3 Months!

My sweet little one is 3 months old today! I just can't believe that he's been here for 3 months.

Isn't this the sweetest smile that you have ever seen?!
He's grown so much in the past three months, he barely even looks like the little boy that I brought home from the hospital. No matter how long I'm a Mom I don't think I'll ever get used to the pace that kids grow...it's just so fast!!

At 3 months, Jackson is smiling and giggling- he's lifting his head when he lays on his tummy, he's kicking his legs, he's batting at toys above his head, he's even lifting one side of his body and rolling to the other side (not rolling over- just practicing)! He weighs just over 10 and 1/2 lbs. and is finally starting to fit into a few of his 0-3 month clothes! He's sleeping through the night- from 8:30-7, he's taking 3 great naps a day- even on schedule! Everyone says he's a dream baby and I'd have to agree- he is a great baby. I love him and thank God that he blessed me with him!

christmas pictures?!

Today I realized that the kids were wearing somewhat matching clothes, so I decided to take some cute little Christmas pictures, so that I could put them on one of shutterfly's Christmas cards! (check them out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards )

Shutterfly is running a special for bloggers...where you can earn 50 free Christmas cards!

(check that out here: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 )

I've used shutterfly's photo cards in the past 3 years and I just love all of them! I especially like the ones where you can write on them- the stationery cards- because I don't want our Christmas cards to just be another card that someone gets and puts in their box and doesn't look at again- I want it to be a card that proclaims the birth of Jesus- the real reason for the season! I want to be able to share what the Lord has done for our family in the past year and the hope that we can have in our Savior born in the stable that first Christmas!

Each year I have a hard time trying to choose which one...and generally I use our picture as an inspiration...but, look at these pics- do they lend themselves to any inspiration?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking...not so much inspiring as making me laugh- especially that last one- what is she trying to do? measure him for clothes?? see if he measures up???

I guess these pictures are good for inspiration on something...I'm thinking of making my grandmother a calendar for Christmas and I just may use one of these: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars and put these little pictures on a month! I think she would get a good chuckle out of looking at these goofballs all month!

Another thing from shutterfly that I'd like to try one time is there canvas wall prints. I have one and I absolutely love it. The color is great and the picture turned out amazingly well! Check them out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art ! You may want to order one someday- they are pretty neat and add a whole new dimension to your wall. (plus, everyone who comes to our house comments on ours!) :)

I'm going to head over to shutterfly and spend some more time purusing through the cards, trying to get some inspiration for this years card to go with my goofy little pictures!

Daddy's little deer

Hailey has a little shirt that my sister bought her that says "daddy's little deer", and she definitely believes that she is near and "deer" to her Daddy's heart!

but, today, she found out that she has some competition for the "deer" spot in her Daddy's life!

Here's the new "deer" in Korey's life!
Isn't the picture on the right just the cutest?? It's the only picture Korey has ever asked to have printed off for himself! ;)

Good thing for Hailey that he'll soon be nothing more than some antlers and packages in our freezer! I think she'll feel good about the fact that she can truly "eat" her competition! :)

puppy love!

hailey was given a cute little battery powered puppy from Korey's aunt and for the longest time she was scared of it every time we turned it one, but we had a little playdate last week and her friend loved the dog and carried it all over and hugged it and played with it, so, naturally Hailey decided that it is now her favorite toy! :)

Here she is giving it a hug!
and now she's giving it a kiss

and petting it...

I'd have to say that I'm a pretty big fan of this doggie, too, it doesn't shed, it's not dirty when she kisses it, and even if she tries to feed it her lunch it won't eat it! (plus, the best part about it is that I can turn it off when it gets annoying- I just wish I could do that with Allie) :)

Shopping!

Today Korey got his first taste of "Black Friday"shopping!

He was so excited that he couldn't stop taking pictures...

But, he was so tired that he had a hard tme keeping his eyes open!

