Many many pictures of my happy little children!

Finally I made a Birth announcement, and got them all mailed out WHEW!Our little family

Jack meeting Josephine for the first time! It was magically I promise you that!

Sucking her thumb.

Silly faces from my silly kids!

Two of Jeff's Aunts meeting Josephine for the first time.

Jack is thrilled when Josephine gets to lay in his bed with him! He is loving being a big brother!

Look what I did!

It is with great joy that we introduce our Daughter
Josephine Rose
Born August 28th, 2009 at 11:58 a.m.
8 pounds 12 ounces
21 inches long

I feel like a QUEEN! More pictures and such to come, for now here is a lovely poem my dear friend forwarded to me. I made Jack and Josephine small canvas's for their rooms (and our Godson too) that say I'm a Child Of God, here is the Child Of God poem

I am a child of royal birth.
My Father is king of heaven and earth.
My Spirit was born in the courts on high.
A child beloved. A princess am I.

Welcome to the world sweet Josephine Rose, a royal birth indeed!
Daddy, Jack and I think you are the bees knees!
Kisses!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Four!

I'm sleeping peacefully, and am suddenly awaken to find that I need to go to the bathroom. The first of many times throughout the night lately. As I lay back down I don't feel quite right. My belly is very tight and I look at the clock it's 1 am. I try to go back to sleep only to be waken again by the tightening sensation in my belly, it's 1:15 am. I believe this must be the start of it all.........after all I'm 4 days late on delivering my first child.

I spend most of the next 2 hours in the living room trying to stay comfortable and not wake my wonderful husband. By 3 am I decide it's best to take a warm bath to help ease the back pain I was beginning to experience. I gently nudge Jeff and tell him sweetly that I think it's happening, labor has started and I will be getting in the bath. He gets up and starts to get things in order for the hospital even though that time still seems a long time away. I quickly realize that I am much to big to comfortably be in the bath and we both have a great laugh and decide a shower may be better suited for a 40 weeks 4 days pregnant Momma! It's 3:15 am.

I stay in the shower for at least 45 minutes, and I shout out to Jeff when a contraction starts and when it stops. He keeps track and we recognize that things are progressing fast............about 4 minutes apart and lasting for 45 seconds. I get dressed, blow dry my hair and throw the last minute things into my hospital bag. I call the hospital sometime after 4 and tell them how the morning has gone, and soon after we begin calling family to let them know that this will in fact be the big day. The day we become a family of 3. We tell everyone to stay put and that we will call once we are at the hospital. I continue laboring at home for the next hour or so. Laying in my room, peaceful, quite, surrounded by my husband and my lovely doggie girl who I believe can sense what is happening to me.

The waves of pain come and go, and I have faith that my body can do this. I was made for this very purpose. After throwing up several times from the pain we decide it's best to get to the hospital. It's 6:15 a.m. I am checked by the nurses, 8 cm! I struggle through the pain while Jeff calls family to tell them the progress I have made. I get am epidural at 9 cm, but it went into my blood vessel so they take it out and re insert it. It gives some relief, but in no time at all it's time for me to push. My beautiful baby is here with just a few short pushes. I look to my husband who announces, "It's Jack!" and he is here. Dark brown hair, eyes wide open and I can barley catch my breath, the amazement of the moment is almost more than I can take, I can barely believe..............my sweet, my love, my Jack.

Today you turned 4 years old, I greeted you this morning with a Birthday hug and song. A tasty Birthday breakfast, a wonderful day at the park with friends, we celebrated the day of your Birth today! Daddy and I will always cherish the day you came to be.

All our love Jack,
Mommy and Daddy

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Jeff!! Thank you for being so wonderful!!

Thank you for loving me, for always believing in me, and thinking I can capture the moon. My silly mind gets all these ideas floating around in there and you always think I can do it all, only a husband would believe that!

Thank you for being a great Dad to Jack. He is beyond lucky to have you as his hero. I hear about you most of the day and he loves to talk about you to people in the store while we are out and about. He looks up to you like no other, and wants to be you in all he does.........the way he eats his cereal, the way he dunks his cookies, his mannerisms, his silly little smirks. He loves to spend time with just you, and see things through your eyes, only a Father can do that!

