Our 2 Year Old

Our little Laylie is surprising us each and every day on how big she is truly getting. Every second that goes by, I count it a blessing that I get to stay home with her to guide, watch, protect, and teach her the way of the Lord and be her mommy. I am so thankful!


Fun Facts about our 2 year old:

She now calls Jason "Babe" and myself "Love" - these are the nicknames Jason and I call each other and it is funny to hear a tiny little person call out to us from another room using these words.

She is a ball of energy and talks in complete full sentences, telling long and extremely detailed stories.

She is getting so excited to be a big sister and wants to talk to Rael everyday. She adores lifting up my shirt and showing off my pregnant belly to strangers...mama is not such a big fan of this when it happens in public, but knows that Laylie is just as thrilled about baby Rael as we are.

We are getting her big girl room ready and she can hardly wait to move in to it. She reminds us every night before bed that she wants to sleep in her very big full size bed. (We will post soon about that fun adventure)

She asks us "why" and "what" about a million times each day and always wants to be brought up to speed with our conversations.

She adores and loves playing with her friends and cousins.

I am blessed beyond measure that she truly is a really behaved little girl and tries to obey, which she knows not only makes us happy, but most of all Jesus.

She LOVES books and any kind of art. Sometimes I find her sitting in her room on her big rocking chair reading book after book.

She can't live without her Comfort Silkie blanket! Whenever she feels a little tired, she must have that comfort item nearby. I am so thankful that I have plenty on hand and that I know where to get them for a discount:-)

She adores playing in her pink kitchen, making yummy tea and taking care of her baby dolls.

Her all time favorite thing since she was tiny is "twistys" - this is when Jason wraps her in a blanket and swings her left to right in the air. Jason is getting the best workout and Laylie is having the time of her life.

She has no fear! I find her doing the most dangerous things a kid could do at the playground, and she even encourages her friends to do the same!



She loves dressing up in tights, leotards and tutus for her dance class. She really loves to dance and moves to any kind of music.

We love you Laylie Joanelle and we are so thankful to God for you everyday. You are our shining star and beautiful treasure. After holding you in my arms just minutes after you were born - our lives were forever changed for the better. Can't image life without you, sweet daughter of ours!

22 Weeks

I am so thankful that I am feeling so great and really enjoying this pregnancy. It's been extra special knowing that I have a sweet little baby girl growing inside of me and God is knitting her together perfectly. We are getting excited and can't wait to hold our sweet daughter. We are more than halfway through this pregnancy and counting down the weeks. Rael Gracelynn, we love you with all our hearts. Keep growing big and strong! Here she is at 22 weeks:

Giving it all up

Jason and I are trying this new thing called..."Saving money" We have been attending a financial university class with Dave Ramsey every Sunday night. This is where we watch a video of Dave Ramsey and we learn all about how to be great savers, how to spend, and how to make life easier. Yes, life easier they say!
So, for this whole month I have been doing so well, trying to be a good saver and spender. Not really running to Target to get anything and everything, trying to find coupons for anything we might be doing, posting things on craigslist, and finding the best grocery deals around town. It has been fun I must say, but let me tell you, the last few days have not been the greatest. Our sweet Laylie had a dentist appointment that ended up costing an arm and a leg, last night our microwave sparked and completely blew up, and today I was talking on speaker phone to my dear friend Kacy while driving and got a ticket. Why Lord? I was doing so well, I was saving for our family and so excited about this new adventure in our lives. Tonight I had a complete tearful moment where I totally gave it all up and asked God to help with every little problem that may occur and asked Him to lead us to where he wants us to be with our finances.
He is the main giver and provider. I need to not worry about every little detail and let my heart know that He will take care of our sweet little family, even when things come up that are least expected. God knows and is teaching me a lesson even though I may not fully understand yet. I don't always like being stretched and feeling completely hopeless, but I do love it when God reminds me that I need look at the big picture. He will always provide!!

Matthew 31
"So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

So much LOVE...

Thank you to my most amazing sister, Lisa, who took these special Valentine's photos as a wonderful surprise for Jason. Lisa, you are truly so gifted and we are so thankful for all the love and wonderful pictures you capture. Love you!!

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Laylie and I had fun making Jason feel loved. We gave him special valentine's cards, sang "happy valentines day" when he walked in the door coming home from work and we even baked him a cake with her Easy Bake Oven. We love you Jason with all our hearts, and know that you are the extra special man in our lives.

Digging into His Word

Every morning I wake up to the sweet words of my little Laylie yelling from her crib, "Mama, awake time!!". We walk downstairs to fix breakfast and start our morning together. After we eat our first meal of the day together, I dig deep into God's word on our kitchen table. One particular morning, Laylie looked at me and said, "Mama, I go get your little Bible and I read about Jesus, too." I watched her little body climb those big 14 stairs up to my room and a few seconds later she came down with my little red Bible in her right hand. She sat next to me and started turning the pages of the Bible like she was reading it, saying her Bible verses and talking about our Savior. This warmed my heart knowing that our little daughter is growing up knowing about our King and that she is becoming a follower of Him. What could be any better? That morning I completely felt refreshed and encouraged by the Word of God and also by my sweet daughter.

It's a GIRL!!!

We are thrilled and excited to announce we are having another sweet baby GIRL! We feel so blessed beyond measure that we get to be the parents of this little girl and we can't wait to meet and hold her.
We had a "reveal party" with our family at Pat&Oscars where they were able to be a part of the excitement as we found out if our little baby was a girl or boy. We had no clue and we were completely surprised. It was the most lovely and unforgettable night as we celebrated our new little blessing who is coming in a few short months. We can't wait meet you, Rael Gracelynn, and we already love you so much.

The box that held either pink or blue balloons and a delicious celebration cake




Everyone chose a “it’s a girl” or “it’s a boy” pin to wear throughout the night


Blue and Pink yogurt pretzels throughout the tables to snack on


Time for the REVEAL – It’s PINK balloons….IT’S A GIRL!!






Celebrating Rael Gracelynn with family and friends







Our hearts are filled and completely overwhelmed with how blessed we feel to have another baby. Thank you God for this blessing that is coming in June.