End of January

I suppose that I should end January with an updated post since I started the month with the same thing for December. This month has gone by week after week with the same things.  Jeffrey and Brandon have been busy with jazz band, pep band, and drumline practice.  They have already had the girls and boys last home games.  Jeffrey and the other seniors were honored during halftime of the boys' game for their contribution to the spirit of the games.  They really sound good.  The video I took of them is a little too long to post to show them off.  Here are a few pictures from the last home game.

The big event for the family was celebrating Brandon's 15th birthday.  All that he wanted was another cymbal to add to his drum set.  He added some at Christmas also.  We did surprise him with a few little gifts.  The day after his birthday, he was supposed to go practice with some people and so we hauled up his drum set.  They never did show up and so he made lemonade out of the lemons and set up his drum outside and put on a show for our passerbys.  Here are a few pictures of him and his drums.

Camille has been playing volleyball this month for young women but I did not get any pictures of her and if I did, she may not have talked to me for a few years had I shown them.

The rest of the month has just been life and day to day living.  We have a pretty good routine down each week and I am not complaining about that.  What I am missing the most from life is Katie.  While some things have been easier to adjust to in the year since she has been gone, what I miss the most is the daily interaction with her.  I still have talks with her about the kids and how life is going, but it is a pretty onesided conversation.  I know that she would love to be here with us and I am sure she is as much as she is allowed.  I just have to remind myself we are not alone and that she is pulling for us.  I just finished reading a book I saw and bought in Deseret Book a couple of weeks ago called Sunset.  It is written by S. Michael Wilcox.  He talks about his experience with losing his wife to brain cancer in 2010.  His words express almost exactly what I feel and have felt with the loss of Katie.  I am grateful to have read it and plan to read it again soon.

Well, despite this daily challenge I face, we are doing well.  Life continues on.