The Pumpkin Patch

My cousin Case and I went to the Pumpkin Patch today! Here's me in the wheelbarrow playing with the pumpkins my Nana picked out.

Here is a cute pic of me and Case.

Case isn't too happy in this one...he missed me, I think... :)

Hey! Mommy and I are wearing matching shoes!! So cute...

Well, we'll say it again...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

safety first

I love each and every one of you, so I've got a PSA you've got to watch before you and your loved ones go trick-or-treating. Thank you Jordan Weber for reminding us to put SAFETY FIRST.

the cutest little punkin'

There are no words...she's just so cute!! :)

Cute Cousins...

We had such a good time this weekend when my cousin Gabby came to visit! She played with me in my cage and everything! I did pretty good sharing my toys, until the last day when I didn't like seeing Gabby in my jumper. My mom couldn't understand this, since I barely even use it! :) I will learn more about sharing, though, so next time she visits there will be no whining!! :) Gabby and I will undoubtedly hate my mom for posting this on our blog, but for now it's so cute!! We had fun playing in the tub...I just love being in the water! :)
Well, I miss Gabby already! And I'm pretty sure she misses me too. She even learned to say "Hi Hailey" when she was here! I'll work on it, but I'll have to try to master "Da-Da" and "Ma-Ma" first... :)

COME BACK, GABBY!! I PROMISE I'LL SHARE LIKE A NICE GIRL!!! :)

Hailey's First Post

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She's so interested in the computer, but I cut her off after she flung one of the keys off!! I'm still working on teaching her how to be gentle with electronic devices... :)

What the???

I swear, you'd think that since I carried and birthed my daughter that she wouldn't scream and cry every time her daddy leaves the room!! Hello!?! I'm still here...what am I, chopped liver??? :) Such a daddy's girl...

Happy Girl

Here's a picture I stole from Christy's blog. I love it...she's so sweet!

If you're not gonna stay put, Mommy's gonna put you in a cage!! :)


Don't worry...I did give her some toys... :)

You're Invited...

You're all invited to celebrate the life of our dear Grandma Pauline! Her memorial service will be this coming Friday, October 26th at 3:00 pm at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines. It would mean the world to our family to pack the church full of all of the people that meant so much to her.

In case you don't recognize us, it's Shawna and I in this picture. :)

And She's Home...

This morning, just after 10 o'clock Jesus took my Grandma home. It's so bittersweet for all of us...we miss her so much, but are so relieved to know that she's got a new body, free from all the illness and medical complications. It sounds weird to say this, but it really did happen so suddenly. Even though she's been in the hospital for most of the last year, we never saw this particular complication coming. It was completely unrelated to any of her other issues. God must have known that her body wouldn't heal, even with surgery, so he chose to keep her from going through it.

This is how I will choose to remember my Grandma. The woman who loved to be in the middle of every special event in our lives, despite her health. It was always so much work for her, but she ALWAYS made it when she could. Here is the moment she met Hailey. I'm pretty sure no one was as excited about her arrival than she was. When my nephew Case was born last week, she was so happy to hear he was doing well, and even more excited to see the pictures of him that my mom brought to the hospital. She never stopped hoping that she would get better. She never gave up hope that she would make it home from the hospital.

My family spent the entire day together. There were many tears, lots of laughter, and not a person there that didn't feel the love our family has for one another. I would venture to say that everyone in my family knows that she was the glue that kept us all so close. She would be the one calling around keeping everyone informed about how eachother were doing. If there was a prayer request, Grandma got on the phone and made absolutely sure she got a hold of everyone...she did the same thing with every praise, too. Our family was her pride and joy!

Thank you, Grandma, for loving all of us so much...we already miss you like crazy and can't wait to see you again someday.

Our Sweet Grandma Pauline...

It's only a matter of time now until our Grandma goes to be with Jesus. As sad a time as it is right now for our family, we can rejoice in knowing that she's so close to getting that new body that we are promised when we get to heaven. Even when I'm with her, I miss her. She's unconscious and fighting for every breath she takes. I kind of feel like I'm in a holding pattern with my grief...she's not gone, but she's not here either. I hope she knows how loved she is. Our whole family has taken turns cramming into her hospital room saying our goodbyes. I can also report that there's been as much laughter today as tears, as we all sat around sharing fond memories of our dear Pauline. We love you Grandma...We love you...

On The Bright Side...

Look what I did all by myself! I even waited for my mom to get home from seeing my Great Grandma so I could cheer her up. :)

Here's me playing with all of my toys! Aren't I happy my Mommy still picks up after me?? :) Here's me in my toy basket.
Here's me making a silly face.
Seriously, Mom!! What are you looking at? :)

Stay tuned for more pictures of all my silly faces and new tricks!!

Please Pray...

As most of you know, my grandma has not been doing well for quite some time now. Most recently, she was diagnosed with Tolosa Hunt Syndrome. This is a really rare disease that affects the nerves behind her eyes. There have only been about 100 known cases in the world. This has caused her some loss of sight, as well as some horrible headaches. This past weekend was pretty bad for her, and this morning she was completely unresponsive when the nurse came in to check on her. They rushed her to do a cat scan and found a bleed in her brain. She has slowly progressed today and now has some movement in her arms and has been able to get out a few words. The doctors have no idea whether or not there is permanent brain damage or if she'll heal from this. As her neuro-surgeon put it, a healthy person with a brain bleed would be monitored in intensive care and probably make a full recovery, but for someone with the pile of other medical issues that she has, they just have no idea where this is going.

I'll do my best to keep my blog up to date with what's going on with her. Thank you all for your prayers.

Todd Quotes

While watching the opening credits of Law & Order: SVU...

Todd: "B.D. Wonger!! Ha Ha!"

Jessica: "Todd, we've been watching this show for like, 5 years. Are you really going to laugh about B.D. Wong every time??"

Todd: "Yeah, I am."

Hailey and I went on a "date" to Taco Time last week. She's such a big girl.
Here's Hailey helping Daddy with the computer. What a good helper. :)
This is how I found Hailey the other morning. What a way to start the day??
We played "peek-a-boo", and now she looks for me every time I put her in bed!?! Oops...I guess I shouldn't teach her to play in her bed! :)

Case's First Visit...

So tonight I lured Chris, Christy and Case here with the promise of a home cooked meal. (Just for the record, I did offer to deliver it to them, but Christy's doing so well that they were up for a trip out!! :) We had the best time! My folks and the Heritages (Mike & Steph) came, too. I took a gamble on a new taco soup recipe from my new favorite cookbook and it turned out great. Thank you Christ's Church ladies!! :) After Hailey ate a whole stick of string cheese, two slices of avacado, and a bunch of black beans out of my soup she was a MESS!! Hence, the bath... :)

She's still getting used to her new cousin. She gets this really perplexed look on her face every time Case makes a noise! :) The following are a bunch of pictures of my sweet new nephew. I know that the first three are almost the same picture, but I couldn't pick my favorite, because they're all SOOO CUTE!! Excuse the blurriness of that last one. It's just the one where we caught the cutest face! :)


I tried to convince Chris and Christy to let Case have a slumber party with Hailey, but they insisted I would change my mind at about 2 in the morning when he's starving! :) Until then, Case, know that Auntie Jess, Uncle Todd, & Cousin Hailey are counting down the days!!

1 Hour Old 8 Months Old

Spending all this time with my nephew Case has really made me realize how big Hailey is! They grow SO fast...Chris and Christy, enjoy each stage!! Especially this one while he stays where you put him... :)

My New Nephew...

HE'S HERE!!! And we could NOT be more excited if we tried...he came this morning just before 8 AM, weighing in at 7lbs, 15oz and 20 1/2 inches long. He's absolutely perfect!! Chris beat me to the punch with pics, so click here. The new little family is doing very well, although they are VERY tired. He started early keeping his parents up all night! :)

So Aggravating!!!

So, I don't know if there's anything more annoying than having children and no washing machine!!! Today our wonderful washing machine pooped out and Sears can't send someone out until NEXT TUESDAY to fix the darn thing!! I actually asked the customer service rep what he supposed I do without a washing machine for a week and he didn't have much to say. I guess I'll load up my dirty clothes and head over to Christy's tomorrow to do laundry at her house. At least she has a quick washing machine and it won't take me too long to do a few loads...yes, people...I have a FEW loads, and I'll only be bringing the essentials over to her house!!! :)

Oh well...I guess if I get really desperate I can hand wash my clothes like the pilgrims did...HA HA HA!! Clearly that was a joke...I'm far too dependent on modern technology for that. :)

Fashion Show!!

Here are a few of my most recent fashions...I have yet to convince my mommy that I'm not a paper doll. :)

Here's my new brown hat. I've finally given up and don't try to rip off every hat my mom puts on my head. It's just so much easier to cooperate. :)

Here's my winter coat. I like the fuzzy hood, but it's still a little big. I look like the little brother on A Christmas Story!!
Here's a picture of me trying to get away!!
Here's my cute matching sweater and hat that my Aunt Lynn Honey got for me. My mommy says it makes me look like a little lady. :)
My mommy says that you can't fully appreciate this sweater without seeing the three purses on the back!
We'll keep everyone in the loop as these adorable fashion choices continue...

Happy Sunday!

Our Night With the Tangens...

Last night we spent a fun-filled evening with the Tangens. We had tacos for dinner and then went to the Saturday night service at Northwest Church (which is conveniently located down the street from our house :). We got back to the house around 9:30 or so, and let's just say that the girls were POOPED! Hailey headed straight for bed, but Shayla wasn't quite ready. Sean and Erin decided to put her in the "Jump-n-Go" to see if she'd jump herself to sleep, as she so often does. Nothing could have prepared me for the hilariousness that is Shayla sleeping in the jumper!! She is completely asleep, and then every so often you hear the music go off and the "boing" noise of the bouncer, BUT SHE'S STILL ASLEEP!! So stinkin' cute... :)

Super Mom...

Let me just add on to the last post by saying, I did all of this before 8:30 this morning...

*Got up!! (So I typically get up to feed and change Hailey around 7, but my sweet girl goes right back to sleep and so does mommy!)
*Got myself ready...including make up, hair done, and ironed my pants!! (If you have small children, you'll know how big a deal this is)
*Got Hailey ready...including a cute dress, I might add (Again, you'll understand if you've ever tried to go anywhere early in the morning with a small child)
*Went to Starbucks (Let's be honest...whether on time or not, this would have been accomplished!)
*PREPARED OUR DINNER!!!! (Crockpot soup...need I say more??)

I am VERY proud of myself, to say the least...let's just hope every MOPS morning goes this smoothly... :)

MOPS

So, my friend Jenny invited me to MOPS (Mothers Of Pre Schoolers - and to clarify, it's not "preschoolers" like in preschool...it's "pre" schoolers, like not in school yet). I went for the first time this morning and LOVED it! Hailey loved it, too...it was her first time being put in a nursery of any kind and I was pleasantly surprised that she did great! No crying at all. I was a little sad that she didn't even miss me, but I got over it. :) I met a very fun group of ladies and they even got me to do a craft! (I know what you're thinking...the girl who hasn't even put pictures into her already-made scrapbook actually did a craft!) It may sound a little "mom-esque", but to all the ladies out there with little kids, I highly recommend it. It's amazing what a couple of hours of grown-up conversation can do for a gal. :)

Thank you, Jenny!

Reality Check...

Todd: "Wow...did you see that, Jess...Chris is only 24!"
Jess: "Yeah...so?"
Todd: "And I'm how old? 27 or 28?"
Jess: "You'll be 29 in January, Todd."
Todd: "WHAT?? No way...I'm not almost 29 am I??"
Jess: "Yeah, Todd...you'll be 29 this year."
Todd: "Holy cow...that's a reality check I really didn't need right now..."