Photo Dump Wednesday: Reasons to be thankful

The last few days have been a physical reminder of God's goodness in our lives and it all just makes me very truly thankful!

Watching our girls get along well fill J's and my heart with so much joy. Even when they argue about things, I love that they are interacting with each other and trying to figure out each other's boundaries. Definitely a good reason to be thankful.

They love to learn! I am thankful for that. 
 

They are naturally curious. Another reason to be thankful :-D.
 

I posted a while back that J and I live on a budget and don't spend frivolously. As a family, we want to give our girls even more than we had growing up and doing so means making and staying on a budget. 
Since JOE arrived 4-years ago, we have not been able to take an overnight. Partly because of me (I'm a momma bear and PROUD of it!) and partly because it wasn't financially feasible. 
Well, a few months ago, the opportunity presented itself for us to get an overnight. We planned the heck out of it and saved up to be able to cover child care arrangements for the girls. 

Yes, it took months in the planning and cost a pretty penny BUT we were so happy to get the night off and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were able to reconnect. We spent time talking about the girls and about each other and about future plans. 

We will definitely do it again as the girls get older and are more self sufficient.

I was very thankful for the very nice accomodations. 
 

And a delicious and yummy dinner! So EVERY TIME we've gone to Cheesecake Factory since JOE was born, we've had a "diaper incident". I was starting to think that perhaps it is the actual restaurant that's to blame. 
Well, thankfully, last week, we had none of that :-). Of course, it helps that the kids weren't there to cause the diaper incident. LOL
 

When the kids are away, parents have fun making silly faces and taking selfies :-). I am thankful for a partner who enjoys taking silly selfies as much as I do.
 

Thankful for yummy eats!
 

Gosh...I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THIS SHOWER at the hotel!!! When I hit it rich, I am so getting 2 of these in our bathroom! This was DIVINE! Love love the rainfall shower. But I don't love the increased water bill and electric bill so we won't be getting one anytime soon in our home. Unless we hit it rich of course :-).

The next morning, we were well rested. So THIS is what it is like to not have to wake up to take a kid to the bathroom OR give another milk. I am thankful that moments like this make me appreciate time with J but also appreciate the gift of parenthood. 

On our way our the next morning, I saw this and made J stop to take a picture. This set up reminded me of a location I saw in Italy a few years back. Beautiful and peaceful. 

And while we were away, the girls had fun. They went to the mall to see a "world renowned Frisbee" performer. Ummm...I didn't even know that was a title but OK.  JOE was having fun. I am thankful for summer freebees at the mall.
 

I am thankful for this little girl's boldness. She is definitely NOT a push over. She gets in with the big kids and stays involved.
 

 I am thankful to finally be able to offer these on AyoBE Boutique. I came up with this idea months ago and just couldn't figure out how to bring it to life. After MUCH research and a a ton of misses, I finally got a solution. Hurray for making it work!

I am thankful for the warmer weather that allows us to enjoy pool time at our local clubhouse. JAE wasn't so sure about it originally but she quickly got used to the water.

 And didn't want to get out when it was time to leave. 

I am ULTRA MEGA THANKFUL for this past Monday. When JAE was born, she had extra discharge in her left eye. I mentioned this to the doctor and was told it is common and would go away. But I wasn't convinced. When her pediatrician saw her, he said we shouldn't worry until after JAE turns 1 and we can revisit it then. I read up on it and used breastmilk and warm clean clothes to clean it daily but that didn't work.

When JAE turned 1, she had had several eye infections and was constantly waking up with her eye glued shut from all the discharge. We were then referred to a specialist. The specialist saw her and said the good news is that it hasn't started affecting her vision. 
The not so great news is that if it was going to clear up on its own, it would have cleared up by now. She also said because the tear duct comes so close to her nasal path, this could cause more issues as she gets older and recommended we get it surgically opened. 





So on Monday, we took JAE to get the procedure done. She wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight and wasn't allowed to drink anything after 3:30am. She was HUNGRY! Thankfully, she was the first surgery of the day. 

Here she is throwing a hunger tantrum when we didn't let her get her milk.

Finally after we were called to the pre-op area, she found entertainment and was temporarily distracted. 
 

I love that they had so much for the young kids here to play with so she didn't think too much about food. 
 

Selfies before she went in for the procedure. Yes, I cried when she was taken in. She was screaming too which just broke my heart. 
I COUNTED every single minute and was so anxious!
 

GOSH, this moment was just too much for words. I was SOOOOOO happy to see my baby. She was still sleepy from being put under but she recognized my voice and had some apple juice before falling back asleep.

J took this picture when I wasn't looking. I can't even tell you how thankful I was to have her back in my arms. She had a full day to recover and was back to  her old self in no time!
 

