Jaxson Life

Nash Whittan Jackson is growing so fast!!!

2011-03-14T19:10:00.003-05:00

This amazing journey began in the fall of 2010 when...

we got the most exciting news of our lives...

we were pregnant...

AGAIN (and so soon after losing Baby Bean). We could not be more ecstatic!

I am not going to lie, this path was not always a walk in the park and blissful visions of hope. It began as a journey full of mixed emotions. It didn't help that we found out we were pregnant the morning that we got called by hospice and flew out to be with my family to say our goodbyes to my Nana. I was extremely fearful of being hurt again and wasn't sure what to think or how to react to all of the upcoming changes in our lives. I was scared to death that something would go wrong and we would lose this baby as well. I was closed off from truly excepting this great news and embracing the incredible gift God was giving us. Slowly, these feelings began to fade as I continued to make a daily decision to trust in God that this was His baby and He would protect this child and give us the strength to deal with whatever might come our way...

Baby J at 7 weeks

12 weeks along

This is how we told the world we were pregnant @ 13 weeks

I can honestly say, I never thought Blake and I would reach a time in our marriage where we celebrated me puking. Lol. This was definitely the case for about the first 3 1/2 months of my pregnancy. I was super sick and threw up constantly. Normally, I would not appreciate this bodily function, but in this case, I welcomed it gladly! He would call home and ask if I had gotten sick yet that day... and when I would answer "yes" we would both cheer and celebrate that the baby was healthy and we were doing alright. I welcomed it and thanked God daily seeing it as His little way of letting me know my baby was still alive and well and that we were in His hands!!! Thank you God for knowing exactly what I needed at all the right times! :)

Me @ 14 weeks pregnant with Baby J

14 weeks along

Ultrasound at 16 weeks

Our little angel waving to us at 16 weeks

Sweet baby profile - 16 weeks

Me at 16 weeks and 5 days

Thanksgiving - 17 weeks along

at 17 weeks

Getting ready for Christmas with Baby J @ 20 weeks

Monday, December 20, 2010 we finally found out that Baby J was A BOY!!!

Look at my precious baby boy sleeping :)

Since we finally figured out what we were having, it was time to let the shopping begin!

Our mantle for Christmas got an additional little baby stocking

Christmas Eve - 21 weeks along

Baby Bump at 21 weeks

Excited to let everyone know that we were having a boy!

Christmas Day at my mom's house was very good to our baby boy (who we hadn't named yet)

My family insisted on calling him Blobby (or Blobby J) until we named him. Lol

I wanted Blake to feel special and get his first gift from his son! :)

Our little boy was already crazy spoiled and he wasn't even here yet! ;)

(This was everything he got for Christmas)

New Years Eve - 21 weeks pregnant with Baby Nash

January 2nd - 21 weeks and 2 days along

21 weeks and 3 days

23 weeks pregnant with Nash

Let the registering begin! (23 weeks and 5 days pregnant)

Day 2 of registering and I was exhausted! Lol

3-D Ultrasound at 25 weeks along

We got some ok pictures but none of his face from the front, he kept hiding. My favorite thing said all day was when the nurse said we could come back for a redo in a few weeks and said when we came back maybe the baby would "act right." Bahahahaha. I love that he showed us his little personality and already got into trouble and he wasn't even born yet. That's my boy, making mommy proud already! ;)

25 weeks and 3 days old

Blake and I agreed on a name for him this week...

Nash Whittan Jackson

Nash after Nashville (the music capital (since we adore music) and a special city to Blake)

Whittan after my sister and brother (My sister is Whitney and my brother is Nathan, I split their names in half and smashed them together to get his middle name)

We are hoping Nash will be our little rock-star and maybe even be as passionate about music and worship as we are! :)

February 8, 2011 - Nash's first Rockets game at 26 weeks

I think he liked sitting court-side! ;)

February 10, 2011 - 26 weeks and 6 days along

Valentine's Day - 27 weeks 3 days pregnant

My tummy keeps eating my sister when we take pictures together! Lol

Nash at 28 weeks 3 days old

My sweet baby boy at 28 weeks 3 days

Nash's first musical - Billy Elliot - 29 weeks along

Again, Nash covers up my sister! hehehe. He's a growing boy! ;)

Blake and I trying to expose Nash to the world of broadway early so he will love it as much as we do! ;)

My first baby shower - February 27th - 29 weeks and 2 days

I am so very thankful and humbled by everyone's generosity and how they showed me love and are already loving on my son!

March 4th - Nash's First Concert - Hillsong United - 30 weeks

Nash @ 30 weeks

This little boy is growing like crazy and riding so low!

30 weeks and 2 days pregnant with Nash

Love this boy and trying to discover new ways to make maternity fashionable! Lol

Nash's first trip to the Houston Livestock Rodeo - Keith Urban

(with the Kirtleys & Lance Price)

Natalie, myself, and Nash @ 30 weeks 5 days along

Blake loving on Baby Nash

Back at the Rodeo for Nash's 2nd time with Andie & Chris Wyrick - 31 weeks

Nash @ 31 weeks

Nash loved him some Lady Antebellum! :)

Today is Monday, March 14th and I am 31 weeks and 3 days along on this fun journey. I am loving every step of the way and so very thankful that God has chosen Blake and I to be the parents of this precious miracle boy. We saw the doctor today and he said we are right on track, everything looks great! The doctor kept laughing and telling me I was "all baby!" Nash weighs about 4 lbs and is about 17 inches long. We will know more in two weeks when they do an ultrasound and take full measurements. I can't wait! :) We are having so much fun watching him grow and change before our eyes and cannot wait to kiss his little face and hold him in our arms. Although, I am excited to meet him, I am loving having this precious time with him inside of me where we are bonding and getting all of this special time just to ourselves! ;) I cherish every little move he makes inside of me and hope that I never ever take any moment with my little boy for granted!

