My Baptism

As a tiny baby, I was baptized Catholic. My parents raised me Catholic, attending church regularly through 5th grade. When we moved after my Dad retiring, church never seemed the same. I visited a lot of different denominations, mainly with school friends. We would go to church on Christmas Eve or Easter, but our weekly visits slowed.
I always wanted to know more about God, feeling lost. Nothing bad about how my parents chose to raise me at all. Just seemed like something was missing. I've been through A LOT, especially since my Dad died 5 & 1/2 years ago. It wasn't until finally finding Grace Church Melbourne, that I realized what I was missing was my relationship with God. I always thought not good enough or smart enough, far away from where I wanted to be in my "walk".
When my pastors talked about having a baptism, I felt such an urge to do this... for myself. Yes I am a mother and wife, but my personal journey has taken a back seat, mainly this past year. It was finally time to do something for me... the best and most important thing I can do... get re-baptized and "begin again" with my journey to know God.
Today was such a wonderful time in my life... I was SUPER nervous and excited at the same time. Many of you know, I DO NOT like speaking in front of others! I like to be in the background (maybe my love for photography, being behind the scenes of great events shows that reason), taking everything in and enjoying what's before me. With so many of my friends at poolside, my pastors welcomed me with open arms.
So many emotions rushed over me... It was so hard to not cry... but I did:( But it was for a good reason, and I have never felt so good afterward!
To have a "new" spirit and know my relationship will grow is amazing! I've never been an openly religious person, sharing always seemed to be something you did quietly to yourself. Now I understand how important it is to share with others and know life is wonderful!!!

No more crib!!!

Today is an important day for Dannen. I jumped the gun a few weeks ahead of schedule, and put together his Step 2 Fire Truck bed. Luckily, we found someone selling theirs for only $65 on Craigslist, when normally it's $250+ brand new! He's been attempting to climb out for a few weeks. It surely doesn't hurt being so tall:p

Dannen LOVED helping me put the top together. Maybe it was the idea of using a tool that intrigued him so much?!?! Of course, big sisters Kaylie and Makenzie cheered him on and got in on the fun of having a new bed in the house... especially one so cool!
At first, he was very nervous to go in it, let alone attempt to get out! I was not in a hurry for him to be comfortable coming and going so quickly, as it meant he would stay put longer. Well, it didn't last long until he realized how much fun it was to go in and out of the truck bed.
Time to clean up the room and get the toys out to play!
After taking a bunch of pictures, I realized I put the top on wrong... DUH!!! Helps to attach it properly:( Too bad this just meant more time to play with tools hehehe!
"Ooooohhh... I wonder what Daddy thinks of me using his tools?" :)
"Hey, this is pretty cool! I see you!"
The big test came at nap time... fingers crossed... I wasn't prepared for this...
Dannen laid down and passed out without a peep after MAYBE only two minutes of being in his room alone. I gave him his blanket, big hugs & kisses, and said "nah-nite". He blew me a kiss, put his head down, and closed his eyes. JACKPOT!!! That's my boy:) Nap time was 2 1/2 hours of pure comfort.

Once it was over, his room turned into the ultimate play room. "Woo woo woo! Here we come! There's a fire!" My kids played for a full hour in there LOL
At bed time tonight, our girls fell asleep first, while Dannen wound down. The big test was ahead, and is still in progress as I type. How will Dannen do overnight? He went down great, with the same ritual as nap time. This time he stayed sitting and talked to himself for about 10 minutes. It was soooo neat listening to him wind down:) This Mommy is camping out in the living room, ready to comfort him if needed. We're hoping he'll wake up at a decent hour and either hang out playing in his bed, or keep himself entertained for a bit in his room before calling to come out.
Good luck, Dannen... we're so proud of you and your move to the "big boy" bed!!! :)

Labor & Delivery Photo Shoot

I LOVE the fact that my true passion in life, besides caring for my family, is photography. I'm very thankful to be blessed with the ability to capture special moments.

My good friend of 10 years now, became pregnant with her second daughter. I was fortunate enough to take her maternity pictures back in April. Something about a growing baby belly and the emotions from Mommy and Daddy make my heart melt.

Talk about a rush of adrenaline... She asked me to be there during the delivery, taking pictures!!! This was a dream come true and definitely a beautiful experience no one can ever take away from me:) I'm thankful William said, "Go, go you'll be great!" and took care of our kids, with no hesitation.

I am still filled with many great memories from that day. Being able to stay back, watching the emotions of a soon-to-be Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma as well as doctors and nurses. I saw happiness, worry, fear, calmness, and love from so many different angles. With no pressure but to take pictures, seeing this miracle of birth from so many different people was AMAZING! I personally went on a roller coaster of emotions, remembering being pregnant and delivering all three of my children, remembering the fears and joy during each delivery, me watching as the Mommy and wondering what in the world was going on. I saw a Mommy so focused and determined to push through the pain, unaided with meds, finally delivering a beautiful baby girl. To see a Daddy keep his cool and a Grandma open her heart and arms to her daughter, offering what a Mom can to her daughter, knowing it's out of her hands. Doctors little looks and movements through the entire process. AMAZING really is the only word I can use to describe this special day. After baby River Samantha was born, doctors realized her breathing was a little off, so to see a team work with her, while still caring for the Mommy was both joyful and scary... a tiny baby having difficulties is something no one wants to see. The tears shed from Mommy when they took her away with Daddy close by, was very hard to see. My friend was going through such a rush of emotions. We now know she has pneumonia and will need to stay at the hospital for a week to make sure her recovery goes smoothly. Hopefully with prayers and love, she will grow stronger each day, and get to go home to her big sister, Mommy and Daddy.

My friend did a GREAT job... very proud of her and thankful for the opportunity to share the birth of her daughter... Here are some pictures of River's birth=)

~Happy Birthday, baby River~
Proud Grandma...
Can't wait to see her again and hold her for the first time... =)

German Measles

Yes, you read it... Dannen was diagnosed with Rubella, aka German Measles. My poor baby boy went from uncomfy with teething pains to covered in spots and totally uncomfortable, all within a week.

Dannen spiked a very high fever, lasting two full days that I could not break. With swollen gums and the lack of wanting to eat, only drink, we thought only one thing- teething. Third kid, we thought we were sure of what was going on. Once the third and fourth days showed signs of no fever but real lack of wanting to eat, our concerns began to grow. On the fifth day, Dannen showed signs of a rash, mainly worse on his head and neck, with a smaller area on his shoulders. The following morning, he was COVERED from head to belly with red spots, really bright on his belly, back, neck, behind the ears, and around his hair line. We freaked out thinking he was overheating, but realized he had barely been in the sun for the past week. Time to go to the doctor!!!
The doctor knew right away what was going on... she tested him and did cultures right away, wanting to be 100% sure of her diagnosis. Thankfully, Dannen only had a fever for the first two days, which meant the viral infection had already begun and was on the mend. He couldn't have antibiotics since it was viral, not bacterial. She didn't want to prescribe anything anyways, worrying he might have a reaction like Kaylie went through. All we could do was keep him comfortable and out of the sun/heat/hot baths. (Again, HELLO?!?! We live in Florida!) I took him back to the doctor two days later to find he was no longer contagious and considered okay to go about normal day to day activities. Thank goodness it was a short-lived illness. Dannen also lost two pounds! It was VERY scary seeing him covered in spots=(
I keep thinking of how this came upon him... we thought he had the MMR shot in the beginning of May, with his 15 month check up shots. Nope- his shot regimen is off by a month so he has to wait to get it until 18 months. So, why did he get it? My only guess is from the mall playground. I have kept our kids inside a lot this summer (with Kaylie's strep then reaction and of course the heat). When Kaylie and Makenzie were at VBS, I took Dannen to the play area at the mall. There were three kids there, one of whom was a little sick with runny nose and coughs symptoms. Since Rubella is transferred through runny noses, urine, or saliva, I can only think of Dannen catching the viral infection there. Kind of sad since it's so hard to find a safe, cool play area. I did hear two days ago that the same play area has been closed, due to renovations. Hmmm... makes a Mommy wonder... ???

"Breast Friends" Golf Tournament

William had the opportunity to spend a day a golfing for a GREAT cause. Our church, Grace Church Melbourne, sponsored the First Annual Breast Friends Golf Tournament on June 12th. (BREAST FRIENDS is helping women survive the trauma of cancer . . . one friend at a time.)

It had been a while since playing golf, let alone hitting any balls, so the entire week prior was dedicated to making sure he was going to be comfortable. Time to bring out the shoes, get new balls & tees, and shine the clubs!His team was made up of him, Pastor Aaron, and friends Steve and TJ, all from church. They enjoyed lunch together prior to hitting the course. They scored an 11 under par... GREAT job! After a hot day of golfing and fun, the event also treated them to dinner. William brought home a door prize full of Tastefully Simple products- perfect for our love of cooking!
Great job to an awesome team... can't wait until next year!!!

First Time Golfing

William took Kaylie out golfing for the very first time. Needless to say, she had a REALLY good time!

Kaylie's favorite part was trying to putt just like Daddy:)

It was very hot, so to keep cool, Kaylie enjoyed a little ride in between holes.

It took an extra year than originally planned, but finally Daddy got to take his "baby" girl golfing. Great job, Kaylie!!!

Check out her swing!

