Gratitude!

I don't know if it's the spring weather, Aaron coming home early to surprise us, chatting with a close friend or Sasha having a good day, but I'm feeling especially grateful for all that I have today. With all the chaos of raising an active child, keeping up the house, making the constant improvements that come with a house, working part time, fulfilling church responsibilities and trying to have a social life, life can get pretty fast-paced. So, I'm taking a few minutes today to just slow down and ENJOY! That's right - I'm inefficient for a few minutes to just appreciate what's around me. Here are a few things I love:

• Spring weather when it's warm, but still a little cool and plants are budding
• The tiny little buds that are starting to come up in our garden
• The way Sasha moves all around while she sleeps and ends up in a completely different place and positive by the time she wakes up
• Aaron coming home early so we can go on a hike to enjoy time with each other and the outdoors
• Sasha sleeping peacefully
• The sound of the dryer (I know it's strange, but it must be from my mom always putting me on top of the dryer when I was a colicky baby)
• Conversations with good friends that inspire me to be better

Hope you get the chance to take a few minutes today and just ENJOY!

Easter Updates...

With the approach of Spring, I can almost taste the warm weather (despite the constant barrage of snow storms). We're so excited to get outside and do all the fun outdoor things that come with warmer weather. Talking about fun, I had the opportunity to get together with an amazing group of girls last night. We had an Easter Basket exchange organized by none other than Holly Harris. It was a spectacular event with great company, fabulous food and fun gift baskets exchanged. Pictured below from front left to right: Mindy, Camille, E, Holly, Sarah, Shelly and Amanda. Can you see the candles, fancy place settings and yummy food? Man, it was awesome!

Sasha is growing so quickly and is already 7 months old. I know you really want to see photos so I'll list her most recent stats and accomplishments after the following fun photos.

Sasha in her dress from the Netherlands and cute little bow.

Seriously, could she be any cuter wearing Aaron's hat? She's ready to enjoy sports, just like her mama and papa.

She's learning to crawl (in her own way) and is getting better at staying on her tummy.

Here are the stats:

• Weight is at 16.5 lbs., which puts her in the 45th percentile for weight.
• Height is up to 26.5 inches, which puts her in the 46th percentile for height.
• Her head is now in the 75th percentile.
• She's still eating 5 times a day, but the amount has become a little more sporadic...she's just not as interested in food. Everything else is so much more interesting. She is up to eating solids twice a day and will soon move to 3 times a day.
• Sasha is learning how to eat with her hands and has started feeding herself those dried baby cereals in the shape of a star.
• Sleeping at night is still her forte as she usually sleeps 11 hours a night with 3-4 naps during the day (ranging from 30 minutes -2 hours).
• She still doesn't love baths, but is sort of ambivalent toward them. She does enjoy watching me fill the washcloth with water and trying to "grab" the water as it drips from the washcloth.
• Can't seem to shake the two patches of eczema on her face and one on her knee. We're hoping it's just a phase and will go away on its own soon.
• She loves sweet potatoes and carrots and is still developing a love of fruit.
• She does a modification of crawling which is rolling back and forth as she moves a little bit forward each time. It's not the fastest way to get from point A to point B, but she's learning.
• She has the cutest laugh and the most beautiful smile...what an amazing girl we are blessed to have in our family.