Category: Family

Thanksgiving |Little Princesses

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So some of you are probably wondering why I titled this post thanksgiving.  Am I right?  Although I do love me some Thanksgiving (the turkey, dressing, and cranberries…umm yes please), this post has absolutely NOTHING to do with the actual holiday of Thanksgiving.  So why did I name it that?  It is quite simple.  I’m talking about another type of thanksgiving, and that thanksgiving is in our hearts.

Yesterday Sadie had a cardiology appointment.  This was a big one for us.  I wasn’t worried about what the outcome might be because I know I don’t have any control over what happens (contrary to what I might believe sometimes), but I was just anxious to get some information.  The day before her appointment her doctor’s office called and told us she was getting a full diagnostic done.  So naturally this got my mind on the subject of Sadie’s heart.  You see, I forget all the time that she has a heart condition.  She is such a normal happy smiling baby that it is super easy to forget that she has something under the surface that isn’t okay.

I feel like that is how people are a lot of the time.  We see their outside appearance and we think that they must have it all together, they are the best wife, or they must be really happy.  The truth of the matter, is that we all have something going on under the surface.  That is why it is so important to be there for each other and pull each other up when we fall down.  I love my group of girl friends that I have.  I am so incredibly thankful to God for them.  They support me when I need it, cry with me when I am going through a rough time, and they challenge me to want to be better.  When I leave their presence I always feel like I can conquer the world.  That is how it is supposed to be.  Remember that people are always struggling and that they need support and kindness.  Then maybe you can help someone else feel empowered.

Now, back to Sadie.  We got to Mansfield a little early so we go to Taco Bueno (my absolute favorite).  As we are sitting down eating Sadie decides she wants to grace us with a gift.  She has been on antibiotics now for a few days so her bowel movements are what I would call not even remotely solid.  So as I am sitting there eating my delicous Muchaco, Sadie goes.  And she doesn’t just go easily and it is a nice cleanup.  Oh no.  That would be too nice.  She goes so bad that it blows out of her diaper and lands on my arm, shirt, and upper lip…..#momlife.  So I take her, her carseat, and diaper bag to the bathroom to clean her only to find that they don’t have a changing table.  So what does a mom do when she is in desperate need of a changing table??  She improvises.  I got Sadie cleaned up (of course she got a new onesie), and then we went to her cardiology appointment.

Her appointment went really well.  She had an echo done on her heart.  We got alot of amazing information.  We had so many questions regarding what her future could look like and her doctor was really great in answering them all.  She will more than likely have surgery when she is about 4-5 to fix her ASD and her pulmonary stenosis, but neither one of those issues is causing her any harm right now.  She is thriving!  Her doctors are so impressed with her.  Here is my little Sadie Bugg , who has a whole in her heart and a narrow artery, and she just smiles at the world.  God made her perfectly.  Her problems are scary, but they are fixable!

On the way home, I just sat there thinking about everything the doctor had said and you know what I realized??  God is always faithful.  You would think that I would have already realized that with what we went through when Sadie was born.  And the truth is that I did realize it then.  But then life happens. and you get stressed and you worry and things seem crazy.  God is faithful.  Is there a chance that Sadie will need surgery?  Absolutely.  Does that scare me?  Yes and no.  Yes, because I just want her to be okay and healthy.  No because I have a God who loves me and who knows what is best for my Sadie.  He made her in his image.  He tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).  This is exactly what He has done for my husband and I.  He has given us a peace about all of the situations we find ourselves in regarding Sadie’s health.  He is faithful always.

So today, I want to talk about thanksgiving.  I am thankful for my Sadie’s health.  I am thankful for the strong amazing man that God gave me to go through life with.  I am thankful for the amazing beautiful daughters that I have been blessed with.  But most of all, I am thankful for a God that loves me in my flaws, keeps me comforted even when I doubt His goodness, showers me with his grace, leads me towards His greatness, and is forever faithful.

