The Jarretts

Project Playroom

2012-02-15T21:31:00.003-06:00

Before: A rarely used dining room

After: A playroom we love to spend our evenings together in!

Happy Love Day!

2012-02-15T21:13:00.006-06:00

We all had a Happy Valentines Day this year and enjoyed getting to celebrate with our two little love bugs! It is funny how Valentine's evolves when you have little ones and the joy comes in loving on them! Jett got some plates and utensils and a Max and Ruby book. Ava Kate got some candy, nail polish, a headband and a new Angelina movie. Justin got a shiny red toolbox. And mommy got a sweet frame with my two little loves handprints and their picture in it and a gift card for a much needed massage! I finally got to make it to one of Ava Kate's class parties after missing the last two. It was fun getting to watch her interact with her friends and teachers. She loves her teachers and classmates and looks forward to school which makes my heart very happy! We had planned to cook dinner together at home but when I fell asleep holding Jett in his little green chair we figured I must be pretty tired so we decided to go out instead and Ava Kate picked rice and beans so we went to Casa Herrera. It was a perfect low key family Valentines Day!

3 Months

2012-02-12T10:38:00.020-06:00

Family Photos- Jett 3 Months and Ava Kate 2 and 3/4

2012-02-12T10:38:00.008-06:00

Ava Kate's First Dance with Daddy

2012-02-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

Ava Kate got to attend her first dance this Valentine's. Her daddy surprised her with flowers and took her to the annual Daddy Daughter Dance. She was so excited when he came home with flowers for her that day and gave her the tickets. She wanted to get dressed right away, she chose her black tutu and she had to wear her pearls. She also wanted to help daddy pick out his outfit. As soon as they were both dressed she was ready to leave even though the dance didn't start for another hour. I was taking pictures of her before they left and she said "daddy would you come stand by me for a picture?" Too cute! She was so proud of her flowers that daddy brought her and was toting around the house with her until it was time to go. Justin said she had a ball playing with the older girls they knew there, chasing balloons, eating her Chic Fil A nuggets and of course dancing the night away with daddy! She came home singing "Baby, baby, baby, oh baby!" I can't belive how big my baby girl is getting!

Two Peas in a Pod

2012-01-31T21:33:00.002-06:00

It blows me away how much my two love bugs look alike!

On the Good Ship Lollipop

2012-01-31T21:24:00.001-06:00

We hear it over and over again, "she looks like Shirley Temple!" So we decided to try on Aunt Natalie's Shirley Temple-esque dress for grins. Personally I think our Shirley is cuter!

Ava Isms

2012-01-29T12:27:00.000-06:00

While 2, almost 3 can be a tootie age it can also be a very amusing age. Our almost 3 year old is constantly making us laugh, smile and melt with the precious, funny and witty things she comes up with so thought I'd share some.

The other night we were reading Olivia and Ava called Francine in the Olivia book "Fancy Rine"

Ava recently told me my wedding rings were her special wedding rings and that she was going to wear them and her pretty white dress, and white shoes and veil and that I can't touch them because she is going to get married with daddy!

She often says "daddy you always bossing me". About a month ago she came in my bathroom muttering under her breath in an annoyed voice one morning "Justin always bossing me, him brush me off, him get me dressed, him take me to school!" Next morning while eating her breakfast she told him she wanted oranges and he said after you eat your waffles. She replies "just give me oranges" he does and then she says "oh daddy I so proud of you, you stop bossing me!"

She loves our Beltway worship cd and loves the song "oh taste and see that the Lord is good" and we were listening to it the other day and she said "mommy turn up the Lord!" And she calls roaring like a lion song "Jesus is my lion" and she calls "Deep Cries Out" the "Di da da da di da da" song. She also loves to sing "I am free to run, I am free to dance, I am free to live for you" So precious! I love that she loves worship music!

One night we were praying and Ava tells me who to pray for so tonight at the end she said "and for Santa" so I said "and thank you for Santa" then she quickly said "no not for Santa, not for Santa, just Nana and Pop"

When we went to San Antonio for Christmas Ava calls it Santa Tonio and we think she thinks Santa lives there. She also said Elephant Tonio has elephants there.

When it snowed last month she excitedly yelled "Snow, we can make angels!"

As Ava is falling asleep tonight she says "mama I love you ... and daddy, I love him sooo much and Jett and I'm not going to hit Jett and I'm not going to say I don't love you ever again. Guess she just needed to get all of that off her chest before she went to sleep.

A few nights ago she said she wanted finger steaks for dinner (steak fingers)!

Ava Kate, you bring great joy to our lives!

Spring Fever

2012-01-20T22:54:00.000-06:00

All this gorgeous weather we have been having this winter has been giving me Spring Fever so we decided to take advantage on my last day of maternity leave with a trip to the zoo. The weather was beautiful! Ava Kate was our tour guide and Jett slept most of the time. The animals seemed to be out and enjoying the lovely weather as well. After the zoo and naps we decided to finish off the day with a trip to Chuck E Cheese with the Vickers family. Jett had many firsts that day and I think judging by the look on his face in this last photo that he is going to be like his sister and not be too fond of Chuck E.

Four Peas in a Pod

2012-01-16T12:52:00.000-06:00

Can you tell what this family likes to do together? They could be an ad for Titliest. The family that golfs together stays together. I wonder if we have a little golfer in the making here. Or maybe two?

2 Months

2012-01-08T16:45:00.003-06:00

I think having a baby right in the middle of the holidays makes the time go by twice as fast because it seems like just the other day I was awaiting my sweet boys arrival and now here he is already 2 months old! What a joy he is to our family and what joy he brought us through the holiday season. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying motherhood is all roses and there are many moments when he is screaming or wanting to eat again when it is has only been an hour since I fed him last that I'm not exactly feeling joyful but the love and completeness he brings to our family of four far outweighs the stress and weariness I sometimes feel. He really is a pretty happy baby! He does have reflux like his sister did which at times seems to upset him but he is definately not inconsolable for hours like Ava Kate was as a newborn. He has started sleeping 4-5 hours for one stretch of the night which feels amazing to get 3-4 hours of sleep in a row! Big sister didn't do that until she was 10 months old so this is a whole new thing to us. He is sleeping with us, guess as much as we say we won't be, we end up being a cosleeping family and while it has its disadvantages I do love snuggling with my littles and I realize they will only be little for so long. He has really started interacting with us the last few weeks, giving lots of really big smiles and cooing a lot! I love this age he is getting into. He is also starting to fill out and get a little more chubby which this mommy loves a chubby baby! Big sister is really adjusting pretty well. Anytime I start baby talking Jett though she wonders off and finds an old passy and puts it in her mouth and goes into baby mode hence the reason you'll notice some photos below of her with a pacifier in her mouth even though she hasn't used one in over a year. She does love her brother and first thing in the morning she wants to come snuggle with him. Being two though she is often just busy in her own world and doesn't always pay him a lot of attention. And talk about love, he loves his sister and gives her some of his biggest smiles and coos! It is probably only a coincidence but he also seems to smile with this gleam in his eye when she is getting in trouble! He is definately a mommy's boy although that could just be because I'm his only source of food but very often I'm the only one he wants holding him which can be sweet and at times exhausting. He still likes his nap nanny, he loves the swing lately too and he likes laying on his changing table and looking up at the pictures hanging above it. He has found the ceiling fans and loves to flirt and coo at them. I think he had his first crush on his cousin Lila, he loved her! He is such a snuggly, cuddly, sweet baby boy and he has definately filled our home with an extra helping of love and joy!