You mean so much to me my love! Thank you for being the Father of my children, can't wait to see all the fun that is to come!

All my love,
Your tiny bride (though I'm not so tiny right now HA!)

Jack thinks his Daddy is Superman, and I can't argue with that because he certainly is my Superman! So Jack was pretty excited to get this shirt and get one for his Daddy too. My world revolves round these two guys! I'm a lucky girl for sure!!!

Park day!

It was one of the most beautiful days we have had in a long time here today, and we were lucky enough to meet our friends at a "new to us" park. Jack LOVED it and so did I! We have plans to go back there this weekend so Daddy and Autumn can check it out too. Here are the handful of pictures I got off my camera when we got home today. Enjoy!
I just adore this boy of ours, we are head over heels in love with him! Hugs!

Good friends

Tomorrow is my last day watching my Godson Jakob. Jack and Jakob have grown to be really good little friends in the past 10 months and I know Jack is going to miss having Jakob here a couple times a week! We will just have to make sure we get together over the Summer for lots of playtime, and pool time! Here are a couple pictures of the two boys!

Anxiously awaiting cake at Jakob's 5th Birthday party! Yep they are wearing matching shirts, not planned at all, but their Momma's happen to think alike :)

Such silly kids!

Not a fantastic picture, but it shows how sweet they were holding hands at the Cardinals game for Jakob's Birthday!

Hugs!

Best Chocolate Cake ever

I have made this recipe time and time again, and someone always requests the recipe. So I am sharing it here so everyone can have the Best Chocolate Cake ever! I originally was given this recipe by a friend on Jack's Birth Club board on Babycenter. She lives in Florida, we called her Betty and she has the sweetest little Florida boy named Gabe!

Enjoy the cake! We like it warm out of the oven, or cold from the fridge, well my boys aren't really that picky they will eat it any way I serve it up. Though Jack does love a slice with a bit of sweet cream (freshly whipped cream) and I must admit that it is very tasty with a cup of coffee, decaf for me please!

You'll need:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix ( I use Pillsbury for this recipe)

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

4 eggs

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the frosting you'll need:
1/2 tub of cool chip
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease and flour a bundt pan. Add all the cake ingredients except the chocolate chips to the mixer and mix on low for one minute. Then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and stir in by hand. The mix will be very think, pour into your bundt pan and spread around so the cake bakes nice an even. Bake for 45 minutes (sometimes it takes longer, but always check it at 45 minutes). Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so, then turn out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.

As for the frosting, Betty just serves this cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and it is tasty that way. I found this quick and easy frosting recipe in a magazine and it goes great with this cake. Put 1/2 a tub of cool whip in a microwave safe bowl. Add the chocolate chips and microwave a minute or so till the chips are beginning to melt. Sir together till it's all combined and then pour over top of the cooled cake. YUMMY! Hope you make it soon, I know it will be a favorite at your home too!

Kisses!

Cute!

It would be so great to tote my kiddos around in this super cute bike. Trips to the library, park and the grocery store would be that much more fun wouldn't they?!?!?! Now if I get this bike someone needs to move my happy home to a town where all of the above outings are with in riding distance. I need this darling helmet too, just to make my days that much sweeter. How cute, I just love it all!!!!


Hugs!

Preschool Graduation treats

Our sweet little Godson graduated Preschool the other day and I wanted to make him a special treat to celebrate the day. I saw these on a website and knew it was just perfect for the day. Jack thought they were cool and he couldn't wait till we showed them to his cousin Jakob! Congratulations to Jakob, he will be a big kindergartner in the Fall! We hope this Summer is one of your best!





Hugs!

New baby bedding

I realize I am way over due for posting pictures, and I still really haven't put them on the computer so for now I will share with you the new bedding for the nursery. We love it and think it will look just darling in the room. Hope you love it too! I'm 25 weeks along now, so only 15 more to go!!!


Hugs!