Sadie Bugg|Little Princesses

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Whew! It’s been awhile since I have posted.  Life has definitely been crazy.  A lot has happened in the month since my last post.  Sadie is sitting up so much better and rolling over life crazy!  She has graduated to her crib (Praise God!) and only wakes up about once or twice now.  I am not going to lie.  I really thought the transition to her crib would be an extremely difficult task.  She has definitely not been our easy child on transitions, but she surprised me.  Not only does she sleep in her crib without a fuss, but she can fall asleep in there by herself without me having to rock her or give her a bottle before bed!  It is really quite amazing.

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We bought her some new big girl jammies because she has graduated out of three month clothing.  She is now wearing 3-6 month and some 9 month clothing…..guys, I definitely didn’t think that would happen for sure.  Sadie is growing so much.  I am so proud of her!  She is without a doubt our happy child.  I mean you can wake her up, and as soon as she opens her eyes, she is smiling at you.  Be still my heart.  Feeding her has gotten a ton better!  She can now eat an entire thing of stage two baby food.  Now for those of you that don’t know, that is a lot of food for her little belly.  She loves food!  Her rolls are starting to show and I couldn’t be happier.  I am so thankful to God for her accomplishments with her growth.  Heck, I am just so thankful for her and her sister period!  Sometimes (who am I kidding, MOST times) I may not have a clue what I am doing, but man am I glad to be their mommy.

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The Graduate|My Story

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Hello Everyone!  I don’t normally make a lot of posts about myself.  I try to save my posts for my family and photography, but today I feel the need to pat myself on the back a little.  Guess what?!? I graduated from college on May 13th!!  This is a big deal for me.  You see, it is a miracle that a graduated from anything because I have changed my mind on school about 3,000 times.  I got my Associates of Applied Science in General Studies (there goes that indecisiveness), and I am planning on graduating December 2017 with my Bachelors of Science in General Studies.  It has taken a lot of hard work and I know I have some much more ahead of me, but I cannot wait to see where God uses me.  He already has given me a few ideas of where he needs me, and I am so excited to announce what that entails.  I am still working on a few of the details so there will be more on that later.  Anyways, yay me for graduating!! My whole family came.  My girls did so good throughout the ceremony (I also wasn’t watching them which could be why they did so good in my mind), and I even graduated Summa Cum Laude and got a medal.  My little family is definitely my motivation.  They push me to succeed and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I am so thankful for my parents and their support emotionally and financially.  They have made so many things possible for me in my life and I will never be able to repay that kindness.  I love my family and supporters so much!  Thank you God for blessing me with a not just a family, but a team of support.

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Ripley’s Birth | Lifestyle

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On April 1, 2016 I had the absolute pleasure and blessing of being able to photograph the birth of my beautiful niece Ripley.  My sister-in law did amazing.  She made childbirth look easy.  With my own two children, I had to have c sections so it was amazing getting to experience childbirth in a different way.  Ripley entered this world at 1:45pm.  She was 7 pound and 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.  Ripley is also the spitting image of her mother.  I mean it is uncanny how much they look alike (Sorry Cody).  I was so thankful that they allowed me in the room to take pictures.  Seeing the love and joy on their faces was priceless.  Please scroll down to see their beautiful story.

If you want to see more of my work got to my website http://www.raisingarrowsphotography.com.

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Reagan and Sadie | Children

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Last Tuesday I got my new camera.  It is absolutely amazing!  Of course I had to do a practice session to see all of the fun features, so I decided to do use my beautiful little girls as models.  Poor Sadie has horrible allergies, so the wildflowers didn’t help.  Needless to say, she didn’t take too many pictures before her daddy was holding her.  Reagan on the other hand took lots of pictures.  I think she likes being center of attention.  What two year old doesn’t like everyone loving all over them?

Drew came with me and was my “assistant” for the session.  He is such a big help.  Anytime I needed him to move a blanket or wipe a runny nose he was right there.  He is always my biggest supporter and I couldn’t be more blessed.

