Merry Christmas!

I know this is a little late, but forgive me! I had surgery on Monday and didn't have a chance to do this before. We didn't manage to get a Santa picture in time to include it here, but maybe in a later post. We may not show it! Jesstine was not NEARLY as laid back this year. Of course it was 7:45 at night and that is usually when she is in bed. So, until then, you will have to live with this little shot I managed to get in my home! Here are Jesstine's Christmas highlights!

Reading "The Christmas Story." She has asked for this often and loves pointing out all of the birds as well as naming Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. She amazes me each day with how much she knows!

The Sunday before Christmas, a woman at church passed a little gift to Jesstine. Jesstine has carried it proudly!


My older sister came and spent 4 days with us including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here is my niece, Charis, who is only a month and a half younger than Jesstine. They are starting to live up to the label "Double Trouble." Most of the gifts didn't have bows by Christmas day and the tree was missing a few ornaments! It was fun to see them interact though!


Here is "Double Trouble" on a last min. shopping trip in my sister's van. You can't see Jesstine as well, but she has a similar cup and is even wearing the same outfit as Charis.

More "Double Trouble."

On Christmas Eve we allowed Jesstine to open one gift from Mommy and Daddy before reading "The Christmas Story" and then going to bed. This year it was her baby doll! She has to go down the baby doll aisle at the end of each shopping trip. This baby was a surprise. You had to open the package to tell if it was a boy or girl.

This is Ariana Tina Hutchins getting her first bottle from her mommy. Jesstine fed her baby this bottle off and on for a good 15 mins!!!


Santa came for all of the kids on Christmas morning. Jesstine found a turtle under the tree. It is similar to a zebra we have at church that she can bounce and spin on.
Santa also brought her a pair of boots, pink of course!
Here is her loot. She also got a Diego cup and a puppy dog from Santa.

And her stocking: Dora, Diego and Boots figurines and Reese's Miniatures.

She eventually found her toybox from Santa too.

A puzzle from Aunt Ola.

She got some blocks from Aunt Grace as well as a Cinderella doll with her monogram on Cinderella's dress. Then Grandma got her a Disney Princess pack-n-play/ stroller (pram style) set.

Her Christmas Day loot!

Saturday after Christmas, we went to Grandmom's (Stephen's mom) house. Here are Daddy and Jesstine playing the piano.

Here she got a drum.

She played the drum for quite a while until she noticed her cousins' Cowboys uniforms. Her cousins are now affectionately known as "Nono" (Noah) and "EEEEN" (Ian).

She also got another pair of boots! This time pink leopard print!

And another baby doll to keep at Grandmom's due to a shortage of "girl" toys! She got much more than that, but this is what we had pictures of.

The next morning she got ready for church in one of her new dresses from Grandmom and was playing happily with her new shopping cart. I found this cute because she even placed her baby doll in the right spot!

It was a very blessed Christmas and we were so glad to have spent it with those that we love. We wish all of you a happy new year to come!

Love,
Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

The Latest

It hasn't been TOO long since I posted, but I have recently been able to get some great pictures. Jesstine is just so smart and funny! Every day is a new adventure! I love every minute! There are details under the pictures!

I was trying to get a shot of her curl!!! She lately has been getting this curl after her nightly bath. For a few days it lasted until morning and slowly straightened out as the day went on. It is so cute!

We recently got the Christmas ornaments out and of course that means we have to get the Cowboys Santa hat out! Here is our little sweetie trying it on!

We recently had a cold snap! It got cold then the next day, most of Kansas was hit with a winter storm. We only got the treacherous layer of ice pellets instead of the snow! Needless to say we bundled up the day before the storm. Dumpty has become an obsession lately! If we even mention her name, Jesstine has to go to her bed and pull her out to hug her! I guess it is a good thing in the sense that she doesn't suck her thumb or have a pacifier. It is also very similar to a pillow doll that her daddy had as a little boy! The bad thing is that it could get very tattered and need to be replaced someday! Hopefully not!

Also lately, Jesstine has become a girly girl. She has started to really like baby dolls and "pretties" or "beads." As you can see here, I found some Mardi Gras beads and added some more from a $1 bin. She prefers the ones without the stars, but she plays with both!

