Baby It's COLD Outside

Wow has time flown. Christmas day has come and gone and the winter weather has come and is slowly going. What a crazy season it has been for us, it all seems to be one big blur. Christmas was perfect: a beautiful snowfall, Jordan was excited, Jason was home on Christmas eve and Christmas day, and Alissa was just waiting to be held and snuggled. Everything would have been perfect had I not been as sick as a dog. I kind of found it hard to get in the spirit of things after being up all night.

This past week has been fun too. We have had snow on the ground practically since Christmas day (a record I'm sure for Arkansas) and unbelieveably cold temperatures with wind chills getting close to -20. Our heater was doing well, at least I thought, until it siezed up on Friday morning. Guess you can say our house demanded and got a makeover. This seemed to be a bad situation until we realized that the damage to our heater could have been leaking carbon monoxide into our home. So all in all, it was a blessing the motor siezed up or we may have never known about the leak in the heat exchanger.

It has been a tough couple of weeks, but to be honest God has taught me a lot! 1. Christmas is not about the mood or how you feel...it is about Him and the birth of His Son Jesus. 2. Things may seem crazy, life may be taxing, but God is here, He is good, and He cares for and provides for His children. How blessed I am to have a heavenly Father who loves me and protects me and my family.

Christmas time is here

Christmas is here and we are having so much fun. Of course, how could we not with a 4 year old and a 4 month old. It's like Christmas every day full of holiday tunes, pretty lights, lots of Christmas movies, and a lot of chaos.

Jordan's Wish List is pretty simple: car ramps, car ramps, and more car ramps. Even though his list seems pretty simple he did manage to circle almost everything in the Target toy ad. Except for all of the girly toys which he scribbled through.

Alissa is doing well, she weighed 15 lbs. 11 oz. yesterday at her 4 month doctors appointment. She is a sweet little girl, full of smiles. She has not rolled over yet, but I told the doctor it is probably because there isn't really much (safe) quality time for her alone on the floor. I guess we need to work on that!

Merry Christmas to all!
Angie

FALL-ing Behind

I think my first post said something about maintaining and staying current on my blogging...well, I guess we all see how well I have been at doing that! It has been so long since I have posted anything that not only did I forget my password, but I also forgot the e-mail I use as my ID. So after going through all of the processes it took to get back on - here I am. Summer has passed and we are well into Fall. Alissa is almost 3 months old. Where have these 3 months gone?

We are having so much fun with Alissa. She is starting to be more social. She loves to smile and coo at us. We have even noticed that when she smiles real big she has a little dimple, way up high on her cheek. I just love it. I am so amazed at how God has fashioned her. I want to take it all in, just one step at a time.

Jordan loves being a big brother! He wants to be in her face, giving her kisses and loving on her all of the time (sometimes a little to much). This year he was extremely excited about getting to dress up on Halloween. He has been talking about being Spider-Man for a long time. I can see that things such as birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays are starting to make a little more sense to him now. We will be celebrating his 4th birthday in 3 weeks! He is getting so big.

Here are some pictures from the pumpkin patch. Jordan had so much fun. We picked a few pumpkins, Jordan and Jason rode a hayride, and Jordan got to do a barrell ride! It was extremely cold that day so Alissa stayed bundled up in her stroller.

Can't wait for Thanksgiving...my 2nd favorite Holday!

Our Beautiful New Arrival!

So sorry that it has taken me so long to update the blog. A lot of things have happened and I know many of you are waiting for some pictures! We welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world on August 10 at 6:29 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long. She has the most beautiful head full of brown hair, deep blue eyes, and the prettiest fingers and fingernails I have ever seen on a baby. Everything about her is so dainty and sweet.

Today she is 10 days old: I can't even begin to explain what a joy she has brought to us in just 10 short days. Jordan is completely in love with her. He loves to give her kisses, hold her, and is constantly telling me and her how much he loves her. He has adjusted so well. Jason and I are just completely amazed at what a beautiful little girl she is. We had the 3D/4D ultrasound done, so we had some idea of what she would look like, but never could we have pictured her as she truly is. A beautiful gift from the Lord.

Jordan and I are enjoying the time off together. We created a "Big Boy Chart" last night there are 4 items on there that he has to do each day in order to get a sticker. Once the chart is full of stickers he gets a special treat. His choice for the first chart was a trip to Fast Lane for some fun playing the NASCAR racing game. He already know that he will be the green car (his favorite color right now) and Jason will be the red car. There are some pretty big things on the chart like going to bed for naptime and bedtime all by himself. So, keep us in your prayers as Jordan learns to do these things. He's done great so far!

Fun in the Sun

Last Friday Jordan and I went to the Springdale Aquatic Center with Aunt Amy. Jordan had a blast! He immediately went into the water and found the waterslide right away, but about two times down and my little rebel got the lifeguard whistle blown on him (for trying to go up the slide). I just had to laugh, my 3 year old boy getting in trouble at the public pool. Anyway, he had a great time playing with Aunt Amy. He kept her pretty busy! Here are some pic's from our outing.

We have had a great summer so far and are looking forward to so many other great things to happen before fall! Here are a few: Alissa's birth (of course), a visit from Jason's sister and her family (this will be the first time they have visited us-so we are really excited), and Jason's mini vacation in August. God is so good and has blessed us with so much there is no other emotion we could express except for gratefulness for all He has done and continues to do.

Update on Alissa

Well, I had a check-up today and it looks like everything is going well. We are officially on week 35, so the countdown begins...FINALLY! The doctor said everything is going really great, he even went as far to say that I was the "textbook pregnancy" which is nice for him as he normally deals with high risk pregnancies. As much as I would love to have her right now I know that this is a great opportunity to praise God! He is keeping her safe, healthy, and continuing to form her in the safety of my womb and for that we are extremely grateful.

Jordan is having a great summer! He would love to be outside all of the time, but we have to limit it a little with the 95-97 degree temperature. So we bought him a little tool box the other day that came with a hammer, screwdriver, wrench, pliers, nails, bolts,nuts,and wood pieces. He played with it for probably 3 hours non-stop the first night we had it. When it was time to go to bed I told him to pick up the toys and he did, all but his "creation". He insisted that this creation had to stay out, on the floor, all night long. So, of course, I had to ask him what it was. His reply "It is a monster trap". He then went on to explain how if a monster came into his room that he would step on the trap and hurt his foot and wouldn't be able to get him. I assured him that there are no monsters, because God made everything, but He did not make monsters. Jordan was satisfied with that, but we did have to leave the trap out! How fun it is to have a little boy, I can certainly say that as a little girl, I would have never thought to make a monster trap.

Love You All!
Jason, Angie, and Jordan

Blessings

I guess it must just be the time of year with the 4th of July fast approaching, but I have been noticing lately all of the blessings God has given me! How wonderful it is serve such a great and amazing God, one who desires to have a deep and personal relationship with me. Not only that (and we know that would be more than enough) but He also created me to have and enjoy relationships with others! How blessed I am to enjoy those relationships He has placed in my life, I thought I would share some of them with you!

Jason - the one God has created just for me! How grateful I am that God has given me a husband who loves me and is committed to me alone. Jason you are a hard worker and I am so thankful for all that you do to provide for our family. I know that one day we will see the fruits of your labor, until then I am so glad to see you loving and enjoying your work!

Jordan - how can I ever convey the joy God has brought to my life through you. You are so fun to play with and I just love how much you enjoy life. You never waste a moment...all play, all the time. You have been given a huge zeal for life, every day I look forward to new and exciting things with you.

Alissa - we have yet to see you, but I know God is creating and fashioning you to be our daughter. He is forming you and I can't wait to see the beautiful creation He is making.

Family - I am so grateful for the way you support me and Jason as we grow in our marriage, grow in our parenting, and grow in the Lord. We feel so thankful for all of your generosity and encouragement. How thankful I am that each of you know the Lord and desire to walk in His ways!

Friends - thank you for all of the love you show us, each of you in your own special way.

Well, I hope that as you approach 4th of July weekend and remember the blessing of Freedom that has been bought for our country with a great price, that you also remember the Free Gift of Life that has been given to us through a much greater price. Jesus Christ loves you and died for you, He desires to have a relationship with you. After all, that's what we were created for - if you don't have Him, you don't have anything.