Best Gift Ever

I taped the NFL playoff games yesterday and I cheered pretty loudly as I watched the Baltimore Ravens win and Ed Reed get the game deciding interception! You see the Ravens are Kaden's favorite football team and Ed Reed is his favorite player.

A couple of weeks before Christmas Jennie found this letter that Jackson had written to Santa. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen. She put plenty of Santa's elves to work trying to make Jackson's wish come true. It was the only thing Jackson asked for for Christmas. How adorable is this?...

 

Well...Santa pulled through and Christmas morning a Baltimore Raven football signed by Ed Reed was under the tree. Jackson was SOOOO excited to bring it over for Kaden to open. 

Grama Linda was all teary eyed watching the whole thing happen! 

Talk about some happy cousins!!!!!!!!!!!

Santa is the coolest!! He even brought Jackson a Arizona Cardinals game ball that was signed by Todd Heaps and Larry Fitzgerald. WooHoo! Is Jackson the sweetest boy ever or what?

And yep, the Slade kids even had a picture of the most adorable labradoodle puppy under the tree too. 

(Jennie is convinced that Jackson is so smart that he figured out the one way that she couldn't say no to him getting a dog.) The puppy is almost ready to leave his mom and come the the Slade's...pictures of that coming soon.

MM 99 ...Patrick Lane and butterflies

Last week I went to Candy's house (that's the house you can see in the background) to have our annual friends get together. (Can you believe that I didn't even take one picture?! I.am.slackin'!))
I love all of these dear friends. They are such a blessing in my life.

Well, we used to live across the street from Candy for almost 20 years and going back there always brings back a plethora of memories. I usually leave there just a little bit teary eyed as I reminisce about our days on Patrick Lane. Those were such wonderful days...carefree days of lemonade stands, playing games, summer floods, the big dips, sitting on Candy's big rock, and best friends.
I remember the day I took this picture so well... Leah was tired of waiting for all the kids to get home from school, so we decided to have a picnic outside under the tiny tree (which is now huge!) in our front yard...the back yard was still dirt. We laid on the blanket, laughed, and watched butterflies as we waited for the school bus. Leah has always loved butterflies. I remember talking to Leah about how a caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly, how magical it is and how much Heavenly Father loves us to give us so many of His beautiful creations.

I got a phone call the other night from a friend of Leah's who did not know that she had passed away. I told her what had happened and as we cried together, she told me how much Leah meant to her, and what a good friend she had been to her in the short time she had known her. She said Leah had always helped her to look on the bright side and how she made her feel better and happy by just being around her. She told me that Leah had taught her to draw butterflies, and that she drew so many that she got carpel tunnel in her wrist. We laughed and then cried some more.

Every time I see a butterfly I will think of our precious, sensitive, fragile, beautiful Leah.
I miss her.

The Graveside

 

The graveside service was beautiful, sad, loving, hard, tender and truly filled with the spirit. 

Through the sacred priesthood of God, Allyn dedicated the ground where our precious Leah's body was put to rest. He asked our Father in Heaven to protect this place and make it holy ground where Leah's body will rest until the glorious resurrection. All who were there felt peace and reassurance that we will see Leah again someday. 

Allyn asked for a special blessing to be upon her spirit as she learns, grows, and progresses. 

We were all encircled with the love of our Savior and felt His presence there. 

A few weeks after the funeral Allyn went back to the mortuary to pick up the death certificate. He went out to Leah's graveside and knelt in prayer. It was a cloudy, cold, and windy day. As he prayed with tears streaming down his face, he asked God to please bless our daughter. He asked to know if Leah is really alright and is safe, happy and at peace. He asked if she knows how very much we all love her and how very much we miss her. He prayed with all the sincerity and love his heart could hold. As he ended his prayer and looked up, he saw the clouds part and the suns shining rays shine upon him and the special place where he was kneeling. It was cloudy everywhere around him except right where he was. He felt God's love, tender mercies and comfort so profoundly. We know that Leah truly is in a better place and that she is loved beyond measure. 

As the beautiful hymn says, God be with you 'till we meet again...we love you sweetheart.

Leah is buried really close to Grami...