Goodbye Summer of 2016

Whether you are a fan of summer or not kids tend to change our prespetive in everything.

I'm not a fan of summer, I dont know if its the fact that Texas summers are nothing short of 100 degrees but this summer was one of my favorites and one for the books.

Bella was walking and able to enjoy alot more things.

Its bitter sweet as this was the only summer of her being 1 if that makes sense, but this girl makes any stage fun!

So here is to remembering this summer forever.

The Beach

We have been to the beach with before when Bella was 9 months in a cruise but never in our backyard, Galveston. Not to say that we let her go in the actual water but she did get to splash around and get wet.

The Pool and splash pad

We also made a few trips to the pool and man did she love it.

The first day she actually got in she was very unsure about it but by the second time she was a pro. She was even wanting to let go and splash a little. Next summer we will be working on her swimming. I learned how to swim by 2 and we plan to teach her soon too.

Our neighboorhood also has a very nice splash pad and somehow every trip to the park ended in the splash pad. Again the 100 degree thing.

The Zoo

Our zoo is about 45 min from our house but we got the season pass and have gone a few times.

Bella loves. every. single .animal but the petting zoo is definitely her favorite part.

Other fun activities

Last summer she didnt get to enjoy the 4th of July fireworks but this year she was mesmerized and a bit bored too. haha!

We welcome a new family member, hanged out in our backyard, had tons of family dinner and trips to the mall.

Sorry for the picture galore!

 :)

How to be a good mom.

Yes you read right in this post me, a mom of one, will teach you how to be a good mom!

Funny right! Have you ever searched on google " how to be a good mom".

As a new mom I confess to searching it a few times. 

Reading many posts the first few months as I had no idea what I was doing. Was I feeding her too much? Was she peeing the correct amount of oz? Was she sleeping enough? Was her crying normal?

I searched it all. Even read a few Pinterest post on how to be a better mom. Yup, those post with all the pretty pictures.

On my defense I will say that our first few months were short of easy. 

Bella was hospitalized at 3 weeks old from a high (102) fever that came out of nowhere and ever since that day I criticized my every decision. I searched and searched on how to do things right and at the end I was always left wondering if I had done it correct.

So today I have decided to put up a list of 4 tips to help every new mom.

You ready for them? Grab a pen!

1. God chose you. Not the mom next door. Not the mom that looks like she's got it all together. No! HE chose YOU! There are no such things as coincidence. God has it planned out for you! Always for your good. Always!

2. You know what's right for you baby/kid or teenager. You are their mom and none knows them better than you! As much as a cliche as it sounds you grew them inside of you. So trust the God given sense. That sense, that is there from day one and I can tell you from experience it only gets stronger.

3. You got this! Yes you do! So own it! This is your time! This is your moment. You probably wont get it right the first time or maybe the second but your child will love you just the same, or even more because you are showing them you can pick yourself up!

4. And lastly pray! Pray as hard as you can! Pray in the morning. Pray during lunch. Pray before bedtime. Pray Pray.  Pray. Remember that the more you pray the better it gets! 

As moms we will always be unsure on how and if we are doing it right and no amount of experience can change that.  I thought I knew it all! How to do it, what creams where best, what diapers to use, everything from bottles to sleeping schedules. I had done it all. After having our home daycare for a total of 4 years  I had it all down and planned, and then Bella came and she changed every idea I had about motherhood and babies. 

The  2 years worth of diapers we bought gave her a rash. The 16 bottles we had in different sizes she wanted nothing to do with. The 4 sets of pacifiers we had so carefully bought in the colors of our choice, she hated.

 But we got the hang of it. We are 18 months in and we are learning every single day but we got it now! We own it now!

 We know her and she knows us! 

And one day, all of this and every single other thing that may happen in the near future will all be funny. Funny stories you will remember forever

 Lesson learns and notches in our belts!

So be you! Be the mom God made you out to be.

