Fun Filled Weekend

Friday, May 11th
Philly, Angel, and Chelsea

I was so pleased to get a phone call from Angel stating that she and Chelsea would be in

Bloomington on Friday. They were interviewing IU and touring the campus to see if it is the right school for Chelsea. I say "interviewing" because Chelsea is a very intelligent (and very beautiful) student whom will have colleges competing for her. It is clearly Chelsea's choice of where to attend college. Lucky for us, we may have another niece at IU.
They drove a bit futher south to visit us. We were so glad that they did.
Angel and Chelsea got to meet some of my childcare children and Angel made a new friend.

Friday evening we had some friends over for Amaya's 12th birthday and boy did we get her good!
SURPRISE!
Everyone hid behind the couch and popped up at the perfect moment to pull off a surprise birthday party. Amaya didn't have a clue that a party was waiting on her back home.
Philly turned on some Beatles music ("They Say It's Your Birthday") and the party was kicked off to a great start.
With dancing....

Cake.....

...cake...

And more cake... (Meet Milina. My cousin Angel's daughter. An Angel in both of our families.)

...and party horns, this night was a hit!
This is Scout, one of best friends, Michelle's, 21 month old sweet girl, who also happens to be one of my childcare kids. She absolutely adores Philly.

On Saturday we had another special guest visit. This guest spend the night with and join in our Mother's Day celebration!

She also got to ride on Philly's shoulders after a trip and fall accident while out on our neighborhood walk.

Chloe Marie... another childcare kiddo. I have known her mommy for years, (Angelique) another BFF!

She absolutely adores Philly! (Did I already say that earlier?;)

And I think she kinda likes me too. Philly doesn't have to discipline the children all of the time so he is much more fun.

At the very last minute I decided that we would rearrange our schedule so that we could all go to Logansport for a quick Mother's Day trip. So on Sunday we got up early and headed up to visit family.

See a familiar face? There is Angel...twice in one weekend in two different towns...yippee!

Chloe was thrilled to see a familiar face. It didn't even take her long to warm up to the unfamiliar faces.



Amaya was happy to see these three beautiful sisters (nieces), Casey, Sarah, and Emily.

Two good looking young men, Tanner (nephew) and Austin (cousin.) Notice the bunny ears?

 and Ely...get'em Austin!

A couple sweet cousins Maddie and Katey.

Nick and Ely worked in some pitching practice.

And the whole purpose of our very quick trip up to Logansport and back (in one day)... Jinner, Philly's Mom! Sweet, kind, and absolutely hilarious! Got to love this women!
We hope everyone had a fabulous, family filled Mother's Day!
It just gets better every year!

Take care,

Jen, Phil, Amaya, Ely, and (of course) Baby

Heart rate=Gender

Or so it is said that you can tell the gender of a baby according to the heart rate. So what does everyone think our baby will be?
Heart rate=154 to 160 beats per minute.
My blood pressure=100/60
My weight= I have officially gained my first pound and a half taking me from 120lbs. to 121 and 1/2lbs! (Blahaha! In my dreams!)
The big news....NO MORE PROGESTRONE MEDICATION!
Mommy and Baby are healthy! Doctors orders are to continue to take it easy but, we are better than expected!
Baby's due date is said to be sometime between Novemeber 13th and 18th.

What am I craving?
Caesar salad, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries(strawberry shortcake is my weakness right now), green olives, rye bread, cheese, sprite with crushed ice, almonds and I can't forget apples with peanut butter.
I am truly struggling with meat so I have been working protein in through other foods.

How do I feel?
FABULOUS! Very healthy! Elated! Emotional...a sweet emotional though. I can get to thinking about a past vacation or event, hear a song, or watch the kids play together and the tears start pooling up just like that.
I don't feel like I am having mood swings but, maybe I am oblivious to this. We should ask Philly;)

How does Philly feel?
This is almost impossible but, Philly may be more excited than even me. If you know Phil, you know that kids are like magnets to him. Having his own baby....oh my, this may be the most protected child on the face of the planet. He has already stated that he is cutting a hole through our bedroom wall into the powder room (which is in the nursery) because it will save him from going out to the landing to get to the baby... approximately 7 to 10 steps. And I will not be shocked if he really does it.

