March-Ted's Passing

I think this post is the reason I have been putting off my blogging for so long. I knew I would eventually get caught up to this point and I was putting it off for as long as I could. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend a whole week in Blackfoot right before Ted died. Tyrel took some extra days off of work and  we had a lot of nice visits and were able to help with lots of things around the farm. We returned home because Tyrel was getting short on days off only to get a call the next day saying we needed to come back right away. So we quickly did some laundry, paid bills, etc and made the drive back. I don't want to go into details of his sickness or what it was like before he died. He was so amazing, strong and such a fighter through it all, but his sickness didn't define him because he was all of those things even when he wasn't sick. I am so blessed to belong to the Bingham family. They excepted me into their home and into their family from day one. I was always kind of nervous to gain "in-laws" and more siblings. But honestly when I married into their family I only felt like I gained another set of parents and 4 more brothers. It has always been so easy and natural for us to get a long and to love each other. I always tease Tyrel and tell him that I fell in love with his family first, but I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to be a part of his incredible family. I had a special bond with Ted, we were very close. When we lived about a mile down the road from them they had some land that they farmed behind our house. He would come over quite often and we would just sit and visit. Somehow he always seemed to know the days that I needed a visit and when he left I was always much happier. Even after we moved we would talk regularly on the phone because he knew he could get more out of me than he could Tyrel ha ha. He always introduced me to people as his daughter and that meant a lot to me. Whenever him and Kindra sent me cards for my birthday or whenever, they were always daughter cards never "daughter-in-law" cards. I was always glad to know they felt the same way about me as I did them. When we moved from Blackfoot I bawled like a baby because we were moving away from them. Now in a few days we will be moving back to Blackfoot and I am so excited, but sad too. I always knew one day that we would move back to farm full time, that has always been our ultimate goal. Never in a million years did I imagine moving back to farm without Ted being a part of that. He is the heart and soul of that place and I always imagined my kids growing up with him around being a big part of their lives too. He still will be a big part of their lives, just in a very different way. It doesn't seem fair to lose someone you love so much especially when they are so young and would have had so much life left to live. There was a very calming and peaceful feeling when he passed. I felt it and I think everyone else did as well. I am so happy that he doesn't have to suffer anymore. He fought a long and hard fight and it gives me so much joy to think of him back to his normal happy and healthy self. It was so amazing to see how many people came to the viewings and to the funeral. He touched SO many peoples lives, it was incredible. I can't even think of words to say to honor the kind of man that he was. I loved him so much. I am so grateful to have a knowledge of life after death. I know without a doubt that we will all be together again someday and that this life is only a glimpse of what is really in store for all of us. I know that families are forever. I know that our Savior lives and that he loves us. I know that He knows us all personally. I know that He suffered for our sins and died for us so that we can be with our families forever. It brings me so much comfort to know these truths.  Here is the link to his obituary if you are interested in reading it. He was such a great man with an even greater testimony.
http://www.memorialsolutions.com/sitemaker/memsol.cgi?user_id=1263532

Best day ever:)

Tytyn adores his Grandpa. And I think its safe to say the feeling was mutual:)

A fun day trip we took 2 summers ago. The picture below is of the same trip. It wasn't the nicest of days, but the boys still jumped into that lake from a rope swing ha ha.

I loved his little half smile smirk.

Our last full family picture together before Dawson left on his mission.

See that real smile that was captured?! I think its because he was out in his element doing what he loved!

I don't know what to say about this picture, it just cracks me up.

He loved taking the boys for rhino rides around the farm. This is something that Tytyn remembers well and I know he will miss doing this with his Grandpa. 

This was Tytyn's blessing day. Ted was so excited to get his first grand baby. He had a special little bond with him from the beginning. Tytyn would always fall asleep on him and always wanted to go to him. It was really sweet to watch.