Ultimate Summer Weekend

This weekend seemed to kick off the summer for the Jones family. Saturday morning we started off the fun with a picnic. Blake's school had their annual family picnic at a local park and we had a blast! It was perfect weather, an amazing park and was so fun to see Blake run around and have the family time together. Blake's favorite activities were playing in the fountain and swinging with mommy.

Here is Blake trying to run towards the fun...


Swinging with Mommy...


Playing in the Fountain...


Looking for what fun he could get into next...


After the picnic fun we jumped in the car and Blake was out like a light in about 60 seconds. Blake continued to nap at home and once he woke up we headed to our next event...a friend of ours was throwing a BBQ. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken, but we had a great time and enjoyed hanging out with some of our friends.
On Sunday Blake seemed to be getting a bit of cabin fever from staying inside most of the day and I've been dying to get Blake in the pool for the first time, so I called Grandma and Grandpa to see if we could head to their pool and they of course were more than happy to have us invade their lazy Sunday. Blake loves his bath time, but I wasn't completely sure how he'd react to being thrown in a pool. I stuck is toes in the water and he immediately plopped his butt down on the steps wanting to be in the water more. Blake and his daddy had a ball playing in the pool splashing around. Blake even dunked his head under water twice without getting water up his nose. I think he's going to be a little fishy!
Hamming it up for the camera...


Stealing Daddy's Glasses...


Cool Dude...


Splashing around...


Family Fun...


Water Baby

"Baby J" Pics

As promised here are a couple pics from our sonogram on Friday...and the one of Blake at the same number of weeks to compare. And for those of you with inquiring minds, we have no idea on a name. We'll probably end up just calling him Baby.

Baby


Baby


Blake

My Boys

Brad and I are ecstatic to announce that we are having another little boy! Now Darcy and I are outnumbered...boys will rule the roost. I of course was ultimately hoping for a healthy baby but it was hard to deny a part of me that was also hoping for a girl. The fun of shopping for frilly pink clothes was starting to consume my thoughts. A large part of it though was I have such a special relationship with my big brother I was hoping Blake would have a similar relationship with a little sister. As the sonographer drew a little baseball cap on our baby's head to signify boy, like she had with Blake, I started crying, tears were rolling down my face. But the tears were not of disappointment, they were tears of joy. I felt completely connected to my baby at that moment...now knowing I was carrying a son. Its hard to put into words exactly but knowing he was perfectly healthy and looking at his profile that was just incredibly beautiful I was filled with happiness and love and not an ounce of disappointment.
This pregnancy has been a little different than my last. With Blake, I thought about the life growing inside me almost every minute of every day. I was completely consumed with thoughts of baby and what life would be like once he got here. And of course I think about this baby but because for now my world is completely centered around Blake, its not until I feel a flutter from him or have a little quiet time to myself that I've been able to truly think about this baby. So, seeing our baby again today and knowing I am carrying a boy made it all the more real and built that connection so much more. I am on cloud nine at the moment.
Our little guy is ridiculously active. The sonographer could barely get all the measurements and pictures she needed to because he wouldn't stop moving. He completely flipped positions several times while she was performing the sonogram. It was so fun to see him waving his hands and arms and kicking his legs. It was a little humorous as well as she said I have no doubt you are having a boy...he is a VERY proud boy. We all got a chuckle from that.
The baby is measuring 19-20 weeks, 10 ounces and 7.6 inches. Its funny because I compared Blake's sonogram picture and he had the exact same stats, well Blake was actually 7.7 inches.
I'll scan the picture when I am back at work next week to share. I can tell he is so handsome already!
Yes, I am going to be the proud momma of two boys. Life can't get much better than this...

Bonding Time

Brad and I were sitting on the couch last night and I was having a pretty bad tummy ache. I asked Brad to rub my belly and apparently "Baby" loved the massage he or she was getting and started moving around. I took Brad's hand and moved it to where the baby was kicking and sure enough Brad could feel it. It was the first time Brad had felt the baby move so it was a very special moment between us. The new Weepy Brooke, as I may start referring to myself as, started getting teary eyed. I can not wait to see our little one again on Friday!

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Today is Blake's favorite person in the whole world's birthday...Grandpa's!! Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa! We love you very very much. Blake wanted to post some of his favorite pictures to celebrate your special day...enjoy!

Exciting News Part II

So several months back if any of you remember, I wrote that we had two pieces of exciting news that would be shared at a later date. The first, was my pregnancy...very exciting indeed! The second piece was just finalized so I'm finally able to talk about it...in just about one month from now Brad and I are going to Europe! To be more specific we are flying into Germany and visiting Paris and Rome! Visiting these places has definitely always been a dream of mine and I can't believe its actually coming true. Brad's brother who is in the Air Force has been stationed the last few years in Germany. When he went over there he made it a mission of his to fly over each member of his immediate family to visit him and travel somewhere they have always wanted to see abroad. Brad's mom and dad have both made their trips and now its our turn. I can't even begin to express how generous and amazing this gift is. We are beyond grateful to Thomas for making this happen and doing this for us. Brad and I are counting down the days. I am so excited I am able to see this part of the world with Brad and it will be great getting to have Thomas with us as well...for me getting to know him even better and for Brad at last having some real quality time with his brother, which hasn't been able to happen much since he joined the Air Force I think 7 or 8 years ago now. (sorry if I got that wrong Tom)
So to answer a few questions that may be lingering in your minds....
1) My doctor approved the travel for this trip at the stage of pregnancy I'll be in.
2) We are not taking Mr. Blake... Brad's mom has graciously offered to fly in and watch him while we are gone.
Being away from Blake is going to be INCREDIBLY hard, but I try not to think about that aspect of the trip. If I did, I'd talk myself out of going. So I focus on the part that Blake will have 10 days to spend with his grandmother that he rarely gets to see which is a great opportunity for the both of them and I know will get spoiled rotten while we're away. He will be in good hands and I try to focus on that and not the part of missing his smiling face for 10 days.
So there you have it, part two of our exciting news. I absolutely can not wait and will obviously have so many stories and pictures to post upon our return!!

A Baby Changes Everything...

Or rather babies change everything. I am one incredibly lucky girl to have some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Its worked out so wonderfully that Brad has become best friends with two of my closest friends' husbands. We've spent the last several years all hanging out together, many late nights, drinking, you know the normal debauchery that ensues when a group of friends hangs out on the weekends. This Friday night our little gang all got together, although it wasn't like it had been in the past, staying up till the next morning, it was hanging out with our children...eating pizza and drinking soda. Was it any less fun?? If I have to say, it was MORE fun. Our little group now has 5 kids (soon to be six) and 6 adults. Wow, a little time and babies really does change everything.

The Other Member of Our Family

With all the talk on the blog of all of our family, including our beloved Odie dog, there hasn't been much mention of Miss Darcy, so I thought it was time to introduce her to all of you! When Odie was about 2 years old, we just felt he really needed a friend to play with. Odie was full of energy and seemed to get bored easily and Brad and I just couldn't play with him as much as he wanted us to. Another dog seemed like the perfect answer....and it was. Getting a second dog was one of the best decisions we've ever made. The search was not very easy though. We knew we didn't want another puppy to have to train again like we did with Odie and we truly wanted another Corgi, but the odds of finding one in a shelter were next to none. We found a dog named Sadie that seemed adorable on SPCA's website. I can't even remember now what type of dog it was, but we took Odie to the SPCA to introduce him to Sadie to see how they would get along. Let's just say we left with only one dog that day. One day while procrastinating at work I found a dog that the Humane Society had up for adoption named Darcy and she was a corgi! I immediately thought she needed to be our dog. I contacted the humane society and they were going to be with her at the Petsmart in Lewisville that evening for an adoption drive. So off to Lewisville with Odie we went. She was so sweet looking and we fell in love with her as soon as we saw her. Brad walked Odie and Darcy around Petsmart while I filled out the adoption papers to make sure they got along, which they did. Lucky for us we weren't our normal late selves that evening as a few minutes later a girl showed up wanting Darcy as well. Darcy was meant to be ours though. Darcy or Pretty Princess as I also call her, is incredibly loyal, sweet and has brought so much love into our hearts. Darcy was abused in her prior life and is scared of almost everything, including her own shadow. Odie was always her security blanket. When she was scared she'd stay glued to his side. Darcy took awhile to adjust with no Odie by her side, but is doing much better now. We are so grateful for Darcy in our lives and she has been the perfect addition to our family.

Stats

Blake's 1 Year checkup was Monday and he got a glowing report. His stats:
Weight: 23 lbs 5 oz (50-75 percentile)
Height: 31 inches (75-90 percentile)

Baby J stats: I am now in my 17th week and while I'm still getting sick some mornings, I am definitely feeling so much better than I had been...what a relief! The weekend before last I started feeling occasional flutters and the flutters have been increasing, which I absolutely love. I look forward to feeling this little one more and more. One week from Friday and I know if I am having a son or daughter!!!

Birthday Fun

What a whirlwind past few days! I am exhausted but the birthday fun was well worth it. There are so many great memories and I am so grateful for all our family and friends that were able to share in Blake's special day. The birthday fun started on Blake's actual birthday on Thursday. Brad and I took Blake to birthday breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast spots, Chick fil A. The all mighty chicken biscuit...mmmmm. It was wonderful to just spend the morning as a family reminiscing about the past year. A song started playing on the speakers in the restaurant that was comparing life to a roller coaster ride. I am sure part of it was the hormones that seem to be surging through my body due to my pregnancy but part of it is I'm sure just the mom in me, but as we sat there eating our biscuits and hash browns listening to the words on the radio, I cried. I was sitting across from the love of my life, my best friend, who I've been fortunate enough to have by my side the past ten years and our son, now one, sitting next to us, with one more on the way. All we've been through together, all our love together, I just never felt more blessed than I did at that very moment. Here are a few pics of Blake on his birthday morning....



That evening the three of us joined my parents for Blake's birthday dinner. By the end of our meal it was an hour past Blake's bed time and he was so sacked out from the day.


I tried to not have high expectations of Blake's party as I didn't know how he'd handle all the people in our house and all the stimulation, but I have to say, it couldn't have been better. Blake had a great time and we were able to spend the afternoon with all our close friends and family. It was perfect. I also didn't know how Blake would react to the cake when we sat it in front of him, but he didn't give it a second thought. He shoved the cake in his mouth faster than I could snap photos! He was covered in frosting, even up his nose and in his ears. It was a mess, but completely worth the cleanup to see him enjoy his first cake so much.
Blake's birthday cake...

Blake's smash cake...

Beginning of smash cake...

After devouring smash cake...

Family Photo

Blake is so incredibly loved and one lucky boy to have gotten so many great gifts from all his friends. Here are a few pics from opening presents...






After presents and a lot of the house cleared, Blake was introduced up close to his new friend Brynn. We're so happy to have been Brynn's first party! Here are a few pics of them. It was interesting to see how Blake reacted to her since he'll be having a baby around permanently very soon!


And here is a pic of Miss Brynn in her party hat

Its so hard to believe that its been a whole year since this...

Enjoy every minute because time goes by entirely too fast!

Happy 1st Birthday Blake!

Brad and I agreed that it was so much easier to wake up this morning than usual as we were so excited to get Blake this morning and wish him a Happy Birthday! My little guy is one! Where does the time go? I can't believe my little baby is no more...
There will be lots of pictures past and present, especially after his party this Saturday, but for now, here is my first yearly birthday letter to Blake...


Dear Blake,
What a truly special day…you are now one years old! What an amazing and joyous year this has been for your dad and I. Our lives were forever changed the day you were born and all for the better. Its hard to even remember the days before you were around. Yes those days might have been easier, with little responsibility and freedom to come and go as we pleased, but I would never want to return to those days. My days now are filled with your laughter and your smiles and my heart is fuller because of that...my life is fuller because of that. Your dad and I never imagined the love we would have for you would be as much as it is, it is one of a kind my sweet boy. Your dad says all the time that you're the best part of his day. I agree…even after the worst of days you always seem to make them brighter.
The day you were born is a blur yet vivid at the same time if that makes any sense. Maybe when you are a man and have a child of your own it will. I had waited my whole life to meet you. I knew I wanted to be a mom since I was a little girl and when I held you for the first time was the best moment of my life. Your dad remembers he ran over to you while you were being cleaned up, stats taken, etc. and he started talking to you and you looked directly at him like you recognized his voice and grabbed hold of his finger. The hold of your finger for the first time was probably the best moment of your dad's life. His heart never knew it could have so much love in it until that very moment.
We have loved watching you grow this past year, learning something new almost daily, soaking up everything around you. You are always so curious, having to inspect everything. You are so smart, often exceeding any timeline of expectations we have for you to accomplish something. You are so happy, always smiling and making everyone around you smile too. Your smile I have to say is contagious. And as vain as it sounds you are such a good looking boy. Your blonde hair and killer blue eyes draw people to you constantly. I've never had so many conversations with strangers in my life as I have this past year while out and about with you in public. Your dad and I love seeing your personality shining through and growing and every day with you becomes more fun. You are truly special and I am proud of the toddler you've become. I am sad to see you leave your babiness behind but I am so excited to watch you continue to grow and continue to bring so much happiness into my life. Happy 1st Birthday my sweet little monkey! Thank you for the best year of my life!
Love,
Mom

Monkeying Around

We did more this weekend than we have in months, hence the multiple blog postings in one day! I have been looking forward to this past Saturday morning for weeks now. We were scheduled to have Blake's next round of professional photos taken in honor of him turning one. I have loved his past sessions and was so excited to see how this one would turn out. We woke up early and got all beautified and on our way to Southlake...not a close drive mind you. Blake fell asleep 15 minutes before arriving to the studio. Not good. We woke him up when we got there and he was NOT happy about it. He proceeded to have a complete melt down when we tried to get him to sit for pictures and therefore the session was scratched. We'll have to try again later, but I was COMPLETLEY bummed out. Of course as soon as we left Blake was all smiles. So frustrating! Saturday we enjoyed a nice dinner (see post below) and today we went to the zoo! My roommate from college and her husband and 10 month old were in town for the weekend to see her parents so we arranged to spend the afternoon together. (I am kicking myself I didn't get a pic of us all together) We enjoyed lunch and then went to introduce our monkey to the real monkeys. Even without an afternoon nap by either of our children and both rather sleepy, the boys did great! They loved being outside and seeing all the different animals. It was fun to see our boys together and interacting. We were all convinced they'd both be sacked out by the time we hit the highway, but instead they spent the drive home talking (or squeeling) back and forth to each other the whole ride home. We can't wait to see our friends from Kansas again soon! Thanks for a great day!


Blake...


Case...

The Animals...(and yes the Rhino is humping a log...glad I didn't have to explain that one yet to Blake)