They melt my heart

Today I want to recognize Avery's awesome cousins. She has the best cousins. And even though they are young, they each still remember and love her. Today after church they all came to the cemetery with us. They helped me arrange new flowers for her and spent time exploring the older graves. They find it so interesting reading dates from the 1700's on the stones. I often wonder what goes through their heads, especially when it comes to Avery. They were supposed to teach her baseball not visit her grave. They are still so innocent and often say and do the sweetest things.

They truly melt my heart.

Today, Tanner who just turned 7 was baptized. Tanner is the cousin with the softest heart. He loves encouraging others and hates seeing people upset. Before he was baptized he told his Papaw, "I'm excited I get to go see Avery in Heaven one day." He also likes pink iced donuts because the pink reminds him of Avery and wants a tattoo of Avery's name just like my husband.

Tanner has two brothers Vaughn and Cannon who also talk about Avery all the time and they wear their pink polos often in memory of her. For Easter they all left cute handwritten cards to her at the cemetery.

Then there's Jackson and Tucker. They were the last two, other than my husband and I, to hold Avery. Jackson is only 3 and loves matchbox cars. He now has a pink one that he calls his "Avery car." And even when not paying attention to the conversation, if he hears Avery mentioned, he asks, "baby Avery?" Tucker loves Avery too. He's helped write her name in the sand at the beach and in cars for us. And has helped Papaw pick out flowers for her, he found baby's breath to be appropriate, after all she is just a baby.

Did I mention, these boys melt my heart?

All of these little guys remember their littlest cousin who they all only met twice. If you ask where she is, they will tell you she's in heaven with Jesus. I often wonder over the years how this will affect them. They've watched us fall apart and slowly start to pick up the pieces. They've cried at her funeral and now play around her grave.

For the longest time I worried people would slowly forget her. After reflecting today over how much her cousins think of her, I'm reminded yet again that forgetting her will be impossible for anyone to do. Today I'm thankful for these little guys who melt my heart with their love for their little cousin.

Tucker, Cannon, Vaughn and Tanner (Jackson not pictured)