2015 is in the books for our family, and what a wonderful year it was! The girls have grown and learned so much, each with their own personalities shining brighter than the year before. It has been a year filled with blessings as we have watched them develop.
For New Years Eve, we celebrated with our Framily: Uncle Andy, Jay & Becci, Tony, Kathy, Travis & Emmett. The kids had a great time playing together Thursday evening and most of the day on Friday, as our friends all stayed the night on New Years Eve. The big kids (aka adults) had a lot of fun together as well!
On Friday, the kids got to make their own unique Thinking Putty, thanks to Uncle Andy. They really enjoyed being able to choose and make their own colors and combinations. Tierney was a bit put off that she did not get to participate, however.
With New Year's Eve behind us, we focused on resting up for the weekend and enforcing some earlier bed times for the girls. Ezri has been enjoying reading stories to Tierney at bedtime, and several nights I found them tucked in a chair quietly reading together,
The new year has brought a bit of sadness to our home already. 4 days into the new year, 6 weeks after she came to us, Leela went to be with Jesus in Heaven. We had been watching her decline, loosing interest in food for a week, and had switched to a high calorie food to try to get her strength back up. A week of that before the new year did not make any improvement and she continued to get weaker. So, on Monday, after the holiday weekend, I brought her back to the vet to see if there was anything else we were missing or could do. Alex and I already were preparing for the possibility of having to say goodbye, but wanted to be sure we had done all we could first. Our vet confirmed that she agreed Leela seemed to have given up and that we could do little more, praising us for all we had done to care for her when nobody else would.
That afternoon, I had a conversation with the girls, explaining that it would be best for Leela to allow our vet to help her one last time by giving her a medicine that would help her feel better, but unfortunately she would not wake up from that medicine but would go to Heaven. We talked heavily about how Jesus had sent her into our lives to care for and help her when nobody else would, and how He knew we would love her, injuries, limitations and all. But, we also expressed that she was Jesus' kitty and that it seemed he was asking to have her back, where He could heal her completely and give her a happy life.
There were a lot of tears as we talked through those things. Alora was angry at first, begging me not to take her to the doctor to make her go away. My heart definitely broke watching the girls in their sadness. We decided to allow our family the rest of Monday and much of Tuesday to say goodbye and to bring her in Tuesday afternoon. The girls each wanted to have pictures taken with their kitty for remembering her later. They spent the afternoon cuddling with her in the sunshine soaked living room, assuring her how much they loved her.
After putting the girls to bed, Leela sat with Alex and I a short time before getting restless and wanting to get off the couch, so I carried her upstairs to her bed. A short time later, I went up to check on her and found she had peacefully died,
Tuesday morning was very difficult as we had to explain to the girls that Leela was no longer alive, but had gone to Heaven. Alora, in her 3 year old understanding, had a hard time processing what had happened, while Ezri had a better grasp having gone through loosing Tucker a few years ago. We allowed the girls to see Leela's body and to spend time if they wished. As Daddy had to be gone for the day for a meeting, I allowed them the opportunity to go see her, touch her, even hold her if they wished, as much as they liked and to handle it how they chose, without forcing them to do anything. I simply stood back and watched as they each did their own thing to grieve.
Ezri had her quiet escape that resulted in sobs I could hear a floor below, so we cried together as I held her and talked about how much happier Leela must be now, and how she had two working eyes and could run, jump and play again, and that she was surely with Tucker and Fidget. Alora was more cheerful, to some extent, but full of questions constantly. One conversation between the two of us finally settled her into the idea that it was Leela's shell in our home, that the real Leela was in Heaven with a new body. From there, it went to talk about what Heaven would be like, and the talk focused on how many toilets, beds and living rooms would be in our mansion. Though I was surely sad, and even more sad to see my babies hurting, I found joy in listening to them talk so matter-of-factly about Heaven, truly trusting and believing in Jesus and his love for all - people and animals alike. They get it they way so few adults do!
Having said goodbye, the girls asked that I print out their pictures with Leela and put them into frames so they could hold and look at them, which I gladly did. Those pictures have accompanied them daily since then, everywhere we go, and they have provided the girls opportunity to talk if they choose as well.
We ended our sad week on a much higher note. With the same friends we were with the weekend before, we headed north to the Cadillac area to stay in a cabin together for the weekend. There, we spent two nights sharing life, laughter and good conversation while the children played exceptionally well together. To help break things up on Saturday, I brought along some activities, including supplies for paper airplane making, coloring books, reading books, marshmallow guns and potato head parts for making snowmen. The kids had a great time doing each of these things!!!
We also spent a bit of time outside, sledding. Thought it was wet and drizzling much of the day, it was warm enough for the kids to go out and burn some energy. Since Tierney decided a nap was no fun, I finally gave up and joined the party with her about the time Alora decided she'd had enough. So, unfortunately, no pictures of Alora, but the other two had a blast and did not want to go back in!
Saturday night, we had a snow storm pass through, and we woke Sunday morning to a beautiful sight! Our trip home was made a bit sketchy for a while due to this snow and wet surfaces frozen over, but the closer we got to home the better it got as the same storm only brought rain to our neck of the woods for much of the time.
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