.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 9.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is so important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with the crafts and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from July:

- Seeing a red fox (twice) in my neighborhood

- Air Conditioning

- Holding a baby only hours old

- Sleepovers with Grace and Joy, the little ones I nanny

- Chick-fil-A

- Going to the movie theater with Adam

- Fresh Fruit

- Working on our house and feeling overly blessed, proud, and happy!

- Meeting my sweet 5 month old niece from Minnesota

- Spending a week with family and living life with them

- Getting a special "backstage pass" tour of Liberty's Theatre

- Family game nights
- Discovering Colden trapped himself inside the pack n play

- Swimming

- Preparing meals for family

- Shower kisses with my love ;)

- Watching Colden curl his little paws up when sleeping

- Babysitting our friends baby

- Trip to NJ and visiting my family

- Chipotle (located in MD which is perfectly in the middle of our trip from VA to 

   NJ, it keeps us motivated to keep pushing on!)

- Accessorizing our deck with patio furniture and ferns

- Watching Adam make beautiful wooden bowls on his new lathe

- Laughter

- Late night chats and visits with a dear friend from Michigan

- Chocolate Malt O' Meal with vanilla ice cream (thank you Maria for the 

   introduction)

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Hi there, remember me?.

The past two weeks of July had many surprises for this girl! 

I've been spending a lot of my time caring for the little ones I nanny since their mother recently gave birth to another precious girl.
A trip to the ER..there have been a few health issues that decided to pop up, rather burst, that I have been trying to figure out through prayer and listening to my body. (more on this later in the week)

Our new house had it's very first house guests, besides the girls I nanny, all the way from Minnesota and Michigan!

I got to meet, hold, and love on my sweet niece Lucy. (Read here and here to meet all of the little munchkins in my life!)

And now.. 

It is just Adam, pup, and myself in a very empty, very quiet house.
It's nice..
and rather sad.
There are laundry piles taunting me to wash them, dishes screaming for a soapy dip, and a rug that is begging me to vacuum it and here I sit, typing to you on my blog.
I will rest today and not worry about all of the things needing to get done..there's always tomorrow right?!
Leftovers, comfy pj's, cool A/C, warm blankets, and netflix will be my friends this afternoon and night.
Should I mention it is currently 2:10pm and the hubs and I slept through breakfast..and church..and lunch?
Yes, at 1:21pm we awoke to a cloudy and wet Sunday afternoon.

Life is good!

.Meet Virginia.

It's a GIRL! 

Meet Virginia Belle Basten

 The Basten Family
Joy age 3, Grace age 4.5, and Virginia Belle with their loving parents Mason and Katy.

 Grace and Joy giving their baby sister presents.

 I am blessed--this family has welcomed me in as their own. Here I am holding Virginia Belle only a few hours after she was born.

 I could not take my eyes off of her--so in love!

 Virginia Belle is the first newborn (meaning in "Katie" terms: under 4 weeks old) I have ever held in my adult life and is the first baby I have ever visited in a hospital. She weighs 7.5 lbs.
Holding her only hours after she was born and seeing how perfect and beautifully made she is touches deep down inside of me..to parts I have never felt before.
I am having trouble finding the words to express it..
God is good!
He knit Virginia Belle together in her mother's womb, she is His perfect Creation. Virginia Belle has the littlest toenails, fingernails, and eyelashes I have ever seen. God created her in His image and she is a miracle.
I see Katy everyday and was with her throughout her entire pregnancy and all of a sudden..one day..this little miracle is born..just like that.
She is here and she is perfect!
I am truly humbled by our Heavenly Father and in awe of His creation.

.Love & Prayers.

Today the little ones I nanny will be staying over night..and the next night..and the next night. The reason behind this sudden change of plans is because their mommy is having a baby! I just received "the" phone call alerting me they are on their way to the hospital to welcome Baby Basten #3 into the world! I cannot be more excited for them and I am asking you to send your love and prayers to the Basten family for a healthy baby and mommy as well as a safe delivery. The best part is Baby Basten #3 is a surprise--the family has no idea if it's a boy or girl!

Thank you everyone, I'm certain your prayers will be felt by all :)

Happy Monday!

.Weekending.

After a busy morning and afternoon, Adam and I needed to change the pace of our day..we needed to slow things down a bit and kick up our feet for the night. 

We drove to the beautiful campus of Sweet Briar College to watch my very talented brother-in-law act in the Twelfth Night. It was an outdoor theatre production.

 Outdoor theater, does it get any better?

Virginia blessed everyone with a cloudy and cool night. We met up with Adam's parents to enjoy a little picnic while sitting in our lawn chairs waiting for the play to begin. The Blue Ridge mountains acted as the backdrop for the play and we got to sit in the middle of it all and enjoy God's stunning creation. 

My brother-in-law Alex did a fabulous job playing Sir Andrew and provided the audience with many laughs and some great banjo strumming!

 Alex is not only a good actor, a fantastic banjo player, and extremely witty..he is also adorable.
Exhibit A:

Favorite Alex smirk (and ladies--he's single, wink wink!)

The night was simply wonderful, thank you brother or should I say Sir Andrew :)