First Christmas

This was a wonderful first Christmas with N. I tried to resist saying I'm shocked its already over, but seriously, I want to go back and do it all over again and slow it down. Pay no attention to the orange nose we've developed.... baby loves some sweet potatoes!

Christmas Eve - So dang cute!


He LOVED the bows, but was very unimpressed with how they tasted.

On his lamb pillow pet :)

This is how we unwrap presents!

B's mom came over to our house Christmas Eve and went to our church service with us. Then we woke up and did Christmas at our house.

Taking a break for some food.

Our Christmas outfit. (That hand is only out of his mouth if the paci makes it in, everyone says its because he's teething, but he's really been like that since day 1, he loves his hand.)

After breakfast we packed up and headed to my parents for Christmas round 2 and dinner. We left Monday morning at 5am for North Carolina so B's extended family could meet the baby.

B and his grandmother. I was very impressed with how N handled himself in the car! He was his typical self, took naps, played and hung out. He probably handled the 8.5 hour drive better than me!

Everyone loved meeting N! We are enjoying a 4 day weekend at home now, recovering from a week of non-stop. N is working on his crawl. I'm sure in a few days I'll have to share a video. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Family Time

My very talented friend Haley came and took family pictures this past weekend since my little brother was home from Iraq. She put a sneak peek on facebook and here are two of my favorites!!



It has been a very long time since we've had any type of professional photos taken and since Chris was in town I really wanted to get pictures of all of us. This one turned out great even though my poor brothers struggle terribly with smiling... they are so awkward when they take photos! Ha! This one turned out better than usual though.

Here were two I took while we were getting ready:

Nana and Caroline

Ava Grace telling me she found dog poo.... good job!

What to do.... A belly pic and the little brother.

37 weeks today!

And it was my last day at work until the baby arrives! I have NO idea what I am going to do with myself if he really doesn't come for 3 more weeks. I don't think I've had this much time off since the summer after high school? Geez. I'm crossing my fingers and walking my butt off in hopes he will not be late otherwise I may have to resort to actually cleaning the baseboards in the house. (Does anyone seriously do that? I always look at people's baseboards when I go to their house because I want to know, who does that and how often?! I'm a great house-guest.)

Today at the doctor: 135 heartrate which is where he has been for months now, a gain of 3lbs.... in my ankles. Seriously, I gained 3lbs in 1 week and officially have the fattest ankles/feet in the history of the world. The doctor compared them to that of a Flintstones character. I laughed while small tears welled up in my eyes.... No, not really, I only cry when Ben eats the last of the ice cream. There really is just no stopping me. As of this morning on my scale I've gained 40lbs (I used to think that was an impossible figure), but according to the doctor I've only gained 38, woo! 3 weeks to go, you think I can not gain 9 more pounds?!

Anyways, here we go:

This took 9 tries for Ben on my iPhone so we have to be grateful for what we get. :)

In other news: my little brother has been in Iraq for almost a month now. We FINALLY talked to him on Sunday. He said it is 120 degrees there and he has to walk to use the phones, which is probably why we haven't heard from him. I don't think I'd walk anywhere if it were 120 degrees... I don't even like moving when its above 80! Please keep him and his platoon in your prayers. He is a combat medic, but it does not sound like that is what he is doing while he is there. He said he goes on missions to find bombs and bad guys (except he had much more sophisticated words for both) each day and then they return, eat, shower and sleep and start the whole thing over again. His words were: "I'm living in groundhog day."

He makes the best out of it though, he said nothing is too terrible, but we are worried that since they are shutting everything down gradually, he said he will be losing internet and phones shortly. I have no idea what that would mean for him though, if he would have to continue to stay there or be transferred somewhere else.

Happy Friday to you!

PRECIOUSNESS

I can't get enough of this sweet face.


Ava is 18 months old!! Trying to figure out this car. She has the getting in and out part down, but the Flintstone-type driving still baffles her. The funniest thing was if I'd push her car up the driveway she would fearlessly get it in and fly back down, but then couldn't figure out how to get it back up again.

Here is little Caroline, all of 10-days old.I promise she looks JUST like my little brother instead of my older brother, her daddy! I can't wait for him to meet her. Granted, they both look a lot a like, but Chris (little brother) looked just like this when he was a baby.

Chris will be home for a break from the Army in just a week!! We didn't know he'd be coming home this soon, but I get to spend a whole week with him at the beach :) He is still in Texas and currently the plan is for him to be deployed end of May. Prayers, prayers prayers!

A Picture I love

Day 14 - A picture I love:


This is my sweet nephew back when he was about 3. Ben and I took him down to my grandmother's house by ourselves for a week. We had the best time and I think this picture sums it up. I still have it on my fridge because he is just SO happy. I love that child.

Day 8: A Place I Have Traveled

Fortunately for you, I just got back from Florida where I celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday!!!

