Keeping up with the Joneses

Jesus and Josh

2011-11-22T12:41:00.004-06:00

The number one question I get asked these days is..."How do you do it with twins?" And my answer is JESUS and JOSH. Yes, twins is more work and has it's unique challenges, however, I can honestly say that it is really is a double blessing. Today I was just holding Caleb and Hudson in my lap while they were just smiling and cueing at me. It was almost like a competition between the boys to see who could flirt with mommy the best. I JUST LOVE IT!! As much as I love the babies I think it would be very difficult to enjoy them if I didn't have Jesus and Josh in my life.

I've been a believer in Christ now for 12 years and married to Josh for 5. Josh and I actually celebrated our 5 year anniversary on Friday night! I know there are many great husbands out there and Josh is one of them. When he is on the way home from work he will call and say..."I'm on the way home and I'll help you in anyway you need it as soon as I get there". Then he walks in the door and says.."Put me to work". He just jumps in it with me and we are doing this thing together. He doesn't always ask me how to help.... he just does what he see's needs to be done. Like when he opens the dishwasher and realizes that it's full of clean dishes. He will just unload it. Or if the trash is full he takes it out AND puts a new bag in there. If he picks up a baby and it's diaper is full...he changes it. He helps me cook and clean up after dinner. And after being on bed rest for 10 weeks he finally figured out how to put his dirty clothes in the hamper!! He sees the needs of our family and he meets the need.

The twins are still not sleeping through the night and he helps me with that. Every other night he takes on the "night shift". I will wake and pump for the feeding and he will give them a bottle. And believe it or not.... He does it all with out COMPLAINING!! Raising twins and a toddler is honestly not the easiest thing we've ever done but you would never know it. The man doesn't know how to complain! ( I hope our kids will take after him.) Josh truly dies to self and seeks to serve me and the kids in any way he can. He is sooooo selfless!!! I JUST LOVE THE MAN!!

So where does he get that from? I believe the answer is Jesus. Josh is a man who loves the Lord and desires to be more like Him. He is such an example of Christ to me and our children. Without the Lord in our lives I have NO idea how this would work. I would probably be on zoloft and pulling my hair out. The Lord gives me the strength I need for each day. He reminds me in His word and through the encouragement of others to give myself grace. He has taught me to die to self. So what if my toe nails look a mess and a shower or shaving my legs is as rare as the Clemson TIgers winning the National Championship. This season of life is crazy for sure but the kids are a gift from the Lord and I cherish that gift. I know the Lord used my near death experience in my life to really show me this. I am soo thankful to be here and to be the one taking care of my kids and be a wife to Josh. God is good and is carrying me through this season of life.

If you think I'm speaking greek then maybe you have never experienced freedom in Christ. There is no greater decision I have made than to become a Christ follower. Not just a person who attends church on Sunday and claims to be a Christian because I was raised in the south and that's what we all are right? Nope! You must make a decision to to accept Christ as your savior and let your old self die and be made new in Christ. I once was a sinner in need of a savior. Now I'm a sinner who has a savior and has a hope in Christ that one day I'll spend eternity with Him in heaven.

The first time I attended church after the twins were born we sang the song Amazing Grace. The lyrics "His Word my hope secures" really defines where I am. As I am coming out of processing a near death experience and raising twins it is His word that gives me hope and security. Life is going to throw me curve balls...YES! Do I have days where I think twins is incredibly difficult...YES! But in the Bible I find guidence, grace, and goodness. I am so thankful for my heavenly father and the amazing husband He has given me.

I once was lost but now I am found.....Was blind but now I see... Are you found?

Below is a picture of Halloween. Ivy was Arial and she brought along her friend Sebastian and Flounder.

My Crazy Delivery Story

2011-08-30T07:16:00.000-05:00

We are so happy that the boys are finally here! They are so sweet and healthy! However, the day of delivery was quite a scare as most of you already know. It is nothing short of a miracle that I'm still here. It's been two weeks today and I decided that the best thing was to just blog about the story of what happend that day.

It's been a hard story to talk about and for that reason I think it's best if I just type it out instead of having to re-tell the story over and over.

The morning of the c-section my platelets were low and I had pre-eclampsia. I started receiving steroid shots 2 days prior to delivery to boost the platelets but it was unsuccessful and was looking like they would have to knock me out for delivery. However, the anaesthesiologist did allow me to stay conscious for the c-section so I was able to meet the boys once they arrived. Below is a pic of their first few mins of life!

After getting the little boogers out we went to the recovery room. We thought everything was fine. I smiled for my first picture holding the twins. We sent the picture below out to family and friends and told them everything was ok and baby and mom were healthy. But shortly after sending the message circumstances changed.

The recovery nurse called my doctor (Dr. Roger Gower from Greenville OB) because I was bleeding too much. She tried to knead my stomach to make my uterus contract but it was unsuccessful. I remember fading in and out while all of this was going on. The doctor came and agreed that I was loosing too much blood so he recommended putting a balloon in my uterus to stop it. So, they wheeled me into the operating room again. I think it worked for a little bit at first but then they decided it needed to be blown up more b/c the bleeding was still excessive.

Dr. Gower finally said that the balloon was not enough and I needed to have a hysterectomy. He asked for my consent and I willingly gave it. What was my choice? I wanted to survive this thing and wanted him to do whatever it took. I barely remember this conversation and was still going in and out. That was probably the last conversation I remember until midnight.

There was a little bit of a hold up before going into the operating room b/c they were waiting on a decision to made of where to do the operation. My anaesthesiologist made the call to leave the OBGYN OR and head downstairs to another surgery floor. We were told later that the decision to move floors ended up being a decision that was critical to my outcome. Once we made it downstairs an excellent medical team filled the room. I remember one nurse looking me in the eye and saying.."Girl you are gonna make it..we WILL take care of you!" I remember thinking..."Is this serious?"

So they began the hysterectomy (only taking my uterus) but my low platelets did not help the situation. I lost so much blood that I pretty much had a total blood transfusion by the end of the day. They had to pump blood into me so fast that I ended up with a lung injury calledpulmonary edema. I remember waking up after this lung injury and feeling like I was drowning alive. They kept telling me to breath but I just couldn't. They came close to having to intubate me again but I was told that my excellent anaesthesiologist stayed by my side. He took care of me every step of the way and is one of my hero's that day.

They were able to get the lung injury under control. Once I was wheeled to the recovery room the family was able to come see me. Apparently I was almost unrecognizable because I was so swollen. Josh said my neck was swollen out to my chin and my eyes were little slits.

By midnight I was taken to the ICU and that is when I finally started to wake up. I remember hearing nurses talking about me and saying things like..."Her husband is amazing and has taken such good care of her." And..."This couple has really been through it today but the family stayed strong.". I had NO CLUE what they were talking about. When I looked out the window I was blown away that it was pitch black dark and midnight. The last thing I remember was around noon. Where did 12 hours go? What happend to me? I was in TERRIBLE pain and sooo confused.

Josh stood by my bed and told me that the Lord wanted me to be here. Then he proceeded to tell me that there were many close calls in the operating room and it was a miracle that I was still alive. The staff told me that Josh almost became a single dad that night. I was a little horrified but still so out of it that it didn't really sink in.

The bottom line of why all of this happend was because my uterus decided to "go to China" (as one doctor put it). Having twins was just too hard on my body and my uterus was stretched beyond what it could take. The low platelets just made a bad situation worse.

I am still processing all that happend and learning to be the mother of 3 kiddos. The boys and Ivy are the easy part. My body reaching full recovery is the hard part. I can't wait for the day when I am myself again. It's been a long three months and I still have a long way to go.

I am beyond grateful for my family and the fact that I am alive. There are honestly no words to express the gratitude and thankfulness in my heart. I give the Lord all of the credit and glory that I am here today. I am humbled by how many people were praying for me and believe that it was instrumental in my outcome.

Below is a funny picture of the boys. Can you guess which one has my personality and which is Josh? Caleb is the little one with his mouth wide open.

And here is a picture of the most amazing OBGYN doctor. He is one of my favorite people and I am so thankful he was the doctor on call that day. All of the nurses agree that he handled the situation with great wisdom and saved my life. The Lord definately used him that day!

The Time Has Come!

2011-08-12T14:01:00.003-05:00

I write with GREAT excitement and anticipation as I will be holding my little boys soon!!! THIS IS SOOOOO EXCITING!

As of now the plans are to deliver tomorrow. Hopefully first thing in the morning!

I was admitted to the hospital on Thursday for potential preeclampsia. The test results turned out positive in addition to me having low blood platelets. The babies are fine but it's better for me to go ahead and deliver at this point.

They have me on some steroid shots to improve my platelet levels. If they can't get them in a normal range then I will have to be knocked out unconscious and Josh will not be allowed in the room for delivery. This is a MAJOR prayer request. I would love to be awake to meet my little ones and Josh would also love to be a part of that.

They are optimistic that all will be fine in the morning and I will be 37 weeks at that point which is full term! Good news is that they project the babies are over 6lbs each and they are doing absolutely fine! Praise the Lord.

I am going to spend the day resting and getting mentally and emotionally prepared. However, it is soooo hard to rest b/c I'm sooo sooo excited!!! It's also hard b/c I want to respond to every text, email or FB message.

I don't take it lightly that we are about to experience a true miracle meeting these boys. My heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratitude for these little lives and that they have made it this far. Can't stop praising HIs name and giving Him complete credit for all He has done.

We will let you know once they arrive and send some pictures! Thanks you for your support and prayers!

36 Weeks and 3 days!

2011-08-09T15:41:00.002-05:00

Quick update.... I've been on my feet cooking and cleaning and still no babies. I thought it was going to happen last weekend. Guess all the prayers of keeping them in are carrying over! I have an appointment on Thursday. If I haven't had them then we will schedule and induction next week! Hard to believe this might come down to an induction. ha! God has a sense of humor I believe.

Off Bed-rest??

2011-08-03T14:39:00.002-05:00

Well, my doctor keeps pulling the ole trick a-roo on me. She originally said I could come off BR today but then at my appointment said to give it till Saturday. And Saturday would be 36 weeks!! I am pretty amazed that I've made it this far.

So you would think I would be all excited about coming off Bed-rest right? Well...it's not exactly a dream come true. I'm so big and out of shape that it's almost impossible to come off. If I try to do anything I'm exhausted and need to sit down. And my body is being stretched so much that it's painful to walk or stand. But hey! At least I can sit up now instead of constantly being on my back. And I can actually get myself water and a snack if I need it.

I had an appointment today that provided a great report. The babies are both weighing in at 5lbs 10 oz. AND they are both HEAD DOWN! (SOOO excited about that!) Everything was measuring right on track and the babies are the same size. The doctors have very little if any concerns at this point about the health of the babies. They might not even have to wear premie clothes! My body is doing good and no concerns at this point.

I have been on some medicine that stops my contractions and suppose to help stop labor. Doc said to stop taking it on Saturday so they could come quick! I would love to have them on Monday for Moms Bday! But at this point I'll take them when I get them.

I keep thinking my next post will be telling that they have arrived and then I keep getting another week under my belt. So who knows what could be next! We will keep you posted.

35 Weeks!

2011-07-30T14:06:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe that I'm typing the number 35! I use to think Caleb and Hudson would be here by now. It seemed so far away when all of this began! I praise the Lord for this and consider it an answer to prayer. And the end is so near! My doctor told me that I could come off bed-rest on Wednesday. That's only 4 more days! I was also allowed to get a hair cut yesterday. ( It's amazing how that can brighten a woman's day.) AND I get to go to church on Sunday.

I have literally been getting butterflies in my stomach the past few days. One is because I get to leave the house and have some social time. The other is because I know I am so close to meeting my little boys! It's really starting to sink in now and the excitement is building. I can hardly wait!

I continue to be blessed beyond belief by my friends and family. Here is a picture of Ivy taking care of me. She is serious about this bed-rest and is quick to remind me to SIT DOWN when I get up for bathroom breaks. She tells me the baby's are going to come out if I don't lay back down quick. She also routinely checks my blood pressure and gives me "shots".

