Finally.....The Funeral

When a loved one dies, life stops for a moment and you do what it takes to pay tribute to them if at all possible. Since we live a 12 hour drive away, we were able to make a weekend trip for Tucker's Grandpa's funeral. Not necessarily easy, but possible. So that's what we did! It was fun to spend time with family and for Tucker to see cousins, Aunts and Uncles that he hardly ever gets to see. He has such a large extended family, so it was quite the gathering! And after nearly 9 years of marriage, I think I finally have down who-belongs-to whom!

It was interesting because I really tried to take this opportunity to talk to the girls a little more about death. I wanted to teach them, but not overexpose them. I wondered what they would think at the cemetary, and learning that they put the casket into the ground. Would that freak them out? I really didn't think they needed to see his body, being only 4 and 6 years old. But, to my surprise, they absolutely insisted that Tucker lift them up so they could see! The funny thing is, they weren't traumatized. It made me realize that sometimes the trauma comes from the WAY it is presented. They came away more knowledgeable, but not traumatized (thank goodness!).

We were only in Salt Lake City for around 36 hours, but we tried to make the most of every minute. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

(Tucker and his Dad)

(Tucker's Grandma with Lexi and Jordyn)

(Tucker, Grandma and Me)

(I LOVE this pic. Our nephew Jaden with Peyton. She loves to grab faces and say "Look at Me!". And you should have heard the comments we got with so many redheads! Tucker's sister Maren has three and we have two...plus myself. It's quite the scene! Who says red hair is going extinct?)

(The kids love to jump down this little part of Gam and Pa's stairs. Jordyn got some air!)

(Tucker loves to play practical jokes, but especially on his mother. He knows how much she hates cupboards being left open.....so this is what he left for her to wake up to!)

(We are constantly shoo-ing the kids to go play in the basement. Well.......these are the kind of things that happen when the adults are too busy playing games upstairs! Taylor literally got STUCK in a bucket!)

(Jeannine is so thoughtful. She knows how much Tucker loves her cookies and her bread, so she turns into Jeannine "Crocker" when we come into town!)

(Tucker with his cute sisters, Maren and Lyndsy)

As fun as it was, hopefully a funeral will not be the reason we go again for a long time!