Well, you did it again. The wonderful community that surrounds us once again rallied together to make our first annual event a huge success. Over 3,ooo of you attended A Taste of Cy-Fair benefiting the Layla Grace Children’s Cancer Research Foundation and helped us to raise over $21,000.00!! There was food from over 30 local restaurants, countless vendors selling eclectic trinkets, live music and tons of fun for the kids.

Several times throughout the day we sat back in total awe of the turnout. The months before the event were a tumultuous mix of planning, nerves and expectations. Seeing everything actually come together was truly amazing. The crowd started gathering before noon and never seemed to stop! Although the day was spent bouncing around from area to area making sure that everything was under control, I kept pausing to capture the memories- kids with sticky fingers and snow cone stained faces, fathers giving piggy back rides to their tired little ones, people sitting on the grass listening to the music, entire families enjoying a day out together. I wish you could have seen the sea of people that flowed through the restaurant tent. A picture is one thing, but actually weaving your way through the crowd with a plate of samples, trying not to trip over the feet next to yours while salivating over the food – that is a whole different experience. And the squeals of laughter coming from the kids area as they enjoyed the moon walks, clowns, crafts and sweets brought smiles to all of our faces. We could not have asked for a better result for our first event.

Huge thanks to all of the restaurants, vendors and volunteers who had a hand in making this happen. I could go on and on about how pleased we are and how blessed we feel to be surrounded with such an outpouring of support, but instead I’ll leave you with some pictures taken by the talented Christie Lacey. (To see the rest of the pictures you can visit the Layla Grace Children’s Cancer Research Foundation page on Facebook)

Stay tuned, we are cranking our gears this summer to get our new and improved web-site up and running, plan more fundraisers, create out-of-town opportunities and make even bigger strides towards ending childhood cancer. We know you are all eager to help and we would like to make sure that everyone is as involved as they want to be.

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It’s been a while since we’ve updated the site. Thats because we are working on an entirely new one to support the mission of the Layla Grace Children’s Cancer Research Foundation. Shanna and I have been burning the midnight oil trying to get everything pulled together to make it work. We have had a lot of help from some amazing people but the mountain just keeps getting taller every time we look at it. It doesn’t matter though, Layla didn’t quit and neither will we.

The foundation we created in her name is official. Also, we’ve got a great logo now too:

We have our first big fundraising event coming up in Houston on June 13th from 12 to 4pm at the Northwest Forest Conference Center 12715 Telge Rd. Cypress, TX 77429. It’s going to be lots of fun. We wil have 40 local restaurants sampling their food and lots of stuff for kids. We are still accepting volunteers and corporate sponsors for this event. If you are in the Houston area and would like to volunteer or be a sponsor for this event please contact jennifer@laylagrace.org.

I was on local news recently to talk a little bit about Layla and how her sisters are dealing with their loss. Texas Children’s Hospital is really doing a lot of great things.

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Wow, has it really been this long since I’ve blogged? The past month has been a blur. A crazy mix of emotions. I feel like I’ve found my way out of this thick fog I was stumbling around in, and now I can see clearly. I am finally able to process what went on the past year and it hurts like hell. I miss Layla more with each passing day. It is so difficult to look at her pictures without tearing up or talk about her without crying.

Jenna and Claire seem to be doing better. Jenna cries less and is more willing to talk about how she feels, and Claire is beginning to understand that Layla is never coming back home. It is tough to answer the same questions everyday – “Where is Layla? When are we getting her from the hospital? Why is she in heaven?” These are daily questions from Claire.

We’re still just taking it day by day. We went to church today for the first time since Layla passed. That was pretty difficult. We’ve wanted to go every Sunday, but when Sunday morning came around, we just couldn’t go through the motions to actually get to church. I realized a few days ago that it was time for us to start going again and soak up as much of God’s word as we could. And let me tell you, I’m so glad we went! I left feeling refreshed and better than I have in days!

