Braelyn's 2nd Birthday!!

So here is the beginning of Braelyn's bday celebration last Saturday. We kicked it off by going to Toys R Us for the morning. Braelyn LOVED getting a balloon and a special crown to wear. When she got the balloon and crown she just started jumping and dancing in circles!! It was so CUTE!

And here starts the birthday party at the park. It was actually a double party, we celebrated with my nephew Colton, who turned 6 just the day before. It was a beautiful warm day and we were so thankful for everyone who was able to come and celebrate with us.

I was really pleased with the cake. I ordered it from Sam's and it was delicious!! I just didn't have the time or patience to try and make her bday cake this year. Maybe next year....
All the kids chowing down on some pizza....minus Mattie. I think she was still on the playground.


My big TWO year old going down the BIG slide all by herself!! She was not afraid at all, and insisted on doing it "again, again"!!
Braelyn got so many nice presents! Thanks everybody for thinking of her. She has had a great time playing with all of them this week.



We got her a baby doll that laughs and cries with some a little bottle and bed. She has been LOVING playing "mommy" to this baby, which encourages me a lot that she is going to be a GREAT big sister!!
Here is a picture of ALL of Braelyn's presents she got at the party! What a blessed little girl! Thanks again everyone for helping us make her day so special!
And finally, we don't want to forget baby sister, which is what she is going by these days. I have had many requests for a 'belly pic' so here it is. This was taken about a week and a half ago though....I was 22 and 1/2 weeks in the pic and I will be 24 weeks tomorrow. She is starting to move around a lot more. I am really wanting to find a name soon, bc I keep wanting to call her something other than baby sister. I think I might have a middle name, just still searching for the first. We are planning on transitioning Braelyn from the baby bed to the twin bed this weekend! So please say a prayer she likes it and transitions well.

Ready for fall!

Here are a few pics from August. Apparently our month was pretty uneventful bc there aren't many pics at all, or maybe I was just lazy and didn't take many. These first few pics are of Braelyn and Mattie at the Zoo in Knoxville. We were excited to get to spend the day with Katy and Mattie. The girls really enjoyed it and it was a beautiful day too.


Braelyn did have fun, despite the unhappy face below. It was quite challenging to get a picture of the two of them looking the same direction.
I happened to find some "jewelry" for Braelyn at a yard sale a few weeks ago and she LOVES it! It's the first play jewelry she has had and it has entertained her a lot lately.

Earlier in August we went to a splashpad with some of the cousins and had a great time. It was scorching hot that day, so we were thankful for some water to cool off in. Pictured below are Braelyn, Mattie and Hayden.
And finally, we just had to get a shot of the deer that were visiting our back yard for a few days. It was unusual to see deer in our backyard, but fun too.

We just got back from spending the weekend with my family in the Smoky Mts camping for Labor Day. The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! It was actually nice to be outside all day long, and even COLD at night!! So refreshing after so much heat this summer. We only stayed Sat night but spent all day sat and sun there. It was nice to spend time with family and be outside in the mountains. I am really glad it is September. Fall is my favorite time of the year. Lots of exciting things this month....Braelyn's second bday, lots of other family bdays, caregroup starts back at church, CMDA cookout, I started a new Precepts bible study, and COOLER weather!!
I started another Precepts bible study this morning. It's a Kay Arthur study and we are doing the book of Leviticus!! Yes, that's right. I am actually pretty excited about it bc I just read Lev. within the past few months since I'm trying to read through my bible, so it is kind of fresh on my mind. AND I know, without a doubt, that I will learn so many great things through this study. Kay Arthur is a great teacher and so is my bible study teacher at church who facilitates us. I'm also excited bc Braelyn is not the only child in the nursery this time. All last year she was the only kid there. But today there were 5 kids! And she knows all of them. This is such a blessing to have a bible study that provides childcare. I am very thankful that our church does that.
So, hopefully I can post some blogs about what I'm learning in Lev. I read the first chapter today....burnt offerings to sum it up. The theme of the study is that we will learn how to approach a HOLY God. Something that has already been pointed out is that our God is a God of great details. Also, it is important that we understand this book of Lev. bc if it wasn't important for us to study then God wouldn't have included it in the bible! So, like I said, I'm hoping to share some new things that God teaches me through this study.
On another note, I am now 21 and half weeks along. Feeling good, but still a picky eater. She is starting to kick and move around a bit more. Braelyn is starting to understand a little more. She will say "Baby sister". And if you ask her where Baby sister is, she answers "Mommy's belly". Braelyn is talking SO MUCH...not always coherent, but pretty much just always jabbering :) It is so much fun watching her learn and grow. What a blessing and gift it is to be a Mother and have the privilege of teaching and loving your child. I praise God for Braelyn and for this baby on the way. He is so good to us. Oh, speaking of His goodness. My mom found a twin bed for Braelyn (head/footboard and rails)!! Hooray!! Now we just have to get it to Bristol, put a new coat of paint on it and buy a mattress :) I am so thankful He provided that for us, at a great deal too!
Ok, I should probably go now. Oh, be praying for Aaron. He is studying for his boards exam that he will take next Monday. And we have a very busy weekend, so just pray that he will be prepared and ready. Thanks and have a good week!

