You are My Sunshine

I just love my girl Lo. She is the light of my life and my little ray of sunshine. Some days when I am not sure what I am doing or why I am a mommy all I have to do is look at my little sunshine and she smiles at me, making me realize there is nothing in this world that means so much to me!

I love to sing to her.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey you never know dear how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away.

This is her 14 week old picture




And what is not to love about that face! She is such a ham!

5 Generations of Love

This past Sunday we loaded up the cars (3 in total) and journeyed to the small town of Buhler to visit my Great Grandmother, Adenia at the Sunshine home. This was going to be her first time to meet her GREAT GREAT Granddaughters, Leighton and Landrey. Making 5 generations! I think it is so amazing because very few families can even claim 4 generations, let alone 5! My Grandma Adenia was so excited to meet and see them! She kept getting them confused and which one belonged to which mommy, but hey when your 94 you are allowed!

This is Grandma meeting her two beautiful Great Great Granddaughters!

(click on the pics to see them closer...I am trying something new with my pictures)

Lo was a bit on the fussy side during our visit, I think we are starting to teethe! Yea (hear the excitement in my voice :) ) And Landrey was sleepy so she just doozed off! Wish Lo would do that...but that is another story! Overall it was a great day and so beautiful have so much family surrounding both little girls with so much love...5 generations of love!

The 5 generation lineage is on my mother's side: Lo's and Lan's Great Great Grandmother Adenia, Great Grandfather Bob, Grandma Jeanne, and Mommies Chele and Misa, and of course the girls.

Garden Gnome

I don't have a green thumb. Oh, how I wish I did. When we bought our house 3 years ago it came with beautiful gardens! However, the owners and creator of said gardens didn't have the common sense to put down weed barrier. Perhaps, they enjoyed pulling weeds and tending to the gardens...I do not, especially our back garden! While it can be therapeutic, I get bored and frustrated quickly, plus there are creepy crawlys in those gardens. Shudder Anyway after last summer's rains and all the weeds in the front garden I vowed to put down weed barrier because I WOULD NEVER AGAIN pull another weed! Well here it is one year later and I am finally doing it! With a little help from my garden gnome!






Daddy even came home and helped us before the storms hit!



Here is sort of a "before" before pic. What the front gardens looked like when we moved in BEFORE I got a hold of them, or lack there of and ruin them! Seriously lots of plants have needlessly died at my hands! Sorry it isn't too great you really have to look past Chad, but it is the best I have!



Now for the back garden...not sure I will EVER get that under control! This was taken in early spring (about 3 years ago) before all the trees were in bloom...but can you see how massive of an area that is to tend to and that is just a portion of the back garden!

Tobias Sebastian

My fur baby Tobias (Toby) Sebastian is 1 years old today! (And yes my dogs have middle names, Toby's is after his father.) I just love this little puppy. He has been so different from Tucker (who turned 3 on Feb. 14th, just one day before Leighton was born---he didn't want to share his birthday with her! : ) ) Anyway Toby is my lap puppy. Matter of fact he is sitting on my lap as I type this. He just can't stand not to be loved. This is the puppy I wanted from the get go, not that my Tucker hasn't been the best, he just more interested in playing with balls than sitting in your lap and being loved. I love both my fur babies very much they make our family complete and couldn't imagine it any other way.


Here I am meeting Toby at the breeders house. If you ever want a fantastic poodle, I have a name of an excellent breeder, my family gets all their poodles from her!


Toby's 1 Year Old Picture!


Toby use to sleep under my desk on my weights, at least someone was using them! :)


Both dogs are under the impression that the Boppy pillow was purchased for them to use! Most of the time I have to fight them to get it back!



Happy Birthday to my sweet little puppy!

3 months old!

Today my sweet little girl is 3 months old!

I just can hardly believe it has been 3 months since I was pregnant, since she came into this world and almost a year since we began this journey into parenthood. Where does the time go? I certainly don't remember my first 12 weeks of being prego going so quickly.
It is truly amazing to see how much babies develop in such short amounts of time. Really if you think about it 37-40 weeks in utero, while it seems like an ETERNITY for the mommy, it really isn't when you think of a tiny cell turning into a human...crazy! Now looking back over the last 3 months Lo has certainly changed and is learning so much each day! I am so thankful that I am here for these moments! I can't help but think how I should be going back to work now, and am so grateful I don't have to. Especially now that she is getting more interactive and fun after the LONG (yet short) 10 weeks I endured of non-stop crying, and no sleeping! So here is a HUGE HEARTFELT THANKS to my wonderful husband for allowing me to stay home just a bit longer!

Here are Lo's latest accomplishments:
*Smiling, laughing and "talking" more and more. She even tries to mimic my mouth when I sing to her!

*She loves singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "If you are Happy and you Know it..." especially the kick your feet part, that gets her going every time.

*Loves playing in her play gym! She sits in there for quite some time just laughing and giggling to herself about who knows what!


*Biggest accomplishment this month is she rolled over from tummy to back. Of course I missed it, but she has done it a few times now. Not consistently though. She also is getting very close to going from back to tummy. She gets all the way over on her side and just about rolls over and then goes back to her back.

*I also think she is starting to watch TV!?! I leave the TV on all day for background noise and I swear she lays on her mat and watches it! Not something I am proud of! :)

*She is sits in her bumbo seat and plays with her dolly.

Here she is "multi-tasking" watching TV AND playing with her dolly!


*Lo has found her hands and is starting to use them to self-soothe! Since we still hate all things plastic (ie bottles, pacis)

*She also is starting to enjoy Johnny Jumper...still trying to figure it out though...most of the time mommy does the "jumping."



*She also seems to be "crawling" on her back. I will put her one way or place and when I come back she is not where I left her! She doesn't move far, mostly in circles...but it just a reminder those days of leaving her on her mat to play quietly will be coming to an end in a couple of months!?!

*And finally the BIGGEST praise for mommy is colic is coming to an end!!!!!!!!!!! We are starting to sleep better (ie 7-8 hours at night) and take naps (at least 1 hour long) a few times during the day! I swear as soon as I started the "War on Sleep" she gave up after two days! Or she just changed. Who knows, but I will take it!

Finally here is just a sweet pic of the cousins at their play date last Friday!

My Mother's Day Gift

This was my Mother's Day Gift! No amount of money spent could ever equal this!!! I can't believe that my husband did this...sometimes he really surprises me with what he comes up with! Plus I also got a 2 hour nap, while he took care of Lo!

The first song is Carrie Underwood's "All American Girl." I played this song to Chad the day I got pregnant because I just KNEW she was a girl! Lo probably heard the song a zillion times in utero (especially once I KNEW for sure she was a GIRL!)

Enjoy!




Thank you Chad and Lo for the greatest Mother's Day Ever!

A Mother's Day Baby Dedication

This weekend was amazing! It was my very first real Mother's Day...I have sort of celebrated under the radar for a couple of years now, b/c I considered myself a mother to my fur babies Tuck and Toby, this year I could come out into the open and be a REAL Mother!
It is such an amazing feeling being a mom, there is nothing like it, and you can't begin to understand such love less and until you become a mother! I believe being a parent gives us a glimpse into the kind of love God feels and shows us every day! You would do absolutely anything for you child(ren) even when they don't deserve it! This Mother's Day really had me realizing how much I have taken my own mother and (father--but it isn't father's day) for granted! They both have done more for me than I ever deserved. They continue to love me unconditionally even when there were probably moments in my life I didn't deserve that either. So thank you Mom (and Dad!) I love you both very much!

This Mother's Day was made very special because Chad and I dedicated our daughter to the Lord Saturday night at church. It is such an important gesture to show you are committed to raising your child up in the Lord and allowing family, friends and fellow church members to come alongside you and help you follow through with your commitment. I know this doesn't guarantee her salvation but it is a step in the right direction. It is our prayer that she will grow up and accept Jesus into her heart and follow hard after HIM! It is also our prayer that we as parents set the ultimate example for her, she is a gift from God not to be taken lightly. She was chosen by God for us to raise and to one day return her to Him! I love my baby girl and I thank God every hour practically that He chose her for me!

Here are some pictures of her baby dedication! She was so good! No crying...I was a little worried she would scream up there, but I gave that worry over to God, because this was about HIM and not US! Prayer answered.

However before we left I was taking a few pictures with my sweet princess in her darling little dress, when all of a sudden I hear and explosion in her diaper! I rush to the changing table to quickly change her before it gets all over her beautiful dress, BUT instead (thankfully???!!!) it was all over me! Not a drop on her outfit! Can you believe it?!?! Of course it was quite the task to get her changed and continue to keep her dress clean, but we managed it! Got to love it!


Notice the different outfit I am in! :)


The Baby Dedication at New Spring Church aka Messiah Baptist



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOMMIES OUT THERE! (especially those of you celebrating your first one...there are so many of us!)

Answered Prayers

I feel truly blessed. I am continually amazed how God works in my family's life. So often we ask people to pray for us but we forget to give God back the praise for answering those prayers! I want people to know HOW GREAT MY GOD IS and how He blesses us even in the small things...things that seem so trivial you don't think to go to God about. But God wants to be apart of EVERYTHING in your life, especially the small things. So here are a few things God has blessed me with:

* A safe and healthy delivery of my beautiful daughter, two weeks early! Yes, I prayed she would come a bit early. I knew that once summer came around I was to go back to the working world and I just wanted all the time I could squeeze in with her before I had to "punch the clock."

*I also prayed that there would be a way for me to stay at home with my sweet little daughter for at least a year or so. God has just recently answered this prayer. God placed this same desire on my husband heart and we both have been budgeting carefully and trusting in God to make this a reality. God also allowed for my husband to teach summer school this summer, something that was a slim chance that he would be chosen to do! Once again allowing me to definitely be home with my daughter even longer! AMEN!

*Perhaps the biggest prayer I have had answered is God giving me the strength and patience to endure some of the longest and extreme periods of colic Lo has exhibited! Those of you who know me, know that patience has never been my strong suite but with God's grace and strength we are slowly overcoming this time! I know I would have never made it with out calling on God's strength!

God has blessed us in so many ways and I am truly thankful! I can not wait to continue to see how God works in our family's and daughter's life!

The War on Sleep

Today is day 2 on the "War on Sleep!" It has been a rough day and it is only 4:00p!

Battle "Morning Nap" went well...she actually took a whole 1 hour nap! That my friends is AMAZING for my little 10 minute napper! And even squeezed in another 30 minute nap! However, the tides quickly shifted once the afternoon nap approached!

Battle "Afternoon Nap" went horribly a rye! I tried to trick her into nap time by nursing her in my bed in hopes she would fall asleep...she knows mommy too well, she wasn't going to fall for that trick, no matter how tired she was! We screamed and laid quietly off and on for 1.5 hours!! (Mostly screaming) I stayed strong, continuing to soothe her...but alas there was not going to be a nap in our near future! So I surrendered this battle, gave in nursed and played with her, until she re-exhibited signs of sleep! Ha! I caught her yawning and rubbing her eyes. Straight to the swing (while this is a cheap battle move and should only be pulled out as a last resort) she went, where she peacefully slept for 30 minutes! Another small victory, in this war...I shall take it!

I foresee that the troops aka ME, will not be pulled out anytime soon! I will take on each battle fiercely and I will WIN! Her sleep (and mine) is far to valuable to give up on!

Now onto Battle Sleep through the night....

More to come!

Baby Steps

This weekend was a big weekend for me. I left Lo in the care of her Grandma Rachel while I attended a movie! It was so hard for me to leave her. I haven't been away from her ever for longer than maybe 45 minutes while I ran to the store. Plus, she still refuses a bottle so I really feel tied to her. I was secretly hoping that she would take a bottle while I was gone but no such luck. However, it was fun to be baby free for those few short hours with my husband! I really needed that time even though most of it I spent worrying and torn...but remember baby steps!
Then on Sunday I put her in our church nursery so for once I could be apart of church. Usually once the "light show" and music is over, Lo is done! And then I spend the rest of it out in the lobby! Plus, there was no where for me to go to nurse her except the bathroom and quite frankly I was tired of dragging a chair into the handicap stall with my arms full of a baby and diaper bag! Again dropping her off was hard, but I knew I was just a few feet away if they needed me! I was hoping that maybe they could be successful in getting her to take a bottle, but again no such luck and at the very end of service my number flashed up on the screen! But at least they have an area back there for me to nurse in...no more going to the bathroom! Honestly this was my whole purpose in taking her to the nursery! Re-con! I am fairly new to this church and don't know all the ins and outs yet!
So while it was tough to leave her it is important to my sanity to get out WITH my husband! (or grown-ups).

I have also discovered this book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and while it is wordy and has a lot of scientific facts in it, it is helping understand how important her sleep is (it is NOT FOR THE WEAK) and how to reclaim it! So I am currently on a mission to get her to sleep better! So far it is going well. I have managed to get her to take naps (short ones) outside of her swing!!! That is a HUGE achievement in itself! So again baby steps!

Sadly these are seriously the ONLY pics I have of her sleeping!!
Why? B/c she NEVER IS SLEEPING!

Nothing is more precious than a baby sleeping! I shall keep you posted on how it goes, and I am ALWAYS open to suggestions!

Scrapbooking...online!

I love scrapbooks. I think they are such a great way to capture memories and special moments that a regular photo album lacks. However, I just never have the motivation to do it. I love to buy all the pretty paper and stickers, but that is usually where my scrapbooking ends. And now that I have Lo it has gotten even harder to find the time to scrapbook. Thus the birth of my blog. It is a quick and easy way for me to digitally "scrapbook" the happenings around here and capture my feelings and thoughts as they happen rather than waiting and trying to remember what was going on five years from now. Anyway I stumbled upon this website. Here you can turn your blog into a scrapbook! So hopefully at the end of the year I can turn this blog into a tangible scrapbook to have...of course it to would require some effort...but at least I have the option! :)