moments to remember

i feel like i have already started the "nesting" portion of this pregnancy.  is that possible at 24 weeks?  well, maybe not full blown nesting, but i'm definitely thinking a lot of this baby and trying to get things ready for her.  i'm a slow and steady kind of prepper.  i don't like last minute stuff.  i hate feeling rushed.  so, i start now.  so i can take my time.  i'm weird...

but, in the midst of getting ready for baby girl #2, i want to remember special moments with C.  the just of the 2 of us moments.  i am so thankful for these past 3 years of just her.  and while we are all super excited to give her a little sister, i also want to remember the moments when it was just her.

this past friday night we made plans to go to a basketball game at daddy's school.  C loves going up to shaun's school.  the excitement of cheerleaders and all the older kids just gets her giddy.  but, when daddy came home from school he went straight to bed.  sick.  achy and tired and just not feeling good.  so, when C woke up from her nap ready to go to daddy's school, i knew i would have to think of something else special for us to do.  so, i gave her two choices.  go to the bookstore (joseph beth for you locals) or make heart shaped cookies.  she barely had to think about it.  make heart shape cookies.  we kind of love to bake together.

so, we pulled a chair over for her and got to mixing.  she knows how to lock and start the mixer.  and even though i let her put everything in every time, she still asks.  "can i pour that in?"  she asks what everything is and always says "mmm.  i like better the best.  it smells good."  hahaha!  my little baker.  i love that we can do this together.

very focused with the cookie cutter.  i love how she's holding her left hand in this second picture.

after the cookies came out of the oven and cooled, we made icing.  it was just plain vanilla icing that we made pink.  she loved watching the icing turn from white to pink with one drop of red food coloring!  the little things.... =)

time to decorate!!  

did you notice her design choice?  i just let her do whatever she wanted.  and in the end, every cookie had red sprinkles and 3 red hots on one side.  i'm not sure why, but this really impressed me.  

the finished product!

and sharing with a tired daddy.  we decided we were making the cookies to make daddy feel better.  i think it worked.  after lots of rest and lots of cookies, daddy was good by sunday.  =)

we have lots of moments like this.  she always wants to help and be my little shadow.  but especially, right now, i want to remember and cherish these moments even more.  not much longer will we be a family of 3.  and i get a little sad about that.  but, i know things will only get better.  the end of one chapter and on to another!

have a good monday friends!

it'a a girl!

i know that isn't new news, but i can't tell you how amazing it was to have the ultrasound tech tell us that!

you see, i knew.  i know, i know.  you're probably thinking, "you had a 50/50 chance jade...".  and yes, you're right, but it was more than that.  things have happened over the last couple of weeks.  and the day before the ultrasound i told shaun that i would be surprised if we weren't having a girl...

i always wanted a sister.  yes, i have a little brother that i adore and would never ever replace.  but a sister in the mix would have been fun too.  i have a theory about how i'm not a very good "girlfriend" (as in, girl and girl friendships) because i don't have a sister.  you know what i'm talking about?  the girls that are the best girlfriends have sisters.  right?  well, not always of course, but that's the excuse i'm using for being a lousy girlfriend...

so, as i was saying, the idea of C having a sister has always been a strong desire of mine.  of course, with how long it took for us to get pregnant this time, i would have loved a boy or a girl.  but, as the time got closer to finding out, i kept wondering if sisters would be in our future.

a week before the ultrasound, C and i were admiring a beautiful sunset, when i looked up and saw a big pink cloud over our house.  the first thing i thought was, girl!  i yelled to shaun, "babe, there's a huge pink cloud over our house!  do you think this means we're having a girl?!?"  we tried to grab a picture, but missed it.  he thought i was crazy...

the next monday night i had a dream.  we were at the doctors office finding out the sex and they told us it was a girl.  i remember in my dream, saying "i get to have sisters!"  i had a gender dream about C, in the very beginning.  we didn't find out with her, but i remember journaling in the very beginning that she was a girl.

the day before the ultrasound i read the scripture on my desk calendar at work.  Jan 17th - Your workmanship is marvelous - and how well i know it.  you were there while i was being formed in utter seclusion! ~ Psalm 139:14,15.  what a beautiful reminder of how He forms us in our mother's womb.  i had been thinking about our baby so much lately.  excited that we were about to see her and find out the sex, but also nervous.  if there was something wrong, this ultrasound would be where we found out.

since i don't work on fridays, i flipped to the next day to see what it would say on the day of our ultrasound.  Jan 18th - she lives.  she loves.  she laughs.  she makes every day a celebration of who she is in Christ.  i knew it!  i just knew that this day would say something about "she".  something about a girl.  the first line got me.  she lives.   this is the point i emailed shaun.  i sent him both days and said "i'm going to be shocked if we aren't having a girl!"

ultrasound on friday revealed right away.  GIRL.  i knew it.  i said the line from my dream.  "i get to have sisters!"

as shaun and i were leaving the doctor, i couldn't stop smiling.  i was of course excited about another healthy baby girl, but almost more excited about how God had been revealing things to me lately.  i know that for some, that probably sounds weird.  all of these things could be coincidental.  but i really believe that God hears us.  he listens.  he cares about the little things that to others may seem insignificant.  and he knows the desires of our hearts.  things won't always go our way, but i feel like in this situation, it was a sweet reminder of what a sweet God we have. 

so....

onto planning for baby girl #2!  sometimes i don't know how i waited to find out with C...

i've started planning the nursery a little bit.  starting with this...

i'm obsessed with katie daisy.  C has a couple of prints in her room and bathroom.  i got one for my bro and sis-in-law for christmas.  the hubs got me one for christmas.  so, it only made since that i got baby girl #2 one too!  isn't this the sweetest?  love the colors.  love the line from alice and wonderland.  love it all.  so, it's my starting point.

today i went and bought some new fabric.  can't wait to get started!!!

and, just because i'm way excited, and i couldn't do this with C (since we didn't know early that she was a girl), i'm also getting these...

 is that bow not the sweetest thing you've ever seen?  well, besides that little babe it's on...;)

and once she's born, we've already decided she's going to need this in her room...

"sweet baby girl"  love it!  can't wait to meet her!

off to pin more to my nursery board!!

katie daisy print here; fabric from JoAnn's; baby felt bow here;  baby hat here;  birth announcement subway art here

my little ballerina

my girl started ballet and tap classes this week!  this has been something i have wanted to get her in for a long time.  this spring is finally the right time!

so, last friday we busied around town getting her everything she would need for her first class on monday.

little leotards, little tap shoes and little ballet shoes.  it was her dream come true.  mine too.  when we got home she wanted to try everything on, so we did.  =)

once monday came, she was about to lose it.  so excited.  so silly.  we had a lot of fun driving to her class.  she didn't stop talking the whole ride.  asking questions, telling me what she thought would happen.  i was smiling the whole time too.  i was excited that my girl was so excited.

these pictures are not good, but i want to record this moment here.  most were zoomed, with my iphone, through glass.  but she's still pretty cute.

 

she was very focused.  paid very close attention to her teachers and only spotted me through the window twice.  and even then, she just waved and smiled, then got right back to work.

 

she LOVED it.  both of us are very excited about the next few months.  i'm so proud of her and so excited to see her in the spring recital.

and if you know my girl, you know her love for ballerina's and tu-tus.  i decided to go through some old pictures and see how often she had a tu-tu on in them.  TONS.  i can't tell you how hard it was to narrow it down to these.

here's when it all started...

 

my little brother got married in may 2011.   C was one of the flower girls, and i made the tu-tus.  she hated it.  every time i tried to put it on her, she freaked.  so, i got the idea to let her look at herself in the mirror so she could see how pretty she looked.  done.  she was in love.  tu-tu's were her new obsession.  and she rocked the aisle on their wedding day.

here are some of my favorite snapshots since then...

 2nd birthday party

 christmas 2011

 just hanging around the house...

 march madness!  had to have a UK tu-tu.  national champs, duh.

bathing suit of her dreams.  she's so excited and couldn't stop moving, that it looks like she's missing a hand!

 

old ballet costume found in my best friends mom's basement.  she probably wore it the 

whole weekend we were there!

my little ballerina.  so proud of her and excited to see what all she learns.  i know zero about ballet.  but i'm excited to be a dance mom! 

miscellany monday

i don't usually blog on mondays, so i miss out on this.  but today i'm linking up with carissa at lowercase letters and doing a miscellany monday blog.

