Catching Up

Wow! It's been forever! My laptop completely bit the dust so I have been offline for quite awhile. I now have a new laptop (woohoo!) and spend more time on the internet. Guess it's time to write a catch up blog!

Ok, A LOT has happened since June 4!

First of all, We are pleased to announce that we will be welcoming baby girl #2, Emelyn Claire, at the end of march/early April! We found out towards the end of July and are very excited to expand our family. We are eager to meet our newest addition. Big sister, Avery, is also excited! She loves babies and practices taking care of her dolls. She also loves to talk to Emelyn and give her kisses! :-)

About a week prior to finding out we were expecting again, Jon signed his contract with the army. His technical MOS (job) is a healthcare professional. He is currently in Fort Sill, OK for his BCT (Basic Combat Training). His graduation date is February 25. He will then go directly to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX for his AIT (advanced individual training). At AIT he will train to be a combat medic. After AIT is still a mystery, but we are hoping for it to include additional military schooling. His goal with the Army is to work his way up to being a physical therapist. His contract is 4 years, but he has mentioned making a career of it if all goes as planned. I guess we will just wait to see what God has in store for us! I get letters almost daily and he says he feels as if the Army is where God wants him. He has had several opportunities to witness to his battle buddies and seems very upbeat about it all. He wants to go on a mission trip to do medical work when he gets a chance. :-)

Avery- man... sooooo much as changed in the past 7 months! She is just awesome! She's so smart and so silly! Her vocabulary is ever increasing. She speaks complete sentences and uses possessives like "That's the baby's seat." or "This is mommy's car." She can count to 7 and tries to count to 10. She knows several letters, most animals, and so many other objects out there. She repeats everything and keeps me laughing most days with the things that come out of her mouth! Today, while she was playing with her phone, she put it up to her ear and said, "hey dude, sup?" umm, ok!? lol! A little later, I told her the phone was ringing and she should answer it (her phone). I handed it to her and she "answered" it saying "what!?" oh man... she's a mess! She asks about daddy, a lot. We usually just say "daddy is in the army." She gets quiet and puts her "thinking face" on. She loves animals, loves coloring, any sort of art, building things with blocks (esp tractors and trucks), watching football and soccer, and singing songs! She is like a broken record most days. She loves music soooo much she just hops from song to song without taking a breath. She will literally go from singing "deep and wide" to quacking (6 little ducks). She loves babies and takes pretty good care of her doll. We have the carseat sitting out right now and she likes to put her baby in there to sleep. She will say "shhh... baby seepin!" and make snoring sounds. Again, she's a mess! lol! She goes to school 2 days a week at First Evan (pop and 240) and absolutely loves it! She's doing so well. It's a great program and she learns sooo much while she's there! The school has such a wonderful staff and their Cirriculum Coordinator was a teacher at Riverdale. I was so excited to see she was at 1st Evan! I am definitely proud to be called mommy. Avery seriously keeps me going and I don't know what I would do without her. I'm sure my future blogs will be full of "avie-isms."

I guess I should do my update now. I'm in my 31st-ish week of my pregnancy. My actual due date is April 3, but we will see. Miss Emelyn has been trying to jump the gun for quite awhile and is already dropped and in "position." I have contractions all the time, but I just keep on truckin on. I'll be 26 tomorrow. I'm not so thrilled. I mean, 26 is a much prettier number than 25, (I hate odd numbers) but I really miss my hubby and would rather spend my birthday with him. I've done pretty well since he left, but lately I've come to realize that there is a lot to do to get ready for Emelyn, so I'm getting a little overwhelmed. It's caused a lot of melt downs this week. I'm still truckin along though. It's par for the course. Such as the life of a military wife, right? We write to each other every night, so that definitely helps. Poor mail lady is stalked everyday, lol! I've taken up smocking recently. I have already finished Emelyn's going home dress, and I am currently working on their Easter dresses. I'm excited about having 2 girls to sew for. I love coordinating outfits! I'm excited about being a mommy to 2, but a little nervous at the same time. Nonetheless... I am mommy, hear me roar! *flexes muscles*

Well, I've bored ya'll to pieces, so I guess I will wrap this up! I will post some updated pics, ASAP! I have plenty, they're just trapped on my memory card, lol! I'm going to do my best to keep this updated! Wish me luck! LOL! :-)