Now, enough of that gooey love stuff.  I had such a great time taking pictures with my new camera.  It’s always a learning process for me, but I truly enjoy it.  The sun was shining, but it was hidden behind the tree line, so we were shaded for most of the session.  It’s always interesting when I am going to take pictures of Reagan.  She doesn’t believe in posing, so we have to bring something along to help her at least stay focused enough not to just run around.  For those of you that don’t know Reagan, she has one speed.  That speed is running everywhere.  Having Sadie there helped though.  She loves her baby sister.  I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

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Easter Fun | Celebrations

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Our church is amazing.  This last Sunday was palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday is very important for us as Christians.  It represents the start to the holy week before Easter Sunday.  Jesus entered into Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion knowing that he was going to be making a sacrifice.  When he entered Jerusalem, the people waved their palm branches symbolizing goodness and victory while shouting Hosanna which means save, rescue, or savior.  On this particular Sunday every year, the children in the nursery at our church wave their palm leaves around at the beginning of the big church service before the preaching starts.  Of course the children don’t quite understand the meaning behind it, but it is still important for the adults.  Drew carried Reagan while she waved her leaf (more like stared blankly at all of the people looking at her), and I carried Sadie.  It is really great for all of the elderly members of our church to get to see the children.  They really love it.  After, the children waved their leaves they went back to the nursery until church was finished.

Now, every year the weekend before Easter, we have a huge Easter egg hunt for the kids.  They create little areas for the different age groups that way it is pretty fair.  Reagan and Sadie were both in the two and under section.  I held Sadie while she hunted eggs.  It was pretty windy so she pretty much just stayed bundled up in her blanket the whole time.

Drew watched Reagan run around. Last year, she only wanted specific colors, but this year she understood that eggs have candy in them.  Needless to say, she was grabbing as many as she could.

She very quickly filled her basket, but when we went to give her sister’s basket to fill she was not very happy. She wanted her green basket.

We also had some very nice members bring a bunny rabbit for all the children to pet.  Reagan kept going to touch it, and when she would finally make contact she would jump back and squeal.  She melts my heart!  img_1311-1

Her best friend came so of course we had to get a picture of them together!  Myia is always very stylish.  She is a little Diva.  I love her. She even managed to get the special prize egg for the second year in a row!  You see, Myia loves img_1281-1sparkly things, so if the prize egg is wrapped in foil she will definitely go for that first!  She is so very special and precious to our family.  Her and Reagan always have so much fun together.  You may wonder what kind of fun and trouble can 2 two year olds get into, but let me just say they keep us on our toes constantly.  We will sometimes hear them in the living room.  You see, we have a few electronics.  Reagan knows she is not supposed to touch them, however, when Myia comes over we will often hear Reagan telling Myia that she should touch the buttons and turn them on….Yeah, my kid is a handful.  Anyways, I love that they are able to partake in this tradition every year with our church.  It’s very special.

After the kids hunt all the eggs, our church has a huge lunch for all of the members.  The church provides the fried chicken, rolls, drinks, and desserts while each family brings a side dish.  It really is such a fun time of fellowship.  We are blessed by having such a strong and generous church family.

I love that we do all of these fun things the weekend before Easter.  This allows us to actually focus on the true meaning of Easter, which is celebrating the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ.  Hunting eggs is so much fun and we all love to see the joy on our children’s faces (or husband’s) when they get so much candy, but Easter is meant to celebrate so much more.  Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so that our sinful hearts could be saved by God’s grace.  Hug your family members and share in God’s love this Easter, but don’t forget who we are really celebrating and why.  Happy Easter!

 

Sadie Bug | Little Princesses

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Whew! What a week it has been.  I know it has been so long since I have posted anything, but I’m back.  Last Tuesday, we took Sadie to see her geneticist.  Her appointment was earlier in the day so we thought we could take Reagan with us and then go to the zoo afterwards.  So, we loaded up in the car and made the big trip to Ft. Worth.