2 Month Photo Shoot with Mommy

Playing on his activity mat, he loves this monkey!
Lily was so excited to hold him, she is going to be a great big sister to Ruby Grace!
Napping on daddy, my two boys!

Snuggling with sister!

Sleepyhead
My two babies!
Ready to play in the little bit of snow we got!
And here is sister with his paci in her mouth!

First nap in his own room, he isn't too fond of his crib yet!
Sister is already making him play dress up with her...
... and baby dolls!

Actually enjoying his bath for once!
Two cuties!
My chubby monkey!

New Years Eve 2011

2012-01-01T14:04:00.000-06:00

We enjoyed New Years Eve this year with the McMinns and Muzechenko's. We started the evening off at Rosa's for dinner. It was a dancing on the table kind of night as you can see from the photos, thankfully there weren't many other people there besides us. After dinner we headed back to the McMinn's where the kids snacked and played for hours. In fact at some point Ava Kate came out and told us her and Stone were having a wedding. She told me to watch her baby doll because she couldn't go to the wedding. Then we overheard Stone tell Ava to come on to his pickup truck which was in fact his new red scooter. Oh my, we may have our hands full with them! Jett and Slate did what they do best, slept and ate. We didn't quite make it to midnight although I did finish feeding Jett just in time to give Justin a New Years kiss.

Christmas with Cousins

2011-12-31T14:30:00.001-06:00

A couple of days after Christmas Lila, Laney, Nathan and Sarah came to town for Christmas with our family. It was their first time to get to meet Jett. Jett and Lila were absolutely crazy about each other. And what a big helper she was to me! He gave her the biggest smiles and coos, it was adorable. Laney and Ava Kate played for hours together and had such fun with each other. We spent several days with them, playing games, visiting, of course lots of eating and Laney even came over for a slumber party. Everyone was really sad to see them go!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T15:41:00.000-06:00

Christmas just seems to get more and more fun as Ava Kate gets older and now getting to create Christmas memories with Jett makes it even more special. We started our Christmas morning off with our tradition of waiting to get out of bed until we hear Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. First we checked to see if Santa had visited and sure enough most of his cookies and his milk were all gone. Then we headed to the living room to check our stockings. Ava Kate found that Santa had left her the fairy costume she had been asking for and not only that but it was hanging in a special dress up stand that her daddy had made for her. Santa also brought Jett his little green chair and for both of the kids he brought a table and chairs for their new playroom. Ava Kate found some bandaids which she later told me were her favorite gift, snowman peeps, a microphone, a Strawberry Shortcake movie and nail polish in her stocking. Jett had a Sophie the giraffe for the bathtub and a little toy airplane in his stocking, man is hard to shop for a newborn. I got an iphone armband for running, starbucks gift card and some candy. Daddy got some hair gel, beef jerky and an itunes gift card. After checking our stockings we started opening gifts. Ava Kate got a sugar plum fairy dress, Snow White dress and Ariel dress for her dress up collection. Playing dress up is one of her favorite things to do! She also got a playdough ice cream shoppe set to use with her ice cream stand daddy made her last year. I got a new pair of running shoes and daddy got some new lenses for her sunglasses.

After we cleaned up we headed to Nana and Pop's for some more gift opening and some delicious homemade cinnamon rolls that Nana made and green chile cheese squares that mommy made! Ava Kate got some books, stickers, candy, a Hello Kitty shirt, a beautiful ballet costume and a fancy black sequin costume to go with her tap shoes. She also got the DVD from the Nutcracker performance that we saw last month. Jett got a little caterpillar, a Josh Hamilton jersey, candy and a Texas Ranger book. Pop suprised Nana with some beautiful onyx earrings and Nana surprised Pop with an official Texas Ranger World Series sweatshirt. After we ate breakfast we all loaded up and headed over to Grandmother and Papa's where we spent the afternoon visiting, resting and cooking for our Christmas dinner that night. It was a blessed Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T23:50:00.003-06:00

Thankfully Christmas Eve this year was a little less eventful than last year and required no trips to the ER to remove beads from 1 year olds noses but with a newborn we were still pretty busy. My favorite part of this Christmas Eve was getting to go to the candlelight service at our church, the candlelight and music were just beautiful! It was definately the perfect way to kick off the Christmas weekend and refocus our attention to the Risen King.

After the candlelight service we all went back to our house to enjoy our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Mexican food. After dinner we got a really special treat when Keller read us the Christmas story, wow it is hard to believe how big he is already. After the Christmas story Ava Kate insisted that Nana read the Fancy Nancy Christmas book. Then it was time to open gifts. Ava Kate got some tap shoes and tights, a Strawberry shortcake doll and Princess salon kit. Jett got a cool dinosaur book and a ball that lights up. Keller entertained us the rest of the evening with his new prank and magic kits that he got!

After everyone else went home we all put on our Christmas PJ's and put out cookies and milk for Santa. Unfortunately I failed to get a pic in our Christmas PJ's this year!

Looking at Lights with Nana & Pop & Uncle Dave Arrives

2011-12-23T23:46:00.000-06:00

Tonight was an especially fun night. Nana and Pop came over to go with us to look at Christmas lights. Ava's favorite stop was at Arrow Ford where they had a whole Christmas village with all kinds of characters and lights. After looking at lights we headed to Whataburger to eat dinner with Uncle Dave who had just driven in from Tennessee and always makes his first stop in town at Whataburger. And Jett got to meet Uncle Dave for the first time.

