Tis the Season!

Since we're living in a smaller space this year, we decided to keep all of our holiday decorations and things in storage this year - it made practical sense, but was not as exciting to have a house with no signs of the holidays!  So, a few weeks ago, Libby and I got a small, pre-lit tree at Target, which now sits on our kitchen table and is ornamented with the holiday cards we've gotten - simple, but it works!  We also planned on having a special night of Hanukkah, but Libby was sick, and that didn't work out, either! 

With these hurdles in mind, we have still had a wonderful Holiday season so far!  We've baked together, sang songs, talk about Santa and enjoy our time together.  Libby and I spent last Friday together and went downtown Charlotte to see the "singing teddy bears" and visit some of the other downtown decorations - she loved it!  We are yet to see Santa, as Libby tells us how afraid of him she is (just like she is of the Chik-fil-A cow), but we'll see if we can bribe her this week.

So, we joined the Joneses to decorate their tree, which Libby loved.  She and Callie ended up doing most of the work!

This past weekend, Libby, Josh and Scott ran in the Reindeer Romp 5K - it was cold, but we bundled her up and she was excited to be part of the event - and to get a medal at the end!

We also finally checked out McAddenville - Christmas Town - which was quite the experience.  We knew it would be crowded and take a while to get through as its such an attraction, but we never would have guessed it would be as crowded as it was.  We left our house at 5:15 and pulled out of the town around 9! We had to wait for 2 hours on the side of I-85 just to get to the entrance of the town.  It was wonderful, but not worth that wait!  Libby did great considering she hadn't eaten dinner and was stuck in her car seat - thank goodness for snacks and the Ipad! 

 Libby was very into Uncle Clay!

 Cici got Libby a stocking for her house!

 Putting the Angel on top!

 Libby and Callie did most of the decorating!

Showing off her gymnastics and stretching skills... 

 The finished tree!

 Sweet Buffett!

 Loving jumping off the ottoman - she made the whole family count to 3 for her each time!

 The Singing Teddy Bears!

 

 Getting ready for the race!

 Almost to the finish line...

 Very proud of her medal!

 Flexing her muscles to show us how strong she is...

 There was even a bubble machine!

 Tour through McAddenville - Libby got out of her car seat and waved to everyone who walked past the car  - she did such a great job!

The lights were beautiful!!

Life Lately...

As we are quickly approaching the arrival of baby Jones #2, I thought I would capture a bit about what our life has been like lately.  At this point, I would describe it as CHAOS, but I am sure it is nothing compared to life with 2 little ones. 

Backing up a bit to explain the chaos - we put our house on the market in May and sold it within 48 hours.  Within the week (memorial day weekend), we had an offer accepted on another house, I got a job offer, and shortly after we found out I was pregnant - all good things but alot! We certainly should have bought a lottery ticket that week :)

We moved out in July (actually July 9, Libby's 2nd birthday) and moved in to a townhouse nearby while our new house was being renovated/demolished/re-built.  Most of our things are in storage and we brought only what we thought we had to have!  The townhouse was originally 1600 SF, but over the last 6 months, is now described as our 800 SF townhouse, or more commonly in our conversation as "the angry townhouse." I guess the combination of a pregnant lady, a 2-year-old and not enough space can really dampen a family's general mood.   Mostly, I am having a hard time not being able to dive into my desire to nest and prepare for the baby - I don't even know where we'll be living when the baby arrives - I guess this is a test of my patience and ability to go-with-the-flow (or as Josh intimately knows, my lack of ability to go-with-the-flow)!  But we'll be out and in our new place soon!

So our house is under construction and Josh is working as quickly as he can to get us in before the baby arrives!  Currently looking like mid-January - giving us 3 weeks before due date.

In addition to these exciting events, I started a new job in July - I'm loving it, but a new job is certainly another layer to add onto an already exciting list of big life changes.

I am feeling really good at this point (32 weeks) and excited about what is to come in 2013 for our family.  Libby is so much fun right now and I am trying to soak up every minute (mostly the adorable moments, not the tantrums).  I can't imagine how we're going to do all that we do with 2 little ones, but I know we'll figure it out and we will never be able to imagine how our life was as a family of 3!  Here is how our days go at this point....

5:00 - Josh gets up and goes to Y or running
6:00 - I get up and try to shower and dress before Libby wakes up.  I pack my lunch, make coffee and dry my hair downstairs so that I don't wake her up in our close quarters!
6:30-7 - Libby wakes up (sometimes earlier).  We try to leave her in her bed until 7 so we can get dressed
7:00 - Libby up, breakfast, dressed for school (battle every day)
7:45 - Josh takes Libby to school and I leave for work
8-5 - work, work, work
5:30 - I pick up Libby at school, hope she had a good nap and ate more than "some" of at least something during the day
6:00 - get home, re-arrange cars to get mine into our 1-car garage so I don't get a parking violation.  Start pulling something together for dinner.
6:30 - dinner/play with Libby
7:30 - watch a movie in bed (this is new and we're loving it), read books and bedtime by 8.
Soon after - exhausted, pregnant, high-heel-wearing, working mom, hits the hay :)

Good thing Josh is so wonderful, we get to squeeze baby time in here soon!!!