Some belly pictures

We have taken a few belly pictures so far, and I have quite the baby bump going on! I am certain I wasn't this big this soon when I was pregnant with Jack so it has been interesting to get a bump so early. I am loving being pregnant and I feel great! March 28th, Jeff and I had an opportunity to go have a date night and while driving to dinner the baby started kicking and kicking all about for several minutes! It was really the first time I had felt such movement so it made our night! Since then the movements are off and on throughout the day, and especially at night, which was true of my first pregnancy too! Jack is really showing an interest in his soon to be baby brother or sister. He likes to hug my belly, and I can't wait till the kicks are strong enough for him to feel. I think he will really like being able to actually feel what's going on with Mommy!

We are scheduled to have our Ultrasound on Wednesday April 15th at 6:30 p.m. We are anxious to see this little kiddo, so please say a little prayer that this little baby is healthy and happy in there!!! I hope to have some U/S pictures to post soon after that so you all can see too!!! For now here is my growing belly!

Happy Easter

Well I have just over 400 pictures on my camera that need to be put on my computer!!! Until I have a spare moment to do so I thought I would at least post a picture of Jack with the Easter bunny before Easter has come and gone. He loved the Easter Bunny and thought it was great that he had on glasses like Mommy! I have some wonderful pictures to share if I ever get them off my camera. Here's hoping this weekend will give me an opportunity to do so. Hope all is well with everyone! Kisses!!!!!

Spring Fever

Is anyone else feeling it?

I'm itchin to.....plant my veggie garden, spring clean my home, get some sun kissed cheeks, run silly at the park, eat some ice cream with my kiddo and let it drip down his white belly, shop for some new spring clothes for Jack, take our doggie girl on nightly walks, visit outside with my lovely neighbors, go to a baseball game with my hubby and much much more. Come on Spring I'm ready for ya!

Hugs!

Our happy little family is growing!

So most of you, if not all of you, know the news but just in case............we are expecting! It was totally planned and we found out Christmas eve, so it certainly made our Holiday's even more magical! We are so thrilled and know that this pregnancy will go by even faster than Jack's did. Here is Jack's Valentine I sent out this year with our announcement about the newest addition coming at the end of August.


Kisses!

Missing........

My friends sorry that I have been neglectful to this little blog of mine. We have had such a fun filled January too, so there is no excuse for the lack of updates. Except well I guess there is, it's called life. I have been busy enjoying life and just like that *blink* January is nearly gone! I will do my best this weekend to bring in the month of February with pictures and a recap of Jan. It was good........ice skating, playing in the snow, building a snow man, a Jack and Daddy day, and an oven fire. I told ya it was a good month HA! Check back soon for an update on this little family of 3. Till then take care all!

Kisses!

Happy Half Birthday Jack

Today my baby is 3 1/2! Four is just around the corner, but the growing you've done in the past several months is immeasurable.

Dearest Jack,

I was caught off guard by this whole "growing big" thing that has been going on. I told your Daddy a while back, soon after he had buzzed your hair in fact, that I just couldn't take my eyes off you. I studied your face and noticed how it was thinning. I searched it over for the baby who used to gurgle and coo in my arms, but it was like you had transformed. You were now our sweet little boy, no longer a baby. After the trimming of your hair was all said and done, I knelt down in front of you and I was just stunned by what I saw. It was like you had shed your babyness in one single sitting.........there it was in a pile on the garage floor. I stared at you the rest of the day. I love you so.

Pictures would do it no justice, you probably will look back and not notice the difference. You just won't see it. You would have to look through my eyes to see it, and that blessing is all mine. If you could see it, the way I saw it, the way it seemed to thin out your face and make you look even more like your Daddy, you'd know what a blessing it is.

We adore you Jack. We are head over heels in love with you. We love you unconditionally and always will, and we are truly feel blessed to have been chosen by our Heavenly Father to be your parents. You bring such joy to our home. We look forward to all the "growing big" times ahead!

All my love,
Mommy

Jeff brought Jack a donut home for his Half Birthday treat and he was thrilled!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve and all the best is wished for you in 2009. Jeff, Jack and I went out to dinner then it was back home to play the Wii. It seemed like we laughed all night long. A nice way to bring in the New Year with my little family. Cheers!