Our next appointment is on the 30th of May. If all is well, we will have our ultrasound on the 21st of June! Wow, this pregnancy is flying by!

Love and Laughter,
Jen and Baby

Happy 12th Birthday Amaya!

Today is a very special day...Amaya's 12th birthday. Wow thinking back, the last 12 yars have gone by fast! We should be going out for a dinner date tonight but, Amaya has a softball game so we switched it to tomorrow. We sure hope it is a special year Sis!
Love you, Mom, Philly, Ely, and Baby

Another one of those moments....

Once again... can all moments be like this? Our kids get along "most of the time" but when you walk into a moment like this it sure puts a smile on your face and warth in your heart! We Love being Parents.

3 months!



We thought we would start with a "before Jen gets bigger" picture for comparison in the later months. So here I am three months pregnant. Pooching out? Yes! Already? You got it! And boy can I feel the changes beginning to take place. You would think I would be totally prepared for each pregnancy detail but, over the last 10 years since Ely was born, I have slowly forgot these unusual feelings that change daily.

3 months!

Thank You Lord! We are SO happy to see three months. We had a couple scares in the earlier weeks of this pregnancy but with 200 mg of Progesterone (hormone medication) each night before bed and following the orders to "take it easy," we are looking forward to a healthy baby only six months from now!

So, for those of you who do not know...we are not going to find out the gender of our baby. This is bound to drive some of our closest friends and family crazy. I am sure that the surprise will be worth it to all of us come baby's birth.
We have several boy names picked out but, the girl name are not going as well. Any suggestions? We would love to hear names that others think would fit our baby if it happens to be a girl.

Our next appointment is set for May 10th so there will be more to blog about then!

God is good,
Jen

Positive+

On Valentine's Day, Philly suggested that we go shopping for an engagment ring! No way? Yep. Ely and I both got teary eyed. How exciting. So, the following Saturday we went on a ring shopping adventure. Of course I naturallly picked the most expensive ring in the store. We immediately began planning a wedding. We choose our location, guest list, flowers, even booked the day and time. Ready to inform everyone of the big plans...
Then on March 15th there was a pink plus sign. A plus sign means positive... right? All I could think was, "What ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall recieve." We got just what we had been praying for. With a baby on board our plans switched from wedding dresses and reception sites, to prenatal appointments and clearing out a bedroom for baby.

So here's baby... the size of a peice of rice in this ultrasound photo. Amazing!

'Daddy to be' bought baby's first item on his trip to the annual golf tournament....a Masters onsie! How appropriate.

 Of course this is only the begining of many pictures to come.
Love, peace, and joy,
Jen, Phil, Amaya, Ely, and Baby

2012-So Much To Celebrate!

A new year always feels fresh. A new beginning, a new chance to change things, and the feeling of wanting to accomplish.
In April of 2008, Philly and I began looking for a home that would fit our family and our lifestyle. At times it was extremely frustrating to continue our hunt because we kept hitting a dead end. Finally, we gave up and decided that we would stay in Edgewood and build on. I was ready to put down roots and feel stable.
Then, in November 2011 we found out that a house we had previously looked at (a year ago) had been reduced to a price that we felt comfortable with. So, we called our Realtor right away (only to hit another dead end) to be informed that the house had sold just two days before.  In the same conversation our Realtor told us that the couple who bought the house had decided that the historic home would be more work then what they wanted. She offered to call the couple and ask them if they would be willing to sell the home to us but, only if we were serious. We were so serious that we not only had our Realtor call the home owner's but, I drug Phil out on an escapade to the house to meet this couple immediately. I had Philly accompany me while I knocked on the door and explained the situation to the home owners. Shocked is what they were. I told them that we wanted to buy the house from them and to contact us if they decided to sell. One week later we received the phone call that we had prayed for. We got the ball rolling to make a new home purchase! The soon to be "old home owners" felt as though it was heaven sent for us to take the home off of their hands. The feelings were mutual.

