Sisters having fun together

It was so fun to watch Braelyn playing with Layna.....and Layna smiling and enjoying Braelyn so much!! Braelyn is so sweet to her....most of the time. One time I caught her reading Layna a book. She didn't know I was watching her, which made it even sweeter.

I've been surprised that the one thing Braelyn doesn't really want to do is hold Layna. She hardly ever asks to hold her, and then when she does, it's only for a few seconds and she is ready to put her down.
I have to comment on Braelyn's outfit. She has on her play clothes (shirt and pants) and then her Dora nightgown on top of that, and then a skirt over her pants!! She wore this all day and loved it.

Finishing up from February

A shot of my long, "Layna girl" all stretched out. Braelyn has started calling her "Layna girl"

Well, my mind has a hard time remembering too much about February, even though it wasn't that long ago :). I do know that I had to have my first, and hopefully last ever, root canal. It was not a pleasant experience for me. And I am still trying to get my permanent crown for the tooth to fit right. God is teaching me how to try and have a good attitude about these kinds of things that you don't enjoy doing and are frustrating, but you just have to do anyway. I have to try to remind myself that every single thing, big or little, that happens to me is what God deems "BEST". Even a root canal. I have to believe that this is what is best for me to be experiencing right now and trust that God has a purpose in it. So that is what God is teaching me right now. And I have been convicted lately about my lazy prayer life. There are so many needs in our families and friends and church and I am not asking God to do much about any of it. It is just a matter of getting my thoughts off of myself and thinking of others and how God wants to be glorified in those situations. I wonder why things aren't changing and then I remember that maybe it's because I'm not asking. That is just what I've been thinking about lately....... here are some pictures to enjoy.

Layna is starting to smile and respond a lot more to us. I love it when they start smiling. It makes the lack of sleep seem more worth while :)
Here is Layna on our first trip to church. She did really well. I had to leave the service to go feed her, but I figured that would happen. Looks like she is waving to the camera. I tried putting a bow on her head, but I think she must have a big head, bc it was too tight on her head. Oh well...

Just catching another smile......

Enjoy this amazing song!

So I heard this song on the radio for the first time yesterday and I LOVED it! I just felt like I needed to share it with everyone bc it really gets your mind in the right perspective. I guess it is our human nature to want things to be easy and comfortable.....and I find myself complaining and grumbling when they arent. But it has been the most difficult, most lonely, uncomfortable experiences in my life that have drawn me the closest to the Lord and have taught me the most about Him.
This earth is not our home.....the things it offers cannot satisfy us. Just a good reminder for me.

Here are the lyrics: I added the bold to some of my favorite parts.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

(Chorus)
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home,
It's not our home

(Chorus)
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

My Sweet Valentines

Well, I had good intentions of taking some pictures of the girls in red and then printing some pictures and making some valentine cards to send out........but........well.......I did good just to get a few pics taken :). So Happy Belated Valentine's day everyone! And hope you enjoy these pics online.





Braelyn opening her Vday treats from Mamaw. She had just put a sweettart in her mouth. :)
It was nice to have my parents come up for a short visit last Sunday afternoon.
Making cookies with Mamaw.
Braelyn loves her daddy.....and so do I !!!
My littlest valentine :)
The m&Ms I got braelyn had a stamper on top.....when we came back in the room, she had been pretending to paint her fingernails pink. obviously she did more than her fingernails.
Layna is 5 weeks old today!!

Beginning February

So we were very blessed one Sunday a few weeks ago to have a very warm day. Although it was almost dark, we managed to squeeze in our first family walk, as a family of four :). Going for walks is something that has always been special for Aaron and I, no matter where we have lived, since we have been married, we LOVE to go for walks in the evenings. I am so thankful for the great walking trails and the park behind our house. I am really looking forward to getting out with Layna and Braelyn and heading to the playground when the weather gets nice. My body is craving some exercise and outdoors!

These are a fews pics taken 2/3/11, when Layna was 3 weeks old. We would like to thank Aunt Laura for the beautiful, super soft and cozy blanket!! A special keepsake :) These aren't my favorite pictures, bc apparently Layna had been sucking on her paci so hard she has red circles on her cheeks!

This tongue is for you Aunt Sarah!!!

I just thought she looked like an angel......so content and beautiful!

It's really funny.....every "new" toy we get out for Layna to use, Braelyn seems to be in love with! I guess it is good bc it is keeping her occupied playing with all of Layna's toys. So here is Braelyn and Layna doing some "tummy time". Braelyn wanted to take this to bed with her!

