Creative Juices

Most of my family and friends are very creative and sometimes I wish I was able to tap into their creativity, so one day Iz and I went to WalMart and thought to myself I need to look for a pattern for pants (I have some bridesmaid dresses that are burning a hole in my closet), so I can make a cute lil outfit for the girls. Well I just happen to come upon Abby in the fabric isle and she was telling me all these neat little shirt ideas she has seen and I thought to myself I don't know if I could do that. We parted ways and off we went to finish our task at hand. I went by the the lil girls' clothes and saw that they had some plain red shirts, so I thought, "Hmmm, you think?" Sure enough the creative juices started flowing. Finished my grocery shopping and went back to the fabrics, again seeing Abby she gave me a few more tips and I was off home to make my shirts along with the help of my MIL and her sewing machine (I am hoping to get one soon), I created these.

My lil Models! As you can see Iz was trying to model after Grace. She is really starting to be her shadow. I told Grace I made those shirts and she said "No you didn't, you bought the shirts and the fabric, so you really didn't 'make' it, you just put it together". Thanks Grace, gotta love your prespective on things. But then she said she liked them.

I have a few more T-shirt ideas, so I am hoping to get those done the next couple of weeks, I will post the finished projects. It's crazy, that one chance encounter can spring something inside of you. Thanks Abby for your help.


Until Next Time.

God Bless

Jess

New Year's, Snow Days, and One Sick Grandpa.

I am behind on my blogging. This past 2 weeks, to say the least. I forgot to blog about what we did on New Year's Eve. Matt and I are on the Entertainment Committee at church and each year the church books the local bowling alley and celebrate the New Year with our church friends and family. It was really fun and next year Matt and I are in charge (just writing that made me kinda nervous). Anyway, we are soo glad and blessed to have such a great church community, especially the girls having kids very close to their ages.

New Year's Eve...Some of the girls talkin strategy

Go Grace

January 1st we had a surprise birthday party for my dad and my aunt the both are/have turned 50, so we HAD to have a party. They were both surprised they each thought they were attending the other's surprise party. We sure did get them...unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of my dad and aunt. But we had a great time.
Here are some pictures from that night.

My cousin Deanna and I

The last time we took a picture, we were about 7 months pregnant with the two lil darlings below.

Mallory & Grace

The KING Lives;) My brother found the Elvis Mask.

The next couple of pictures are some of what the girls did while on break and the Snow Days.Izabelle heading up the steps to slide down. Grace putting more snow on the slide

Snow Angels Girls getting ready to go outside. Gitty Up!!!

Grace, Matt, and I were playing UNO one evening and we looked over and found Miss Izabelle fast asleep on the floor.
Well Matt was away on a Tractor Pull over the weekend, the girls and I decided build a tent, so here is our finished project.
The girls watching Pippy Longstocking.

We enjoyed being home and not doing anything at ALL!!!

Also over the past week, my grandpa became ill. If you could please say a prayer for him, he is still in the hospital, but says he feels lots better. Matt and I went to visit him yesterday and he seemed to be getting some of his humor & stubbornness back. He did get a blood transfusion and he was happy to hear that he would soon feel alot better after that. Matt also got him laughing alittle bit by teasing him about his Dodge truck. Him and Matt have always tease each other about each other's trucks. My grandpa is a Dodge man, while Matt is a Ford man, so you could see that they love picking on each other. He is suppose to be getting a bone marrow test done tomorrow. The blood specialist isn't liking the look of his blood but doesn't think it's Acute Luekemia (sp?), PTL! We won't get the full results until tomorrow or Wednesday. So we will be making trips to the hospital as well as checking up on my grandma. She is at home by herself and she has health problems of her own. So, if you could say a little prayer for her as well.

Until Next Time, Stay Warm!!!

God Bless

Jess

Time Flies

What a great and blessed year 2009 we had, I was looking back on what I wrote last year about this time and I can't believe how fast it went by. It really puts it to prospective how fast life can go. Something I wanted to do this past year was slow down a bit and smell the roses as the saying goes. Although that was easier said then done, we were more aware of making the best of what was handed to us.

Although we had many memories we had for the year 2009, I wanted to put just a few on here. So here are our top 10 memories of 2009:

1. January 1st we got rid of Izabelle's babie (pacy).

2. January 11th, my Baptism. Growing closer to God was a great beginning to a new year.

3. First Big Snow of the Year. And the first time Izabelle was able to play in it.

4. My Brother receiving the Purple Heart after sustaining injuries for his tour in Iraq. We were blessed that his injuries were not seriously and he was able to come home to his family.

5. Celebrated a Family Wedding.

6. Family Fun at Burdette Park

7. Potty Training Success for Izabelle:)
8. Grace learned to ride her bike without training wheels
9. Enjoyed Sisterly bonding
10. Last but not least enjoying 2009 as a family.

May you all have a blessed 2010.

Until Next Time...

God Bless

Jess

Christmas 2009

Like most of you we had a busy and fun Christmas with the Celebration of the Season, programs, family gatherings, and the engagement of my brother & his girlfriend, I haven't had time to post.

Here is what we have been up too:

• Celebrating the Christ birth at our Church's Christmas. Grace after the program.

• Enjoyed gift giving at our Babysitters house, going to WalMart, and special supper for the girls at Mr. Gattis on Tuesday, then a mean GI bug attacked our two lil princesses on Tuesday night (Grace) and Wednesday afternoon (Iz).
• Thursday morning and afternoon was spent cooking for Christmas Eve dinner at my parent's house. Then it was time to head out and enjoy supper, gift giving, and laughter with my family

The grandkids anxiously waiting for gift giving

Grace's Surprise!!!Izabelle and all her new baby & Baby stuff. O' and she named the baby, Baby Braxton.

• Celebration continued thru Christmas Morning with some gift giving at home, then to Memaw and Papaw's for breakfast, gift giving, and just some good family time.

Iz and B checking each others' gifts. These two lil girlies wanted what they other one got, even though it was the same thing. They would ask each other 'you trade'. Too Cute!!!

• We had lunch and fellowship with the Matt's family and then we headed to the Harper's Christmas gathering. Then it was back to Memaw and Papaw's for more gathering. Their were cards to play, movies to watch, and some good ole razzing. The girls ended up playing Dutch Blitz. I love this game, but far from being as good as Greta and Jennifer. But one day I will, I am sooo buying this card game and practicing until next Christmas. Watch out girls!!;) I am going to be above the negative mark (yay, I'm that bad).

We have been beyond blessed with wonderful family & friends and we hope that everyone had a Blessed Christmas as well.

This is going to be another busy week, with New Year's on Thursday and a Surprise Party on Friday, we are ready to get back to some kind of normalcy, but love being with all the company and the celebrations.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year.

Happy New Year.

Until Next Year...

God Bless

Jess

Best Christmas Present, EVER!!!!

I am happy to announce that my baby brother is getting MARRIED!!!! We are soo HAPPY, EXICITED, OVERJOYED, oh this list could go on & on, but I will spare you all of the adjectives for my brother and his now Fiance Amanda. I am pretty much smiling from ear to ear and you probably could see it within these words. AHHHH!!!! I'm excited:)

Oh, how I wished and prayed that he would find someone that he would spend the rest of his life with. He found this within Amanda and I can't wait to 'officially' call her sister. She is very much part of the family from the moment we meant her.

A little story on this couple. It was about 3 Christmas season ago, my mom told me that Grant had mentioned that he was seeing a girl for a few weeks. So being a nosey big sister I called him and asked him about this lil lady. Now, this is a guy that doesn't really give too much information to begin with and he pretty much spilled everything about Amanda. I got off the phone with him and really thought to myself "this must be someone special".

Keep in mind that Grant was getting ready to leave for his training in Georgia and then travel to Iraq so him and Amanda only knew each other for a couple of weeks before he left. So when we all went to Florida, Grant wanted Amanda go too. Which then put more of my theory into place, she must be something special. My sister & I meant her about a week before we left and we all hit it off right away. It seemed like we had known her forever. When we were in Florida it didn't seem like she was the 'new' girl, she just "Fit In" into our family.

They made it through a very LONG and DISTANT relationship and I can't wait until the day the say "I do".

Okay...Thursday night, Grant & Amanda came in and we all started to chat and I sat beside her and noticed something different on her ring finger..."HOLY COW" "Is that what I think it is". No one knew except Mom & Dad (they told them the night before). I pretty much jumped on her and then jumped on my brother. And they told us how he popped the question. It was really cute, but I will leave that story for them to share one day.

Here is a picture of the NEWLY ENGAGED couple:

Until Next Time...

God Bless

Jess

YAY!!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Ever have one of those moments that you think to yourself "Are You Kidding Me"? Whether you burnt the supper, put a load in the dryer and forgot to turn it on, or just some silliness that just so happens to you.

I happen to have a "Are You Kidding Me" moment just the other day. Wednesday night, Matt was coming home late from work and I had to run Grace down to Awana. Once I got the girls loaded up in the van and pulling out, that moment hits me. This is what conspires:

Grace: "I'm scared".

Thinking that she was going to say she was scared of the dark

Mom: "Why"

Grace: "I am scared to have a baby".

Mom: "Who said we were having a baby".

Grace: "No, when I have a baby when I'm a mommy".

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!

Is this going to go where I think it's going to go.

Mom: "Well I don't think you will have to think of that until you are way older"

WHEW!!! I think that will satisfy her for now.

WRONG!!!

Grace: "I am scared they will cut open my stomach"

Mom: "What??? Well Grace not everyone gets their bellys cut"

Grace: "Did you get yours?"

Mom: "No "

Then the BIG QUESTION is asked

Grace: "Then how do they come out"

SERIOUSLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! My six year old is asking me this, right now!!!

Mom: "They just come out".

Good answer...NOPE!!!

I hear a little giggling then I hear her say under her breath "It comes out of your bottom"

Mom: "We will talk more about that when your 12".

Made it to our destination. Diverted any further questions.

And that my friends is my "ARE YOU KIDDING ME" Moment.

Until Next Time...

God Bless

Jess

Unexpected Findings...

The other day, I went to get the phone out of my room and I noticed someone had moved the house phone and put her phone on there to charge. Ummm...

Saturday, I heard some laughter coming from Izabelle's room...when I went in I found the dog in front of the bed... looking closer I could see Grace brought her pillow and blanket and joined Izabelle in her bed

You girls are having way to much FUN!!!!

Did ya notice that Izabelle was in a crib? We had her front rails off, but she kept getting out of bed, at odd hours of night and would NOT get back to bed, so Matt put them back on. Well, now we are trying it off again & like clock work, we hear pitter patter at 3am. She falls back to sleep, pitter patter at 4 am and stays up for the rest of the morning. O' and not to mention we have a big battle at night just trying to get her to stay in bed to fall asleep. Any suggestions?


Until Next Time...

God Bless

Jess