October 2011

Our little pumpkin Lizzy Clara was a ladybug but refused to wear the hat.

Abby was our 4th pirate...all the older kids have worn this costume at one time in the past.

Wesley was a Ninja...pretty scary wouldn't you say?!

September 2011

Maddie decided to go to public school. She is in a local charter school. I must say it was really hard for me. I love having my children home, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time. She has had the opportunity to be involved in choir and take Spanish and PE, which she has really enjoyed. Not sure what the plan will be for next year, but I think it has been a good experience for her.

Our Summer

Our summer has been enjoyable and a little busy, thus the reason why I haven't written for awhile. Here are the highlights:

- Clara celebrated her 1st birthday on June 14th. We finally received her birth certificate which states that Brian and I are her birth parents. What a joy that was to see.

- Kaylie celebrated her 16th birthday on June 15th. We gave her a little get away for her present. Her dad took her and Maddie up to Provo for a two-night stay at a hotel. Little did she know that two of her dearest friends were up there to surprise her. One lives in New York and the other in Indiana. They had a wonderful time catching up and enjoyed a day at Seven Peaks Water Park.

- Kaylie took her driver's ed course plus did her required driving with an instructor and passed her test. She just has to wait until October to get her license. I am so glad that is over, and am excited that she will soon be able to drive herself to seminary.

- July 4th was spent at our dear friends' home, Worth and Glenda. There was great food, conversation and fireworks. It has become a tradition for us.

- Wesley received his Bear badge.

- Brian went to Germany on business. I don't usually get jealous when he travels, but I must admit that I was a little envious this time. Germany is one place I would absolutely love to visit. I did get some Swiss chocolate out it.

- Wesley celebrated his 10th birthday on July 16th. He was able to take a few friends to see the new movie "Cars".

- Kaylie and Maddie went to girls' camp at the end of July. The first day they were poured on but the rest of the week was pleasant.

- My parents celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on July 21st. I think that is pretty awesome.

- The 24th of July was celebrated here in our small town. Brian was over the festivities, so he was a little uptight, but it turned out wonderful. We had a parade, dinner at the park and lots of fun booths, plus entertainment. We look forward to it every year.

- My sister and brother and their families came to surprise my parents. They had no clue they were coming. Brian was in Asia on business, so he missed out. My kids and I lured my parents to Ihop, telling them that it was a late anniversary gift. I wish we would have got a picture of their faces when they saw everyone waiting there for them. It was priceless. It was a wonderful day, and I know my parents absolutely loved it.

- We took our annual vacation to Salt Lake City on August 11-13. We visited Temple Square (Brian and the kids got to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir practice), went to This is the Place Heritage Park, ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory, did some swimming and finished it off with the Jones reunion up at Settlement Canyon in Tooele. We look forward to this every year.

School starts for us on September 6th, so we have one more week before we are on a pretty strict schedule. We are trying to get into bed early and wake up for prayer and scriptures so we have that established when school starts.

Lizzy's Blessing

Lizzy was blessed on June 5th by her daddy. This is a smile box created by her sister in honor of her special day. Read the story, it is so funny!

This photo slideshow created with Smilebox

"Much Ado About Nothing" and a Birthday

This year in commonwealth the kids put on the Shakespeare play "Much Ado About Nothing". Maddie was part of the watch...she had to dress up as a boy. Wow, what a transformation! She did a great job. The kids also had the opportunity to go up to the Heber Valley Girls' Camp to perform their play to other commonwealth groups at the Shakespeare Showdown. They had a great time.




Maddie turned "13" on the 22nd, so she is officially a teenager. She was able to have a couple of friends over for dinner then go to the new aquatic center.

Milestones

Our sweet babies are growing so fast! It is hard to keep up with them.


As you can see, Clara is walking. She started at 10 months. It is the funniest thing to see because she is so little. She can now manage to get around the house quite quickly. Before you know it, she will be running.


Little Lizzy is smiling and cooing. When she smiles, her whole face lights up. Clara prtty much thinks she is a toy. We have to keep Lizzy up, or else she gets extra loved by Clara.

More exciting news is that Kaylie got her learner's permit. She will be taking Drivers Ed. in June, and should have her license in September...Yeah! I can't wait.

Life is Good

Life is pretty busy at the Jones home, but we wouldn't want it any other way. I usually get a shower by 3pm, the laundry mostly gets done, numerous diapers are changed in a day and naps are a welcomed event. But above all we are having fun, and I mean that with all sincerity. These two babies have brought so much joy to our home.

Lizzy is getting to be quite the chunk. As my dad said to her, "Your mom is agreeing with you." She really likes to eat. She will pass up Clara in no time. We make the joke that she will be handing her clothes down to Clara. She is a very good and quiet baby. Basically she eats and sleeps. I think she is going to be quite layed back. I love to kiss and squish her.





