Moving Day

Hooray Hooray! It is officially moving day!! I know, I know- cheesy! But in all seriousness!! IT'S MOVING DAY!! We are moving to our own place! Just Jared, Jackson and I!!!

Don't get me wrong - We are very thankful to Paul and Julie for allowing us to live here as long as we have, but it is going to be so nice to have our own place. And I know Paul is going to be thankful to get his office back and Julie is going to be thankful to get her rooms back. - We have taken 3 of the 4 extra rooms!

I just can't wait to be able to do things the way I want them done. I appreciate all that Julie does for us, but it is hard as a new mom, and with my OCD, not to do things the way I want them done. I am just ridiculous that way and I get very anxious if something is done differently. I also notice because I don't have control over how things have been done, that my OCD is worse in some areas. I have actually gone to the ridiculous lengths of organizing my bathroom shelf with all the labels pointing outward and it is organized in the order that I use it... I also have a certain way that Jackson's bottles need to be washed and if they aren't washed that way, I redo them and then sterilize them. I am also a big germ freak and HATE bugs, and being on a farm has really challenged me. I love the farm and all the history that it brings, but I can't stand the infestation of those lady bug/asian beatles and the boxelder bugs! Ugh! I get grossed out just thinking about them. I also have issues with spiders and spiders LOVE the farm! Julie could sweep and vacuum three times a day and they would still be all over the place! I know those beatle things and spiders will be around at our new place, but hopefully not in such large quantities.
Besides the OCD and bugs, it will just be nice to have privacy again! Our marriage can get back on track!

So, beginning tomorrow at 9am when my dad arrives, at the farm to help us move, we will be moving the essentials to grama's house in LC, where we will live until we find a new house we want to buy. Grama's house is huge and has plenty of room for us. We can set up Jackson's crib in his own room without boxes towering over him-see the pic! Those are our boxes by the way, but there is no other place to put them. We can also set up our new big screen tv and Wii it up without having to worry about interfering with Amazing Race or Dancing with the Stars (paul and julie's favorite shows) :)

I am sure Jared will miss his mom's cooking, but I have learned a few new great recipes and in no time, they will be his favorites!

Once we get all moved in, we will be having a party to celebrate our independence and to show thanks to our parents for all they have done for us while we took over their homes. Make sure you watch the blog for the details!!

Christmas Day

It is finally here! Christmas Morning! I made a Russian Tea mix the day before so I sat and enjoyed a cup of tea while Jared helped his dad in the barns.
Today we celebrated with the Spencer Family-Julie's side. Everyone began arriving after noon and the men went out back to prepare the fish and smoke cigars. I sat with the kids, like usual, and played with Jackson or watched a Dora movie. Domo made his usual tackle on to my lap and told me all about his toys from Ho Ho, Nanna and Pappa, and his mom and daddy Rob. We were blessed to see Scottie and Erin's new little guy, Isaac. Avery is a very good big sister and made sure people stayed quiet around him. Addisson graced us with her beautiful smile and kept us busy with her walking and large appetite. For such a small princess, she sure can eat!
After lunch, we all broke off into different areas of the house. The guys played Pheffer, some of us played Wii and others played Shawna's new game-Apples to Apples. Around 6pm, we did our traditional White Elephant gift exchange. With the Spencers, you are always surprised by something odd and unique as a gift. Unfortunately, none of the usual gifts were passed on from last year. One year there was a uniquely crocheted owl can, another year there was a large stuffed bass that went around. This year, Jared stole Tony's knife set and with good Spencer tradition, Brandie stole it back and Jared ended up with a used shower head and Christmas lights. Super!
People began leaving shortly after the White Elephant exchange and we ended the night with a traditional viewing of It's a Wonderful Life!
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day filled with lots of love and laughter!

Christmas Eve

What a glorious day it is! Christmas morning!! The day that we celebrate the birth of our Saviour! Merry Christmas!!
Last night we spent Christmas Eve with my family and what a night it was! David and Shannon came down late because David is dealing with some health problems and had to make a run to the hospital before he drove 2 hours. He is healing, but slowly and painfully. Please pray for fast healing and strength as he gets better.
Katie, Kipp and Doran came down from the cities also! It is so nice to see Katie with someone so great like Kipp! He is a good man to Katie and Doran - and I know he hears it a lot, but I truly do hope that Katie and Kipp get married. He has a lot to offer Doran and watching him interact with Doran through his fits and fun... Kipp will make a great husband and father!!
Dad made his usual-an amazing meal! Mom sat and took everything in since she can't really move around a whole lot with her cast.
Pete and Jake did their usual goofing back and forth until someone yells at them. A few times! Jake talked a lot about a gift he ordered online - a pair of Nike shoes. We are all eager to see them as he talked them up so well!! Peter mentioned Maria quite a few times and then had mom read a card from her. Maria gave us all a gift- I got earrings, pink earrings. Good choice Maria!! Jackson got these great plush blocks- GREAT gift! I know he will love them. Jared received a nice dress shirt from her. He always love a good dress shirt!
Doran and I told the true Christmas Story of Jesus' birth. Dad taped it on his new digital camcorder!! Doran did a great job!
Shannon and David gave mom and dad a fabulous gift! Her dad does amazing wood carvings and carved them a bear and welcome sign. Mom's face lit up and she didn't stop smiling for the rest of the night! Good job guys! I would love to have her dad make us one of them-they are amazing and the detail is unreal!!
It was nice to have uncle Larry with us also! Dad really loves to have his siblings come over and it means a lot ot us that we can all get together. My aunt Margaret with Becky and uncle Larry are going to be there today for Christmas.
I love to spend time with my family like that! We all get along, no drama, just lots of love and laughter!
I hope you all were able to have a fabulous and joyous Christmas Eve! I pray that God's love with fill your lives and guide you in all that you do!
Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

It is the eve of Christmas Eve. The night before the celebration truly begins.
Jared is hard at work to ensure his workload is lighter tomorrow and Jackson is upstairs sleeping. I have a few minutes before I become too exhausted to walk upstairs to bed. I have had an exciting weekend with lots of shopping and family time.

I have a couple of Christmas cards to finish and send out, but those will obviously go out after Christmas with a short note about my procrastination. I have tried diligently to complete tasks right away because I know as soon as Jackson needs me, I drop everything to pick him up and tend to his needs.

This Christmas will no doubt be a special one. With Jackson around, everything is special and new. He gives life a new twist. He makes you think about the simplicity and awe of life. He is giggling, rolling all over the place, and just loving life. My favorite thing about him is when he just watches what is going on. He seems to just be taking in as much as he can and loving every bit of life. He loves to put his hand on your face as you feed him-as if to take in the details of who you are. He is pure and so full of love. He reminds me to take life in and enjoy each part of it. He makes me appreciate quality time. I love to watch Jared interact with Jackson. It is a completely different kind of interaction than what Jackson has with other people. He seems to know that Jared is his dad and just loves to give him kisses and just spend time with him. Jared is definitely the best dad! He tunes everything else out and just loves on Jackson.

God has definitely blessed us with an amazing gift. We have our work cut out for us as parents of Jackson-God has given us a great responsibility to raise Jackson as a strong Christian and we plan to do our best at guiding him in God's ways. I truly believe that God has something HUGE in store for our family and I can't wait to watch it all unfold throughout the coming days and years.

May God bless each and everyone of you with a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous new year!!

Christmas Season is upon us!

What a wonderful time of the year! This is our favorite season and Holiday! Christmas! A time when family and friends join together and make memories! A time when we can rejoice in the birth of our Saviour!
I am currently working hard to get out all of our Christmas cards, but having a very busy five month old has proven that tasks take longer than expected. Jackson has been battling a cold since Friday and although it is getting better, he still has a bad cough and plugged nose that keep him up all night and day. He still masters his smile and good attitude though. Jackson has taught Jared and I that even when things are tough, a smile goes a long way. Since having Jackson, we laugh and smile a lot more and just enjoy each and every minute we are blessed with. He is a true blessing to this world and I know he is going to do huge things for God.

We recently spent Thanksgiving with all of Jared's family! Everyone made it here in MN! Rob and Betsy and the kids were here along with Caleb and Sharon. It was so great to see everyone and Julie was in heaven to have all the grandkids together! My family had our Thanksgiving on Sunday and everyone was there too! Katie and Kipp came from the cities and met Doran at my parents. David and Shannon came down and then left around 6pm so they could get their first Christmas tree together. It was nice to see David's excitement when he talked about it.
Doran had a blast creating his Wii character. It looks nothing like him, but he LAUGHED so hard as we added large sunglasses and a big beard to it.

Jared and I did the whole rush on the day after Thanksgiving. We got up at 4am, put Jackson (still sleeping) in his carseat and braved the Target rush to get our new tv. Quite the experience. Not sure we will ever do that again-at least not with Jackson, but it was fun to spend time together. We got coffees and waited in line-Jackson stayed sleeping the whole time. We met my parents for breakfast and then went to their house to take a nap. What a day!

We are going for Santa pics this weekend for Jackson. Hopefully he cooperates and it turns out okay. The pics are so expensive and you only get a couple chances.

This Holiday will definitely prove to be a big one for us. We want to make the best of it for Jackson so we are planning on taking it all in. We will take pics so he remembers or at least can look back and know that we went all out for him.

Have a great week!