Monday, January 28, 2008

Aaron Jr.

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But Jesus called them unto him, and said,
Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. -Luke 18:16


His cousin, Zach, was outside and he threw a few snowballs at the window... Aaron Jr. was loving it... but this is the photo of choice for the blog since he looks so precious in it.

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So many people, when they ask how I am doing, they also ask how Aaron Jr. is doing. I thought I would let everyone know how Aaron Jr. is doing.

Once things settled down and there weren't as many kids around all of the time, he has asked for Daddy more often. It was a huge blessing that they were around in those first weeks. The kids kept him distracted.
It is a blessing that he still sees his cousins often. He sees things that remind him of his Daddy... especially photos since I have always been a photo taking fanatic. There are photos everywhere to remind him of his Daddy. So, he says 'Daddy' more often now.
He has taken photos of our family to bed several times, he has also gone to bed with a framed photo of him and his Daddy.

All in all... I think that Aaron Jr. is doing great. He has always been a really happy little boy. He
still laughs A LOT. He teases A LOT. He gets into things he shouldn't A LOT... which sends him to 'time out' OFTEN. He is full of energy ALL of the time. He is always going, going, going and never stops. Well... I guess he does stop eventually... as you will see in one of the photos.
Lots of times when I have been holding him and crying, or if I am tuning the world out while I am deep in thought, he will touch my face very gently until he gets a reaction from me. The reaction is always a smile from me.
He is a sweetheart. So, as you can see... he is bringing comfort to me as much as I am trying to bring comfort to him.

These are some photos taken in the last few weeks. Enjoy...


He LOVES watching movies. Right now his movie of choice is 'Stuart Little'.


I just had to get this photo of his hair. It is getting so curly. I used to have curly hair, but I lost a lot of the curls while I was pregnant with Aaron Jr. So, I guess he stole my curls.


Helping Grandma fold socks. Obviously, this photo was taken after sleeping on his hair all night, because it looks like there are no curls at all.


Riding in the car. He loves wearing hats right now. Lucky timing... since it is so cold outside.


I don't know what is on his face. It is probably chocolate... I wonder if he got any in his mouth. Maybe he was wanting a beard like his Daddy.


He gets into the pots and pans and wears them as hats. He doesn't know them by pots and pans... to him they ARE hats.


Bath time in the kitchen sink again.


And this is what happens when I try to keep him from taking a nap during the day (he has been having a hard time going to bed at a normal time lately when he DOES take naps, so I try to keep him up). Once in a while, he crashes on the couch around 6:00 pm... and then I REALLY have a hard time getting him to bed.

Now... more than ever... I pray for comfort. Not only for me, but for Aaron Jr. I believe that Aaron Jr. is being blessed with wonderful dreams at night about his Daddy. I also believe that he is being blessed with a feeling of closeness to his Daddy. And I know that angels are being sent to both of us to comfort us. The scripture from the Bible at the top of this posting shows how much the Savior, Jesus Christ, loves little children. They are so precious to Him.
Can you imagine that He would allow Aaron Jr. to endure this trial of losing his Daddy without sending angels to surround him and to comfort him? I know he has angels around him. He is loved by his Father in Heaven. Because he cannot comprehend what is going on in his world right now... I know that he is receiving extra comfort.

I love this scripture in the Book of Mormon. It is talking about Jesus and it is another example of how precious little children are to our Savior and to our Father in Heaven.


And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.
...and he took their little
children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. And when he had done this he wept again; And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.
And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. -3 Nephi 17:11, 21-24


The angels encircled those little ones about... I know this is what is helping Aaron Jr. Though we cannot see them, the comfort he is receiving makes it evident.

This is a promise to us all:

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
John 14:18

I know He will comfort us. I know He IS comforting Aaron Jr. I am truly grateful for that. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. He suffered not only for our sins, but 'Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows' (Isaiah 53:4).
He has already suffered these things for us, this is what allows us to come unto Him to be healed. He truly does know and understand
what we are going through. Having this knowledge does not mean it is easy to cast our burdens upon Him (Psalms 55:22), but it does bring comfort knowing that it is possible for us to do so. He loves us all so much. I am grateful for Him and I love Him very much.