What are you thankful for in your life today???

Catch Up Part 3 - September

2011-01-11T16:35:00.059-06:00

SEPTEMBER: This was a roller coaster month for us full of happy memories and sad ones that we will hold onto for the rest of our lives!

Hospice called in the family to say our goodbyes to my mom's mother, our Nana. It was a really hard time for my entire family as we had to accept a tough fact of life, losing a loved one. We lost my mom's dad, Pa, when I was in college in 2003, so this was an even harder blow knowing that this was my mom's last parent here on Earth. My mom was great throughout the entire process. She completely put her life and needs aside and focused on serving. I was extremely proud of her and learned from her faith, strength, and constant love that she showed throughout the hard journey she walked this past year. She stayed with my Nana most of the Summer and Fall trying to help take care of her as she continued to get sicker and weaker. After receiving that devastating phone call saying she would most likely live just hours, we dropped everything, jumped on a plane and headed to Borger, TX to be with my mom and the rest of the family. (SIDE NOTE: I found out that morning, right before we got on the airplane, that I was pregnant. Not the most amazing timing, yet it proved to be such a neat secret to be able to share with only my Nana, for a while at least) We were blessed that she was alive and holding on, asking for each of the grandkids by name until we all arrived. We got to say our goodbyes and sang hymns with her and over her. I got to paint her nails, make sure she always had chap stick on and that she, of course, always blotted. ;) Those small things were always of utmost importance to her. The most tender time for Blake and I was when we got to tell Nana that we were pregnant again. We also talked to her about Baby Bean. She promised me that when she got to Heaven she would take good care of our precious little angel and she even mumbled that she would never forget Baby Bean and that she would always love him. I am so thankful for that special special conversation, it brought many tears but so much peace and comfort. I still thank God that we got those last precious moments with her awake and aware.

The last picture we have of us kids with our Nana (Grandma) before she passed away, even though she was napping. I will treasure this picture always.

We got to see parts of Borger we had always heard of but had never seen in person. Here we are at the "legendary" Lake Meredith. All of the Gillmore Kids -Me , Blake, Nate, Eric & Whit

Nate & Eric decided to "co-drive" one night... still not sure why... they are weird like that

Me & Maclin (my cousin, Memre's daughter) Love this girl!

My brother, Nathan, made a lasting impact on the Borger community. The Bulldog (the high school mascot) will never be the same! ;)

We stayed through the weekend, but Nana rallied and kept hanging on. We made the decision that we had to leave, come home, and rest assured that Nana knew that we loved her very much and that it was ok with us if she wanted let go, be in pain no longer, and go be with Jesus. We also knew that my mom would stay by her side til the very end...

Blake & I at the airport getting ready to fly home to Houston

Eric & Whit at the airport waiting to fly home to Houston

When we got home from Borger, we took a short road trip with some of our best friends, The Wyricks. We went to San Antonio and had a blast...

Blake & I at the Alamo

It was raining so we decided to ride the Trolley

I think Blake has found his new look ;)

I felt hott! Lol

Chris & Blake ate SO MANY crab legs at Joe's Crab Shack on the River

The next day was a little nicer with less rain, so we relaxed, took it easy and walked up and down the San Antonio Riverwalk... One of my most favorite things to do!

I decided to pierce my tragus... It's never good when I get bored. I get spontaneous. Lol

We ate breakfast at the cutest place ever & it tasted yummy too... The Guenther House

The Wyricks at our double date breakfast

We always have a fun time when we are together and this trip was definitely no exception!

Our driver & navigator

We were just enjoying the ride :)

Two weeks after we got home from Borger we got a call that my Nana had passed away, so we all (Blake, Myself, Nathan, Whit & Eric) packed into Eric's 5-seater car and started our journey to Borger, Texas to be with my family and attend my Nana's funeral service. Even though we were getting to go back home to Borger, it was for extremely devastating circumstances. We soon began trying to find the positive, even though we were still grieving. It was definitely a blessing that the entire family could have that time to be together, reflect and reminisce on our pasts growing up and my Nana's past. We got the privilege of hanging out with family members we had never really gotten to know before and we never get to see (since we live far away). It was neat because we made new connections with old family that we will forever be thankful for! Our trip was filled with many days & nights full of laughter, crying, and making deep bonds that can never broken. I praise God that we could all come together and share this precious time learning and remembering what it truly means to be a family!

