Halloween and other Fun with Family in Tennessee

Though the reason for coming together in Tennessee was an incredibly hard one, it was such a blessing to be able to be with the family for a few days. Aside from the sad and heartbreaking circumstances surrounding Jeff's death, we were also able to have such a fun time and we all, especially the kids, really enjoyed being able to spend some fun quality time together.

Claire and Olivia were so cute together. Claire is only 4 or 5 months older than Olivia, but she loved taking care of Olivia like a little baby - when Olivia would permit it of course. 

Olivia loved grandpa's dog Trouble, and somehow Trouble managed to remain very calm and patient.

On one of our final days there, we were able to spend several hours at the new house on the Lake. It is absolutely gorgeous! And the fall colors of the trees surrounding the lake were so beautiful. We have only ever been to Tennessee in the summer, so the kids were a little disappointed that we wouldn't be swimming and riding jet skis like they are used to, but we still got to go out and do a boat ride which was so fun.

She was actually really happy about wearing that cool jacket so that was a surprise.

We filled up the boat and were ready for our ride!

Cute chubby cheeks and pigtails!

Aunt Joanne there by Brad, then Maddie and Bentley.

And off we went! Eden and Bentley were thrilled! They were so giddy and happy the entire time. At first Olivia didn't know what to think - she just kept grabbing her head trying to figure out what was happening and why it was so windy.

Cute wind blown Bentley.

Then Olivia decided she wasn't really liking it so much and was pretty sad until I turned her towards me so the wind wasn't getting her face anymore. Then she was much happier.

There's about an hour drive from the lake house back to grandma and grandpa's house which provided the perfect nap time.

Olivia too.

And yes, even me too. Thanks Brad for capturing this moment... ha!

Our final night there was Halloween. The kids were so excited to be able to spend it with their cousins in Tennessee. This holiday was Jeff's absolute favorite so it was so special that we could be together and have an amazing tribute to him as we celebrated such a fun holiday.

All the kids dressed up and ready to go Trick-or-Treating!

Mason, Ella, Wyatt and Briggs

Queen Amidala, looking beautiful as expected.

Storm Trooper Bentley, ready for a fight!

And cute baby Yoda who had no idea all about all the treats about to come her way!

The unfortunate part of trick-or-treating was that it was raining.  Big sigh.  Olivia and I only made it to a handful of houses on their street before calling it quits. She was ok with that though because she was more than anxious to start digging into her treats.  Fortunately, it wasn't a cold rain so it didn't slow the rest of the kids down any! Brad continued on with Eden and Bentley for a while, despite getting a little soggy. The houses are pretty spread out there though so they didn't make it to a ton of houses either, but they still managed to fill their buckets and they were incredibly excited about that.

A little rain soaked coming back in, but Eden's makeup still looked great.  :)

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out together with lots of music, games, visiting and treats. Overall it was a wonderful holiday with great company.

I love my sisters-in-law. They are all such great examples and friends.

Jeffrey Justice.....

  

Last April, Jeff was admitted to the hospital and had quite a few surgeries and lots of scary health complications. Ever since then, he never fully returned to health and it has been an emotionally and physically draining time for him and the family there who have been taking care of him. Unfortunately though, they never could fully understand why he continued to be in such pain, and why he continued to have so many bowel complications.

About mid way through October, we got the devastating phone call letting us know that Jeff had finally been diagnosed with what would be terminal and he would be leaving the hospital on hospice. It was comforting to finally have an answer as to what he had been suffering through for several months, but the outcome was obviously devastating.

My mom graciously offered to watch our kids for the weekend, and Brad and I (along with all his siblings and their spouses) gathered together in Tennessee to say our goodbyes to Jeffrey, and to be with the family during this grieving time. It was apparent very quickly that he would not be going home on hospice, but would instead spend the remainder of his time at the hospital where he could be kept on better pain medication.

The team of doctors and nurses there were excellent. They took great care of him, but even more than that, they truly loved him and took care of the family as well. I feel like it was a blessing to be there and witness so much love and tenderness towards Jeffrey who has made such an impact on so many of us.

The weekend was incredibly emotional and devastating, but it was such a blessing that we could all be there together, surrounding Jeff's bed sharing both laughs and tears together.

It was incredibly hard to say goodbye, but we returned home to the kids and began making travel plans as best we could to return back to Tennessee with the whole family when the time came to have his funeral. Julie was amazing at keeping us updated and informed on everything that was happening back with Jeff and the family in Tennessee. It was just so hard being so far away.

We arrived back in Tennessee on Thursday the 29th, and that evening was a beautiful open house/memorial for Jeff. The room at the funeral home was decorated beautifully with flowers, lots of pictures, and several Disney things that Jeff loved most. Brad had also prepared an amazing photo slideshow of pictures of Jeff and the family throughout his life, accompanied by some of his favorite songs. Lots of people came and it was a beautiful night of love and support for the family.

The following day, Friday morning, was the graveside service for family. A lot of extended family came in from out of town too which was so nice. The funeral service was so beautiful, and I feel like it was the perfect tribute for Jeff.  Each of the siblings shared some great memories of their brother, and there were lots of laughs, and lots of tears. It was so touching.

After the service was complete, and the graveside had been dedicated, we were all given a white balloon to release. The kids loved this, of course, and it was beautiful watching all those balloons float away together.

I became part of this family ten years ago and because we have always lived far away, I was only able to see Jeffrey a couple times a year. In this short time though, he had such a great impact on my life. He was so loving, so happy, and had such a beautiful spirit. I am so grateful I was able to know him, and that he was part of this family and that my kids could know him, even briefly. I have been able to have such amazing, and tender teaching moments with my kids about what is truly important in life because of Jeff.  

I will forever be impacted as well by the pure love of Christ that I have seen in his parents. Barry and Kirma have loved that boy with a tenderness that I have never seen matched. It has been a beautiful life long lesson to me of selfless giving and true love. I admire them both so much for the devotion that they gave to their boy for so many years.

I'm forever grateful for Jeffrey and can't wait to see him again - restored to perfection - in the next life.

Miscellaneous Pictures from October

We love the hot air balloons!

Peek a Boo!

"Dad, take my picture!"

I love that Eden can read to Bentley. Some day maybe Olivia will sit still and listen too.  :)

Bentley got a big bouncy ball out of a vending machine at Old Navy. He refused to leave the store until I took his picture with it. 

Always styling...

What's up with the hands in the mouth? It's surprising these kids don't get sick more often.

"reading" until he passes out.

Peek a Boo again!

We were playing Bean Boozled where it was quite the gamble on whether you would get a yummy jelly belly or something really disgusting. This kids thought it was pretty funny.