I understand that it’s really hard for some people to approach us. More often than not, I can tell that someone wants to talk to me but they don’t know what to do or say, so they just cry, then apologize for crying, then apologize for not knowing what to say. That’s okay! If I see you out in the community, I welcome smiles, hugs, tears, words of sympathy – whatever you feel like sharing. It warms my heart to know that so many people are still thinking about our sweet Layla and still praying for us.

Now for the exciting news….

I am SO THRILLED to finally share with everyone what I’ve been working on for the past month. When Layla passed, it became my mission to live out her legacy and do everything in my power to make sure other children don’t suffer the way she did. I’m proud to announce the birth of the Layla Grace Children’s Cancer Research Foundation! I have met with attorneys and accountants and signed papers, they have filed those papers and I will have my tax id# this week. I am SO excited to see what this new chapter of our life will bring! The Layla Grace Foundation’s primary goal is to raise funding for Neuroblastoma research, and we are also tossing around some ideas about how to directly help children going through treatment. Parking passes, meals, gifts, childcare for siblings, and of course – flower beanies!

Our first large event in Houston is being planned right now, and in about a week I’ll be in need of some volunteers who would like to help. Guys, this is going to be BIG and I’m going to need several volunteers. Also, planning for our second large event will start at the end of this month and I’ll need volunteers for that as well. At one point, I couldn’t keep up with all the people who wanted to help. I pray the Layla Grace Foundation will be blessed with an abundance of volunteers!!

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It’s been one week since Layla went to heaven. To say I miss her would be an understatement. She consumes my every thought. I think about her every minute of the day. Even when I’m happy, I’m still sad because she’s not there to join in the laughter.

We have 2 other small children, so life still goes on. I can’t lay in bed and cry all day. I have plenty of moments when I cry driving down the road, doing dishes, watching tv or playing with my other girls. There are plenty of times they cry with me. And that’s okay. I’d rather we all cry together instead of me locked in the bedroom and them thinking that there’s something wrong with showing emotion.

I’m still finding her clothes mixed in with the laundry. Her favorite toys scattered around the house. Her car seat sitting in the garage that is a daily reminder that she won’t ever sit in it again. The hardest thing for me has been walking by her room every day. I have to pass her room to get to Jenna and Claire’s. We keep the door shut but occasionally I go in there and sit on the floor and just cry. Evie comes in with me and lays next to her bed. Eventually her room will be made into a “quiet room”. I’ll move all the girls books, puzzles and Layla’s favorite toys in there. I’ll keep the theme and colors the same. It will be a comforting place to go to read, reflect, pray and talk about Layla.

Layla’s Celebration Of Life on Saturday couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a BEAUTIFUL clear day. Breezy and warm, but not hot. The flowers were displayed on the stage to resemble a garden. They were perfect and vibrant – exactly what Layla would have chosen. Pictures and a few of Layla’s favorite things were mixed in with the arrangements. The music was equally as amazing. I hope to have the audio in the next few days and will post it. I could tell you how wonderful it was, but you’d have to hear it to really understand. I will hopefully have some pictures soon as well. At the end of the celebration, we did a balloon release. 1000 pink and purple balloons were sent up to Layla as we listened to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. I’m sure she was squealing with excitement

We had tons of flower arrangements. I took home about 10 and the rest we piled into 4 trucks and took down to Texas Children’s Hospital. We handed them out on the cancer floor and left some for Layla’s nurses in the Cancer Center. It was so surreal driving there, voluntarily, without Layla. I’ll do it again though. I’d like to go with something different each time – art supplies, stuffed animals, books, balloons….anything that will put a smile on the faces of the kids. Even though Layla’s cancer journey is over, there are new children starting this journey everyday.

I’m amazed at the prayers and support that is still being offered to us. I assure you, we are feeling it and are so appreciative.

A foundation in Layla’s name is in the early planning stages. Once we’re up and running, I have some BIG ideas. It’s my responsibility to live out Layla’s legacy. It will be tough because I have big shoes to fill, but I have faith that Neuroblastoma will become as widely known as other childhood cancers. I also have faith that funding for research will follow. If I can prevent even one family from feeling the pain that we’ve felt, then I know I’ve succeeded and Layla would be proud.

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