39 weeks and counting...

Yes, we are almost there! We are excited, nervous and mainly praying alot! A second child is going to be a blessing, but there are all those questions of, "How am I going to take care of 2?" and "How is our family dynamic going to change?" I take great comfort in knowing this baby is from the Lord and He is going to provide! Today, as I wait, I am claiming Psalm 27:14...

"Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD."

Knowing that He has this under control and I can rest in His strength, might, love and provision.

We have been busy and having so much fun preparing...

J got a "big boy room" complete with the very hungry caterpillar sheets AND...

 bunk beds!

 The top has been dubbed "the zoo" as the animals sleep there!

 Such a special shower celebrating our new little one!

 Proud and very-excited Grandmamas

 Best friends in the whole world!

 Best sister in the whole world! Love her so much. And, she made these adorable initial letters!

 Ringing in 2012!

 All the preggos actually made it until midnight!

 J got a tour of the hospital as we visited my sweet friend and her new little man.

 The cafeteria, balloon from the gift shop, elevator and fountain were all favorites! :)

 And, these pictures?!? The red pepper is his fav!

So ready, so excited and so so so thankful for supportive, loving and helpful family and friends and co-workers! We are blessed!

Santa & the Trains...

Last year, J was not a fan of Santa. This year, we went to the mall shortly after Thanksgiving and Santa's house was all set-up. J saw it and ran in the other direction. I could not believe that he remembered the house and his fears associated with it an entire year later. So, we started talking about how Santa was nice, but that he didn't have to sit with Santa if he didn't want to. After ALOT of talk, he decided to try. J was a little unsure at first, but we got an ok picture...

Checking it out...

Needing a little reassurance...I can't get enough of those sweet hugs!

Ok, maybe not...

 A short meltdown until Santa mentioned toys and the photographer pulled out Elmo.

 

:) Still not totally sure, but I was proud of his bravery!

 The trains were a much bigger hit! Especially, the state fair replica.

 J is a big fan of "Big Tex"

 This train set really is impressive.

Establishing Christmas...

One of the coolest and sometimes, most overwhelming, responsibilities of being a parent is teaching and establishing major and minor events in a child's life. J was super excited about all things Christmas this year, so I spent alot of time thinking and praying about what I wanted to teach him about the holiday where we celebrate our Savior's birth. And, that's where we started...with the story of Jesus' birth!

My favorite Christmas decoration for toddlers...ours even sings!

J caught on quick and soon could narrate certain parts of the story. This nativity became not just a "must-do", but a part of our daily play. What a joy to share and recount the story of Jesus' birth with my little one several times a day! It was fun to see the parts he found most interesting...namely the angels and the fact that the wisemen rode camels to visit baby Jesus!

We also purchased a second nativity set and secretly shared a piece (wrapped with candy attached), for the first 12 days of December, with a neighbor. J caught on quick and reminded me every morning to take our friend their gift. It is a neat way to share the true story of Christmas, as well. Here's how we did it. Please feel free to use and tweak as you need...such a fun thing to do as a family!


12 Days Nativity

J also loved our nightly neighborhood walks/drives to look at Christmas lights and got plenty of presents...which he loved, of course. My favorite part of this Christmas season is that we started it focusing on the glorious story of Jesus' entry into this world and presents were more of an afterthought. I pray as he gets older and more aware of the materialism of the season, we will be able to spend as much time focusing on Jesus' birth as we did this year.

New Traditions...

Christmas is enjoyable to me because I have so many wonderful memories, family traditions and special things I like to do during the season leading up to our Savior's birth! When Scott and I got married, it was wonderful to learn about his favorite traditions and share some of mine. Now that we have a family of our own, it is fun to start new traditions. And this one, was totally unexpected and J's idea...a Christmas season Denny's dinner!

J is very observant and started noticing and commenting on every Denny's sign in the Metroplex that we passed in our car. Let me tell you, there are far more Denny's than I would have expected in our area. One morning, Scott had a breakfast with a friend at Denny's and forgot his lunch, so we took it to him. J decided we had to have a dinner date with Daddy there, so we did! It was such a hit, I think it will be a December tradition...

Love these 2. They keep me laughing and I can't wait to add another sweet boy to the mix! 

 J ordered on his own!

J will tell you that Denny's has delicious eggs, bacon and OJ. Breakfast is one of his very favorite meals and we were blessed with a special family night!