Making Salt Dough Ornaments

2011-12-23T18:42:00.000-06:00

Today we made our salt dough ornaments, a newer Christmas tradition and one I really love. It was so fun pulling out the ornaments we made last year and hanging them on the tree. We had fun cutting out different shapes and made ornaments with Ava Kate's handprint and Jett's footprint which are my two favorite ornaments from this year! The two family artists, Ava Kate and daddy did all of the painting this year. We let Ava hang all of the ornaments she painted on her little tree in her room.

Delivering Goodies and Singing Christmas Carols

2011-12-21T23:33:00.001-06:00

Tonight we got to do one of my favorite advent activities, deliver goodies to our neighbors. And what a fun night it was! As I said in my previous post we opted to do something a little simpler this year than making bread hence the reason the goodies don't match what the advent paper said. We are so blessed to have such thoughtful and kind neighbors and so often we go months without speaking to them so I always look forward to this night and getting to spend at least a few minutes with them. I took Ava Kate with me to deliver the goodies and we went to the first house and dropped off their goodies and visited at the door a while after we turned to leave their house Ava Kate said "I want to go to another house and take them goodies so they can smile and we can say Merry Christmas!" It was such a joy to watch her experience the joy of giving. We went to a couple more houses and had to just leave the goodies since they weren't home but our last stop was quite a treat. Our neighbor Malta was home and invited us in to show Ava Kate her Christmas lights. We visited a while and Ava asked to see Malta's piano. She asked her if she wanted to play and at first she was being hesitant so Malta played a while and then Ava decided to join in. We sat for a while playing and singing Christmas carols together. Ava didn't want to leave!

Christmas Treats

2011-12-19T23:29:00.002-06:00

Tonight our advent activity was making treats for neighbors and teachers. I decided to try something simple this year for two reasons, so Ava Kate could really help and because we have a new baby! We made prezel, kiss, M&M treats for our neighbors, Ava's teachers and classmates and she made Christmas tree cards for her teachers. It was a fun night teaching her the joy of serving others.

Jarrett Family Christmas

2011-12-19T15:19:00.001-06:00

This year the Jarrett Christmas was in San Antonio. Justin's sister Lisa and her husband Steve hosted it at a hotel down near the Riverwalk. Of course Jett got to meet all his family for the first time which was fun. It was great being near the Riverwalk. Friday night Grandma watched Jett for us so we could take Ava Kate to see all the lights on the Riverwalk and eat some yummy Mexican food at Rio Rio. Saturday we all met for breakfast downtown and then we did some walking downtown and even took Ava to see the Alamo. Then we went back to the hotel to do our Christmas with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Steve. Ava Kate got a really cute doll, a Louis Vuitton purse from her Aunt Lisa (yes you heard that right she might a little spoiled), a microphone and several other fun things. Jett got a darling outfit, a ball, a snowman and both kids got a TV for the playroom from Grandma and Grandpa. That night we had the big family party and both kids got loaded up with goodies from everyone. Ava Kate got lots of baby dolls, some dress up, a stroller and some books. She had a ball all weekend playing with all her cousins especially Joey and Jacob. She also loved talking to all the grown ups and getting them to read to her, let her put stickers on them and take part in her make believe. Jett got a Drew Brees onesie, a giftcard, a bear with his name on it, a cute little train and some other cute clothes.

Lights and Hot Chocolate

2011-12-14T22:44:00.004-06:00

Tonight we got everyone bathed early, put on our PJ's, piled in the car, picked up some hot drinks and headed to the Abilene State School light display. And the bonus was the car ride put both kids to sleep!

Exchanging Ornaments

2011-12-13T22:38:00.001-06:00

Tonight our advent activity involved one of my favorite traditions that my mom started with me when I was little, exchanging ornaments. I love that now my tree is full of memories of my childhood, married life and now memories of my own children.

A Christmas Photo Without Santa!

2011-12-11T17:20:00.000-06:00

Well today's advent activity was going to be visiting Santa however since we have a little girl that wants absolutely nothing to do with Santa Claus and is in fact terrified of him we decided to change our plans. When I put out our stockings, Ava Kate said "look big socks!". I explained those are stockings and Santa puts presents in them. The rest of that evening she would say in a terrified voice, "I don't want to say hi to Santa." I guess she thought he was coming that night. Anytime we go anywhere and his name is brought up she wants to be sure he is nowhere around. So when I found out Kids Village and Erin Palmer were teaming up to do some short Christmas photo sessions in the store without a Santa Claus I figured we would probably be a lot more likely to get a good photo of the kids there.

A Fancy Nancy Christmas

2011-12-09T21:13:00.000-06:00

Ava Kate loves Fancy Nancy and truth be told so do I so tonight's advent activity was reading "A Splendiferous Christmas". We can get away with this for now but I'm sure a few years down the road little brother might not be too excited about Fancy Nancy books. After our crazy busy night last night it was nice to just spend a quiet evening at home together.

Ava Kate's Christmas Program

2011-12-08T22:55:00.000-06:00

December 8th seemed to be THE night of Christmas activities, Ava Kate's Christmas program, my work party and Justin's work party. Our plan was to make an appearance at all 3 but as so often happens our plans didn't exactly go as planned so we only made it to two. First up was Ava Kate's Christmas program which of course was the one event that night we knew we weren't going to miss. I didn't have high expectations for her to sing since at the Grandparent's Day program her and most of her classmates didn't sing at all but just stood there with looks of shock on their faces. She had been singing "Jingle Bells" at home for weeks and her teacher had said she was one of her loudest singers in class but on stage she sometimes would freeze up.

We had talked a lot about how we wanted to hear her sing. And one of her favorite pretend things to play at home is pretending she is on stage performing as "Consa" one of her made up characters who likes to sing and dance in front of the mirror in mommy's room which is the "stage". So I told her just pretend your "Consa" up there to which she replied "And do this?" as she twirled around. I said "Sure, you can twirl up there if you like." I guess maybe our pep talks worked because she did great at her program. She smiled and sang and did all the little hand motions, it was precious and this mama was quite proud!

After the program we dropped Nana and the kids off at our house and we headed to my work party. It was fun to visit with everyone since I've not been at work in over a month. The highlight of the night was when the NSN Eagle award was presented to one of my employees, Debbie, who has been fighting breast cancer the last several months and continues as she begins radiation treatments later this month. Unfortunately we were running behind all night and so we didn't get to make an appearance at Justin's work party this year.

One Month

2011-12-08T09:30:00.000-06:00

The last month has flown by, I can't believe it has already been a month since we first met our new little love! And yet at the same time I barely can remember what our life was like without him! He is the perfect addition to our family, a sweet, snuggly, cuddly little bear! His big sister is absolutely in love with him which melts my heart! Of course there has been a lot of adjusting for all of us this past month complete with some tears and meltdowns and not just from big sister.