Hope this post made you laugh a little and also re-assured you, you are doing it right!

Happy Tuesday!

Mom Confessions!

 

Every once in a while I need to spill my guts and why not jot them and make you feel better! :)

1.I honestly feel like I have a teenager. She gives me attitude about everything. Like throws herself down and grabs her knees like "I can't believe you are doing this to me"

 

2. Hence the fact why she chooses her daddy over me in a heartbeat. He lets her get away with EVERYTHING, and I secretly love it!

3. Every once in a while I wish there was a drive-thru for everything.

4. Been thinking alot about baby #2 and panicking about not getting enough milk like what happened with Bella.

5. Realizing I'm not even ready to have another baby. Bella still sleeps in our bed and the fact that I'm terrified to pass 38 weeks pregnant.

6. Bella now waves her finger and says "kno kno kno " to anything she doesn't want. Just like me

7.She claps her hands to get my attention just like I do to her.

8. Before becoming a mom I loved to paint my nails and now I hate it! With a passion. So much that if my toes are not done I only paint the ones that will show with a heel. Embarrassing I know!

9. No wonder why I love to get them done and why they are always done.

10. Got my first gray hair at the age of 19. Genes. So I color my hair black often. Which may change soon as I'm thinking of getting lighter. 

 

11.Been drinking 2 cups of expresso in the am. In a big HUGE cup.

12. Cant wait to go on vacation to Guatemala. One that I may go by myself since the hubby and Bella dont have passaports yet.

13. Need to loose 10-15 lbs before going on vacaction but ate 2 slices of pizza on Sunday. Sure the pounds will just melt in the Texas heat. 

 

Old Navy Toddler Sale

Did you hear?! Fall is coming and thats next week.

Around here we love fall. Everything that comes with fall, the weather, the clothes, the activities, and the sales! If you love Gap and Old Navy as much as we do you better run to check out everything the have. Most of their toddler items are half off. Yes, you read right half off.

Let's check out some sale items that we are loving! When we shop for Bella we usually buy one regular price item that we can mix and match with many of the ones on sale, but with this sale there is really no need except a dress or two for church. 

Check out the yellow leggings and the white button up shirt with the blue sweater on top :)....

In.love.

Hope you enjoy this sale!

toddler outfits by claudia-estrada-1 on Polyvore

Uniform Oxford Shirt for Toddler
oldnavy.gap.com

Crew-Neck Cardigan for Toddler
oldnavy.gap.com

Solid Leggings for Toddler
oldnavy.gap.com

Baby Girl Clothes: Up to 50% Off Toddler Sale | Old Navy
oldnavy.gap.com

Toddler Girls
oldnavy.gap.com

Girls
oldnavy.gap.com

Girls
oldnavy.gap.com

Baby Girl Clothes: Up to 50% Off Toddler Sale | Old Navy
oldnavy.gap.com

Learning to love yourself.

A few weeks ago I got contacted by an amazing brand to show their products, basically sponsoring me to wear their clothing.

I was a bit surprised.

We are in contact with a few children's brands who want my beautiful daughter to wear their items, but that girl is beautiful, me in the other hand I'm super conscious and I would even say I lack self confidence to do such a thing.

  I talked to my husband about it and decided to do it!

I followed through with the message and let it be, thinking that they were not going to send me anything.

Little did I know that a week later I received their item. Insert the cute emoji shock face!

Their product fit like a glove, it was amazing and the fabric is super silky, but I'll leave the actual review for another post.

As I looked for ways to style it and wear I started to feel better about the opportunity I was given. Took the pictures, but I critiqued them up and down.

They were, and are good quality pictures and are beautiful but I didn't feel confident enough to show them.

I can even go on and tell you my exact thought when I saw them. "I'm not a fashion blogger, nor even close to being my girl Laura who can wear a trash bag and look amazing doing so"

One thing that comes with being a blogger is posting selfies and outfit pictures.