This next picture is Jan Margrave. A dear servant hearted friend who has flow from Texas to care for our family for a week. After a 12 hour travel day due to a canceled flight she finally arrived and immediately began giving me a foot massage.
Just kidding... She didn't really give me a foot massage but it was fun to pretend. She really hasn't had time for that due to the non-stop cooking, cleaning, and organizing that she's been doing. Not to mention the entertainment that she brings to each day.

The next two pics are of my bump.

A friend reminded me of the verse in James 1:1-4. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing."

This just so happens to be my life verse. It was through trials that the Lord brought me into a relationship with Him. And this trail has brought me closer to Him, furthered my sanctification process, and brought my husband and I closer. Not to mention at the end I have two little babies to hold!

I have no idea when they will come but the doctor expects the boys to be here in less than 2 weeks. There is a good chance that once I start moving around again they will arrive on the scene. Now that I am 35 weeks there is a good chance we will avoid the NICU and get to bring them home right away.

We continue to covet your prayers!! So many have already been answered.

33 Weeks and Counting!

2011-07-17T09:38:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe that I am 33 weeks! Bed-rest started at 27 weeks. That's 6 weeks of lying on my back. I'm still having to fight the urge to nest. However, last night may have given me the motivation I need to stay down. Around 6pm I started having contractions every 2-3 mins for almost 2 hours. It kinda scared me and I thought maybe this was it. We made it to the hospital and they gave me a turb shot which stops labor. It seemed to work so they sent me home. Only after telling me that my cervix is paper thin, I'm still 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The doctor was honest and said that it looks like they are going to come sooner than later but hopes I can hang on a couple more weeks.

This was not our only visit to the hospital this week. We had to go in on Wednesday night for the same thing. Contractions were just getting out of control. If I were a cat with nine lives I feel like I've used up 8 of them and that next time could be the real thing. But who knows. It's all a guessing game and the Lord will bring them when it's time.

This past week was one of the best! Our friend Shelby came to stay with us from Texas. Shelby is a rising senior in Plano and started to babysit Ivy when she was 4 months old until we left TX. Ivy ADORES her and had a blast all week having a built in playmate. They played so hard that Ivy actually asked me to go to bed around 6pm several nights in a row. I was also blessed by her visit. It was soooo nice not to schedule people all week and have the revolving door. It took Shelby about a day and she had my routine down. Very mature for a teenager.

This next week is going to be great too! My friend Jenn Aulick is going to stay with us until Friday! She's also wonderful with Ivy and I know she will be a great caregiver for me too.

Prayer Request this week:

My belly is getting so big and making it hard for me to get comfortable. I go from back pain to hip pain to heart burn to sore muscles...etc... The discomfort grows as I do. Today is the first day that I felt like I can't make it one more day. I haven't had that attitude until now. I am praying that attitude will change quickly because when it comes down to it I would really rather them make it a few more weeks.

Praises:

Overall I would say this has been easier than I expected. My family has been so tremendous at helping us get through this. They have stepped in to help in many ways but a big one is helping us finish moving into our new house. Dad and Fletch have helped Josh do the remodeling and handy man work. Mom has been great at the finishing touches on decorating. Josh's mom flew out for a week to help.

Our church, friends in the area, and the Mom's in the UMOM group have also stepped up and been a source of encouragement and helping to provide for our needs. Josh has not had to cook once! WOOO HOO! We are so thankful and feel very blessed.

I hope my next blog will be news that I made it to 34 week!

32 Weeks Tomorrow!

2011-07-08T14:15:00.004-05:00

MEDICAL UPDATE:

Had an appointment on Tuesday. Got to see the boys on an ultrasound and they are doing great! Good news first...They are very healthy and measure almost exactly the same size and weighing in at just under 4lbs each. My contractions are there but not consistent and not happening every single day. Praise the Lord! Bad news....My cervix continues to thin. I'm now just under 1cm when I should be more around 4. I passed the fetal fibernectin test. This means my body has not started to "un-glue" to prepare for labor. So overall a good report. However, the doctors tell me every day at this point is a gift.

MENTAL UPDATE:

If you know me well then you know I am a goal oriented person. I get this from the Anderson side of my family. It typically works for me but while on bed-rest it feels like it's against me. I also LOVE a "to do" list and get a huge wave of satisfaction role over me when I get to check something off of it. I even take it another step and if I do something that was not on my "to do" list then I will write it in just so I can mark it off.

Tomorrow I will get to mark something off the list! I accomplish one of my goals the doctors set for me and that is to make it 32 weeks! Now the new goal is 34 weeks. This is really a good strategy for me. It would seem overwhelming to say the goal is 36 weeks now b/c then that means another month of bed-rest. But now I just have to focus on the next 2 weeks which is mentally easier to swallow.

Anything I can do to help my mental state at this point is fantastic. This week has been the hardest so far. Tuesday marked one month of laying on my back and ONLY getting up for the bathroom. I also think the nesting instinct has hit me hard. Pregnancy weekly defines "Nesting" as an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new babies, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world. This instinctive desire + bed-rest for a month + my goal driven genes = break down. Not to mention we moved into a house one month before I was bed ridden so I was not even done unpacking and decorating our new home. This is honestly a TERRIBLE combination.

The family a friends who come to baby sit me and Ivy have been wonderful and so helpful. And I am truly thankful to each and every one of them. But it's no surprise that having a revolving door and people constantly in your house having to go through your stuff gets a little old. It's also getting increasingly harder to just ask people for help. I'm just to the point of wanting to give up and I know that every woman on bed-rest can relate.

So how do I keep going from here? What is going to get me through the day??.............. The answer for me is Hudson, Caleb, and the Lord. Knowing that I would risk having them pre-mature if I get up and do what I want helps me to stay on my back. I have to keep telling myself that it's truly laying down my life for my boys. I want the best for them and I know that every day they bake is a true advantage for their development. And it's a privilege and gift from God to be carrying two babies!

I have this awesome devotional book that my Aunt Martha sent to me when I was first put on bed-rest. It's called, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. It's almost like the book was written to me and for me in my circumstance. The Lord is telling me to take my negative or sinful thoughts captive and try not to let them even enter my mind. When I block those thoughts and focus on the things I have to be thankful for and am appreciative of then it can totally turn my mood around and help me to experience His peace. I wish I could say that I'm successful at this each day but I'm not. The last few days have been a struggle and I tend to want to surrender to my negative thoughts and to complain about it. I could use your prayers in this area as it's a daily battle.

On another note... Josh and Ivy are doing pretty good. Ivy has hit a little wall the last two days but over all she is dealing with it extremely well for a 3 year old. She will come to me after every meal and take my tray to the kitchen for daddy. She also will refill my drinks if I ask and throw things away. She is really taking pride in helping mommy during this time. She even reminds me when I get up for the bathroom to hurray back to lay down so the babies won't come out.

Josh is hanging in there too. I know this is not easy for him but he has yet to complain. I'm amazed by him and so glad I have his example in my life. He is a wonderful husband who deserves so much praise.

We are grateful for how the Lord is growing us personal and in our marriage through this time. In sickness and in health right? Next challenge up is in changing 20 diapers a day!

Released!

2011-07-01T14:36:00.004-05:00

I was released from the hospital earlier today. I'm home again. They say there could be a lot of this back and forth between the hospital and home. Josh has been amazing and I am so thankful for him. Poor guy hasn't showered since Tuesday. So far so good. I'm a little nervous to be off the monitors but happy to be back home with Ivy and in my own bed. Optimistic about carrying them longer but have a peace that the Lord will take care of us no matter what happens. Feeling good!

Pre-Term Labor Update

2011-06-30T20:08:00.002-05:00

This will be brief as I'm not suppose to sit up in the bed and typing is hard with so many things attached to me.

Tuesday I called the doctor b/c I was having contractions that were about 15 mins apart but not painful. They had me come in for a check and found I was 2.5 cm dilated and almost totally effaced. The next stop was the hospital. So here I am. It's been up and down since I was admitted. First they put me on magnesium and it seemed to control the contractions. I did ok off of the medicine the first 8 hours and then contractions picked up again and were 5 mins apart and painful. So the latest was a shot of something that would stop the contractions. It's been 1.5 hours and I've only had a few. The doctor said she doesn't want to give up and just let me deliver. It's just trading one problem for another. I would rather be the one being poked and prodded than the little boys. At this point we are just taking it a day at a time. If I had nine lives at holding off delivery then I feel like I've used up 6 or 7 of them.

The doctors will just keep tackling the problems as they come and take it one day at a time. Everyone keeps asking me what the goal is. The goal is always going to be full term but at this point that's probably not going to happen. People also keep asking me how far I think I will make it. That is a good question and it is literally changing by the hour.

It is very hard to send updates and one of the reasons is because things are literally changing every hour. Nothing is certain and this doesn't really have a text book you can follow. I appreciate all the love and support. Everyones kind words on Facebook, prayers, text, and emails are uplifting. I wish I could respond to everyone and send individual updates. But if you have ever been hospitalized you know that there is never a dull moment. It's also hard to type or text with some of the machines I am hooked up to.

Ivy is doing great and just jumping around to different friends and family. That is a def praise! Knowing that she is being well loved and happy makes my job easier. I think she's getting a lot of ice cream and thinks she is on a vacation. Please pray her little heart stays content and continues to enjoy where she is and who she is with. We appreciate those helping us with her and are truly grateful.

I am at Greenville Memorial and will be 31 weeks on Saturday.

I will try to update this as much as possible. Maybe I'll even teach Josh how to blog for me.

Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" The Lord has been good and carrying us through this time. He's never let us down before and I don't think he will start now. Praise be to Him who brings new life.

Home Again Home Again!

2011-06-12T09:26:00.003-05:00

We were released on Thursday then went back on Friday due to contractions. Thankfully we were released Friday night and just in time. I was starting to really miss Ivy and wanting to be with my little buddy. She has really been a trooper through all of this. She seems to understand what's going on and has just gone with the flow. She is even helping Josh around the house in small ways. I'm also thankful for my sweet husband who has been serving me non-stop since Tuesday.

Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement and your prayers! Josh and I feel so blessed by every text, facebook message, and phone call. It's nice to be near family and such good friends who are more than willing to wrap their arms around us and help us get through this time.

I've often thought about bed rest and how terrible that would be. Sounds like a nightmare to be on your back all the time. However, there are two very motivating babies in my belly that are making this a lot easier. Knowing the outcome of this will be my boys helps me to lay down and relax. It is neat how your body and mind can rise to the occasion when needed.

Josh and I continue to draw our peace and faith from the Lord and have NO doubt He is in control.

Many of you have asked how you can help. The biggest thing is prayer and probably meals. If you live local then we have a care calendar being created. You can email Sandra Garrett GARRETT@clemson.edu to be added to the list.

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

2011-06-08T12:24:00.014-05:00

Funny that a children's worship song can bring such comfort to Josh and myself. The lyrics that truly spoke to our hearts were..."He's got the little bitty babies, in His hands". I can't image not having the Lord as your rock to lean on and trust when you go in for a regular OB check up only to find your next destination is the hospital.

So yesterday I was admitted to the hospital and also saw a high risk doctor. I'm 27 weeks 3 days pregnant with TWO boys and found that my cervix was

dangerously thin. I should be like a 4 or 5 but my cervix was measuring 1.7 and that was very concerning to the doctors. The good news is

that the babies were measuring perfect and almost exactly the same size. They are 2.10 oz and 2.7 oz and healthy as can be! Praise be to the Lord for that.

I also praise Him that my appointment was Tuesday and not Wednesday or Thursday. Josh and Ivy were suppose to be on a plane today heading to Texas for Scott Marks wedding. But now they are hear with me and waiting on some more test results. After arriving to the hospital we found out that I also was dilated 1cm and I had a few contractions last night. That was unexpected! The doctors are being very proactive to do everything they can to keep these

babies baking for as long as possible. The doctors along with Josh and I are very optimistic that this will be successful.

