Here's to the Red, White and Blue

We had such a fun opportunity this past Saturday to watch President Bush be flown in by helicopter to TSTC near Waco and see him board Air Force One to travel to Midland for a fundraiser. Hunter thought it was so exciting to see the three huge helicopters coming from a distance and land within 100 yards of us. Parked directly in front of us was Air Force One- ready and waiting for the President and First Lady to board. It was all very exciting!

While we were waiting for the President to arrive from his ranch in Crawford, this is what Hunter found highly entertaining!

Here's the crew waiting in front of Air Force One.

The helicopter has landed! We were waving and taking pictures at the same time.

Watching them walk up the steps to the plane.

Looking back...

Recently, I have been feeling very sentimental about having another little one in the family. It's just that after almost 3 years of having Hunter exclusively, it's hard to imagine our family any other way. I know the minute that Baby Blake arrives, I will not be able to imagine it any way without him. I know ultimately this is one of the greatest gifts that we can give Hunter and Blake- the gift of having a sibling and on top of that, a brother.

I hope that my boys will always be close. I know reality will stand true- there will be sibling rivalry, they will have to "duke it out" over some things, they will irritate, frustrate and exasperate each other. But over all of those typical sibling moments, I hope that they will develop a love for each other that reaches no bounds. I hope they will love doing things together, that they would have great experiences that will create lasting memories, that they learn to value family and faith and grow to be men that are not afraid to lead.

I've been reading and re-reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Trip. It's very convicting about the impact of our parenting and how truly eternal my perspective should be in regards to the daily ins and outs of life. It has made me realize that our approach to this tremendous task of parenting these boys is to stay immersed in the Scripture. It's overwhelming, convicting and humbling all at the same time.

This ended up being more deep than I intended... so, on my sentimental note, here is a look back at Hunter at 9 months,

at 21 months...

and at 2 1/2 plus a couple of months.

2 months from now...

...We will be welcoming a new baby boy into the family. The official date has been set for the induction! As of now, it is planned for Monday, November 17th! We could not be more excited to have an actual date to circle on the calendar.

Also, we have decided on the name....

Blake Taylor Jones

My doctor decided 2 weeks ago at my last appointment to go ahead and schedule his arrival since the days before Thanksgiving are crazy apparently up in Labor and Delivery. Seeing as Hunter arrived 2 hours after we arrived at the hospital and a mere 3 or so hours after labor started, she wants to be on the safe side. Me too! The 17th is actually 2 weeks from what we finally decided as the official due date. Apparently, I had 3 due dates this time around. November 30th based on my dates, December 4 based on early sonograms, and November 26 based on the 20 week sonogram. She decided to err on the side of caution and make the due date be in the middle of those- so Nov. 30th.

We can't wait to meet you Baby Blake! He's already quite the mover and kicker- I can't remember if Hunter was this energetic. I have a feeling he's going to be a fun little guy.

Today marks 30 weeks- so only 8 to go! I wish I dressed up more and wore some make up for these pics, but here goes... this is me at 30 weeks. Camera was on a timer, so again, it's not completely centered, but you get the idea.

The Beach!

We had the best time in Port A- just the 3 of us! We headed out Sunday morning and arrived just in time to grab a late lunch and make it to the beach that very afternoon. We stuffed ourselves silly at Virginia's and enjoyed sitting and watching the sunset over the marina.

Daddy and Hunter on the ferry ride over. Hunter was in awe- a little speechless.

Our first family picture that first afternoon. Daddy, Hunter and Mommy!

Hunter's 1st sandcastle... pre-destruction. That's all he wanted to do once you built something, just smash it!

I think this will be a blow up picture- so cute! Hunter warmed up more and more to the waves each day. By the last day, he was running out ahead of us, wanting to jump over the waves.

Daddy and Hunter having a great time. Hunter would wrap his arm around Chris' shoulder and pat him like he was the one reassuring him that "It's ok."

The boys on the hunt for sand crabs Monday night. I was not included in the adventure on Tuesday night.

Off they go...

Having a great time looking! He loved having control of the flashlight best!

Posing by my sand sign- Hunter 2008! Thought it'd be a fun pic to get each year when we go.

1st Day of School for Hunter

Today was a big day in our household. A true first in Hunter's life... his first day of school. We attended the Open House on Friday to meet his teachers and check out his classroom. Hunter immediately went to the box of trains and cars and played, barely making eye-contact with his teachers. Meanwhile, I chatted with his teachers, who I really liked, signed up to volunteer at classroom celebrations, looked through the folder of information, etc. Daddy came with us to the Open House, and every once and awhile, Hunter would look up at him and say, "Daddy, you're not leaving?" just to check and make sure we weren't there to jump ship!

BEFORE OPEN HOUSE... so cute!



We spent the Labor Day weekend at the lake- a mini-trip up there. The boys had a blast riding the wave runner and swimming in the water. Hunter was braver this time and attempted to "swim" back and forth to us in the water in his life jacket.

WATER BUG



We talked up school as much as we could. I would remind him that he gets to go to chapel, music, have circle time and playtime, and even play on the playground. On top of that, he was going to eat his lunch that mommy packed him in his new Lightening McQueen lunchbox! Cool! He was all good with that, but still would say to me, "But you're not leaving me there?" "Well, but Mommy will be back right after you eat your lunch to get you."

I texted Nancy, my aunt who teaches at the church, and she texted me back while they were in chapel "We are in chapel. He is doing great. He's very serious." You know Hunter, he does not want to sing for anything. Apparently he liked kicking out his new shoes to take a look at them, sat next to a precious little girl and had his arm around her at one point (oh great!) and did what he was supposed to do. After that, I received a call that he was having a great time banging with a hammer on the tool table in the classroom. Sounds like a great day to me!

