Festival of Trees

This is Gracie's tree. What a beautiful job they did. You can't see the tu tu in this picture but the whole layout was absolutely darling and definitely did the "sweetheart" justice.
Teag's looked so sweetly at Gracie's picture...it put me over the edge. God Bless the Gledhill Family.

This is Brytt and I with the boys and "their" tree. Thatch was just about to hit the wall since it was nap time so he doesn't look too happy, and Teag's can't figure out why he is so naughty and sad! Brytt and I still have makeup on even though Gracie's tree about did us in!

"If I Only Had a Heart" Intermountain Healing Hearts Tree. Way to go you guys! You did a fantastic job! (I'm sure Mike did all the decorating.....Just Kidding!)

Today has been a very emotional day for me. My friend Brytt and I (and her family of fabulous women) went to the festival of Trees. We have several "Angel Heart Babies" that have trees there and we wanted to see the Intermountain Healing Hearts Tree which is a support group that we belong to. It was, to say the least, difficult. The trees were beautiful, full of life. But when you have a child that was as close to death as these children were, it is a cold, hard rush of empathy, joy, sadness, faith, hope and, quite frankly, survivors guilt. It is torment to stand there and know that this child, someones beloved child, didn't make it through the same procedure, surgery, congenital defect, that your child did. I am beyond grateful that Thatch made it through his surgery and that he is a very "healthy" heart boy, but the pains for someone else...makes my heart ache with a sadness I have never known before. It is Christmas, and these little ones are not going to be opening any presents, or having Christmas breakfast with their family. The fact that I have been down about how to afford Thatchers COBRA since Ryan was laid off seems so slight in comparison. I may not have the funds I need to protect him right now, but I have him, and we all have each other. Merry Christmas everyone.