So the next steps were to give me a steriod shot that will help

the babies lungs develop if I should go into labor. They are also putting me on strict bed rest and giving me medicine to keep my body from having contractions. For now I will stay in the hospital until they feel ok with sending me home. But regardless they told us to call in the troops to help b/c I'm on bed rest until these little guys show up.

So I'll give you another frequently asked questions list with the answers.

#1 - How are Josh and I doing?

To be honest..We're great! No anxiety or worries. Of course I wish this wasn't happening but since there is nothing I can do then why worry. I have to give the credit for this to the Lord. I feel like he prepared me the night before I went to the doctor for some big news. I was totally

nesting and getting the nursery ready b/c I felt like something was going to happen. I have already know that the Lord is the one who gives and sustains life and I know that He is good and His ways are perfect..... So really... why would that change just by getting this news. Phil 4:6 "Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God, and the peace that surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts

and your minds in Christ Jesus." I have been claiming that verse and feel that the Lord has given me supernatural strength and is guarding my heart and mind. Knowing and believing that the Lord is sovereign helps a l

ot too. This is not a surprise to Him and it's nothing that He

can't handle. So we give these babies to Him in faith that He will protect them and bring them into this world when the time is right.

# 2 - How is Ivy?

She is actually doing fine. I am trying not to take that for granted. It would be so hard for me to be here if I didn't think she was doing ok. My mom jumped right in the car when we called her and has been taking care of her during the day. We asked Ivy if she would rather stay with us or go with Mimi. Of course she picked Mimi. Then my brother and sister in-law have stepped up to take care of her in the evenings. She LOVES being with them too and has a blast. She did tell Carrie that she thought the babies were making me sick. She is slowly understanding as best she can. This morning she was a little uncertain in the hospital room. She didn't want to sit with me in the bed or get too close. So there is some apprehension but over all she is doing good. And PRAISE the Lord for having family close by who is really stepping up and helping us out. Below is a picture of my brother and sister in-law.

#3 - When will I go home?

Good question! We are taking it one day at a time. There is a chance it will be tomorrow but also a chance I could be here for the long haul.

#4 - How can I help?

That depends on where you live. If you are far then please pray for me and the babies. My prayer is that I will make it to 35 or 36 weeks. That would actually put them being born on my mom's Birthday. (Which she would love.) If you live local then I will

keep you posted on how you can help. Not sure what we need or when we will need it.

Prayer Request

- To stay pregnant as long as possible. Goal = August

- Getting ready for these little ones to come home. As most of you know the last few months have been a bit busy with buying and remodeling a house. I have put getting my baby gear on the back burner. I've been thinking I had a few more months (Which I still might). But I'm honestly not prepared to bring them home from an equipment stand point. I'm sure I have time to get it all together but I do need to get on it.

- To continue to trust the Lord and remain at peace. Always being optimistic and no anxiety.

- That Ivy would be taken care of and this would not stress her out or have a negative affect. May she be given understanding and remain laid back about this. Also to prepare her little heart for the change that will take place when it's no longer just the three of us.

- Wisdom for my doctors and hospital staff (BTW- everyone is great!)

We covet your prayers and appreciate all the love and support from family and friends. Thank you for your text, emails and phone calls. We consider ourselves blessed by you. We could not do this with out you! I will keep this blog updated as I have more information.

And here is my most recent preggo pic. For those who keep requesting one. I'm at a lake party with the youth group. Kristy is also in the pic and she is actually 3 months ahead of me and due June 20th. But you would guess I was the one further along.

They Look Like Babies NOW!

2011-03-09T18:18:00.009-06:00

YEAH! A bonus to having twins.... You get more sonograms. At 13 weeks this is what we got to see! If you look close you will see one sonogram is labeled Baby A and the other Baby B. My twins are in "bunk beds" meaning they are on top of each other. I'm told they will either carry this way or in a "duplex" (side by side). Not sure exactly which position is more comfortable for the mommy but my gut is telling it's not bunk beds.

Just to clear up any confusion about Baby A. NO!... that is not male body part you are seeing. That is clearly his knee. (but convincing my mom of that is another thing)

I also have a live video of the sonogram. It was pretty long so I just downloaded about 2 mins of the best part. Click HERE to see that video.

Praise the Lord the first trimester is over! The headache's, nausea, and excessive eating seem to be over. I honestly considered the constant state of hunger pains and eating every 2 hours a curse. However, there are many folks that have told me to count my blessings.

But for real!! Eating every 2-3 hours including in the middle of the night gets old. I was getting up at 2am and 4am like clockwork. You can ask Josh if you don't believe me. He would always take note in the morning of the crumbs or mess in the kitchen from my midnight snacks. The doctor said this was normal for twins and in fact very healthy. She did encourage me that it would slow down eventually. I began to believe her when I dropped my 4am feeding a few weeks ago. Now I'm down to three big meals a day with 3 large snacks.

Even though the first trimester was not a breeze I'm not complaining. I know lots of people who had a much harder experience than I did. And quite honestly....I'm just so darn happy to be pregnant! The one lingering thing that I can't seem to shake is the exhaustion. I basically require a nap every day or I want to pass out at like 5pm! I guess that's a feeling I should get use to....I don't suspect it will get any better once the babies arrive.

So you've seen the pics of what's going on inside my belly but most out of state friends want to know what the outside is like. So here is a picture of me at 13 weeks.

This was taken 2 weeks ago. I would safely say that YES! I'm showing. I even had my first stranger ask me when I was due! That's kind of a good feeling. If you've ever been pregnant then you know what I mean.

Ivy is still very weirded out by the fact that babies are in my belly. She continues to ask all kinds of questions about how they got in there? How will they get out? Why can't she hear them crying? She was very concerned when I told her the doctor would get them out. She told me that was not a good idea. She said the babies would be afraid of the doctor. So she suggested that Uncle Fletcher get them out. Ummmmm.... That would be a NO seeing how Uncle Fletcher is my brother!!

Ivy is also very concerned that one or both might be a boy. She is dead set that she wants it to be TWO girls. (She would regret that in about 10 years when they steal her clothes and want to hang out with her friends). We have been asking her to help come up with names and she won't even talk about boy names b/c she doesn't want a boy in the mix. Mommy and Daddy feel very differently so at least someone will be happy.

And speaking of the gender....We will have to wait 2 months to find out the exciting news. My next appointment falls at 17 weeks and they do the sonogram between 18-22 weeks. So missed it by a week!

But we have plenty going on between now and then. We close on our house in about a month and I know that will keep us busy. In the mean time we are just enjoying life in Clemson. We recently went to a Clemson basketball game. Ivy went into an epileptic fit when the Tiger mascot came to give her a hug. Other than that Ivy really enjoyed the game.

Stay tuned for more baby and Jones family updates! So far I'm doing much better at updating than last year. I guess you could call it a new years resolution.

Jack Pot!

2011-02-14T14:59:00.013-06:00

What would you think if you were in your first prenatal ultrasound and the sonographer say's..."Jack Pot"? For Josh.... it was a state of confusion. For me.... I knew that ment we were having TWINS! Of course I didn't need her response to figure that out. It was obvious from the minute I saw the picture on the screen. Even my childless brother who has no idea how to read those black and white blobs could see that it was two. See for yourself!

Our first comment was..."SERIOUSLY???" But the next thing I said was...."Well, I guess I finally get a minivan!" Josh said..."Now we have to come up with TWO names!". Over all we were shocked but mostly excited beyond words. We always wanted a big family so we are now on the fast track.

If you are finding out this news for the first time then I will go ahead and answer all of the most commonly asked questions.

Did you think there was a chance you were having twins?

Actually the answer from me is YES. I was already showing at 8 weeks, extremely exhausted, and very sick. I know every pregnancy is different but it just felt sooo much more extreme then when I was pregnant with Ivy. I even googled "Signs you might be having twins" and found I had all of them. I started thinking I was paranoid but looking back I think maybe the Lord was just preparing my heart for the news. All that to say.... I had convinced myself it was all in my head and that there would only be one baby. So I was SHOCKED when the sonographer confirmed my theory.

Are there twins in our families?

We recently found out that the answer is yes. Josh's great grandmother had twins that didn't survive and someone on that side of the family ended up having twins that did survive. However, our twins are fraternal, which means I dropped two eggs. So I don't see how Josh's family history could have caused my body to do that.

Did we use fertility medicine?

I am amazed at how a stranger will come out and ask this. WOW! That's a pretty bold questions to ask. If you are a friend it's one thing but a complete stranger another. And honestly... why does it matter? The Lord gives life and takes it away. So it was by His hand that these two lives were conceived.

Are we going to find out the sexes and when?

YES! Absoultley. Might find out the answer in 2 weeks. But also could take another 2 months. It will all depend on how they are sitting at our ultrasound.

What do we want them to be?

Ultimately, we would be happy with any combination. However, Josh and I are not afraid to tell you that two girls is scary. Josh said..."Surely there is a boy in there somewhere?" We would both be thrilled to get a boy out of this deal.

Does Ivy know what's happening?

Yes, she is excited! She keeps telling everyone..."Mommy has TWO babies in her belly!" Her first question about the twins was hilarious. She asked me if one could be black and one could be brown? hahaha Ivy will be almost 4 when they arrive so I have a built in helper.

How many weeks am I?

On friday I will be 12 weeks! That's 3 months!

Are we freaked out?

Nope... Not at all actually. I kept thinking Josh might hit panic mode but so far so good. He rarely panic's about anything and we are both beyond excited and can't wait to meet our next two kiddos.

It's funny the response you get from people when you tell them that you are having twins. Everyone pretty much fall's into 3 different responses.

1st- OH WOW! THAT'S SO EXCITING!! I Can't believe it! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!

2nd- MAN! I'm so jealous..... I really want twins!

3rd- Oh no! You poor thing.... I'm so sorry. How is Josh? Is he really ok?

There is no reason to feel sorry for us. Now, if I was a single mother...or had a dead beat husband, then maybe. But when you have a teammate like Josh there is really little to fear. He is such a servant to me and Ivy and goes above the call of duty on a daily basis. Not to mention we have tons of support from family and friends in the area. My brother and sister in-law live in Clemson and do not have children yet. They are as good as any grandparents out there. Ivy adores them and I often think she likes them more than me and Josh.

My mom and dad are not far away either and I know Josh's parents will be traveling to come help as often as they can. Which by the way.... All of grandparents are jumping for joy over this news!

In other exciting Jones family news........WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! We have been looking since September and weren't having any luck. The Lord's timing is perfect b/c our bank just created a new loan program which won't require us to pay the dreaded PMI! This house has everything we prayed for. It's in Central, SC which is just a few miles from Clemson. It's in a small neighborhood that is just one street. The neighbors have a daughter Ivy's age! We are so excited and will be moving in mid April. Here is a picture of our house.

Nice flat yard. Just the way I like it.

Here is our back yard.

And I have to point out that our house payment will be less than our rent in a tiny two bedroom apartment in Plano Texas. SC has some benefits!

One last fun video and pic before I close. This is a video of my mom finding out that I am pregnant (at this point we don't know it's twins). We wrapped a baby doll as one of her Christmas gifts and on the the baby's face we put some questions marks and wrote "Grand baby #4 is on the way". Little did we know that it should have said #4 and #5.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Now watch it again but this time watch my step dad. He is a little confused and doesn't know what kind of gift we gave her. As mom gets up to hug me you see him looking through the box trying to figure out what it is.

I plan to post regular updates to the blog about the pregnancy and the move. I know it's been over a year since I wrote but I'm back in the saddle now!

Snow 2010!

2010-02-13T10:39:00.005-06:00

Dallas broke records this week with the amount of snow fall we got. It was over a foot of snow! We feel like we are on a ski vacation. Ivy enjoyed the snow! We had a great time playing in it with our neighbors too! Enjoy the slideshow.

My Twin

2009-07-22T20:25:00.008-05:00

Ok, I'm going to try this again. I was going to post another vote but I just don't this it's nessessary. Once you look at my baby pictures next to Ivy's then you will no longer question who she looks like.

Even though I am not posting another vote I would love to hear your comments!

Back in SC - Spring 2009

2009-07-08T19:58:00.004-05:00

I'm a bit delayed but that's because I've taken on a summer job. This summer I'm working at Canyon Creek Country Club where I teach water aerobics, swim lessons and coach the 8 & unders for the swim team. I am having a blast and doing what I love! But the days are long and HOT! We have a few days where the heat index was 110 and the water in the pool was 93 degrees! That means no relief from the heat. It's kept me busy but I feel very at home.

So it's been a while but back in May Josh, Ivy and myself made it back to SC for my highschool reunion and one of our beloved beach trips with Meme and Poppy.

I know people enjoy picture more than reading on blogs so on to the pictures.

Ivy in the Hospital

2009-05-20T13:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was by far the scariest day of my life! I've heard that once you have kids trusting God goes to a whole new level. And yeah... it's true. So here's what happend.

Josh is taking a summer school class and he was heading out the door when he dropped his bag and things fell all over the place. He thought he picked up everything but neglected to see that his travel pack of medicine was hidden under the chair. So he heads off to school and I start to get Ivy ready for preschool. I was just letting her play in the living room while I fixed breakfast, packed her lunch and got us both ready.

Turns out that she found that little pack of pills and ate some. I had no clue that it was there or that she had taken them. So i took her to school and she fell asleep on the way (which is totally normal. She does that everyday.) But when I dropped her off the teachers were hardly able to wake her up. She basically slept all day. I got a call from one of the teachers at the school telling me that Ivy would hardly open her eyes and wouldn't play or talk. So my friend met me half way and brought her to my apartment.

The min. I laid eyes on her my stomach dropped. She looked like any min she was going to take her last breath. She was just lifeless feeling in my arms. She couldn't even hold her head up!

When we came inside I saw the pill pack and it was empty. So I immediately called Josh to see if there had been some pills in there. Turns out there was 3 to 4. Josh didn't even know his meds were missing from his bag.

So my friend drove me and Ivy to the ER. It was the longest and scariest ride of my life. My friend and I prayed. Phillipians 4:16 says, "Be anxious about nothing, but with prayer and petitition with Thanksgiving let your request be made known to God." So that's exactly what I did. The Lord really gave me supernatural strength to get through it without loosing my mind.

Josh rushed to the ER and so did his mother. We were relieved to find that her vital signs were all normal and she was going to be ok. The doctors said that if something bad were going to happen then it probably already would have. So they admitted us to the hospital over night and we just got home.

Ivy is acting perfectly fine and she's going to be ok. I so grateful for that and that I have such a wonderful husband to who is my rock and keeps me calm. (I think he's rubbing off on me.)

And I hope this is the first and last time she uses drugs!!

Spring Break

2009-03-23T12:52:00.006-05:00

Our spring break ended with a day at the Arboretum with the family but the rest of our week was spent in South Carolina visiting friends and family.

Here are some pictures of us at the beautiful arboretum.

While we were in SC we spent some time in Clemson where we got to see Cayce and Jessica. Cayce's kids were asleep but she has 4 and she had them in 3 years! One set of twins.

Tavaras is a college friend of mine and he loves babies! He's a single guy and would make a good dad! Any takers??

I have to take a second to brag on my dad. He completed his second book and here is the original copy before it goes to print.
Some might see my mom and step dad's new car and say "MID LIFE CRISIS". But they just think they are having fun. I want to have fun in their car!
So many of our friends are having babies this month! Ed and Julie had little Raylie 2 weeks ago and we got to meet her and see the whole family while we were in town.

Ivy has a bit of her daddys dare devil in her. Most 1 year olds would be afraid of a dog this large but not Ms. Ivy.

Ivy made this funny face below whenever she would see the dogs. Her face says she is scared but her body just walks right up to them.
Ivy loved MeMe's little yorky's. She has two.
Our niece Isabel had her 2nd B-day and we got to celebrate with her. Look how much she loves her Aunt Ashley.

To see more pictures of our spring break CLICK HERE.

Random Pic's of ivy

2009-02-17T21:51:00.003-06:00

So I guess I took a little blogger break. Most people just look at the blogs for the pictures anyway so here ya go. Just some random but cutties. And YES! She climbed in there herself.

It's nice that she is on table food now but... WHAT A MESS SHE MAKES!
Ummm. This pic ....Well, I just hope she's not headed down the Brittany Spears path.
I promiss! I did not drug my child for this one. Daddy must have done something to her because it wasn't me!

Ivy's First Birthday Party!

2009-01-11T22:23:00.004-06:00

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! ...... I know I can't. Sad but true. My sweet little baby girl just turned 1 year old. With the help of Strawberry Shortcake we were able to celebrate the occasion right. Apparently Josh is not use to attending little girl birthday party's. After we were done setting up he said...."Aaaaa...So much PINK!". I'm not sure what he expected but he will have to get use to it. It won't be the last. To see more pics from the party CLICK HERE.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T22:21:00.005-06:00

So I'm a little behind in posting holiday pictures. Going back to Halloween, Thanksgiving and now Christmas. So in this blog you'll see Ivy's best of the Holiday pics.

Well.....maybe not her best.

YEAH! Her first Turkey DAY! She actually got to get Turkey too!

We didn't make it to Santa's lap but at least we got her to wear his hat.

Who does Ivy like?

2008-11-24T12:20:00.026-06:00

Before you look further to decide who Ivy looks like I thought I would share a link for you to see Ivy's recent photo shoot with David Edmonson and Edmonson Photography. CLICK HERE to see more photos.

I'll let you be the jury and decide who Ivy looks like. Everyone seems to think that she looks like Josh but you might change your mind when you see our baby pictures next to hers. Not that I am trying to sway you. Take the poll and let us know what you think.

This first 2 sets of pictures are me and Ivy. The next two Josh. Cast your vote! Also, if you want to follow our blog and be notified when I post a new one then sign up on in the margin on the right. Click on "follow this blog".

Fall 2008 Beach Week

2008-10-30T19:20:00.006-05:00

Last weekend Ivy and I headed to SC for a visit to the beach with the grandparents. Poor Daddy is at home working and studying. I hope he can get ahead on some school work this week so we can have lots of quality time when we get home!

While we were at the beach today Ivy decided to write Daddy a note in the sand using shells. Check it out below.

Before heading to the beach we stayed with Pappy Joe in Columbia. We had a great time visiting with him.

The remainder of our week has been spent with Grandmommy and Grandaddy Bledsoe at the beach.

It's been a lot of fun but we can't WAIT to get home to see Daddy!! We miss him so much!

Towards the end of the week my grandmother, aunt, and great aunt all came to visit us. It was such a fun girl weekend. It was hard to get the seniors to venture beyond their own living room but once we got them out they had fun.

Fun at the Park with Louden

2008-10-15T22:36:00.003-05:00

Ivy loves playing with her neighbor Louden. He was born 7 hours after her. They are so cute together!

Ivy better be careful. If her father catching her holding hands with a guy he might ground her!

What did they do to my husband?

2008-10-03T09:45:00.004-05:00

So I guess part of being a youth ministers wife is letting go and letting students get their kicks out of altering my husbands apperance. A few days ago they accomplished this by shaving his head. Josh made a deal that if they got 350 kids to our kick off weekend then he would shave his head. Unfortunately we made it to 350!

Here is a "before" picture..... Silky smooth and beautiful long black hair.

The other youth ministers got off easier. Below you see that Steve had to shave his legs.

Dave getting his toe nails painted by Ashlee Cobb.
Here is the final result...... It looks like he enrolled in the military. boo hoo hoo!! At least his hair grows fast. I tried to give him a prenatal vitamin last night to speed up the growth. I told him it was a multi vitamin and it would be good for him. He made me show him the bottle and then saw it was prenatal. Of course he wouldn't take it at that point but at least I tried.

Ivy's Baby Dedication

2008-09-28T16:10:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago we did Ivy's baby dedication. Ivy was blessed to have all of her grandparents in one place for this special occasion! Here is a picture of her while standing at the front of the congregation. I'm not sure what she is thinking but she sure has a pensive look on her face.

Ivy wants to take a min to introduce you to some of her family members that were there.....

So these pep's below holding me are my Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jeff. As you can see I am having a good time. That's because these two are very funny and like to make me laugh. Jeff is a youth pastor so as you can imagine he knows how to make a kid have fun. Jeff is my daddy's brother and he is also very hairy.

Below is my Pappy Joe. He is mommy's daddy. He is hyper and a busy man. I think I have a good shot at getting him to build me a doll house one day!

These two below are my Grandmommy Bledsoe and I'm not sure what to call the other one. He wants to wait until I am old enough to give him a name of my own. But this is my mommy's mommy and step dad. I love going to the beach with them and playing with their little doggies.
The last two grandparents are my Grandma and Grandpa Jones. They are hard to keep up with. (heehehe... get it.. Keeping up with the Joneses.) They are my daddy's parents. They live just a few miles away so I see them a good bit but not as much as I would like to.
I am such a lucky little girl. I have the most wonderful bunches of grandparents a girl could ask for. They are all so good to me and have done so much for me in my first few months of life.

I am now 8 months old and I just cut my first two bottom teeth. I also got a runny nose that gave me two ear connfections and a sore throat. I have meds now so I'm getting better. I hope you enjoyed meeting my family.

California or Bust ... Beach Trip #4

2008-09-10T22:37:00.011-05:00

A few weeks ago we took a family vacation to California. We split our time between visiting Josh's family in near LA and hanging out with some of my college friends in San Diego. We had a wonderful trip! We went to the beach and ate Inn N Out Burger everyday! We decided that one day Ivy is going to be really sad when she finds out she doesn't live at the beach. She has been going so much she probably thinks we live near one.

Notice our shirts in this picture.

Below is our family rash guard picture. YES! We all have one. Even Ivy! Thanks to Aunt Gail.
I think our favorite day on the trip was the day we got to spend on the Del Mar beach. Josh would surf for a living if that would pay the bills. These are some pics of that day. His Uncle Jim and Aunt Cindy happen to be there that day so we hung out with them and caught some waves too!

This picture above is Laguna Beach. This was the last picture we took on our camera before I dropped it in the ocean.
The picture above is from a night out with my college buddies.
This is a pic of Aunt Gail and Uncle Bruce with Chelsea's horse (Josh's cousin). His grandparents live in the coolest neighborhood. It's in the city but they have horse trails and stables right in the front yard. This horse is part of the family and Ivy really liked him.
This is Ivy's great grandparents. Her only living great grandpa!
If you notice the flag in the pic above you will see that we are in Balboa Island. Such a neat little place.
I could live here! This is Laguna Beach. Isn't it beautiful!!

To the left is a pic of Ashley and Sam (college roommates) being goofy and making Ivy laugh. These girls are SILLY with a capital S.

Here is a pic of Ivy on the plane. This would be her 8th flight. She did so great on the plane. No complaints from mom and dad or any passengers.

YES! We did it! We got on the Price is Right! A show I have been watching since I was 10. I would watch it all the time with my grandmother and on the days I played hookie in grade school. Josh watched Ivy all day and I waited in line with new and old friends trying to make it on. We had the best seats in the house but sadly none of us made it to contestants row. Bummer! Our show will air on Oct 27th so watch for us. Look for the bright orange Clemson shirt about 10 rows back in the middle.

Speaking of Orange. This picture is Ivy's great Grandma Jones. She has an orange tree in the back yard and they were yummy!

What's so Amazing about Grace?

2008-08-28T20:47:00.003-05:00

Josh and I flew to California to visit with his side of the family. ( I will blog more about the trip later and post pictures too.) While we were there I managed to drop our brand new digital camera in the ocean at the beginning of the week. Thus preventing us from capturing the memories of our wonderful family vacation. So there goes a couple hundred dallor loss.

