one of the greatest nights of my life......

let me start out by saying that we have not been feeling good for a week now. 

raymak has had an ear infection and a little virus, and i have not been feel well. 

we have been home since last thursday and have left the house twice! i love it! 

i thought that we would be going stir crazy, but that is not the case! 

we have colored easter eggs......

working hard!

finished funny egg heads

bubble party in the sun

snack picnic and a little rainbow rice fun!

bird feeder

waiting quietly and patiently for the birds 

made a couple of pinterest crafts

bird's nest

our version of the coral reef!

rainbow unicorn

there has been lots of fun, lots of snuggles, lots of movies, and lots of sleeping!

tonight was one of the greatest nights of my life! 

raymak was feeling much better today and had lots of energy! 

her and our dog indigo were chasing each other around the house.....there was jumping on the bed, some screaming, a dance party and jammin on the keyboard!

we made our bird feeder, hung it up and she pulled up a chair waiting for the birds to come up to it. she called me out back and asked me to sit with her! we snuggled up in a blanket watching the birds for about 30 mins of pure perfection!

a little later a friend came by to hang out and check on us. he walked in the door and raymak went crazy! 

jumping on the bed, showing us "dangerous" tricks, there was a tickling match, a pillow fight, and she was a princess, then she informed me that i was the bad guy and dave was the handsome prince (lol!) hysterical! 

we ended up on the back porch (again). dave and rachel fought over chairs in a weird game of "you sit here!" then, (this is the best part!) she started to play eye spy! "i see with my little eyes.....ummmm......a magical star in the sky! now you mom!"

then.....she showed us how to make a wish on the magical star! she stood up, hands folded together, eyes closed............ "i wish, that there would be magical stars and rainbows during the day so i can see them with the sun, all day long" 

(i wanted to scoop her up and love her, and cry)

why do i want to cry? because she is so beautiful! i love her imagination! i love her dramatics! i love that she loves rainbows! i love that she is so articulate! i love that she has no fear! i love her excitement and enthusiasm! she is so precious to me! 

she then told the story of the magical star, which of course i can't remember and why i am documenting this now! 

hold on to every moment you have with your precious gift! even the small things are such a special experience with them is so important!

love my raymak!

Fantastic Four!

it is hard to believe that my sweet baby girl is 4 yrs old today!

the day she was born was the greatest day of my life!

happy birth- day

7lbs 4 oz of pure joy came into my life 4 years ago today 

and i would not trade anything for the life we have together! 

precious 1yr old

she is my joy, my heart, my life

fun 2 yr old

 that smile warms my heart and makes me so happy!

fabulous 3 yr old

her creativity, sense of humor and love for all animals and people

makes me so proud!

 last night snuggles with my precious 3 yr old girl

i kissed her face, told her about when she was in my tummy, when she 

was born, her past birthdays, 

and how much i love her!

fantastic 4 yr old

so proud of who she is and who she is becoming! 

so much fun, so many memories and so many more to come. 

being raymak's mom is such a privilege and honor that i cherish daily!

i couldn't ask for a better girl! 

Parenting with Grace and Mercy

i am writing this post thinking and living life in the throws of being a single, full-time working mom of a precious little 3 year old girl.

my goal is not to make it til she is 18 and get her out of my house.
my goal is not to make it til she graduates from college.
my goal is not to make it til she finds the man of her dreams and is married.

my goal is to raise a special, genuine human being who loves everyone, no matter where they come from, who they are, or what they have done. a confident, strong, happy, caring and at peace woman, who knows that God loves her no matter what and so does her mom.

as a parent you face challenges daily. i do not claim to have a clue. but i can tell you this, i know the love of God. His mercy and His grace is what has shaped me and is what i cling to daily.

when she challenges me i have to be aware of what is happening - it is not easy. sometimes it would be so much easier to just react. but i want to chose my words carefully, as not to damage her sweet spirit - do i always get this right, no!

look at the situation surrounding her behavior.
look at myself and how i am acting/reacting.
realize she has feelings.
ask myself: what can i teach her.

a snap reaction normally is out of anger and can cause damage - this is what i believe.
my goal is not to damage this sweet spirit, but to nurture and love that spirit.

i try to have fun with her. make things with her. include her in activities. cook with her, even though it is messy sometimes. let her help clean and not go behind her "fixing" it. let her fold towels and put them away, even though they are in a pile under the sink.
she needs to proud of who she is, feel apart of our family, feel like she is contributing and know that she is appreciated.

i strive to enjoy the small things in life (as one of my favorite bloggers writes about regularly - Kelle Hampton). and to make lasting memories for us to both have for life. they may not be perfect memories but they are our memories.

these are my opinions and mostly written down to help me remember on days that are tough

doozledoorf

December at a Glance

we decorated our tree with care and lots of homemade decorations! welcoming Christmas time into our house, with excitement and anticipation!

so proud of her tree! 

we made a handprint Christmas tree! thank you pintrest!

then we made all of the reindeer!

she loved her advent calendar and was so excited to start it! 

everyday was so much fun finding a new treat!

love this smile more than anything in the world!

workin hard on makin some jingle bells!

making ornaments for our North Pole Party for friends to decorate!

got to go see Santa at the country music hall of fame! it was great! 

this girl loves Santa and was so very excited!

she asked for a unicorn! 

raymak and her friend grace dancin it out to some great Christmas music! 

love this!

time to make the cookies with my little baker!

Papa's Funeral and Life Celebration!

on the airplane watchin a movie and drinkin a sprite

got to open her halloween box at when we got to gran's - so fun

grandad was throwin her around on the bed

"swing me just one more time grandad"

she was sooooooo excited to see her uncle jared

all the cousins growing up way too fast

watchin a movie with aunt darla at the restaurant 

love this girl and her smilin face!

uncle jared and aunt darla we love them a whole lot

papa's seat at church

me, amanda, emily and jared

my mom and papa's seat

raymak and cousin justin

papa's parking space

snugglin with grandad

sweetest girl, i love her so much i can hardly stand it!

me, amanda, emily, jared and darla - all grown up (how did this happen)

gettin a ride from uncle jared to the car, so much fun!

all the kids got their bag of halloween fun from gran in the parking lot

pooped out girl, snugglin with aunt emily before we go trick r treating

my cute little giraffe - love it

giraffe and captain america eatin candy corn!

iron man ready to go

attack of lilie

iron man, giraffe, and captain america patiently waiting 

"knock, knock, knock.....trick or treat?

busted