It's A Girl

It's A Girl!

Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers.  We have felt so surrounded by love and faith.

We had some early DNA testing done on our little peanut last week.  They are not able to detect Fraser Syndrome {it's too rare} but are able to look for several known birth defects {including Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18}.  We are so thankful that our results came back normal.  Because the testing looks at chromosomes, we were able to learn the sex of our little peanut. 

Noah is quite thrilled to have a little sister.  Early on, he declared that he wanted a brother and that the brother's name would be Noah2.  A week or so later, however, he changed his mind and decided that he needed a sister and refused to believe it was anything different.  Too funny!

Happy Mother's Day

If you remember, last year, Kc and Noah secretly worked to create a fantastic Mother's Day present for me.  They had set the bar high for themselves and established a precedent that would be hard to follow.  

I think, however, that they succeeded.

Kc distressed a frame and wrapped the backing in burlap.  He then traced Noah's hand to create the "ILY" {I Love You}.  Because Noah's first language was ASL, this has so much significance. 

Noah then wrote "MAMA" on the individual squares.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love my two boys and how loved I feel in return.

Portrait of His Mama

Noah drew a picture of me at school the other day.  I think it is a stunning likeness.

Monterey Bay Aquarium...with Cuz Jonah

Shortly after Christmas, Cuz Jonah and Cuz Noah headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.   They were joined by a gaggle of parents and grandparents...Uncle Drew, Auntie Nessa, Mimi and

Pop-Pop {Jonah's grandparents}, Nana, Papa, Kc, and myself.  

Gotta love the kelp forest!

The two boys were so fun to watch.  They loved running after each other trying to be the first to find the next tank.

 

Noah just had to show Cuz Jonah how to be his very own sea creature.

 

Noah and Jonah got such a kick out of climbing on the large seahorse.

Noah tried to get an "up close" view of some seahorse eggs.

One of the highlights of the trip was the Jellies Experience.

 I just love watching the slow, undulating movements of the curious creatures.

 

I even got to be kaleidoscope jellyfish.  Noah got quite a kick out of it.

Noah got a pelican who flew all around the aquarium.

And, of course, we had to take the token picture at the tidal pool.

It was so fun share one of our favorite places in the world with some of our favorite people in the world.  A great big THANK YOU to Grams for making it all possible.

Last Night

This is what last night looked like...

{5:36}

Bubs was so tired after fun and long weekend that he walked over to Daddy's chair, laid his head down, and was asleep in seconds.

{5:48}

I attempted to pick Bubs up and transfer him to his own bed.  He woke up just enough to tell me he wanted to snuggle with Mama...aww... now how could I refuse that???

{5:51}

Bubs and I snuggle together...I assume that as soon as he's asleep again, I'll transfer him to bed.  Little did I know that I would fall asleep with him.

{6:58}

Kc wakes me up and asks if I wanted to continue sleeping or get up from my "nap".

{7:02}

I successfully transfer Bubs to his own bed, feeling quite refreshed from my late afternoon "nap".

{8:46}

Bubs wakes up, feeling quite refreshed from his late afternoon "nap".  He announces to Kc and I, with the largest smile on his face, "I took a nap", and now he is WIDE awake.

{9:32}

Bubs is still WIDE awake, playing ever so nicely with his toys in the living room.

{10:12}

I announce to my Little Man that it is time for "night-nights" and he reluctantly heads towards his bed.  After much tossing and turning, he finally settles down and falls asleep. 

It will be interesting to see what today brings!  

I hope you have a very Happy Memorial Day!  Thank you to all the active, retired, and former military service people and their families for sacrificing so much to ensure our freedom!

Family Photos

It's been a L.O.N.G. time since the Jackson Family had any professional pictures taken.  If you remember, way, way long ago, Cori Derksen of Derksen Photography came to Nana and PopRo's house and took these pictures of the entire Smith Clan.  

Almost a year ago, I found a Groupon for a photo session with Chance James.  I quickly purchased it, without a second thought, but one thing after another came up and we didn't get a chance to use it until a few weeks ago.

I was THRILLED with how the pictures came out.  We, once again, went to Nana and PopRo's backyard and Chance was so good at finding interesting spots and capturing us in all our silliness.  Please excuse the picture overload but I just couldn't resist.

 

 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

I am feeling so loved and blessed this morning!  Kc and Noah have been secretly working on the most spectacular art project for me.

I love the pallets, the burlap, the initial...Isn't it just fantastic!!

Kc started with 1x4 boards that he distressed and stained.

Next, he cut out a piece of burlap to cover the N.   

Noah told me, "N is for Noah".  Too cute!

Now the fun painting began.

 

Bubs had a blast covering the burlap.  He painted it with a brush and used a cup to make circles of paint.

Almost finished.

Kc finished the initial by wrapping the burlap around it and securing it to the pallet.   

I absolutely LOVE my artwork.  It was created with love by my two favorite guys.  Now I just need to figure out where to hang it.

Mama's Classroom

Noah loves coming to school with me every morning.  He hangs out in my classroom while I try to get everything ready for the upcoming day and then we walk down the hall to his classroom when the bell rings.

One of his most favorite things in my room are my Big Books.  He gets such a kick out of reading them!

Heartbreaking

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but, if you follow us on Facebook, you already know a bit of the reason why.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Kc and I were thrilled to find out that we were pregnant...again.  We could not believe that God had blessed us with our third child. 

At our six week ultrasound we were able to see our precious little baby and watch their tiny little heart flutter away.  It was beating at a very strong one hundred fourteen beats per minutes.  What a miracle! 

Because of some very early chromosomal testing, we knew that our Little One was very healthy...and that our Little One did not have Fraser Syndrome...and that our Little One was a girl.  We were beyond ecstatic!

On Monday, we were scheduled four our nine week ultrasound.  We were instantly amazed at how much she had grown in just a few short weeks.  We were quickly devastated, however, when the doctor could not find her heartbeat.  She searched and searched and searched, and yet nothing.  The heart that should have been beating at one hundred fifty beats per minute was mysteriously silent.

The drive home from the doctor's office was agonizing.  All the memories and feelings of our final ultrasound with Ryan came flooding back.  Knowing the exact moment when your heart literally breaks inside your chest is perhaps one of the most painful things we have had to go through...again.

Today, Kc and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary.

Can you believe it?!?
Five years?!?
Wow, five years?!?
Only five years!?!

We seem to have gone through so much in the past five years.

Shortly after we lost Ryan, a friend told me that everything you go through as a couple will either bring you closer together or drive you further apart.  No marriage is ever stagnant, she told me, it is always moving...it is our jobs to decide in which direction it is moving.

Well...I cannot imaging walking this road without my Amazing Husband.  He is my rock, confidant, partner, joy, lover, and best friend.  The joys and sorrows of these past five years have truly drawn us closer to each other, as well as to our God.  And while our hearts are broken, they are broken together.

I love you Babe!
Happy Anniversary!