Leelan’s been a big part of our lives since before he was born, and he’s the baby that made me a grandmother. He and Casey lived with us afterward, she was working 2 jobs and going to school so Pete & I had a lot of time with him. Even after Casey got an apartment for herself and her boy nearby, her schedule remained hectic and he was still with us most of the time. When he was 4½-ish Casey moved about 90 minutes away. We stayed close and visited often. More grandchildren came, none less important that the one(s) before…but with Leelan being such a huge part of our lives in those first few years we naturally had a different sort of relationship with him. He probably doesn’t remember those years as we do, but they will always stay with us, and he will always be a very special part of us and one of the greatest blessings of our lives.
I’ve amassed more pictures of Leelan and his life than I could possibly share, but here are a few dozen of my favorites from over the years!
WE LOVE YOU LEELAN!
(Click on the photo to open up the lightbox to see the rest of the photos.)
Happy and Blessed Birthday, Leelan. It was you who first called us Ugma and Umpa.. names we keep to this day
Leelan has grown so much and We’re so proud to have followed his early years. He’s now looking so grown up and moving forward with his life.
Kathryn and I are very proud of your caring nature and influencing of him as well as being proud of the hard work Casey has put in to be such a great mum.
Total admiration of you all.
Thank you Stefan! Yes he is a big guy and it’s funny, I was thinking of you when we were at their house on Saturday and remember talking to you about him when he was so little :). And now I look forward to hearing about your own little guy as he grows…they’re so much fun, aren’t they! I never thought I would enjoy grandparenthood so much!