Banana Ice Cream

An old high school friend posted on FaceBook this awesome recipe for Banana Ice Cream. Now, my husband says it's not really ice cream since there's no milk, but I'll run with the idea and enjoy the healthiness:)

First step is to freeze the bananas... okay this is important: CUT THEM UP FIRST! LOL I was in such a hurry to try this and froze them whole. Granted, it worked, but trying to peel a frozen banana is pretty ridiculous:P Once they have been in the freezer for at least 2 hours, place in a blender or food processor.

Both Makenzie and Dannen joined me with making this yummy snack! When Dannen went to touch the buttons, I yelled and totally freaked him out... his eyes got HUGE!

Blend the bananas until they reach the consistency you like. It'll be more like a soft-serve ice cream at first. If you want it thicker, place in the freezer for an hour or so.

Final product... YUM! One-Step Banana Ice Cream:) Definitely a hit in my house!

What A Steal!!!

WOW!!! Seriously, that's all I can say about what we found shopping today. Every once in a while, my husband and I will hit the Goodwill store, in search of those "hidden treasures" people no longer want. Today was jackpot city!

Check out the Potato Heads characters will all their parts for only $0.99 cents!!!
Here are a few animals to keep any kid entertained for only $0.50 cents!!!

This is the best... 30 dinosaur toys, two of which squeak and one that roars, for only $5!!!

Dannen didn't know which to play with first LOL
And of course, who can't go wrong with Little People toys, all for only $6!!!

What a great way to spend our anniversary, getting awesome deals on toys for our amazing kids:)

Happy Anniversary

~*~Happy Anniversary to my husband~*~
We've made it 9 years!!!
I love you!

All About Dannen

So after reading through my blog, I realized it's been quite some time since I posted anything about Dannen. I have SOOOO many pictures of him!

When it comes to cleaning, don't even think about using the hand-vacuum around Dannen. He goes crazy and wants to do it on his own. Might I add... he's pretty darn good at it, too:)

Dannen loves Popsicles! With all of the teething and trying not to catch his big sisters' sicknesses, he's been enjoying the cold snacks:)

Oh, have I told you how much he likes to CLIMB??? I swear my son is a daredevil... if it's not tipped over toy bins or emptied toy buckets, then it's as crazy as our dining room table and the couches. No fear...

Let's not forget the empty laundry basket... he likes to get us to go under it with him, then make Darth Vader noises:P

Dannen is definitely a car/truck boy... especially if it makes noises. I found all three kids playing cars, with him hanging out under our desk.

Our plants are growing great! (Well with the exception of Dannen's... Makenzie decided to take a look a few days ago, and tipped the entire shelf over- spilling all of the pots. Thankfully, Kaylie and Makenzie's made it, but his bit the dust!) Dannen loves pointing to the leaves and just standing there watching them... I swear he's like my Dad- watching the leaves grow since we don't have grass=)

Thanks to Grandma, Dannen got to enjoy his first mixer full of Pistachio Pudding mix. You would have thought it was Christmas!!! He had a blast licking every crevice and finger:)

When it comes to groceries, Dannen likes to help me put things away. Granted I may find a box of cereal in his bedroom, or even a can of soup on the counter in my bathroom, but he helps:) I gave him a few rolls of TP to put away... surprisingly enough, when I went to put some in the girls' bathroom, I came back to find him unravelling one for Mommy!

Oh the simple things in life... a balloon! Give my son a balloon, and he's set for an hour. I think he actually tries to talk to them:P

Now that Dannen is super mobile and LOVES to run, we go to the park a few times a week. Since it's so flipping hot already, yay Florida- NOT!, our time there is short and early in the morning. William and I threw the football around while the kids played kickball and attempted to catch love bugs. Dannen kept his new hat on most of the time... I think it got too hot after a while!

Our "little baby" boy sure is growing fast! He's up to size 7 in shoes, 5/6 diapers, and 2T/3T tops & bottoms & pj's. At his 15 month check up, he weighed in at 32 pounds and 36 inches!!! Pretty tough to convince some people he's only a few days shy of 16 months:) Dannen loves to talk, has a smile on his face 95% of the time no matter what, drinks from a sippy and straw cup, uses his fork and spoon, always wants to sit between our legs on the floor to play, goes to sleep GREAT- even says "nah-nite" every time, my favorite- says "I wub yoo" in perfect context, waves hi and bye to anything and everything that moves, insists on throwing things in the trash on his own, LOVES dancing, learned how to move objects to climb onto our bed and cuddle, eats at the table with everyone- with a good amount of space to compensate for his reach and utensil movement, has a mean arm when it comes to throwing a ball, gives hugs and blows kisses to everyone, laughs at cats and dogs, and is constantly jumping or stomping throughout our home- always full of energy!