Dose of encouragement

Come to me all of you

who

are weary and carry heavy burdens

and

 I will give you rest

Matthew 11:28

Just Breathe

How can it be that this sweet baby just turned five on November 1st?

I meant to post this on the 1st  but, life got in the way.  Its hard to believe that I once held her in my arms and welcomed her into our home just a day old . What I didn't know then was how much joy and fun times this child would bring .  Tealyn has filled our lives and hearts with so much love and contentment and brings non stop humor and laughter with her entertaining  personality every single day.

This Birthday is bittersweet for me because its her last year being home alone with me. Next year she will enter Kindergarten and have a whole new world, new friends, new adventures, new routines to get used to and although, I love that for her, I am a bit scared for her too. I have thought a lot of this and my thoughts go back and fourth wondering if public school is the right choice for her?... 

The only thing that brings me some comfort is knowing that I have prepared her mentally and academically and I am very proud of that. She will enter Kindergarten knowing how to read at a second grade level and doing 1st grade math. We have worked diligently every morning on different learning activities since she was about 14 months but, still she needs more socialization than mommy and daddy and older tumbling friends( twice a week) can provide.

 

My husband keeps telling me take it in. Take it all in for this is the last year home alone with you.

JUST BREATHE!!!!

HAPPY 5th  BIRTHDAY SWEET TEA. 

You are the biggest and most special gift daddy and I have ever received. You sweet tea are proof that God hears our prayers answers them and loves us unconditionally.❤️Our lives are now more meaningful and exciting with you. You are smart, tender -hearted, kind and so loving. I pray you grow up strong and courageous!! We love you so much!!!

HER FAVORITES:
Tumbling - queen 🐝 bee friends- reading chapter books- Snapchating - family fun pack - baking - Saturday Dadurdays - barbies -making silly videos- talking with older girls from tumbling lady teal ..❤️❤️❤️

Fall and Halloween memories

Here are some of my favorite Fall and Halloween pictures of my sweet Tea . These pictures take me back to that very moment and wonder where the time has gone..

She had just noticed some early trick or treaters

About to turn two she was just learning how to trick or treat and only went to a few houses because she preferred to pass out candy...

At St Marks Pumpkin Patch she was a few days from her third birthday. I love this picture.

I love going to this pumpkin patch and,although I hate pictures of myself I love this one.

Three about to turn four she loved the Wizard of Oz and naturally wanted to be Dorothy.

This was a first for her too. A sweet memory.

 How quickly do we learn trick or treating equals CANDY.  She was so excited to count all her candy.

 Her Halloween was magical, fun and entertaining . She loved every bit of it and I loved watching her enjoy it. I can't wait for this year.

There is one Halloween picture I cannot find her third one ..it must be in some hard drive somewhere .She was dressed as a fairy. Its going to drive me crazy until I find it....

Welcome Fall

WELCOME

Fresh crisp breezes 

and warm blankets wrapped around me

WELCOME

Apple cider and the smell of pumpkin spice 

I have longed for you for 

WEEKS

I have thought about 

Cool nights, Pumpkin lattes, Corn mazes, Hay rides, Apple pies and Family gatherings

Tealyn and I 2 yrs ago...

I am so ready 

BRING IT ON!!

Roses on my table

 I love the beauty of roses especially the knock-out rose bush. It caught my eye about a year ago in my neighbors garden then at the Walmart parking lot where, I have been known to cut a few for my table from time to time. (with there permission of course) I noticed that they are ALWAYS  blooming so, I planted two bushes then, I got another neighbor to adore and appreciate their beauty and she completely re-did her front entry with about fourteen knock-out rose bushes in hot pink.  IT IS A SIGHT TO SEE.

The other day, I saw a sign at a store that read 

Id rather have

ROSES

On my table than

DIAMONDS

On my neck

Uhmmmm

YEAH!!!!

A dose of encouragement

Start each day with a positive thought 

AND

a grateful heart

What are you grateful for today?

Dear Sweet Tea

You are an amazing little girl who amazes me 

EVERY DAY

AND

You are way smarter than I ever was at your age

You are polite and kind with a touch of 

SPUNK

and a sprinkle

of

CHARM

You are soft and sweet and filled with pure innocence

I 

PRAY

that lasts forever

You fill my heart daily with joy and sunshine 

May your heart always be content and full of wonder, may you always remember to laugh and enjoy life no matter what it throws at you, may your dreams be magical, adventurous and inspiring and may life bring you nothing but joy and happiness.

Love, Mommy

New bloom

Love, love love this time of year.... even-though it doesn't last very long and warm days quickly become hot, sticky and humid.  spring still is my absolute favorite. especially because I love to think about ways to update and improve my home and yard. I love to walk into Lowes, Home Depot or any plant nursery and see all the spring annuals blooming away, I feel like that itself is medicine for my soul. I remember every spring my mother would buy a bunch of spring annuals for her home and I would help her plant them around her trees or near her mailbox, I remember the excitement and joy I felt when seeing her small garden transform.

