Christmas Time.

This Christmas has been pretty laid-back for me and Blake.  Being the first holiday not working retail, I've had this feeling that something has been missing...in a good way.  We didn't get around to hanging lights outside, but we did get just a bit festive around the house.

We also managed to get holiday family photos and send out Christmas cards to friends and family near and far, announcing baby boy Harris this spring.

Tomorrow we're spending the evening with Blake's family.  Christmas morning we'll be joining mine.  It will be good to see everyone together, enjoy a few laughs with good food and drink.  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, free of stress and full of joy.

-Jess.

Twenty-Four.

I have been carrying baby boy for six months now.  It's crazy how time flies!

We had a doctor's appointment earlier this week to check on baby's health.  He is doing so good and is so healthy!  I love hearing his little heart beating, there is nothing else in this world that compares.  I think about him constantly and get so distracted by the thought of him - I think this is what they should call pregnancy brain, constant distraction.  I love sitting up at night and feeling him move, although I know I should be getting as much rest as possible.  Blake just started feeling him this past week.  I love seeing his face when he feels baby move, and I can't wait for his kicks to get stronger.  We haven't quite settled on a name yet, but we're getting there.

I am in such a good place right now, nearing the end of the second trimester and feeling better than ever.

-Jess

Feeling Grateful...

{Denver Botantic Gardens}

I started this post a few weeks ago; however, life seems to have gotten in the way, and I am just now finally finishing it.  It may be a bit late, but it's better late than never.

2012 has brought many changes for Blake and I, and I have been reminded throughout the year that I have so much in my life to be grateful for. 

I am grateful for many things this year, and each one seems to begin with my amazing husband, Blake.  We have been together for nearly eight years now, and how life-changing and incredible each year has been.  Blake has been a rock of support for me, my guide and guardian. He has helped me overcome so many personal challenges, and has led me to the life that I have today.  What a happy and lovely life it is. 

I am grateful for the many things Blake and I have accomplished together.  Blake, graduating with his RN Degree; I am so proud of the career path he has chosen.  I am inspired by the kindness and selflessness he exudes to others each day.  He is truly a loving and caring person, and he reminds me how important it is to do something that matters.  

I am grateful that I was able to graduate earlier this year with my Bachelor's Degree.  I have been working towards this achievement for so many years, and what a great accomplishment it has been for me.  Although it has been difficult, financially and personally, Blake has been there supporting me every step of the way, working and helping me fund my way through school, even before we were married.  There were several times I wanted to give it up.  I had a good job working for a good company with promotional opportunities and growth.  Blake was always there to remind me to do what I loved, to never settle for the money, and to do something that mattered to me and that I enjoyed.  I truly could not have made it work without him.

I am grateful for the home and life Blake and I have built and continue to build together.  We have worked so hard for everything we have, and it is at this time of year, when the weather gets chilly, that I am so grateful and aware of how blessed we are. 

I love my husband so much, I doubt words can ever begin to describe how I feel for him.  I am so grateful that with him I am able to create an extension of him and our love through our baby boy, who will greet us sometime around March 29, 2013.  What an amazing experience it has been for us both to create this life I am carrying. Each day I am reminded of his incredible existence through his numerous pokes, prods, and kicks.  I am so grateful to have been blessed with a body capable of creating this little life inside of me.  It is so unreal to me, and everyday I am reminded how much of a miracle the existence of life is.  I am in awe by it, I doubt I will ever understand it, and I am thankful for it.

I am grateful for my family and my husband's family who, from the beginning, have welcomed me into their home as one of their own.  We have an amazing family who is so accepting and kind towards others, no matter what their personal situation may be.  They are examples for us and the kind of family we hope to build.

This year Blake and I have done so much growing.  We have watched those close to us struggle with losses of jobs and financial security, experiencing the fear and uncertainty ourselves for the first time when I recently learned I was going to be laid off from my job.  What an amazing life we have been blessed with, how fortunate we are, and how we must always remember that it can be taken away from us.  The lessons we have learned this year have focused us to appreciate what we have and to surround ourselves with uplifting and inspiring people; individuals that care and love others, that live selflessly and are more concerned with their personal actions rather than the social status and image they exude.  Blake is such an example of this.  Being the critical and sometimes childish girl that I am, I tend to compare myself to others, and I am susceptible towards envy.  When I start to feel this way Blake is there to remind me how good my life is, how much I have been blessed, and how happy I should feel.  He lifts me when I am feeling down, and he reminds me of all the good I have around me.  I am grateful for him and the many other uplifting people I have in my life.  It is because of their example that I continue to strive to surround myself with only positive people each day, and what a difference it has made for me and will continue to make.

Wow, what a long essay this post has turned into.  Thank you for reading and thank you for being a part of our life.  To sum it all up, I am thankful for:  A husband and family that I love, the roof over my head, and a warm bed and blanket to snuggle in each day.  I am thankful for the simple things I have in my life because they have made all the difference.

"Rest and be thankful"  -William Wadsworth.

-Jess.   

{Thanksgiving 2011}

{Thanksgiving 2010}