My teacher, my daughter, my heart...

As we grow up, we have many teachers...teachers in school, our parents, perhaps a minister. But, no one told me that my child is the greatest teacher I would ever have. We are told as parents that we are to raise them and guide them, but I can't help but feel that Ella is teaching me way more than I could ever teach her.  When you look at your child, you have a small glimpse into God's heart; you start to have a small understanding of how much He must love us, his children. 

Ready for Spring in our pink clothes!

Learning to walk

The family

My teacher...my heart...my daughter...

A Little More than I deserve...

As a whole, I probably spend more time on my knees pleading to God to rid me of all my sorrows and stress. I beg Him to change any situation I am unhappy with and to rid me of all those mundane things that keep me awake at night. But, is it really possible that I am now on my knees telling God it is TOO MUCH GOODNESS?Is is really possible to be too happy or full of joy?

I am not sure where these feelings stem from. I am not trying to say that my life is perfect...but, lately I feel as though God has blessed me more than I deserve. I do not feel worthy of all the goodness in my life...but, I feel a little nervous admitting this...God might send a hail storm my way!!

Or is it possible that I have just grown so much spiritually that I have given my burdens to Him and finally decided to trust Him. Being the control-freak, obsessive compulsive person that I am, is it possible that God has finally broken me? I have prayed for this day; a day where I stop worrying so much...a day where I look at how much I have been given.

I know everyone thinks they have the best husband in the world...but, I truly am married to one of the most amazing men who ever walked this earth. Part of his beauty is that he is so humble and does not realize how great he is. He is wonderful to everyone who crosses his path and NEVER expects anything in return. Shouldn't we all aspire to be this way? 

And of course, it is no question how blessed my life is because of Ella. She has filled my heart when I did not know it was even empty. She has helped me understand life in a while new light. She makes me want to be a better person. We do not deserve her, but so grateful that God gave her to us. I will never forget the moment she first appeared in our lives 

I am so blessed in love...from my child, my husband, my friends...it really is more than I deserve. 

Spring is Near!

Last Sunday, it snowed...so, of course, this weekend it was 75 degrees (sarcasm). The weather in Georgia in March is always crazy like this. Nonetheless, it was so beautiful this weekend, we went for a walk at a new park near us. I was shocked to see that the daffodils  were already blooming. So, I just had to stick my beautiful little girl in a field of one of my favorite flowers. Throw in a fabulous picnic lunch prepared by the love of my life, a walk through the park with our daughter on Andrew's shoulders, and seeing Ella's smiling face while swinging on the swing set...and I could not have asked for a more perfect day on a "hint of Spring" Saturday afternoon.

Isn't she just a little doll? 

Picking our favorite from the bunch...

My little family!

Dear Ella,

Whenever I use to go to the park, I would see these families who looked so happy. I was envious...all I ever wanted was my own little family to take picnics with in the park. Today, we were that family! That family I use to dream about before you were born. Nothing could have made this day more perfect. Watching you smile while your daddy pushed you on the swings is a moment I will always remember and cherish. I love you a thousand times!

Mommy

"Lions, Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!" Ella Goes to the Zoo

Ok, so what do you do in Florida on a beautiful sunny day?...besides go to the beach...

You go to the zoo, of course! And what's a trip to Florida without seeing some flamingos? (Besides the plastic fake ones that people put in their yard).

A cute little hedgehog!

Can you believe this peacock let me get so close? So beautiful!!!

And this is Ella with her fabulous nanny in tow...I mean, Andrew's mom! Hahaha! No, really...she was so helpful and fun to have with us!

I had to take this one for all my redneck friends! Ella on her first tractor!

 She loved watching this little otter do flips in the water. He was very playful!

Hmmm...is that Tigger our cat? No, but he reminded me of that Tiger in "The Jungle Book."

My little animal lover

This was the perfect age to take Ella to the zoo for the first time. She was very interested in all God's amazing creatures.

This picture sums up our day! A very happy day!

Swim Lesson: Take One

So, being that Andrew and I are HUGE water people, we decided that we needed to get Ella use to the water early in life. In order to make it an enjoyable first experience, we put her in a warm "hot tub/spa" (I promise it wasn't hot) to start. It was like a huge bathtub. She was a little apprehensive when we first put her feet in, but after a few minutes...

we had a very happy and "splashy" little fish!

Here is her supermodel, "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model" pose.

One of my favorite pics in color...

and of course, I just had to do it in black & white. I love the vintage feel of black & white photography. In fact, I probably prefer it over most color photos. 

So, Ella had a great first swim lesson. When we went back the second day, she put her entire body in and swam for a long time. She was so happy in the water! 

Life at the Beach: Part Tres

"Sunrise. Sunshine. Feels like morning in my eyes..." I felt like singing this song by Norah Jones the morning we went to the beach for the most brilliant sunrise. Beautiful clouds to filter the light made for the most perfect morning light. And, of course, the most handsome father and beautiful little daughter made the morning that much more spectacular...I'm not biased or anything.  I wish I could do this every morning. 

Life at the Beach: Part DEUX

Andrew and I have always had an appreciation for the arts. We love museums, concerts, the ballet, etc. So, when our "point and shoot" camera continued to disappoint us with mediocre photos, we decided to invest in a nice SLR Nikon. So, I have now discovered a new passion: being behind the lens! These aren't too bad for an amateur, eh? Is there a future photographer in the making here???