Me and Bella

This was one of the pics from last weekend...the only one of me and my new cousin, Isabella! She is so beautiful!!!

BEST FRIENDS :)

I snapped this picture a bit ago during naptime...the kids are both feeling a little cruddy. They caught my cold, which I caught from one of my lovely students.

They are in my bed, and I laid them down on opposite sides. Over the course of their nap, they eventually snuggled together and are even sharing a pillow :) Taylor says Chase is her "best friend", and he really adores her. Now, he can fight and beat her up, but at the same time, he gets so sad if she leaves or gets hurt or gets in trouble. They are just toooo sweet!

20 Weeks! Halfway there...

Wow

Denise...as my Olde Wheat Barn buddy, you will love this!!!!!

I came across this video of a lady named Ann Cooper. She is part of the California/Berkely school district, and is over the school lunch program. She managed to take their menu of corndogs, pizza, and chicken nuggets and turn the ENTIRE program into one that uses organic, local, and self sustaining farmed foods. Considering we had corndogs for our first day back at school, I know we are far from being here. She mentions facts/statistics/and figures that will make any parent, or human that eats in America, realize how big of a problem it is.

The video is 20 minutes long, but she manages to prove points taht would take another person hours! I love her! I hope you check it out...

http://www.ted.com/talks/ann_cooper_talks_school_lunches.html

Names...To Tell or Not To Tell???

I was hinted by a few people that they would like to know the name of our 3rd little blessing. Since I now know that the pregnant people in my family have either named their baby already, or are having a boy, I think it's safe to share. But if you don't like, keep it to yourself :)

Our baby girl will be named Addison Olivia Jones :)

Kyle and I chose the first name, and Taylor picked out the middle name. I love it!

Want to Get Pregnant ASAP?

Sell all your baby stuff in a garage sale! Yes, last summer Kyle and I decided we needed to purge alot of our things when we bought our home last summer. That included the thousands of baby items that we have accumulated over the years. So, we said goodbye to it all over a hot August weekend and came out getting about $700 total. Awesome for a garage sale, if I must say! LOL
So-here we are, 19 weeks along with a baby girl and nothing but a small box of baby items. I am not having a shower this time around, obviously, so Kyle and I have been trying to figure out how to get what we need without going overboard and having too much stuff that we won't even get to put it on the baby, which has happened to both kids now.

When you are having your 3rd baby, you know what you need and what is just nice to have (and also what you will NEVER ever use) Our main savings are being put toward baby gear. We plan on getting a bouncer chair, travel swing, and a Pack and Play with a bassinet/newborn bed/changing pad. We plan to cosleep with this baby as well, but I was very nervous about the first month or so having a baby in our King size bed with literally 8 inches of pillowtop. So-we will have the bassinet for a couple months then switch to our bed.

I figure we will get some clothes from family and friends anyway, so we really haven't thought about that at all. Turns out, we are right. My mom showed up today with onesies! Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, and I certainly wouldn't blog about onesies, BUT-this is our very first gift for our baby girl!!! I also love that my mom thinks ahead...she got 6 mos onesies since most people always give newborn clothes for gifts, and the bigger sizes also hold a big, giant cloth diaper butt.
Yes-the cloth diapers are safe and sound in the attic, along with my 2 pumps :) See, I DO know what is important to keep. We also kept special outfits. I will probrably start cloth diapering around 2 months, like we did with Chase. Since we breastfeed, it would seriously be double the washings. So-for the first 8-12 weeks, we will use Pamper's Swaddlers!
Here are our first outfits for our new baby!

I Was Feeling Artistic...So We Painted Our Toes!

If you know me, you know I love pedicures...LOOOOOVE them. But-I hate spending $30 on them every two weeks or so. So, I went to Sally Beauty Supply a few weeks ago and just bought the rest of the tools that the nail place uses so that I can do my own nails at home (I had all the files and scrapers, I just needed a few more colors and the "dot" tool) So-here is the results from our "pedicure night". I got the SAME EXACT design done at Hawaiian Nails a couple weeks ago, and I just re-created it.

