It's that time again...

June 3rd rolled around again this year and, of course, we took to celebrating in the traditional form:
Happy Birthday Balloons sent up to Heaven addressed to our very own Daddy Mason.

In preparation, we colored some pictures and attached them to the balloons that Grandma Trudie had so graciously picked up for us, kids in tow, since both JC and I were feeling under the weather that day. Saved us a trip, for which we were both very grateful. Party City with kids in tow? Probably the most impressive gift Mason has ever received...Good job, Mom.
:)

So, the kids got their pictures colored and attached. Then, once JC was home from work, it was time to send them off.

Though he has been an indifferent participant in prior years, James really got involved this year. He excitedly colored a picture, talked about Daddy Mason being in heaven, and...

was the first to let his balloon go.

He points it out to Ben, trying to help him understand the whole process.
Ben is hesitant.

But Bethany's special note and balloon are soon soaring...

And Ben decides it must be okay...and lets his go.

They ran around the cul-de-sac, trying to keep the best possible view of their soaring gifts.

Bethany has a bit of a setback when her picture proves to be too weighty for the lightweight balloon and floats down...never quite making it to the intended destination!
She wasn't too upset though because, in her words,
"He could see me while I was coloring it so he already knows I made it for him! Now I can keep it and he can still see it whenever he wants."
Can't argue with that.

Here's a look at what he'll be able to see any time he wants.
Sweet.
(The blue is the sky and there are also stars...heaven)

As the balloons floated heavenward, we continued our celebration (and it continues still...these things last forever!) with these most excellent balloons which the kids kept for themselves. :)
A dinosaur balloon, Spiderman balloon, and Sesame Street balloon.

Yes, these balloons were originally intended to be gifts to go skyward as well.
You can only ask kids to give up so much.
I think Mason understands.

I think the most fun thing about this year's celebration of Mason was seeing the kids get excited and voice their thoughts on the whole thing.
Bethany has always felt a connection to Mason and talks often about him and what he's doing, what he thinks about what she's doing, etc. As she comes to understand more about the Plan of Salvation and our journey here on earth, she is more interested in the fact that a member of our immediate family has moved on to the next phase of their progression. It gives her a whole new perspective. As it does for all of us.

James is going through an interesting phase lately. He is really really growing up. And, like everything else he does, it feels very sudden! It is like, he will chill at one phase or another for a good long time, very content to...be content. But, then suddenly, he will decide he is done with that phase and move on. Applicable here in the way that...I try to teach him about things...teach him about who Mason is, where he is, where we are relative to that, etc. Never have I gotten a reaction from him. Never have I got any feedback from him. Then, suddenly, with getting this activity ready, he is chatting me up and down about just about anything I have ever had to say to him about the subject. I just kept staring at him, trying to get my brain to comprehend the fact that he had actually been listening all that time, taking it all in and storing it in his adorable little head. Oh man am I glad I kept talking. :) Anyway, so it was fun to see that he grasps the concept of the spirit world, understands who Mason is in our family, and was excited to celebrate his birthday.
Along those same lines, it has been fun to see Ben evolve into someone with a real understanding of things the last while...he refers to Mason by name when he sees his picture and it appears that it is understood that he lives with Jesus.

I know it's not all about facts, about understanding. It is mostly about the spirit in which we remember Mason's time on this earth, the joy we allow his memory to bring us, and the way we honor his example by making the most of our time here on this earth. And, of course, we try to do those things on a daily basis. But, it is really great to see that the kids are growing up in a way that they have an understanding of our family's journey through our progression. Of which Mason is a fantastic example. As we strive to teach our children about all that comes before us and all that lies ahead, he is truly doing his part as a parent by showing the way.

We all do our part.
We are very grateful to him for doing his.
We sometimes laugh about this or that that he did or said, we sometimes miss laughing with him, being with him, watching him bounce off the walls (though we DO see his children do that often enough...).
But, we are always grateful to him for all he has done and continues to do for our family.

I guess birthday balloons are our small way of showing that. :)