My First Time

I was asked to do my first guest post!!  

Check out my friend, Cristen's blog, Motherhood Matters.  

It is a blog post I wrote several months ago about 10 ways to help a friend experiencing loss,

 but it's a good one! 

I don't think it is just relevant to death, but to any type of loss, job loss, the loss of a healthy child, anything like that this post can relate too!

A little glimpse

We just returned from being in California for 2 weeks

If there was one thing in this world that our family needed, it was this trip

I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, or express it but there is something really special about being with people who knew my sister, Carrisa, who knew Norah as a baby.

We love our Colorado family, they have been such a huge and wonderful support and blessing, but none of them ever knew my sister, or any of my family, so that loss for them is very far removed .

But for our California family, they share that loss with us.  Not just my immediate family, by all of my sisters friends. They lost a friend, and a family member just like we did.

They also lost getting to really watch Norah grow up, since she moved so far away.  So for them, getting to see Norah is something surreal and special.

Not just that, many, so many of my sisters friends have embraced and loved our family!   Not that they have to, or need to, but because they want to!  They don't just love Norah, they love and include all of our children.  They have included us and invited us and made us feel loved.   It has been such a great example to me of love, of outstretched arms, of an embrace to a hurting family......

It is in moments like these that God has sprinkled down some grace upon on our family and allowed us to see that we are blessed in the middle of something that feels so hard.

I am so very thankful, for these friendships that we have, friendships I would have never imagined or known we could have.

Here's to moments, not just poses, because sometimes capturing the moment says so much more

And many of those we share those moments with  

 this is just a tiny glimpse of my California

Daffodil Hill

We are in California right now, I think most of you knew that.  But it is a good break for this mama and just what our family needs at this time.

And the 18 hours in the car, with 4 kids, one nursing, one with diarrhea, one heavily medicated,  and one with a missing tooth, totally worth it!

We went to Daffodil hill today, it's only open about 1 month of the year and it is truly beautiful!

These photos are not edited, just exactly what I took with my camera

It's the little, hidden, unique places like this in California that make me love it!  Sure there are beaches, great food, great shopping, mountains, etc.  But I grew up going to the swimming holes, picking berries off bushes, going on adventurous hikes,  and smelling the aroma of gigantic pine trees, that's my California!

These are the only 2 photos I edited, and only slightly

 

And my Favorite

 

 So thankful for this day

Levi Paul {6 Months}

Levi, we just had your half birthday!!!

Well kind of.... February only has 28 days, and your half birthday is on the 31st, so I don't really know how that works?

You are my tiny guy, weighing in at just over 13 pounds!  You look so small still next to other babies, even babies that are younger than you look like they could eat you!

You still wear size 3 month clothes, and some that are even 0-3 months!

But you are strong and healthy!

You wiggle ALL over

You love kisses and grab my face with your mouth open wide, and attack me!  I sing over and over to you " I love your kisses cause their sooo delicious, gotta love Levi kisses"

You are very determined

You are Mr. Grabby Grabberton, which is a big reason why I had to cut my hair, but I still love you and I like my hair better anyway!

You got your first 2 little teeth, I knew you had to be working on something down there!

You also finally started solid foods, avocado being your first, and I might add the most delicious food you will ever eat :O)  You aren't a Goodlin unless you like avocados!  So welcome to the family my man, welcome to the family

You love sweet potatoes, only when mommy makes them though.... daddy's chunky version doesn't quite cut it

 There were some hard days between your 5 and 6 months, where we had to spend much time apart.  Your sister was sick in the hospital.  It was very rough on both of us.  You were not a happy camper about so many bottles and Grammy even resorted to feeding you with a syringe!! 

Man alive Levi, you are like by baby Monkey!

You look SO much like Maya to me, and there are so many similarities between the two of you!

Here is Maya at 6 months

 What do you think, twinsies?

You got to hang out with Grammy a lot this past month, you guys are pretty close

 You and Mr. Brocolli are also pretty good friends

 

Happy 6 months Little Levi!

 

I love you all the way from your head down to your toes!