Atwood Family: Easter Weekend 2016

The Egg Hunt at the church is a family favorite.

This Easter, Aunt KK, Riley, Aunt Jamie and Grammy were all here for Easter!!!

Lilly and her daddy with her eggs.

Walt with his daddy....

Lilly and her buddy, Caroline. Whew! These girls are growing waaayyyy too fast.

My sweet kiddos!

Thankful that I am there Mama!

Walt with his buddy, Paxton!

Easter parties at school are always so much fun, too. I wasn't able to make it to either of them because of a death, which I will explain further down) but I am so thankful for good friends who will snap pics of my kids and send them to me.

Lilly with her sweet friend, Aubree, and their bunny faces!

Walt man climbed on up in that Easter bunny's lap. I couldn't believe it when I saw the pics. He told me he wasn't scared because he knew it wasn't the real Easter Bunny! He is my wise child! :)

Walt with his buddies, Nash and Benjamin.

HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!

A cousin Easter picture.....Love these 3 babies!

Easter Blessings!

How do I even begin to describe the events that took place the week of Spring Break and then the week of Holy Week when my Wendy went to be with her Savior and mine? It hurt, it hurt bad, but it didn't hurt as bad as it would if I didn't have Jesus. He has been my HOPE...knowing that she is pain free and walking the streets of gold makes losing this precious soul to cancer easier to bear. She had been in ICU the week of Spring Break, where I was able to spend some time with her. We had a great visit, even though there was a tube in her throat and she couldn't talk....if you know Wendy, you know she got her point across to me. It was in that ICU room that she told me she planned the service...it hit me like a ton of bricks....it became reality that she was going to be leaving me in a short time.
I love this sweet picture of her and precious Ann Lamar! This was just a few days before she went to her forever home. She was the strongest lady I have ever known. She handled this awful disease with grace and dignity and never once complained. She FOUGHT until the VERY end. There were so many times that I would tell Brian, "I can't believe that she is going to do this trial based chemo?" She just didn't want to give up and she never quit searching for a cure and always prayed for a miracle. She will forever be my hero!

Her husband, Wayne, and son, Shelton, picked out this for her. She LOVES butterflies, so this is perfect.

Her daughter, Jenn and grandson Stone, let go 60 beautiful butterflies after the service. Wendy loved the song "Praise You in the Storm" which says we "praise the God who gives and takes away". As hard it is to let go of her I know that she is in Heaven rejoicing and is pain and worry free. She would want us to Praise the God who gives and takes away, because he is worthy of our praise.

Oh, how I will miss her calling me up and saying "boooogie!!!" as soon as I pick up. She LOVED nicknames, and mine was one of her best!! She was always checking on me and my family and NEVER missed a special event that took place in my life....weddings, babies, Chrysalie walks...she was always there with her encouraging words and hugs. I don't think that I have cried and laughed at the exact same time ever in my life. When I think about Wendy, I just smile and laugh and then cry because I love and miss her so much.

This butterfly was the only one that didn't fly off into the sky. This little guy just hung around all of us for a bit. It would fly from shoulder to shoulder. I KNOW that Wendy telling us she was there and she was MORE THAN OKAY!! Oh how I love the way our God works....He is always there letting us know He is with us and is taking care of us.