I still feel the exact same way today times ONE HUNDRED!!!- maybe because I have my own home, and  know its true potential, or maybe because, I want to create those exact memories with Tealyn and have her remember our planting days.

 Right now shes still too young to know about annuals or perennials, but I know there is a little sense of wonder when she asks me if she can get her toes in the dirt and use the digger as she calls it to move dirt from one spot to another or hold the the water hose all on her own.  It makes me really happy that she is interested and is paying close attention to me as, I care for my plants.

She fills my heart with joy when she happily announces that there is a new bloom .

It truly is those little things.

What matters most

 water-bead play

The other night my husband and I sat down after we put Tealyn to bed and watched a dozen home videos. I couldn't believe how fast shes grown. Where has time gone?.. My heart sank as I watched with tears. People always tell you they will grow right before your eyes that couldn't be more true. I was so amazed at the things she was doing and saying at just a year old. I wanted to jump into my TV hold her tightly kiss her and never let go. Watching these videos of her made me realize the importance of being home with her, but  most importantly being a present mother

Sometimes we get caught up in our own daily stuff/ routines house chores, material possessions, social media, going here and there. We don't pause and be still, we are too much in a hurry that we take for granted-what's most important and precious and growing right before our very eyes.  Our children are the biggest and greatest blessing we can ever have, and we are the biggest influence they have. 

  

These early years are so special and should be treasured because you can never get them back and there are no re-dos. One shot is all we have to raise them with all the love, care and security they deserve. We should be more attentive more still, more patient and live more in the moment. We should always try and see things through their eyes, I know if we do our reward is far greater than we can ever imagine.

Bobcat sighting

My husband had been looking for this bobcat for a very long time.   We both saw him one time on a hike while birding at a nearby state park and never saw him again. The next time he went birding after work, he spotted him right away, and of course he didn't have his camera.  He has been going several times since then and he would spot the cat every once in awhile, however, something would always happen to his camera just as he was about to take his picture so there was never any proof  that he would see it.  He would come home and say " I spotted the bobcat it was on the trail" and of course I would always say "sure"...  He has been going alone on this hike for a while now because I just didn't want to deal with the whole stroller, mosquitoes, sunblock this and that and Tealyn becomes cranky in the evenings when shes ready for bed.  

About a month ago he decided to go again, this time he made sure his camera was charged 

I'm so glad I didn't go I would have been terrified, but what a beautiful shot he took.

Cascarones

Tealyn dying Easter eggs

In our family it is a tradition to buy Cascarones every Easter from local vendors selling from the street . Cascarones are dyed egg shells filled with confetti, used to crack over an unsuspecting family members head, after hunting for them. 

SO MUCH FUN

This year instead of buying them we decided to make three dozens. We had been saving shells from breakfast eggs for about two months and it was time to get this done. We dyed the eggs in her bedroom on her table.

BIG MISTAKE

I was so excited for her that, I didn't stop and think about the mess it would make . I got some dye on my carpet that I had to remove with peroxide yes, peroxide imagine that ... Other than that she had so much fun making these.  We  did it in steps which took a total of three days. I think for a toddler this is the way to go. It makes it fun to do something each day and they look forward to the next step.

Here are the finished cascarones.  We had a whole lot of Valentine tissue paper left over and I thought It would look cute with the hearts.  She loved it... I  can't wait for her to hunt for eggs this year. She has been playing with her basket and hiding plastic fishes in our back yard and pretends they are eggs and makes mommy or daddy (depending who's playing with her) hunt for them, then its our turn to hide them that game goes on forever....

Here she is Easter 2016  I wish I had a better picture.

2015 Easter

Here is a picture of her and her dad he had just finished cracking a cascaron showering her with a confetti. 

I wish you and your family a very blessed Easter Sunday

Daddy's girl

The connection between Tealyn and her dad is beautiful to witness. They are truly best buddies in every way.  Her eyes light up with joy and she becomes giddy everyday when he comes home from work. They play together building forts and pretend to be Peppa and Daddy Pig.  It is the cutest thing to see. They have conversations about her day he pays close attention to her and listens to her stories. Saturdays become what they both call DAD-UR-DAY  they make breakfast together and while singing and sometimes dancing . Dadurdays is what she looks forward to all week. Their bond is amazing and beyond belief and it makes me so incredibly proud . 

They say that a fathers bond with his daughter is extremely important and that helps to build confidence, self esteem, self image, and it even impacts her ability to preform well academically well then, I shouldn't have any problems in those departments. I just pray that their bond always remains this way and that when she goes through rough patches in her life that she continues to have the confidence to rely on her dad to get her through it. I pray when the time comes that she finds someone as strong and attentive as her dad. I love to see their connection become stronger its a beautiful thing.