Snow Day

Well today is a snow day in our entire area. All of the area schools have cancelled (as I found out with a phone call from Maize and Wichita at about 5 this morning). I declared it PJ day. Stephen was gone to Pheonix overnight Wednesday night, so Jesstine was happy to see him when she woke up this morning (and when we got home last night). So, it being pj day and the first pretty snow of the season, we have had some fun!

How can you resist this face? Whenever Stephen or I eat cereal, Jesstine begs for a bite! Here, she had to sit on Daddy's lap....just to beg for cereal!!!

We decided to put some clothes on over our PJ's for a quick trip in the snow. This is the first year Jesstine really has recognized the snow. Last year we only had one snowfall and she was pretty oblivious to it. Compare this year (above) to last year (below).

Last year in the snow.

She became very concerned when her cat mittens got snow on them!

Just like the oldn' days, Jesstine had her "Long Johns" on under her snow clothes. They are actually PJ's that have become too small for her!

The after snow play runny nose and red face!

Needless to say, I think that she had fun. She would get frustrated when she couldn't move in the snow! It was cute, but got old after a while. I tried to keep her on the driveway where Stephen was shoveling!

Stay warm!

Lacie

Prayers for Calla

A while back (about a year ago), I posted about a little girl who was only 11 months old and was diagnosed with cancer. She ended up passing away just past her 11 month birthday. Through the same acquaintance that I found out about her, I found out about another baby that needs our prayers. Her name is Calla Jayne. She was born at only 26 weeks gestation! If you don't know anything about babies and pregnancy, 38 weeks is considered full term. Most babies who are born earlier than 25 weeks, do not survive. She is in the fight of her life! Her parents also have a little boy at home to take care of. They could use all the prayers they can get! You know when someone really is hurting because of the loss of a loved one or because of a loved one being in the hospital, you want to know what you can do to help. Besides prayers, you can donate money to help this family out! They have live in Newton and their little girl is in the NICU in Wichita. That is quite a drive! There has got to be expenses that they didn't expect with having to care for a newborn in the NICU and having a baby at home! If you feel comfortable donating, you can find a button below. If not, at least pray for this family. You can find out as much as I know here: The Johnsons. This is a college roommate of the woman who lost the 11 month old baby and also a sister to a former co-worker of mine. I don't know her personally, but it is amazing what you can learn about a person through their blog! There is a button on the side bar that you can click and donate too. Otherwise, please keep this family in your prayers! Especially pray for little Calla, that she will become strong and will progress each day a little more, becoming one step closer to coming home with her family!

In Him,
Lacie

Video and more!

Well, it has been a fun week. It has been an adjustment not having Daddy home. He was home with us for three full weeks! We made it work though! At first, we drove each other crazy, but we got back into the swing of things! On Friday we went to look for some clothes. Our little girl is just growing so fast!! She seems to change clothing sizes just before she reaches the month mark on the clothing and it always happens mid-season! After looking on our side of town and coming up mostly empty handed, we took a trip to the east side of town. It worked out great for both of us! Mommy got out and was able to find a great bargain on clothes. And Towne East now has a playplace in the mall! So, Jesstine got a well deserved shopping break and got to play!! Here are a few pictures!

This caterpillar was one of her favorites! She loved the tunnel, but it was full at this moment, so she decided to be brave like the others and try to climb it. This is as far as she got!
And of course the car!

And a boat!

She liked the head thing in the boat and decided to hug it!

We also found some shoes on clearance at Target. I have been wanting to get them for her, but didn't want to spend $30 on them when she had a perfectly good pair of tennis shoes at home. You can't tell, but these are like the classic Converse Chuck Taylors only with Velcro! She loves them and walks around the house watching her feet. They are now her favorite shoes (her shiny black church shoes used to be). So she wore them to church today with her dress!