Now if this would have been Josh dunking the camera I would have for sure told him how stupid that was and ridiculed him for being clumsy. I also was tempted to let it ruin my day. But my sweet husband had the opposite reaction. He just shrugged it off and said it was no big deal. WHAT? Isn't he suppose to like get mad and frustrated??? It's not like we have extra money laying around to purchase a new one. And it's not like we can come back to Laguna Beach and San Diego to retake the pictures next week.

I pretty much felt I deserved for him to at least be mad at me. But nope... He extended me so much grace and just kept smiling and having a good time and let it roll off his back. He also kept me from getting mad at myself.

Ok, so fast forward a couple of days to our last day on the beach. This was a day we had both been waiting for. We were in San Diego with his Aunt Cindy and Uncle Jim who provided us with great company and a surf board. Josh LOVES to surf and couldn't even eat breakfast because he was so excited. Before he went into catch the big waves he handed me his wedding ring and said he was scared he would lose it so he wanted me to hang on to it. So I put the ring on my thumb.

A few hours later I looked at my thumb and there was no ring! Inside I was freaking out but was trying to remain calm. So we frantically being looking in the sand and walking the beach. After searching for a while we called it quits and determined that the ring was lost.

Again, if Josh lost my wedding ring then that may have been the start of world war 3. But Josh was totally calm and composed. He never even attempted to get mad. He never so much as asked me how I could loose it. He just told me not to worry and that it was only material things that could be replaced. He said as long as he had me and Ivy then we were all good.

I can not express how amazing my husband is to extend me so much grace when I definately felt I deserved to at least see him get frustrated. Josh is such a picture of Christ to me and I wish I could be more like him. I am so grateful to have a husband to set such a good example to me of how I should extend others grace when they make mistakes.

This also served as a reminder to me of the grace Christ extends to each one of us. Before I became a Christian I lived some pretty wild days. For the longest time I felt like I couldn't follow Christ because I had messed up so bad. But just as Josh forgave me for loosing some pretty precious items, Christ also forgave me for my wilder days. It's so amazing to have a God that just forgives regardless of our past. It's also the most wonderful feeling to be married to godly man who forgives me even when I feel I don't deserve it.

I love him so much! Ivy is also so blessed to have a daddy like Josh!

Beach Trip #3

2008-08-01T19:37:00.006-05:00

That's right! Ivy has been to the beach 3 times in her short 6 months of life. My grandmother said that Ivy has flown more in her life time than my grandmother has in her 80 something years of life.

Speaking of the flight.... It was LONG. We had a 3 hour delay which feels like 30 when you have a baby and are traveling alone. But Ivy was a trooper and did great! Josh isn't with us because he is using his vacation days for our family vacation next month to California.

The picture above is of Grandmommy. This is at her B-day celebration.

These are just some random pictures of us at the beach. The other little girl is her cousin Isabel. For those of you who know my brother in-law you will agree that she is a carbon copy of him. Just a smaller female version.

Fun Times - Fun Pictures

2008-07-26T13:03:00.005-05:00

This blog is just a random mix of the fun we have been having this summer. Below is a picture of Ivy at Panama City Beach Florida. We were there a month ago for Beach Camp with the highschool students. Our friend Kathryn Aylor took this picture of Ivy and I thought it was so good!

She also took this family picture below. This was one of the few moments that I got to see Josh that week.

Can you guess who Ivy is imitating in this picture?

Did you guess Ray Charles?

Ok, I know this looks a little weird. So a few nights ago I got a cut on my ankle. Before we went to bed I asked Josh to get me a bandaid. Josh looked at it and said that it didn't need a bandaid and that I needed to get tough. I disagreed and tried to convince him that I really needed one and I was too tired to get it. So I begged and he finally went to get one. He came back apologizing for not realizing how serious the injury was. He put on the latex gloves, brought the first aid kit and began bandaging me up. He was just mocking me! But it was funny!

Ivy is a little water baby! She loves the tub and the pool. Especially when she is with her friend Lauden.

Why is it that Ivy always laugh's more with her daddy?? Maybe it's because he can open his mouth really big! His features are more dramatic than mine. It can't be because he is more fun!

In Sickness and Health

2008-07-19T10:01:00.004-05:00

Josh and I were reminded of our vows this past week. Josh brought home a terrible stomach virus that hit him at 5am on Tuesday. It involved 6 hours of violent throwing up and fluids coming out of the other end too! Then he broke with a fever.

Now we all know that men are big babies when they are sick. So it's hard to tell when they are serious when they say they feel like they are dying. I really thought that Josh was being over dramatic. When we took him to the doctor he actually had them wheel him back to the car in a wheel chair! I couldn't believe it and told him that it wasn't that bad. He disagreed of course.

Well, I found out the hard way that he was right! Two days later I came down with the exact some thing. I too threw up for 6 hours and then broke a fever! I finally just laid on the

bathroom floor because their was no point in heading back to the bed. I was throwing up every 15 mins so it was closer to just stay on the floor. At one point I told Josh that I would seriously rather die than to keep this up.

So far Ivy has not caught it. I am still holding my breath. I can't imagine how she will feel if a 17 lb baby girl were to experience such a terrible sickness. We shipped her off to grandma and grandpa's house to get away from the germs. She back now and acting normal.

And to make Grandmommy is SC happy we have to post some new pics of little chubber.

The dress Ivy is wearing above is a personal favorite. And the crazy thing is that the tag in the dress says "SWEET IVY". HAHA! It was ment to be hers. I didn't even know there was a brand of children's cloths called Sweet Ivy. We will have to find more.

I know what you might be thinking when you look at this picture above. It appears that we have stuffed her mouth full of food. The truth is that she doesn't have any food in her mouth at all. This was taken after she took her last bite. Yes, Ivy cheeks are just that big!

The shirt Ivy is wearing above is an A&M shirt. For those who don't know much about the Aggie's, they do a yell at midnight before game day.

Here is little miss priss helping mommy with the laundry.

These are just a few pics of what Ivy has been up to the past month. She hit her 6 month b-day at 17.5 lbs. She is in the 80% in weight and 83% in head size. She inherited the big head from her dad. I think this is part of why she is not sitting up yet. She is top heavy and that big noggin just weighs her down.

To see more pics of the last month CLICK HERE.

Beach Camp

2008-07-05T14:16:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago Ivy and I were brave and decided to join the youth group at Beach Camp. Josh had to go of course because that is his job. But Ivy and I decided that it would be better to be at Panama City Beach Florida watching daddy work than to stay in hot, flat, landlocked Dallas.

This time we did not fly. Ivy got to experience her first road trip! Josh had to ride the bus so I road with our director of student ministries wife and two kids.

For those of you who are good at math, YES! That means we had 3 kids, in a van driving from Panama City Beach Florida! Here is a picture below of Kathryn, Braxton and Nash. They were our travel buddies.

I'm not sure about the ride there but I know on the ride home we were in the car for a total of 16 hours and made 9 stops. Between all the dirty diapers, hungry babies, and mommies that needed refreshing what would you expect? The kids did pretty good expect for the occasional temper tantrum from Nash or Ivy. Those little ones don't like to be in a car seat for that long.

Below is a pic of Josh being Mr. Ref. We really didn't spend much time with him that week. Just an occasional meal in the cafeteria or a hello on the beach.

Ivy made up for a lack of daddy time by getting some of her favorite high school boys to entertain her. These are two guys in the 10th grade. The one holding her is Spencer and he really loves babies! He has two younger siblings so he is good with the little ones and Ivy loves his attention.

If Ivy wasn't with me or being passed around by high school students, then she was in the arms of one of the leaders on the trip. There were several older women that loved taking over mommy duty so I could play with the kids during rec time. Here is a pic of Ivy taking a nap with Sandra on the beach.

My most embarassing moment as a mom happend towards the end of the week. Check out this pic of me below and pay close attention to my outfit and the sleeves. Yes, it's silly and that is because our last night at camp we had a thrift store prom. Our room was down the road from the other campers so I had to get dressed and then walk down the street by myself to the prom with Ivy in her stroller. Just as I walk out the front door a church let their kids out of worship. So there was some 200 plus kids and leaders from another church. And here I come walking down the road looking like a hooker with a baby!! It was like the red sea parted as I came strolling by. Every one stopped and stared at me. I won't repeat some of the choice words I heard but most kids screamed "GO GET THE CAMERA" " WHAT IS THAT??" I was quite a site to see. It was SOOO embarassing!!

If you want to see more pictures from Panama City Beach then CLICK HERE.

Lake Keowee

2008-06-23T18:57:00.007-05:00

Ivy has been quite the traveler in her short 5 months of life. Three weeks ago Ivy and I went again to South Carolina. Why? Because Grandmommy just had to see little Miss Ivy.

While we were at home my mom rented a house on Lake Keowee. Keowee is a beautiful lake in the mountains just past Clemson. The water is the most beautiful shade of greenish blue and the mountains wrap around the entire lake. It's georgeous! I so wish Josh could have been there. Everyone always ask me why Josh isn't with me every time I go to SC. My answer is... Do you know of a job that would give him that many days vacation???

Above is a pic of Keowee. I'm trying to show off my photography skills. Do you like?
The lake house my mom rented was in the Cliffs. There are several and we were in the Vineyards. You can see the Vineyards in the back ground of this picture past my sister, brother in-law and niece Isabel.
Above is a picture of "Ivy's favorite Uncle Fletcher".

While we were home we got to see lots of friends and family. Below is a picture of Ivy meeting Ms. Jessica Dean.

For those of you who don't know I actually do have a job. Thanks to my 2nd cousin Jane Herlong I am able to work from home and plan my own hours. Jane is a motivational speaker and I book her events. She is SOOO amazing at what she does and is a wonderful boss. If your company/organization ever needs someone to entertain and make a crowd laugh then Jane is your woman. You can check out her website at www.janeherlong.com

For those of you who know my dad you might think you are looking at him. But no... this guy below is my Uncle Ben. He is my dad's brother and yes, they look like twins.

This is just a cute picture of Ivy and Isabel. Isabel loves her cousin Ivy and loves to give her hugs.
This are just a few of the pictures of places and people we got to see on our trip. CLICK HERE to see the rest of the pics.

Ivy's First Boy Friend

2008-05-27T21:57:00.007-05:00

Yes! Ivy has a boy friend....... That would be a BOY who is her FRIEND. You didn't think I ment a "real boyfriend" now did you? She's only 4 months old!

Ivy is not the only one with a new friend. Josh and I have made some new wonderful friends right here in our apartment complex. It's really an answer to prayer!

I was wanting to meet some other ladies my age that had a baby Ivy's age in our apartment complex. So I prayed and asked the Lord to make some introductions if possible. Shortly after that prayer I met 3 young mothers and all of our babies are within 3 months of each other. One baby was actually born 1 day after Ivy. That baby would be the only boy in the group and Ivy's first boyfriend. His name is Lauden.

You can tell by the look on Ivy's face that she likes her new friend.

I don't think Lauden shares the same feelings. I think he is still in that "girls have coodies" phase.

Here is another cute pic of the two just chillin in the water on Memorial Day.

Ivy is quite a lover of the water. I know it's been a few weeks but if you want to see some more pictures from her first beach trip then CLICK HERE.

Our Memorial Day was fun! We spent time at the pool with some of our new friends and our babies. I also had a special guest that was a real treat. Ms. Erin Greenfield came to visit! Here is a pic of us right before she left. I didn't have our camera so her brother took one from his phone.

Erin is my good friend who lives in New York. Erin and I are sorority sisters from college and we were also in the same Bible study all four years. Now she is a lawyer and works crazy hours and rarely gets a weekend off. Thankfully she was able to get last weekend off and at the last min decided to come to Dallas to visit her brother. Lucky for me I got to see her too.

Guess what?? It's time for another SC trip. Ivy and I are heading to my home state in one week! Grandmommy... here we come!

First Beach Trip

2008-04-28T13:02:00.009-05:00

YES! We are back in SC but this time at the beach! Ivy and I flew into Columbia on Friday. The flight was terrific despite the fact that we sat on the run way for 2 hours before take off. The weather caused a long delay. I could tell everyone on the plane was nervous about the baby and how she would handle everything but Ivy did GREAT! She did not make a single noise except to laugh and coo at me. She is such a good flyer! Everyone on the plane complimented her and how good she was.

We spent the first night with Pappy Joe and then Uncle Fletcher brought us to the beach. We made a stop to see our great Aunt Johnsie and then we arrived in Myrtle Beach to stay with Grandmommy and Grandpa Bledsoe. We have been having a good time and we can't wait for Josh to meet us on Wednesday.

Here are some pictures of our vacation so far.

On Sunday my Aunt Harriet and cousin Ben come down to visit. We had sooo much fun doing a fashion show with Ivy and all of her cute bathing suits.

Here is a picture of Aunt Harriet and Ben with Ivy.

This is one of the first pictures from our fashion show. This bathing suit is sooo cute and is on loan from her friend Ryann.

We had to get a picture of the back of this bathing suit. It was just too cute. Daddy said no to two pieces but we snuck it on her.

Here she is showing the mid drift. I hope daddy doesn't look at the blog or Ivy might be grounded. Or perhaps mommy will be.

Ivy said that she wants to be like Great Aunt Harriet. She's trying to start by getting the "head tilt" down for pictures.

This is a video of Ivy's first time in the Ocean. Uncle Fletcher is the one who got to do the honors. Pay attention to the very end. It will explain why I had to knock him out. The bruise is mild and will go away soon.

Free Diapers for 6 Months!

2008-04-22T22:38:00.009-05:00

Can you believe it? We couldn't! So last week I go to the mail box and find a letter from my dear and sweet friend Carmen Wagner. I rarely get mail from her so I couldn't imagine what it would be. Carmen was a summer roommate in Clemson my senior year. So anyway, I open the envelope and there was TONS of coupons for free diapers. Not just any kind of diaper but my very favorite, PAMPERS!!!

It turns out that Carmen enters contest all the time to win any and everything. She entered a contest to win a lot of money and instead she won a 6 month diaper supply of Pampers. (Carmen is single so she doesn't really need them at this point.) Instead of trying to sell them on Ebay she so graciously mailed them to us! It's so neat to see how the Lord provides in the most mysterious ways. We are thankful for Carmen's kindness and how the Lord used her contest fettish to help us out. :) Above is a pic of all the coupons.

We have been slow at posting blogs because we are in transition of computers right now. Josh and I used the good ole tax return to purchase a Mac Laptop. We are loving it so far but there is a learning curve. We still need to transfer all pictures to this computer.

Other than that we have been enjoying life with Ivy. Ivy went to her first birthday party a few weeks ago. It was for Ryann Lamb's 1st B-day. Here is a pic

of the two little girls.

Here is just a cute picture of Ivy getting a bubble bath. She LOVES her bath and being in the water. Hopefully she will take after mommy and be a swimmer! It's a good thing she likes the water because we are heading to the beach this weekend! SC here we come again!

Visting South Carolina

2008-03-31T18:17:00.007-05:00

Over a week ago Ivy and I traveled home to South Carolina. We were there for 10 days! It was awesome to see so many friends and family. Our reason for going home was for two reasons. One, Josh was going on a mission trip to Vegas and we didn't want to sit in Dallas alone for a week. Two, my mom had hip replacement surgery and we wanted to be there to help her recover. The timing was great!

Ivy LOVED South Carolina! She was sooo good on the trip. She was even good on the plane. She didn't cry once and everyone on the flight told me I had a good baby. I am glad because we are going to be traveling to SC a lot.

Before we headed out to SC we were blessed with a visit from Aunt Carmen, Uncle Bernie and cousin Isabel. It was nice to have more family here and for the cousins to meet. Isable is a one year old and she adored her cousin Ivy. Isabel seemed to think that Ivy was her little baby doll. She would just lay her head on Ivy and hug her. Here is a cute pic of her doing that.

Isabel also loved swinging Ivy. She really would swing her! Here is the picture to prove it. (If you notice Isabel's outfit don't blame Carmen. Bernie and Josh dressed her this way.)

Ivy is not sure that Fletcher will be her favorite Uncle. He was a little nervous about holding her. Fletcher said.."I don't do bobble heads". I guess Ivy will get more Uncle Fletcher time once she gains more head control. Fletcher also was only able to burp her for about 2 mins. He said his hand was getting tired. Guess he's lost muscles since his days on the Clemson football team.

This was just a cute pic of Ivy. She is passed out after a day at the Park with Isabel.

Here is another cute picture of Ivy on Easter Sunday. She is such a doll and I love dressing her up!

Ivy got to meet so many family and friends while we were home. Here is a list of who she met and what Ivy thought about them. If you want to see more pics of our trip then CLICK HERE.

Aunt Carmen - She is really good with babies and it's obvious mom has learned a lot from her.

Grandmommy - She is so much fun! She was so sweet to buy all kinds of toys and things we needed at the house to make traveling easy. I can't wait to see her again.

Grandpa Bledsoe - He is a little nuts but I think I'll always have a lot of fun with him.

Uncle Bernie - I hope he never has to pick out my outfit.

Uncle Fletcher - Needs to improve on baby holding skills.

Cousin Isabel - I'm glad to have a cousin close to my age. I can't wait to play with her once I grow up.

Uncle Brian and Aunt Amanda - Those two need to have a baby soon so we'll have more cousins to play with.

Great Grandma Nonnie - She is really pretty, especially for her age. I hope I got some of her genes.

Ashley Alexander - What a sweet friend! She is a natural with babies.

Doctor Grier - He needs to get over mom breastfeeding me. She had a cover over her. He's a little strange acting, especially for a pediatrician. Dr. Cody and Dr. Lyle were much better with me.

Anderson Family - (This includes Jeff, Melanie, Jeffery, Bethany, Greg, and Patty). I have heard the Anderson family is strange. The jury is still out and I'll make my decision as I grow up.

Aunt Martha - She is sooooo good with babies. I could sleep in her arms forever.

Uncle Joe Ben - He is a funny man and I hope mommy will let me play with him a lot when we come home.

Tavaras - WOW! I have never been held by a man with such dark skin.

Jenn Breaux - For not having kids she was pretty good with me. I liked her and hope to see her again.

Briani - Ummm. She needs to spend more time with infants before I let her hold me again.

Aunt Harriet - She is my clothing idol. I want to dress like her when I grow up. She is stylin! But I hope she will remember not to call me a dog next time. When I burped she said.. "Good dog". I think it's been a while since she has been around babies.

Grandpa Joe - He seems a bit "task oriented". When we come home I will need to be added to his "to do" list to make sure we spend time together. But he is fun too! I little crazy but still fun.

Again, if you want to see pic's of Ivy with her family and friends then CLICK HERE.

Lauren VIsits!

2008-03-02T08:40:00.005-06:00

Last weekend Lauren Davis was in town for her wedding shower. Lauren also brought her mom, Ms. Debbie. Ivy and I had a blast with these two great friends. While they were here we took Lauren out for a bachlorette party and then had her lingerie shower the next day. It was so much fun! I actually got to get out and dance! Josh was busy last weekend with Chi Alpha. Chi Alpha is a weekend retreat with the youth group. I didn't see him all weekend.

This is a picture of some random women that wanted to get in on the baclorette party action.

This is Ms. Debbie. Ivy loved having Ms. Debbie babysit so she didn't have to go dancing with us. She hasn't developed her dancing skills yet.

I think Ivy likes Ms. Debbie better than Lauren.

This is a sweet pictures of Josh singing to Ivy. She loves when her daddy sings to her. He has a much better voice than mommy.

I added some more pics to her 2 month album. CLICK HERE to see.

More Pics of Ivy

2008-02-17T11:33:00.007-06:00

Here are some more pics of little Ivy.

Who said it takes a baby 3 months to develope a smile??

Now she's not smiling here. I think it's because Daddy did her hair.

I think she is trying to blow a kiss. Hopefully not at any boys!

Here is a glimpse of one of her many tempertantrums. She pitched this one when daddy said no to a shopping trip.

She calmed down when he told her that she could go to Grandma & Grandpa's house instead. She knows she can get what she wants from them.

If you want to see more recent pics then click here.

Visitors

2008-02-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

We have been busy bee's around here. I've been living in Texas for 4 years and I've never had tons of visitors. If you live away from home and want your family and friends to visit you then just have a baby and they will flock to you. :)

Josh and I have been blessed to have so many friends and family come by to meet Ivy. Lot's of our local friends and family have been by to visit but recently we had 3 visitors in a row and we have enjoyed chilling with them. Here is a picture of Ivy in her "chill" mode.

This next picture is my dad. He came to visit us last weekend and it was a huge blessing. My dad is quite the handy man and loves to stay busy. I had a long "to do" list for him. He helped us in many ways from fixing up our cars to painting the baby's bathroom. He may not have changed a diaper while he was here but he was super helpful and we enjoyed spending time with him. Here is Ivy with Grandpa Joe.

My mom also came to visit. She was here for Ivy's birth but she came back to visit for a week. This was a tremendous help to me and for my sleep. My mom did the 6am feeding for a week and I was able to get some shut eye. Mom was sooo helpful with teaching Josh and I some tips to taking care of infants. We learned a lot from her. I was actually getting worried that Ivy might think my mom was her mom because she pretty much did everything while she was here. I really enjoyed the relief and the company. It's really hard to get up at 6am now because I am so use to her doing it for me. Josh has been a sweetheart and jumps in to help as much as he can.

Anyway, here is Ivy with Grandmommy.

One of our other visitors was Samantha. Sam is one of my best friends and college roommies. She was traveling cross country to move to LA. Sam drove from Florida to Cali and made a point to stop by Dallas for 2 days to meet Ivy. Sam's visit came in good timing. Josh had been super busy with work and school and I was starting to feel like a single mother. Sam brought the company I desperately needed. It's always fun to catch up and spend time with her. Ivy really liked Sam too and wants to go visit her in Cali soon.

If you want to check out more pictures of Ivy then CLICK HERE. Check out her 1 & 2 Month Album.

Ivy's First Photo Shoot

2008-01-24T22:25:00.001-06:00

My wonderful friend and best photographer in the world, David Edmonson, took some pictures of Ivy on Sunday. David can make anything look good with his talent but I must say that Ivy is a beautiful baby girl.

This first picture is just a funny one. We did a bunch of naked shots and it was bound to happen that Ivy pooped all over Josh. Not just once, but two poops and one pee. He was pretty grossed out. Ivy should be glad it was Josh holding her and not my dad. My father would have thrown up all over her. Josh was a good sport but definatley took a shower when we got home.

Here is another funny pic. Josh has never felt her sucking reflex. This is a good example of why God made women breast feed and not men. Just look at his face... and it's only his finger she is sucking. Imagine how women feel.

I think Josh was really amused by her sucking. In this picture Ivy is sucking his nose. Still not even comparable to what women have to tolerate.

Ok, now for the sweet pictures of our little girl. Here are same samples of our photo shoot. These were my favorites. CLICK HERE to see other pictures from the shoot.

Aunt Carmen Visits

2008-01-21T18:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend Ivy got to meet her Aunt Carmen. Josh and I were so blessed by her visit. It was nice to have the extra help especially one from a Doctor and mother. The newness of being parents has worn off and Josh and I have hit the wall of exhaustion so her visit came in good timing.

Ivy had her first Pediatrician visit last week. It was a pretty good visit with the exception of her weight loss. She got down to 5lbs 12oz. It turns out that she wasn't getting enough food as she and I are still learning how this whole breastfeeding process works. But we have worked everything out and now she is eating fine and gaining adequate weight. In the mean time it has been really hard to find clothes that fit her. Aunt Carmen found a great outfit that works. It's nice to have a least one cute outfit that doesn't swallow her.

I've been recovering pretty good but like I said... The newness has worn off and I'm feeling the pains of no sleep and the whole recovery process in general. Josh and I are both fighting a cold and I think Ivy is too. Please pray that we are able to fight it and that non of us get full blow sick.

We have had great support of family and friends to provide meals and help us with every need. Josh has been very excited about the meals because cooking would be up to him. He also loves it because we have been getting some pretty sweet meals. Much better than my cooking. We love and appreciate each person who has made us a meal. THANK YOU!

We also made a visit to the photographer to the stars, David Edmonson. David was our wedding photographer and he is just as good at baby pics. I'll be posting the pictures from the photo shoot soon. If you want to see some home photos of Ivy's first week CLICK HERE.

Ivy Grace Jones has arrived

2008-01-13T22:30:00.000-06:00

Our little girl is here and we finally have a name. Ivy Grace Jones. We wanted something unique and feminine. With a last name like Jones if you have a common name you will be one of the millions with that name. If you want to see more pictures CLICK HERE.

Her birthday was last Thursday, Jan. 10th. I was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night with high blood pressure. My doctor wanted them to monitor me over night and then to induce me in the am. So 6am we started the induction and 12 hours later she arrived. It was a long labor process. I ended up pushing for a total of 5 hours! There were definatley times where I began to ask God if my body was really made to do this.

By the 12th hour of labor my doctor came to check on me and decided to use the "vaccum" to help her come out. A few pushes later and she was on my stomach. She had a little trouble breathing at first and her blood sugar was too low. I got to hold her for about 2 mins and then they took her to the nursery for 2 hours. It was torture waiting to hold that sweet little girl.

The hosptial stay is one big blur. Apparently I have talked to several friends and family but I don't remember much of it. Things were just so busy between hosptial staff coming in every 30 mins for one reason or another, to family and friends visiting, and the phone ringing every min. A photographer stopped by to take photos and I thought her lense was out of focus because my vision was blurred from being so tired.

Now we are home and happy to be here. It's been a steady flow of visitors and we are still working on the nursing deal. Josh has been an absolutly wonderful husband and father. You would think he has done this before. He is helping with everything and taking great care of both of us.

We have also been blessed by our families and friends. Many thanks to those of you who have brought us food or stopped by to visit. We appreciate everything more than you know!

We will keep the updates coming and if you want to check out more pictures CLICK HERE.

Getting the Nursery Ready

2007-12-21T09:53:00.000-06:00

Josh and I are finally done getting unpacked and have been able to work on the nursery. We still have a lot to do but we have made a lot of progress. Check out the pic's of our nursery so far. We only have the crib and the bookshelf up so far. Hopefully the rest of the room will be done soon!

Maternity Pictures at 7 Months

2007-12-13T13:56:00.000-06:00

I am currently 8 months pregnant with one month to go! The count down is on.
Our wedding photographer wanted to do some maternity pictures for us. He is such an amazing man and a FABULOUS photographer. Click HERE to see all of them. These were taken at 7 months so I am a little bigger now.

Josh and I just moved into our new apartment. Yes, we moved while I am 8 months pregnant and I am SOOO glad it is over and we finally have a more permanent place to live. It was very stressfull not being able to set up a nursery or set anything up for the little girl.

I still feel like we have a lot to do to get the place ready for our daughter but I know we'll get it done. Still no name picked out.

Thanksgiving Vacation 2007

2007-11-25T20:17:00.000-06:00

This blog will have a lot of pictures so get ready. Josh and I just returned from a week long Thanksgiving vacation. We had an amazing time and did soooo much in just a week. While we were there we had a baby shower, Clemson football game, anniversary getaway in Asheville, hiked to water falls, and spent time with family and friends. It was so relaxing and enjoyable. It was nice to have a break like this before we meet our daughter in just 7 short weeks!

So here are some pictures from our vacation. (There are so many pictures than I can't post all of them on the blog. CLICK HERE to see a slide show of all the pictures from the week.)

First was our baby shower. We were so thankful to see everyone who was able to make it and for their generous gifts. I was very surprised that some of my guy friends actually purchased some baby girl gifts. WAY TO GO GUYS! The party was thrown by my sweet friend Jennifer Breaux and my mom. They did a fabulous job and the occassion was special.

The next day we were off to Josh's first Clemson football game. We started off tailgating at my Uncle Greg's "Orange apartment". After that, we strolled around and visited various tailgates.

Josh and I started off watching the game from the upper deck. Not so much fun at 7 months pregnant to hike up to section JJ of the upper deck. BUT it was all worth it to spend some time with Jessica Dean and her boyfriend Brian.

After spending the first half of the game in the upper deck we made it down to the side lines. Thanks to my dad, Josh and I were able to enjoy the game so close that we could reach out and touch the players. It was awesome and one of Josh's favorite things about our vacation.

The next few days we spent in the mountains near Asheville, NC. We went to Cesars Head, Pretty Place, Devils Kitchen and hiked to Hooker and Triple Falls. While we were in Asheville we celebrated our one year anniversary/baby moon. We had a peacful stay at a bed and breakfast called the Princess Ann.

The last few days of our vacation was spending time with family for Thanksgiving. We spent 2 days with my dad and 2 days with my mom.

It was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed every min of it. There were so many more things we did and people we got to visit. To see all of our pictures CLICK HERE.

Halloween Party

2007-11-01T18:34:00.001-05:00

Josh and I hosted a Halloween party for the 10th graders this year. It was so much fun! Can you guess who Josh and I are dressed up as? If you guessed Mary and Joseph then you are right! We had to find a way to play off the big belly. Our friend Kaylee helped us out with the idea. Kaylee is the chicka in the batman out fit.

The kids that came were all dressed up and ready for fun. We had lots of food, a strobe light and a fog machine. We even did a little dancing too! And yes! I even participated with the belly. One thing I didn't participate in was the bobbing for apples.

We did something funny with the apples. We decided to put 2 fake apples in the bucket. It was pretty funny when one of the guys tried to get one of them but couldn't bite down. Funny thing is that he somehow managed to get it out. Big strong mouth I guess.

Check out this picture of the guys bobbing. Who's the winner? All of that and they tied!

It was a fun and enjoyable Halloween for us, the kids and the other highschool leaders. To view more pictures of the party click here

My Visit Home for a Baby Shower

2007-10-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

See the difference in the belly size? I use to look more like my model friend Briani but now there is the belly bump. Briani was one of the host for my first ever baby shower in Columbia last weekend. It was so much fun and I got lost of great gifts. The other host were Lauren Davis, Debbie Davis, and my sister. Unfortunatley Carmen couldn't make the shower because she had a 104 fever plus pink eye from Isabel. They had a rough weekend and I'm glad she stayed home to get better.

Are you surprised to see that this present I am opening is pink? Would you be surprised if I told you a lot of the gifts were pink? Well, my husband would say yes to both of those questions. He is not really into pink, lace and bows. He thinks my guest were out to get him by giving me so much pink. I told him to start liking pink now because he is going to be seeing it a whole lot more. It's just the way things are when you are having a girl, not to mention married to a Southern chick who's favorite color is pink. If you want to check out more pictures from the shower then click here.

I made the most of my visit home for the shower and stayed for 4 nights. It was nice to be home and to visit with so many friends and family. One night I went to dinner with Briani and Jason Grier. I mean, "Doctor Grier". It's nice to have a friend that is a pediatrician. I'll probably be calling him a lot in the near future. Here's a pic of me, Briani and Jason.

Living in Texas I typically miss Birthday celebrations. But as luck would have it I was there for Ricky's B-day (my step dad). We went to Macaroni Grill right after the shower to celebrate. He looks as happy as I do when I get new clothes!

This is one of my favorite things I got to see in SC. It's my mom's new dog. Her name is Dutchess and she is a minature yorky. The dog weighs the same as my little baby girl. That would be a whopping 1.5 lbs. Mom said she wanted to get her own baby since Carmen and I had one. She also wanted to get her so the grandbabies could play with it when they come to visit her. She will do anything to lure the babies to her place.

My going back to Texas lunch was at the families favorite....Lizards Thicket. I was able to get some good southern cooking before heading back to Texas. I was also happy that I got to spend so much time with my brother and his girlfriend. You won't believe this but my brother took me shopping a Babies R Us and Target after lunch. It was his idea too!! He even helped me scan things at the store while I was updating my registry. Fletch man is even helping one of my friends throw me a shower in Greenville next month! What a sweet brother!

I am currently 29 weeks pregnant and only 11 more to go! I'm counting down the days and can not wait for her to get here!!

P.S. No name picked out yet. We have decided to wait until she is born to pick a name.

Sonogram Pictures of Baby Girl Jones

2007-09-23T19:11:00.001-05:00

Here are two pictures of our little girl. If you look close in this first picture you will see her face. She is laying on her side looking at the camera with a peaceful smile on her face.

This picture is a profile shot if her precious face. From the looks of it she has my pointed Anderson nose. I wonder if she will get the Anderson blonde or the Jones black hair??

IT'S A GIRL!!

2007-09-20T20:20:00.001-05:00

Here is the most recent picture of my belly. It's getting bigger. I'm having trouble bending over and I know it seems premature but I am loosing my balance a lot.

Josh and I were shocked to find out two weeks ago that we are having a little girl. We both totally thought it was a boy. This is because EVERYONE told us they thought it was a boy. Most women thought it was a boy because of the way that I am carrying the baby. I actually don't believe in any of those silly myths. The Jones side of the family has like 1 girl out of the last 19 Joneses. It seemed like they don't produce the girl gene but I guess Josh and I are proving that they do.

Everyone keeps asking if we have a named picked out. The answer would be no. Josh is a very show decision maker so I don't really anticipate having a name until January. We can't seem to agree on names either so that doesn't help. By the way... If you are ever trying to determine the name of your unborn child DO NOT tell Jason Grier or Natalie Estes what names you are considering. They both had nothing nice to say about our favorite name. They made us feel like we had lost our mind considering this one particular name.

The good news is that the baby girl is healthy and there are no concerns. I praise the Lord for that!

Baby News

2007-08-27T21:43:00.001-05:00

For the rare few that didn't get my mass email you still have a chance to see the news report with our baby. My doctor was asked to be a part of a news story on prenatal testing. The piece was specifically about downs syndrom testing for pregnant women. Josh and I didn't want to do this test but they really needed a paitent at the last min and called me. I agreed to "pose" like I was getting the test. I did it simply so I could get an extra sonogram and see the baby. But they ended up making the story look like I had the test. Anyway, click here to see the news report. Once you get to the page you will push play on the screen with the synogram.

Everyone keeps asking if I am showing yet so here is a picture that Josh took of me tonight. I am exactly 5 months. That's over half way! I've got no where to go but out at this point.

Stay tuned for the big annoucment. We find out if it is a boy or girl next Friday. Josh thinks it's a girl and I think it's a boy. All I know is that the baby is very hyper. I feel it moving ALL the time. We have one very active child. I have no idea where it get's that energy from???

House Sitting for 6 Months!

2007-08-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Most of the time when you hear that someone is "house sitting" you think of a family going out of town for a weekend while you stay at their place. For Josh and I, house sitting is going to be a 6 months stay.

It's pretty neat how the Lord made this happen. Our lease was up in our apartment and we already turned in our notice to move out. Josh is currently looking for a full time youth ministry position and we have no idea where we will be moving. But we had to move out and find a new place to live.

We found an apartment and put down a deposit with no peace about signing a 12 month lease. We were approved and the leasing agent called to tell us that the computers were down in the office and we would have to wait a week to sign the lease. No big deal right?

Everything happens for a reason and those computers were broken for us. During that week we recieved a phone call from a Pastor at our church saying that he knew of a family that was looking for someone to house sit for 6 months. Josh and I immediately wanted to say YES! We prayed about it and then met the family.

They are the most generous people we have ever met! Their names are Rebekah and Mike Russ. They are a few years older than us and have 2 year old twins (one boy and one girl). Mike's company wanted him to move to China for work and they didn't want to leave the house empty for that long. After our initial meeting we both agreed that this was a good fit.

Josh and I were overwhelmed bythe kindness of the Russ family to allow us to live rent free!! God is so good and we know this connection could only come from him. Praise the Lord for allowing us this time to save money before the baby comes and to not be locked down in a lease.