This was taken yesterday. She didn't have any eye discharge when she woke up. The first time since she was born! So THANKFUL!!! We should know by the end of August if the procedure was a success. We are prayerfully optimistic that it did. 
 

So what are you thankful for today? Look around you? I am sure there are TONS of reasons to be thankful.

Photo Dump Wednesday: Growing up

Only 11 days left in July! Summer is going by TOO FAST! I feel like we spend most of the year looking forward to the warmer weather of summer and then you blink and it goes by! Time flies when you're having fun as they say :-). 

July has been rather busy month for AyoBE Boutique and that is exciting because it tells me that people enjoy the items I hand make for them :-). 

I hosted a giveaway via Instagram earlier this month and check out THIS CUTE winner! I mean, you can tell just by her beautiful smile that she IS a winner. 

I often do a giveaway each month so be sure to follow AyoBE Boutique's Instagram page for a chance to win!

 

Last month, J and I decided to subscribe to the ABCMouse.com application to assist JOE with preparing for kindergarten next year. She has been doing very well with her studies. We have lesson plans for her at home and often is able to keep up with everything. As a reward, she is allowed to play the games on Disney Junior. She has been learning to draw and paint and this was one of the painting games on the Disney Junior application. Check out the colors of the characters. I LOVE that she made Sheriff Callie brown. How cute is that?

She is also doing better with her use of a pen/pencil. Check out her drawing. She was NOT helped with this. She said this is her family. I'm the one on the let, she is on the right, JAE is at the bottom and J is on the right. Don't ask me why J's head is extra large. It was kinda funny! We had a good laugh about it :-D. Anyways, she also added a heart at the bottom. She told me it means we are all a family and we all love each other. Gosh I love this kid! She's AWESOME!

JAE loves all things fashion. Check out this picture of her right before Church last Sunday. I had a head tie on she she wanted one. After I put it on her, she then picked up this makeup bag that a friend of mine gave me a while back and started to prounce around. America's Next Top Model!

Selfies!

And our #churchflow family selfie. JOE loves to be in the picture whenever I am trying to take a car selfie. I love that even if I don't acknowledge her when taking the picture, she'll smile and ask to see the pictures. I wanted to include J this week in the pics.

US!

On Tuesday, the girls went to the park. I think this is one of my favorite pictures. I just love the way they are walking together and holding hands. SISTERS!

See how JAE looks at her sister so adoringly. 

And for good measures, just to show you how cool they are, check out JOE & JAE.

I hope your week is going great so far. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Photo Dump Wednesday: Summer Days

I love summer! Fall is still my favorite time of year but summer is so much more fun when you have kids since they enjoy being outdoors. 
My girls LOVE the warmer weather and love being outside. JOE often likes to be outside but in a shaded area. While JAE just wants to be under the sun. I am loving it also because I am able to get out and walk a bit.

Anyways, since it is photo dump Wednesday, here are some pictures of my littles from the last week.

I like dressing the girls in similar colors. They don't have to look the same but I do like them to look somewhat coordinated :-). Here they are sporting JAE's favorite color (purple) and blue.

Heading out to run some errands. While J drives, I take selfies with my little one at the back. Like the head tie? It is PERFECT for you and your little one's hair. You can get one here. It comes in different fabric options. Keep reading for another picture of the Everest head tie. Quick tip: If you subscribe to the site, you can get a 10% off coupon to use on your first order.
 

Last week, after running errands, we decided to blow up the pool to let the girls cool down a bit since it was so hot. They both thoroughly enjoyed it!
 

Me at a friend's daughter's birthday party last weekend. I had just made the head tie and since it worked with the outfit I was wearing, I figured why not?
 

How cute is this birthday cake? VERY!!!
 

More pictures of the head tie with a bow in front. I just love that it can be worn in different ways. I will be doing a video on different ways to wear it :-).
 

The other day, I was up early working and both girls decided to come to the room where I was and sit quietly at the table to play. It was so cute so I had to snap a picture. Of course, this lasted for a mind-blowing FIVE minutes!
 

JAE came in our room one morning with her Minnie Mouse plush toy. Mind you, this toy is the same size as her! She wanted to cuddle with Minnie.
 

Yesterday, the girls got to go their their first movie! How cute is this? I am told JOE loved it and JAE was scared at first when the lights were turned off but she quickly warmed up. 

Not sure why the lady on the right looks "interested".

 

Happy girls!

I am in the process of planning the Fall/Winter collection for AyoBE Boutique. Fall often entails rich orange and brown colors hence the selection below. For winter, the green I have included will be paired with matching red fabric and the red will be paired with matching green fabric.

Please comment to vote for your favorite fabric choice by numbers.

How is your week going so far? I hope well. I know I am due for a hair update. I'll be doing a separate post about that in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned!

Have a fabulously blessed rest of the week!