God's Sweetest Angel

God sent an angel to the earth,
the sweetest angel, too.
And for such a tiny little thing
she had so much to do.

She knew she did not have much time
upon this earth to stay,
So she did not waste a moment;
she got started right away.

Her eyes were bright and sparkly,
she took in every turn.
She did not miss a single thing,
because Angels come to learn!

God sent her here to touch the hearts
of those He could not reach.
She taught them courage, strength and faith,
because Angels come to teach.

Her tiny little body was so full
of God above
You felt it when you held her
because Kerrigan came to love.

In 4 short years she managed
what many never will.
When she went home to Jesus,
her purpose was fulfilled.

She learned and taught, loved and played,
She learned her lessons well.
I know God was so proud of her
when she went home to dwell.

But when I miss her oh-so-much
I can almost hear God say:
"Please understand, her work was done...
Kerrigan did not come to stay."

A Butterfly...

"A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam

And for a brief moment its glory and beauty belong to the world.

But then it flies again

And though we wish it could have stayed

We feel lucky to have seen it."

~Author Unknown

This Dog's Life

Kerrigan loved animals, plain and simple. Horses, cats, cows, sheep, goats, fish...you name it, she adored it. Most of all, Kerrigan loved dogs. But there was one specific dog that she held in the highest esteem: Heidi. Now, there are two forms that Heidi comes in. The first is her Oma & Opa's border collie, Heidi. In fact, "Heidi" was her first word. There was a time that dogs were not known as dogs but rather "Heidi." Anything that barked, had floppy ears or a tail was "Heidi." The second Heidi in our family was her stuffed puppy by the same name.

Heidi in a picture taken by Kerrigan

Never have I known a stuffed animal to be so loved! You never know what stuffed toy your child will latch on to, and Heidi was certainly not anything we considered. It was just a stuffed dog that Grandma & Grandpa Foulger had at their house. A few years ago when Kerrigan was diagnosed with a severe case of bronchitis that bordered on pneumonia, she latched on to Heidi and there was no going back!

Heidi went everywhere that Kerrigan went! The grocery store, post office, overnight stays at grandparents' houses, preschool, doctor's appointments...Heidi was Kerrigan's shadow. Not a night went by that Heidi wasn't cuddled snuggly in her arms as she slept; not a morning went by when Kerrigan didn't bring Heidi into bed with us when she came to wake us up. When Kerrigan was potty training, Heidi learned to use the potty right along with her (you can see them in the video a couple posts down). Heidi learned how to do the Time Warp, learned her ABC's, watched movies with Heidi, and was a frequent guest on our girls' nights.

Heidi was hands-down Kerrigan's best friend. It was only fitting that after spending almost every waking moment with Kerrigan for nearly three years, Heidi should be the one to keep Kerrigan company until the day when we're reunited as a family. No little girl could have asked for a better companion!

Potty Time

It's been a while since I posted one of Kerrigan's videos, and I figured it was time to add something uplifting to her blog. These videos were taken when Kerrigan was about 2 years old and was just starting to potty train. Needless to say she wasn't very keen on the idea and looked at her potty as more of a place to sit and read to Heidi than for anything else. It was a place where three of her favorite things could come together: Mommy & Daddy's bathroom, Heidi, and reading.