Whit, Randy (one of my mom's cousins), Me & my Mommy

Nate, Me & Blake riding with Uncle Richard in his cool Ford Model T

The flower arrangement the Grandkids picked out to honor our Nana at her funeral

I know it seems weird to post this picture but it means a lot to me. My whole life my Nana had begged me to stop biting my nails. It was very important to her to have nice nails and have them painted prettily. Before she passed away, she picked out the perfect color that she wanted and had me paint her nails. It was so typical of my Nana to make sure her nails were perfect and she "had her lips on" (had lipstick on) before seeing anyone. I love you Nana! I will miss you very much but am glad that you are no longer in pain and are in Heaven with Pa, Baby Bean, your Momma & sisters. You have left behind an incredible legacy of a family that will always remember you as a woman of faith that we will forever respect and strive to be like. We will continue to tell our growing family all about our Nana and how very special she was and forever will be to us!

Blake's Birthday!!!

2011-01-11T16:17:00.003-06:00

This next event was such a special one that I felt it deserved it's own post! ;) Blake turned 28 years old on August 31, 2010 so we had many celebrations to let him know how incredibly special he is to us...

The Birthday Boy!

At work he shares a Birthday week with 2 friends, so they shared a cookie cake

We first celebrated with my family at BJ's... so yummy and proved to be a pretty funny night...

Me & Blake

My Mom (Sue) & Dad (Rocky)

My sister (Whitney) & her husband (Eric)

My awesome brother Nathan

Ryan and Lindsay joined us! :)

These 2 were goof balls all night!

This is the waiter that Ryan almost got to take home with him... I think they had a special connection ;) Bahahahaha

This present is from my mom. You can see what it is through the wrapping paper. Lol.

Blake opening presents...

We got to meet some of Blake's buds from High School & College to celebrate...

Dinger & Blake

Me & JoJo

Matt Frye, Aaron Diehl & Branden Mickan

Jerrod & Amanda Carpenter

Love this boy more than I could have EVER imagined!

We went shopping with some old friends and got to catch up...

Linden, Sean & their sweet baby girls Hayden & Grace

Sean & Blake

Linden & Me - We met at HBU, were roomies and will always be great friends!

Blake & sweet Hayden... maybe Grace... I have no idea. Lol.

Then, we met a group of our awesome friends at Pappasitos...

Blake & I are always up for some good Mexican food :)

The Kirtleys - Natalie & Justin

Zack Jones (aka ZAKE)

The Olives - Ellen & Randy

Becky & sweet Baby Audrey Sanders

Me & Napoli

Mr. Stacy Scranton

David Sanders & Andie Wyrick

(She was letting everyone know she is married and NOT to David) She cracks me up!

Me & Camden Caroline

Silly Blake... I am sure he was talking in his special accent. If you know him well, you know exactly which one I am talking about ;)

Birthday Boy!

Case wanted in on the action (he added in the dough mustache) Lol

Blake & David decided the mustache was a good idea as well!

The final celebration was with Blake's family at The Cracker Barrel...

Our little Family - Blake, Me & Topher (Chris, our temporary son)

Blake's Parents - Kathi & Dave

Blake & Me getting ready to eat some good 'ole southern comfort food

The peach cobbler Blake's mom made was super hot... Don't touch!

Not sure why Blake decided to light all of the candles all at once. Lol.

Blake was like a little boy when he got to play with the fire :)

We found a good way to recycle the candles ;) Hair accessories for Grace.

Blake's Dad (Dave) & Me playing some checkers

We are both pretty competitive, so it was funny when we tied & didn't have time for a rematch

Blake and his Aunt Johnnie

Abbi (Kari's oldest child)

Grace eating Fun Dip Stix (Kari's 2nd daughter)

Faith showing me her pop rocks and they popped in her mouth

Boaz & Faith (Kari's Kids)

Patrick (Blake's Brother-in-law) & Chris (our Hawaiian Son)

Blake and his sister, Kari

I found a chair just my size ;)

Blake & Chris

Me, Kari (Blake's Sister) & Kathi (Blake's Mom)

Blake & his Dad (David)

Blake will always be a Momma's Boy ;)

At the end of the day, my boy Blake was very spoiled by many people who love him very much! I am excited that he got to spend time with many people that mean so much to him! I LOVE YOU BLAKE DAVID JACKSON and hope you know that you mean the world to me and I thank God for every single birthday I get to celebrate with you!!!

Catch Up Part 2 - August

2011-01-11T14:53:00.002-06:00

AUGUST: This month brought yet another month full of fun memories and milestones in the Jackson household...

I got to see one of my besties that I hadn't seen in a while & she showed up with the same bling phone case as me! Great minds think alike!

Napoli & Me

One of my favorite girlies sent me a funny picture on my phone...
Camden Caroline with her mustache

Our sweet little buddy came to hang out again & this is his favorite hang out spot in my house...
Levi Rivera

We got the privilege of singing in the Izzard's wedding...

The Rehearsal Dinner

Blake, Amos, Rachel, Me & Levi

Matt, Elizabeth, Mark & Laura

Blake & Me @ the Reception... the food was amazing!

Blake proved that he is the official baby whisperer and got Levi to fall asleep

Blake is a Student Pastor at COF and is doing a fantastic job of speaking and leading worship every weekend. He also led his first group of students to Middle School Camp as the big man in charge in August. Blake took them to a Student Life Camp. I love watching him as he connects and truly reaches these kids. It makes me a very proud wife! ;) I wish I could have gone with him, but while he was gone I got to be with some very dear friends of ours, The Sanders, during a special time in their life...

