Thursday, April 11, 2013

In memory of Trek

Last June I wrote a post where I talked about a blog that I had started reading when Elliott was so sick.  I wrote that post the day after their baby, Trek, passed away.  He had Niemann Pick Type A and was only 14 months old when he died. You can read that post HERE
 
I have continued to read that blog to this day.  I have not missed a single post.  The Ingram family amazes me every single day and I love following their adventures in Thailand.  Jarrett, Trek's dad, wrote a book last year called Following After Trek and I was part of the Kickstarter project to get it published.  It is a beautiful, inspiring book and you should go to amazon right now and buy a copy. 
 
Today would have been Trek's 2nd birthday.  Chelsea, his mom, asked that her readers do something special for their own children as a way to celebrate Trek's life.  You can read her post HERE.
 
I thought the best thing we could do to honor Trek, his life and his memory was to spend time together as a family.  We eat dinner together every night, but I don't always make food that the kids love.  So, I made whole wheat pasta with alfredo sauce and carrots with honey and coconut oil.  I didn't hear a single complaint from anyone.
 
Spencer got penne.  And ate in his undies.
 
Elliott got spaghetti.   And made a mess.
.
Spencer told a funny story about a commercial with the Pillsbury Dough Boy.  I blew all of their minds when I told them that his real name is Poppin' Fresh.
 
Ginger waited for some scraps.
 
And Elliott continued making a mess.

Then we told Spencer that we needed to run some errands, but instead we took them out for frozen yogurt.  I let him get as many flavors and as many toppings as he wanted. 
  
 
Elliott got vanilla and berries. 
 
He also got a cookie.  I'm pretty sure it's his first cookie. 
 

Spencer wanted to show off his Ironman shirt.  Aunt Kendra got it for him when she did her 2nd Ironman.
We spend just about every evening together as a family, but we don't go out for frozen yogurt that often, so I do feel like it was special.  It also made me think that I need to find small things to do all the time to celebrate my kids because I am lucky to have them every single day.

5 comments:

Megan said...

Love this.

3in3mom said...

That is awesome! Everyone should be so blessed to take a moment to cherish!

Sherry said...

Awww, this is so sweet! It is definitely those little moments in life that mean so much. Reading about what other families go through losing children or dealing with serious illness is both one of the toughest and also most touching parts of blogging. It just really makes you appreciate all of your blessings, doesn't it? I love Elliott's messy spaghetti face and Spencer's silliness (so much like Evan's). These boys are just such blessings, and they are blessed to have you.

On another note, we got Brody's pediatrician to refer us to a speech therapist just to check him out. Not sure what to expect since I still really believe this is stubbornness and not sure what can really be done about that with a not quite 2 year old. His unwillingness to even try to communicate can just be frustrating for us. Do you think speech therapy can really help a child this young? I mean, obviously understanding is not his issue. :-)

Jeannette said...

I still read their blog every day too and that family's strength and joy for life just blow me away.


You guys are pretty awesome too. :)

Chelsea said...

thank you so much Natalie! you are so sweet to think of us and help us celebrate Trek! so much love ,Chelsea