Mommy's Toes (Slightly Swollen)

Taylor's Toes...So Tiny :)

Mom and Taylor=Twinkie Toes

And-I promise my feet aren't that fat, it's the angle of the camera LOL

Taylor and Chase are Getting a Sister!

Yes-I know the picture sucks...My scanner kept scanning it as an Adobe file, which doesn't upload on the blog. So, here is a picture of a picture. We got to see our new baby girl today! She is 8oz. and about 5 inches head to booty. But-she has loooooong legs like Taylor :) She was definitely a mover. The entire session, her legs were "bicycling" around and her mouth kept opening and closing really fast, almost looked like she was talking (imagine that...with me as her mother)

They were able to get clear pictures of everything but part of the heart, and her face, because she was face down (facing my back). I will get a 2nd scan on the 31st, but they didn't seem too concerned. The OB said everything we could see was perfect! Yay!

Poor Chase is outnumbered. So far, he is the ONLY grandson on the Jones side. We will finally have another boy in September (right, Pam?) for him to play with! LOL So-the total Jones grandchild tally is 4 Girls and 2 Boys.

I am very excited to have a little Girly Girl. It will make the bedroom situation easy, as well as the names. Plus-no circumcision to worry about! Whew!

***You can click the picture to enlarge it!!!!!! It looks better that way***

HAPPY 6 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

Well, we have made it another year! (Ok, it's 2 days early...we got married August 2nd, but I think I can say we made it another year. We don't plan on divorcing this weekend or anything LOL
This makes a total of SIX years married, and TEN years together :) TEN! We have gone through so much, both good and bad! But-we are still the best friends that we were when we first met my freshman year of high school! Here are some pics of us back in tha day!

Our last homecoming dance...we were 17 years old here!

Our very first Christmas as a married couple...this was taken at Pam and Kevin Decranes :) We look so young here! We didn't imagine that one month later we would be pregnant with our little girl :)

And-this picture is so beyond special to me. Not only does it mark one of the most important days of our lives, it contains 2 extra-special people. The Ring Bearer in the picture is my cousin, Jacob Hughes, who passed away in May 2007 at 10 years old. The usher to the far right is Chris Hampton, who was in a HORRIBLE car crash in November that left him comatose for weeks. He had major bruising of the brain-stem, and is still recovering in a nursing home facility. We are all faithfully praying for the day he fully recovers and can walk/talk/be a regular 25 year old again!

We don't have very special anniversary plans...we are still going to Ruston on Sunday mornings to lead praise and worship, so we decided to book a suite at a hotel in Ruston. We'll have dinner at our favorite local restaurant, and enjoy sleeping in a couple extra hours on Sunday morning (The church is 5 minutes away, instead of 2 hours! YAY!!!)

To Do List: Item #2 Meal Plan (and Shop) for One Whole Month

Picture 1: This isn't in an order. I have all our "like food groups" across each row. Ground beef, chicken, vegataria/seafood, beef, pork. As we make the listed meal, I X it out so I know what I have made and haven't made in awhile. I think this is 30 meals, 4 of which are our "once a week" treats of eating out/ordering out. You can actually click the pictures and enlarge them if you'd like to see what the Jones family is eating in August! LOL

As we use items, I have this list under our meal calendar. We just x off what we need, and add a number out beside it if we need more than one. It helps to have the items pre-printed, as I often remember something we need while looking at the list! There are also spaces to fill in your own items.

My Planner: I used to plan an entire month of meals/dates, but found that sometimes we just didn't feel like eating what was on the menu, or something comes up and we don't have time to go "all out" for dinner. This lets me look at just the week and plan for 5-7 days at a time. It also helps to plan in pencil, as you see i've had to switch meals (This happens alot, and I do USUALLY have it in pencil! LOL) I also keep track of appointments, etc. so I know when I will need to have a "quick fix" listed there.

*Yes-this is a Vera Bradley planner :P I know someone will see this, and point it out on Facebook! LOL


And-this is our daily supper reminder! I write out our entire meal plan for that night, with any instructions for Kyle to do while on his lunch break. (IE-Turn crockpot to low around 1pm, or take out ribs at lunchtime to thaw in time for supper) And-it is Fleur de Lis, and matches the kitchen :D

*yes-my kids DO love veggies: brussel sprouts aren't a dirty word around here :)

Next on my list-Touch up the front door paint! No too hard...we have to do it 2-3 times a year, especially after summer, bc the sun hits it all morning an causes the paint around the glass to peel. I'm also looking for a small garden flag to put by the front door...not sure what I want on it yet. Maybe a "J"...or birds...or flowers...or a Fleur De Lis...hmmmmmmm.

