Tuesday, January 20, 2009

5 Months Old!






Mariah Jordan

I cannot believe my little Mariah is growing so fast. I feel like we just brought her home from the hospital yesterday. She is 5 months old today, and growing like a weed. She is babbling constantly, rolling over and trying to crawl.

So far, Mariah is a much more content and mellow baby than Chase was (He did have reflux, I will give him that). She is a constant source of giggles and smiles. Her face lights up at the sight of anyone she knows, especially her daddy (maybe I should have given her my middle name instead of using Jordan). She loves to be around people, doesn't mind confusion and has to be busy all the time. I feel already that she will inherit my spunkyness and stubborness!

I pray even now, that God will start molding her into a beautiful woman of God. I pray that she will be a shining beacon of Gods love for us in this crazy world we live in. But for now I will enjoy every minute of my precious gift from heaven.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Friends!



I was really excited when I found out that my good friend Hannah and I would be pregnant together. Since she is a mom of 3, she is a great source for prego info and has tons of tips on raising kids. I was really, really excited to find out that she and I were both having girls and that hopefully the girls would grow up as friends. Mariah and Juliana are a month apart in age and are growing everyday. The first picture was taken when Mariah was only a week old and Juliana was about a month old. Look how they have grown. In the picture above, Mariah is 4 months and Juliana is 5 months.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Best Toys

I have come to realize over the years that the best kinds of toys have two things. "Oh, I know" you say: Bright colors, educational, interactive, name brand. NO, NO, NO, NO. The two things that make a toy great are: An off button and a volume control!!!!!! When purchasing toys for Chase and Mariah, I now look for those two things. If we are missing those two, I don't buy it. Toys now days seem to come in loud and louder, and without an off button they seem to make noises in the wee hours of the night. Try searching for a toy quietly, in the kids room, at 2 in the morning, without waking them up because the animal puzzle is going off and you don't want the loud sound of the elephant triumphantly trumpeting to wake up your peaceful beauty. All is well at the end of the day when all the toys are tucked neatly away with the off button. My thoughts exactly!!!!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Chase's favorites.

Chase loves books. He likes to read (2-year-old narrations while flipping pages rapidly) and he loves for me, or anyone else, to read to him. I thought I would share his two favorite books with anyone who has kids. His first favorite is Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, a book about a farmer and 3 bunnies trying to eat his veggies. His second favorite is Squash the Spider!, a book about a boy named Billy and his pet spider. I bet we read both of these books four times a day, I can almost quote them. Both of these books are only about 20-30 pages long with big words, which makes it nice when you are fast reading to get kids in bed or prevent the other one from screaming. Hope you try them and hope you like them as much as we do!!!!!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Where is Chase???



I was walking to Chase's room and couldn't find him. I did find a noisy, rocking box that was previously empty. Apparently Chase is tired of Mariah, and is mailing himself to grammys.

I just love my new camera












Pictures Finally!



Sunday, January 4, 2009

Big Couple of Weeks!

The last couple of weeks have been super crazy and busy for us. First was Christmas. Since we were still at my parents house we decided to stay until after Christmas was over. We spent Christmas Eve with Jordan's mom, Christmas morning with my parents, and Christmas night with Jordan's dad. Yeah you can imagine how crazy those two day are when you have kids. The kids were over stimulated, over tired and over excited, but we made it through. This year more than ever, I felt the hustling and bustling of shopping and buying presents. I felt like the whole world had forgotten why we celebrate that special day. I want to make sure that my children know and understand that Jesus' birth is more important than receiving gifts!!

I really enjoyed waking up on Christmas morning with my family. It felt like I was a kid again. My dad always makes Christmas really special in our house. Decorating the house is always a special event, and I really miss it now that I am married and not there. It was nice this year to help pick out a tree and decorate with my family. Decorating the tree is a special event and requires egg-nog, Christmas music, and lots of lights. On Christmas morning the den was filled with Christmas music, the smell of breakfast, and wide eyed children. The morning went by to quickly, but I enjoyed every second. I especially love that my grandfather is around to make memories with his great-great grandchildren. Pop is very special to me and I thank God for everyday I have with him. He is such a great man that lived every day to make life better for his wife and children, and now lives everyday to the fullest with the family he has left.

Two days after Christmas (the 27th), Jordan and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary!! Wow, who knew we would have two kids in that time frame. We definitely have our arguments, but I love him whole-heartedly and I can't imagine life with any other person. I feel so secure in knowing that he loves me and would never leave me. I love that way he loves me, but I really love the way he loves our kids. Chase and Mariah mean the world to Jordan, and that is a quality that is sometimes hard to find in a man these days. He is my protector, my confidant and my friend. Thank you Jesus for blessing my with the best husband ever.

Saturday night Jordan and I decided that a month was long enough at my parents house (and lets just say they were not devastated). Sunday morning we packed up our stuff and moved back into the house. It took all day for us to clean and repaint after our house was robbed. That night friends and family came over to pray over the house and our family. We once again covered our house by the blood of Jesus and gave it to God for his use. After lots of tears, I felt a weight lifted off of me. God proved to me that stuff is earthly but he protect the most important heavenly gifts, the lives of my children and I. Thank you Jesus for protecting us, and thank you for replacing fear and anxiety with your love and protection.

Now for the last celebration of the week, My Birthday!!! On January 1st I turned the big 27. My first comment to Jordan was, "Oh my, I am almost 30." The kids were so cranky that day, so we stayed home and continued cleaning the house and putting toys away. My parents and brother came over for dinner and brownies, a nice end to a crazy two weeks!!