Isn't she lovely?

Isn't she wonderful?
Isn't she precious... just at one minute old!

I always listened to that song and wondered if I'd ever have a little girl to sing it about. How is it that a year has passed since that wonderful day when our 3rd little miracle came into our lives?

A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST YEAR...
July 2, 2010 Emily Blair Jones enters this world and our lives

2 weeks old

One month old


AUGUST 2010- 1 month old


SEPTEMBER- 2 months old


OCTOBER 2010- 3 months old



NOVEMBER 2010- 4 months old




DECEMBER 2010- 5 months old




JANUARY 2011- 6 months old



FEBRUARY- 7 months old (crawling)



MARCH 2011- 8 months old



APRIL- 9 months old



MAY- 10 months old (Walking and first teeth)



JUNE- 11 months

With this ring...

About a month ago, my baby brother proposed to the most wonderful girl that I am so excited will be a part of our family. We had known for a couple of weeks that the plan was for them to come up to the lake, take the boat out and while out on the water he would propose. That afternoon, my family all make the trek up to the lake (all of this was unknown to Faith). We met her family at Horseshoe Bay for dinner. I only had my little Blake and Emily since Chris and Hunter had to go on to Waco for a family wedding that evening. We ate dinner and then drove over to the lake house while Uncle Blake and Faith were out on the boat. We had white balloons, flowers, champagne, wedding cake and gifts to shower the newly engaged couple with.
Before we knew it, they came around the corner and we all broke into cheers and congratulations. They were beaming from ear to ear and we all took turns hugging them and telling them how excited we were.

It was such a fun night!

Then, while weddings were fresh on our mind, we headed up to Waco for Chris' cousin's wedding. Hunter was a ring bearer for the 3rd time that weekend and even Blake and Emily got to go to the reception. Blake surprised us and danced the night away until the bride and groom left. We were shocked! I wish I had his picture cutting a rug but didn't take my camera that night.
My pretty lady!

My handsome boy!

Darling little boy!

Summertime

We are enjoying our summer so much! Hunter has participated in swim camp and had lots of playdates with friends. Blake has been swimming up a storm, playing outside lots and Emily has been running around after her brothers.


She is walking really well now and climbing too! If I'm not careful, she's up on top of a table or attempting to climb onto Blake's bed. Phew! She's at that "handful" stage for sure! Here she is at a friend's 1st birthday with her birthday buddy, Anna.

We all had VBS at our church last week. It was an incredible and fun week! Our church did Pandamania this year and I was a chapel leader with Cari. We had the best time and decided it was the best job- you get to lead the praise and worship and see ALL of the kids, and then during your "off-time" we were able to rotate around and see each of our kids doing their activities.

Emily got really sick starting Wednesday night when I noticed she had started to run a fever. She stayed home with my mom on Thursday morning and by the time I called, my mom said I needed to come home. She was really hot, very puny and not very responsive. We immediately got into the doctor and her temperature was 104.7! She had a raging double ear infection and felt so crummy. The dr did a shot of rocephin(sp?) and got her started on antibiotics. She seemed a little better that evening, but by Friday we were back at square one and complicated by her dehydration. Another trip to the doctor, a fever that was still hovering in the 103's and a very sad baby, and we had a day at home trying to get her to take fluids. She only had the strong meds in her tummy and was "losing" all of her fluids. ugh! We were steps away from the ER but finally got her to sleep around 11:30 that night. Saturday she woke up like a new person. Aside from being a little clingy, she is doing great now. Poor thing, I have a feeling ear tubes are in her future since we've had 3 ear infections in the past 3 months.

Hunter started karate this week and was so excited to get started. He's a white belt and got his first band today. We will see how he enjoys it but I think it's a great activity for him this summer while sports are on hiatus. (Look how proud Blake is of his big brother in uniform!)

The Graduate

Aunt Kristin drove all the way from Austin for the graduation

Our family of 5 with the graduate

Handsome in his coat and tie

2 Weeks ago, my baby boy graduated from preschool. Seems hard to believe! Just the other day, I was dropping him off for his first day of MDO. When I picked him up at lunch that day, he casually reported to me that, "Those kids have beds in there." He was referring to all of the nap mats being set up for an afternoon nap. The fall of 2008 was the first time he went to school and he's loved it since day 1. What more could you ask?

All of his teachers- his 2 year old class teachers Ms. Missy and Ms. Tobi. His 3 year old teachers- Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Amy... his 4 year old teachers- Ms. Beverly and Ms. Pat... have ALL been incredible and precious to our little boy. They have loved on him, been silly and fun, taught him lots of things that will carry him far, have encouraged his spiritual growth, strengthened his character and just been so sweet and wonderful. He has always begged to go to school more, so I know he has had an incredible experience. I am so grateful!

Off we head to kinder- those of you with little ones take note that it really is a blink of an eye. I feel way to young myself to have a child in kindergarten and much less to be on the PTO Board next year- I mean seriously? Words like carpool, PTO and homework are about to enter into our everyday vocabulary and will be there for many years to come.

We are relishing the days of summer so far. Lots of trips to the pool, the zoo, the train, out to lunch with friends, the library for story time and checking out books, water balloons and slip n slides in the backyard, playtime with friends and neighbors and just lazy, unscheduled days. We are looking forward to a couple of planned activities over the next several weeks but will enjoy our open and free time just as much.

A couple of stories that come to mind when I think of his time at Weekday School:
** I was told he had a conscience of steel. One day on the playground he came running to tell his teachers he had thrown sand and they hadn't even seen him do it. It was all they could do not to laugh.
**His 3 year old teacher, Ms. Amy, loved to call him Jonesey in her cute little accent. Hunter still blushed when he hears someone call him Jonesey!
**Ms. Beverly was very busy one day when Hunter approached her. She replied, "I can't do that right now Hunter. I'm already doing 14 things at once." To which he replied, "Wow, my mom can only do ONE thing at a time!" Ha!!
**Loved to go to Coach Kayla's motor movement! He also loved to come home and play motor movement at home with his whistle.
**Was running one day when my aunt Nancy (also a teacher at school) said, "Why don't you get some water. You are out of breath." Hunter drank from the water fountain and then told her, "I'm in breath now."
**LOVED getting warm fuzzies in the 4 year old class and would report to me which kind he picked out every day. It was a big deal to my little hoarder over here.
**Was Joseph in the school Christmas program and did SO well. We were so proud.
**Told the graduation audience that he wants to be a firefighter when he is older and that his favorite thing about school was getting fuzzies. (See, I told you!)
**Wanted to be dropped off in carpool line from the get-go. Loves to be independent.
**Was meticulous in his work and handwriting. His papers were always colored very neatly and he took lots of pride in his work.

There is so much more to recall about his 3 years there but not enough time.