You are my sunshine ...

Photo: Lilly and her Daddy at the park.  October 2011.

Yesterday we were able to go boating for the day with my husband's best childhood friend.  We all enjoyed it and we all found ourselves remembering Lilly throughout the day.  Yesterday was the 4th (Lilly would have been 2 yrs. and 1 month old if she were still with us) and, we all remembered that she came boating with us last year.  (You can see pictures of Lilly boating here.)   We remain grateful that Lilly lived for over a year.  She was able to experience all the holidays and annual things we do each year.  It's so good that she's a part of those memories, even if they do make me tear up at times.

On the way home we saw the most beautiful rainbow.  My husband started talking about it being a sign from Lilly and God before I knew it I was crying.  Oh well.  I was due for a cry.  I thought of the rainbow too being a sign from Lilly about her rainbow baby brother.  I am finally to the point that I am really looking forward to meeting the little guy, and holding him.  I'm finally over a lot of the fear I think.

Today we decorated Lilly's tree for the month of August.  This month's theme:  sunshines and sunflowers.  (Thanks to T.'s piano teacher for the idea about sunflowers!)  And the tree topper is Lilly's much used sunglasses and hat.  (Which she's wearing in the above picture.)

The kids and I made sunflowers out of glittered scrapbook paper.  The "G. girls" (Emily's big sisters) each made a sunshine out of styrofoam.  T. and I are always impressed with their creativity.  :)

"From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised." - Psalm 113:3

The sunflowers are from a couple bunches of artificial flowers from the craft store.  They're bright and cheery.  I was pleased that for the first year, I was able to grow sunflowers outside, without them dying or the birds destroying them.

This sunshine ornament I made has a song we used to sing a lot to Lilly on it:

You are my sunshine,
My Lilly sunshine.
You make me happy,
When skies are grey.
You'll never know dear,
How much I love you,
Please don't take my Lilly away.

We miss you Lilly sunshine!

It was a particularly sad afternoon for T.  While cleaning out Firecracker's fishbowl (her Betta fish), the fiesty fish jumped out of the net onto the floor.  Though put back in his bowl, he died shortly thereafter.  T. had already made a little coffin for him, though she hadn't planned for him to use it so soon.  We had a proper burial outside, by the bird bath, where T. also has a leopard frog and hummingbird buried.