So Friday afternoon, I ran out of work at 3:15 so I could make it to the house by 3:50 and leave for the airport. My flight wasn't leaving until 6:35, but you never know with flying so we arrived at 5pm.

I met my dad and brother who quickly found the first bar with an open seat on the other side of security. I waited and waited for them to be ready and we rush down to the gate and see that we have a 2 hour delay!!! Fabulous!

2 hours of waiting, searching for a plug for my dad's laptop and trying to avoid the woman clipping her toenails in the floor down the isle from me.... ICK.

Anyways, we finally arrived by midnight, just in time to passout from exhaustion and get up the next morning ready to get everything ready for the party. My grandmother had an AMAZING time so it was worth every moment in the air and the drive back. Here are some pictures of her party and yes, it was a hat party.

My grandmother in the middle, her sister from Maryland and brother from Pennsylvania.

Jessica, Me & AvaMy grandmother & I

Then began the LONG ride home..... it started and ended with this:A very unhappy Ava.

But at least we rode back with these people!
Until this happened:
I'm so glad I'm back though, and today a HUGE meeting was crossed off my list. This week is also testing, so I'm glad to be able to check things off every day. I'm very much looking forward to Saturday though. It will mean that all of my million things I have to do this week are finished!

Weekendings

This weekend was great, and I am STILL recovering! Last night was Ava's one-year-old birthday party. She had a good time, but it ended up being more of an adult get-together after the cake smashing and we had a lot of fun! Corn-hole, family and way too much good food. (Someone please get my butt back on this diet!)

I am super nervous about this week though, I have one of my first official and important meetings that I am in charge of tomorrow (gulp!) and I don't really think I know what I'm doing... ha!! Prayers will be the only thing that will make it go smoothly. We'll see!

I am getting more comfortable in my position though and its such a wonderful feeling. I am still in awe that I have this job, because of the wonderful people I get to work with and how great the kids are. Obviously it is a God thing, but it still amazes me. When I started school 3 years ago, I really just prayed for God to open up that position he wanted me in and I have no doubt that he did just that.

It is a great feeling to know that God's hand is in charge of my life.

I hope the same with this baby stuff... May God's will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. I know he will not disappoint! I don't have too many details about that other than we're moving forward and praying all the way.

The Wedding

This weekend started off crazy when the rehearsal dinner started and 3 or 4 people showed up drunk.... who drove them?!



Anyways, for the next 48 hours it continued on in just that manner. It was fun, don't get me wrong! But rather eventful and different.... the bride and groom wrote their own vows on yellow legal pad paper and when they pulled them out to read them, the bride couldn't read her own writing and proceeded to mumble.... "I.... something something..... and love you forever..... and...... uh....." I seriously almost peed in my pants! I was watching my dad during this debacle and he was laughing so hard and red-faced I was convinced he was going to have a heart attack! The preacher got a little flustered at this moment and when the bride finally quit attempting her own writing he said, "I think I'm being a little too serious for this!"In the end, the bride and groom got married and they love each other so that is really all that matters.

They had a good time I am sure, and I can't wait to see all the weekend pictures or video of the day! I have never and probably will never attend a wedding quite like this one again!

I also have to admit, the dresses didn't quite look as out of place as I thought.... just different, fitting for the entire weekend!

Welcome home Chris!

The little brother made it safely home from Texas this weekend. He has successfully completed his training in the army and now has 4 weeks home before he has to report to Ft. Hood, Texas.

Just long enough to have a wedding! We surprised him at the airport Friday night where he and his wife/fiance (they already are married on paper, but are having a ceremony next weekend) were coming in after about 36 hours awake. She flew out there for his graduation and then back home with him. Their plane was delayed an hour and a half, but we waited and waited... and he was VERY surprised to see us!

Although incredibly tired.... Which is why he looks like a deer in the headlights! He has lost so much weight though! Its crazy. Here is he the weekend before he left back in January.


I don't know if you can tell or not, but he's so skinny now! He doesn't even have any clothes here that fit him! Funny. Anyways, we are so glad he's home and now we're just ready for his wedding this weekend. It should be eventful and a very large party. That is what they are most looking forward to, so it should make for a very entertaining weekend!

What we've been up to

I haven't gotten on my computer too much in the past couple weeks and had way too many pictures to download. This weekend was crazy busy... Friday I was off work, but took my nephew to the local water park all day. That night we went and saw a comedian at the Comedy Club.... Here is his picture... do you know who this is? I can't remember his name....

He wasn't very funny either. The opening act, Matt Mitchell, was MUCH funnier. He could have headlined the show very easily.

Saturday we went to the river again... with the dogs!

Saturday night we celebrated my brother and Ben's birthdays where I ended up being my intoxicated brother's babysitter and driver...

