7 Months and Growing!

I feel like Sarahlynne's 6 month just disappeared into thin air. I can't believe she's on the downward side of turning a year. On her 7 month birthday she cut her first tooth, and the second came shortly after. She's been sick with croup and a sinus infection the majority of her 7th month but continues to be one of the happiest babies on the face of the planet. She's starting to talk (Dada, hi, bye bye and MaMa when she's REALLY mad!). She is a loving sweet baby and seriously makes our house so much happier! Here are some things she loves at 7 months:

*Trying to crawl. Rocking on all fours, and then inevitably going backwards, typically getting her back half stuck under a couch!

*Skyping with family.

*Talking to Grandma on the phone.

*Singing patty cake and then bouncing and squealing "yahhhhh" after each time. Then grabbing my hands to start again.

*Watching Sesame Street's Word on the Street with JoJo.

*Watching Mommy do things in the kitchen.

*Sleeping in her swing.

*When Daddy comes home from work. He always get a squeal, and most notably the last few days, a wave and a "hi Dada!" followed by LOTS of giggles. Girl loves her Daddy.

*Bath time! And playing until ALL the water is gone.

*Eating. Everything and anything!

Here are her 7 month pictures out in her first and last fall for the next few years!

I see those teeth!

She knows the drill.

Love those dimples. <3

Yummy! A leaf!

I love you baby girl. Slow down please. You're growing too fast for this Mommy. I love you much too much.

1/2 Year (A wee bit late!)

So this post is late. Like really late. But, better late than never right? When her six month birthday hit, I seriously could NOT believe it'd been 1/2 a year. It flew by so fast. And I still can't believe how quickly she is growing, and changing and how beautiful she is, inside and out. Such a ray of sunshine. She started eating cereal, sitting up, and blabbering more and more. She wanted to pretend she could crawl, but instead just rolled. Everywhere. She also started waving and signing "All Gone". Here are a few things Sarahlynne loved at six months:

*Jumping. Of any kind. All the time.

*Rolling from one end of the room to another. Then laughing hysterically about it.

*Being tickled.

*Snuggles. Especially with Mommy.

*Going in circles on her circle walker.

*Watching the boys in play in the playroom.

*Eating dinner at the table with the family in her bumbo.

*Sitting up on her own.

*Being outside.

*Layla Belle. Especially when Layla licks her face. She thinks it's hilarious.

Here's a few photos I snapped the day she turned 6 months:

Chuckling at her brothers.

Concerned face.

Got her toenails painted for the first time!

Sweet baby hands.

Mommy, no more photos, please!

Lovin' the bumbo.

Pretty, pretty girl.

<3 Happy baby.

We love you sweet princess. More and more every day. Don't grow so fast. Love you much to much.

5 Months Young

So, I'm a little behind on blogging, but Sarahlynne turned 5 months on 5 September. These shots were taken the day after! She is sitting up on her own for short periods, talking up a storm, eating cereal and oatmeal like a champ and trying her hardest to low crawl. She is seriously such a light in our lives. Here are a few things Sarah loves these days:

*Watching Jacob's soccer practice. Not to mention all the attention kid give her.

*Greetings. If you walk into a room and go past her and not acknowledge he, she gets her feelings hurt and you will most definitely see the bottom lip.

*Dinner time in her bumbo. Now that she is eating some solids, she LOVES sitting at the dinner table in her bumbo with the family.

*Pizza Crust.

*Being tossed in the air by Daddy.

*Bath Time! She likes to kick her feet to splash!

*Swinging on the swings at the playground with Mommy.

*Her hands and feet. I've never seen a baby study her hands and feet as much as this girl.

*Laughing for no good reason. So hard she snorts. It. is. awesome.

*Napping in her crib.

*Snuggle time.

*Anything where she can see herself (i.e. mirror, facetime etc.)

*Skyping with Grandma is a DEFINITE favorite. Especially now that she can sit up and chat.

*Talking with her hands.

*Being a little sister. Girl ADORES her brother.

*Mornings. Nothing like waking up to her grabbing her toes, rolling like and egg and laughing and talking in her crib.

*Her sleep. Still my 12 hour baby!

And here are her 5 month shots:

I'm tellin' ya, girl LOVES her toes!

Thanks for being so much sunshine in our house, baby girl. Slow down, don't grow so fast. Mommy loves you so so much.

Happy 7 Years Punkin'...

It's really amazing how much can happen in 7 years:

3 moves

2 states

a new country

countless European adventures

4 houses

8 cars

1 motorcycle

lots of puppies

3 amazing kids

1 baby in heaven

1 car accident

1 military deployment

1 spousal deployment {for medical tests and the birth of JoJo}

becoming a business owner

and so much more....

On Aug. 21, 2004 I married both my best friend and the love of my life. I never imagined then how fast 7 years would fly, or even how much could happen in a short 7 years.

The beginning of our marriage was a whirlwind, from improvising the big wedding I'd planned for so long to a simple beach wedding with just our parents, to switching jobs and being apart the first 4 months of our marriage, to getting pregnant with our surprise first child only 10 months after we'd been married. This is when we truly began to learn that God's timing would never be our own.

It's been an amazing 7 years growing and learning. It's always humbling to look back at where you started out and then see where you end up so many years later. And to think back at all the people and things that changed you, and realize how blessed you truly are. For not only has it been an amazing 7 years growing and learning with my best friend, but one that has been blessed by other amazing couples who push us and pull us to emulate the love of Christ in our marriage. What an incredible impact that has had on how we grow and learn.

It's been 7 years of both hardships of and blessing. We have learned together how to take things as they come, head on, and overcome them standing side by side, holding each other up. And there is no one I'd rather fight next to, or anyone else I'd rather have hold me up when I am falling. He has been my biggest motivation and encouragement during times of hardship, pushing me to trust and be confident in myself. He has also been my biggest fan and encourager in blessings as well. I rejoice in the 7 years of blessing, and am ever so grateful for the 7 years with hardships that have taught us to grow together.

And aside from all of these things, it's been 7 years of FUN. What a blessing it has been to be married to someone who knows all of my quirky ways, and appreciates them and encourages them, and even sometimes plays along with them. From funny faces, to nights of trivial pursuit to playground hopping to silly dance parties and more, I am grateful for the laughter and joy and fun the last 7 years has brought to my life!

Thank you, my love, for loving me these last 7 years, and for taking me as I am. For always encouraging me to be confident in who I am and what I have to bring to the table {even when you have to convince me I have something to bring to the table}. Thank you for making life fun and for continuing to be spontaneous even after 7 years. Thank you for remembering the little things, and making sure you surprise me from time to time. Thank you for flirting with me, and making me feel beautiful still, even after 7 years and 3 kids. It is more important to me than you could ever imagine. Thank you for making me feel important and for making family time important. Thank you for loving our children; for showing the Bash Brothers how they should treat their wives when they get older, and for showing our princess how she should be treated by her future husband, and for telling her she is beautiful, both inside and out. Thank you for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and take time for myself. Thank you for giving me three BEAUTIFUL children.

For giving me one who is hard to handle, and as curious as they come. One with stubbornness and a warrior's spirit, but a heart of compassion for those around him. It teaches me patience and unconditional love in ways that I never thought I could have them, but reminds me constantly that both of His hands are equally skilled, and that He will use both the stubborn ways and the rich compassion to make Jacob something great.

Thank you for giving me one that is silly and light hearted. One who is a Momma's boy and takes care of me. One who makes other's hearts happy and one that lights up the room with his presence. One with a gentle spirit. He reminds me to be gentle and fun loving, and not take life too seriously. One who helps me remember that relationships and the people who surround us are what life is about. Joshua exemplifies what God built us for--to take care of one another and build each other up through relationship.

And thank you for giving me a sweet princess. One who has such a fantastic mix of her brothers. One who is able to be independent, but desires the love around her and wants to make others happy. One who is smiley and cuddly. One who has the heart of my Mother and Grandmother. She reminds me how tender a heart is, and makes my heart happy and light. I think she will be one of empathy, and one to hold her ground, and keep her feet solidly rested in the hands of Jesus.

Thank you for loving me. I love you more than anything and more than ever, punkin'. Thank you for making life fun and exciting. You are more than I could have ever asked for in a husband and father, and I can't wait for another 7 years and more.

Happy Anniversary.

It's been 1/3 of a year....

Sarahlynne was 4 months old on the 5th. I can't believe it. She's a third of a year old. And more amazing than ever. She smiles and laughs and tells stories. Really, she's the life of the party. She is more fun than I could have ever imagined, and even more beautiful. Both inside and out. I love watching her personality sprout more every day, and adore waking up to the toothless grin every morning when she is babbling in her crib. I love that she knows her name now and will look at you with that big smile when you call her. I love that she belly laughs and is getting more ticklish by the day. She is more incredible with each passing day and way more awesome than I ever imagined. At 4 months her stats were 14.1 lbs and 24.5 in. Here are some things about sweet Sarahlynne at 4 months:

*She likes to play the screaming game with Daddy. This is a game Aaron has taught all three kids at about this age. Now every day when he returns from work, the first thing she does when she notices him is grin from ear to ear and let out a scream, hoping he wants to play!

*She LOVES sitting up and watching. Which is one reason why her Bumbo is such a hit!

*She loves her jumper that hangs from the doorframe. Bounce, bounce, bounce baby!

*She loves being outside.

*Mornings are her favorite.

*Can't Buy Me Love by the Beatles makes her giggle. It may be more about watching Mommy dance ridiculously than the actual song though.

*She likes dancing with Daddy around the living room.

*Tummy time is still a winner.

*Her favorite way to sleep is on her side.

*She still hates her car seat, but is getting better about being in it when she's awake.

*She has a schedule, and she likes to stick to it. Sleep 10-12 hours, wake up, play for 2 hours, sleep for 45 minutes or so, play for 3 hours, sleep for 3-4 hours and then awake until bedtime at about 9:30 pm.

*She eats 8 oz. at a time about 4 times a day, and is getting ready to start cereal this week!

*Her swing is still a happy place, and watching Mommy do the dirty work around the house is just too much fun!

*She doesn't like when Mommy leaves for all day. When I come home she greats me lovingly and then proceeds to show me how angry she is with me for approximately one hour, after which she turns the switch to snuggling and laughing with me again. Silly. girl.

Here are a few shots from the day and the day after she turned 4 months. She wasn't very cooperative this time around!

Laughing at Daddy. Cloth diapers are her favorite.

My pretty girl.

Buddha Baby. Check out that belly!

Giggles.

So beautiful. Love those baby blues.

Clearly unhappy about taking photos.

Those eyelashes just keep getting longer and longer.

She melts my heart. Every time.

Little toes.

Seriously, Mom/

Sweet baby girl, I love you so. You're growing oh so fast, and I'm so proud to be your Mommy. I love you, pretty pretty princess.

It's been 3 years....

On Sunday July 3, it had been three years since our car accident. On July 3, 2008 at about 5:30pm we decided to make a trip to IKEA for pillows since our TMO stuff had just gotten delivered and get some Pizza Hut as this pregnant Mama was craving it. It was a bit rainy and wet, but we piled into Lady Liberty (our Focus) and were off. About 3 minutes away from our house on one of the backroads leading to the autobahn, we went around a corner to see a LandRover hydroplaning sideways straight at us. There was nothing Aaron could do to avoid it, and we hit straight into the side of it as the front of the Land Rover went over the guardrail. Aaron got out immediately and got Jacob out of his carseat. Aside from biting his tongue and being shaken up, Cubby was untouched. Aaron had a few burns on his nose from the air bag, but aside from that was in good shape. It took me a minute to catch my breath and upon trying to get out of the car realized I couldn't much move my legs or feet. I got out and over the guardrail into the grass and a few nice people who were behind us got out and started cleaning several cuts I had on my legs. I looked down to see my feet, and knew for certain they were broken. I also knew my wrist was broken, and had fears of a broken hip. At this point, I didn't care about any of that, but only the unborn baby I carried in my stomach (now sweet amazing Joshua!).

The ambulance arrived as did the helicopter carrying a doctor to check me out. We arrived at the hospital to find another American family from our town already there to meet us. They told us they had passed the accident and seen Jacob in the front of the ambulance. They were an incredible blessing and took Jacob for most of the evening. Another good friend who we considered family and who was at Dyess with us arrived shortly after and helped us the next three days with keeping Jacob and so many other things.

The doctors found I had five broken bones in my foot and a broken wrist, and while my other foot wasn't broken it was very badly sprained (it was two months before I could pressure on it). They wouldn't give me pain meds or go in to do surgery or set the foot because I was pregnant. This led to several problems down the line, but regardless we are all alive.

After being in a wheelchair for almost two months, I was finally walking again with a cane. I didn't drive for several months and then headed to the states to deliver Joshua. Also while I was there, I had corrective foot surgery which included a rod and two screws to repair the damage done by not having immediate trauma surgery. The recovery from the surgery after Joshua was born was 6 months (at the very least) and I was still walking with a cane about 9 months after the surgery.

Now, three years after, I still struggle with my foot and have a permanent nerve disorder caused by the accident and surgery. But beyond that, life is mostly normal. As I look back, I cannot believe how incredibly blessed we are that we are all alive. Each time I look at JoJo or hear his little laugh I am more and more grateful for life. The accident was a big changing point for us, and has impacted us all a great deal. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for all of us, for I know he kept us here for a reason.

Passenger's side of the car where I was sitting.

Aaron's side and the front. So grateful for a car that wrecked just the way it was supposed to.

The airbags.

The truck wouldn't close and the spare was coming out. We're not sure where all the glass came from.

Steering wheel column. We still have the blinker.

Looking from the backseat.

Ever so grateful....