Ellie Day 2017

As Ellie's birthday approached this year I didn't have anything that was really grabbing me as what I wanted to do to honor Ellie's life like I have in the past. Initially, I was excited to participate in the Running with Angels 5k again now that we are here in Utah, but when I went to register and saw the total at checkout I felt strongly that there was something else I should be using Ellie's birthday money for. A few other ideas came and went but none of them stuck and pretty soon Ellie's birthday was right around the corner and I still didn't have any clear plans of what to use her birthday money for. Surprisingly I was completely fine waiting and knew that when the right thing came along I would know - and that is exactly what happened. The week of Ellie's birthday several situations arouse with family and friends and I was able to use my time, energy, and resources dedicated to Ellie's birthday celebration serving them and helping them in their time of need. While I might not have come up with an official theme for Ellie Day this year, I felt a very strong personal emphasis on family and knew that serving them was the best way I could honor Ellie. .

This year Brynn and Mason took over the design and creation of Ellie's traditional cupcake cake and they totally nailed it! My mom also got new Ellie shirts for everyone since all the kids have outgrown theirs from two years ago but still love to wear them. We went and visited Ellie with her cake and balloon at the cemetery then we had our Hale family dinner at the All-Together Playground to celebrate Ellie's birthday. It was a simple but wonderful evening enjoying time as a family.

One of the things we were able to do in Ellie's honor happened the day before her birthday when our dear 4p+ friend, Brooklyn, ended up back in Primary Children's for back surgery. In January Brooklyn had a magnetic rod put in her back for her severe scoliosis. It has been a horribly difficult recovery and she has experienced one complication after another and had several repeat hospital admissions and surgeries since. As soon as I heard Brooklyn was back in the hospital I knew I needed to go see her and Sarah. I asked the kids to think of what we could do to cheer Brooklyn up and they all decided they would like to go to Build-a-Bear and make a stuffed animal for her. It was so fun watching the kids as they decided the soft and fluffy bunny would be perfect and dressed her in a cheer outfit because Brooklyn wants to be a cheerleader.  Brooklyn's excitement when I gave her the bunny was so wonderful. She snuggled with her bunny while Sarah and I chatted and showed it to everyone who came in her room. I care so deeply for this little girl and am so grateful to be close enough to get to see her occasionally.