We arrived at my parents’ house on the evening of the 19th. Ava’s eyes lit up as we pulled up to their house, wasting no time running up to them with big hugs. She ran from room to room and up and down the stairs piecing together her memory of the place she dearly loved.
Sunday morning we ate eggs and cinnamon rolls and drove through the drifting snow to attend church with Jake’s parents. We walked into his home ward 20 minutes early and sat on a bench toward the front. When Ava saw her grandpa come and sit down in the pew a few rows over, completely unaware of us, she ran over and sat down right next to him.
With a quiet gasp of surprise and his smile beaming, he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He looked back at me with that same smile, and I could feel the love he had for this little girl. She smiled and closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly so content and perfectly satisfied that she was once again reunited with all her grandparents. She has missed them so. #mamanotes