Picking up the pieces

It's been three weeks. Three weeks since we lost someone so special to us and there is not a day that goes by that I do not think about her. There are so many unanswered questions because it was so sudden. I am sure there will be a time that I need to get it all off my chest but I am going keep it to myself right now. It feels like a piece of the puzzle is missing and I know we will feel like this for a very long time. Please continue to pray for everyone.

I have thought about giving up this blog because of lack of time and it reminds me a lot of Paula because I know how much she loved reading it. However the past few weeks so many people have told me that they read the blog so I want to keep it up for them and so everything is documented for the kids when they get older. I am also still keeping up my other blog - One Frame a Day - which I take pictures of the kids everyday (almost everyday) and post a picture and then at the end of the year, I will print it off and have a copy made for each of the kids.

So many things have happened the past few weeks. Here are just a few:

- Kylie started at the same daycare as Blake, which she loves.

- Blake started back to preschool and his favorite part is riding the bus!

- We tried potty training with Blake again and he is NOT ready at ALL!

- Blake loves his new big boy bed. He sleeps so good in it and stays in bed all night.

This video is priceless. Aaron calls me KK which has been my nickname my entire life. However I never expected my kids to call me KK. Kylie has picked this up from Aaron calling for me through the house. You will need to mute my playlist to hear what she says.

What's My Name - Kylie from Kaelin Thacker on Vimeo.

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks as well.

Kylie's first day of school

The kids watching a movie in Blake's bed

Aunt Emma and Uncle Nathan came to visit!

Uncle Jonathan showing Kylie the moon

Blake trying to get mommy with the water gun

Grandmom and Grandpa playing cards with the kids

Buzz and Blake....can you tell which one is which? :)

Pretty girl

Here is the last video for the night. Blake and Austin had a great time wrestling with each other. I can only imagine what our house would be like if we had two boys. It is kind of long but very cute.

Wrestling from Kaelin Thacker on Vimeo.

A time to grieve

No words can even express how heartbroken our family is right now. In the early morning of August 4th, heaven was made much richer when my mother-in-law, Paula, went to be with Jesus. As I write this, my heart aches and it all seems like a really bad dream. I am still at a loss for words and I know that the next weeks, months and years are going to feel so empty without her here.

This weekend so many people told me how special and wonderful she was. It was awesome to see how many lives she touched in her short 54 years here on Earth. I knew she was an amazing person but to actually hear the stories and see the people she touched, I was blown away.

I remember the first time I met Paula. Aaron and I had been dating for a few months and Paula took us out to lunch for Aaron's birthday. I was so nervous to meet her but as soon as I did, I felt so comfortable around her. She was so sweet and caring and I knew we would get along very well.
Over the years, our relationship grew into something very special. Paula was an only child and had two boys of her own. After being in a house full of boys for so long, she always involved me in everything and considered me a part of the family. After Aaron and I dated for a couple of years, we all went on vacation together to South Carolina where Aaron proposed to me. Of course I was ecstatic and couldn't wait to get back to the condo to tell Paula and Roger. The next day Paula and I went to Charleston to tour the town together and she introduced me to everyone we came across as her future daughter. I was so honored to not only to be marrying Aaron, but to gain a new amazing family. I could write a book about all of the things that Paula has done for our family over the years and I am sure many of them are in this blog from the past year and a half. It just breaks my heart to know that she will not be here to see Blake and Kylie grow up to be the amazing young man and woman that she had already helped mold.

I keep thinking about all of the things that we had planned out for the next few months and years. We just bought tickets to see Disney on Ice for September because both of the kids love Micky Mouse. She couldn't wait to take them to Disney World and we had planned on going next summer. She loved the beach and there was always at least one trip a year planned for Myrtle Beach. We were fortunate enough to all go to the beach last fall with the kids for their first trip to the beach and I could see how much she loved it because of how much the kids loved it.