We're having another GIRL!!

Say hello to our Baby Girl!! She is 19 weeks in these pics. So thankful that she cooperated for us to be able to tell what she was. I was thinking it was a boy, so I have been having to rethink things. But I am very excited for another girl and for Braelyn to have a sister to be friends with. We praise God for this new life He is forming and growing! In the picture above it is a profile picture like she is laying on her back, head on the left. They said she was very photogenic.


The picture above is another profile pic, but she is turned around the other direction...head on the right.

Below, is what I like to call her "scary" face. :) Her face is right in the middle and it is like she is looking right at you. I call it scary, bc it looks skeletal still . Her body is on the right side.
The next few pics she is in the same position, her face is right in the middle. looks like she has her head on a pillow. her body is on the right again. and that is her arm along the bottom, with her hand next to her cheek.

Below, is mainly a shot of her arm, you can see a little bit of her face.
Just a couple of shots of her feet.
And finally she decided to play peek a boo with Braelyn :) You can see both of her hands are raised up in front of her face.
So these are some pics of our sweet baby girl. We are looking forward to another girl. That means less shopping for me and we get to use a lot of the stuff we already have again. We are working on finding a name, but I struggle with girl names, so hopefully we will have one before January! Please continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
We will be celebrating Braelyn's 2nd birthday soon! Hard to believe in less than a month she will be two! I have to get to work on figuring out her cake. She is having an Elmo bday party at the park. Hope you all have a good weekend.

The cutest Froggie ever!

I know these are a lot of froggie pics, but I just thought they were too cute to leave any of them out! This is Braelyn's froggie towel, which she LOVES! She will walk around the house with it on and just want to sit with it beside her. thank you Kohls!


I think this one, above, is one of my favorites.
This is a picture of Braelyn at the library with her friend, Madelyn. We went once a week for a few weeks, then we have just been busy lately. It is an amazing library with a GREAT place for kids. We had a playdate there....nice and air conditioned!!! :)
And here we have some pics of one of Braelyn's favorite things.....going to the park with Dada. She gets to ride in the buggie while Dada pulls her on the bike. Then they usually play in the creek and playground, while Mommy enjoys a few minutes of alone time. :)
So that is some of what we have been doing in July. Aaron is starting to study some for his boards, which he will take in September.
oh, I got a haircut yesterday, which was much needed. I think i try to set a record for how long I can go in between haircuts. All the kids at church were getting haircuts for back to school, and it inspired me to do the same. Getting a new haircut made me want to go get some new clothes, but unfortunately, I'm in the in between stage where my clothes are getting pretty snug, but maternity clothes are still too big. so......i'll just postpone that shopping trip for now.
hope everyone has a good weekend.

Time with family in July

We were excited to have some of our family come and visit us in July. My brother and sister and their families were able to come one night. We are all on the train above, but Jackson is hiding and unfortunately you can't see too well bc of the shadows. But we had a great time riding the train, feeding the ducks, going to the nature center, and playing in the creek and playground. The usual park adventures.


Just about a week ago we were excited to have Aaron's Mom and sister, Laura, and her kids, Caryss and Gavin come to visit too. Again we enjoyed the usual park adventures and had a great time.
I was excited to get a picture of the three of them together! It will be going on the fridge soon :) Braelyn loves pictures as much as her mommy.
And these last pics are a little out of order......4th of July! We decided to head home and visited with both of our families for the holiday. We are so thankful that we live close enough to go home and visit on the weekend if we want.


Great Granddaddy Jones with me and Braelyn.
Braelyn with her Granddaddy and Nana.

So thankful for both of our families and the time we get to be together with them.

Pictures from June

Looks like Braelyn is saying "Does this swimsuit make me look fat?" :))

I know pics aren't as exciting as videos, but I still haven't mastered the uploading videos yet. So here are some pics from June. Mainly just showing a few things Braelyn enjoys doing.....swimming in her pool, swinging, and painting. We also have been going to the park more lately and playing in the creek and playing on the playground.







It's hard to believe that it is already August. I am 16 and a half weeks now. We should find out on August 20th, hopefully, what we are having!!! I am very excited to find out. I really have no idea what it will be. We are starting to look for Braelyn a twin bed to put in her room. Then at some point we have to clean out our guest room and try to figure out where we will put all of that stuff to make a baby room! On a random note...we got new phones this past weekend and aaron and I now have texting plans!! Yes, we are catching up and will now be texting :) and sending pics. I have three weeks of teaching at church on wed nights, then AWANAS will kick off. I plan on helping with that. I LOVE Awanas. It's such a great opportunity to help the kids learn about verses and how hiding them in their heart can really change their lives. We have gotten to have some good conversations the last couple of weeks in our classes and I am thankful for that. I think the kids have learned a lot this summer...to the glory of God.
Hope you all have a good week. Hopefully more pics from July soon.