Harmon's Summer Party {Lagoon}

Harmon's doesn't do much in the employee party dept but each year they do throw one at Lagoon. It is great because normally Lagoon is a total rip off but we can take our whole family and spend the whole day for less than $100 bucks with Harmons. We got there a little before noon and started hitting up rides immediately.We met up with some of our best friends the Brown's and Visser's. Koen was adamant we go on the rides he missed last year first. So we started off with the water rides in the back. It worked out great since it was literally 100 degrees! Good thing I planned on being totally disgusting and hot otherwise I would have been MAD! haha

 I had to post this pic of me on Puff because it totally looks like I am riding alone! LOL Brigs head was buried in my lap! The funnier thing was that Brigs keep saying "My hair fall off on Puff?" Because before we came we looked at the pics from last year and he had his head shaved. so funny.

We then headed over to get some food. All you can eat popcorn, popsicles, cotton candy, brownies, snow cones etc. The kids were in heaven! While we were there we needed to get our faces painted and balloon people...all for free! SO GREAT! Especially cause it was so hot it was sweating off within an hour.

Then it was back to the rides. We rode a couple kiddie ones. Apparently on the Odysea Brigs was getting a little crazy with a kid who was seriously 8. The mom was totally yelling right in his face "stop attacking my kid." YIKES! I was like "Oh, I am sorry was he being mean to him?" and she was like "ya he was attaching him" all feisty. It was exceptionally awkward. What am I going to do with this kid? "attacking" other kids....that are 8?? EEK! Then Stacie kept the little kids while the rest of us hit the big rides. Bonus of going with someone who is expecting! ;)

 Kaylee is such a little treasure. She loves Brigs and keeps him entertained always!

Laura me and Stacie

We had to head over to the pavilion for dinner and the drawing! Darn we didn't win but we did score some seriously LARGE cotton candy from Phil and Steve's boss!

Phil, Steve and Jace

Jace is one of our buddies from Harmons. We absolutely LOVED him and his wife Lacie from our last managers trip. She has since passed away and I just love Jace. We always have a fun time hanging out with him and his kids during Lagoon!

Then it was back to the rides. Some more big ones and then I stayed with Stac since Brigs was nearing his limit. We stayed all the way till close. Gave us good hope for being able to handle Brigs at Disney in a couple months! :)

1 year as an Angel ♥

I seriously can not believe a whole year has past. I remember times when I didn't think I could do another day, week or month. When I think about that it is hard to believe I made it whole year. It totally sucked. Not the whole year, it was actually a great year, minus the huge missing piece. It totally sucked living a normal life that I never wanted to live. That's what totally sucked. It is such a weird thing. It's like I don't want to have a normal life again. I don't want to find that "new" normal that includes heartache and pain. I just want to be the old "my life is so great, nothing real bad/hard ever happened" me. :) Really though it is getting so much easier. It just sucks when I stop and think about how FOREVER my family will  be incomplete here on Earth.

Anyway, I was right about the day before being harder than his actual Angel day. I cried like the whole day, had the worst headache, and woke up on his actual Angel day with eyes to prove it. ;) On Pierce's birthday some friends of mine gave us a card and some money and said with the money they wanted us to take the kiddos to Color Me Mine and have them pick out something that reminded them of Pierce. I felt like his Angel day would be the perfect day to do this.

We planned to pick up some balloons and go release them at the cemetery and then head over to Color Me Mine. When we stopped by Walmart they were apparently out of helium. Random right? Apparently there is a helium shortage. Weird. If I would have known I would have blown my own up at home. So we decided to do Color Me Mine first and then we would go get balloons somewhere by there and release them at the park.

We had never been to Color Me Mine before but it was something I had wanted to do, so I was excited. Brigs picked out a Lightening Mcqueen car and Koen picked out a Spider Man box to keep his treasures in and an I Love You block to remind him of Pierce. He is such a sweet, thoughtful kid. They had a great time painting and Phil and I had fun helping them. Phil had to do a number on Brigs car. B colored it like a hundred colors and it was turning to an interesting brown/black. haha Phil did a good job salvaging it and I will be interested to see how it ends up.

After we headed to Smiths and got 12 white balloons. We figured we would do 1 for every month he has been in Heaven. White seemed fitting. We were heading out of town with Phil's family. Each year we stop at the park in Heber to eat lunch so we figured that'd be a good place to send em off.

 Even after a year Brigs still isn't ok sending his balloon off. ;)

Koen suggested we all wear our Pierce is Fierce shirts. Isn't he just the cutest? I love wearing it. I swear I might just prance around in it all the time just so people can see my baby. :)

I was sad I wasn't able to actually go to his grave on his Angel day. So, I was very happy when my BF  Laura text me pictures of her and Stacie and kids having a picnic and balloon release there.

Of course my cute SIL Tanna and her kids also stopped by and delivered him a special hand made treasure. They are the best.

 And for the record the little notes on this flower are sooo sweet. My personal favorite is that it says "love your BF Vince." That cute lil guy in the picture is supposed to be Pierce's BF cousin. I know it hurts Tanna to know that isn't going to happen like we planned. Me too Tan, me too. 

Today on the way home from the gym we stopped by the cemetery to take down the balloons that were no longer floating and to drop of a little "I Love You" balloon we picked up at Smiths on his Angel day. Koen wrote a cute little note and left it under a rock on his headstone. 

 Brigs buddy, eyes are supposed to be opened in pictures haha would be perfect

 Overall the day was a lot better day than I anticipated. Definitely not a day I prefer to celebrate for my own child. I wish I still didn't even know what an Angel day was. I just have to remind my self that all though it totally sucks for us here, he is happy. He is free. He is loved beyond words here or there. ♥

Not much

There's not much I wouldn't give to relive the 11 hours we had with Mr P tube and wire free. Phil and I ordered The Pie in memory of this night last year. After 4 hours off his machines Pierce was still going strong. Much longer than the "minutes" the doctors had expected. We were starving so we ordered from The Pie. I think we'll make it a tradition. July 11th is The Pie Pizzeria night for the Olsen family.

If I could relive this night one year ago I would be snuggling my baby. In and out of sleep next to him like many moms do on a nightly basis but don't even realize how special it is. I am sure I never did. Not until you know that is your last night to hug, snuggle, kiss, smell etc do you realize how great, special, wonderful it is to sleep next to your little one.

Really, there isn't much I wouldn't give to relieve those 11 hours.