 

~1~

last week we celebrated our 5 year anniversary.  shaun surprised me by going through his old journal entries from when we first started dating and pulling out significant entries.  once i realized he had done this, i went and found an old journal too.  i can't tell you how fun it was to remember what we were thinking our first few months of dating.  it was crazy to remember how nervous we both were and how quickly we fell in love.  god did some amazing things fall 2005 and spring 2006.  i am so thankful and feel so blessed to have shaun by my side.  and i'm so thankful that awkwardness has passed and we don't have to make calculated moves for holding hands and kissing...;)

~2~

saturday morning we discovered and new local place that we loved and will definitely visit again soon.  it was so nice to have a little family breakfast and enjoy a low key morning.  we slept in, we had breakfast, we said hello to some horsey's and a donkey across the street from the restaurant and we just relaxed.  it was good for us.  we have had a wonderful summer of business.  and although summer isn't technically over yet (hello?  it's like 100 degrees here!), the hubs had to go back to school and soon students will be arriving.  in a way, our summer is coming to an end.  so a low-key weekend was needed.

~3~

speaking of summer - i love this picture.  i love it when you get to leave your shoes on the back porch and run around barefoot.  and i love those little polka dot sandals.  seems crazy to think that next summer they will be replaced with something bigger.  wait forget next summer - try now.  her little toes already hang off the front...

~4~

remember the post here about hanging with my besties?  all 14 of us packed into one house for the weekend.  well, how's this for a good looking bunch?

and would you believe that this was the first and only attempt at this picture.  ALL THE KIDS ARE LOOKING!!  and so are the parents - good job adults ;).  there is not another picture like this in existence and i really cherish it.  i've even showed my co-workers this picture.  this is my 2nd family.  my family that knows me better than my biological family.  these are the people that i have gone through peaks and valleys with and i love every. single. one.  and special thanks for mandy.  the one that always has a camera and makes us capture these picture perfect moments.

well, that's it.  have a great monday!

5 years ago

the day i would marry my best friend and partner for life.  the day it would no longer be just me.  the day i became a wife and shaun became my husband.

i can't believe it's been 5 years.  we have been through so much, and the life we have today is more wonderful than i could have ever planned back in 2006.

we have had those usual big milestones - get a dog, buy a house, have a baby, buy a car, move again.

but when i think about our lives together, i love to think about the little things too - our first apartment that always smelled like crazy curry food.  the acronyms that only we use and know.  pancake breakfasts.  hugging when i'm in the middle of something.  listening to our sweet daughters voice and making up phrases when we're not exactly sure what she's saying.  sitting on our back porch swing when it's raining.  hearing our daughter call us "babe".

these are the moments i cherish.  these are the memories i keep.

5 years ago today, i walked down the isle knowing i was in for the best years of my life.

and i truly mean it when i say that these past 5 years have been amazing.

you have given me the most amazing gifts.  and yes - C is the first thing that probably comes to mind, but before her, you gave me so much.  you have given me stability and security.  confidence in myself and confidence in marriage.  and above all, you've given me your unconditional love.  i know that beyond a shadow of a doubt.  i've had my moments, and you're still here.  with your servants hearts and steadfast love.  you were my partner, even before children. 

 

 i told you this morning that "if i could choose again, i'd still choose you."

believe it.  there is no one else in this world i would rather do this life with.  you are my best friend and i am proud to be your wife.

and i look forward to the day when we can put a 0 behind that 5...;)

love you babe!  with all my heart.

happy daddy's day!

you're spending father's day the same way you have spent everyday this past week.  working hard on our new kitchen.

you're a hard worker, and we are so blessed to be your family.

from the moment you became a daddy, i had no worries you would be amazing.

C is your little princess, and when she calls you "Daddyboi", i know you melt.

you are her hero and she is crazy about you.  she has been from the very beginning.

thank you for leading our family.  for protecting and providing for us.  thank you for being an amazing example to our daughter and for always being there for us both.  she doesn't realize this yet, but i know she will look for the same traits in a husband that she sees in you, her daddy.

you are amazing daddyboi.  WE LOVE YOU very much!!!