One Year Later....

It is hard to believe that it has been one year (today) since my father passed away. We all miss him so much. As I've reflected the past few days on the events surrounding my dad's death and the events that have occurred since, I feel such a range of emotions.

I feel sad because I miss him. I miss calling him and hearing him say, "Tara Hoot! How are you?" I miss watching movies and visiting with him. I miss being able to ask him for advice.

I feel grateful that he didn't have to suffer any longer than he did. I am grateful to have him as my father. I am grateful for all of the things he taught me- things like, "Be bold" as I left to serve a mission in Brazil and to only worry about the things that you can change.

I feel happy when I think of all of the memories- family vacations, "little" Sunday drives, road trips, holidays, baseball games, and yard work.

I feel peace when I remember the bigger picture and know that families are forever through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I love you, Dad! I miss you!

The Big Sister

It's not always easy to be the big sister when you have been the only child for over three years. It has been a wonderful experience to watch Abby over the past few months as she has adjusted from being the only child to being a big sister. When we first brought Michael home from the hospital, she loved to look at him and talk to him and was extremely protective of him, but she was pretty nervous about holding him or getting too close. As you can see in the picture, there has been quite a transition! She LOVES her baby brother. It's difficult to see his expression in this picture, but I can assure you that Michael LOVES his big sister too!

Snow Much Fun!

Even though we received 46 inches of snow in December (a record), we started the new year with virtually no snow after warmer temperatures and lots of rain. We all knew it wouldn't last for very long.... As you can see in the pictures below, winter is still here in Rochester! Our Wednesday snowstorm was pretty fun. This is actually the first year Abby has really enjoyed playing in the snow. Now she can't seem to get enough of it!

Abby loved being pulled around in the sled.

Coley tried to hit me with a snowball, but he missed. :)

Coley and Abby try packing some snow to build a snowman. While I was shoveling the driveway, the snow seemed very wet, but it wouldn't pack together at all. Abby really wanted to build a snowman, so Coley and Abby kept trying. Here is the final result.....

He looks pretty big here, but he is a baby snowman.

Isn't he cute?