Sisterly Love....Well Sort Of!
God did not see fit to bless me with a little sister. Instead he sent me Bruce Dale Norris, Jr. (B.J.) who I would not take anything for! I love him, and the 10 years between us has allowed me to "mother" over him now that I'm older and he is one of my best friends! But fortunately for me, I did have a "Crystal Bell" growing up and she has turned out to be all I ever needed or wanted in a sister! To say we grew up together, would be an understatement. We were dressed in matching clothes by our mothers (itchy matching clothing might I add) and always had our pictures made together, in such mentioned itchy matching clothing! But I am so glad they "tortured" us, because now we have tons of pictures of us growing up together that are so fun to look back on! Crystal and I have hit one another, hugged one another, been to each other's graduations, been in each other's weddings, and now finally we have held each other's babies just as sisters do! And I wouldn't have it any other way! She is the closest thing to a sister I will ever have or need. I pray that Maggie Kate and Ayda Lynn will be as close as we were and still are! So below is my sappy story in pictures of me and my "Crystal Bell" growing up!
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| Where it all began.... |
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| First Itchy Dresses As Mentioned Above! |
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| We shared bath time.... |
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| We shared Papa Satterfield and jewelry... |
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| More Itchy Clothing.... |
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| We shared blankies and a love of sucking our thumbs..... |
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| We shared good times....(LOL at this pic) |
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| We shared beach trips..... |
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| And more beach trips..... |
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| We shared, and still do, a love for our Mama Satterfield.... |
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| We shared Halloweens....(PS the cutie in the cowboy hat is Bryan) |
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| We shared in celebrating graduations.... |
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| She was my Maid of Honor in my wedding.... |
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| And I was her Matron of Honor in her wedding.... |
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| I helped throw her a baby shower and shared in that excitement..... |
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| She helped throw me a baby shower and shared in that excitement.... |
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| And finally, I held her baby for the very first time..... |
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| And she held my baby for the very first time.... |
And as I cry just a smidge, at all the things we have shared over the years, I now share with you a recent, very first photo shoot (but certainly not the last) of my 2 month old Maggie Kate (a product of Nae Nae) and my 2 year old Ayda Lynn (a product of Crystal Bell). I pray they share just as much with each other as we always did, and I can see it in the sweet way Ayda Lynn hugs Maggie Kate that they too, will be bestest of friends, maybe even "sort of" sisters just like me and Crystal are!
My first "rave" for this post will be Mandy Mayfield of Mayfield Photography! She took these photos and did an excellent job! I just cried like a "silly mommy" the first time I looked at them all! So right above these pictures you will find a link to her website....she's great....make sure and check her out!
(alright, alright....instead of "mini" Nae Nae's and Crystal Bell's they are really "mini" Nathan's and T.J.'s! But that makes their momma's love them even more!)
Oh and by the way.....the dress Ayda Lynn has on below matches the jumper Maggie Kate was wearing, and they are, get this....REVERSIBLE! How fantastic, right?! So my next "rave" is a very affordable children's clothing boutique in Boiling Springs / Spartanburg, called Tickled Pink! I love this place, they also did the monogramming on the girls outfits and can generally have the monogrammed item back to you the next day! Go check them out....they're going to make me one broke, but happy, momma!
The Maggie Update.....
Maggie Kate now sleeps back in her bassinet directly beside momma's bedside (with the exception of the occasional night when the momma just can't stand it and lets her sleep with the momma "just one more time" ;) ). But I just couldn't get her to sleep on her stomach or side (which I preferred). After finding out the baby "sleep positioners" had been banned (much to my dismay) I did some research and discovered The Zaky Hands! They are great, you can heat them in the dryer so they are warm like momma, and you can even sleep with them so they smell like momma! And they keep Maggie on her side, for the most part! So they are a "fave" of this momma! Check out Maggie with her "Hands" below during nap time, God Bless Them! Below the picture you will find a link to their website check them out!
The Zaky Hand!
And the latest update on my Maggie Kate is....yep....we're a thumb sucker! I had been thinking things were headed this way, but today, on Thursday July 15, 2011, we figured out how to suck our thumb and she hasn't looked back for that paci yet! And the momma and the daddy are okay with that, hey who are we to condemn? We both sucked our thumbs/finger! So here are a few pictures we just had to get, because we can't help but think it's too cute! (And yes....we're aware it won't be this cute when she's 9 and still sucking her thumb, but they're only little once and we'll cross that bridge when we get there!)
The End....well for now at least....
I leave you with my favorite family photo and a hilarious (but also favorite) family photo at a recent photo shoot by Kim Hoke! She will be my last "rave" / "fave" for this post, she does an awesome job! I hate to put her info on "blast" like this without her permission, but hey, they don't call it a blog for nothing! So check her out on Facebook her name is Kimberly Price Hoke and you can find her under my "friends" list. She does an excellent job, and we happen to love her and her work!
Favorite Family Photo Taken By Kim Hoke:
Ha Ha Ha! Next Favorite Family Photo Taken By Kim Hoke:
(ps...make sure and take a good look at Miss Maggie Kate in this one!)