My friend Becky Sanders gave birth to a precious baby girl...

Andie, Becky & myself playing Uno while we waited for her sweet girl to arrive

David, Becky & Audrey Tatum Sanders

Baby Audrey & Me

We had birthday cake and a little party in honor of her birth!

I got to hang out with fun friends @ Chuy's...
Amos, Trey, Me & Samantha

My amazing Daddy turned 50 years old and my mom planned a fun surprise party for him on a party boat on Lake Conroe. It was definitely a huge surprise and a dream of his... So much fun! We are incredibly blessed to have him in our lives and I thank God for making him my Daddy!

Blake, Chris & Me on the boat waiting for my dad to arrive

The boat we partied on...

It took him a while to figure out this was all for him...

The Sullivans helped make it all happen, what great friends!

Barbara, Sue (my mom), Mike & Rocky (my dad)

Captain Rocky

The Familia
Mom, Dad, Me, Whit & Nate

Chris & Blake playing... There was a huge slide off the back of the boat that was a blast!

Love this picture of my parents!
Dad was so grateful and it was sweet to see how much they still love each other. :)

We had lots of fun with COF events throughout the month...
Some of our amazing men and women from our armed forces returned home from duty so we greeted them with flags, smiles, and plenty of cheers!

Donald & I apparently like to match. Lol ;)

Blake & I at a High School Midnight Pep Rally. Go Cy-Woods! Love our COF students!!!

The COF KidzZone had a Wet-in-Wild day at the church and we helped out...
Some of my favorite girlies
Me, Laura & Laura :)

Enjoying a yummy snow cone on a hot summers day

Some more of my favs!
Lainie, Ashley, Me & Amber

Andie & Me

Blake & Chris

Me & Camden

I had a blast playing with all the kiddos

We hung out with the COF High Schoolers quite a bit. Lots of volleyball/cookouts..
Myself & Graham-a-lam being goofy, as always! ;)

Sweet girls!!!

Blake loves when his students show interest in music

The good 'ole boys

KIMI KIMERTON came to visit...

Me, Blake & Kim at The Cheesecake Factory

She is a dear friend of ours from college, that we have stayed close with, and we get super excited when we are blessed with even just a quick lunch to get to catch up with her! LOVE LOVE LOVE HER!!!

Catch Up Part 1 Warning... This is an extremely long entry

2011-01-10T14:25:00.003-06:00

WOW, a ton has happened this year. This may end up being the longest blog entry EVER trying to get all caught up. :)

MAY: It was a rough start to the month as we learned that we lost our baby on May 7th. Even though it was by far the most difficult thing we had ever gone through, we learned so much about ourselves, our marriage, our families, friends, and our relationships with God. It has slowly developed us into stronger people and we have chosen to praise God through this storm.

Blake and I had our 3rd wedding anniversary, May 12th and realized how fast time had flown by. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband and thank God for the 3 indescribable years he has given us and how close we have grown together through the good and the bad times!

We got a super sweet cookie cake from the Ambrose family (some of our favorite people) to try and take our minds off of the previous couple of weeks.

We took some time to be with family and to make new happy memories for Memorial Day...

Blake & I at his parent's house for

Blake and his mommy, Kathi

Blake's niece, Grace, being silly as usual

Had a couple family rounds of HORSE... they are a big sports family

Played with baby Boaz (Blake's sister's youngest)

We signed on our house and officially became home owners!

They baked us brownies and made it the most pleasant experience ever!

They said to bring your favorite pen... so we came prepared! ;)

We made our first trip to Home Depot to begin the home projects

Proud to be home owners!!!

I LOVE my house!!! I will have to do a separate post to show the house before and afters of all the fun work we did to make it ours... it was quite the process!

JUNE: It was a super busy month for us, especially since Blake is a student pastor. We went to Student Life Camp at Orange Beach with the COF High Schoolers...

On our way to camp, yay!

Our fearless leaders. Lol

David, Lance & Blake

Some rockin' cool campers

Awesome camp leaders...

Ellie, Smashly, Calliekins, Me & Kristin

So excited to get the privilege to do camp together, love this boy!

I got crazy sunburned!!!

Fun times @ camp!

Shopping the beach stores with the kiddos

Our little family (we decided to adopt this sweet boy. Lol)

Blake, Zach & Me

The girls in my room for the week... love them!

Blake & I at the end of camp

Being silly on the trip home with my buddy Justin

We hung out with some of the COF boys...

Lunch with some of Blake's boys...

Austin, Blake, Zach, Zach & Jacob

A dear old friend came to visit us at church...

Dick Hill

Baby Aubrey White was born to some dear friends of ours, Alex & Cheryl, so we went to visit...

Brooklynn, Aubrey & me

Blake loves both of the White girls very much. Here he is with Baby Aubrey

Mommy Cheryl and her precious girls

We had a house guest...

Levi spent the night at our house...

and hung out with us

We had a fun day at the lake with family & friends

Eric, Whit, Ellen, Nat & Me

My dad - Rocky enjoying some R&R time

Nate creepin' on Eric ;)

Katrina & Andrew

Whitney pouting about something, who knows?!?!?!