...not a job one willingly signs up for.
Thankfully we all made it back home safe and sound!

Sunday was my new sister-in-law's bridal tea:
Ava's all grown up on her cell phone.My brother and Emily have done things a little backwards and got married first, but the actual wedding is two weeks away. Things are VERY busy!!

Welcome to the family

It's official.

The little brother is married.

I was told it is a secret, but then I saw she posted it on someone's facebook, so I only keep secrets that aren't on facebook. I made her (actually its for my dad) a video today. (The marriage was a secret b/c they are still planning on having a wedding here in town, but they had to go ahead and get married so she can go with him overseas when he gets his assignment. Something about the timeline.)

My mom called when I sent it to my dad and said "That is so cute, but why this picture or that picture?" I asked, "Did you listen to the song?" and she said, "oh... nope, I'll go try again." So turn your speakers up, otherwise you are just getting a montage of the worst pictures of my family!

Congratulations Chris and Emily!

Fearlessly Feminine

Welcome home!

I just got back from the retreat in Destin!!

It was such a wonderful weekend with strong christian women that are great examples of kindness, genuineness, patience, compassion, dignity, love.... all things God wants from me and what I want to strive to be!

My Aunt Treecie invited my cousin Annie and I to go down to this women's retreat sponsored by her church based out of Tallahassee, Fla.

The speaker was Jani Ortlund and our topic was fearlessly feminine. To give up our fears, anxieties and restlessness and become a strong woman of God.

Psalm 62: 1 "My soul finds rest in God alone." (VERY appropriate lately!)

It really was a great topic to remind me about servant-hood. Our culture today is very self-serving, self-pleasing and self-centered. If it feels good, do it. This is not a servanthood mindset and she encouraged us to practice self-control and strive to be less of ourselves and more of Him. Also, we talked about how to be beautiful in God's standards instead of our own worldly standards which is wonderful to hear.

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!"

One of the things she mentioned that I really loved was that we are not called to separate ourselves from the our culture even though it is often disastrous and filthy. We are not called to be a christian separated from all others and this has been something I had been struggling with, especially in regards to raising children.

I've often wondered, how can you keep a child pure, how can you ensure that you raise that child of God correctly unless you separate him/her from the rest of the awful world, right?! Well, apparently I'm very wrong (as usual :). She encouraged us to embrace our culture, embrace why God chose for us to live in this day, this time, this place and use it to our advantage, use our femininity to our advantage. It is a tool that God has given to use that can do great things. So instead of separating ourselves, we are to minister within this culture, be a Godly woman in this culture.

To say that you don't like the culture you live in and avoid it, is to say if you don't like smog, stop breathing. -Michael Medveb

And because I could go on and on about what I loved or was a little confused about, to focus on just one more thing that really caught me:

"Sinners tend to sin in response to being sinned against."

How will you respond?


*******************************

On my way home I called one of my best friends to tell her about the weekend and how I was reminded to keep serving, to keep ministering, even when I'm tired, exhausted, broken down. I told her this weekend revived me, and she had a wonderful thing to say. She said when we are who Christ wants us to be, striving to live for him and when we are sinned against but respond with kindness, compassion and Christ's love, THIS is when those without Christ will start to wonder what we have that makes us that way and why it is that we are not responding the way they are used to, with anger or resentment.

My family is very difficult to minister to, but I have been renewed and refreshed and am ready to continue to try and to try better. I want to be able to be with them in heaven for all eternity and that is more important than getting mad.

Chris the Soldier

Graduation was great! It was so good to see Chris. He's lost 30 pounds and looks great. Its amazing what quitting alcohol, cigarettes and caffiene can do for you. He really was proud of himself and seemed very happy. I think its the 1st time since his high school graduation that he felt accomplished. He talked non stop about the past 10 weeks and how trying and amazing it was all together. It was good to hear him talk about something he was proud of!

Our grandmother drove up from Florida!

Ava was happy to see Chris too.

Me and my two brothers.

He left for San Antonio, Texas, today to continue his training. He is becoming a combat medic in hopes of also becoming an airborne medic. San Antonio will last 16 weeks and then he gets 2 weeks leave, at which time he may get married. (Feel free to gasp.) He was not even dating anyone when he left for Georgia, but his on-again/off-again girlfriend and he reconnected over letters and are talking about getting married. This scares me because I fear that at one of the most trying times in his life he leaned on who he was comfortable with and everyone gets along over letters. I think they've forgotten why it was they were off-again. I really am just praying that whichever path he chooses will be God's path. That IF he gets married, it will be for the right reasons.

My prayers go with him to Texas that he keeps following who it is God wants him to be, but I am so proud of him for getting this far!

Ava 7 months old

Ava (my niece) is 7 months old already and almost has 2 teeth!

Melissa showed me how to make a very fun collages: