Winter...er...Spring Wonderland

Well, we are snowed in (and it is the beginning of spring). The ice came yesterday around 11AM and kept on until late in the night. Sometime in the night, snow took over and it is pretty nasty out! It is still pretty windy and certainly cold! When the snow had mostly stopped, we bundled our little snow baby up for her first look at snow. We REALLY bundled her up! Here are some pictures of our family snow adventure (which lasted maybe 10 mins.).

Jesstine LOVES sitting and watching the weather from the window by the door. She probably gets that from her Papa Hutchins. I think I will send one of these photos in to the local news stations' weather shots email addresses.

We bundled her up quite well. This is actually the second layer. We have had to start putting a onesie on under her sleepers again at night because of the cold. So, under this, we have a onesie. Then there was the sleeper.

Over the sleeper we put on a pair of pants that are still too big for her. They were kind of nice though. The material almost felt like ski pants or something! On top, she wore a sweater. I guess her sleeper kind of turned into long underwear!

Here was the final layer. She was plenty warm. The look on her face is because the wind was still blowing some of the loose snow around. She smiled a lot while we were out there though. I think she may like snow when she is old enough to experience it better. She was so bundled up that she reminded us of Randy (the little brother) on "A Christmas Story." She could barely sit and preferred to lay down because of all of the layers!

And last but not least, here is a picture of her with her daddy! Stephen was wise and chose to work from home yesterday in anticipation of the bad weather (and to stay home with his girls too). Jesstine has loved every min. of it! She really likes it when Daddy stays home (me too). It gives her a change of scenery. I think she gets tired of Mommy a little bit.

We hope you are all staying nice and warm. It has been nice to be inside and enjoy my family! We hope you can enjoy our snow baby a little too!

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Spring Break

Whew! It was a doozie! I had a lot of fun though! Stephen was gone on a work trip. I thought Jesstine and I would be spending a lonely week together. I was glad when my sister called and said she would like to come up since my nephew also had spring break this week. She came up Tuesday evening and went home today. While they were here we took a (chilly) trip to the zoo. We thought it would be fun because the weather had recently been warm. We still had a great time, but there wasn't as much to see as we would have liked due to the weather. What we did see was fun though! I hadn't been able to see the finished penguin exhibit before, so I did on this trip. Here are a few memorable pictures. The only camera we had was my cell phone. I managed to finally get them off onto the computer! Here they are!

Here is the penguin exhibit. It was difficult to get a good picture, so this is as good as it gets!

This turtle was amazing! Look how long his neck is! We were astonished and had to get a picture.

I just thought this was a pretty frog. It made me think of my best friend from HS, Jammie!

All of the giraffes were out. There was a baby and one that was a little older, plus a male adult and female adult. This is the female. Somehow she got in the little ravine. We were wondering how she was going to get out, but she made it out and made it look easy!

This is my favorite one! Jesstine got pretty cranky and wouldn't keep her sunglasses on. I took them away and she threw a fit (we skipped her AM nap thinking she would sleep in the stroller at the zoo). So I let Grace put them on Charis while I put Jesstine in a sling and she took a short nap. Charis LOVED them. We walked by a group of teenagers. I overheard one of them say, "Look at that little girl. She's got shades!" She was so happy with them! She kept them on quite well.

When we got home, Jesstine got her well awaited nap. Before this picture, she was curled up at the top of the bed, sideways with her face next to the bumper pad. It was so cute. And if you can see, her new friend from the zoo, Little Quacker, had to sleep with her. He ended up as a foot rest.

I am glad I was able to let loose a little bit. And she managed to still be happy at the end of the day despite having a strange nap schedule. It is a possibility to do it again. I think I will wait until she is old enough to actually enjoy the zoo a little more. She likes being in the stroller seeing the sights, but I want to be able to see her get excited over seeing the giraffes and turtles. Soon. I don't want her to grow up too fast either though!

We hope you all enjoyed your spring break too! Monday, it is back to the grind!