And finally, here is a video I have been wanting to post for a while know. This took place just a few days after my surgery. Jesstine likes to wear my hats and this was no exception. She had it on backwards and was literally parading around with it! Daddy chose to turn on the camera and she noticed! She smiled for the camera and cheesed it up. Then she walked into the kitchen. She noticed her reflection in the stove door and started checking herself out, including doing a little circle. The kitchen sort of became her catwalk. She got bored with that and started her way back to the living room. She noticed Daddy with the camera and literally stopped dead in her tracks just to give daddy a goofy smile! She sure keeps us on our toes! We love her so much! Her sense of humor is beginning to show! We love it too! See for yourself.



Enjoy!

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

Since Christmas

It seems like a lot has happened since Christmas. If anything, Jesstine has just had the opportunity to play a lot with all of her new toys. Between me having surgery and Daddy taking on all of the work here at home with us and the COLD weather, Jesstine has spent a lot of time at home. She seems no worse for the wear. To tell you the truth, I think she REALLY likes having Mommy and Daddy at home at the same time! We sadly have to send Daddy back to work on Monday, but we are SO thankful that he has a job with which he can take some vacation time to stay home so I can have some recuperation time and Jesstine can have someone take good care of her until I had the energy! So, here is "since Christmas" in pictures!! We will miss you SO much when you go back to work Daddy!

She is enjoying her toy box a little TOO much! Just like her toy basket before the toy box, she likes to climb in. Shortly after this was taken she began to cry because she got stuck! She hasn't tried it since! We did manage to finally pull out some front room toys and move the toy box to her bedroom. Next item to get is a bookshelf for her many books which she plays with as much as she does her toys!
This picture has a bit of a story. Jesstine was wearing some leggings under her dress last Sunday. I told Stephen that she really should have something warmer, so she needed either a new pair of pants or a pair to put over these. So, he grabbed what he thought was another pair of pants. They were actually leggings!!! Skin TIGHT leggings! I thought she looked silly! She didn't seem to mind though. She is proudly pointing to her "behbutteeee" which she discovered this week!

This is one of our BIG toys! She LOVES it! She pushes around almost every stuffed animal she has when she uses this thing! Good idea Grandma Griffee!!!

This is what Sesame Street does to my child!!! She was cuddling Ernie and Abby was sitting next to her on the floor, so I slowly added all of her characters to her perch. She didn't seem to notice! She looked like this the whole time!

We recently tried coloring! I was making thank you cards and she wanted to help, so I gave her a color. She liked it so much, I bought her some crayons of her own (INSERT CRAYON SONG FROM CHILDHOOD HERE) and printed some "Dieglagalo" (Diego) coloring pages off of the internet. She was pretty proud of her work! It was great for a cold winter day indoors in our PJ's too!

This is her latest prized possession! She LOVES this piano her Grandmom got her for Christmas. It matches Grandmom's almost perfectly!! Her favorite part is when she sits down and plays for a few seconds, stands up, and claps and cheers for herself! She knows it makes Mommy and Daddy laugh!

This was a happenstance gift. My sister received this for her two boys and had no place to put it! She knew Jesstine had a jungle room and thought it would go great there! So, here it is! Do you think Jesstine likes it?

And the last of the pictures for this edition of Jesstine's fan page is something I have been working on for a long time! I started this during the summer after seeing the idea on Etsy. I thought it looked easy and that I could do it myself. Well, I finished the wooden part the same day I purchased the materials. Finding a way to get the ribbon on and put it all together was another story entirely! So, tonight I decided to finish what I had started!!! Here is the finished product! If you are following this blog and need some bows for yours or your little girls hair, I have found the best place! The bows I use for Jesstine are VERY easy to put in and can be put in the finest of fine hair! She has been wearing them since she was about 7 months old when she had the finest and barely any hair! You can find the site here.

Well that is it for this edition of Jesstine's Brag Blog. We hope to feature a hilarious video soon! Stay tuned to find out more!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine

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