Jace's 1st Christmas...

I do believe Jace thoroughly enjoyed Christmas but not as much as mommy and daddy. We knew he would be more interested in the paper and boxes, but that was alright by us. Christmas was new, fun, and exciting for us again. It's so different having a child during the holidays. Different in a great way. Since Steve & I have been together we haven't really celebrated holidays. Not because we didn't want to but mainly because we had to work during them. So there really has never been a point in decorating or cooking anything special. But, now there is all the reason in the world. And that reason is our little guy, Jace. He's a special little fellow. Below is a few photos of our very special Christmas together.

Here is Jace right after opening one of his gifts.

 Here he is again just as happy as a little boy could be.

 He really does love his daddy, but I think he just wanted to play with all the paper around him. Lol.

He really didn't want mommy to hold him either, but we had to somehow get a picture. Ha.

Here he is with his Jamma. He loved opening gifts with her and playing with her bell necklace.

 He & Pappy always have tons of fun together. Especially when Pappy does the choo choo train.

His GGma loves him to bits and pieces. This has got to be the sweetest moment of the evening.

 Aunt Angie helped him open his present from her. I think they both enjoyed it.

Natalie got him this cool leather jacket. I remember her talking about getting him one and had forgotten all about it. When we opened the box we all fell in love with it. Doesn't he look cool?!

 Sharing a sweet moment with Celeste. She loves him.

He's with Andrea here. She grabs him up every time we're around. So sweet.

I do believe he is going to be spoiled by all these wonderful people in his life. They all love him very much. And, I love them all very much for loving him so much. He'll be spoiled by my family too when he gets to be around them. They spoiled him when they were here visiting in July. He is a very loved little boy.

Here is a picture of the him after he opened the gift his Aunt NeeCee, Uncle Leo, and cousins Anthony and Alexis sent him. He was kissing all over that little monkey baby. So cute.

Jace got another Christmas present in the mail yesterday. It was from his Mississippi Pappy. And, boy does he love it. He has played with it a lot. He will stand up leaning on it and walk behind it. So cute.

And, before I forget. Here is my very special Christmas present. I love it! Of course.

And, last but not least. Here is a photo of Steve and I on Christmas. We totally forgot to get a picture of all three of us. But, we took plenty of other pictures.

Some of the photos above were taking with my new, very special camera and some weren't. Bet you can tell which one's were. Lol. Overall, Christmas was wonderful this year. I love Jace and I love Steve so very much. And, I am so thankful to have them in my life. Life is not just good, it is outright great! I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for my wonderful family.

Time flies...

How crazy is it that Jace is 9 months old already?! I was blessed with this wonderful little boy. I could not imagine my life any different than it is right now.

Newborn

Month 1

 Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

See all the changes? He's growing up on me too fast. I was told time would go by extremely fast but I never though it would be this fast. I love that he is thriving in everything he is supposed to be but I wish he would stay little just a while longer. He is my sweet baby. I love my beautiful life with my beautiful family.

A day at the park...

Jace loves to be outdoors. Before it turned super cold we took him to play in the park. He loves the swing. He also liked doing the sliding board. Of course we held on too him so we weren't able to get pictures of that. But here are a few from his time in the park.Oh wait, and before I forget. A couple of weeks before the park trip we took him to Bernheim Forrest. So I'll post a few of those as well.

Bernheim Forrest

At the park

Halloween fun...

Jace's first Halloween was pretty awesome. He absolutely loved looking at all of the different people. He already has a very out going personality. And, has for some time. He's not like most babies. He will go to anybody. He's a big hit every where we go. We frequently get stopped while doing day to day shopping or errands.

Anyway, Halloween was a blast for all of us. I'll post a few pictures.

 Here he is with his Jamma. He sure does love her, and she loves him even more. So sweet.

 This is a picture of him with his G-Gma. Even when G-Gma can't remember much she always remembers Jace.

 Its a flying monkey!!!! He loves when daddy tosses him in the air.

 Jace's first experience Trick or Treating. We went to Jamma's and Pappy's first.

 Last but not least. A picture of mommy kitty and baby monkey. Ahh, such fun.

Life happens....

I can’t sleep. So I guess I’ll do the next best thing-write. Have to get all of your feelings out somehow, right? I honestly do not know where I am going with this blog, but I guess we will all see how it ends together.

I’ve had trouble sleeping the past few nights. It’s because a few certain people have been on my mind. Reminds me of the first verse of that song my Keith Urban, “You’ll think of me.” Here it is-I woke up early this morning around 4am with the moon shining bright as headlights on the interstate, I pulled the covers over my head and tried to catch some sleep but thoughts of us kept keeping me awake. Of course not my exact thoughts but you get the idea. I miss my mom, I miss my Uncle Jason, and I miss my good friend Beth. All three lost to such tragic events. *Sigh* Life surely does suck sometime! 

I never erase anything. I guess thinking things will keep memories and people more alive for me. Who really knows?! My mom’s number is still in my phone and in parenthesis is her fiancé’s name at the time, which of course has since passed away. Just last October to be exact, a week or so after his birthday. Such a shame.  I’ve changed phone several times since she passed but I always made sure to keep it in my phone. I just can’t delete it. I know she isn’t there. I had to give up everything else with her; I just can’t part with her phone number. I don’t think I ever will honestly. I still have my Uncle Jason’s phone number in my phone too. I guess I am probably nuts. I also still have tons of saved emails from my good friend Beth. Although I lived here by then, and she lived in Mississippi we emailed one another very often. I remember getting an email from her right after she found out she was pregnant. She was so very happy. Her life had finally gotten to where she wanted it to be. She was married and having her first child-she couldn’t have been happier. She told me in an email that she never thought it would happen for her. At one point she felt she wasn’t good enough. But, she was. She was very much deserving. She was a great person and a great friend and would do anything for anyone. She never asked for anything in return. And, when someone did do something nice for her she was thankful and so humble. She passed away about a week after giving birth. I don’t understand why things like that happen. She had everything she had ever hoped for and she was taken.