Justin & Casey just chillin'

Blake & Randy

Mr. Mike Sullivan - We played a bunch of fun "Minute to Win It" games - So much fun!

We celebrated Jacob Chase's Birthday, love that boy!!!

Jacob, Blake & Me

We went to the lake with Blake's family...

Blake's sister Kari, her husband Patrick, and their girls Abbi, Grace & Faith

After a fun day on the boat

Had fun at the COF KidzZone 80's party!

Andie & I reminiscing

JULY: Yet another busy month FULL of fun memories. We hung out with the awesome COF students NON-STOP!!!

Jacob Chase & Me

Zach, Jared, Austin & Blake

Me, Zach & Austin

Played some volleyball

Made sand turtles & mermaids

We celebrated the 4th of July @ our house with my family....

We will always match, no matter how old we are! ;)

SISTERS - Me & Whit

We will also always be Daddy's Girls...

Me, Dad & Whit

Blake & I having fun with sparklers

We stayed up super late playing Super Mario Bros. on the Wii

A few special guest chefs came over and made dinner with us throughout the month...

Graham made some AWESOME fajitas

Who knows what Blake, Stacy & Chris whipped up.

I got to hang out with the best family in the whole wide world...

Nate & I at Market Street in The Woodlands

Whit and I in matching headbands. Eric felt left out so we let him in on the picture.

I had my wisdom teeth pulled...

My mommy came and took really good care of me!

My friend Kristin spoiled me with yummy ice cream

We gained a new son/housemate...

Chris Trevino came to live with us over the summer/fall for about 4 months... We always wanted a Hawaiian son! ;) Lol

Blake went on a Mission Trip to Costa Rica & left me at home so...

I went out for a night out on the town & awesome live music with some good friends

Me, KyLeigh, Amos & Charlie

We have lots of incredible students at COF and it's always sad to see them graduate and leave, but we are so proud of them when they do...

Austin, Blake & Zach

Some fun Butler kids hung out with us while their parents were out of town...

Riley Kate & Reagan Butler

We went on a Griswold/Gillmore family vacation to Lake Conroe...

The fam on the boat

Dad, Whit, Mom & Blake

Nate & I as our boat was being towed... it's a long story. Lol :)

Blake & I enjoying some time off together

This is how Blake likes to spend his vacation. Lol.

Taz loves family vacations!

Dad likes to eat on family vacations ;)

It's super hard to get a good, serious picture with my family around...

It's easier to just join them! ;)

Nate showin' off some mad skills

They were fighting over the last of the homemade ice cream

Very impressive sunscreen applying Eric!

Sunset boat rides to dinner are my fav!

It's the only family photo we got, even though it's blurry... I had to post it.

TO BE CONTINUED....

The Story of an Angel...

2010-11-23T22:47:00.000-06:00

Wow, I have been putting this off for a while now because I wasn't really sure what to say or how to explain the rough road we have been on since last May. We found out towards the end of last February that we were pregnant with our first child! We immediately felt deep down inside both Blake and I's hearts that it was a baby boy and we nicknamed him Baby Bean.

I have a history of PCOS and have had multiple cyst ruptures. We knew it might be a struggle to get pregnant, so we wanted to start trying just a couple years after getting married. We had been trying for a year and a half to get pregnant with this sweet baby and even had to be on 5 rounds of Clomid fertility treatment to helps us. We were beyond excited to discover God was blessing us with our very own little angel.

Blake and I went on Monday, May 3rd to our 12 week check-up with my OBGYN and were extremely anxious to hear the heart beat and see our little Bean. We went in and the doctor asked how I had been feeling and I said I had actually been feeling pretty well for the past couple of weeks. He looked a little concerned and said, let's see if we can pick up this little one's heart beat with a doppler. He kept trying and trying and no heart beat was coming though. Now, the weird thing was that I had read a friend's blog earlier that morning and we were just a couple of weeks apart in our pregnancies. She had the same problem just a week prior, where they couldn't find a heart beat at first. But, then they went in and did a vaginal ultrasound and found their baby alive and well, just hiding. :) I was for sure that was what was happening with our little Baby Bean! I was a little nervous as they tried two different machines in the room and nothing was working. The doctor then said let's try a vaginal ultrasound, and I was sure this nightmare was soon to be over, since I figured we had a tricky little boy who liked to play games already. The ultrasound began and Blake and I were holding hands so tight I had lost all feeling in my hand. We were both silent, still, and I don't think either one of us were breathing waiting for them to get this figured out. The nurse's face was overcome with a look of terror. I began hyperventilating and the tears began streaming as the nurse said in a panicked voice, "let me go get the doctor." They both came back in and this time the doctor did the ultrasound. Tears then began to slowly drop down our doctors' cheek as he said, "I am so sorry." My heart was in my throat and I couldn't breathe or see from all of the tears. I was sure this was a mistake and that this couldn't be happening to me! :( The doctor looked at Blake and asked, "would you like sit down?" I looked to my left and Blake was a whitish/green and soft tears were on his cheeks as it was obvious he was fixing to pass out. The doctor left so I could get dressed and Blake held me and promised everything was going to be ok and that we were going to do this together and that God was going to take care of us. I was numb.