We knew we would be closing on the house within days. As the excitement continued to build, I decided to ask a friend (who happens to be an excellent photographer) if she would be available for a photo shoot at the new house. I made arrangements with the homeowners and they graciously allowed us in for some photo time and only days away from moving. It happened to be New Years Eve! That just shows you how wonderful people around us are...to take time for us on a holiday? Wow! Thanks guys.

 Check out how we celebrated in our soon to be, new dining room!

Love the bent knee....Philly's gettin' down!

And when we returned to our little house on Westwood Drive, the celebration continued!
Finger foods and pajamas are a rule at our house on New Years (just in case you are ever present for the festivities.) It gets better every year!

Isn't this picture the best? We love you Sissy!

Merry Christmas-2011!

                                                                              

Christmas Eve 2011-Jen's Parent's House
Philly went to Logansport to be with his family this Christmas Eve. So we spent our first Christmas holiday apart. My whole family was bummed of course but, we knew Phil was where he needed to be. Much to my amazement, by the time Ely and I arrived for dinner, Philly was present!

You got it... that's Phil standing there in the red shirt and blue pants. They just couldn't celebrate Christmas without him. You know that you are very loved when you parents take time to make a dumby to represent the one you miss. Thanks family!
And Philly... I love you from your head...

                                              down to your toes!                                                                                                                                                                       

As if there wasn't enough excitement with Phil being present but, to discover that one of Santa's elf's stayed behind just to celebrate Christmas with our family... Thrilling!
A right jolly ol' elf...

A very happy 9 year old boy....

(Who couldn't keep his eyes off all of that army stuff in the box he is starring at...)

   A joyful Christmas hug...                                                                                                                           

And a special picture frame tradition carried on one more year. Santa we are glad your elf stayed behind!                                             

You know we couldn't end the night without a Photo of the girls! Jen, Krista, Mom (Diane), and Oma (Mamaw Lisa.) Amaya wasn't able to attend the party this year. She was missed very much.

Happy Holidays,
Jen and Ely

Christmas Eve Morning-2011
Our Christmas tradition rests on the morning of Christmas Eve. When the kids wake up and find that they were on the "good list" (Santa stopped again this year!) they dart in to our bedroom, jump on our bed shouting something that sounds like..." Get Santa, Up came, gifts stockings, up get..." If you have children you know exactly what we hear! So as fast as we can possibly fumble around for house shoes, the camera, praying we make in and out of the bathroom before all gifts are open, Philly and I miraculously make it down the hall and into a Christmas explosion! And every year the same.

Santa always knows exactly what is wanted most.
This years most wanted gift was a cupcake making machine.

Some cupcake pajamas to boot! How sweet!
A couple 'do it yourself'' robots for one fun loving boy.

A three foot nutcracker for the nutcracker collector and a Snowbabies collectible for the princess.

Yes, Ely is in his underwear again this Christmas morning. He seems to loose his pants in the middle of the night. Getting a little old for the underwear shots Ely. Maybe by next year I will have him trained;)

One very happy Christmas morning has come and gone. Always to fast.

Up Goes the Tree
The dance with the lights ... it happens every year. Amaya and I have it down to an art. Perfected like synchronized swimming. Ha! She gets on the back side of the tree. I'm always to the front. She hands it to me, I wrap it round, Maya grabs the strand just right and begins to place each light perfectly while I get in position to grab the lights again. Nobody can replace our lighting of the tree operation! Nobody!

And it is always required to use the furniture in place of a ladder. Hehe!

Amaya didn't leave me, (she wouldn't do that to me) she is just hidden by the tree in preparation for the next light exchange.

It's the girls job to decorate the tree. So this year, as a tree went up in the house, the boys cut a tree down in the yard.

Our plan was to turn this area into a parking space until we got news of a house for sale that we are interested in. More info. on the house soon to come. Shhhh.... the kids don't know about the it yet.

Love and Laughter, Jen, Phil, Amaya, and Ely