We miss Aaron and we are still waiting for reality to truly sink in. The numb feeling isn't gone yet and I don't know when it will be. I am so blessed to have Aaron Jr. He reminds me of Aaron and I am grateful for that...

We love you Aaron...

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16 comments:

Karey said...

Sweet little Aaron. The pictures are cute, but I agree, the one at the top is precious. What a blessing to know that we are so loved by our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful both of you are getting a little comfort. Love you so much!

Wendy said...

What a beautiful testimony, Leslie! And what a beautiful boy. I love those curls.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Brenda said...

We loved those pictures of Aaron, Jr. Kevin was laughing at a few of them. So precious!

Lisa said...

wonderful, moving post. thank you for the scriptures. they really touched me this morning. what woud we do without the knowledge & promises we have?! i'm so grateful you are feeling comfort. your testimony is strong and you are an example to us, leslie. i love the first picture and the one in the hat. his eyes are so gorgeous. i love that kid.

Anonymous said...

Sweet little Aaron with beautiful curls. I love them. He will be cute with his hair cut but how sad to cut off such beautiful locks.
The first picture is so precious. I just love it. Not only does Aaron any you have unseen angels, you both also have many angels around you in your daily life helping you, protecting you, and praying for you.
I lov eyou Leslie and lil Aaron.

Anonymous said...

Leslie-
It was so nice to see you last night and to be able to give you a hug.YOU are such a strong and beautiful women, mother, daughter, wife, cousin and friend. Aaron Jr. is so cute-- you have captured such precious photos of him.

Love you Leslie and Aaron Jr.

Anonymous said...

Those curls are incredible. I remember when you were going to cut them off a while ago. I am glad you kept them...at least for now.
It is amazing to see the transformation you are making, Leslie. It is unbelievable to start from the beginning of your posts and see how little by litte, you are letting the Lord in to take this burden upon himself. I know it will never be truly gone, but I am just amazed at the woman this has made you. You are such an example of strength.
I love all of the pictures. He is a beautiful boy. My girls miss him and want to play with him soon.
We all love you and think about you a lot!

Mindy said...

Thank you so much for posting photos and an update about your darling precious boy! As I read your post, I was thinking how there must surely be angels surrounding YOU too. How our Heavenly Father loves us! Children do have a wonderful way of bringing comfort in times of sorrow. I remember when Megan (Brandon's sister) died, Aubrey was about a year and a half old. She was the sweetest little angel, comforting everyone.

Love you! Mindy

Vicki said...

Those pictures are so precious. Aaron Jr. is a very cute boy. I know you and Aaron Jr. are being watched over night and day. I love you, Leslie, and give Aaron Jr. a big hug for me (even though he probably doesn't know me... just tell him it's from one of your cousins). :-)

Melissa said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts during these hard times. I know I haven't commented because I've never been good at coming up with the right thing to say. Thanks for showing me how important family is. I know your faith is not only helping you but it is helping a lot more people. When I finish reading all your posts, I get a sense of greater gratitude. Thanks Leslie.

Anonymous said...

Leslie, I loved seeing more pictures of Aaron Jr. I can't wait for you two to come up for a while. On the other hand I often wake up at night in a cold sweat thinking of the trouble he and Luke will get into. But, it will be fun. We love you Aaron and Aaron Jr. very much.

Amber said...

Les-
I also appreciated your update on Aaron Jr. Sometimes it seems that kids are so resilient, but they are definitely aware of what is going on around them. I am sad that little Aaron won't get to grow up with his dad, but I am so glad, and he is so lucky to have you as his mom. Thank you for your moving and truthful posts.....
Amber

Liz said...

I want to kiss his cheeks in the one picture of him sleeping. You are a very talented photographer. I loved that first picture.

April said...

He looks bigger than just a month ago. Missing little Aaron and you.

Kristi said...

That kid. What an amazing little guy. He is all boy.
I love all of the scriptures that promise that he will not leave us comfortless. He is blessing you with angels, family, friends, Aaron Jr., and the strength to endure.
I love the blog.

OP SuZ Q said...

Praying for you Leslie!! Hope you and Aaron are doing alright....