February 2014
My mom celebrated her 59th birthday on the 5th, and we had her over for the weekend and had a wonderful time! We surprised her with a ferry ride to a small steakhouse in Langley on Whidbey Island and then she and Landon made a birthday cake. It snowed the next morning—her favorite thing—and she, Jim and Landon played in the front yard and made a snow man. It was so magical to watch them.
Feb. 27
Our beautiful Luke Madison Taylor was born at 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 27. He was two weeks early, but a healthy 9 lbs., 5 oz. and 21 in. long. My water broke early in the morning, and we rushed to get Landon to school and to get Jim's Aunt Val a flight to Seattle from Moscow so she could stay with Landon while we were in the hospital.
The c-section went as planned, and it was an absolute joy to hear Luke's first cry and to kiss his little cheek. There was an issue with my placenta and the number and placement of the blood vessels, but it didn't affect Luke's health or mine. He was a healthy nurser and pretty much ate for the entire two days that we were in the hospital. One of my absolute favorite memories was when my mom came in to meet Luke and when Landon got to meet his little brother for the first time.
Luke absolutely completes our family, and I can't imagine life without him. He is a wonderful little person. He owns my heart.
March
We celebrated our ninth anniversary on the 5th, Jim's 33rd birthday on the 7th and Landon's fourth birthday on the 17th. Since we had a party for him in February, we celebrated his actual day with a "Frozen" cake (hugely popular Disney movie) and a nice dinner at home.
Landon is the sweetest big brother. He is gentle, kind and loving and very attentive. Luke is very mellow and only cries or fusses when he's hungry or uncomfortable. He was a great sleeper right from the start, and is wonderfully cuddly.
April
April was the toughest month of my life. After a nice quiet Easter at home with the kids, my mom passed away unexpectedly on April 23. I don't want to rehash all of the details, but she had a massive stroke and died in the hospital three days later. I was with her the entire time--praying, encouraging her to fight, and finally giving her permission to go. Before she left she donated her kidneys, liver and corneas to four people.
We were in the process of moving my mom from Tacoma to Lake Stevens and had already found a nice duplex for her to rent. She was going to watch Luke when I went back to work. Having to tell Landon that his grandma was gone was devastating. How can a four-year-old comprehend that kind of loss?
The rest of the month was a blur of funeral arrangements, notification of friends and family and doing our best not to drown in our emotions. I don't know what I would've done without Jim and my boys.
We escaped to Chelan for a long weekend before her service, which was a much needed break.
May
We had a memorial service for Mom in the church that she grew up in and went to grade school. It was so nice to see so many people celebrating her life. She was truly loved.
I spoke at the service, along with my Aunt Susi. Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mark also read passages from the Bible. I managed to stay strong throughout the service, but I honestly don't know how I did it. Saying goodbye to my Momma was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I miss her every day and the world seems completely wrong without her in it.
Here is her obituary:
Teresa "Terry" Ann Madison Terry was welcomed into heaven on April 23, 2014, surrounded by her loving family. Terry was born in Olympia, Wash. on Feb. 5, 1955. She spent her life in the Pacific Northwest - graduated from Timberline High School in 1973, and retired from the Washington State Code Reviser's Office as a Senior Legal Editor in 2008, after 33 years. Terry was an avid gardener and every house she lived in was surrounded with beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables. Terry also enjoyed reading and did her daily crossword puzzles in pen. She adored her grandsons, Landon and Luke, and found great happiness in their presence. Terry's witty sense of humor, contagious smile and always enviable hairstyles will be greatly missed. Terry is preceded in death by her parents, Roy Madison and Barbara (Ken) Stevens; her brother, Scott Madison, and her partner, Michael Larson. She is survived by her daughter, Jayme and son-in-law, James Taylor; grandsons, Landon and Luke Taylor; stepmother, Miriam Madison; siblings, Cynthia (Larry) Hebert, Sandra (Dee) Sulprizio, Susan (Chris) Sexton, Mark (Patti) Madison, and Michael (Vickie) Esterly; numerous nieces and nephews, who always knew her as "Favorite Aunt Terry"; and a number of other relatives and close friends. Even in death, Terry's giving spirit saved three other people through her gift of organ donation. A memorial service will be held on May 9 at 12:00 p.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church in Olympia, followed by a reception. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theolympian/obituary.aspx?n=teresa-ann-madison-terry&pid=170881433&#sthash.CMlHMuyQ.dpuf
Teresa "Terry" Ann Madison Terry was welcomed into heaven on April 23, 2014, surrounded by her loving family. Terry was born in Olympia, Wash. on Feb. 5, 1955. She spent her life in the Pacific Northwest—graduated from Timberline High School in 1973, and retired from the Washington State Code Reviser's Office as a Senior Legal Editor in 2008, after 33 years.
Terry was an avid gardener and every house she lived in was surrounded with beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables. Terry also enjoyed reading and did her daily crossword puzzles in pen. She adored her grandsons, Landon and Luke, and found great happiness in their presence. Terry's witty sense of humor, contagious smile and always enviable hairstyles will be greatly missed.
Terry is preceded in death by her parents, Roy Madison and Barbara (Ken) Stevens; her brother, Scott Madison, and her partner, Michael Larson. She is survived by her daughter, Jayme and son-in-law, James Taylor; grandsons, Landon and Luke Taylor; stepmother, Miriam Madison; siblings, Cynthia (Larry) Hebert, Sandra (Dee) Sulprizio, Susan (Chris) Sexton, Mark (Patti) Madison, and Michael (Vickie) Esterly; numerous nieces and nephews, who always knew her as "Favorite Aunt Terry"; and a number of other relatives and close friends.
Even in death, Terry's giving spirit saved three other people through her gift of organ donation. A memorial service will be held on May 9 at 12:00 p.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church in Olympia, followed by a reception.
June, July and August
The rest of my maternity leave went by in a blur. Because my Mom was going to watch Luke, we had to scramble to find care for him. We were blessed to find a woman named Jen who ran an in-home daycare and had an infant opening. Luke went to her house from May to August.
My return to work went well, but was difficult. I'm blessed to work with an amazing group of people who were very understanding and supportive and helped me make the transition as smooth as possible.
In August we moved Luke to the infant room a church daycare that is very close to my office. It was better-suited for babies and exposed him to other kids his own age. After a bit of a rocky start with staffing issues, things have leveled out and he is very loved and well taken care of.
In June we flew to Florida for a quick family vacation and then drove to North Carolina for Jennifer's wedding (Jim's cousin). The kids did amazing on the plane and while we were away. It was nice to spend so much time with Pam and Jim's family.
My Uncle Chris passed away suddenly at the end of August. I took two trips to New York—the first alone, and the second with Jim—to be with my Aunt Susi and to honor Chris' life.
Fall
Christmas
This was the only picture that had this pink light in it. Hi, Momma!
Surprise trip to Disneyland! Best. Vacation. Ever.
