First Braids

The best part of having a little girl is the fun that comes from dressing her up in cute little outfits and trying different hairstyles. Sophia's hair is a little wild right now, but I am working very hard at trying styles that work and keep it out of her face. I have tried bows, clips, pigtails, ponytails, and she seems to find a way to pull everything out, leaving her hair a disaster! This is my attempt at a braid. I'm surprised she sat still long enough to let me braid her hair! I look forward to lots of braids as her hair continues to grow.

Fit Mama!

Let me start this post by giving you a brief description of my pregnancy with my daughter Sophia. I had really severe nausea pretty much the entire pregnancy. It was constant and I pretty much just learned to deal with it. Despite the nausea, I managed to exercise pretty frequently. I walked at least 20 minutes everyday and tried to do light strength training when I could. On the day of my delivery, I had gained 19 pounds of baby weight. When the day came to deliver, I didn't realize I was in labor until my husband finally convinced me that we needed to go to the hospital and they told me I was 9cm! After I was admitted, it took a few hours for my water to break, but once it did, I only pushed for 20 minutes and out came my new bundle of joy. A week after she was born, I was back in my jeans. They were snug, but at least I could button them! I tell this story not to make all you moms hate me, but as motivation about the benefits of being healthy and fit during pregnancy. I don't want to make it seem like I never felt any pain during my labor, but I think I had a lot more stamina to push and deliver because I had exercised and prepared my body for labor. After Sophia was born, I slowly began exercising again and have gradually built up to doing strength training most days of the week. Going to the gym has become a priority in my day and it is honestly the best way that I know how to relieve stress. My biggest motivation for continuing to exercise is my incredible desire to get pregnant again soon. I am hoping that by getting into good shape now, I can have another great pregnancy soon!

Christmas Baking Bliss :)

This is the cookie baking process in our house: first Mama rolls out the dough, then Sophia carefully chooses which cookie shapes we want to make, then Mama cuts the cookies, and then Sophia sneeks a bite of poor Mr. Gingerbread's leg :(
I absolutely love to bake, especially around the holidays. Gingerbread is my favorite because I love to decorate their cute little faces and dunk them in milk. mmmm. Lets just say that this year I probably did more eating than baking, but thats what the holidays are for right?

Christmas Time is Here!

In an effort to save money on professional Christmas photos of Sophia (that I would find 100 reasons to complain about anyway,) we decided to take our own Christmas photos this year. I love trying out my new camera. These are not all that great, I know.The lighting could be better. But its a work in progress. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Bye Bye Binky

Deciding whether or not to let Sophia use a pacifier when she was born was a tough decision. I have heard that using a pacifier while breastfeeding is a bad idea, but I have also heard that providing the pacifier can be a good source of comfort for babies. We decided to let Sophia use a "binky" when she was born, with the condition that it be gone by 18 months. I absolutely HATE when I see older children with a pacifier. It is not only bad for their teeth, but I think parents need to take action in getting rid of the pacifier so that children are not so dependent on it for comfort. Sophia has happily enjoyed her binky for her first 17 months of life. She used to have it whenever she started to fuss, and we have slowly moved to only using it at night and during naps. I put her down in her crib tonight without a binky for the first time ever! She has not woken up yet. This is a bittersweet moment for me. I am thrilled that she is ready to give up the pacifier, and yet I am sad because it reminds me that my baby girl is not really a baby anymore. Saying bye bye to the binky is probably harder for me than it is for Sophia!

New Camera!!

I have owned a Sony Cybershot digital camera for as long as I can remember. It always took decent pictures, that is until Sophia came along... every picture that we have of Sophia from that camera is slightly blurry because it has a terrible shutter speed. Babies are always on the move, even from a young age. I have desperately wanted a new camera for a while now just so that I can have some decent family photos that I am proud to hang on the walls or post on my blog:) I got an early birthday present this year. My husband searched and searched for a high quality camera that would have a strong shutter speed and he ended up choosing the Canon Rebel. I absolutely love it. Look at these pictures posted. The colors are so rich and I have captured Sophia's beautiful face with no blurs! That is all I can ask of a camera.
I know very little about photography as of now, but I am so eager to learn. Maybe Santa will bring me photography classes:)

Give Thanks

I love Thanksgiving, not only for the delicious food, but also for reminding me of how blessed I am.
I tend to get stressed by the fact that our ENTIRE family lives in town. This means that we travel from house to house for every holiday. It can get very hectic and exhausting. Today, instead of being stressed about having to go to 2 Thanksgiving dinners, I am grateful because it reminds me of how blessed I am to have a large family that loves me. Today is a day to be thankful for every blessing in my life.



I am thankful for:
My beautiful daughter and everything she has taught me and continues to teach me. She never ceases to amaze me.

My wonderful husband who I truly love more and more everyday. I know with full certainty that he is the love of my life and I am truly thankful that I found him at such a young age.

My family. I take family for granted too often. Today I choose to be thankful because I know that having a large family is a blessing that many people do not have.

New friendships. God has placed so many new people in my life in the past year and I am so glad! New friendships are something that I have been in desperate need of.

Lastly, I am thankful for the amazing transformations that God has done in my life in the past year. I am thankful that He has transformed my heart and shown James and I what it means to be holy.