Because we live an hour away, I started this blog and my One Frame a Day blog so that I could document our life and so Paula, Roger and Grandmom could see the kids and every little thing they did. Paula was so proud of Blake and Kylie and always made sure they had what they needed and wanted. She was the best Mimi that any child could ask for and the kids were so fortunate to have her in their life for the little time they did. I know I will do everything to keep her memory alive so that Blake and Kylie will remember what an amazing Mimi she was.

I am a better person today for having her in my life for the 9 years that I did. Aaron was so lucky to have her as a mother. Her and Roger showed him how to love and what it takes to be a wonderful husband and father. Paula was a very Godly woman and I know Jesus was her savior. I know that heaven gained a amazing angel and that she is dancing with her dad once again.

I went outside tonight after the kids went to bed and I noticed the beautiful sky. It made me think of Paula and I know that she is looking down on us telling us telling us not to be sad. She is our guardian angel and will always watch over us. She would want us to be happy and would never want us to continue to be sad. She was always worried about us and always put us first and I know she is still doing that today.

Please continue to pray for our family including Roger, Grandmom, Nathan, Emma, Aaron, Blake, Kylie and myself. As someone said in the guestbook for Paula, one of the fine pages has been torn out of the book of our lives. I completely agree with this and there wasn't a minute today that I didn't think about her. She was loved by so many and will be greatly missed.

Below are some of my favorite pictures of Paula and the kids. I will cherish these pictures and all of the memories that we made forever and will make sure the kids will as well.

 CLICK HERE to see the beautiful obituary that Emma and I wrote for her.

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Monthly Catch-Up

So I have been incognito lately. You would think I have so much extra time since I am not taking a class right now but I think it makes me even more busy because I am trying to do all of the stuff around the house that I can't do when I am taking classes. I have gotten a lot of stuff done but I still have many things on my 'to do' list.

 

So what's been happening around the Thacker household?

• The kids have absolutely LOVED swimming in Nana and Papa's pool. There are many pictures and videos to prove that including this video from tonight.

Blake's Summer! from Kaelin Thacker on Vimeo.

- Kristin, Megan and I got to go to the NKOTBSB concert and it was awesome! I felt like I was 13 again.

- One of my best friends is getting married in a couple of weeks and we had a little party for her a couple of weeks ago. It was great seeing many great friends.

- We had a family trip to Cincinnati and went to a water park and the kids had a blast.

- Blake had his check-up at the ENT and his hearing test results were great! Thank God!

- Kylie has turned into my little singer. She loves to sing Twinkle, Twinkle and Happy Birthday.

- Speaking of Happy Birthday, the big one for me is just 9 days away...Oh goodness.

- My job has been crazy busy, but I still love it.

- We made one more trip to the zoo and one to Chuck E Cheese with Blake's class. Both were so much fun!

- I finally started and finished Blake's big boy room! I painted last Friday after work and finished putting his room together on Saturday. I love it and so does he! I still need to put things on the wall but I will take pictures soon and post.

- School starts in 2 weeks and I am taking 2 classes which I have not done yet since being in the program. I'm a little sad knowing I will be away from the kids 2 nights a week.

- Aaron has ONE more class left and then he is DONE! I'm so happy for him and of course very jealous :)

 

And here are some pictures from the past few weeks. Of course I have been keeping up my other One Frame a Day Blog with some of these so if you follow us on that blog, some of these are duplicates.

I think the kids look so much alike in the next two pictures!  You can definitely tell they are brother and sister. Look at those smiles!

Visiting Daddy at work...

Kylie's Birthday is a little over a month away. I cannot believe that she is turning 2! I have already started the planning :) She is also starting at Blake's daycare next week and I know I am going to cry when I drop her off. I know she is going to love it!

For some reason I think I will do better updating the blog when classes start. It will be my excuse to get away from school work for a minute. I am making a promise now to update the blog more often :) Maybe I should show Aaron how to update the blog since he will have so much time on his hands.....I won't hold my breath.