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

So Similar

Okay, so my sister-in-law posted a post on her blog about the many similarities between her two little boys and her husband and my husband (also brothers). After posting on the blog for Stephen to stay in touch with how Jesstine was doing while he was away, it was quickly apparent the similarities between Stephen and Jesstine. I have compiled some pictures for you to compare:

Stephen on the small horse.

Jesstine at Christmas.
Stephen in the blue sleeper.


Jesstine waiting for her bath.

Stephen on the right.

Jesstine with her cousin Charis.

Let me know what YOU think.

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Last Day Without Daddy

Yeah! Daddy comes home tomorrow! We are so excited! Before you go to bed, you need to read about my day!

We went to the zoo today. It was a lot of fun. I had to miss a nap, but I still had a good time! I got to sleep in this new thing that Aunt Grace loaned us. It let me sleep in a sling on Mommy's chest! When we were on the way out of the zoo, Mommy found a new friend for me. His name is Little Quacker. His tag had his name already on it, so we kept it like that. I like him a lot.

I slept really well when I FINALLY got a nap. For some reason it was really fuzzy. Oh well. If you can see, Seamoore and Little Quacker slept with me.

Here's Little Quacker again! I am really happy about him! This is right after Mommy had to clean up a huge mess that I made! I will give you a hint: it was really stinky! Mommy changed me before I was done so it became an even bigger mess!

This is the last photo for now. After my nap, Grandma and my new friend Uncle Billie came! We had fun playing. Well, it is time for bath. I am getting pretty fussy. We are excited to see you tomorrow.

Love you!

Jesstine (and Mommy)

Day 3 Without Daddy

Well, Daddy. I am really starting to miss you! Mommy is fun, but it is nice to see a different face once in a while and I miss seeing yours. Mommy shows me your picture all of the time and I always laugh because you make me happy. I can't wait until you get home!

We had a BIG day today! My cousins are here all the way from Oklahoma. I let Mommy sleep in a little. I didn't wake up until 7:45! When I did, we stayed in Mommy's bed for a little while. Then we went to see my cousins downstairs. After a quick diaper change, I had some rice cereal. Mommy let me use a NEW bowl! She thought Daddy would like this bowl to be in a picture. I was happy to oblige!

After breakfast, I had a bottle and threw up on myself and Mommy. So Mommy decided to go ahead and change my clothes. I think she was counting on it being warm like yesterday because she put me in shorts and sandals. My cousins Conrad and Lexi like being in my room. They had to help Mommy decide what to dress me in. They were giving me kisses and playing with me while Mommy cleaned my changing table up.

After I got dressed, Mommy had to help Aunt Grace with breakfast. So she let me play on the floor with my cousin Charis. We had a great time! We really just played beside each other, but we were really good about sharing my toys. I would finish playing with one and push it aside. Then Charis would pick it up and play with it for a while. We did this for about 30 -45 mins. It was a lot of fun! I even taught her how to pose for the camera.

My cousins left well after my morning nap and I was so sleepy! I still fought my nap pretty hard, but eventually slept for about 25 mins. When I woke up I met a new friend. Her name is Sam. She and my mommy went to school together. I might like it if she stops by a lot in the future. I think I heard Mommy say something about her staying with me while I sleep so you guys can go watch a movie or eat or something.

After Sam left, it was time for another nap. I was tired, but once again I didn't go down without a fight. After I talked about DaDa for twenty mins. Mommy came in and put me in my sleep sack. That made me so much more comfy. I went to sleep only a few mins. later. I slept for a long time. I think it was over 2 hours. When I woke up Mommy changed my diaper and threw me in the car (not literally) and we went shopping. It seemed like a LONG time! I got hungry quickly. We came home and Mommy fed me some carrots (yumm). Then it was time for a bath. I was ready. It was a lot of fun this time. Mommy let me sit up and I even had the chance to play with some toys. That was fun.

After that Lexi and Conrad listened while Mommy read me The Little Mermaid. Then you called! I was so excited! I wanted to say something but I was so shocked to hear you that I didn't know what to say. I was pretty tired too. It took a while to fall asleep because my cousins sounded like they were having so much fun and I really wanted to be with them. Eventually I went to sleep though.

I love you and can't wait to see you on Friday! I hope to wake up from my nap and go with Mommy to pick you up!

Love,
Jesstine (and Mommy)

Day 2 Without Daddy

Well, it is day two without Daddy and I am really starting to notice. I think Mommy misses him too! I woke up early this morning so Mommy made me stay in bed. It was a little cold. I think she forgot to turn the heater back on last night. I went back to sleep for another 45 mins. or so though. As soon as I got up, Mommy took me to her bed as usual. I think she wants me to play so she can wake up a little. When she was FINALLY ready, she changed my diaper and took me to the kitchen for some grub. I had to wait on Mommy to get my cereal ready so, she let me play with my toys. I quickly threw the links on the floor just to see how they fell! I think I would like to wear this one as a bracelet.

Mommy says this was the only time she got a break all day (below). I usually don't like my morning naps. I typically take about 20 mins. then I am done! Today, I was really tired, so I slept for almost an hour! I think Mommy liked it! I would have slept longer, but Mommy snapped this picture of me and it woke me up. I was happy to see her though.

When I got up, Mommy said it was a special day so she had to make sure I was wearing green. Something about a guy named Patrick I think. So I got to wear my neon green pants today. I liked them a lot! I really liked playing with my Block Party too! I sat up for a while all by myself!

We took a trip to Walmart to get Mommy out of the house. She was going a little stir crazy and we needed to get a few things. Today was a big day because my cousins are supposed to come and visit! I was so excited, I didn't want to take a nap! I threw the biggest fit for over an hour and Mommy wasn't happy, but she let me get up. I got to try on my new sunglasses from Walmart! We went for a walk and spent some time with Grandmom. Then we went to Auntie Cheri's house to lend her some clothes for her new baby. I was really starting to wear down, but I was having so much fun! I couldn't keep my toys in my hand on the way home. It was frustrating so I got a little fussy. When we got home, I was SO excited to be home, Mommy got the camera out again. She had to get a picture of my new shades for Daddy I think. I am really familiar with this camera, so I always pose and today it seemed funny. (I think because I was tired). Oh yeah, and it was really warm today, so she put my shorts on instead of my pants.

Here I am patiently waiting for my bath. I have had a lot of fun learning this sitting thing.

I went to bed pretty easily after my bath! My cousins came and I didn't even get to see them. I am sure I will see them in the morning. For now, I am sleeping peacefully. I can't wait until you get home Daddy. It is so much more fun spending my days with you than telling you about them in a photo (although I am really getting the hang of this posing thing). Mommy loves you and misses you too!

Hugs and Kisses,

Jesstine (and Mommy)

Ducks Are Funny!

Like I said in the last post, Stephen is gone this week. Who can resist a laughing baby? Not very many people! I thought I would post this little clip to make you all laugh, but also to hopefully warm Daddy's heart while he is away from his girls. This is to show all of you too, just how much Jesstine really likes Ducks! They have always been so funny to her! I hope you all enjoy a little "quack up."

In Him,
Lacie and Jesstine

Day 1 Without Daddy

Okay, so Daddy is in California this week for work. So, we are trying to hold down the fort without him. We wanted to give him a picture journal of what we spent our days doing. I decided to post it here in case anyone else would like to follow as well! We really miss Daddy (Stephen) we can't wait until he gets back! Tomorrow my sister, Grace, and her kids are coming up to spend a few days. That will no doubt keep us busy. So here is the first installment of our Daddy Journal! (Written as if Jesstine were telling the story of course)

Today started out like any other day. I woke Mommy and Daddy up just a little earlier than usual, but I thought it was time to get up! To my surprise, Mommy came right in. As usual we went to Mommy and Daddy's bedroom to play for a little while (I think it is so they can wake up a little before starting the day). Daddy got up and played in the water for a while. Mommy gave me a bottle. That was the first thing I thought was a little odd. Usually I get rice cereal. Oh well! After that we went for a trip in the car. Daddy was carrying a big green thing and his work bag. We went to a place I don't ever remember seeing. We dropped Daddy off and he kissed me goodbye and kissed Mommy too. Then he walked in the building and we went home.