In his first month Jett got to celebrate his first Thanksgiving although he will have to wait until next year to enjoy the yummy feast! He has had many visitors and lots of attention from family and friends. And speaking of attention, big sister can't seem to get enough of him! He had several baths including his first bath in the big tub which big sister helped with. He has gone from eating every 3-4 hours to eating every 1-2 hours to now being back to eating every 3 hours, thank goodness! He like his sister only wants to sleep very close to someone, oh dear we are going to need a king size bed! He has gone from being asleep most of the time to having more awake time during the day. He has given out some smiles and he already seems to be a flirt because it is always the ladies he smiles at! He has started cooing, in fact this morning he was cooing at the Christmas tree! He got to attend his future girlfriend's baby shower for Mrs. Shelly and her sweet Ruby Grace! And while he was there he got to meet his closest buddy, Slate who is a few weeks older than him. Oh man with names like Jett and Slate I'm a little worried about the trouble those two might get into. It has been a busy and fun first month already filled with many precious memories and I look forward to the memories to be made in the months ahead!

Mommy, daddy and big sister all are madly in love with you sweet Jett! You make our little family complete and bring so much love and joy and snuggles to our life sweet baby boy! We'll forever be thankful that during the season of thankfulness God gave us you!

A Bed for Baby Jesus

2011-12-07T21:40:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite advent activities that we do as a family. We prepare a bed for the baby Jesus using baskets, blankets and other things around the house. We talk about the fact that Christmas is about anticipating the arrival of Jesus and His return one day! We place the bed we prepare in front of the Christmas tree so we are reminded throughout this season which can be filled with lots of exciting distractions what the season is truly about. Ava Kate helped daddy find some blankets and a basket for the bed. She was so excited to talk about baby Jesus and kept asking if she could hold him. One of the sweetest moments was when she specifically selected her most special blanket which she usually sleeps with for baby Jesus basket! I love creating traditions with our children but even more love watching them learn about the One who it is all about!

Diapers Galore

2011-12-07T17:19:00.000-06:00

Today we were blessed in a big way with lots and lots of diapers plus lots of other goodies for baby Jett! Justin's coworkers at school gave us a wonderful shower. I'm not sure we'll have to buy diapers for the next year, this is awesome!

White Christmas on a Snowy Day

2011-12-06T22:00:00.006-06:00

Tonight was the perfect night to watch White Christmas since this morning we got our first snow of the winter, it wasn't a lot but it was still so beautiful to wake up to. Ava Kate really loved White Christmas this year because she is so into dancing and singing so it was right up her alley. We also enjoyed some yummy hot chocolate in our Santa mugs while we watched the movie!

New Christmas PJ's

2011-12-05T21:59:00.006-06:00

In the past we've opened our new Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve and taken a family photo in them each year. I decided to change up that tradition this year and we would open them earlier in the month so we could enjoy our new Christmas PJ's all through the Christmas season. Ava Kate really took over on this activity. First she opened her cute little reindeer PJ's and after that she started opening everyone else's PJ's for us. And our bundle of joy, Jett, is going to look precious in his new Christmas PJ's when he grows into them!

Dear Santa

2011-12-04T21:59:00.007-06:00

Writing letters to Santa this year was pretty amusing. Ava Kate said she wants a fairy costume, a fairy costume for mama, a prince costume for daddy, fairy shoes, ballet clothes and a kitty kitty. Sorry, but I'm afraid Santa won't be able to deliver on some of those wishes especially the kitty kitty! We just had to take a guess on what Jett wanted for Christmas but we were all pretty sure milk was at the top of his list!

Buddy is Back- Elf on the Shelf

2011-12-03T21:59:00.004-06:00

Our elf on the shelf, Buddy, is back! And I'm thinking this could really be fun this year. Ava Kate actually sat and listened to the story this year and when she saw our Buddy she said "No I want the real Buddy." I think maybe we should have picked a different name because I think she was expecting Buddy from the movie Elf to show up since we had watched it a couple of nights before.

City Sidewalks Parade 2011

2011-11-30T21:58:00.008-06:00

This year City Sidewalks wasn't quite as cold as last year but we still all bundled up. Jett even came along although he slept through it all. Ava Kate's favorite part of the night was probably getting her face painted and she also loved the horses and she was very enthusiastic about waving to everyone that went by. After standing out in the cold for a while we ended the night at the bakery where we enjoyed some cookies and cake pops!

Christmas Time is Here- Our First Advent Activity

2011-11-26T21:58:00.008-06:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I love Christmas! I love the traditions, the lights, the decorations, the anticipation of our Savior's return! Our traditional first advent activity is getting our house all decorated for the season. We made our sausage balls and M&M cookies first and then we all spent the evening watching Elf, eating our goodies, putting up the tree and decorating the rest of the house. I love this time of year and I love that this year we get to celebrate it as a family of four!

Newborn Photos

2011-11-23T18:37:00.000-06:00

Once again Hannah Vickers amazed me! I thought photo sessions with Ava Kate were difficult but let me say newborn sessions are the hardest. It was almost impossible to have a fed, sleeping, clean baby and a happy big sister all at the same time. In fact it took two tries on two different days but somehow Hannah captured some great shots that I'll cherish forever!

A New Tradition: The Nutcracker

2011-11-21T15:53:00.011-06:00

Since baby brother decided to arrive earlier than expected we were able to begin a new tradition this year. It is a tradition I've looked forward to starting with Ava Kate for a while. Sunday afternoon Nana and I took Ava Kate to see The Nutcracker. I was a little concerned she might still be a little young to sit through it but boy did she prove me wrong. She LOVED it!!! She was completely mesmerized. Nana bought us front row tickets and they were perfect. She of course had hundreds of questions throughout the performance. She would clap so enthusiastically after each act. It was just the most precious thing to watch her. During the intermission while we were waiting in line for the bathroom she was twirling and spinning and kicking her legs. After the ballet was over she would run up to the dancers and was especially anxious to meet the Peacock although when she actually did she got a little shy. The memories we made yesterday will be some I'll never forget!

The Arrival of our Precious Jett Wilson

2011-11-11T09:40:00.034-06:00

Jett Wilson Jarrett
November 8, 2011
6 pounds 14 ounces
19.25 inches long

Apparently my children like to do things there own way. Ava Kate was scheduled for induction on March 17th at 5am and at 1am that morning I woke up in labor. It seems her brother has his own schedule as well. On Halloween I had my weekly doctor's appointment and I was dilated to a 1 so Dr. Mascorro went ahead and scheduled an induction for November 16th but she said I was measuring a little small so she wanted me to see the specialist for another sonogram to be sure things looked okay. A few days later we went for our sonogram and Dr. Mayberry said everything looked fine and the baby was about 6lb 14oz. but Jett was being a sleepy head and wasn't moving much during the sonogram so he wanted to monitor me on the heart rate monitor for a while. Once they put the monitor on me that seemed to wake him up and he was moving a lot so they sent me on my way.