Clara is growing...just not very fast. She weighs in at a big 14 lbs. and is about 26 inches. As you can see by the picture, she can now reach the piano keys. We are waiting for her to walk at any time, she is so close. Her smile melts us, especially her version of "Popeye". She is also a great little dancer. Whenever she hears a beat, she nods her head back and forth and jerks her body. Even the sound of the washing machine can get her going. She keeps us laughing.





Abby is just growing up too fast. She just lost her third tooth, but I think it is adorable. She wears this wrap I am supposed to carry the baby in as a dress. She has also worn it on her head to be Rapunzel, she would even carry the excess just like Rapunzel did in the movie.





Kaylie and Maddie went out in a snow storm to take pictures. I loved how this one turned out! I know I am bias, but I think they are beautiful. Kaylie is really getting good at photography and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have all these great pictures to put on my blog. Maddie just got her bottom set of braces. Her teeth are looking great.


Here is Wesley with his "Cool Creation" design that he sent into Lego. He labeled it "Blade Dragon". He absolutely loves Legos. He now has decided that he no longer wants to be a garbage man but a Lego designer. I think it sounds like a great idea!

Happy Birthday Nicolas!

It has been 2 years since our sweet baby boy left us. I have had a lot of mixed emotions with the birth of Lizzy and the birthday of Nicolas. After I gave birth to Lizzy, I kept worrying that something would happen to her. She seemed so fragile. On our ride home from the hospital, I expressed to Brian how nice it was to be bringing a baby home from the hospital instead of coming home with empty hands.

Looking back at the last 2 years, I see the Lord's hand in it all. If Nicolas would have survived we wouldn't have Clara and maybe not even Lizzy. There was a purpose in his leaving us, even though it was terribly difficult. Clara needed a home, Nicolas made that possible.

Our little Lizzy looks just like Nicolas. I will be looking at her and see Nicolas' pictures and think what a tender mercy from the Lord. Now as she grows up, I will know what he would have looked like.

Abby still wants to make sure that we have everything for Nicolas, such as a bed, clothes, car seat. She still doesn't quite get where he is, but she knows he is coming back, and that is the important part. I too know he is coming back, and then I will have him to raise. How grateful I am for that knowledge, to know he is only gone for a short while.

Lizzy is Here!!

After a long labor, she is finally here, and she is beautiful!

We went to the hospital at 1am for my induction, but they didn't actually start me until 2:30am. Let's just say my body wasn't ready, and she could have stayed in another week. She had a lot of vernix on her when she came out. But with my history and us all being on pins and needles including my doctor...it was a good thing she was delivered.

We had a little scare. Around 2:30pm my doctor came in to break my water. After he left, Lizzy's little heart rate went down. I could hear it, then noticed that my nurse looked concerned. She turned me to my other side hoping for a change, but it then stopped then came back slow. I started panicking and crying, not wanting something to happen to this little one. She called my doctor STAT then put me on oxygen. He came running back and put a fetal monitor on Lizzy's head. Her heart rate came back up and was stabilized. The oxygen remained for the rest of labor, just to make sure Lizzy was getting enough.


Here I am sporting the cute oxygen mask.

It took so long for me to dilate. They would come check me and I wouldn't have changed or have only gone up one centimeter. It was getting a little frustrated. I must say how grateful I was for the epidural. I couldn't have stood laying on the bed in that much pain for that long. Then we found out she was posterior, so I would have had back labor, which I hear is horrible. My back was very sore after the epidural had worn off.

When I got to an 8, my doctor said it was time to get her delivered, so he had me start pushing to try and get me to a 10, but my body still wouldn't cooperate. He left me to labor for a little longer. My nurse left the room as well, saying that when I felt pressure to let her know. About 15 minutes later the pressure came...the nurse was called...the doctor was called...and pushing began. She still didn't come. Then my doctor could feel that she was face up. He turned her and in one push she was out. She came into this world at 3:54pm, only 15 hours after being admitted to the hospital...ha! ha! ha! She had the cord wrapped around her neck twice and her arm once, but she was fine.


Here she is soon after delivery.


Weighing in at 7lbs. 8oz (our biggest baby) and 20 1/2 inches long.


Me looking a little worn out. It truly was a long day.


First bath


Look at those fat chops!


All prettied up. The pictures are mostly in black and white because the picture taking was left up to me and Brian. We had the camera on the wrong setting. I am so grateful for my girls when it comes to picture taking.


With her big sister, Maddie


Me and Kaylie


Me with my little Clara, who isn't quite sure what to think about this new little baby.

In color (the girls had showed up to save their parents)


With her big brother, Wes


Abby was so excited to meet Lizzy.


My two babies

I am so grateful that she is safely here. I am so thankful for such a wonderful doctor who has helped me through the last 2 1/2 years, through a Placenta Previa, the loss of Nicolas, two miscarriages and finally a happy ending. Later in the evening he came to visit us in our room and told us that the heart rate dropping and the cord around her neck are things that happen, but we were just all on edge with what had happened in the past. I was also grateful for the tender mercy of the Lord. I prayed that I would be able to have the nurse that was with me through the last hospital stays. How happy I was to see her that day. She was able to be with me through the whole thing. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have these sweet little babies in our home. The Lord has truly blessed our family and taught us a lot in the process.

