{ four & flying high }

We officially have FOUR year olds. Wow! This is one of the first years I can say that i want to hit the pause button. While the last years were good, they were also full of of a lot of other feelings: fun, tiring, happy, wild, sad, exciting, lonely, hilarious, rewarding, exhausting, surprising. 

But this year we're in a good spot. It is fun to go on adventures as a family, I can take them alone to the pool to swim, it isn't so much work to pack up and travel. This has been a super fun age and we're trying hard to soak it up!

Hopefully Oliver and Stella don't think all year's birthdays will be like this one though. Their day was packed with: flying to Denver, a mini indoor amusement park, and hours of swimming at the hotel.

Rewind a little to why we were flying to Denver on their birthday. My grandma (their great grandma) Crystal recently passed away and her funeral was the day after their birthday. We debated on whether just I would go to the funeral or we would all go. In the end, we obviously decided that we would all make the trip to CO for the service.

They woke up to balloons on their doors (from the "birthday fairy") and if it weren't for that, I think they might have forgotten since their focus was on flying. After a quick pic to document turning 4, we were off to the airport.

They were of course excited to use their own luggage and insisted in being independent.

They were sure to tell everyone on our flight that it was their birthday and they were no longer three year olds.

The flight was smooth thanks to electronic devices :)

Grandpa C met us at the airport and from there we grabbed a quick bite for lunch and then headed to an indoor amusement park that grandma had scoped out. Carousel, teacups, swings galore - they loved it!

From there we headed back to the hotel to swim. It was over 90 degrees and the intense CO sun made it perfect outdoor swimming conditions.

They were exhausted from a full day so we hung out at the hotel and just grabbed cupcakes from a nearby store.

Happy birthday to two of the most awesome four year olds!

Grandma Crystal's funeral and burial followed the next day. It was a lovely service and while I wish it were under different circumstances, it was nice to see my Denver aunts, uncles, cousins and other family.

We had prepared Oliver and Stella for the funeral for a week or so leading up to it. They were full of questions and we answered them openly and honestly. They understood that grandma crystal's heart got tired and stopped working and that she had died and was in heaven with God. Both were a little sad the day of and I think it was hard for them to see people they loved sad. But I'm super proud of how well they did throughout the day given the circumstances.

We are now on our flight home as I write this and I think all of us will be ready for a nap when we get back to the house!