When we got home, Mommy let me play for a little while. She is really glad that I am sitting so well. She let me sit by myself while she ate breakfast. I accidentally fell over. Usually it isn't so bad, but this time these silly links were in the way and it REALLY hurt! I cried and of course Mommy was right there to cuddle with me. It still hurt but somehow felt better. The darker yellow one is the one that hurt me.

Later Mommy made me take a nap! I didn't want to! I wanted to stay up an play. Eventually I gave in, but not for long! Mommy wasn't too happy when I was awake just 13 mins. after I finally fell asleep! She is a trooper though! She still greeted me with a smile and I smiled and giggled in return. I was pretty fussy though, so she decided it was time for me to eat some lunch. To my surprise again, she sat me in my high chair. I ate a few of those pesky puff things that taste so good, but I can't quite get them to my mouth. Then she gave me my yummy rice! Usually she doesn't let me get this messy. I guess she wanted Daddy to see how much fun I am having! After my rice I got a full bottle. My tummy was full and I was happy. I still didn't want Mommy to go too far though.

I guess Mommy had work to do because she really needed me to keep myself busy. She doesn't do it very often, but she put my excersaucer in front of the TV and let me watch Sesame Street! I was having so much fun, it was over before I knew it. Mommy got a lot done so she was able to get on the floor and play with me.

I started to get really tired, but I didn't want Mommy to know. I wanted her to think I was really happy and not tired at all. She wasn't fooled. She got me a bottle and read me a story while I ate. Then she put me to bed without my sleep sack. I liked that a lot! I was pretty tired, so I went right to sleep. I slept almost two and a half hours! *whispering* I think Mommy took a nap too. She looked sleepy when she came to get me! I was so happy to see her. After my nap, Mommy took me to Target. She talked to a lady about something that she bought that didn't work right. The lady took it and gave her a card back. It didn't seem like a good trade to me. Then she bought me some new clothes! I wanted to hold them but she wouldn't let me! After that we went to a phone place where Mommy bought a new thing like the one that didn't work. I am not sure what to think of all of this! It was fun to be with Mommy though! I couldn't wait to get home and see Daddy.

When I got there, he wasn't there. Mommy fed me something orange she calls carrots. I ate them all and didn't have enough room for my oatmeal. So she cleaned me up and took me for a walk. We went a long way! When we got home I talked to the neighbors. They showed me their baby chicks in their garage. I like ducks better. Then the doggie barked. I didn't like it at all. He scared me! Again, Mommy hugged me and I felt a little better, but I kept watching him so that he wouldn't do it again! I was so tired from my big day. I was still wondering where Daddy was too! We went home and I took a bath. It wasn't the same without Daddy. Mommy read me a story while I ate a bottle. Then she put me to bed. I really started to miss Daddy. I talked hoping he would hear me. I said, "Da, Da, Da" over and over, but I guess he didn't hear me. I talked so much I fell asleep. I guess I will have to see if he can hear me tomorrow!

I love you Daddy! (I think Mommy is looking for you too.)

DaMaBaDu,

Jesstine Jonelle

7 months and Sitting!

Yep, it's us again! Jesstine hit her 7th month birthday today. She is getting so big. She is so smart too! She has a little of her daddy's temperament. When she can't figure something out, she gets obviously frustrated. I got her a pair of pink Adidas soccer shoes when we found out she was a girl. They came with a pink and white soccer ball (seen in picture and video below). When I first got it out for her this week, it kept rolling away from her. She would grunt and get all red in the face. She was getting visibly frustrated that she couldn't keep hold of it! Maybe it will give her incentive to crawl! We had a PAT (parents as teachers) visit this week. She is very proficient in all areas. She is only slightly behind on motor skills because she is showing no attempts to even crawl. She is ahead in other things though. As you will see in the video, she is now babbling. Her repertoire includes: Da, Ma, Ba, and Du. She looks right at her pal Dumpty and says: "Du, Du!" She has also started to show an affectation to all things Duck! Quack makes her laugh hysterically at times and she has accumulated a collection of Ducks from her well baby visits. Soon she will be showing mad skills with her soccer ball. She and Daddy have already done some practice kicking it. Dumpty still seems to get the most smiles of all of her toys though. She has also now had her first night with a baby sitter other than Grandmom or Grandma. Our good friend Kara came to sit with her so that we could enjoy an anniversary dinner! She is just growing so fast. I hope you enjoy her pictures even half as much as we enjoyed taking them. God is GREAT and she is our proof!