When I Said ALL Boy Clothing Was Ugly, I Lied...

Toddler Boxer Briefs are TOOOO CUTE! LOL

Here he is modeling them :) I found these at Target and had to get a pack. We've totally, 100% potty trained in about 2 months. He went from diapers to "undies only", even at night-time.

To Do Before School Starts List! Item #1 Organize the Pantry

BEFORE: Lots of junk just crammed where ever it would fit :)

AFTER:

Top Shelf: Kitchen gadgets that aren't used daily, Fiestaware boxes, some extra punch bowls and platters

Lower Shelf: Lunch bags, Bread/Buns, Cake Decor stuff, cookbooks that aren't used often
Top: Breakfast items-oatmeal, grils, granola bars, cereals, granola for parfait, poptarts
Bottom: CANS! LR-Tomato products, vegetable, "cream of" soups, canned soup, canned milk


Snacks on the bottom shelf!!! Cakes, canned fruit, nuts, raisens, pudding, individual cookie packs





Top: prepackaged dinners (chinese kits, macaroni grill noodle kits, taco kits, peanut noodle kits)
Bottom: Spice rack, nice and neat now!!! Also-extracts and flours

Top: Packaged Side Dishes (rice, noodles, beans) Bagged soups for the CP

Bottom: DRINKS! Gatorade, Lemonade, Coconut Rum, Tea, Juice, cokes, bottled water

Top: Baking Items (Pancake mix, brownies, muffins) Grains/Oats, Hot Drink mixes

Bottom: Sauces, Gravies, Vinegars, Oils, Sugars, Jellies, Peanut Butter

Top: Pasta Sauces, Noodles

Bottom: Right side of the bottom shelf: Snacks! Bagged Individual chips, crackers, fruit snacks

What I threw out!!! LOL

Beautiful Bella

A most recent picture...I can't wait to meet my new cousin!

16 Weeks Today!

No pic, but something even better! Movement! I have been feeling Baby Three wiggle since last night, and it's really fun~I absolutely LOVE being pregnant!

Family of Five=New Ride!

Yesterday, we took a trip to Walker Honda to take a peek at a couple of SUV/Crossover vehicles. We were shown a great-priced Ford Freestyle, but it was a little too "mom car" for me. Plus-I don't drive Fords.

We then browsed through the minivans (I love Odysseys, I have owned one before). But-there were no new models, which was a must for me. Finally, we looked at the Pilots and I fell in love. There were 2 silver ones out of the showroom floor, and we were told there was one that was a lease and was just traded in that day. I wanted to see that one, because I didn't want to go with silver. So-saw it, drove it, fell it love.

It is a Honda Pilot EX-L. It is trimmed in all leather, with seatwarmers and auto ac. Moonroof, power everything, annnnnnd: the best part, it seats EIGHT! We can have 3 more kids! LOL (That was Kyle's joke...I didn't laugh quite so much)

I am in love :) I'm glad to finally get to own an SUV after driving a Civic/Accord/Odyssey/2nd Civic!

Isabella Ziyu Smith!!!

My aunt and uncle have been in China for several days, adopting their first baby. They met Isabella Ziyu finally. She is safe and sound with them in their hotel in China! Follow along with their blog...if you look on my sidebar, the title is "Baby Smith".

I can't wait to meet my new cousin!!!

Allllmost 16 Week Belly

I feel AMAZING!!! No more morning sickness, i'm not all big and awkward yet, and I have been having these huge bursts of energy. I'm trying to tackle all the big projects while I feel good, before I have to go back to work next month.

The Incredible Naked Hulk

Taylor and Me Pics (Plus-my new 'do)

Yay for new haircuts!!!

Taylor's Goofy Smile


"Let Me See How You Are Smiling...Do Like This..."

Cute Picture!

Princess Playtime

There are no words... :/