Over the next few days I noticed that Jett wasn't moving as much as he usually did so at my next Dr's appt on the 7th I mentioned this to Dr. Mascorro. She said she wanted to put me on the monitor again just to check things out. Once again after they put the monitor on me he started wiggling and squirming around. The nurse came in and told me I was good to go and I asked if I was supposed to come back the next Monday or just show up at the hospital on the 16th. She said she would send the doctor back in. When Dr. Mascarro came back in she told me that at my sonogram with Dr. Mayberry my fluid had been lower than they like it to be and that she thought that was why the baby wasn't moving as much and she thought we should induce a week earlier, that Wednesday the 9th. I knew he would only be 2 weeks early at that point and I was so ready that I said sure! Justin was in Fort Worth at a golf tournament so I called to let him know we would be meeting our son in two days. I had planned to work that entire week but now that we were inducing in two days I decided to just go up to work and wrap things up and that would be my last day. I figured the day before Jett was born we would spend a day with Ava Kate. Then things changed.

I went to work and got things wrapped up and then I went and picked up Ava from school at 3pm. When we got home I noticed I had been having contractions but hadn't paid attention to how regular they were. They continued and seemed to be about 10 minutes apart. At about 5pm they were getting closer so I started trying to monitor them and they were more like 7 minutes apart. I was feeling a little weird too so I called Justin to be sure he was on his way home and my dad came over to sit with Ava and I until Justin got home. By 7pm my contractions were about 5 minutes apart so I called the doctor and she said if that continues for another hour go ahead and go to the hospital. The contractions continued although they weren't that intense but at 9pm we decided we better go ahead and go.

My whole family came along with us to the hospital. The nurse got me hooked up to the monitors, at that point I was still only dilated to a 2. She said they would watch my contractions for a couple of hours and then check me again. When she came back in at 11pm I was dilated to a 3 so she said she wanted to keep me a while longer. The contractions still weren't very intense and weren't that regular. At 1am she came in and checked me and I had not dilated anymore but she said she would call the doctor to see what she wanted to do. Dr. Mascorro told them to go ahead and keep me overnight so finally at 1am they gave me some meds to help me sleep. I slept until early the next morning and the nurse came in and told me my contractions had pretty much stopped in the night while I was sleeping and that the doctor might send me home. I was so disappointed because we'd been up most of the night and then to have to go home just to come back for induction the next day. Somewhere around 7am Dr. Mascorro came in and checked me and she said you are dilated to a 4 now, you're in labor and we're going to go ahead and break your water. Hallelujah, all those contractions had been doing something! After she broke my water, they started me on pitocin to get my contractions going again since they had stopped. After about an hour or two of adjusting the pitocin the contractions finally kicked in and strong! I was begging for my epidural and after about an hour and a half of really intense contractions and some pleading on my part I got it! Wow, what a difference it makes, I was in happy land after that. I rested for a while and at about 12:30pm Dr. Mascorro came in and checked me and said I was ready to push. Thankfully the epidural did it's job and with a few contractions and pushes our sweet boy was here!

What an amazing day that was, I think the days I gave birth to my children will always be the most incredible days of my life! He was absolutely perfect, beautiful lips, a perfect little head, daddy and sister's cute little nose, mommy's long fingers and toes. It was love at first sight! It amazes me how your heart just seems to double in size the moment you lay eyes on them! I immediately knew Jett was smaller than Ava Kate was when she was born. He reminded me so much of his sister from the moment I laid eyes on him. He had the sweetest little cry. Thankfully like his sister he was a champ when it came to nursing and latched right on, an answer to my prayers.

After school Ava Kate came up to meet her new baby brother. I will admit I was really nervous about what her response would be but wow, I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more precious first meeting for my two children. She walked over to him and said "Ahh, he's so cute!" She crawled up on the bed with me and Jett and loved on him and kissed him and gushed over him. It was priceless! She got to go watch Jett get his first bath and then she went home with Nana and Pop for the evening. We had several visitors that evening and the next day stop by to see our sweet baby boy. Justin and I enjoyed having that first evening alone with him and got a pretty good nights sleep. The next day was a rough one for our little guy with a circumcision and then his PKU heel prick which took them 3 trys, poor baby! After his PKU we got to go home.

It was fun riding home the first time as a family of four, how blessed I felt in that moment! When we got there the first thing big sister did was take Jett's passy and put in her mouth and before we could say anything she had it back in Jett's mouth. It is funny how much more laid back you are with the second one. I guess you've lived through the newborn phase with the first one and realized they are more resilient than you think. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we have so much to be thankful for right now especially our two precious miracle babies that at one time we weren't sure we'd ever get to experience. God is good!

JLA Breakfast with Santa

2011-11-06T14:19:00.006-06:00

This morning Ava Kate, Nana and I went to the JLA breakfast with Santa. We really weren't there to see Santa so much but the ballerinas from the Nutcracker. Last year I took Ava to the Sugar Plum Fairy Tea where she got to watch part of the Nutcracker and meet some of the ballerinas. I had hoped we could go again this year and maybe even go to the Nutcracker ballet but being that it the tea is just a few days before my induction date and the ballet is a few days after my induction I really didn't want to buy tickets that we very likely would not get to use. So when I heard that the Nutcracker ballerinas were going to be performing at the Christmas Carousel Breakfast with Santa this weekend I knew it would be a better option for us.

We even got to sit with our friends Erin and Aubrey and Caroline and her Honey. First we got to make some yummy yogurt parfaits together for breakfast. Ava Kate really just wanted to eat the entire tub of cool whip, who can blame her! Then we got to learn more about how different countries celebrate Christmas through the different dances of the Nutcracker. Ava Kate was fascinated with the ballerinas and full of all kinds of questions about each one. She wanted to be sure she could see Santa to be certain that he wasn't getting anywhere near her, she has never been a fan of men with facial hair, especially big white beards! After the ballerinas peformed we got to go around and get stamps in her passport from the various countries the ballerinas represented and get a little gift from each country. Ava was a litttle shy when the ballerinas wanted to take a picture with her. She did love twirling around on the dance floor though!

