A little about me and my family...

My photo
My love of people, photography and the world began as a child. My family moved a lot and taking pictures was my way of remembering friends, capturing special places or moments and holding them close. Becoming a wife and a mother has always been a dream of mine and I count my blessings daily. I started this blog shortly after our daughter, Yaya joined our family through the blessing of adoption. Its purpose was to share pictures and stories about our life with family and friends. Later, it shared our adoption journey to our second daughter, Baby Bird as well. Now that our family is complete I like to think of it as our family’s journal or life book. I'm passionate about life, my family and preserving our history one snapshot at a time. The thing that amazes me most is the abundance of beauty God blesses us with every day and in the simplest ways if only we take the time to slow down and appreciate them.

Monday, June 16, 2008

My sunshine

Since the day we brought YaYa home I have sung her to sleep. A song I always sing is, “You are my Sunshine.” While singing it I usually get a little choked up as I still feel so blessed to call her my daughter, “my sunshine.” Anyway, today as I sang it before her nap she said something in response to the song with such emotion it brought me to tears. The first verse of the song goes, “You are my sunshine my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” While I sang these words to her for the gazillionth time a frown came to YaYa's face. It was the next thing she did though that brought me to tears. She sadly exclaimed, “No take YaYa away!” FYI, she calls herself, “YaYa” and she was very concerned someone was going to take her away from me. I hugged her hard and kissed her face and eyes over and over again telling her she was safe. She grabbed my face with her little hands and looked into my eyes and told me, “No cry mommy. You awright. No take away.” As an adoptive mother these words and the ones before them brought me such a rush of emotion. Now I know she feels she belongs with us because she said it with her own words. I’m the luckiest mommy alive. I know she’s not 2 yet but the words mean so much no matter what her age. Is it possible to fall in love over and over again without ever falling out of love? It must be because it happens to me every day. Another of God’s miraculous blessings.

79 comments:

Unknown said...

Aww... that is soo sweet! It brought tears to my eyes.... I can not think of a sweeter family... Hope you have a super duper SITS day SITSTA!

Swirl Girl said...

What a beatiful daughter and what a lovely post! Keep those little fingers wrapped tightly around yours!

Here from SITS today!

Givinya De Elba said...

Yes, I think that's very possible! She is beautiful. I used to sing to my babies (and it always made me cry):

How sweet to hold
A newborn baby
And feel the joy
and love he/she gives
But greater still
This calm assurance
This child can face
Uncertain days
Because He lives!

And then the chorus. Always cried on them. I sing that lovely Aaronic blessing now, much shorter, fewer tears. But I still sing "Because He Lives" sometimes.

Tara Bennett said...

What a precious gift! I am adopted and considering adoption for our next because our daughter has a severe genetic disorder and we worry it might strike again. Thank you for your perspective and reminder of God's grace.

You Are My Sunshine is the song I always sing to my daughter too! =)

Anonymous said...

I still fall in love with my two adorable kids (also adopted) every single day!

Anonymous said...

I love that story. That is also the very same song that I always sang to my little girl and she still loves it after all these years.

Sandy said...

How sweet! I fall in love again with my kids everyday too. It's amazing, isn't it:)

Heather said...

As a mother through adoption myself, I totally get what you're saying!! :)

And to Givinya's comment above - that verse of that hymn was sung as a praise chorus the day we had our daughter baptized. I happened to be filling in for the praise chorus leader that morning as well, so I led the entire congregation, including all our assembled friends and family from out of town (and out of state even) in singing that while I held our daughter in my arms. *sniff*

Cheers!

April said...

You have such an adorable daughter...I know you feel very blessed to have her...just as she does you.

Megryansmom said...

Hi I'm from SITS, have a great day!

Kimmie said...

oh my goodness. what a darling little one and what a sweet post. thanks for sharing with us all. Happy SITS day.

Heather said...

That is so sweet! I know I am always in love with my daughter but there are those moments where I fall even deeper.

Mandy said...

Beautiful. Just beautiful. :)

Anonymous said...

How sweet and how wonderful. Your daughter is so lucky to have you. I remember my mom singing to me "K-K-K-Katie" when I was very little. I'm 48 years old and I can still hear her sing it to me. She'll cherish these singing memories her whole life. :)

Christy said...

that is so sweet...