We had a lot of fun, Jackson was a dream baby and slept the whole time, but Korey already put it on record that he was NOT planning on joining me next year! :)

In my defense, I did warn him about how crazy it was going to be and how many people there were going to be at the stores, but he either didn't really understand or he didn't think I was telling the truth...but, the minute we walked into Kohls and the check out line began at the front door Korey realized that he had bit off more than he really wanted to chew this morning! :)
He did end up having a good time, though, and even came home with some bargains of his own! I had a great time...I just enjoy spending time with my husband and what better way to get some quality talking time in than standing in line at Kohls for over an hour?! ;) hehehe...I love you, Korey! Thanks for being such a good sport!

thanksgiving thankfulness

I'm so thankful for my sweet little baby girl! (that's not so much of a baby anymore...sad!) :(

She is such a character and she makes me giggle and smile all the time! She can't even eat lunch without being silly and I just love that about her!! She even says "wuv you" and I don't think I've ever heard any sweeter words! The best part of being Hailey's mom, though, is snuggling with her. She was never much of a snuggler- she's always been too busy- but since Jackson's been born she's been a lot more snuggly and I'm trying to soak up every minute that I can!
here she is playing with her food and pretending to eat it and then putting it back on her plate...she would then giggle and laugh really loud! I couldn't help but laugh along with her! :)

I just love Hailey and I LOVE being her Mom. I wanted a baby for a long time and finally God truly blessed my life by putting her in it! I'll be forever thankful to the sweet little princess that He blessed me with.

thanksgiving thankfulness!

Day 2...

Today, I'm reminded of how thankful I am for my husband, Korey!

He's such an amazing man- I don't know if I can even begin to recount what makes me so thankful for him, but I'll try! :)

The biggest thing I really love about Korey is that he doesn't really care about much...I know this sounds awful, but I really appreciate it about him. He doesn't really care how much $ I spend on stuff, as long as I don't break the bank, he doesn't care who I'm friends with, he doesn't care how I spend my days, he doesn't care if we chat about our days, or if we spend a lot of quality time together- he's low maintenance, he doesn't even really care what I make for dinner. He's just easy to please! On that same vein I'm so thankful that he makes me laugh. No matter what I'm upset about, big or small, Korey can always lighten the situation and make me laugh. I don't think we've ever had a fight that hasn't ended in some sort of laughter! Korey works so hard, too. He works at least 40 hrs a week at work and then he comes home and works around the house, or helps out a friend, or works at the rental house...he's just always working and he never takes a day off because he's sick or tired, he just go's and go's! Plus, he's so great at helping me out around the house and with the kids- what more could I ask for?? When he asked me to marry him about 5 1/2 years ago I knew that I made a good catch, but I didn't even know how good I had it until I married him!! They always say that there's a reacher and a stooper in every relationship and I definitely am the reacher in ours! I guess it'd just be hard to say what I'm not thankful for about Korey...and, I'm sure I could come up with a few tiny little things, but I won't post them here! ;)

I hope you have a thankful day!

thanksgiving thankfulness week!

Since Thanksgiving is only 1 week away, I have been thinking a lot about what I am thankful for!

I love this time of the year, because it reminds me to take a step back and think about what the past year has brought and what I'm so thankful for. It gives me a good chance to see God's goodness towards me and my family!

And, for the week until Thanksgiving, I'm going to share with you all

what I'm thankful for this year!

DAY 1:

I'm so thankful for my darling son, Jackson Ray

When I found out I was pregnant with him, my feelings definitely vascillated between thankfulness, fear, and anger! I was so thankful that I had been able to get pregnant on my own- and so quickly, too, but it definitely did not happen on my timetable. I always wanted more than one child, but I wasn't sure I really wanted them that close together and was scared and a little mad at God for giving me them so close together. It didn't get any better 9 months later when Jackson made his appearance. It through me for a loop. I didn't know what to do with two little ones...but, God definitely knew what He was doing and I'm so thankful that He was there to see me through! And, I will be forever greatful to Him for the amazing gift that He gave me in Jackson and for His amazing timing. Having two babies under the age of two is difficult and incredibly exhausting, but it has so many upsides! Both of my kids still wear diapers, so I can just change both of them at once. Since Hailey's so young, I'm still in baby mode- Jackson didn't really throw too much of a wrench in our daily routine, once we all got settled into one! Hailey's young enough to still take good 3 hour naps in the afternoon. Since Hailey wasn't old enough to really understand or know what the deal was when Jackson was born, she'll never remember the sleep deprived days of his early life, and she'll never remember how jealous she was of him. He will just always be a part of her life! As Jackson gets older he can coo and smile at his big sister, and since she's around the same age, she thinks it's fun to smile and coo back at him! All of my baby stuff was still fairly easily accessible- I didn't put it too far away, because I knew I'd need it again soon! I didn't have long enough between my two pregnancies for my clothes to go out of style (and I now own a full set of clothes for both a summer and winter pregnancy)! The best part about having my two kids close together is that my baby weight came off a lot easier this time, since I'm so busy chasing after them! :)

Thank you, Lord, for being the Father of all gifts, even gifts that I can't understand and don't necessarily want, because they often turn out to be the greatest gifts of all! Thank you, Lord, for adding more joy to my heart and my life by giving me this little baby boy. He is so precious to me, dearest Father, and I love that you loved me enough to give him to me and bless my life with him!

