Off we go - Part 1

Although we had only been home 3 days from our trip to Ohio, we packed our bags again for our grand family vacation North to the cooler weather! We changed things up a little this year and decided to fly straight into the mini Glacier Airport but with flight costs thru the roof we chose to fly out of DFW instead to save a few bucks. We had been wanting to get up to Dallas anyways to visit Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Van so we tagged a few extra days on our original itinerary and drove the 4 hours to Flower Mound on Sunday, the 28th of July.

The girls love to visit their grandparents and were so excited to arrive. They immediately made their way to the toy closet and never turned back for the next few days. We were especially lucky this trip because Uncle Sam, Aunt Heather, Anna and Levi had recently relocated to the Big D and we spent multiple days playing with some fun cousins. One afternoon we cooled off at the Flower Mound pool and the kids loved swimming with each other and with Grandma. We played lots of legos, danced as usual and had tea parties and performances galore. It was a great few days with some of our favorite people and kicked our trip off on the right foot quickly.

Soon it was time to head to the airport and it was so nice to have Grandpa and Grandma drop us off with all our luggage right at the door. The girls were excited to board the plane and wore their boots so they would be ready for that Big Sky Country.

O-H-I-O

One of Isabelle's New Years Resolutions was to visit her cousin Max in Ohio. Being the nice parents that we are, we picked a good week in June and booked tickets to the Buckeye State. As luck would have it, Grandma Joan passed away and her funeral was the very day of our departing flight so we had to switch things around a bit and pay another chunk of money, but eventually we made it to Ohio.

After missing an unexpected week of work for the funeral, we thought it best that Ben stay in Texas but lucky for us Grammie joined us on our trip. The girls were so excited to finally arrive and couldn't wait to see Max. We spent the next several days playing, going to the park, swimming, playing some more and eating at some of our favorite spots. It was fun for me to see places I hadn't been back to for a few years and the girls liked seeing my childhood home and schools again. The weather was cool and rainy for a good portion of the trip which was a nice break from the heat for us and Chris and Colleen were in the middle of a move so it may not have been the best timing for a vacation, but we had a great time and the girls were sad to leave Max when it was time to go. I was reminded just how pretty that part of the country is and look forward to returning again this time sooner rather than later.

Fish School

One thing is for sure about living in the South, you have to know how to swim. The pool opens in May and closes in October and we spend more days than not in the water those months. Isabelle has taken swim lessons for the past several summers and is pretty much a good swimmer. I am not too concerned when she is in the water anymore and see glimpses of my future sitting in a chair basking in the sun with a magazine when I am at the pool with her. Even still, we signed her up again to improve her stroke and this time she was paired up with a young, college age, boy for private lessons. His name was Scott and I had never seen Belle act so silly. She knew how to work Scott and he was a sucker for her charm. They spent as much time playing as swimming, but our goal was met and she is a better swimmer now than before.

Olivia took her first set of swim lessons with a private instructor too. Her name was Katie and she was a college student as well. Olivia LOVED swimming with Katie and she was perfect for our little princess. They swam like mermaids away from sea witches and fluffed their swimsuits before jumping in and so on. Just like everything else in her life, Livi had no fear of the water and by the end of lessons was jumping into the deep and swimming 8ft or so on her own. She loves the water and if she has her goggles on, is pretty sure she could swim anywhere.

We love spending the afternoon at the pool and most days we are in town in the summer, you can find us there. I've decided that in the summer we only wear three things...pajamas, swimsuits and sunscreen!

June Blur

Our first month of summer hardly seemed like a break. We hit the ground running as soon as school let out and the month was over before we stopped. Between flights and trips, we found time to sneak in some fun at home and the camera on my phone has become my best companion. A few highlights from the month were... Alee's birthday, Henry's baseball game, basketball camp at the High School for Isabelle, our 12th wedding anniversary and riding bikes like always. We spent several hours at the pool too but that will be a post all by itself. I love the moments when the four of us get to spend time together and thankfully we find time to play together often. What is the saying...A Family who plays together, stays together?!

Queen Bee

My Grandma Joan passed away on the first day of summer, June 21, 2013. It was unexpected and here I sit, 6 weeks later, still without an official cause of death. Sadly, I got the news on the phone from Ben while I was away at Girls Camp but held it together enough to finish up my responsibilities before crying the whole way home. All four of us loved Grandma Joan and had many happy memories with her, so when time came to make flight arrangements for the funeral, we knew all four of us should go. I was home about 36 hours, long enough to shower off the camping dirt before boarding a plane to Salt Lake City.

Once inside my grandparents home I really started to feel the sadness of her absence. It felt like she was going to come into the room at any moment, but of course never did. My Grandpa Neal seemed somber and lonely and truthfully I wouldn't blame him if he joined her in heaven soon.

The viewing was difficult but lovely. Ben and my girls decided not to come since Isabelle was a little unsure of the whole thing but my grandma looked pretty and I was glad to see her in peace, dressed in white, and free of pain or sorrow. She was surrounded by beautiful flowers and loved ones and would have been so pleased.

The following morning was the funeral and I am just glad we made it through. My mom and Gloria placed her veil on her head before they shut the casket and we all said our last goodbyes. Isabelle and Olivia were able to see her one more time and both did well and felt happy knowing she was now with her own mom and daughter Suzy. All of my mom's siblings gave sweet tributes and all of us grandchildren sang I am a Child of God. It was emotional and painful but happy and wonderful too. After she was delivered to her final resting place in Salem, the tears didn't stop but they often turned to tears of joy as well.

My Grandma Joan was at every milestone of my short life thus far. I remember sleeping at her house as a little child and playing on her back lawn for hours. She travelled to Ohio many times to attend basketball games and school events and my High School Graduation. She made me many meals while I was in College and met me for shopping and lunch dates often. She was one of the first to meet Ben and always had nice things to say about him. She bought me my temple clothes and was one of my only family members in the temple with me the day I became Mrs. Cosby. Although getting older, she made the trek to San Antonio when my girls were born and handmade their blankets, booties, hats, etc. The last several years we had made it a tradition to visit her the week of her birthday and to celebrate at Salem Days with the girls. They will always have happy memories of walking in the Fun Run with Grandma and eating at the pancake breakfast. To say that Grandma Joan was not a big part of my life would be an error. My life will be changed forever because of her example to me and all that she gave and taught us. It will also be changed with her absent from the special moments in me and my children's lives going forward. I am reminded how blessed we are to have eternal families and I look forward to the day when I will see my Grandma again. Long live the Queen Bee!