My Little Sunshine!

I just adore this picture and just wanted to share it with everyone. I did enter this photo into a "cutest baby" contest. I would post the link for everyone to vote, but it has a lot of spam and just rediculous stuff with it. As much as we could use the prize money, I won't do that to everyone. Just enjoy my little girl's smile. :)

I love reassurances.

This week I've been working a few hours at the daycare, and it's been a bit difficult for me. Fortunately I've been able to leave Haddy at home with Rick, but I'm not used to babies that are three times the size of my child. Plus, these huge babies seem to hate me. I know it's nothing personal, they just don't know me. But there's something really degrading about having a small child look at you and scream for you not to even touch them. And I didn't even do anything!
But a really nice change from when I worked at the daycare last year is that I have Haddy. I can go home to a baby that loves me. When I come in the door and she sees me, I get a nice little smile. Aw, that's awesome.
Today was particularly bad, but God has a way of giving us what we need. I was playing with Haddy by having her sit on my knee while I held her hands. My goofy daughter proceeded to mercilessly lick and slobber my knuckles. It was so gross, yet so hilarious at the same time. We were both laughing very loudly. Haddy was squealing at me and was very proud of herself. She has a way of just filling my heart so full of love for her. Thanks God!

Reaping the Harvest

This one is for Veta. I finally beat the slugs to the strawberries this year! We've been having such beautiful weather here lately. It's actually a little maddening. You know how it is in Ketchikan. When it's sunny, you'd better get out and enjoy it, because you never know when the sun will come again. Well, having a newborn doesn't make going any where very easy, as I'm finding out. I have a nice bug screen for Haddy, that keeps most of the bugs out, but it also keeps Mommy out pretty good too. So, we girls go out when we can, as long as we can before her highness has a fit.
But, I'm pretty proud of my small accomplishments. Picked strawberries; fixed the fountain and now it's three-tiered; chunked some trees and cleared them; kept the plants alive during the heat; planted a hanging pot; and I now have tomatoes, broccoli, and peppers growing in the greenhouse. Ooh! Also, I have some wonderful potatoes growing. Amazingly, I'm just growing them from some old potatoes from lastyear that I never used and just "went bad." Their greenery is getting pretty impressive. There's just something about havesting stuff that you've grown yourself. I don't know. Maybe it's just something that God put in us. Ya know, the very first occupation was gardener. (Oh, and Veta-- hopefully I'll get your garden weeded before you come the visit.)

Happy 4th!

It was a good 4th of July. I helped in organizing the booths, but because of Haddy, I did not work them the entire two days, and it was a HUGE relief! What a stress free holiday. Haddy was great. We did go down to the booths to see if there was anything that needed doing. While it was super scary driving and walking downtown, God kept us safe and we got to show off Haddy's 4th of July outfits. Plus, Gramma and Grandpa were really glad to see our angel.






Haddy even got a chance to throw a bean bag or two. Give it time. She'll grow into it.



Ironically, Haddy and her cousin Mariah were wearing the exact same outfit. The crazy part was, these weren't even Walmart clothes. My mom got Haddy's outfit from Anchorage and Ruth's sister got Mariah's outfit from Portland. Yet, low and behold, on the 4th of July, these two cousins were at breakfast with the exact same duds. How funny is that?



Haddy was sporting her sun hat. Amazingly we needed it this 4th. It was so hot! I even got a tan and I wasn't out in the sun for very long. Haddy's head disappeared in that hat. She kind of looked like that one guy in Fat Albert.

Dad's Rule!

I just want to take this opportunity to say how much I appreciate the men in my life. My dad is a bit goofy, kind of on a different page at time, but absolutely a life saver. He's always rushing over to make sure that Haddy is okay. He's always very concerned that she's too hot, or that she's uncomfortable being swaddled. Haddy absolutely loves just sitting and chilling with him. I love him very much and I thank God that he's here.




My father-in-law is a good man. He loves his grandkids and helps out where he can. He did a great job raising my husband, so I'm very thankful.



I'm so thankful that I have an opportunity to reconnect with my father, Jim. We've been very distant for years, even though we've usually lived in the same town. He loves his granddaughter very much and it reminds him, and gives him an excuse to express, how much he loves his daughter. I'm so glad we're getting to know each other.




And of course, where would I be without my hubby. My knight in dented armor. My Prince in rugged clothes. I love this man more than I can say, and sometimes I just really want to belt him one. But I haven't, so that must be love. He's such a great daddy, and an excellent husband. It was such a joy to finally celebrate a happy Father's Day with him.

Our little ray of sunshine

Yes, it's great having a newborn baby. But admit it, when all they do is stare at you vacantly no matter how entertaining you're trying to be, it's kind of boring. Recently, Haddy has been smiling and occasionally laughing as she's finding her voice. It's been great. Aw... one smile is adequate payment for the long crying sessions and extremely early mornings.

Haddy and her cousin Kaeda on Father's Day.

Please continue to pray for my brother-in-law Robbie and his family. Just last week, our nephew "Mister" fell 20 feet off of a cliff near his grandparent's house and he hit his head. Praise the Lord, he came away with only a concussion. God's working in this family's life. It's getting scary, so pray that they get it together soon.

Episode at Rose's

This last week, my mother had received a money gift from a fiend to celebrate Haddy's arrival. My mom took us all out to lunch and wanted to get a good picture to send back to her friend to show how we used the gift. We decided to do something yummy, and simple, since we haven't really taken Haddy to too many restaurants. Rose's Caboose was the choice. Ironically, we had been having 80 degree weather, but when we got there, it was cold and windy. (I was actually kind of relieved).

Anyhow! Lunch was great. We all sat in the caboose enjoying our meals. Haddy had her bottle and was just enjoying sitting in her car seat. It came time to the take the photo, so I took Haddy out of her seat... only to be greeted with a wet, sticky back. Yup. You guessed it- a blowout. I was so surprised, because normally Haddy has rather loud explosions to announce her necessity of a change. But in this case, she had sat there so quietly. Well, my dad, Grandpa, valiently lept into action. He quickly grabbed Haddy and held her football style with her back up so as not to spread the mess any more. Haddy was peeking out from under his arm with a confused look on her face. Dad started shouting for wipes. The rest of us couldn't respond because we were laughing too hard. The scene was hilarious! I won't go into too much detail, seeing as how this is all potty related. But the pictures are rather funny. In conclusion, we did get a family picture and the day was saved!