Lily's 5th Birthday...

Things have changed and it's ok!  Lily's birthday landed on a weekday this year so we were unable to spend the day as a family as we normally would.  On her first birthday I wanted the tradition of having a birthday cake for her each year.  That first year was tough.  It was so hard to hold back the tears as we sung to her and I never wanted to do that again.  But, this year I thought it would be nice try again, and it was.  

I dropped the girls to school and bought some beautiful pink roses and a cake...

I picked the girls up from school at 3pm and then we met Michael at Lily's grave.  The girls are always excited to come and see her.  I give them the responsibility of brushing off any leaves or cut grass from her grave and then filling the vase with water to put the flowers in.

They love it and I know they enjoy doing that for her.

Not quite sure what Ivy was saying to Milla but they were having their own little conversation and afterwards Milla put her arm around Ivy (see the below pic)...it was the sweetest thing to watch.

It never gets old to the girls looking at all the graves...I love it when they pick up an ornament that has fallen over and put it back.

 Michael bought a gold pen to fix up the writing on her plaque that had faded.  I don't know what it is, but seeing Michael do this, such a simple act for his daughter, makes my heart melt.  This is one small thing he can do for her now.  It's moments like this that reminds me that a father has lost his daughter too, not just a mother.

After we arranged the flowers, it was time to sing Happy Birthday.  As I mentioned before, it was hard at first but now I get so much enjoyment out of watching the girls be there for her on her birthday and honouring the day she was born. 

 Michael lighting the candle...

This picture says so many words and means alot to me...

All of them helped cut her cake...

It's amazing how one photo can stir so many emotions in me. So precious!

I don't want this to ever get old.  How we remember her will change as the girls get older but what once what such a painful, hard time in our lives has now become something joyful. And this is what I want my girls to always know.  Yes, it is hard as we go through hardships and trials in our lives but there is so much to learn from them to help us be at peace and happy.  When we focus on what is important (which to me is my relationship with my Heavenly Father, family and family relationships) in our lives and choose to take the higher road when dealing with hardships, we are guided and blessed with what we are in need of.

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" Psalm 30:5