It was a fun little outing for us to share before her baby brother gets here. While I'm so anxious for him to get here I also have moments of feeling a little sad about my days alone with my girl dwindling. So I am hoping to get in as many fun memories these last days we have before he arrives and this turned out to be a really sweet one! I love that my girl already seems to share my love for dance and music!

After the breakfast daddy came to get Ava Kate so Nana and I could do a little shopping at Carousel!

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T16:07:00.006-05:00

This year Ava Kate, aka Fancy Nancy, definately got into trick or treating! She did her best to keep up with her big cousins, the Blue Ninja and Obi-Wan Kenobi but after a while she tired out and decided she would rather dig into her stash than knock on anymore doors. That is about the time Snow White showed up and these two princesses had a blast together. It is funny to watch the boys and girls and how they approach everything so differently. The boys wanted to run from house to house as fast as they could and get as much candy as possible. The girls were more about strolling along, checking out the pumpkins and other Halloween decor on the porches and then they would mosey on to ring the doorbell.

Daddy to the Rescue!

2011-10-28T17:59:00.005-05:00

Well today was Ava Kate's Halloween party at school and fortunately daddy saved the day! I was supposed to help with the party and lead the craft but because I've got an upper respiratory infection and was told by the doctor not to leave the house through the weekend I was not going to be able to make it. Thankfully Ava Kate has an awesome daddy and Justin was able to get someone to cover his last class of the day and he went in my place. I hated to miss it but was glad he was there to join in the fun and get some photos for me. We sure are lucky to have him! Ava Kate gave me the run down on the party when she got home and of course her favorite part was the bucket of candy she brought home!

Final Countdown Checklist

2011-10-24T08:07:00.000-05:00

The final countdown is on and this mama spent most of the weekend getting things checked off the final to do list!

Jett's laundry done and put away- check

Baby gear pulled out of the storage building and everything set up- check

Jett's hospital bag packed- check!

Mommy's hospital bag packed- half of a check!

Carseat in car- check!

Mommy's reading done- barely even cracked one of the many books on my list but that is what weekly doctor's appointments are good for!

Costumes, Carnivals & Cousins

2011-10-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

We had a busy and fun filled evening Saturday. Ava Kate had her school Halloween Carnival so we got her all dressed up in her Fancy Nancy costume complete with red hair spray which was a big mess! I think her costume turned out pretty darn cute! She loves her Fancy Nancy books and games and we already had the dress and the red sparkly shoes so it was a pretty easy costume to pull together especially when you have naturally curly hair! Unfortunately Saturday was the same day she had gotten her flu shot and I think it had her feeling a little yucky because she was pretty clingy and uninterested at her school carnival. We did do the cake walk together and Ava Kate and daddy won some delicious sugar cookies. She got to see her teachers and some friends although she was being a little shy that night. She loved watching the armadillo races but had no interest in participating and I can't say I blame her.

After we left her carnival we went to the Austin Fall Festival to meet up with her cousins. She was thrilled to see them as always and they had more fun running around chasing each other than doing anything else I think. They did make some sand necklaces together and they all loved holding, feeding and petting the animals from May Farm! But after several hours of fun this mama's feet were glad to be home and kicked up in bed!

The Orange Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T08:12:00.003-05:00

Ava Kate had talked all week about going to the pumpkin patch only she informed me she wanted to go to the Pink pumpkin patch. Unfortunately that wasn't an option so we had to settle for the orange pumpkin patch. I don't think she minded too much though since we got to bring along Lila and Laney! Notice her choice of shoes that morning, I've learned there are some battles just not worth fighting with this fiesty girl! Justin took some good photos of Lila and Laney but someone else didn't want to cooperate, guess that comes with the age.

Only One Thing Missing...

2011-10-03T17:05:00.004-05:00

Our sweet baby boy! After two wonderful showers the nursery is now complete!

The chalkboard sign daddy made with his name on it!

The blocks that spell out his name we found in Gruene, the chalkboard sign daddy made and the sweet book filled with our maternity pics from the talented Mrs. Hannah!

One adorable owl playmat!

The fun green coat rack from my sweet shower hostesses!

A drawer full of sweet little boy clothes!

The necessities... burp cloths, pacifiers, pocket nanny, thermometer, etc.

Lots of cute shoes for accessorizing!

And don't forget the little hats to keep those tiny ears warm!

Golf themed pee-pee tee-pees, something that will bring a whole new world to this mommy!

Lots of cozy blankets to keep our sweet boy warm this winter!

We know the importance of having lots of loveys!

Have you noticed a theme yet, yes I love owls!

A closet filled with tiny boy clothes!

A red and purple elephant painted by big sister and Grandma!

It even has his name on it!

Showered With Love

2011-10-01T16:50:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we were blessed by some of my oldest and dearest friends with another beautiful shower! The food was incredible and the table gorgeous as always! The weather could not have been anymore perfect, a lovely fall morning! It was a treat to see lots of sweet faces and celebrate this special baby boy with people I love! And again we were overwhelmed at all the wonderful things we got for sweet baby Jett! I think it is safe to say this baby boy is going to be as loved and spoiled as his big sister has been!

Our Growing Family- Maternity Pics

2011-09-24T17:35:00.000-05:00

A Bun in the Oven

2011-09-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight some of my sweet friends gave us a baby shower and it was precious! Mom and I couldn't believe how creative and thoughtful they were with everything. The theme was A Bun in the Oven complete with a little red retro oven, sliders, hamburger cupcakes, sugar cookie french fries and lots of other yummy treats! They all even dressed to match the theme and without knowing it so did I. It was a shower for all my sweet Beltway friends from Bunco, bible study and Life Group. I'm so blessed by the relationships of these women and thankful that God has brought them into my life these past 2 years. They have covered me in prayer, encouraged me, made me laugh (especially Sherry) and shared life with me! We had a wonderful time fellowshiping together last night, playing a fun little Q&A game about my wishes for Jett and looking at all the precious things they brought for our sweet baby boy!

Showering Andrea & Baby Slate

2011-09-20T16:55:00.002-05:00

I had the privilege this weekend of helping shower a special friend Andrea and her sweet baby boy Slate. Andrea and I have shared the journey of infertility together and althought our stories aren't identical it has been neat to become mothers together and to get to be pregnant together this time around with our baby boys. I love getting to see God's miracles come about in other couples who have shared the deep longing for a baby! Thank you Lord for the blessing of sweet baby Slate and his big brother Stone!

Her First Date

2011-09-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

Ava Kate went on her first date tonight with her daddy! She got all dressed up in the outfit of her choice, she picked out her accessories and mommy even let her have some lipgloss and perfume. She also got to pick out daddy's outfit. Daddy even rang the doorbell and had some flowers when he picked up his special date (yes they were fake ones from the living room but she didn't care). They went to Chic Fil A for a daddy daughter princess date night they were having. They got their a little too early so they made a detour at Target to kill a little time. Target is one of Ava Kate's favorite places to go so I'm sure she didn't mind.