Here was the last ultrasound picture we have of Baby Bean. It was our 12 week check-up and the baby was measuring in at 9 1/2 weeks. He had been dead and I had no idea. I was crushed! :( The doctor told us that Bean had a bubble of fluid around his head signifying that he had Down's Syndrome and many more chromosomal abnormalities and that he was very sickly and would most likely not have made it to delivery. I found a little peace and comfort in knowing that our baby was no longer in pain. I was sure that he was in Heaven and would forever be our little angel who would watch over our family.

Fast forward to Friday, May 7th. This was the day of the D&C procedure. I had been torn all week and struggled with the thought of them physically taking my baby away from me. I wasn't sure if I was really ready to let go and know that he would no longer be with me every single day. I know it sounds weird since he had already passed, but there was a sense of security as long as he was still inside me. We knew what needed to be done and the procedure went fairly fast that morning. As I woke up from the surgery, it was like a nightmare all over again. All I could hear was the sound of a baby crying. I was in and out of it and could not even talk yet to tell the nurse why I was crying or what was upsetting me. Blake came in to be with me and was furious that they had me in recovery right next to a toddler that had just finished a procedure and was crying non-stop. He took care of me and had me moved and out of there before I knew it. What a good husband! :)

That weekend was Mother's Day weekend and the start to our slow road to recovery. We spent a lot of time with my family. I am so so very thankful that they stopped and dropped everything to spend time with us and help us get a grasp on our new reality. Since then, there have definitely been good and bad days and I figure that will continue the rest of our lives. But we have chosen to daily trust that God is in control and will continue to hold us in His hands and walk us through this life, through the happy and hard times!

A charm a family friend, Shirley Leftwhich, gave me.

I love what it signifies and cherish it greatly!

This is the necklace that I wear all of the time and it helps me when I miss our baby, I hold the little bean charm in my hand. It helps me remember he is finally pain free and ok. Blake bought me the bean charm and the little ball with the November birth stone (since Nov. 20th would have been his due date). He is so thoughtful and this necklace is so precious to me.

Fast forward to, this past Saturday, November 20, 2010. It would have been our precious Baby Bean's due date. We decided to not let this day pass without taking a moment to remember and honor our first child. We planted a tree in honor of Bean and the huge impact he made in our lives even though we never really got to meet him. Every time we look out the window into our backyard, we will be reminded of our precious Baby Bean. We specifically chose the Texas Redbud Tree because of the bean pods it sprouts in the Fall, when he would have been born. It also blooms beautiful pink flowers in the Spring, which to us, symbolizes new life and the amazing blessing God is giving us to redeem a month (or season) that was so hard for us this past year. Lastly, the heart shaped leaves will forever remind us of the deep seeded love his daddy and I will always have in our hearts for him!

The leaves I saved from the tree.

Blake & Chris digging the hole EARLY that morning so we could plant the tree

Blake wrote me a sweet letter "to the mother of his children..." it was so thoughtful, made me cry & I love him so very much for being such an incredible husband!

He also gave me a James Avery Remembrance Ring with the November birthstone to always remember our angel and this special day

Planting the tree

Stomping the soil :)

I wrote a letter to Baby Bean from his parents and had Blake read it out loud. We both cried!

Then we buried the letter with the tree

The whole gang that was there to share our special memories with us!

Eric & Whitney (my sister & her husband), Chris Wyrick, Dave & Kathi (Blake's parents), Sue (my mom), Andie Wyrick, Blake & I

Blake & I with our special tree that will forever grow and remind us of our precious Baby Bean

Our Family is Growing...

2010-04-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have been a total slacker and have not blogged in WAY TOO LONG! I am back and have GREAT news that will hopefully redeem me! ;)

I am pregnant!!!

This is the necklace I made to tell my family the news

This is right after we told my family... this is really happening! :)

Here is the Bean (the baby) at 7 weeks

We call the baby Bean, so I guess that makes my tummy "Bean Town"

We are beyond excited and so thankful for this blessing that God is giving us. I am 10 weeks and 2 days along and my due date is November 20th. We are having a Thanksgiving baby! :)

This year is bringing all kinds of changes in the Jackson household. Not only are we having a baby, we are moving... Not far away, still in Cypress, just over to Fairfield and we are finally moving to a house! We bought one and are in contract right now, hoping to close May 12th (the same day as Blake & I's 3rd Wedding Anniversary).

This is our house!!!

So many milestones that we are reaching this year and I could not be more pumped! I promise to stay on top of things and keep you better informed as I am sure there will be plenty of news to report!

Desperate Housewives...

2010-03-01T13:03:00.008-06:00

Today I am sitting around, still not able to breathe and so ready to be done with all of this sinus crap! But as I sit in my little baby Shack, I can't even relax and be sick in peace! Why you may ask? Because my house is BEYOND messy...

laundry is stacking up,

dishes need to be put away,

Clean clothes need to be folded & hung up,

and I still need to cram in two work-outs!!!

Holy cow! Just typing all of that made me realize just how much I really need to get done and how little time I have left in today! Hahaha. If I have so much to do, then why am I still on here talking about it instead getting things done?!?!?! You got me... I am off to clean... How many of you feel like a "desperate housewife" today, ready to pull out your hair or throw in the towel?

-Robin-

Being Real...

