Colette's First Birthday

Today makes one year since the day that Colette joined our little family.  It was an interesting day.  It was not as hard as I thought it would be.  To be honest the last two weeks before this day were much harder than the actual day was.  Which is actually really weird.  But I have to admit that all of today I just felt a sense of peace, It's like Heavenly Father was just sending another conformation that while this is hard,  this is how and what is supposed to be.  And that was such a comfort on the day that should have been her first birthday.   


The day started as usual,  Aaron and Bridgett got up early and came into our room.  Aaron announced that it was Colette's Birthday.  It was cute to hear him say that.  Once we got up and got moving we were about to leave the house when Grandma Smith called,  She wanted to know if we were going to be home for a while,  I told her that we were just getting ready to leave,  She said she was going to go get Balloons and take some up to Colette and bring some to the kids and asked if we were going to be home for her to do that.  I told her no, but that we were just getting ready to leave to do the same thing so she was welcome to come and join us if she wanted to.

We drove up to Kohlers and picked out some balloons, while we were there I talked to Lori,  who I used to work with,  she had just heard about Colette the week before.  It was good to see her and talk to her and I was grateful that Mom had run into her the week before so that I didn't have to explain the whole story on this particular day.

We went down to the cemetery, and switched out the Christmas flowers and I finally got to put down the flowers that Tamara and I put together last March.   We staked a few of her balloons down at the cemetery for her and took the rest home.

I put two balloons out on our mail box.  And I also got to hang up our Colette wreath on the front door.

Then when we got home I pulled out 3 of Colette' cupcakes one for Aaron, one for Bridgett and one for Daddy.  And we took the rest all boxed up to the hospital and we dropped them off for the Labor and Delivery nurses.    We wrote a note and a photo of Colette, explaining that they were Colette's cupcakes and that we just wanted to share them with them to say thank you for all that they do.  Of course it was not until we pulled up to the hospital that it dawned on me that I have not been back there since the day we left without Colette.  But while it was odd to be back there if felt good, and at least it was a good experience. 

We also had some of my fairy tale books printed off to donate to the Social worker at the hospital in memory of Colette's Birthday.
After the hospital, we stopped at my Ob's office and I talked to Dr Bean for a few min in between his appointments.  I know it probably sounds weird but he actually feels more like a part of our family after being a part of Colette's birth and helping us to deal with it afterwords.  I gave him a copy of my book, and it was just good to talk to him.

After leaving there we took the kids to McDonalds.  And dusty and I sat and ate and talked while the kids ran around and played on the slide.  After about an hour they came to us and said they were tired.  I think we wore them out!   Then we told them that we had one more surprise for them and we drove them to Lehi to the new Bowling lanes and we all went bowling as a family.  It was Bridgett's first time bowling and she had a blast!  Every time after she would roll her ball down the ally she would stand there and pump her hands up and down and yell  whohoo!  It was so cute!

Then we came home and watched a movie as a family and had popcorn.  After dinner the kids sang Happy Birthday to Colette and we lit a candle on each of their cupcakes and they each got to blow out a candle for her and eat one of her cupcakes,  which they seemed to really enjoy. 

All in all it was a pretty good day.  I think we have started some great family traditions.  I think that next year we will have to put out our valentines decorations on her Birthday,  putting up pink hearts and thinking of how much love we have in our family seems to be the perfect thing to do on Colette's Birthday.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!  We love you so much and miss you tons but we know that you are exactly where you need to be and we look forward to the day when we can all be together again!