Happy 5 Months!!!

I can't believe my girl is 5 months old! This is the best shot I could get today as we are battling bronchiolitis and a double ear infection. Poor baby! But, she's still smiling!

More pictures to come with an update on all things June Anne! :)

Mommy Guilt

I LOVE this woman's blog. Seriously. I had to share this post because I think so many women struggle with this. I'm so thankful for someone to voice exactly how I feel every single day - both the days I go to work, and the days I stay home. Brought tears to my eyes. If you are a mommy that has ever wrestled with the decision of going back to work or staying home full-time, you will appreciate this.

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/21/friendly-fire/

Happy Friday!!

It doesn't get any better than spending the day with this sweet girl! Happy Friday!

School

Going back to work part-time, I was adamant about finding a good school for June Anne. Jason and I did all of our research and decided on Oak Brook Country Day School. We got on the waiting list in April when I was 18 weeks pregnant. We had really prayed about the decision of sending June Anne to daycare vs. hiring a nanny, and, at the end of it, felt so much peace about Oak Brook. What a GREAT decision it has been!!! June Anne loves her teachers, and I really feel like they love her and can't get enough of her sweet personality, which makes me so happy. She is also slightly obsessed with the other children. She lights up when they start crawling towards her, and she's sits in amazement watching them play. Her teachers say that she talks non-stop, and she is one of the happiest babies they have ever seen. It doesn't surprise me too much since she's such a joy at home!

One of the things I love about June Anne's school is that of her teachers, Mrs. Cheryl, sends sweet pictures of June Anne to me. I live for these pictures! It means so much to me that my sweet girl gets to bless others with her sweet personality.

Just a few of the pictures from Mrs. Cheryl of June Anne playing (or sleeping) at school (the other sweet baby in these pictures is Caroline, my friend, Kimble's, little girl. They are BFFs):

What A God!

"Ponder the achievement of God.
He doesn't condone our sin, nor does he compromise his standard.
He doesn't ignore our rebellion, nor does he relax his demands.
Rather than dismiss our sin, he assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences himself.
God's holiness is honored. Our sin is punished...and we are redeemed.
God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream: perfect before God."

Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace

Hanging with Daddy

June Anne loves her Daddy. And I mean, she's obsessed. One of her favorite things is snuggling with him on the couch before bedtime every evening. I just love that she's so in love with him! They say a little girl's first love is her Daddy.

Best Friends

They always say a dog is man's best friend. Well, apparently it's a girl's best friend, too.

June Anne and Bella love each other! :)

Curls!!!

And we have curls!!! We thought June Anne may have some curls because her hair has always been a little crazy in the front. Sure enough, they surfaced last night after her bath. Adorable!!!

Happy Friday!

June Anne and I had a great day together yesterday. After working Tuesday and Wednesday and having meetings both nights as well, it was nice to be able to just spend time loving on her. She's such a sweet baby and changing by the day it seems like. This week, she has started really "playing" with toys, instead of just grabbing them. She's figured out that some of them make noise when you rattle them, and it is cute to see her shake her toys to get them to make a noise. In addition to making them make sounds, she has decided that everything belongs in her mouth...her hands, her toys, everything.

June Anne has also discovered her feet, which is absolutely adorable!!! She constantly has them in the air studying them and started really grabbing on to them a couple of days ago. Now, if she's on her back, up her feet go! She's amazed by these strange appendages!

Where do the socks go?

One thing I've always wondered is how on earth you can lose socks in the laundry. Where the heck do they go? You put them on, go running, come home, put them in the laundry, wash them, and then, somehow, they don't end up in the dryer? Or maybe the dryer sucks them down the chute? At any rate, I'm wearing mismatched socks today, which made me think of this. It also made me think about the fact that baby socks are 100 times harder to keep together, and it seems like JA has missing socks in every single load of clothes I wash. Funny how everything, even mismatched socks, remind me of my sweet girl! My new life. I love it!

Happy New Year!

Wow! What a year 2011 was for our family. The Lord's blessings and faithfulness have definitely blown us away this year! The greatest things about 2011: the arrival of our beautiful daughter on August 28th and moving in to our new home early in July. 2011 was definitely a year that changed our lives forever, and I loved every minute!

I'm anxious to see what is in store for 2012. Curious how anything can top 2011!

We spent New Year's Eve with the Cains, the Highs and Kevin. Charlie is in love with June Anne (also know as "Nune Anne."), so its always fun to see them together! We enjoyed spending the evening with sweet friends.

New Year's Day we relaxed and, of course, had black-eyed peas, collards, and pork tenderloin.

Bring on 2012!!!