I knew this the day I decided to start this and I was opened to new the new things this adventure would bring, but when the time came I failed to do so.

 A few days passed and as I looked at my daughter and her confident self, I looked at how much she feels and looks as beautiful as ever, I know I biased, and for a second thought about this.

Do I want to give her this example? Is this what I want to show her about her body? She has many of my genes and do I really want to pass my insecurities on to her. Even at an early age they see us. They copy our every move, our every action, and I don't ever want her to feel insecure about anything.

This is something that as women we go through and we battle it from being a teen to adulthood, and is something that I may not put an end today but I want to do it little by little and step by step.

I want to feel good about who I am and feel confident enough to post a so called selfie and an outfit I loved.

I want to be me, and my true self ,is self conscious but I don't want to lack of confidence to defy me. To stop me, to suppress all that I can be and then I had my "aha" moment.

The God of the heavens, the creator of everything beautiful created me, simple and plain old me.

He created me beautiful.

He called me His and as my faith leads me to believe He made me beautiful.

Today I invite you today to show yourself, your true you, to take that picture, to wear that outfit or do whatever it may be that has been holding you back

Think of that little person that looks up to you. Think about our creator we are his special work. So YES you are beautiful and so am I.

So go show it off. Show God's work.

The day my daughter cried and I smiled

 

By the tittle of this post I'm sure many of you are thinking the day she was born but....

No!

This day is a different day.

This day is a day where my 17 month old girl, never wanted to be that mom that counted by months, oops, cried and I mean real tears and all, and my mama heart smiled as big as the universe.

Well, lets get to the story.

On Sunday we headed to church like we do every Sunday. Walked in and the praise and worship had just started. We put our things down and began praising.

  

 Let me tell you a little back story, I have it in my heart and soul that my daughter will be something big in our church, in every church for that matter!

 

It may just be that in reality, that is every mom's dream but on this one I just have a gut feeling.
Ever since she was born I feel that it's been a battle that God has been fighting for her and that she is just so special in His eyes.
I know what you are thinking, everyone is special in God's eyes but as her mom I just know there is something in her that is for God's glory!

But, going back to the story we sang our hearts out and it was done.
She went to her nursery class and Lester and I stayed to listen to the preaching. Once it was finished we continued on about our day and picked her up from the nursery and started to make our way out to our car.

Our church has 2 morning services and one afternoon, so as we were leaving the other service started. As we got to the main entrance Lester mentioned of taking a picture of Bella and I so "tried" to carry her and well lets just say I failed big time as she didn't want to be carried.

We procceded to go out side of the temple and take a picture outside but Bella was just not having it.

I told Lester that it was probably the fact that she didn't have a morning nap and again tried to carry my screaming, crying child.

Again FAILED.

There were actual tears, not that fake crying all of us moms know.

This time I carried her because we needed to leave, we had errand to run and a family brunch and my 1 and a half year old (better!) child continued crying.
At this time were are outside of the church and as people are going in we were heading out and it had been about 5-6 minutes of this and we had no idea why she was still crying and just not wanting to walk.

Lester, as the level headed parent in our house, suggested we put her down and see what she really wanted.

I put her down and she ran back to the church's door. We just looked at each other and smiled.

We explained to her that we were on a hurry and had to leave but that we would be back on Tuesday and she could praise then. But no, as soon as we grabbed her hand and headed to the car it started again, clue the crying circus.

As parents, we know there are things we should say no and honestly we try our best to stand our ground but on this, on this there was really no way to tell her no.

This is our answered prayer.

A child that loves church.

 

This is what we prayed for when first found out about our pregnancy and now this girl was crying to go back in and enjoy another minute in God's presence.

This tiny human being loves it.

 She, with out being told, praises God, raises her hand in worship and says Amen when we are done praying.

I thank god every day for her life, for everything that she has brought us and what she has yet to bring.

For teaching me that I'm made for His glory and that I'm his favorite and most perfected work!

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