I miss them, all of them. And, some days I just feel the need to talk about them. I want to relive the memories and the great times that I had with them sometimes. 

I’m a huge fan of holding on closely to your friends and family. You really don’t know when it could be your last moment with them. Pick your battles wisely. If you are grumpy or tired just take five. I promise you’ll feel much better after.  And, make sure to never go to bed angry because you’ll probably wake up that way too.

Thanks for reading. Now, let’s see if I can go get some sleep now :)

Canada Trip....

Our first family vacation was to Canada. Yep, I said Canada. We had a blast! It was Steve, Jamma, Jace, & I. We did a lot of sightseeing. Niagara Falls was my favorite of course. It’s an absolute amazing thing to see if you’ve never been. Absolutely breathtaking. Steve & I were lucky enough to have Jamma with us. She was awesome enough to let us go ride the Maid of the Mist boat. It takes you all the way in the horseshoe of the falls. Ahh, the memories I’ll have from that. There is nothing else like it. Our hotel room was quite fabulous in Niagara. It was the top floor and had floor to ceiling windows. Jace did wonderful on his first big trip. He loved all of the wind and mist from the falls. He also found his voice on the trip. He was too funny. Below is a video of the fun he had. He was sitting in the window looking out at the world below. I had joked that he probably thought all the cars were hot wheels. All in all, we had a wonderful time and I am looking forward to another great family vacation soon. 

                                             Putting his feel in the sand at Lake Erie in Ohio.

Getting ready to go for a swim in his trunks :)

 Looking out of the window to the world below.

Naked man, Lol. I guess he didn't know anyone was in their rooms. Ha.

Relaxing with my precious baby boy.

 Daddy with his pride and joy.

Super flying baby :)

Family times....

As some of you may know my sister and dad came to visit with us for a whole week recently. They drove from Mississippi (my home state) to Indiana. We had a blast. It was great having them here. I haven’t gotten to spend that much time with my sister since we were all living at home I don’t think. Well I did live with her in Arkansas for 6 months when I was 21. But, we both worked different schedules so we really didn’t get to do much together then either. So it was quite nice. As far as my dad goes, I haven’t really gotten to spend much time with him either. Usually when we take a trip to Mississippi he is always working and doesn’t really have time to hang out. So, needless to say when he was here he didn’t have anything else to do but rest and spend some quality time with us. It was so nice. My sister and I had a blast staying up late together and reminiscing about our mom and such. So many memories-so little time. We did some shopping, took some photos, when out to eat, she got her hair done, we cooked dinner for everyone, and got manicures and pedicures with my mother in law. It was something special. The highlight was the mani-pedi’s though. Ahhh, now that was fun! We had some of the best people working on us. They were hilarious. At one point the guy doing my mani-pedi says “What happens at Diva Nails stays at Diva Nails.” Too darn funny! I so wish now I would have gotten a few pictures while we were there but it totally slipped my mind and I didn’t think it would be as entertaining as it was.

It really meant a lot to me to have my dad come and spend so much time with us-without having anything else going on. He has made his fair share of mistakes. Some major, some minor. But, I love him dearly and look up to him no matter how things were in the past. He’s not always been a person to look up to but I’m thankful I can look up to him now. I am so thankful for that, and that he has changed from the person her was when I was growing up.  He a great-thoughtful dad these days. And, I am soaking in every minute of it. It is a sweet thing. During his visit he was able to apologize for a few things he’d done in the past. And, honestly it has made a world of difference. I loved my dad before and we still have a bond. But, as soon as he said he was sorry for a couple of things I felt that bond grow even stronger. I instantly felt the pain in my heart disappear. Although we have miles apart I feel closer to him than ever. I enjoy talking with him once again. He also went from looking at me as “his baby girl” to looking at me as a “woman,” and a “mother.” He finally realizes that I am my own person now, with my own views and opinions about things.  Our relationship finally evolved. That is something I am truly thankful for. My in laws were taking us all to eat one of the nights. So my sister ends up talking big-saying to my dad that she is ordering her a “drink.” I said so was I. He didn’t seem to mind or say anything. After all, we are grown and can make decisions for ourselves. It’s funny though because when we got there my sister ordered before me and ended up requesting a soda. She is five years older than me. So when it got my turn-I was the last to order, I ordered my wine. My sister looks at me like “are you serious?”  Lol. So she went back and changed her order to get wine. And, of course daddy never said a bad thing about it. Actually later he said there is nothing wrong with having a glass of wine with dinner. Lol. It was too funny though.  Below I’ll post a few photos or their time with us. It’s been about 3 weeks and I miss them like crazy! 

 First time seeing his Mississippi Pappy since he was five days old. Daddy was a little nervous that he would cry. He thought Jace would think he was a stranger but he loved him!

Aunt NeeCee and her little monkey! He loves his Aunt NeeCee. Can't you tell?

 Daddy & his girls :)

Pappy & his little man. Love this photo.

Such a sweet moment between Aunt NeeCee and her monkey!

 Jace, his other Pappy, and his Great Granny. So darn cute. This was after me and my sister cooked dinner for everyone. Some decided to play Wii. 

 Daddy, Steve, Granny, and Pappy. Look at the expression on my dad's face. He's a nut! Lol.

Grandma playing Wii. Trying to beat Steve in bowling.