Stephanie said...

My mother always used to sing that song to me...and I still get teary eyed when I sing it! My middle name is Sunshine. Of course Ya-Ya loves you like you are her real mother...because although you may not be "blood" you are her real mother, and yes it is possible to fall in love all over again without ever falling out of it...it's called motherhood! <3 Stephanie

Jenners said...

Visiting from SITS again : )

This was just a beautiful post that brought tears to my eyes! I can only imagine the deep joy that you felt. And yes...it is possible to fall more in love and over and over again with your child ... I do it every day! : )

Melissa ♥ Spoiled Mommy said...

Yes, I believe its very possible too!
Thats so sweet, I sing that song to her as I hug every night and lay her in her bed. So sweet.

Happy SITS Day!

Shannon said...

Yaya is one of God's miracles... you all are so blessed to have found each other!

Blessings Abound said...

I love that song! I sing it all the time to my kids. Your daughter is beautiful and am glad you cherish her!:)

S Club Mama said...

That's so amazingly sweet! I sing to my son and it'll be great when he responds.

Anna Lefler said...

What an unforgettable parenting moment... So sweet.

:^) Anna

Melodie said...

It is absolutely possible to fall in love with your child every.single.day. I fall in love with my little one all of the time.

Cristin said...

That's just too precious. I fall more in love with my kids every day...

•´.¸¸.•¨¯`♥.Erin.♥´¯¨•.¸¸.´• said...

I think it's quite possible...what a wonderful post. Now excuse me while I go snurfle my daughter's neck!

Casey's trio said...

You are my sunshine is also one of my favorite songs to sing to my girls. Blessings to you and your sweet girl!

Anonymous said...

Aw! That's so sweet. She's a cutie. I love her great bit grin!

Anonymous said...

Such a lovely post. God is so good.

Anonymous said...

yes, that is indeed possible, and incredibly sweet as well.

Natalie said...

My grandmother used to sing me that song when I was little & then I sang it to all 3 of my babies. My now 3 year old sings it to me.

What a sweet post!

Toots said...

Happy SITS day . . . this is so sweet . . . I sing that song to my son all the time . . .

Bar-b said...

Beautiful post. Thank you for sharing. I agree, it is like christmas morning, every morning.

Vickie said...

Oh another post making me teary. How blessed. I feel the need to grap all my girls. Thanks

Unknown said...

Oh how precious!

cornnut32 said...

it is possible to fall in love over and over again the way you described...i do it every day with my son.

the thing that chokes me up is reading the book "love you forever" to him. my mom read that book to me and all of my siblings, and even as we got older she would say to us "i'll love you forever, i'll like you for always, as long as i'm living, my baby you'll be." i get emotional just thinking about it...and i say those words to my son, too.

namaste said...

Yes, it absolutely is possible to fall over and over in love without having to fall out of love... I know exactly how you feel because it's the same way with my son. What a sweet YaYa you have.

C♥ said...

so so amazing.

there's 4 children in my family who are adopted, it's a beautiful thing.

happy sits day!!!

OneZenMom said...

Oh, this brought tears to my eyes. So very sweet!

Alicia said...

What a sweet story! You are blessed to have such a beautiful daughter and she is blessed to have such a great mom!

Katie said...

Wow! What an amazing Mommy moment!

jubilee said...

Yes! Yes, it IS possible to fall in love over and over again without falling out of love. It's called 'motherhood!'
Beautiful post.

Ronnica said...

How sweet!

Momma Chae said...

Falling in love over and over again... the best part about being a mommy. :)

Laura said...

What a sweet girl. I fall in love with my daughter all over again every day.

Lesley said...

oh goodness...there I go...that is so beautiful...and touching...and makes me want to go wake up my little hammy and give him a big squeeze...yaya is a lucky little peanut...and you are a truly blessed mama...God really does know what he does...and his works truly amaze....

Jaden Paige said...

Awww, you made me all teary-eyed with this post. I can imagine how her saying that must have just yanked on your heartstrings. What a sweet little peanut.

Rhea said...

I love the You are my Sunshine song. My dad used to sing it to me when I was little.

Yaya is precious. What a cutie pie. And what a touching post.

Mimi said...

Now I'm crying too! I sang that song to my son when he would wake up at night when he was a baby.

Now that he's almost 17 I have embarassed him more times than I care to admit by calling him "Sunshine" in front of his friends.

Treasure each moment you have, they go by SO fast.

kikibibi said...

That is the most perfect mommy-daughter song ever. What a cherished memory!

Kelly Deneen Raymond said...

That totally made me cry! How sweet!

Tabitha Blue said...

Oh that is just so sweet... and making me cry too. How precious!

Wendy said...

I'm an adoptive mom too, so this post spoke to me.

Mrsbear said...

Absolutely, we are constantly falling deeper and deeper in love with our babies. What a sweet moment.

Mammatalk said...

What a beautiful moment. And, just think, there will be many more to come!

April Kennedy said...

Not only do we fall in love over and over again....we become like cannibals...I mean I could eat up every inch of my children over and over...YOU? I can't get enough of their sweet scent, soft skin and oh so yummy sweetness!

YaYa is soooo lucky!

Unknown said...

Oh what a beautiful post. How very sweet and what a blessing. Happy SITS day!

Unknown said...

Very nice...my youngest used to lay her hand on my cheek since she was a baby. I have no idea why, but what a profound feeling from a seemingly small gesture. What an angel you have!

Becky said...

I sing that same song to my little guy who is 1. I completely agree that you can fall in love over and over without ever falling out of love.

Happy SITS day.

Avery Tales said...

What a wonderful story. Happy SITS Day!

Frankie and Bella said...

What a special moment to share with you and your daughter. Thanks for sharing with us.

Susan said...

Very Sweet!

Cracker Scraps said...

Babies and little sweet punkin's are so easy to fall in love with over and over. It's a good thing because about the age of 12 there's this thing I call (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) when they don't want you, don't want to be seen with you. But! They do come back and my two babies now DD 25 and DS 22 always tell me they love me when we talk and hug me in public. When I get up at night to get a glass of water it's so strange knowing that their bedrooms are empty. I miss them but that makes our "together time" even more precious! I can't wait until Thursday when I'll have my DD, DS and DDIL for Thanksgiving!

Louisa Claire said...

that is so lovely. what a beautiful moment for you!

Laural Out Loud said...

Such a precious post! I sing to my daughter every night, too. It's our special time together.

Catherine said...

We sing "You Are My Sunshine" too. It's one of my 2yo's favorites, although he's not yet able to comprehend the words.

You brought tears to my eyes!

Anonymous said...

I too sing that song to my son. It's so special! What a nice story, especially to share with her over the years. Very touching! I have a version of the song playing on my blog...come check it out!

Unknown said...

Oh this post brought tears to my eyes!!! What an amazing blessing you have there. :)

jori-o said...

So sweet! What a precious little girl. We love that song 'round these parts, too! ;)

Kimberly Tripp said...

that is too sweet! That was the song my mom sang to me, and the one I sing to my 2yo too! When I ask him what song he wants, he usually says "happy," which is want he calls it. When my hubby sings, he goes "you make me..." and my son says "happy" - it's too cute. I can't sing the second verse though, it makes me too too sad! What a sweet little girl you have! (loved the shark post too. you would NEVER get me in there! NE-VER!!!)

angie said...

That's so sweet!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful post, I am so glad you are the featured blogger and I met you through SITS.

Anonymous said...

That is soooo sweet!!!

Happy SITS day!!!! :)

Eve said...

I'm so happy for you that you have your sweet baby to sing to and hold.

Lavender n Lattés said...

so sweet! makes me miss my kids being that little!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful little girl and a sweet story! I'm so happy for your family :)

Melissa Lester said...

Oh, that is so sweet! The bond between mother and child is so amazing, no one could ever take that away.

Karol said...

You are truely blessed with a beautiful daughter, and she is blessed with a beautiful mother.

Rachael said...

What an amazingly beautiful moment to capture. Amazing. Happy SITS day!

Anji said...

Oh I loved that post, it brought tears to my eyes.