May was a dichotomous month for us. Some extremely joyful moments, and some of the scariest most difficult moments we have every experienced. So here it is, Moments 05.2018.

“I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.”

Welcome to “Moments” here on JoyFoodSunshine. At the end of every month I share a recap of all the shenanigans that went down in crazy town (i.e. my life in a nutshell).  So here it is for May 2018!

Recipe love:

Here are a few must-share recipes from the month of May from my favorite spots around the web!

No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes from Feasting on Fruit {Natalie does it again}!

Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Ricotta from Budget Bytes {Welcome to the season of garden-fresh tomatoes…YAY}!

Strawberry Mango Salsa from House of Yumm {Summer perfection}!

Grilled Maple Dijon Brussels Sprouts from Ambitious Kitchen {Great for any BBQ}!

Cookies & Cream Donuts by Sweet and Simple Kitchen (NEED ASAP}!

New Recipe Videos

Here is the video we produced for you in May! More to come in June!

Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Paleo Zucchini Banana Muffins

Peanut Butter Chia Overnight Oats 

Layered Greek Dip

Life with my tribe

There is so much to report about this month I am not sure where to even start! So I’ll begin with the event that had the most profound impact on me, and our family.

Mara Hope (our PICU experience)

This month Mara took her first steps! (YAY)! But the thing that consumes my mind about May is her trip to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).

At 9:30 PM on a Sunday Mara woke up in severe respiratory distress. After not responding to treatments in the ER, her oxygen levels dropped dangerously low and she was life flighted in a helicopter to the PICU at Primary Children’s hospital. There she was put on heliox (a mixture of helium and oxygen that is easier to breathe than room air because helium is less dense than oxygen) and given steroids to open her airway.

After a very difficult and scary night, she began turning a corner and showing improvement around 7 AM. She was taken off of the heliox around 12 PM and after doing well on room air for four hours, we were transferred to the IMSU around 5 PM.

Once her breathing apparatus and IV were removed our sweet smily baby girl started coming back again. She guzzled some food/bottles, got a bath, and we all got some much needed sleep (they even let her sleep in a regular hospital bed with me instead of a crib, which I was very grateful for). During the middle of the night she would roll around (asleep) to get comfortable and reach out her tiny little hand and touch my arm, then settle in soundly for a few hours. It was the best thing ever.

We were able to come home in the afternoon on Tuesday. She had parainfluenza 3 (a virus that attacks the airway) which developed into severe croup. 

As I reflect on that week all I can think about how grateful I am. Grateful we got to the ER in time. Grateful for the medical care Mara received. Grateful that we were allowed to hold our baby the entire time we were at the hospital, even in the PICU. Grateful for Mara’s feisty spirit. Grateful for her recovery. Grateful for friends, family, and neighbors who served us and loved us so well. And most of all, grateful we got to bring our baby girl home. Oh how exceedingly grateful I am for that…to be home *with her.*

Through the storm…

As I was driving to the hospital while my baby was in the air (with Ritch), a song came on and I was reminded of this truth, “Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.” I love this song because I can relate to it in times of trouble. So often, I feel like people get pithy and say unhelpful things when the storms of life hit. “It will all work out for good.” “God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle.” etc. etc. 

The truth is, when my baby was fighting to breathe I didn’t see any good in the situation. I know God is good, but I am weak…and in this situation, while I cried out to him, I also felt scared and deeply sad. It was also WAY more than I could handle. WAY more.

I believe God absolutely gives us more than we can handle on our own because He wants to step in and help us. I questioned God and wondered why He would allow such a thing to happen to my perfect, sweet, beautiful baby girl. In the PICU I saw many things I wish I could unsee, and again I found myself begging God for answers.

I am human. And because of that, I don’t always see the “good” in every situation. My perspective becomes earthly, I lose sight of eternity, and I get angry. I see terrible things happen and I don’t understand. I may never understand, but I will never give up wrestling with God. I will never stop giving my doubts, fears, and  heartaches to Him and praying that he heals this world and gives peace to my soul. 

I believe it’s important to lay our real feelings bare before the Lord, because He already knows them. He wants us come to him now, imperfect and broken. Not wait until we think we have things figured out. My faith is based on facts. Not feelings, emotions, or experiences. I cannot deny the existence of God, the preservation of His Word, and the work He has done in my life.

So I rest in the fact that He is Lord of all. The good and the bad. And I acknowledge that there is bad in this world. Not everything is good, and it’s ok to say that no matter how much you were taught it isn’t. We have to recognize the pain, not pretend it doesn’t exist.

