A Reason to Celebrate

I can't let this day finish out without a second scoop for a very silly girl tonight. Three years ago tonight, in a miraculous birthing experience, an angel graced our lives and joined our family as Lauren Elizabeth. Today, the 15th of July, we chose, with purpose, to celebrate THAT anniversary. 

I took Lauren to the store with me to buy the ingredients for her cake. Along the way we picked up a donut and smoothie for a birthday breakfast, a Tinkerbell birthday wishes balloon, and birthday flowers with my Lauren's Star-Gazer Lilies in the bunch. 

At home we made her birthday cake and she got to eat her favorite "ravalolis" for lunch.

In the afternoon we pumped up the giant water ball that Grandma gave Lauren for her birthday and played in the sprinkler that it spouts out. When that got too cold we warmed up in the spa with Dado.

Somehow ... Someone ... snuck a few fingers of her cake prematurely.  Hmmm. I seem to remember Ann Marie doing the same thing to her 3 year old Care Bear Cake. I think he lost his back end back then.

Soon the pizza and the neighbors and the girlies with their presents arrived. We sang, ate, played, and visited. Then we got to go to a friend's birthday who turned 3 today too.

Taking my own advice here: I love that Lauren talks so well and so much. I love that she likes to tell all of us how we need to do everything.  She tells the girls when playing hide and seek, "You hide in the bathtub and I will go count!" She wakes herself laughing in the middle of the night and when Jon rocks her to sleep she will get almost totally asleep only to start busting up laughing again in her sleep. She makes a clicking lip smacking noise when she is telling you something and pauses. She loves to pout but is easily persuaded to do what we want her to if it is made into a game. She always wants to "GO" anywhere anytime with anyone.  If someone is leaving the house she wants to be with them. She loves to answer in the affirmative by saying "SURE" instead of yes.  I am positive this is an influence of Great Grandma Harris.  I have no doubt that these two were great pals in heaven before Lauren came to our family. As Grandma would have said, "she is just a jolly little Welsh girl with eyes as big as dollars!"

I love Lauren and the laughter she brings to our family. 

Camille's Lullaby

My brother in law Spencer wrote the music and lyrics for a lullaby for Camille. He was inspired by watching Jon and I as we turned off the respirators and held Camille as she died. My mother in law Kathleen wrote the accompaniment and arranged the song. Then a friend of Spencer and Marleen's named Sean Williams who has a recording studio helped us record it. Thanks a million Sean. If anyone in Vegas needs a recording done, you should email sean at smw2785@hotmail.com. He has a great set up, great equipment and he was great to work with personally.

Jonathan and I each took a turn to sing, then we sang it together. This was ... well ... I am sure you can imagine ... NOT easy. It is one thing to stand and talk at a funeral. You can cry and talk at the same time pretty well. But singing ... singing is a whole different ball game. Singing when crying just doesn't work.

I had not been able to make it through the song once till we recorded it. Even then it took a few tries and I can tell in my voice that there are times I am struggling to keep it together. I had to put some photos to the song to upload it. Eventually, I will put this music to the photos of Camille that my sister in law took at the hospital. I haven't seen those yet. I am sure I will post that slide show once I make it. But that may be a while so until then...

Which version of the song do you like best? I can't decide which I like best. (It is okay if you don't say me. I don't take offense to things. Plus, I think my husband's voice lessons are paying off. I think his version is fantastic.)