2.5

2011-09-17T19:25:00.000-05:00

Two and a half has brought with it a lot of milestones and changes.

First, our big girl is now potty trained! Whew potty training is not for the weak of heart and I'm not sure who decided mixing potty training with the 2's was a good idea but we survived and I'm so thankful now we went ahead and got it done before Jett arrived! We had lots of incentives like a sticker chart which earned Ava Kate some froggy rain boots the first time she filled it up. And the second time she filled it up she got some pink and brown cowgirl boots thanks to Grandma! She really did do great with it and it only took a few days for her to be pretty much potty trained although we have had a few accidents. And there is something so adorable about seeing her run around the house in her big girl panties!

She also started at a new school, St. Johns which she is loving! It has been one of the best choices we’ve made for her to move her there. She comes home so happy and really enjoys all the learning and activities and her friends there. And momma thinks she is an absolute doll in her uniforms!

She recently had her first sleepover at Nana and Pop’s house and was such a big girl about it. She asked about mommy and daddy a couple of times but other than that no tears and she had a ball!

She has become quite the talker and inquirer. She keeps us entertained and on our toes. Here are just a few of my recent favorite quotes and stories about her.

One Sunday recently mom and I were walking down the hall with Ava Kate and a little girl walked by in a skirt that resembled a tutu. Ava said "wow, momma wook (look) her wook like a badewina (ballerina)" and then she proceeded to drop her head and make a pouty face and say "I never get to be a badewina!"

She also has quite the imagination lately. The other day she took her juice box and turned it into her nail polish and started painting her toenails and then mine with the straw.

She has really become more of a daddy's girl than she has ever been and watching her and Justin together is priceless!

When she wants something, she says "Can't you?" for example, "Can't you get me a snack?" or "Can't you pick me up?"

She loves to role play and her favorite role play game lately is pretending she is the mommy and her lovey (wuddy) is going to school and I’m the teacher. She tells lovey “Okay lovey mommy going to work now but I come back to pick you up in a little bit.” Then she pretends to drive away and soon after returns to pick lovey up. She asks me, the teacher, “Her had a good day?, Her peeped in the potty?, Her share with her friends?” And after I respond yes she tells lovey “Oh wuddy, I so pwoud (proud) of you!” or “Good job wuddy!”

She also loves to go in my closet now and put on my clothes and shoes and sometimes underwear and prance around the house in them.

The other night we were laying in bed and I was singing her lullabies and had been singing “Nighty night” which was a lullaby my mom used to sing to me and I decided to switch to “Jesus Loves Me” when Ava said “No, sing night night baby! That’s my favorite momma!” Talk about making me melt and you can bet I sang it at least 20 times till she fell asleep.

She is really talking more and more about Jett and will come up and rub on my tummy or lay her head on it. Of course other times she jumps on it, sits on it, elbows it. I haven’t quite figured out if that is some jealousy coming out or if she just hasn’t grasped the idea that she needs to be gentle with me right now. When we ask her about Jett’s arrival she says “I’m gonna hug him and hold him and snuggle him!”

She is my sassy, snuggly, inquiring, girly, bossy, sensitive, bright eyed, accessorized, affectionate, smart, manipulative, curious, expressive, polite, artistic, opinionated, funny, rambunctious, curly headed, stubborn, dramatic and loving little girl! I wouldn’t change a thing about her, well, except maybe getting her to sleep all night in her own bed! She brings us laughter, joy, love, adventure and much more! Being her momma is the greatest blessing and joy I’ve known so far in this life! I look forward to that doubling in a couple of months!

West Texas Fair & Rodeo

2011-09-14T17:01:00.000-05:00

I always look forward to the fair coming to town not because I want to ride the ferris wheel or any other ride for that matter but because I want to chow down on the Aggie Fries, Funnel Cakes, cheeseburgers and cotton candy (yes I know it is nothing but fluffy sugar)! I didn't have high expectations for Ava Kate riding anything at the fair this year. Any many ways she is much like her momma and not much of a thrill seeker but she surprised me! Of course we chose the hottest day of the week to go but thankfully it cooled off some by the time we got there. Nana came along with us and we started at the pick a duck booth which was Ava's favorite thing last year. This year she wanted to pick a duck so I paid $5 and then the carnival worker must have scared her because she kept hanging on my leg and refusing to pick one so mom and I picked for her. After the ducks we decided we'd go to the petting zoo. This she loved! She wanted more and more food to keep feeding the animals. She would crack up when they would take the food from her hand. It was precious! Then it was time for my favorite part, eating! We enjoyed a cheeseburger and onion rings since the Aggie Fry booth was temporarily closed. After dinner we headed down the midway to see if she wanted to get on the carousel. She was a little hesitant at first but selected a giraffe to ride on and once it got going she was all smiles and shouting how much fun it was! She pointed to the Dumbo ride and I thought there is no way she will get on that and if she does she will cry, well she proved momma wrong. She got on with Nana and smiled the whole time. She ended up riding several more rides and loved them all. She is getting so big and so independent and brave. After we rode rides for a while we picked up some lemonades and funnel cakes and headed to the rodeo. Ava was most excited about seeing the queen who was being crowned that night although when she came out in cowgirl clothes with no dress or crown she seemed a bit disappointed. She also didn't really like the way the horses were corraled back into the corrals after the bareback riding. She kept saying "mommy that's not fair!" She lost interest soon after the queen was crowned and it was getting late so we stopped for some cotton candy and made one more trip to the petting zoo on our way out. It was a fun night and I think we all had belly aches by the time it was over!