Since Dumpty has been such a great friend, we agreed to let her in the 7-month picture with Jesstine.

Sitting up with her soccer ball.

We tried to get the best of this clip that we could. I liked this section because she not only shows you her great sitting skills, but also starts to call for either Daddy (DA) or Dumpty (DU).

We hope you are all well!

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Brooklyn

I need your help again. My co-worker has a granddaughter who is 4 months older than Jesstine. She has a lump in her armpit. It has been there since she was born, but it has grown significantly. They think that it is attached to a lymph node. Please pray for this precious child! She has very young parents and I am not sure if they are believers. Regardless, I have seen the power of prayer work wonders. Please pray for God to heal this child and to give her a long life here on Earth!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Growing Up SO Fast!

While Daddy was home this week, we decided to take the opportunity to get some professional photos of Jesstine done. 6 months is somewhat of a milestone. We hadn't had any done since her 2 month appointment. We were very pleased with the results and with the price of the photo shoot. We REALLY had to limit ourselves to what we could take with us! We still managed to get a lot of photos and really good ones at that. I thought I would list a sampling. We did family photos at the same time (seemed appropriate to maximize the opportunity)! Let us know what you think!

Yes! She is sitting on her own! She can sit for a couple of mins. at a time without her hands on her legs, but she can stay up much longer supporting herself with her arms.

Here is the family photo. We have one of just Stephen and I in this same pose. It is nice to have an addition. And a beautiful one to boot!

This chair was too much to resist! We HAD to get a pose in it. It actually ended up being one of our favorites and the one we sent to our siblings! A note about the bracelet: I went to a store that sells these and the big headband bows. They didn't have a bow with the right color of purple, but they did have a purple bracelet. I tried on the 6 month to one year size. I couldn't even clasp it!!! The one I bought is for a 1-4 year-old! She has such chubby wrists (she doesn't get it from me) I thought that a bracelet would dress them up!

I saved the best for last! Each time I look at this, I want to cry because she is just SO beautiful! We feel so blessed to have this little one in our lives. Even if it is for a short time or for as long as I live. She is so precious! I will never take that for granted! God is GREAT and here is my proof!

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

p.s. These are the raw images. They haven't been cropped or magnified. That is why some have funny edges!

Dancing the Days Away!

SAH here again. It's been a while since my last update, so the time is ripe for me to interject some thoughts.

So I'm on "vacation" this week. That is technically true, since I do not have to appear at work, nor do I have to actually perform any service for LSI this week. However, I don't consider it a real "vacation" since I'm not going anywhere or doing anything too interesting.

I'm taking care of Jesstine while Lacie goes to work. Normally my mom takes this solemn duty, but since I'm home, why not just hang out with me? I'm sure Lacie fears (in the deep recesses of her gorgeous brain) that this will end in disaster. She watches too much "Supernanny," where the father is always a lazy waste of space. But as you can see, Jesstine and I are just fine together.

Yes, I do get royalties from Ron Jon for the prominent advertising. Of course, that's just the play time. Everyone knows it's not easy. Just today I had to replace the changing-table mat twice. Once because cutie-pie let loose with some liquid in the middle of a diaper change and Superdad wasn't fast enough to catch it all with the replacement. Twice because my girl had a nasty #2 during her nap, and some seeped out before I noticed while changing her again.

I won't even mention what happened during dinner (a nutritious combo of peas, oatmeal, water, and formula.....if you must know). Let's just say that Jesstine's white shirt has some curious green spots on the sleeve.

Well, that's all for now. I could write more, but then....I'm on vacation.

SAH