of balloons and so I was surprised she even noticed them. So as we waited she kept saying "boon", "boon" and laughing and being really cute. It was finally our turn and we got up to the cashier and she handed me a Minnie Mouse balloon and said, "The woman in front of you paid for this for your daughter."
I almost started crying, it was such a sweet gesture! I couldn't believe that this complete stranger would make the effort to do such a simple and sweet thing for my daughter. I didn't even get the chance to thank the woman because she had left the store. I will be honest, most of the time when I am at the store, I am on auto-pilot and don't even notice most things around me, but the the fact that this woman noticed that Abby liked the balloons and treated her to one, really made my day! There is still goodness in the world people! This whole event has taught me a wonderful lesson: It's easy to get so caught up in the craziness of our own lives that we don't notice how we can lighten the load of others around us, and most of the time it's something very simple that we can do to make their day-----like a Minnie Mouse balloon!

P.S. I promise I didn't pose Abby in the picture, as you can tell she is very pleased with her new balloon!

Goodbye Grandpa Mac

This morning at 11:15 a.m. my Grandpa McKinstry, "Mac" passed away. I got to be there at the hospital when it happened and it actually was a peaceful experience. He had been having health problems for a few months, and had to be moved to an assisted living center then this last Tuesday things started to get more serious. He was checked into the hospital and was in quite a bit of pain, so they got him some medication to be comfortable. My dad and his brothers spoke with Grandpa to see if he wanted to proceed with more extensive measures to help him and he said, "I want to go home" meaning home to heaven. My Dad gave him a wonderful blessing and told him he had been valiant here on earth and had taken good care of his family, and that is was OK to go and be with Grandma (who has been gone for over 10 years) and my Aunt Gaye, his only daughter (who has been gone 4 years).

I am so grateful I was there, and even more grateful for my wonderful Grandpa Mac. He was a simple and hardworking man, that loved and worried about his family. I got to gain a closer relationship with him in the last few years because he had been living with my parents, and I was able to see and talk with him often. We are sad as a family that he's not here anymore, but joyous that he is with loved ones again without any ailment. I am 27 years old and I have lost both of my Grandpas in the last 5 months, but feel fortunate to have had them for as long as I did. I also am looking forward to having my whole family be together again to honor the Grandpa we love!

It's about time.........

When I found out I was having a baby girl I was very excited and happily planned throughout the rest of my pregnancy for my beautiful baby girl, buying her clothes and hair bows, etc. I often wondered throughout my pregnancy what our little girl would look like, would she get my eyes, or have Jake's smile, and would she have dark hair like mine or light hair like Jake's? Well now that we have our precious Abby, all of the dreams I had of my little girl came true, except for in the hair department..........Abby has spent the majority of her life being mostly bald and beautiful! For almost a year she wore the cute big bows and flower headbands, but then she started to yank them off, so I haven't been able to do much with her hair for a few months. I have no idea if it's going to eventually come in thick, but for now we are just happy with what she's got. The sad thing is there are newborns--yes that's right NEWBORNS who are born with more hair than our little one, but things are looking up! For months I have stowed away all of these cute bows and clips wishfully thinking one day I will be able to use them----well that day has arrived people!
Thanks to my mother-in-law Chris, she helped me find teeny tiny curlers that would help make Abby's hair a little thicker so we could put something in it, and then this last week she said, "I think her hair is long enough in the back to do pig tails. Well that is just what I did for church on Sunday, and everyone including Jake and I loved it! Abby wasn't too keen on my twisting and turning the little bits of hair that she does have, she's not used to sitting still for me to do her hair, but she did great! I can't help how excited I am, I know it's so silly, but for months I have politely corrected people when they say, "What a darling little boy" I even got her ears pierced because I was fed up with it, but now, there will be no mistaking our little Abby for a boy because she will have her hair done like a girl.

I had to show you some pictures of her with her curlers in and of her tiny pig tails, Yippee!

Birthdays, Conference, and Colds.......Oh My!

So this last Saturday, April 5th was Jake's 28th Birthday!! I feel horrible that I haven't been able to post about it until now, but I just started feeling better. You see, we would have really enjoyed Jake's birthday had it not been for the fact that ALL of us had colds at our house, and we are talking the flat in bed, cough til you gag, absolutely no fun at all colds. Poor Jake didn't even have very much fun on his birthday, and unfortunately I was no help. It's not much fun being sick and trying to take care of one another, but Jake was great and helped out with Abby as much as he could. Luckily we had no excuse not to watch General Conference and I was grateful for the opportunity to see it and have my testimony strengthened, especially with the sustaining of the new prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I do feel a little guilty however for sleeping through some of the talks, but hey, I was sick so thank goodness for TIVO! It's been a few days, and Abby and I have finally quit coughing and are feeling pretty normal. All I can say is enough of the sickness, we unfortunately have had more of it than I expected these last few months, so hopefully we can be "sick free" for a long time to come.
So here is my birthday blog, however late it may be. My husband hates the fact that I blog or "blab" about how great I think he is, but I want him to know how much I appreciate him. He is so busy working full time, going to school full time, and fulfilling his church calling as Young Men's President, which doesn't leave a lot of time for things that he rather be doing, but I appreciate his positive attitude and his desire to provide for his family. He is such a good husband and father, and he definitely deserved a better birthday! WE LOVE YOU JAKE, I AM SORRY YOUR BIRTHDAY WAS A BUST.....I AM PLANNING ON MAKING IT UP TO YOU NEXT YEAR!!

It was also my Dad's 64th Birthday this last week as well, and again we didn't get to do much to make his birthday special. My sister did an awesome tribute to my dad on her blog http://www.crippennews.blogspot.com/, so I feel very second rate with this tribute, but for those of you who have never met my Dad you are truly missing out. He is a wonderful and generous man. He has always been willing to share his time, talents and wisdom with his family. We could call on him at any time for anything that we needed help with and it was our Dad to the rescue! He has fixed flat tires, done construction in our homes, and bailed us out of a sticky situation many of times. I love that my Dad stops by at least once a week during the day to say "Hi" to Abby and I. It helps that we are close to his work, but it makes us feel pretty special. My relationship with he and my Mom is so precious to me and I cherish their example--HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! WE LOVE YOU!!