30 Weeks Pregnant!

 Its certainly been a bit rougher this time around, but I am healthy and so is baby J! Here I am at 30 weeks.



I am Thankful For...

So many things this holiday season, and I love having a day (long weekend) devoted to counting the things we are thankful for in our lives.  Of course, I am most thankful for a healthy family - a little girl who brings joy to our lives every day and is healthy and happy, adventurous, playful, smart, and growing and changing every day.  A husband who gives us everything he can each day, who gets up early to run, so that he can be back to have family time before work, who is excited with each birthday because he celebrates what he has at that point in his life and is genuinely excited for what is to come, and who waits on me as I battle the symptoms of pregnancy.  Friends and family to support us and love us through each challenge and each celebration in our lives.  This year, I cannot help but be thankful for baby #2 and a healthy pregnancy, as we anxiously await for baby Jones to arrive healthy and happy!

We had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend away in Blacksburg with my family.  We were able to truly relax, take naps, and enjoy our time together.  Libby loved having more space to run around than she does at home, and she especially loved having so many family members to love on her!  She also loved feeding the ducks at the Virginia Tech duck pond!!

Halloween!

I'm a little late on the update as even Thanksgiving has passed, but we did have a fun Halloween this year!  Libby didn't love it as much as she did last year, however.  I think she was a little more aware of the costumes and afraid of many of them.  She did love her candy though!  We first went to our new neighborhood's block party at Old Foxcroft, where we were even joined by Jeff Gordon and his family!  We didn't get to meet Jeff, but its pretty exciting that he's our new neighbor and we did trick-or-treat at his house - a very gracious celebrity :)

Then, we went to Libby's school for trunk-or-treating.  This was much more fun for her - she didn't have to walk so far to get the candy, and she got to run into a few of her school buddies!

Libby was a cowgirl and actually liked keeping her costume on, wearing her hat and her boots.  She was freezing though, so we didn't last too long.

 Ready to go get the candy!

 Josh and I tried to be slightly cowgirl/cowboy too!

 Trick or Treat!

 Getting ready to meet her first celebrity - walking up to Jeff Gordon's house!

 The boots started hurting, so Josh carried her the rest of the way

 With Libby's school buddy, Margo - Rainbow Bright

 I just love these cheeks!

 Checkin' out the loot!  That pumpkin soon became the source of several tantrums and arguments...

 

 Libby put on her horsey to ride up to Chief and Cici's house - she was so excited to see them, and Callie was there too!

 

 

She says the darndest things...

Libby has been talking well for months now, but she has really impressed us recently - entertaining us with the phrases she uses, surprising us by the things she knows and catching us off guard with the phrases of ours that she mimics.  Here are a few of our favorites right now..

- Maybe later
- All day long (I'll ask if she was good and she'll say, "Yes, I was good all day long."
- Actually - and she uses it in the right context.  She told Josh that "instead of going to the pool, she actually wanted to go for a walk."
- Its ok, it happens.  I think she learned this one from the potty training!
- Silly Billy
- Hot Tamale! Whenever we say something is hot, she'll say "Hot Tamale"
- Mamma Cita - not sure why Josh taught her this, but it stuck!
- Goodness gracious - I can't believe she uses this one correctly, but it makes us laugh every time
- Holy Moly
- Oh boy
- That'll be fun - she says this about a lot of things - some that do sound like fun and some when she just doesn't have another comment. 
- Oh man
- You know that song?  This might be our favorite right now.  She starts singing a song and then turns to one of us and says, "you know that song, mommy?"

Libby also has some funny names for things.  She calls medicine "medicine man," she calls an American Flag an "Ameriflag," she calls chap stick or lip gloss or anything of the sort, "lips."

Celebrating Baby # 2!

We had a great trip to Richmond last weekend - visiting with my parents, going to the Zoo and seeing my wonderful girlfriends!  The zoo was again, a hit!  This zoo was a little more casual than the Columbia Zoo and allowed us to get really close to the animals - Libby was scared by some (mostly the apes) but loved getting so close to the others. I think Josh enjoys the animals as much as the little ones, and spent all of his allowance feeding the giraffes :)
The girls were so sweet and decided to throw us a "sprinkle."  We had a dinner with Courtney and Fred, Erin and JC, Katherine and Conor, and Lindsay and Stevie.  Baby Anna also got to join us - and I loved every second of snuggling with her on the chilly night!
We also picked up my childhood bed, which will be Libby's "Big Girl Bed" very soon -- as soon as I get the nerve to move her out of her crib - can't I just leave her in there forever?!

 Erin, Courtney, Me, Katherine, Tracey, Lindsay

 Libby got a few special big-sister gifts too!

 Fun with Bubbie!

 And Doc!

 Riding the Train at the Zoo

 Imitating the giraffes

 We all loved the giraffes!

 Libby's special ride on Bubbie's walker

Practicing her gymnastics!