However I do believe that God can use even our hardships to be a light to others. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if I hadn’t had my miscarriages. I still don’t think they were good. They were actually terrible. But I have been able to see God use them to give comfort to others, and for that I am grateful. I can only hope that this experience with my sweet Mara will be used in the same way. While I will never think having my baby girl attached to machines in the PICU is a good thing, I hope God can open my heart to letting that experience bring His love to others.

Hosea 6:1-3 is one of my favorite verses in the bible, because is confirms the idea that God is compltely in control of both the good and the bad things that happen in our lives.

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up…Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn;”

Naomi is 3!

My sweet Naomi turned 3! That girl blows me away every single day. She is so cute I can’t even handle it, like I often wonder if a kid that adorable can even be real! 😉 Her only request this year was a “green cake.” I showed her countless pictures of many different, more elaborate cakes and she just said, “No, I just want a green cake!”

At one point she mentioned lady bugs so I added a few and she loved it! Her birthday celebration requests were also super simple, donuts and the park! It’s amazing how different she is from her older sister (little miss glitter, rainbows, etc. etc.). I hope they can celebrate and embrace their differences and be the best of friends their whole lives!

I have a special bond with Naomi, one that is different from my other kids. Not better, just different. She is my girl!

Trip to the zoo!

I LOVE that the Hogle Zoo lets Military Veterans in for free a few times a year, and Memorial Day is one of them! We absolutely adore everything about the zoo, and always have such a great time when we go together.

The animals were in rare form that day! The polar bear was literally putting on a show for everyone, swimming right up against the glass and splashing! At one point it looked like he was trying to hug Naomi!

The leopard also got right up against the glass (like our fingers were only the thickness of the glass away from it)! It was amazing to see such beautiful animals so up close and personal!

We even went out to Spitz for lunch after (because it’s on the way home), so you KNOW we loved every second of a super fun family day!

Everything Food Conference 

I had the opportunity to go the Everything Food Conference (EFC) with Vitamix and The FeedFeed! I demoed this Almond Butter recipe in their test kitchen and got to go to dinner with some of my favorite bloggers of ALL TIME! It was really an amazing opportunity and I’m so grateful to my friends at Vitamix for it!

My hubby even came to show support and I was SO glad he got to be there! We tell each other everything, and it would’ve been so hard to explain the conference and my experiences in the test kitchen if he hadn’t gotten to come and see it for himself.

Seriously, I love that man. There is NO way I could run this blog without his help. He is graphic designer, video creator and the best support I could ever ask for!

A few of my favorite things…

Free People Sandals

I am in LOVE with these sandals. Yes, they were a bit of a splurge. But I hadn’t bought a new pair of nice summer sandals in about 8 years! These are SO comfy, and take absolutely zero breaking in because they’re soft right out of the box. I have worn them so much already and it’s only the end of may!

Bio-Ionic Curling Iron

Another item that I splurged on a bit, but again…I hadn’t purchased a new curling iron since I was like 18 (and I’m a lot older than 18 ;)) I actually think this is a great price for a salon-quality iron. This is actually the iron my stylist uses! I used a coupon code and got it for around $80…which I think is a total steal! The long barrel is awesome for curling longer hair, it heats up super quick, and my curls hold for a long time!

Sexy Modest Boutique!

I know the name of this online store is strange….but I am IN LOVE with these two dresses that I purchased! Like they are my new favorite dresses EVER! My wardrobe needed a serious update due to being pregnant/nursing the last two summers! So I bought two staple pieces and love them!

I got the Day-to-Day Pocket Dress in black and the 24/7 dress, also in black! They are SO comfy, and the material is thick enough that it doesn’t show any panty lines or anything like that! Just be aware, you need to size up! I ordered mediums in both dresses and I am usually a small, and I’m so glad I did because they fit perfectly!

Kimono

I also purchased this floral print kimono to wear over the above dresses and it’s the best! I cut the tassels off the bottom (not my thing) and it was super easy without compromising the kimono at all!

Recipes I’m Making on Repeat

Here are a few recipes we enjoyed in May!

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Every. Single. Week.

Paleo Zucchini Banana Muffins & Vanilla, Honey & Sea Salt Almond Butter

Did someone say breakfast perfection?!

Well that’s all she wrote! I’d love to hear a highlight from your May! What are you looking forward to in June!?

IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM JOYFOODSUNSHINE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS! DON’T FORGET TO RATE THIS RECIPE AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! ALSO, FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION AND A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE!