Matt, Megan and Hannah, I will never be able to put into words how proud Mommy and Daddy were of you on this day. Having never been through anything like this before in your young lives, you were so brave and strong for us. Matt and Megan did not even know what a pallbearer was but insisted on helping carry Daddy to his final resting place. I love each of you so much and thank God every day for blessing me with your presence in my life!
(I told Matt and Megan to go find something "productive", not "reproductive" to do! )
(These boots are made for washing.)
(I told Matt to go put on something nice to go to Church.)Hi everyone. Clearly it has been awhile since my last post. I apologize for taking so long to write. In addition to being really busy with the kids, I just felt like I needed a break from the blog and was honestly at a loss for words for the first time in a long time and decided to stay away until I felt inspired. So here it is actually July 9th and I started this post on June 15th. Hmmmmm. I think part of it was that we did pass the year anniversary of Chris' death and I felt all along that I should write some really deep inspirational message to my kids for them to read someday (in their teen years) when they hated me and wanted to run away from home :). But no such inspiration came. So instead I will just fill you in on some things that are happening (mostly through pictures) and what I do want Matt, Megan and Hannah to remember some day down the road.
First - Memorial Day weekend/Chris' angel anniversary - So basically it went like this...Mommy worrying all week long building anxiety about the 30th. Mommy thinking about all the "lasts" that we had with Daddy. His last game of golf with neighbors, his last BBQ with family, his last "to do" for Mommy of painting my "office" the laundry room, his last time watching Matt play t-ball at his game Friday night, his last pizza afterwards and then his last day on Earth spent with Mommy at St. Marys and then going our separate ways forever. And then the kids and I woke up on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 and went to mass at 10:30 with my Mom. The mass intention was said for Chris and Megan, Matt and I carried down the gifts. Afterward we went to the cemetery and for some reason I thought we were going to be miserable all day. But then we got back into the car and I turned on the radio as we drove away. The theme song from Chris' favorite movie, Caddyshack, was playing and Kenny Loggins was singing "I'm alright....don't nobody worry about me." No way was that a coincidence! As Chris always said, it was a God-incidence. I started busting out laughing. The kids started laughing and I had to pull the car over as we all laughed so hard we started crying. I knew it was Chris letting us know he was okay and that we needed to lighten up! He would not want us to waste the day moping around feeling sad. He would want us doing what most people do on Memorial Day weekend - remember the good times, relax, enjoy the company of family and friends, eat, drink and be merry. So we quickly drove home and CELEBRATED with the Weiers and the Zellers the amazing life that Chris shared with us. We had a blast. Thank you babe. You always knew how to have a good time. Thanks for that reminder.
(Hannah taunting and then loving on her cousin, Graham. Memorial Day 2010.)Since then, it has been crazy busy with the kids and other stuff going on. We celebrated my Mom's 65th birthday and sent Mommy away on a weekend trip with friends to Scottsdale, AZ.
(Fun in the sun with Kate and Christin.)
We saw Megan graduate from preschool!
(Megan with her good friends, Bridget, above and Brady, below.)
We had the girls' dance recital and watched many of Matt's baseball games. 
(It is so hard being a prima ballerina.)We sent Matt to his last day of school with a 24 hour mo-hawk because that is as long as Mommy would agree to!
We also sent Megan to two weeks of Kindergarten readiness "boot" camp in order to enroll in all day Kindergarten in the fall. 
(Private Megan reporting to duty.)We celebrated Father's day by running in the 5K and Kid's Fun Runs. Since Cade and Zoey moved to Colorado, this year we recruited the Taylor boys to run with Matt and Megan. Papa Zeller and Mommy even placed 1st and 2nd in the 5K for their age groups - there are benefits to getting older, fewer runners your age!
(Notice the tattoos all over Brady's face and arms!)
(My college girlfriends, Lori, Heather and Patsy.)
(My BFF since freshman year of high school, Katie.)
And we celebrated the 4th of July in Lake Bluff with Chris' parents. Can you believe I did not take one picture over the 4th! That never happens.
In addition to that , Matt has taken up golf lessons and LOVES it! I am not kidding when I say he is crazy about golf. It is the first thing he asks to do when he wakes and he literally spends the ENTIRE day outside hitting balls. Thank you to Nana and Grandpa Weier for giving Matt his first set of golf clubs. He is in love with the game and I am thrilled he has found something to be so passionate about. I only hope that it will teach him how to stay focused and ultimately spill into the classroom and stop his daydreaming episodes!
(Matt is trying to recruit Hannah to be his caddy.)
(Hitting a bucket of balls with Papa at the driving range.)
Believe it or not, I have found a new passion too. I have been running since last October and love it! I joke that it was either that or end up in rehab somewhere. Running has saved my life by being the healthy coping mechanism that I needed to get me through the pain from losing Chris. My brother, Todd, and my sister, Jaime, both recommended it to me last Fall when I hit rock bottom and was completely consumed in my grief. Jaime was actually hours from running in her first marathon last May in San Diego when she got the news about Chris. She still managed to finish her race and I (foolishly) agreed to run her next one with her. Thank God she got pregnant right after Chris died, so I knew it would be a while until her next race. Funny how time flies. Now we are both registered to run the Chicago Half Marathon with my Dad this September. I told her I'll start with a half and work my way to the full. She was fine with that. So I am in training now and hoping the summer goes slow!
So now you are all caught up! I apologize again for taking so long. Know that the Weiers are "alright" and hope you are all doing well, too. Enjoy the rest of your summer. God bless, Betsy
