PICTURED: Three-year-old girl who fell into a six-foot deep grease pit and drowned while playing next to an ice cream shop (8 Pics)

A "little blonde bundle of joy," Sadie Grace Andrews is remembered by her family as a 3-year-old with an "infectious smile" and a heart full of love.

"We know without a shadow of a doubt, our baby is with Jesus," Sadie's mother Corrie Andrews said today.

Sadie died Saturday in a tragic accident at an ice cream shop in Auburn. The 3-year-old was playing with siblings when she fell into a grease trap outside Bruster's Real Ice Cream on East University Drive and drowned.

"Her name means 'God's thoughtful princess,'" Corrie said, beginning to cry. "And she really was that -- always expressing gratefulness and love for God and other people. She would light up a room with her smile; she walked with a skip in her step. I've never met a more joyful child who loved God with all her heart."

Sadie leaves behind 5 siblings -- Sabrina, 7; Piper, 6; Cason, 4; and twins Ryder and Judson, who will be 2 in November. Sadie loved being outdoors -- riding her bike, playing with her brother and sisters or hiking with her family at Chewacla State Park.

"Sabrina and Piper said she made playing games fun," Corrie said Sunday in an emotional phone interview with AL.com. "This is really, really hard for them. Our kids love each other."

Sadie's family lives in Auburn and attends the Church of the Highlands.

"I'm just so thankful for the three years we had with her," said Sadie's father Tracy Andrews. "She taught me about being happy and loving life and loving people. At 3 years old, there's no preconceived notions. To her, everybody was good. She didn't see the bad. She just loved people and it didn't matter what they did."

Sadie was known for her friendliness, her parents said. She was the first to introduce herself to someone new. "'Hi, I'm Sadie. I'm 3,'" she would say, according to her mother. She was outgoing -- always the first of the six children to volunteer to pray during their nightly worship time. She loved to ask God to help others who were hurting.

"She had more faith than any child I've ever seen--and I'm not just saying that because she was my child," Corrie Andrews said. "She would come sit on my lap and sing 'Be Still My Soul.' Her favorite song was 'Jesus Loves Me.'"

Sadie also loved Elvis. She'd sing "Teddy Bear" and "Jailhouse Rock" with her dad, who donned a Burger King hat, impersonating the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," Corrie said.

"It's really quiet around here without her today," Corrie said. "She was the life of the party."

The accident

Video evidence from the scene showed Sadie was playing with two of her siblings when she apparently fell through a lid covering one of the grease traps at the ice cream shop at 2172 E. University Drive, according to police. AL.com's Paul Gattis reported Saturday that police do not suspect foul play and believe the death was accidental. It happened before 1 p.m.

The grease trap is a six-foot deep, in-ground container. Sadie was playing in the area, which has picnic tables and a grassy area where children play, an official said. It wasn't the first time the Andrews family had visited the ice cream shop for the children to play and have treats. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris said Sadie stepped onto the lid of the grease trap, which apparently wasn't locked or secured, and fell in when the door opened. The door closed on top of her, he said.

Police said officers had already been dispatched to the scene because the girl was missing. When officers arrived, CPR was being was being performed. She was taken to East Alabama Medical Center, where efforts to revive her were unsuccessful, police said.

An email and phone call from AL.com attempting to reach the ice cream shop's owner were not immediately returned Sunday. Owners Lance and Kara Latham on Sunday night posted a statement to the shop's Facebook page.

The Lathams wrote that they are heartbroken by the tragedy.

'Life is way too short'

Sadie's uncle Chad Vermillion is collecting money for the family's funeral expenses through a YouCaring crowdfunding account. The account already had nearly reached its $10,000 goal by Sunday afternoon and surpassed it Sunday night with more than $12,000 in pledges and 2,300 shares.

"A mother and dad should never have to bury their child," Vermillion told AL.com. "Make every moment special with your children -- every one. Let them know how much you love them and how much they mean to you."

Vermillion lives in Texas and has four children of his own. He usually visited with his sister Corrie, her huband and the children a few times each year. Vermillion said he hopes Sadie's death and life will encourage other people to be a beacon of love.

"Life is way too short to hold onto grudges or things you might be harboring against anybody else," he said. "You don't know how much time you have with the people you love."

Sadie, Vermillion said, always expressed love for others. And, that's what she wanted to see in everyone.

"She was a little blonde bundle of joy," he said, crying. "There was nothing bad about her."

Corrie said she will never forget something that Sadie did the morning before she died: The girl had a blanket from her grandmother that she always slept with. That morning, though, Sadie put the blanket in a bag and told her family she didn't need it anymore. She wanted another grandparent to have it as a birthday gift.

"She said she was a big sister," Corrie told AL.com. "That was huge for her to say that. Looking back, it's as if she knew she wouldn't need it anymore."