No Baby Yet

This little one has decided she doesn't want to come into this crazy world...and frankly, I don't blame her. My doctor has been having me come in for monitoring twice a week for the last 3-4 weeks. Needless to say, he just wants everything to turn out okay this time. He is a great doctor. All is well with little Lizzy, I have had no need for concern. He won't let me go past 41 weeks, which means he has scheduled me for an induction...AT 1AM MONDAY MORNING! Who has ever heard of being scheduled that early? I am praying very hard that she decides to come on her own, so I don't have to have the Pitocin nor go in at that ghastly hour.

Other than that, I feel great, no contractions, no aches or pains. Sometimes I still forget that I am pregnant, except when I bend over or try to fit betweeen something that is a little too tight. I am being patient, and have handed it over to the Lord. He knows my wishes, but He also knows what is best for me and the baby. We will just see what happens. I will post after the sweet little thing arrives.

Clara's Sealing & Blessing

This was the most amazing weekend! The sealing was more than I ever expected. Just walking into the temple, I started getting tears in my eyes. I had waited for that day for almost 8 months. It was one of the hardest journeys I have ever taken, but so very worth it.

The temple workers treated us so special. The sweet sister who was assigned to me wouldn't let me carry my bags, she held my hand, continued to ask me if I needed anything...I felt like a bride on her wedding day. I was so grateful for all their kindness.

Walking into the sealing room and seeing family and friends there, I couldn't help to get emotional. But when our children came through the door all dressed in white, it was almost too overwhelming. They were all so beautiful...tears just started to fall. Clara was all smiles, like she knew exactly what was happening. It didn't last long though. The room was very hot, and she had had enough of her dress. She started crying which caused the sealer to make it short but sweet.

What an amazing feeling to know that she is ours eternally. She has brought such a sweet spirit to our home and such healing to our hearts. Her brother and sisters just kept telling her, "You are ours now." How grateful I am for these experiences, for they have strengthened my children's testimony of the Plan of Salvation. They know that families can be together forever, that Clara is ours and that we will see Nicolas again. What a blessing that is.

Her blessing was sweet as well. When Brian took her up to the circle, she just kept looking at him as though to say, "Dad, what is all this about." She again cried through that, but luckily the microphone was working well, and we could still hear him.

I couldn't ask for a better weekend. Here are some of the pictures. Just for your information, it was a windy day, thus the nice hairdos. I uploaded more of them on Facebook.

Only 5 1/2 Weeks Left

I can't even believe it....the time has flown incredibly. I have never had a pregnancy go by so quickly. I am sure most of it is due to little Clara keeping me so busy, and I am grateful for that.

I had my prenatal yesterday and my doctor decided to have me monitored once a week. I am sure it is just to keep me calm. I have to be hooked up to the fetal monitor for 20-30 minutes and then a quick ultrasound to make sure that there is enough amniotic fluid. Little Lizzy was a trooper; heart beat strong, plenty of fluid, cord in the right place. It will be fun to get to see her each week until she gets there. I am just happy that everything looks good. She is head down, but doctor said that it really doesn't matter at this point because babies continue to move around a lot. I just hope she stays that way.

We just moved Clara into Wesley's room, making room for another crib in our room. Our little house seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Every nook and cranny is filled, but what fun this will be. I also added more frames up on the wall for Clara and Lizzy. I even put Lizzy's latest ultrasound in her frame. I just keep looking up at the wall and thinking about all these little treasures that Brian and I have. I feel so very blessed. Even though the path has been hard at times, I see the Lord's wisdom and am ever so grateful for His love and guidance through these last 2 1/2 years.

SHE IS OURS!!!

Today the judge granted our adoption, and she is now legally Clara Paulina Jones. It has been the hardest 7 months for me, but so totally worth it. I was so nervous going in this morning, but it ended up being quick and painless...only about 10 minutes and I didn't have to answer but probably two questions. The judge could see that Clara was in good health and was bonding well with her siblings. He found it in the best interest to grant the adoption.

I think Clara even knew that what had happened today was special. She was in such a good mood and so very happy. She was on her best behavior in the courtroom.

I can't express the weight that has been taken off my shoulders. Now we have the fun stuff to look forward to. We are hoping to have her sealed to us on February 5th and blessed on the 6th. Then in approximately 7 weeks we have another little blessed package coming to our home. Things are looking wonderful, and I can't even express how happy we are and how blessed we feel.

I forgot to mention that we have a name for our newest addition to be. Brian likes to surprise the kids with the name by putting it in their stocking at Christmas. He did this with Nicolas as well. The name he picked out is Elizabeth Rae, and we will call her "Lizzy". I love it. We had another ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, and I must say that she resembles Nicolas quite a bit. Especially the cute little button nose. Looking so forward to meeting her!


It was an early morning, but they were happy to be there to witness this happy event.

Here we are with the judge who couldn't have made us happier!


Sitting in the Plaintiff seats.


28 Weeks



32 Weeks


Me and my two babies.