On more babies and how sometimes things change.

I am so so sooooooo excited to say that my husband and I are finally TRYING for another baby! There aren't words for how excited I am.
While I was pregnant with Grace,  I wanted 5 kids... no 10 actually. I wanted to fill my house with beautiful little humans to love and make memories with. I wanted them to all be 2 years apart and I wanted them to all be best friends and take care of each other. I wanted Sunday mornings to be filled with dance parties while daddy cooked pancakes, I wanted bedtime to be crazy and loud with kids fighting over the sink to brush their teeth, I wanted all of that.
But then when Grace was born, I had what I would consider to be, postpartum depression.  I was never officially diagnosed but man, those few months after her birth were so rough I sometimes didn't think I would make it through everyday. I was so tired and constantly scared, it was tough.
Thankfully after a few months those feeling subsided and we got caught up in the routine of motherhood and babyhood and all was well and happy. However, even though I was feeling much better and loved motherhood oh so much, I still didn't ever want anymore kids. I couldn't have imagined going through that again, I couldn't have imagined loving another baby as much as Grace. And honestly, I didn't want to add another human to the mix, I loved Grace, George and I, and I didn't need to add another baby.
But then, maybe two months ago, it hit. My want for another baby. My NEED to snuggle another little human again. I wanted to be pregnant, I wanted to go through another natural child birth. I wanted those long exhausting nights and sweet baby smiles. I started seeing visions of dance parties and pancakes again.
After much discussion with George we finally decided that we are ready for another baby and we cannot wait to go through this whole, amazing, process again! I won't lie, I'm scared, but I know that it is so worth all the hard, because you get so much more good.

Everything Wonderful About Fall.

We welcomed fall this year with four days of constant rain. We were cooped up inside for the first time in months.
Don't get me wrong, I love the summer. Swimming, boating, smores, warm nights by campfires. All that stuff is so good.
But on where I live in Massachusetts, summer also brings a lot of stress. In the summer months the population grows from about 200,000 people to well over 500,000. So with the longer days also comes longer lines and a lot of traffic.
My husband's job also gets busier so we see much less of him, and Grace and I too follow suit- We have beach parties, library meet ups and playdates galore.
But then it happens, a shift in the weather and everyone leaves and our man made island becomes peaceful (and sort of lonely) again. We take leisurely walks on the beach bundled up with hot coffee in hand. We venture over the bridge for apple picking and there is no traffic. We spend whole days inside baking and smiling and we don't feel guilty for missing out on the 'perfect summer weather'.
I have to say, it is so nice.
As I type this I have pumpkin cookies baking in the oven and George and Grace are taking an afternoon nap. Sigur Ros is playing on my record player and I am cozy warm in my fuzzy sweatshirt and socks. Every room in my house is clean and my heart is so full of gratitude for this cloudy fall day.
It is the moments like this, that make you realize how little it really takes to make you truly happy.
Here are some pictures of the last few fall days-

Motherhood.

Motherhood is hard isn't it?
You have all these ideas in your head about things that you will do, or want to do, and they end before they even really start. You realize you have another human you are responsible for and they come first. You know, things like 'start a blog' or 'go to the gym' or 'make dinner'. So it's been over a year since my first post on here, and I just stopped... because motherhood is... hard.

But it is pretty amazing too, right? Everything that comes with the hard is so so so good. Like somehow even though you have said 15 times to "PLEASE stop eating crayons", it is still so cute when they have yellow, red and purple smiles looking up at you.
Or when you get frustrated because they won't stop throwing books down the stairs but while you are cleaning them up they come up behind you and kiss your back.
Or when they wake up at 3 am and you are so tired you want to scream but they snuggle into you and say 'wuv yuv mama' as they drift back to sleep.
Yes, the bitter with the sweet makes the sweet so much sweeter.

So motherhood has been here, all consuming. But I want to give this another shot. Because... well because why not.

Here are some photos of my not so baby, baby, who is now a whopping 19 months old!

A Start...

So here I am. Dabbling in the world of blogging. What? ME? 
Today I was thinking "I need a way to connect with like minded people, or... people I like at the very least' and in the distance I heard the internet calling.
Okay, but in all seriousness, I thought not only could a blog be a great way to keep memories, but also, if I get lucky, I may find some people that I connect with.

SO let me start by saying, HI!

I'm Anna and I'm married to a great guy named George! 

(this is us!)

And we have a stunning baby girl named Grace. Grace SUNSHINE (hence the blog title, and yes that is her real middle name... in all fairness it was my grandmother's middle name, but it suits her well.)

She is pretty much the most wonderful thing that I have ever laid my eyes on. She is smart and funny and basically... perfection.

This blog will probably consist of a lot of pictures of this babies face. I just can't help it. She is so beautiful. 

But here is a little bit more about me. I became a mom February 14th 2014 (YEP, Valentines Day baby!), and she is the most amazing thing that I have ever been lucky enough to be apart of. I love being a mom. Adore it actually. I am grateful because I get to be a stay at home mom and watch this baby grow!  My husband works very hard as a Captain of a fishing boat to make this possible.

I love traveling, when I was 18 I backpacked around Europe with my best friend for 2 months. I learned more about myself and the world then I ever could have (at that point in my life) in a classroom. I cannot wait to travel with Grace. Our first international trip will be in about 2 months. I am so looking forward to instilling an excitement for adventure in her, like I have.

I have a passion for photography and do it as a side job. While I like taking pictures of and for people, my true passion lies not with wedding photography, but with artistic! 

We are a mostly organic/natural house. Not vegetarian however.  We are attachment parents, baby wearers and we make our own baby food (for the most part haha)

I love makeup... (totally not organic... I know, I know, we all have are faults).

I live in a small ocean side town so the water means a lot to me. We spend many of our summer days on boats and with our feet in the sand. I have lived in the same town my whole life. 

So thanks for coming on this journey with me... if anyone is reading this... but if not, maybe I'll learn some things about myself!