26/365: Dressed Up Sunshine

For little boys dress-up means knights, super heroes and policeman, but for little girls it means frilly dresses with lace.  Oh and don't forget that random sticker in the middle of your forehead. :)

Dressed Up Sunshine:

25/365: Riding Home Sunshine

With nice weather we enjoy walking to/from school, but nothing beats riding his bike home!

Riding Home Sunshine:

24/365: Tap Shoes Sunshine

Miss Em is going to start her first dance class soon, a Jazz/Tap combo class and she is excited!  Grandma surprised her with her first pair of tap shoes and you can see her joy!

Tap Shoes Sunshine:

And our little performer testing out her new shoes:

23/365: Paper Airplane Sunshine

For a 5 year old, nothing beats an afternoon making paper airplanes with your cousin.

Paper Airplane Sunshine:

Oh and the girls enjoyed a few moments of a cartoon together:

Oh and I suppose I should mention that Mr. McGee decided to give himself a haircut this morning by himself.  So thankful he didn't cut his ear off!

22/365: Sunday Afternoon Sunshine

Sunday afternoons during football season are one of my favorites!  This year our beloved 49ers were in the NFC championship game and although they had a heartbreaking loss, our afternoon was filled with sunshine!

Sunday Afternoon Sunshine:

Grammy & Em:

21/365: Old Friends Sunshine

Rhiannon, Amber, Liesl, Nathan and I all grew up together from elementary school through high school graduation.  I played soccer with Nathan and softball with the girls.  I was honored to be a bridesmaid in Liesl & Nathan's wedding when I was a humongous 7 months pregnant with Miss Em and so excited to be able to attend their baby shower today!  Liesl is my oldest friend and whether near or far away, she is always dear to my heart.

Old Friends Sunshine:

20/365: Rainy Day Sunshine & an Anniversary

Testing out my new lens today on some raindrops on the window.  I love the rain, especially when we're cuddling inside.  Seventeen years ago today Daddy & I started "dating", or at least we confessed on a high school dance cafeteria balcony that we "liked" each other....and the rest is history!

We headed up to Grandma & Grandpa's to spend the night with Auntie Michelle and Skye... always a special treat!

19/365: Pajama Day Sunshine

It was "Pajama Day" at preschool today - always lots of fun making fresh squeezed orange juice, flipping pancakes and being comfy and cozy all day in their pjs.

Pajama Day Sunshine:

18/365: New Lens Sunshine

I've been wanting a macro lens for a couple of years now, something that could help me take those detailed floral or critter shots - and I finally bought one!  I had a newborn session this morning and was really hoping it would arrive before then so I could use it for those tiny toes, eyelashes, etc., but alas it arrived 2 hours after our session wrapped.  Oh well - I have it for next time! 

New Lens Sunshine:

17/365: Gnawing on a Bone Sunshine

Our baby girl Callie is now 9 years old, but still enjoys her bones and running around.

Gnawing on a Bone Sunshine:

16/365: Skating Sunshine

Today I enjoyed introducing McGee to ice skating for the first time.  His attitude was great - he just kept popping right back up when he fell and he asked if we could come back every day to practice. :)

Skating Sunshine (taken with a borrowed P&S):

15/365: Colorful Sunshine

During all of his months in preschool last year I had to BEG McGee to do some of the fun art projects they did in his class.  Seriously, I would see other parents going home with all of these neat creations their kids made and my son was always the one to opt out of doing any of the art projects in class.  He said he just didn't like it.

Fast forward a year and now McGee is constantly asking for "arts and crafts" or an "art project to work on".  He now enjoys coloring and creating things for others as gifts and has said his favorite thing about his new kindergarten class is "all of the fun arts and crafts we do!"  Let's just say I'm pleased to see the joy in his eyes now when he creates something and our walls and windows are decorated with many of them.

Colorful Sunshine:

14/365: Handsome Win Sunshine

Isn't he so handsome???  My little boy is growing up and looking so much less baby and much more handsome big boy.  Which b/w conversion do you prefer between these two?

How 'bout them 49ers???!!!  Ten years after our last playoff appearance we arrived...and BIG!  What an exciting game we enjoyed with both sets of our parents and our friends the Wards.  It was definitely a Handsome Win Sunshine kind of day:

And on a side note, McGee had his first official "sleepover" last night as we had his friend Jared sleep over.  The boys did great and I'd say it was a big success!

13/365: Creating Sunshine

I love open-ended toys for kids.  No batteries, no electronic devices, just some blocks, cars and as much imagination as the kids can come up with.  The block "town" was created by Miss Em, complete with a "nail salon" (her words).  On the other side of the table, brother was creating a "video" of Cars 2 with everyone on the "stage".

Creating Sunshine:

12/365: She Sunshine

SHE melts my heart.  SHE cracks me up.  SHE is as stubborn as I am.  SHE is one tough cookie.  SHE gets shy around new people and large groups.  SHE loves to cuddle.  SHE dances and sings like a princess.  SHE is funnier and cooler than I'll ever dream to be.  SHE is the one we call Miss Em.

SHE is my Sunshine:

11/365: Boy, Dog, Girl Sunshine

This is what McGee's room looked like when he left for school this morning - cars, trucks and dinosaurs scattered all over the floor.  An all boy room for sure.  A little while later I found our dog Callie trying to make her way out of his messy room.  Then a short while after that Miss Em was practicing her "plie" in the middle of McGee's mess.  It may not be an actual automatic time lapse sequence, but I found the sequence interesting and fun nonetheless.

Boy, Dog, Girl Sunshine (you can click on the image to see it larger):

10/365: Pizza Parlor Sunshine

I grew up going to pizza parlors - for baseball parties, soccer parties and whenever our family wanted to enjoy pizza.  My kids are mostly used to eating Papa Murphy's take -n-bake or homemade pizza.  A couple of times though we've gone out to a local pizza parlor with my brother and sister-in-law and the 5 kids have a blast pretending they're playing the video games after they've used up the 50 cents we give each of them to start the night.  We parents love the opportunity to talk somewhat uninterrupted while they're off playing (within eyesight at all times of course).

Pizza Parlor Sunshine:

9/365: Ballerina Sunshine

This is a favorite book in our house called "I Wear My Tutu Everywhere".  Miss Em loves it so after reading it to her for the umpteenth time, Grandma taught Miss Em how to do a "plie" like a real ballerina...I may be biased but I think she nailed it!

Ballerina Sunshine:

8/365 - Part 2: Hallway Stadium Sunshine

Nothing like a little pre-bed football in the hallway to start the week...

8/365: Sunday Morning Sunshine

Sleeping in.  Braided hair.  Taking Baby Monkey to church.  Laughs and giggles.

Sunday Morning Sunshine: