Going Private

So I have debated about this, but I think I am going to go private on the blog. If you would like to be added to the list send me your e-mail address. Thanks guys! Also, see new post below!!

This and That

We are excited that summer is here! The deck has been a wonderful addition to our house. We took advantage of all that nice spring weather and did a lot of sitting outside. Now that it is getting hot, the baby pool and sprinkler are getting a lot of use. We also visited the Splash Pad in Gardendale one weekend which was fun. And we have discovered that lightening bugs like our yard. We have fun catching them and putting them in a jar. It is beautiful to let them all go at once and see them light up! Here are a few recent pictures. As you can see Evie is growing! At her 2 month appointment she was 10 lb and 3 oz so 25% weight and 75% height.

AW thought Little Sis needed a few toys!

 Have yall been to the McWane Center lately? They have a great Dora and Diego exhibit.

Wordless (almost) Wednesday

On this one I have to add that Steve turned 30 on April 20th. We got a wonderful babysitter and went out for an amazing dinner at Ruth Chris. Having 2 hours to sit, talk, relax, and eat (slowly) together was wonderful! We remembered how much fun we have together!!! The next day (Saturday) Steve took AW fishing-notice her Bass Pro shirt! She came back with a full report that she didn't like the fish but liked the crickets they used as bait. I think they will try again when AW is a little older.

Also, for those of you who haven't been around AW lately she is VERY in to pretending. She names everyone in the family a name. For instance she might be Mickey Mouse, then I am Minnie, Steve is Donald, and Evie is Pluto. We do this ALL day and change multiple times during the day! She gets upset if anyone calls her the wrong name so we have to tell her Sunday School teachers, Mother's Day Out teachers etc. who she is every day. 

We are Here!

Yeah, so not a lot of extra time to post or take pictures for that matter these days! Evie is a doll, and we love her to bits! Including big sister who loves to get right up in her face and talk to her. Lately we are getting some smiles from Evie that just melt my heart; she is also starting to coo a little. Here are a few pictures of recent activities:

We had been talking for some time about building a deck in our backyard. We had broken concrete back there that wasn't very usable. So . . .2 weekends ago Steve's brother Richard and his wife Alisa came and stayed with us. Look what they accomplished:

The deck is huge, and we love it!!! It gives us so much more flat "play" area for the girls and "sunning" area for me! These 2 worked sooooo hard that weekend, and Aunt Leese saved the day by playing with AW and holding Evie for me. We are so thankful for Richard and Alisa's talent and willingness to come and help!

The next weekend Steve recruited his Dad and Ben to help him finish things up. It was a wonderful Easter weekend having them with us. Ginger and Bob even babysat on Sunday so I could go to church-what a blessing! We are so very thankful for our sweet (and hardworking) family! AW got a kite in her Easter basket so we headed to the park to try it out in the gorgeous weather:

Big sister and little sister! Do you think they look alike? I think they favor, but they are definitely different as well.

Evie's first Sunday going to church

Playing in the rain

Easter Egg Hunt

We went today to an Easter Egg Hunt with our Sunday school class at the park. It was such a gorgeous day! We were only 45 minutes late-but we made it!!! We were talking about the seasons yesterday and mentioned Halloween. AW decided that she needed to wear her Halloween costume all day and be a ladybug princess.

Evie's Birthday!

Evie Gray Jones

6 lb 13 oz

born at 10:45 on 3/12/12

This is Saturday before I was induced on Monday. We had a stressful week last week that included 2 trips to the pediatrician and a diagnosis of strep throat. Thankfully, the grandparents came to the rescue, and AW got a fun, attention-filled weekend in Montgomery. Steve and I enjoyed some quiet time, a date night, and also got carpet rugs put down in the girls' rooms. It made such a difference-the rooms seem so much cozier now!

Monday morning we were supposed to be at Labor and Delivery at 6 am. We had our bags packed and alarm set for 5 am. Steve gets up around this time every day so no big deal, but at 5:45 I hear Steve say-we slept through our alarm! Very thankfully my sweet friend Kate had texted me to say she was praying for us and that woke Steve up! I called L/D and told them we were on our way and would be there in like 5 minutes. The nurse said you can tell me the truth when will you really be here; I'll still let you have your baby! So here we are-all hooked up and thankful to be there!!!!

I was actually pretty nervous about being induced. With AW my water broke 4 days after the due date, but I still had to have pitocin since contractions never started on their own. I didn't want to force her to come before she was ready, but when I got there that day I had dilated more and was actually starting to have some contractions so I think Monday was her day! Dr. Ross broke my water at 7:30 and started pitocin. By around 9:00 I was not feeling so hot and ready for that epidural (natural girls I don't know how you do it-very impressive!). Once the epidural kicked in I dilated from around 3 cm to 10 cm in like 30 minutes. I pushed twice and the nurse told me to wait because she needed to get Dr. Ross in there. After maybe 4 more pushes out came Evie Gray to meet the world!

Most of you probably know all our name drama. We had a list of names at the beginning (the ones I had in the poll on the blog) but ended up thinking we weren't going with any of them. We had actually pretty much settled on the name Addison but hadn't really told anyone. I was talking to the nurses before delivery (they were the sweetest, Christian girls) and told them that AW only refers to her sister as Evie but that we weren't planning on using that one. They both loved the name. I told them we were going to wait and see what name the baby looked like. They suggested that Steve and I both shout out the name we thought she should be when we saw her, but I thought that was way too risky. So . . . when the baby came out I said you know she kind of looks like an Evie and Steve said he totally agreed! Evie is after my Dad whose name is Everett. And Evie is just totally an Evie! She favors my Dad, and it just seems to fit her!

Yay for Dr. Ross!

My Dad and his namesake!

Great picture with Aunt Leese and Uncle Rich who were so sweet to drive to Birmingham and be with us on the big day!

A family of 4-what?! So blessed!!

I was concerned with how AW would react to her sister. She has been very excited about it and asked frequently when her sister would get here. It was so fun watching her run in the hospital room and meet Evie! She jumped up in the hospital bed with me and wanted to hold Evie. She said that she had been so patient and her sister finally came! It probably helped that we had a toy waiting for her that she has been wanting for awhile. She also says "look how cute that baby is" and "I love that baby!".

Showing Evie Sophie the giraffe

Steve is such a great Daddy-beyond helpful and gives me much needed encouragement and confidence

We really had a great hospital stay. We got to relax and enjoy some time with Evie plus visits from AW!

Headed home!

Baby Sister

So baby sister's due date is March 8th which is just 2 weeks away! We have converted our guest room into a guest room/nursery. Having another girl has made getting ready super easy-I haven't bought hardly anything! I have gotten out and washed all AW's baby clothes. It was fun to see them again and remember dressing her up; can't believe I am about to do it again! Also, my precious friends gave me a "sprinkle" for baby girl, and she got lots of adorable outfits just for her! Anne Wesley seems excited about the baby and says she is ready to hold her. I know it is going to be a BIG adjustment for her, and I am praying for that. I am not sure how to prepare her except to talk about how she can help the baby. So for now we are just waiting for the big arrival! And of course a few pictures:

This girl is LOVED!

(this is Steve with his Dad and brothers if you couldn't tell by the resemblance :)

Princess AW!