It's just that kind of a day...

The kind where you just wanna hole up in your house, wear your pj's and snuggle up on the couch! Hailey and Jackson haven't been feeling too well lately and have been having a hard time breathing- and sleeping!! We've been running alot, lately, and it hasn't really been good for them- or given them a chance to just rest up and get better!

So, today, we cancelled all plans and are just staying home and trying to get better!!

Jackson's being all snuggly and wanting to be held...
and Hailey is, too!
If you could see us all today, you'd just see three little people hanging out on the couch like bums, reading stories and watching cartoons! I even let Hailey have breakfast on my lap and lunch next to me, on the couch, while I fed the baby!

two peas in a pod?!

aren't these two adorable?!

Already they're hanging out in each other's beds...I can remember my sister and I doing this when we were little and it's my great dream to see my little kiddos growing up and sharing little things like this with each other!

A warm day in November...

doesn't happen very often, but when it does...you should definitely take advantage of it!

and, that's just what the kids and I did!

the sunshine and warm weather were just wonderful to play in. We don't always appreciate the great weather, but when it comes in November, it's a little easier to, because you know that it's gonna be one of the last great days of the year! :)

see...it really was over 60! (and that was yesterday, today it was even warmer)

aren't they adorable?? I put Jackson in the little car to take some pics and Hailey, of course, had to jump in and get some pics taken, too! :) I just thought they were soo cute together! :)

There were only a few toys that Korey didn't put away for the winter, so Hailey just had to make do with what we still had laying out! :)

I'm hopeful that we'll still have some good days left of this year, but even if not, it'll be fun to take Jackson out for his first snowfall!!!

One good Mommy!

That's what Hailey's gonna be one day- one good Mommy!!

And, she's getting plenty of practice these days!

Here she is with her little brother- getting in some cuddles-just like a good mommy would!

and, like any good mommy, she's learning that the mobile is a

great distraction when you want to get stuff done!
like a good mommy she doesn't mind sitting on the floor and holding her baby when it cries...just like her Daddy!

like a good little mommy she puts her babies on the mat to kick around!

like a good mommy she lets her baby sit on the stool while she makes some dinner!

(and, yes, that is a dog dish and a wooden spoon- I didn't say she was gonna be a great cook-

just a good mommy!!) :)
like a good mommy she makes sure her baby wears a hat to keep her head warm

and, like any good mommy, she reads her baby plenty of stories!

hehehe...don't you just love how the hat covers almost the whole baby... ;)

I'm so proud of this little girl and how far she's come since Jackson was born and I'm so excited to see what kind of a woman she's going to become. I truly believe she's going to be a good mommy and I hope that someday I will have the incredible privilege of seeing her raise her own babies!

crafts??

Before I became a mommy of two little kiddos feeling "crafty" meant that I would get out my sewing machine, my scrapbook, or some stamps and do something "crafty"! These days, though...feeling "crafty" means:

making a dry noodle necklace with Hailey

and a thankfulness tree with leaves made out of handprint cutouts!

Crafting has definitely changed at our house, but I'm not sad about it- I'm thankful! Thankful that God gave me the opportunity to do little kid crafts with the kids that

I wasn't always sure I'd have!! :)

baby photo shoot

Today, my dear friend and neighbor, Sheila, came over to take some baby pictures of Jackson! It was fun to come up with some cute ideas and really fun to see what she did with him! I think that we're really gonna like what she came up with...he's such a doll, how could we not like them?! :)

I didn't get any pictures of the "photo shoot", but I'll share some other photos...

we tried to capture a smile like this one:

a cute little pose on the boppy pillow, like this one:

and a fun little photo in the basket, like this one:

hahaha...gotcha, didn't I?! I bet you thought this was Jackson in a new outfit!! LOL, actually, someone (we're not gonna mention any names, here) was feeling kind of left out of the action, so we let her sneak her baby in for a few quick photos! ;)

and, then she got to have one of her Halloween treats for being such a good momma and letting her baby take some pictures, too! :)