CLASSIC FIRST DAY PICTURES... MANY MORE TAKEN... and in true Stouffer style, even some video!


M-OM!




OFF and RUNNING


CHECKING OUT THE ACTIVITY FROM AFAR


The drop off went smoothly- I only saw a little lip tremble from Hunter. Of course, I was worse off because once I walked outside and saw friends and was asked how I was doing, the tears started. I was able to kick into high gear and accomplish a lot in the time that I had...
HEB shopping for the week... check
Unload groceries.... check
Once over clean in the house and vacuum entire house... check
Run some paperwork to Chris' office... check
Water plants and take in papers at Mom and Dad's... check
A quick and indulgent Starbucks run... check
Run to vacuum out my tank, I mean car... check
Still manage to be 10 minutes early in the parking lot to pick up my best buddy!... check!

Great day!

A Wacky boy in Waco

Hunter and I treked up to Waco last week to visit his Mimi and Bapa and do a little shopping along the way in Austin for Baby Jones.

Hunter accumulated a number of cars and trucks throughout the 5 days that we were away from home and could not have been more thrilled to add to his collection.

At one of our stops in Austin at this cute shop, Baby Coco, Hunter found some vintage cars and went straight to playing. He had the cars lined up on the floor and did not want to leave. He kept telling me, "Two minutes." Finally, his grandmommies couldn't stand it anymore and agreed to buy him one of the cars. He settled on a red one with a white stripe down it. In my attempt to have him choose the less pricey VW Bus model, I suggested, "Hunter, don't you want to take this one?" His reply..."I want both of them." So much for saving a few bucks. He ended up with the red one and rode all the way to Waco with it on his lap.


Speaking of wacky... here is Hunter in some soft rollers. Doesn't he look darling?


Oh, to top the last one, here he is in his great-grandmother's earrings. What a charmer? Can you say rehearsal dinner pictures?


Friday, we went to the Mayborn Museum down at Baylor and Hunter had a ball. He loved showing me all of the neat things since he had been there once before. I was amazed! It is a great museum and has great attractions for little ones. Here is Hunter in the sound booth making some music.


One of our ventures was a trip to Hillsboro to a great antique store. Afterwards, we met up with the cousins, Ryan and David, who had made the trip down from Fort Worth. Here are the 3 silly boys at Braums enjoying an afternoon treat of icecream.


All in all, it was a great trip to Waco. We enjoyed being with Mimi and Bapa and hope to get back up there again soon!

How does a Mommy get so lucky?

Spending the day with a little boy who loves to have fun, loves to "wook at myself on the camera", laughs a greater laugh than anyone I know, smiles the biggest smile for no reason at all, looks at you and says, "Hi Mama," can make a funny face with the best of them, tells me "I'm teasin' you Mommy", really has a great sense of humor for a two and a half year old, will say "I want you to sweep in my bed," has mastered manipulation and can get pretty much anything he wants, is smart as a whip, can navigate us home from errands out and about, must be pretty safety conscious because he tells us "Don't go too fast" and "Drive with both hands Mommy", impresses me each and every day with his terrific memory of people, places and things we have talked about, loves to be read to, tells me "Don't do that Mommy" when I sing (who can blame him), can carry on a perfectly intelligent conversation with us, is my best little buddy, wants to be just like his Daddy, loves his family with greater admiration and adoration than even they can imagine, and has made my job as a Mommy the greatest occupation I could have dreamed of...I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Random Happenings in the Jones Household...

It's been way too long since I have posted, so here's a little look at what we've all been up to lately...

We attempted a day of potty training. It was fun for awhile but Hunter is just not ready. We will hopefully get back on track soon and have Hunter out of diapers before Baby Jones arrives. I set up a little station where he could watch cartoons, read his favorite little books and sit on his own little potty. It was definitely a classic picture opportunity!


This is Hunter's all time favorite thing to do, and I will often find him so intent on playing that he doesn't notice anything else around him. On this particular day, he was lining up as many cars as he could by the fireplace to go into the pretend "waterwash."


We were in Waco in mid-July and Hunter got to see one of the Baylor Bears up close and personal. He thought that was pretty cool!


One night, as an extra special treat, we all had iced down Cokes in the glass bottles. Hunter thought it was pretty fun to get to drink Coke from a cold bottle.


We've been swimming with our friends... it's the only thing you can do in this summer heat that is bearable. Hunter and Kate had a blast together swimming!


We've had some fun friends over to play on the "giant clayground" as Hunter refers to his big playground in the backyard.



We've been watching as Mommy's tummy gets bigger and bigger as I rapidly approach the 3 more months mark. We are getting really excited!
This first pic was taken before church around 22 weeks- Baby Boy is about the size of a spaghetti squash at this point.

This one is another taken shortly past the 22 week mark- belly button in full glory now! :)

Taken with the timer on my camera, hence the top of my head is missing. That's not the important part of the picture anyway. This was taken at 25 weeks.


We've been at friend's bday parties having fun and trying our best not to sing along with the Happy Birthday song! (Notice Hunter covering his face when they were singing. He's not a big singer... can you tell?)



We've had a great summer. So far, Baby Jones is right on track, measuring exactly where he needs to be at this point. I go back in a couple of weeks and then start my every other week visits. It seems like it has flown by so far. It's hard to believe that 3 months from now, he will be here more than likely. Wow! All that is left to do is get a new rug for the nursery and we should be all set.

It's a....

BOY!! We are thrilled that we got to see Baby Jones today at our 20 week ultrasound. He looked healthy and right on track. We could not be more thankful!!
A look at his profile... looks very much like Hunter did at this stage.