We're Back!

After a long blogging break, Our Little Corner of Sunshine is revamped and ready to go again! The past year has been jam packed with a lot of change, much of which probably should have been blogged about, but that wasn't at the top of my priority list. Not gonna lie. So, here I am, clicking on my blogging seat belt, ready to start the ride again. 

Well, what has been going on this past year with our little family?

Let's play a game of [picture] catch up.

 I successfully finished my one and a half year teaching career. At least, that's the duration for now. Who knows? Maybe one day I will get to go hang out with 30 third graders every day again. It is the best job in the world...besides being a mommy, of course. What a privilege it was to get to teach these young, spongy minds and work with their quirky personalities day in and day out. I will miss their excitement for life (and especially holidays). The energy of a kid. Wow! I will look back on teaching with the fondest memories. And honestly, I think these kiddos taught me more than I ever could have taught them.

I survived 9 (nah, basically 10) months of being pregnant! Woohoo! We feel so blessed to have had such a smooth pregnancy. I was able to be teaching kids choreography for their dance festival two weeks before our little guy came. That's truly a blessing. Morning sickness was minimal and this go around was quite ideal. Eric was so supportive and offered extra foot rubs all of the time. What a babe. Being pregnant is really a remarkable thing. No, I don't really miss pregnancy, but it is pretty cool to feel that sweet baby doing dances inside your tummy. And having a thick head of luscious hair isn't all that bad either!

Our sweet Hunter Eric Sackett was born on Friday, June 13 at 5:15 am. I am oh-so-looking forward to blogging about his birth story, but not today. In a nut shell, things went incredibly well and we have been loving the new parent experience. There are so many things that I didn't understand or know before becoming a mommy. Good things and bad things. But things that I could only understand by becoming a parent. No one could have prepared me for the exhaustion from sleepless night after sleepless night. For the innumerable times I have been pooped or peed or spit up on. For the heart warming feeling of baby snuggles. For the giddiness of baby smiles and giggles. But mostly, no one could have prepared me for the way my heart has grown. I didn't realize how my capacity and ability to love could grow so exponentially. And not just for my Hunter. But I have a deeper love for my dear Eric, for my parents, and for all women who are mothers. Seriously, sometimes I look at women in the grocery store with utter awe and appreciation for what they are doing or have done. Moms are amazing. Simple as that.

Eric is super man right now. He is in full swing with his senior year at BYU studying Public Relations. He is doing three internships plus full-time school. On top of that, he is serving as the executive secretary in our ward. And he still finds time to sing at events here and there. I don't see much of him on a day-to-day basis, but it amazes me how he is able to balance everything. He must be doing something right.  He is a wonderful dad and if Hunter would talk, he would most definitely agree. Playing with daddy at lunch and at nighttime are the highlights of his day. His smiles and giggles are a dead giveaway. :)

Being a mom to Hunter is pretty much my world right now. He keeps me real busy. I'm not going to lie, sometimes it gets lonely. Sometimes, I miss heading up to USU each day and the buzz of campus life. Sometimes I miss working with other teachers and trying to figure out how best to meet the needs of our students. Sometimes I miss the days when Eric and I could watch movies or have friends over without the worry of being too loud. And sheesh, sometimes I miss the freedom of hopping in the car and running to get a treat whenever the heck I want. But, then I just look at my little mister and I honestly don't mind that those days are in the past. A new future is here and it is a good one. I mean, doesn't this little face just make you smile?

As I sit here relaxing after another full day, with baby Hunter snoozing away, I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for the ways that He is blessing my life. That's not to say that life is always peachy-perfect. It's not. But life is good. It is so good. I am grateful for my Savior who is there for me through the lonely times and through the happiest of times. I was refreshed and renewed and inspired again this past weekend watching #ldsconf. I have a renewed energy to do better and be more like Christ. To bring a little more sunshine into the lives of others. 

And with that, I'm signing off! Yay for blogging again. It feels good, real good.

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."

-Anthony D'Angelo