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Yes, she is showing off her abilities to blow bubbles.

 

Sadie’s appointment went great!  Her geneticist is so impressed with her development that she said she won’t need to see her for a whole year.  That was amazing news to us as I am sure you can imagine.  She was happy and smiling all morning for the doctor.  Sadie is very much a happy baby.  Not much upsets her.  Her basic states of mind are happy, hungry, playful, and did I mention happy?  Now don’t get me wrong, she definitely has her fair share of tantrums, but for the most part she is a very easy to please little girl.  After her appointment, my husband and I went to a nearby lab to get our blood drawn because we are getting our genetic testing done.  This will let us know if Sadie’s syndrome was a fluke thing or if one of us was a carrier for it.  Either way, she is still amazingly beautifully perfect!

After we were done with our lab work, we took Reagan’s temperature because she was acting off.  Turns out she had 102 fever.  So, instead of the zoo, we gave her some Tylenol and ate lunch.  We went to El Fenix because they have the absolute BEST chips.  Of course Reagan wanted some hot sauce, so what did we do?  We gave it to her, but it was after we told her that it was really hot and she kept insisting that she get some.  Now, for those of you that don’t know my two year old….well she is two and she is the queen of our household so she demands a lot from us.  We are working on that.  But anyways, after she got her hot sauce she immediately stuck her tongue out and looked at me like “Mom, why didn’t you tell me it was hot?”.

Sadie, enjoyed our lunch just as much as we did.  That was until a very sweet older grandma that sat next to us decided that she wanted to hold Sadie while I ate my lunch.  Talk about having a little freak out (On my part).  I had no idea what to do, and before I even had time to react she was holding Sadie.  That was the fastest lunch I have ever eaten.  I mean I didn’t even eat half of it because I was concentrating so hard on the fact that this sweet little lady (which she was incredibly kind and nice) whom I didn’t know was holding my child.  Now, some of you are probably thinking “Why the heck did you let some stranger hold your child?”  Let me tell you why.  I have absolutely no boundaries.  It is horrible really.  I feel awful when I tell people no.  If I feel like I am disappointing or letting someone down, I won’t tell them no.  Now, that doesn’t mean that if I felt like this woman was going to do harm to my child I wouldn’t have told her no.  I promise I would have, but she was very kind and completely harmless.  She even told me that she has three grandbabies of her own!  Anyways, let’s move on.  After our lunch we took Reagan to Academy and Best Buy because her fever was gone.  You will be shocked to know that she arrived home with a brand new pair of sparkly blue flip flops (or “sip sops” as she used to call them) and the movie The Good Dinosaur.  All in all it was a fantastic day and a great little family adventure!

Life’s Little Moments | Mommy Help

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Life can be tough.  I have learned that many times over.  My pregnancy and delivery with Sadie taught me some very valuable lessons about faith, love, and grace.  Our lives are tough enough as it is, but when we add the filth and evil that the world loves, it makes life even harder.  There are many obstacles in our future that we are going to have to face (especially regarding our children), but what I have learned is to not dwell on that.  Like I said, life is tough.  Enjoy the little moments that you have where you don’t have dinner to cook, work to be done, or bills to pay.  Don’t worry about what tomorrow will bring because you have been given plenty today.  img_1221-1I have struggled with worry for many years, but one day I just realized that life is way to short to constantly worry.  You know what else I learned?  I learned that life also has plans of its own.  So enjoy the time you have with your family, playing outside with the kids, baking a cake (if you like to bake), or watching your little girls watch Frozen together! It gives life hope and happiness in a world that is full of nasty.  I came into the living room one evening last week and found these sweet girls watching Frozen together and it made my heart happy.  I am so blessed to be their mommy.  I thank God for choosing me to have the honor of being their mommy.  I love these girls to the moon and back with their sticky kisses and all!

Wedding Bells | Celebrations

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Last night my baby brother (I guess technically he is Drew’s baby brother, but I call him my brother none the less) got married. When he was standing up there waiting on his bride, it was hard for me to imagine him married. I mean I can still remember when they would call his name over the intercom at school to go to ISS (In school suspension). So, imagine this same little boy getting married 😳…..Yeah, it was hard for me too. Anyways, as I watched him say his vows I realized I was very proud of him. I am proud of his morals. I am proud of his independence. I am proud of his stubbornness. I am proud of his love for his wife. And I am proud of his relationship with God. His momma did an outstanding job of raising him and he has done just as outstanding in keeping to her and the bible’s teachings. I loved looking at his three brothers’ faces while he was talking. You could see how proud of him that they were. It is such an amazing gift to witness. The bond they all share is truly something special.  

  

  
Now, I haven’t known Stacey (the bride) quite as long as I have known Isacc (my brother), but I will definitely say that he chose very well. She is kind, funny, smart, and faithful. Her strength is amazing to see. She is a nurse in one of our local nursing homes, and that job suits her exceptionally well. Her kind heart allows her to care for others, while her strength allows her to set boundaries. I admire her for having those abilities. 

  
I was honored enough to be chosen as one of her bridesmaids. It was so special getting to share in this blessed time with her. I was extremely grateful for being chosen, but I was also wondering what I was going to do with my girls since Drew was also in the wedding. You mothers out there can imagine the stress that comes along with that worry. Thankfully, we have some pretty amazing friends that took that worry from me! They were absolutely amazing. My good friend Laura watched Sadie and Reagan the whole day while I got ready for the wedding. Her husband was the photographer so she came early with him. This was not an easy task for her. First of all, she is pregnant and due in June. Again, those of you mothers out there can relate to the frequent urination, exhaustion, and uncomfortableness of being pregnant. And secondly, my two year old is two. I repeat, my two year old is two. She has got her momma’s charm and her daddy’s energy. 

  
During the ceremony it was a group effort with our lovelies. My best friend D’Lancye and her husband Jo came so when Reagan didn’t cooperate (because let’s face it, what two year old is going to stand up in front of a crowd for an entire wedding?) D’Lancye took Reagan for a walk. Before the wedding started and at the beginning of the ceremony, they helped Laura out by giving her arms a little bit of a break. 

 
My friends are huge blessings in my life. I am so thankful that God gave me such loving, giving, and kind people that love Jesus to call my friends. And yes, I’m a horrible mother because I didn’t get any pictures of Reagan on my phone. We were so busy I didn’t even get a picture of my little family!! I was pretty bummed when I realized that.   We did get a picture with the bride and groom though and I guess that’s the most important part anyway right? Congrats Isaac and Stacey! I’m so proud of you both and I pray you have such a blessed marriage. 

  

  
   

   

Cereal for Breakfast | Little Princesses

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 Let me preface this by saying that Sadie is still not sleeping through the night. She likes to wake up at 12am, 2am, 4am, and 5am. It’s exhausting so we talked to her pediatrician about starting her on some cereal. Being that she is now 4 months old, her pediatrician thought that would be a great idea. She told us we could start feeding her some cereal and then graduate her to some sweet potato and carrots whenever she gets the hang of the spoon. So in a desperate attempt to get some more sleep at night, we have started her on cereal! Sunday morning was the first attempt. It took her awhile to realize what she was supposed to do with a spoon, but once she figured it out she really liked it. She is also a super messy eater. Yes, it is her getting cereal all over her face and not me 😁.  

 She is such a big girl! I love that she is gaining weight so well. We take her back to her back to her genetic doctor tomorrow and I know they will be impressed with her progress. God is good! I cannot say it enough. You can weather any storm with Him by your side. Four months ago Sadie was 4 pounds and in the hospital because she couldn’t eat, and now here she is 12 pounds and eating cereal with a spoon! Her progress is amazing and I am so proud of her.