And of course what would "pretties" be with out a purse to match? Yes, this purse is shaped like Elmo's head. You aren't imagining things! She even knows how to carry it!

She is awaiting her first baby doll that hopefully Santa will bring to her this Christmas *wink*. Until then, Zoe acts as her baby doll. You are witnessing a time out for Zoe in this picture.

I think this is a diaper change. Notice her curl firstly. Then notice her method of carrying Zoe affectionately around. (In case you can't see, it is by the eyes!)

This was the ice storm day and we had a pj day where we both stayed in our pj's all day! Here is the little one cuddled up with her blankie and Dumpty watching the Pixar Christmas special that was on ABC this week.

Because of the ice storm, I wasn't able to get to the Y. Luckily Santa came early for me this year! Sunday, my LOVELY husband bought me a Wii game system complete with Wii balance board and WiiFitPlus. It sure helps me to get a good workout in when I can't make it to the gym. Don't I just look cute with the head band! BLECH!!! I am ski jumping here in case you didn't know already!

Also, in case you didn't know. I asked for this early because I won't have much time to use it after Christmas for a little while. I am having surgery on the 28th and will be unable to use the Wii for at least a couple of weeks if not more. I am trying to get my time in now!

I had actually intended to post this and had the post window open before these last two pictures. It was right before I was to head off to work. Jesstine goes to Grandmom's on Thursdays when I head to work. I always pack a lunch so all Grandmom has to do is warm it up and give it to her. I set it by the door so that I wouldn't forget it. I turned to get my coat on and get Jesstine's coat. When I turned back around this is what I saw! Wow! When I say we are going to Grandmom's, she is ready!!!!! (Note, this is somewhat staged in the sense that when I noticed it, I had to go get the camera. By the time I did, she had already put the lunch bag down and was on to other things. I had to reposition her to get a photo to capture the moment!)

And lastly, tonight we had one of Jesstine's favorite foods ever: mashed potatoes! Here she is channeling her Uncle Seth. She has a mashed potato soul patch!! Woo Hoo!

Yes, I did say in a caption that I was having surgery. Let's just say it is elective and that hopefully I can alleviate some upper back problems. Please pray that this surgery goes well and that there are good results! I will also be unable to lift more than 20 lbs. for about 4-6 weeks. (Jesstine weighs 22 lbs. right now!) I have a VERY supportive husband who will be taking off of work to be with me and help with Jesstine for the first two weeks. My mother has already volunteered her services as well. I will no doubt have plenty of help from my mother-in-love (law for most people) as well.

We hope that all is well with our blog followers! Until next time....

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is hard to believe it, but another Thanksgiving has come and gone! This year was very fun!! We don't normally travel for Thanksgiving! We usually are the ones smoking the turkey and hosting at our place. This year we were invited to spend the holiday with Stephen's uncle, Jim and aunt, Susan in Bartlesville, Ok. We had so much fun! They have such a BEAUTIFUL home! We had good food and great company! Jesstine was a good traveler as well! She really liked Uncle Jim and Aunt Susan! There were times I thought she liked Aunt Susan more than she liked her mommy!!! We were having SUCH a good time, we failed to take many pictures! When I found a Kodak moment, all I had was my phone! Those don't always turn out the best! The day after Thanksgiving Day, we went to Stephen's brother's house to spend some time with them! Oh, and Jesstine and I were blessed to have Stephen home ALL week this week! Here is a little glimpse into our world in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and on the actual day itself!

Here is a little photo of Jesstine eating a sucker! She was upset when I wouldn't let her roam around with it. She ended up getting it taken away. Yes, I am a paranoid mom! I also didn't want to clean sticky off of her clothing, so she wore a bib as she hate it too!

Here she is reading the "paper." It is actually the church bulletin.

As I said before, we usually host Thanksgiving at our house. We still had to get some smoked turkey into our plans, so on Tuesday night, my family came over and enjoyed some wonderful smoked turkey and the traditional Thanksgiving fixins. Here Jesstine and Grandma (my mom) are enjoying a little RandR while we await the smoked turkey!