Jarrett Family Gruene Trip 2011

2011-09-11T19:57:00.006-05:00

This weekend we got to get away to one of our favorite places, Gruene, TX. We met Justin's parents and sister Lisa and her husband Steve at the Gruene Mansion Inn for our annual family trip. We all arrived Friday afternoon and sat and visited a while and listened to some live music before heading to the Gruene River Grill which has pretty much become our Friday night dinner tradition when we arrive. We loved our cabins this year, we had 3 cabins that were connected by their front porches so Ava loved running back and forth between our rooms. I loved the king size bed since we seem to be sharing our bed with a little one these days. Saturday morning our cabin woke up bright and early so the three of us decided to take a little walk to the coffee shop for some iced chocolate milk and chai tea. After that we all met up for the delicious breakfast at the mansion, one of the my favorite parts of staying there. Then we all headed out for some shopping. Ava Kate and Jett both made out pretty good this trip on goodies from Grandma and Grandpa! That night we decided to try out a different restaurant in New Braunfels and I'm pretty sure we all are ready to go back again, it was delicious and we even got dessert and learned Ava Kate loves Creme Brulee as much or maybe more than her mommy! One of the best treats of the trip was today Steve and Lisa had gotten all of us tickets to the Gruene Hall Gospel Brunch which was a blast! They had a gospel group and a country band that lead the praise and worship and a really funny preacher who was entertaining but also delivered a short but powerful message. We all enjoyed it and Ava Kate loved getting in the marching line with Aunt Lisa while singing When the Saints Go Marching In! And we get to look forward to adding an eighth to our party next year! It was great to getaway and now I'm looking forward to getting away alone with Justin for the first time since Ava was born for an anniversary trip to Fredricksburg next month!

Happy Grandparents Day!

2011-09-11T19:37:00.005-05:00

Friday Ava Kate had her first ever on stage performance. They put on a Grandparents Day program and lunch at St. Johns. Nana got to join Justin and I to visit her classroom and then watch the program. Mrs. Linda had told us Ava Kate was really enjoying being on stage and practicing for the performance so we were all excited to see what she would do in front of an audience. They had practiced two sweet grandparents songs they were going to peform. When her class came out the teacher had to coax several of them out and Ava even sat down on the risers at first. Pretty much all but one of the 2 year olds stood in shock through both songs. It was hilarious! Ava Kate never sang a word and just looked around at all the people in the audience. It was amazing though the difference between the 2 year old class and the 3 year old class because the 3 year old class was very enthusiastic about performing so it will be fun to see how Ava and her classmates performances change over the next year.

Ava Kate is the 3rd one from the left

You can tell the 3 year olds are on the back row!

Haylee and Stone were in the 3 year old class

First Day at St. Johns

2011-09-06T19:40:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the best decisions are the hardest! Today we moved Ava Kate to St. Johns Episcopal School. While we feel it was the right decision it was not an easy decision. Originally our plan was for Ava Kate and Jett to both stay in a home care setting. Sometimes things don't go according to plan though. Ava was having a tough time adjusting to being in a home care setting after having been at MDO for the last two years. Every morning was tear filled and it was just breaking our hearts. I think I went to work almost everyday for about 3 weeks and cried after dropping her off or hearing from Justin that when he dropped her off she had cried again. After a few weeks of that we decided maybe a change was needed. A friend of mine mentioned that they had some openings in the 2 year old class at St. Johns. After lots of praying, discussing, crying, stressing we made the decision to move her. It was really hard to tell Mrs. Lucy we were moving her because we knew she wasn't doing anything wrong, it just wasn't the right setting for Ava. We were also concerned because we knew it would mean more adjusting for Ava Kate by moving her again but we really felt it was the best decision for her in the long run.

Things really just began to fall in place for this move to happen the end of last week and we feel great about the decision we made now. I took her this morning expecting some tears. She was excited to go and talked the whole way about her lunch and the monkey and giraffe I had showed her I'd put in her lunch.

Then when we got there we saw several friends which seemed to ease her worries a little. She excitedly held up her new lunchbox to show her teacher when we walked in. I walked her in to her room where the kids were already sitting down coloring. She grabbed onto my leg and as I hugged her and told her she was going to have a great day, she began to cry. Her teacher, Mrs. Linda scooped her up and continued to reassure her she would have fun and I left. I had such a peace though as I left even amidst her tears.

My friend Jill checked in with Ava Kate's teacher this morning to see how she was doing. She said she only cried for about a minute and had been doing great and following directions very well! When I went to pick her up I was a little early so I got to stand back and watch from the door as they sang a song together and what joy it brought to my heart to see her smiling and dancing and singing along with the other kids. I went to pick up her backpack and lunch box and found this note inside.

Being pregnant and extra emotional I had to fight back tears of joy and pride as I read it! When I opened the door to get her she smiled big and ran over and gave me a hug. Again her teacher told me what a great day she had and what a sweet girl she was! As we walked out I asked Ava Kate about her day and she said it was a good day and asked if she could go back to school again. I told her since she had been such a big girl we would go for a treat and she chose Mickey Mouse Shop which is translated Nikki's Swirl Shop so we went for some frozen yogurt where she selected strawberry froyo with sprinkles and marshmallows on top! While it was a hard decision that at times I was starting to think might send me into early labor I'm so glad we made the choice we did and so thankful the Lord worked out all the details for it to happen!

Welcome to the Family Aman!

2011-09-01T19:08:00.000-05:00

August was an exciting month for our family, my sister got engaged to Adam (or Aman as Ava Kate calls him). Natalie and Adam have known each other for at least 10 years and we all love him and couldn't think of anyone we'd rather her spend the rest of her life with. I love how he loves my baby sister and both of the boys! We are all excited about having him officially join the family. We also got to celebrate his birthday in August so there was a lot of celebrating and eating going on last month!

It was fun because we all got to be there when Adam proposed. He put cupcakes that spelled out Will You Marry Me on the porch and rang the doorbell and hid around the corner. Natalie and Keller walked out and found them and she immediately started looking around for him, he came around the corner with gorgeous flowers and the ring box and got down on his knee and asked her to marry him. It was really sweet and she of course said Yes!

After we celebrated with fish tacos and cupcakes Pop and the cousins went for a walk looking for the roosters and goats and it was too sweet not to capture a few pics of them!

Finishing Touches

2011-07-30T18:01:00.010-05:00

This week we added the final finishing touches to Jett's nursery! Other than some reorganization of closets and dresser drawers it is all ready for our sweet boy! Ava Kate loves to go and play in there and already refers to it as Jett's room. I think the visual signs that he is coming are helping her get more prepared and more excited about his arrival.

We also put some finishing touches on Ava Kate's big girl room. Since we moved the changing table out of her room and into the nursery we decided to move her little kitchen and table and chairs to her room and she has really loved having it in there. I also decided to make her bulletin board to display photos and her artwork on.

The owl pillow I found on Etsy and Nana made the polka dot pillow to coordinate with it!

In both of the kids rooms I wanted to incorporate some scriptures so Justin and I searched together for some that we want to pray over and encourage Ava and Jett with. I've been doing the Beth Moore, Believing God bible study and she has talked a lot of the importance of praying scripture and choosing specific scriptures for loved ones in your life. For Jett I printed and framed a couple of scriptures and for Ava Kate's room I printed several scriptures to add to her new bulletin board.

The finished nursery!

My baby's big girl room!