My growing little family...

So Monday the 10th we found out we are having a boy! I've been so busy making preparations I have been putting off my blog lately. The amount of excitement we have is just unreal. Dustin and I sat there as the ultrasound tech said, "Well June's going to be a little disappointed." more than one time as it finally sunk in. June kept telling us she was having a sister, but you know something that little girl has such a big heart she is genuinely so very happy to have a brother. She decided all on her own that it wouldn't be a good idea to let him sleep in a drawer, or on the step stool, but that she would give baby Jack her crib. I'm so proud of her sweet little spirit. Her joy makes this experience that much more rewarding. She loves to talk to him, sometimes shout and sing. When I eat or drink something she is always commenting on how it's for Jack too. I love having a name for this little guy now. We both had a part of us that wanted a boy very badly, but a part of us is sad too that June won't have a sister. Lucky for her, Kaylee is close in age. :)

June has been amazing me more and more everyday. It seems that when she is going through a growth spurt we experience the crankiest of times and everything is a challenge. She has had wonderful behavior, manners and surprises me each day with her clever ways. Even when she tells me, " I'm mad!" I just want to giggle at her innocence and ability to mimic her mom. :) I'm proud of her imagination. She has a friend "Dido" who is often part of our family dinners. He is very little which is nice because she likes to pick him up. Sometimes Dido and June get in trouble when they aren't staying focused and eating their meal. :) She is now doing age 3 puzzles all the time! I can't believe her photographic memory at such a young age. On the same hand, when she was an infant she had a very traumatizing experience at the doctor. Ever since then she cries when we go to the doctor. I asked about it and they said it was unlikely she remembered, but I know without a doubt that she has no other reason to be fearful. The point is that her memory is incredible. We hadn't mowed the lawn in at least 4 months and when Dustin talked to her about mowing she remembered that she had been in the backpack before and said something about it. That's a long time considering she wasn't even 2 1/2 yet! My very favorite thing that June does now is when she says, "Thank you" without prompting, or says "You're amazing!" Wow! Being called amazing by someone who your entire day and life revolve around and you love beyond any measure is AMAZING. It's the best thing I could ever hope for. I'm out of words for tonight... We've had a very busy couple of weeks, but I'm just very excited about where things are headed. I'm so proud of my little girl. She is just everything I could ever hope for. I can't wait to meet this little man and welcome him in to our family. I'm excited to see what new challenges lie ahead!

Busy Babies

I can't believe how quickly my pregnancy is going. I'm already 19 weeks today and anxious to find out the gender in just one week! I am feeling so much movement, which makes me so happy and excited. I don't know what it is, but with both of my pregnancies, I've stressed and worried until I can actually feel them kicking about. I am shocked Dustin was able to feel the baby last night. That made my day! I'm finally getting the nesting urge, which makes life much better! I was in a tired slump for what seemed like an eternity.

As far as my sweet June Bug goes... she is more than certain she will have a sister. If you say anything about a boy she'll tell you that she is not having a brother. It's pretty funny. She could be quite surprised! To get her in a big girl bed, we decided to get bunk beds. June is so excited to sleep in them, but we still need to get a mattress. They are so cute and match the rest of her furniture too. I can't believe she'll be out of her crib soon! She has never even attempted to climb out. We've been talking a bunch about the new baby so I hope she doesn't have too much trouble sharing her baby bed. :) She is going through a big growth spurt right now... it seems that she always gets a little crankier and less compliant when those come along. Discipline has been a little more of a challenge and just getting her to listen has been an obstacle too! I guess that's part of the toddler years. :) It seems that learning to communicate feelings and needs plays a huge part. Heck, Some adults don't even know how to communicate that well, so I can give a kid a break! Her imitations crack me up. She literally just said, "Gosh! This vacuum is making me crazy!" Ha ha! I have no idea where she's heard that... it couldn't possibly be from me....

Wow! I thought this was something I'd be keeping up on....

So many things have been happening since my last post. Now that I'm 18 weeks and one day pregnant with our second baby, life has been a little different, but in a wonderful way.

I've been doing so much reflecting and enjoying this time in our lives. I feel so differently than I did with June. My emotions are running wild and I feel such a greater connection to God than I ever have. I think it's different because there is less that is unknown and I have a better understanding of what my body is going through. My love for my family has multiplied. God's love for me has never been more real.

All the things I've known about Jesus Christ and God's love and desire to give us eternal life have always been a part of my life, but were never so overwhelming and real as they are now. Having children has changed my perspective in a huge way. I can't imagine sending my child, even to save humanity, only to endure unimaginable pain and ridicule as Jesus Christ did. That just breaks my heart, and yet our Savior did that for us. For my baby. For my daughter. The only thing we have to do is accept Him and believe? Then follow His word? It's amazing. I feel so incredibly blessed that we have found a church where I feel the number one goal is to learn and do God's work. This time in my life, it doesn't feel like work. Maybe that's because I'm not resisting. The best part is that June has been embraced and loves to go to Sunday school. The kids are so well behaved and you can feel the warmth from the women volunteering. With all the chaos we have going on, this has been the greatest blessing I could ever ask for.

Life goes on and although I feel like there are many obstacles we are facing right now, I'm glad to be where we are. I know that every obstacle is an opportunity. I just have to stay focused. I'm so excited to find out the gender of our little one. June keeps asking for a sister and Dustin would love a girl too. When you already have a child I think it's difficult to see yourself raising one of the opposite sex. We would be happy with either. I can't picture myself with a boy, but man would that be fun! :)

I'll continue updating this. I love writing and just needed to get back into the routine of it.

I'm here!

So for those of you who may have read my MySpace blog, you know I was always ranting AND raving about my little sparkle June. Well, it's been awhile, but I love documenting online the trials and successes of motherhood, so here we go. You can take a peak at my take on life and see updates on the little girl who makes me a better person everyday. I figure this is a bit easier to update my friends and family too. If you like reading what I write stay tuned..... I have plenty of updates to come and love feedback so feel free to tell me YOUR TAKE ON IT!