You Are My Sunshine Giveaway

Today marks our 8 month waitiversary.  Ughh!!!  I honestly didn't think we would have to wait 8 months to meet Chloe, but the way things are looking we may have to wait 8 more months.  (Let's just pray we don't, shall we?)  The good news is we have a new waiting #:

**I sure wish we were "steaming" along the track to seeing our daughter in Ethiopia.**

So to commemorate our 8 month wait, we would like to do a give away.  And I am going to add some sentimental facts along the way.  March is a big month for Chris & I.  March 26th will mark 13 years of marriage after an almost 8 month engagement.  Now, if you will humor me for a moment, I would like to take you back to that day.  Those of you who know my hubby, knows he can sing.  And it had been a topic of conversation during those 8 months of whether or not he would sing to me on our wedding day.  He had told me several times he would not, b/c he didn't think he would be able to make it through a song without crying and that he would be too nervous.  So there I was in the bridal room/bathroom actually getting my wedding dress on or doing my hair, not sure which, when there was a knock on the door.  Surprisingly, it was Chris and a few singing groomsmen.  Now Chris was being super traditional and did not see me at all that day till I walked down the aisle (not even one pre-ceremony picture), so instead he and his friends sang to me acappella from the hallway.  The selected song you ask?  You Are My Sunshine.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It is a very sweet song and there were a bunch of "Awwwws" coming from the bridal room, but I didn't think it super sentimental.  Then I actually caught my mom crying.  Now, for those of you who know my mom, she's anything but sentimental.  Not lovey, dovey. Does not wear her emotions on her sleeve (or whatever that saying is).  My mom goes on to say how she use to sing that song to me when I was a baby.  I had no idea.  Of course I had heard the song, but I didn't know it was my lullaby. My mom was a teenage mom.  She had me the fall of her senior year, so to imagine this teenage girl singing "You Are My Sunshine" to a little infant: now the song was doubly sentimental.  (Chris also had no idea!) Btw, Chris singing "You are My Sunshine" was just a teaser and he surprised me by singing to me during the wedding ceremony too!

       Back to March.  Another special day in March will be 10 days from today when my now 8 year old, will in fact turn 9.  I cannot believe it!  Our first born child will be 9. We call her our delight, that is what Eden means.  Paradise, Sunshine.  We had several lullabies for Miss Eden, her dad is still musical.  But one of the first was "You Are My Sunshine". (Hoping I will actually post a song in the coming days of Chris singing this along with "Eden's Song"--stay tuned.)  How different to sing it as a mama.  "You are my sunshine.  My only sunshine......You'll never know dear how much I love you."  Those words ring true for every mama in whatever circumstance.

       Fast Forward 2 and half years to the 8th month of 2005.  It is in the heat of summer and I give birth to my first son.  Eli has from the very get go, been able to make us laugh and smile, truly adding a bright factor to our days.  We do in fact call him "our sunshine", because he was born in August.  We did sing the song to him as well, sometimes I jazzed it up (thanks Aunt Christina) with some claps and faster tempo, but the sentiment is just the same.  "You are my sunshine.  My only sunshine.....You make me happy when clouds are gray." We also sing to him, "You are the apple of my eye, You are the sunshine of my life" (Stevie Wonder).  Mom singing it gets some good laughs.

     Fast Forward 2 and half years to the 8th day of February 2008.  We give birth to our Tobiah.  Our Valentine baby (his due date was Valentine's Day, but the dr. let him come early).  At this point in time, we were pretty sure we were done "birthing" children.   He is such a cuddly valentine and although he is my winter baby, and even though we called Eli "sunshine", we couldn't help but sing him the same lullaby.  It was just kind of automatic for us.  "You are my sunshine. My only sunshine.....Please don't take my sunshine away". No matter how many children you have, each of them (first daughter, first son, second son, second daughter, etc.) means the entire world to a mama's heart.

    Fast Forward to now.  8 months waiting for our blossom.  Chloe means 'to bloom'.  And of course what do you need to bloom?  Sunshine.  I can't wait to sing her the song.  So of course it is a lovely song if you sing the chorus.  After looking up the verses, it is a little more downcast. (Now if you read all the verses, it is very clear it was written for a lady friend from a guy friend, but none the less this first verse is erie as our wait gets longer.)    "The other night dear, as I lay sleepin', I dreamed I held you in my arms. When I awoke dear I was mistaken, And I hung my head and cried.....You are my sunshine. My only sunshine."

  Now to the "my only sunshine".  You know how Christ came down and died for each and every one of us?  And I believe that just like the parable of the lost sheep, he would have done it for only me or only you?  That is the sentiment I get when I sing "my only sunshine".  I love each of my four kids in such a way, that for each of them I would do anything.  A parent's love is that great, where you at times can feel that "only" kind of love.  The Abba Father has shown that kind of love to all of His children.  I pray and hope that my kids can experience that kind of love multiple times over, from their earthly parents and from their Heavenly Father.  Amen! (Yes, I just agreed with my self).

Now to the 8th month giveaway.  I am giving away this beaded sunshine wind chime. The orange beads are beautiful and makes the chime very unique!

And my dear friend is going to create a similar (but not exactly the same--i.e. there may not be any blue and white stripes, you'll just have to wait and see) custom Happy Sunshine T-shirt for your little "sunshine".  This was actually taken off of someone else's blog who does AMAZING stuff, but who is also taking a little break---so I can't order from her right now.  Faith, also an adoptive mom who is super crafty is the one who is going to make it.  So if you win, you can tell us the desired size and before the sunny days of summer, we will get that off to you!  Fun, right?!

How to win?  You can have up to 3 entries.

1.  Become a follower of Strickland Sentiments and leave a comment saying you did so or that you already are one.  :)

2. Leave a seperate comment about a lullaby you sang to your "sunshines".

3.  Share on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.

***The winner will be randomly selected on March 17th.  You have until Midnight on Friday (16th) to make your entries.