Here is Jesstine chillaxing with her Uncle Greg (my brother). Notice she is wearing her "pretties."

This is our favorite time every day! We get to cuddle as a family each morning! This particular morning, Jesstine woke up and I brought her to our bed as usual. She actually slept on my chest for another 15 mins. or so! She hasn't done that since she was an infant! Mommy didn't mind!!!

A couple of days later, we couldn't leave Daddy out!

This is Jesstine with Aunt Susan! Susan was so much fun to play with! She chased Jesstine, Noah, and Ian around the back yard. She took us all for a walk to the duck pond. She was just SO much fun! Jesstine LOVED giving her hugs!

Yes, they had a Wii! Yes, I HAD to play the Wii!! As you will notice, my little protege', Jesstine, had to join me!

(Photo work by SAH on this one)

Here are my WONDERFUL nephews, (RtoL) Ian, Connor (in the car), and Noah.

I was reminded many times this year that I am so thankful to have the life that I have! Even in times when I am not having the best day, I remind myself that these moments make it all worth while! I am SO thankful for such a wonderful family God gave me by birth and by marriage! God is GOOD! That is all that needs to be said!

We hope all of you had a terrific holiday! May God continue to bless you!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine

Misc.

This is kind of a hodge podge of pictures. I had to clear off some pictures from this week's visit to my sister's house and noticed I hadn't pulled off some really cute ones from a while back!

This is a picture from when my big brother came up to visit! Jesstine thought he was so cool! She even cuddled up to him for a picture or two! I put this one in black and white because it made it so precious! We miss you Uncle Billie!

This picture was taken on one of the few actual cold days that we have had this fall! Jesstine and I were on our way to her first parade! Daddy was in KC with Uncle Seth for a Cowboy's football game, so us girls had some fun of our own! I LOVE this picture! She looks so beautiful!

This is a picture of Jesstine at my mom's houst. She is so proud of herself! She is sitting in a rocking chair that my grandfather sat in when he was a little boy! She is getting to be such a big girl and it was so neat to see this heirloom being passed down and to think that my daughter is sitting in the same chair my grandpa, mom, and myself sat in as small children!

Now on to the next set of pictures. As I mentioned my mom, Jesstine and I took a road trip to see my older sister and family this week! My sister had just celebrated her birthday and we thought it would be good to go down and wish her a happy birthday in person! While we were there, her MOPS group was doing a fundraiser to support all of their functions for the rest of the year. They had a photographer come in and do "old timey" pictures. We thought it would be neat to get all of the girls together to do it! It was SO much fun! We had some waiting time after we got the three girls dressed and so I tried my own hand at the "old timey" photography with my camera phone. I got a couple of good shots! The other pictures are just from the playtime that the kids all had! These girls are going to be trouble someday! Charis and Jesstine are just starting to realize that they are the same height and age. They are really starting to notice each other and play more. There were several times when they would stand face to face and poke each other almost as if to see if the other was real or not! It was so sweet! I got a picture of them hugging as we were leaving, but it is so blurry, it doesn't do the moment justice! Without further adieu, here are the pictures!

This was the original shot that I took of Jesstine in her "old timey" dress. Grace bought a set of pearls that magnetically clasp in the back. Jesstine thought they were so much fun! She wore them for the entire time we were doing photos. It worked because it fit the setting well.

Here is the shot in a sepia tone and zoomed in. The blurriness almost makes it more "old timey!" It is now the wallpaper on my phone! She reminds me of my mom in this picture!

Here she is strutting her stuff and showing she can walk! She had a good time just walking from place to place just showing she could do it! It also made for a cute picture albeit blurry!

Uncle Murray thought it would be fun to put a cheesehead on Jesstine and rub it in Daddy's face! The Cowboy's (Stephen's favorite NFL team) and the Packers (Murray's favorite) play on Sunday this week! Notice Jesstine is trying really hard to push it off of her head!!!!

Here are just a few pictures of the girls (Alexis 3, Jesstine 15 months, and Charis 13.5 months) playing! This vehicle didn't have a working battery, so it didn't move. They had fun climbing in it together though!

As always we pray that all is well and thank you for stopping by to see what Jesstine is up to!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine