Our Little Angel!

May 2, 2011 is a day I will hold dear to my heart forever. I was able to witness the amazing birth of our sweet niece Hadlee Jane Ashcroft. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Hadlee was born with some trials that none of us had ever imagined. I will always remember the roller coaster of feelings that I have felt these past 14 days. I have felt happy, sad, scared, and lots of love. Today, May 15, 2011 is also a day that I will never forget. Our little angel left this earth to return to our Father in Heaven. It's amazing how in such a short amount of time the wonderful spirit that we were all able to feel as we watched Hadlee day after day. I tried to go to the hospital as much as possible not knowing how long she would be here and every minute I was with her was so special. I have watched her parents throughout all of this in amazement. They have been so strong and I know that our Heavenly Father has been blessing them as well as the rest of our family. We have all grown so much closer together and I am so grateful for eternal families. I know that Hadlee will be with all of us again someday and what comfort it is to know that she is going to be watching over all of us while we remain here on this earth. I picture Hadlee sitting with our Father in Heaven right now and telling him all about her days here on earth and what amazing parents He sent her to. I also think she is telling Him about her bigger brother and what a support he is to all of us. I look at Kade and I am so grateful to have him here and to have been able to watch him with his little sister telling her that he loves her so much. Hadlee will never be forgotten and I will miss her and think of her everyday! I was able to hold Hadlee for the first and only time on Friday May 13. I wanted to hold her the first day she was here but knew that I had to patient. Even though we were in a room full of people I felt like it was just the two of us. When I looked at her little precious face I knew she was going to be OK and I felt a peace come over me. I am so happy that I got that 5 minutes with her and will never forget it. If you would like to read more about Hadlee's days here on earth please visit my sister's blog which is d-h-ash.blogspot.com. She has been so good at writing her feelings and it makes me so proud to call her my sister. I know Hadlee came to her because of her strength. Both Dustin and Heather have shown us all the trust and faith that we need to have in our Lord. I love you guys!