2010-02-20T19:30:00.001-06:00

This week marks the 6th week that I have been doing this Gett Fitt program. I have good days and bad as far as being motivated and excited to continue, but this week has been particularly slow for me. :( I know it may have something to do with the recent upgrade in dosage for my fertility medications (we are trying to get pregnant) or even the fact that this week has felt like yet another "plateau week" in my weight loss progress, but none the less, it has really bummed me out. Usually I am pretty good about not letting things get the best of me, but this week has been particularly hard to fight it off. I don't feel like myself and wonder when I will again. It's such a weird feeling to feel like someone else is in your body controlling all of your emotions.

The good news is this is my 6th cycle and final cycle of clomid at the highest dosage possible. The bad news is if it doesn't work this month, we will have to regroup and start something new to try and help my body be normal. Lol. What??? My body isn't functioning normal? Lol. What a surprise! ;) Anyways, this week my attitude has been very negative and definitely one not full of faith. I know God will provide in his perfect timing, but this week I was just angry and frustrated.

Yesterday morning I was reading in the Bible and God gave me this verse... "Behold, I make all things new." Rev. 21:5 The New Living Translation says, "Look, I am making everything new!" This made me sit and take a good look at my life and my attitude that I had let get the best of me this past week. I need not to doubt that God is working and moving in my life, but instead trust in faith and even OPEN MY EYES and LOOK around me to see that even when I feel things aren't going the way they should, God is still making all things new. He will continue to do that no matter what kind of a mood I am in! What a relief! ;)

I read in a book that "when you blame God, you cut yourself off from His power, doubt replaces trust, and you put down roots of bitterness that make you cynical. When you blame others you add to the distance between them and you, and lose the only option that works - forgiveness. Instead, trust the One who promised to "make all things new," and move forward."

I hope this challenges and encourages you like it has me this week. God is good ALL OF THE TIME no matter what the circumstances may be or what our attitude is reflecting! Thank goodness for that! :) Trust in Him that He has your best interests in mind and He will never fail you!

New Year... New You!

2010-01-29T12:09:00.003-06:00

2010 has brought about many new changes in the Jackson family! Blake is now doing ALL of the student ministry stuff at the church... The teaching, the singing, the videos, the EVERYTHING!!! He is handling all of this extra stuff so well, I am extremely proud of him! I just thought I was busy before but have had a rude awakening this past month. I am now, in addition to my regular work load and regular life duties am also working out 2 times a day and watching what I eat. Now, if you know me at all, you know this is a HUGE change and a constant task for me! ;) Lol. I am, along with my buddy, Amos the poster child for our church GeT FiTT series. This has been a huge undertaking but I am excited to see what the results will be at the end of the 12 weeks! You can follow our journey HERE I will try and do a better job of keeping up with this blog and making sure you stay in the know of our life happenings! :)

Hustle & Bustle

2009-12-19T00:21:00.002-06:00

I can't seem to figure out where all of the time is going?!?!?! I feel like this year has flown by so stinkin' fast! I had big plans of sending out cute Christmas cards, getting my Christmas shopping done really early, and having a well planned, relaxed holiday season. HAHAHAHAHA. I think I have learned my lesson this year. I should never have planned ahead like that. Lol. Instead of being on top of things, the opposite has come true! I barely have any of my Christmas shopping done, no Christmas cards will be going out from the Jacksons this year, and I feel incredibly behind!!! I need time to simply slow down just for a week or so! Can't a girl catch a break? ;)

On a happier note... I do finally have my Christmas decorations up! Lol. I am trying to pull it together and know that even though it's not as organized as my OCD self would hope, it will all come together eventually.

Does anyone else feel like this? Am I alone? What's stressing you out this Holiday season? What's making you happy and thankful this Christmas?

Being Sick...

2009-11-05T22:53:00.003-06:00

Today I am finishing up day 4 of being sick. I am getting pretty tired of it and am more than ready to get back to my normal self! I went to the doctor and she told me that I have a viral upper respiratory infection, along with a good 'ole common cold, and fluid in my ears. I was excited that is wasn't strep again or the flu! I was quickly brought back to down to earth when she said that she couldn't do anything to help me since it is viral! :( She said I just had to rest, drink lots of fluids, try over the counter decongestants & meds, and rest some more! She said it would take 7-10 days to run it's course. Are you serious??? I don't have that many days! I am probably one of the most impatient people in the world and this whole pulling back and resting thing is not the easiest for me. I just thought I would vent on here tonight. I was supposed to sing last night for church and tonight for church but couldn't because I can't stop coughing, sneezing and sound like a man! I am hoping and praying this ends sooner than later! :) What is annoying you tonight?

Random thoughts from Robin...

2009-10-05T22:01:00.003-05:00

I have put off updating our blog for a long long time now all because I felt overwhelmed that so much has happened and I couldn't possibly get it all on here. BUT, tonight, I have decided to overcome that and start back. Instead of trying to catch you up, I have decided to start back with today. Here we go...

Today is Monday, our day off. I love this day every week! :) I love to be lazy and hang out with my hottie husband all day long!!! I love cleaning together, cooking together, snuggling and watching tv together... basically almost everything we do on Mondays is TOGETHER! I think that's why it's my favorite day!!!

What's your favorite day of the week and why???

Life is so busy right now...

