Dinner and a Movie

This past Sunday, my parents watched the kids after church while Jaime and I went to the movies. It was so nice to get away, just the two of us! We went to see the new Avengers movie, which we are big fans of, and loved it! After the movie, we picked up the kids & headed to Shogun. The big kids had such a fun time watching them cook and they all got to throw an egg and be part of the action! It was a great day!

Mother's Day 2015

Today marks my 7th Mother's Day to celebrate and with every passing year, I seem to gain a new perspective on the day. While I love all the fun things my kids make and the way my family dotes on me, I spend much of the day thinking of the sweet women who are hurting today. 

While conceiving was never a problem for Jaime and I, there was a time in our marriage when sustaining those pregnancies was quite difficult. Miscarriage after miscarriage, with no leads to any real answer. My heart ached for another baby. Though my story ends with more children; I know there are still women today who are in a time of waiting. And my heart hurts for you.

There was also a time, very recently, where I watched my newborn baby almost die. For a rough 24 hours, I prayed that I wouldn't have to plan my daughter's funeral. I was terrified. I know that other moms have felt that pain in its entirety. And my heart hurts for you too.

I'm praying, that regardless of your situation, today brings a sense of joy...a little peace...and the understanding of how much you are loved. 

Today, I'm enjoying the blessings The Lord gave me & thanking Him for His greater plan!

Zoo Day

The last time I went to the zoo was shortly after Easton was born. The kids went after Haylee came home from the NICU, but I stayed home with her. This past Friday, I took the 3 little ones with my mom. We met my friend Sarah and her 3 girls whom we hadn't seen on a while. Wow....did we ever pick the wrong day! We shared the zoo with about 2000 school kids on their field trips. It was a mad-house!! It was still good to see our friends and the kids enjoyed MOST of it. ;) Looking forward to another, hopefully calmer, day at the zoo soon!

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

We've spent lots of time during this past year, singing this song to sweet Haylee Grace. It's so fitting and I knew I wanted to incorporate it into a first birthday theme too! As always, my cousin came through for me and put together the outfit I requested. She also made shirts for the big kids. One of pastor's daughters is a professional photographer and she's going to do pics for us in a few weeks. But the other day, we played around a little ourselves and baby sister looked so cute! Bright and sunny!! Silly girl, she's known for closing her eyes/scrunching up her face and clinching her fist, when she gets tickled. It's just HER! Love you, my sweet girl. I can't believe you are 11 months old now! As much as I would love to have you be a baby forever, I'm also anticipating your first birthday and taking time with family and friends to celebrate your precious little life!! It's going to be a big, special day and I can't wait!!