So here we are house sitting until the first week of December. Here's a picture of the house.

Hawaiian Falls Water Park

2007-08-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

Friday night we had a churchwide event at the Water Park. For every ticket you bought you were able to bring one guest. Josh and I decided to go and we brought along our friend William. William is a Chinese teenager who recently moved to the US with his family. He is one of the 4 chinese students that Josh leads in a Bible study once a week.

The evening got off to a rather rough start. There was all kinds of thunder and lightening, plus William said he didn't want to ride any rides because they were too high. Josh and I had no idea how to entertain a Chinese kid that speaks every little english in the rain.

But it all worked out. The rain let up and William decided to try a few smaller rides. The guys had a great time together while I walked around meeting new friends at our church.

Beach Vacation 2007

2007-08-05T15:25:00.001-05:00

Our beach vacation FINALLY came around! This was one of my favorite trips home simply because we got to see so many people. The week started off with visiting Ed and Julie, my dad and the entire Anderson family and then we were off to the beach with my mom and step dad. We also had special beach bathing beauty guest Briani and Lauren. They stayed with us from Sunday to Monday. We basically just chilled and layed out every day. Some of us needed the tan more than others.

Check out the picture of Briani. She hardly needs more sun and made me look like a pale ghost.

Lauren some how managed to miss all of the pictures. I think she was embarassed of her skin color too. :)

Josh pretty much stayed in the ocean the whole week. All he needed was a surf board and the slight possibility that a wave might come. He managed to get up a lot but when you spend over 60 hours in the ocean you are bound to have some luck.

My brother came down the last half of the week and I think Josh was happy to have more testosterone in the mix of the condo. Fletch couldn't hang much in the ocean. He said it was boring. At least he tried a few times with no success. Fletcher also brought a girlfriend this time. Woooo! This was a first for him.

We had 3 visitors come visit us throughout the week. My college friend Delanie Thompson (formerly Jobson) is about 8 months pregnant and she was in town for the week too. She has a much bigger belly than me but it was fun for Josh to meet my sweet friend and to talk baby talk.

We were also visited by my friend Jennifer Breaux. She just graduated from Law School and drove up from Charleston to visit. That made me so happy that she would drive the distance just to visit for a few hours! She's a sweetie!

My step sister Lauren also came to visit us from Edisto. She has a man and they are so cute. They look like siblings! She is precious and I love every min I get to see her.

The last friend we got to spend time with was not planned. Our flight was delayed for 4 hours coming home from the Columbia airport. To my surpriese my Doctor friend Jason Grier was actually available. He came to the airport and picked us up for dinner. It was a quick dinner at Arbys but it was so nice to see him. Jason hasn't changed a bit. Still the silly goofy Dr. Grier. We took a picture to compare belly size. I don't understand it but he thinks it's hilarious that I am pregnant. I told him that I was just trying to help him get started with his practice. :)

If you want to check out other pictures of our vacation then click here.

Anderson Lake Party

2007-07-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

The Anderson family embarked on it's first ever lake party. This party was to celebrate Josh and I getting married. Since we live in Texas they weren't able to throw a shower before the wedding so they threw us a party last weekend. There was a lot of apprehension and fear at the thought of my father driving a boat around Lake Murray. We actually rented two boats. All of the old folks were in one boat with dad as the captain and the younger generation hung together. Needless to say our boat had more fun. The old folks tried to pump up the music to make us think they were all hip but it didn't work.

We spent the first 2 hours trying to find Dreher Island from the Dock Side Marina. This was only a 45 min ride but to no ones surprise we got lost. Dad thought he knew what he was doing but if he had only listened to Brian then we would have made it there a lot sooner. I guess since Brian is an "add on" family member and not an original Anderson that his opinion doesn't carry as much weight.

So we finally found our destination where we had a fabulous cook out with South Carolina BBQ and sweet tea! This was the first time our entire family has gotten together since my

grandmother passed away. We had the most fun and it was great to catch up and just have fun together.

The day was filled with food, fun, family, cops, and getting lost. YES! We got lost going home two! The cops stopped us twice that day. Once to make sure that we had life jackets and the other was because dad was doing something illegal.

That's right. Dad was using the gas in a no wake zone. The cop pulled him over and guess what? Dad didn't have his drivers license. hahaha! So he had to give the cop his buisness card. I guess that probably helped since his title is Cheif Federal Judge. The cop was really nice and gave dad a warning after explaining the definition of "No Wake".

One more cool thing happend. We got to see Rick Flair. Apparently he is a professional wrestler that has been around for years. I got a picture of him from behind but my cousin Julie got a picture with him. Click here to see more photos of our lake party and you can see Rick there.

Visiting Dad

2007-07-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

Our vacation in SC has been great so far. We were able to spend the first three nights at my dads house. My sister, brother in-law and niece met us there. My dad has some pretty good hospitality skills for being a bachelor. Dad definatley knows how to make the men in the family happy as he made steaks our first night. This was Josh's first time meeting our niece Isabel. This was terrific preparation for our baby on the way. Josh was so great with her. He even gave her a bath and helped her get ready for bed. To this day Josh still has never changed a diper but that will all change soon. Isabel sure does love her uncle Josh! Fletcher will have a hard time in competition for the favorite uncle title. To see more pictures of the family and Isabel click here.

Meeting Mary Addison

2007-07-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

YES! I finally got to meet Mary Addison. Mary A. is the daughter of my college friends Ed and Julie Edwards. Josh and I are in South Carolina for the week and one of the first things I got to do was go to meet this cute little girl. She is so precious! Thankfully she looks more like Julie than Ed. While I was in Spartanburg, Julie and I met Ed at work and went to a park to have lunch. Then Julie and I spent the rest of the day together talking baby talk, pregnancy, and all that comes with motherhood. I LOVE these conversations! There is so much to learn from those who have already been down this road that we are on.

Unfortunatley Josh didn't get to spend time with the infamous Ed Edwards or meet Mary Addison. My dad had some big plans for the two of them. Dad knows that Josh loves adventure and the outdoors so he bought two kayaks. (YES, my family spoils my husband). So the two of them went kayaking down the Saluda river. They had a good time and it was probably good for them. Typically, when we spend time with my dad I do all of the talking so maybe this helped them to get to know each other a little better.

That is one day down and 9 more to go on our summer vacation 2007!!

Meet our Neice Isabel

2007-07-11T09:23:00.000-05:00

I became an Aunt and Josh is Uncle for the first time. This is also the first grandchild on my side of the family. So needless to say that she is going to be spolied. Fortunately I got to spend a week with her when she was 6 weeks old. Click here to check out the pictures of this cutie pie. Her name is Isabel Susana Traywick and I am by far her favorite aunt! My sister was in labor for 24 hours and was pushing hard for the final 3 hours. She almost 2 weeks early and was so tiny that they had to buy premature baby clothes. Isabel tells me that she can't wait for her cousin to get here in January. It's so neat that they will be close in age!

The Wedding Weekend

2007-07-10T16:04:00.000-05:00

So I might be a little late in posting a blog about our wedding but better late than never right? So Josh and I had a wonderful wedding. Everything was absolutley perfect! We had the most fun the entire day. I have one very important word of advice for engaged gals.... DO NOT do pictures the traditional way. Josh and I had a 6pm and we did all of the pictures in advance. We had a special moment at the alter around 2pm where our photograher could capture the exchange that took place between us. It was intimate, emotional, memorable, special and completley free of the dictates of the conventional ceremony. After that we met up with our families to take pictures in front of a beautiful plantation house.

Next we went barefoot on the beach with our wedding party and fully dressed in formal attire. We were jumping up and down, laughing, dancing and embracing. It was sooo much fun!! Josh and I honestly got to enjoy our wedding day together instead of waiting until 6pm with tons of people watching and grabbing us to talk.

The reception was SOO much fun! We had the most amazing group of friends and family in attendance. I think that literally every person made it on the dance floor at some point during the night. I have to give shout outs to my grandmother and Ms. Debbie Davis. They were the most entertianing ones on the floor.

Josh and I want to say a special thanks to all of our friends and family that were able to make it! It ment so much to us that each of you would travel to celebrate our marriage. We had an absolulte blast and the day was everything we dreamed it would be.

I also have to throw out that we did have the best wedding photographer in the country. If you are not married yet then you have to use him when you finally tie the knot. His name is David Edmonson. You can also check out our wedding slide show by clicking here

2006-07-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

GET TO KNOW ASHLEY ANDERSON & JOSH JONES

ABOUT ASHLEY

I am a South Carolina native but currently live in Plano Texas. I graduated from Clemson University and my blood runneth orange. I am a conference director for the Song of Solomon for Students. We basically travel the country teaching teens what the Bible says about attraction, love, dating and purity. I LOVE my job!
I love water sports, tennis, shopping, and I love to go dancing with friends.

ABOUT JOSH

Josh likes to claim he is from California since he did spend the first few years of his life there. However, he has spent the past 18 years in Plano TX. Josh graduated from Texas A&M University and is getting ready to go back to school. Starting in the Fall Josh will be going to school at Dallas Theological Seminary and working part time at Denton Bible Church. He loves sports and any type of adventure in the great outdoors.

HOW WE MET

We both ended up doing the Discipleship Program at Denton Bible Church the same year. We were a part of the same social group and quickly developed a crush on each other. We finally had our first date when the program ended and we've been together ever since.

2006-07-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

THE PROPOSAL DETAILS....

WE GOT ENGAGED
June 23, 2006

HOW IT HAPPENED
He sent me a love letter every day for a week. The first letter included a puzzle and some "rules of the game". I recieved a clue everyday and had to fill in the puzzle. Then on Friday he told me to get dressed up and took me to a really nice restaurant. I had been suspecting an engagement but he TOTALLY threw me off at dinner so I was no longer expecting it that night. After dinner he walked me over to a beautiful botanical park. There he gave me the last clue. It was another love letter and he shared a song with me that he had written his future wife back in 2000. Once I finished reading the letter he pulled out the ring and popped the question. Once I said yes I was filled in the last clue on the puzzle. It actually came out to say "I LOVE YOU PUDDIN". Then he gave me a keep sake oriental box that matches my apartment. One of my sayings is, "The proof is in the pudding". So he told me that this was my "puddin" box. He wanted me to put all of the letters from our engagement in the box to serve as proof that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me!

Click here for our engagement pictures.

2006-07-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

WEDDING DETAILS - Get the scoop on the big day!

WHEN & WHERE
November 18, 2006 Myrtle Beach, SC
Ceremony Begins @6pm

ABOUT THE BIG DAY
The wedding will be in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. The ceremony is at the First United Methodist Church and the reception is at Pine Lake Country Club. Why Myrtle Beach? I no longer have a "home town" in SC and we will also be having a lot of out of town guest. We wanted to pick a location that would be fun for everyone. Also, I use to work at this country club and have dreamed of my wedding in this venue for years. Plus, we just love the beach!

ASHLEY'S BRIDESMAIDS
Carmen Traywick , Matron of Honor -- Sister
Lauren Davis -- College friend and is in Texas with me
Ashley Alexander -- College Friend and Roommate
Briani Bennett -- Best friend from Highschool
Jessica Dean -- College friend and roommate
Samantha Hoit -- College friend and roommate
Amanda Mellard -- Cousin
Nataile Estes, Jr. Bridesmaid -- our "lil sis"

Flower Girl
Gabrielle Nelson -- Daughter of friends Ben & Amanda Nelson

JOSH'S GROOMSMEN
Jeff Jones, Best Man-- Brother
Brannon Latimer -- College Friend/Roommate
Mark Lamb -- College Friend/Roommate
Jared Fuson -- College Friend/Roommate
Taylor Jackson -- College Friend/Roommate
Scott Marks -- Friend/Mentor
Scott Stickane -- College Friend
Fletcher Anderson -- Brides brother

Ring Bearer
Thomas Charles Nelson-- Son of friends Ben & Amanda Nelson