I can't say enough how thankful I am for the help I had from Aaron, his mom, and my mom for the first 3 weeks!! I have been on my own now for almost 2 weeks......and that is why I haven't updated the blog for so long. I am getting adjusted to taking care of two little ones, which can be a challenge at times, but the Lord has provided and sustained me each day to be able to keep going even when I'm exhausted. I keep telling myself that it will get better, and soon I will be sleeping more(Lord willing). Once I get more sleep, I know I will feel better. I'm just not the type of person who does well on little sleep. I know God is strengthening me each day. Braelyn is still doing a great job as big sister. I do have to keep a close eye on her at all times though. And Layna is beginning to smile a little more which brings joy to my sleep-deprived soul :). We are still waiting to venture out in public with her, probably a couple more weeks since the flu and all the other sicknesses seem to be running rampant. Oh, Layna was one month old last Saturday!

Layna Aleese 2 weeks old

I wasn't planning on doing a photo shoot....but then I got carried away with the camera of course. Unfortunately her bows and outfit don't match, but I'll do better next time. Layna is a growing girl. She weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz at her 2 week check up last Wed. I was surprised she had gained so much weight, but thankful. She is a really good baby. She usually goes at least one 4 hour stretch at night, and last night she actually did two 4 hour stretches back to back! I am so thankful for her sleeping habits! I have been very blessed to have a lot of help, which makes it easier for me to try and get some rest. Braelyn is still doing a great job being a big sister. She is always asking about Layna and concerned about her well-being. We have had some beautiful weather the past two days. We actually got outside this afternoon and went for our first family walk! It was very encouraging to be outside walking....just a reminder that winter will not last forever and I will not be stuck inside my house forever either :) Hope you enjoy the pictures! There are more on facebook, just couldn't upload everything on here.

Just a few pics

Here are just a few pics...kind of random, more to come soon! Braelyn picked out this outfit..and was so proud to show Daddy!

Can't wait to see more of that smile :))

This pic was from the hospital. I just really liked it bc it shows her hair in the back. She looks so chubby in pictures, but in real life I have a hard time seeing it.

Going to go give Layna a bath! more pics coming soon!

The story behind the name

Braelyn loves to give Layna hugs and kisses. She is doing a great job as a big sister.

Layna enjoying the car ride home.

Getting ready to leave the hospital and head home. Very cold and snowy outside.

I wasn't sure if I would ever be writing this blog.....about a name for our baby girl, a name that I liked and was excited about. But, Praise the Lord, God provided a name for her, in His perfect timing and we are so happy about it. I think finding a name for her was the hardest part of being pregnant.

So, before we had Braelyn I had decided that I would like for our children to have a "spiritual" name and a "family" name. When I started thinking and praying about a name for this baby girl, I kept thinking of the verse, Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven." I started looking up names that meant "light", but didn't really find anything I was excited about. Finally, one night I was thinking about the name Alayna, which I knew meant light, but I wasn't crazy about it. That night before we went to bed (Aaron was half asleep already)....I told him the name Layna Aleese, but we didn't talk about it. The next day I looked it up to see what it meant, I was just hoping that Layna would mean light since Alayna does. When I looked it up online, I couldn't believe it.....it means "light and truth"!!! I had also been looking at names that meant "truth", since I couldn't find any that meant light. I called Aaron who was working and told him how excited I was.

I love the name Layna because it is simple, but not common. I think it sounds sweet and beautiful and, of course, I love it's meaning. We pray that God will use Layna's life as a light for Him and that she would know the truth of God's word and share it with those around her.

After we decided the first name, I knew I wanted her middle name to be after my Mom, who is Mary Alice. I had a few different names I was considering, but finally decided on Aleese, which is similar to Alice. I chose this spelling because my middle name is Lee and Braelyn's middle name is Evangelee. So now, both my daughters have "lee" in their middle names too. I didn't plan on this, it just worked out that way.

And that is why we chose the name Layna Aleese Jones! I have some more cute pics of her smiling that I took the other day, just need to get them on the computer. She is sleeping and eating well. And she is starting to sleep a little longer at night. Thank you for all your prayers.

Welcome Layna Aleese Jones!!

Welcome Layna Aleese Jones. Born at 9:18 AM, Jan 12th, 2011. Weighing 7 lbs and 1 oz. 19.5 in

We are so excited to finally meet Layna and officially announce her name to everyone! I wanted to use this post to tell how she came into the world and how we decided on her name. She is such a good baby and we think she looks just like Braelyn did.

So here is how it all happened....

Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 I thought I started feeling some contractions, about every 15 minutes, but wasn't sure. They weren't painful at all. So I called my Mom and told her to come on to Bristol because Aaron was already at work and would be at the hospital all night. As the evening continued they slowly became a little more obvious, but still not bad at all. In the midst of it all, it started snowing....a lot, and the roads were getting bad. My mom got stuck on the interstate behind a wreck and so I was starting to get a little nervous. I decided to call our friends from church and so she came over and stayed with Braelyn while her husband took me to the hospital around 10:30 pm. Thankfully they had four wheel drive.

Once I got to the hospital I felt much better. I still wasn't having painful contractions, but was having some every 7 or 8 minutes. I decided to just hang out with Aaron in the call room instead of being admitted. I ended up just laying down in Aaron's call room bed and the contractions spread out some more, so I rested a little. Around 4:30 am I felt a little more intense contraction and they were every 10 min for about an hour, then they went to about 8 min apart and around 5:45 I had a really intense one and called Aaron (who was sleeping in another call room) and told him I thought we might need to check in. I was 5 cm dilated at that point.

So we got checked in to a room and they started getting me ready. My contractions were getting more intense and I went ahead and asked for an epidural. I was SO THANKFUL that I was able to get the epidural in a timely fashion. The nurse I had was SO GREAT, she made sure that the epidural guy came to our room first. He was supposed to go to start a scheduled c-section, but she said that they could wait and I needed it first since I was in labor! My epidural went so much better this time. He did a great job. I was just so thankful. It was only about an hour and a half later that I delivered. If the nurse had not insisted on doing me first, I would have delivered without an epidural! which I never want to experience :)

Around 8:15 am the Dr checked me and I was 8 cm dilated and he broke my water. Then about 9 am I started pushing and pushed about 8 times and then we were able to meet Miss Layna Aleese! This was my first time being able to feel anything while I was pushing. With Braelyn I was totally numb and felt NOTHING while I pushed. Overall, it was a great experience and delivery. It all went very smoothly.

Well, that was a longer post than I expected. But I wanted to document it all and share with everyone. I will post again and share how we decided on her name.

We are all doing well and getting adjusted to all the changes. Thankfully Aaron is at home this week and that is making the transition much easier. More later.....

Videos!

Well, we are still waiting for baby sister to arrive. I had an appt today and the dr said I was 3 to 3 and 1/2 cm dilated! So we were excited that I am still progressing, it could be any day now.
Below are a few videos. Braelyn got to go sledding for the first time at her Mamaw's house a few days after Christmas. She loved it! She seems to be more of a risk taker than her Mommy :). And the other video is our attempt to get her "Joy to the World" song on video. She is still asking to sing it, which is kind of fun, even with Christmas being over. I'm hoping to post some pictures of baby sister's room soon. It looks just like Braelyn's nursery :)....just organized a little differently. It is so nice to have everything already and not have to buy new things.

New Year's Sermon Challenge

I just wanted to post some points from our pastor's sermon last Sunday. I felt like it was very straightforward, powerful, and convicting. I pray that God will use this to challenge you and make you reevaluate maybe what type of goals/priorities you have set for this new year.

How to Set Your Priorities for LIFE
What is the first commandment? "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3
-The principle: God gets FIRST place in my life.
Definition of a "god": ANYTHING or ANYONE that has first place in my life.

Insight #1: The key to freedom is to choose the right master. (Matt 6:24)

-The promise: "Seek FIRST God's kingdom and his righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS will be given to you as well." Matt 6:33

Insight #2: If there is worry in our life something else or someone else has taken FIRST PLACE.
-The procedure: How can I make God the number one priority in my life? I must know what God expects. (Colossians 1:18)

Where does God want to have first place in my life?
F- Finances....it all belongs to Him, evaluate our giving, spending, acknowledging His ownership
I- Interests.....are you interested in the things of God
R- Relationships......are your relationships Christ centered and God glorifying
S- Schedule.....does God get the best of your time, or does He get the leftovers, evaluate where you are spending the most of your time, are you available?
T- Troubles....we should cry out to God FIRST in our troubles, trusting Him to care for us, shows our dependence on Him

Insight #3: When you and I forget what we started with(which is nothing), we tend to push God aside and something else or someone else takes FIRST PLACE.

Insight #4: The key to setting goals is to obey the RIGHT MASTER. (Luke 6:46)

My purpose in life is to glorify God by SEEKING Him with my whole heart and building my goals around HIS priorities.

What are 5 key areas in setting goals for my life?
Spiritual Goals
Personal Goals
Family Goals
Practical Goals
Vocational Goals

Commitment Prayer: By faith, I desire to choose to obey the right master: The Lord Jesus Christ. I surrender my life completely to His Lordship. By the grace of God and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit I desire to give God FIRST PLACE in these areas of my life.