2009-06-30T20:21:00.006-05:00

I don't really even know where to start... So much has happened in June and I failed to blog about any of it. I think I am going to look back in my journal later and try to catch everyone up on here soon. I don't know, maybe it's just better to start from where we are today, a little of what we have learned along the way and move forward rather then look back...

Maybe I am just over analyzing, who knows?!?!? Well, for now, I guess I will just share my current thoughts off the top of my head. FYI: This is always a dangerous thing as I can be one of the most random people in the entire world and I really don't think God created me with a filter of any kind.

Moving on... Today I am sitting in my little shack fixing to head down to Alvin, Texas to see my handsome husband as he is at Middle School camp. I miss him and am excited to get to see what they are up to and how God is moving in the student's lives. I just got home from a morning( really a day) full of contemplative meetings.

Side note: (WOW, I can't seem to stay focused. I am even more ADD than normal, sorry) Life seems to be flying past me like someone is holding down the fast forward button. Does anyone else feel this way? I don't think I am doing much more than I normally am, but somehow feel like I am just out of control and can't seem to get my thoughts, my messy house, my life in general, or anything else in order right now!

Alright, back to my day. I started out the day with a meeting about "Why" we do what we do. It really made me think back through the past month and the lessons God has been teaching me. So often, I get caught up in the process and the results not coming out like I had hoped or planned for... I forget the "why" I am who I am am and what started me on this journey in the first place. Is this making any sense??? I really need to start asking myself "why" a lot more and evaluating my every move on a deeper level! It's definitely a good thing!

I have been challenged today and am feeling all kinds of emotions ranging from confusion, frustration, peace, dissatisfaction and motivation to find more of God. I have a new stirring and hunger inside of me.

I love visuals, so here are a few photos to help you visualize my feelings! :)

Weight!

2009-06-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

Alright, here are my thoughts for today...

I had this conversation with my friend Cheryl the other day and we couldn't figure it out. Maybe you guys can help me out. Why is it that the things like eating right, working out, and resting; which we know are good for us, are the things we continually avoid?

Maybe it's just me, but I know it's good for me and I even feel better about myself and have more energy after I work out and exercise. BUT, for some reason, I struggle to stay motivated. Why is that??? I seem to find anything and everything to do that gets in the way of me doing what's best for me and my body! :(

Help me... do you have any thoughts, tricks, or ideas of how to stay motivated and be more self-disciplined???

My Adventure Book

2009-05-31T23:53:00.005-05:00

Wow. Blake and I went on a double date late last night with our sweet friends, the Scranton's. We saw "UP," the new Disney movie. It was too cute but way sadder than I expected. It actually made me think the whole car ride home and even now as I type this. Are cartoons supposed to make you cry and truly contemplate life?!?!? Maybe I am just overemotional and vulnerable because of where we are in life right now. It seems that tragedy and sadness is hitting a lot of our friends and loved ones. It has made me think about life and death this whole week. You never know how much time you have left or what God's plan is for your life. Wow, my mind is flooding with all kinds of thoughts on life right now...

Oh, if you haven't seen the movie yet, you may want to stop reading... I don't want to spoil it for you!

Anyways, it starts off about a precious love story and made me very nostalgic. I have been crazy emotional lately and very extra attached to my sweet husband's hip. The movie made me think about the moment I met Blake all the way through today and all of the memories we have made together. The laughter, the tears, the big life changes we have carried each other through, the tragedies we have been there to hold one another through, the crazy hectic times, the sweet relaxing moments. Even in the short time we have known each other, 7 years, there have been so many thoughts that come to my mind right now.

How could I have gotten so attached to someone in such a short time? I found myself crying as Ellie dies in the movie and leaves her best friend, the love of her life behind. I starting thinking about Blake and myself. What if one of us dies and leaves the other behind? What if it happens before we get to live out all of our dreams together? What if it happens and we have regrets of not making more of the sweet time that we have together? It was really beginning to bother me and eat away at me all throughout the movie. Then, at the end of the movie, it made me change how I was thinking...

I have now been encouraged to not worry about the future and dwell on the time that we "may" or "may not" have together, but instead hold onto and cherish every single little moment that we get together today! I love my husband and cannot not imagine my life without him. I thank God for bringing us together and for all of the incredible blessings He has given us over the years!

In the movie, Ellie made a book and called it "My Adventure Book." It was a scrapbook with all of her dreams and goals in it. She made it as a child and didn't realize that as she got older her dreams, goals, and priorities would change. I am now looking at my life-long dreams and goals. Which ones should I strive after and which ones should I realize are just a childhood fantasy? I am not sure yet, but I do know that "My New Adventure Book" will not be full of the things I want and hope to do in the future but instead, full of the pictures and stories of the fun things (the adventure) that we are getting to walk through together every single day!

Thanks Ellie for making me look at life through your fun eyes! :)

The past 2 years in a nutshell

2009-05-26T18:49:00.007-05:00

Blake,

I love you more than I ever dreamed was possible. I am so blessed and thank God every single day for giving me such a sensitive, loving, caring, strong, man of integrity for my husband! Here is a look through the past 2 years of our marriage and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life making more sweet memories with you by my side!!!

Love you,

Robin

2 Amazing Years...

2009-05-26T16:16:00.010-05:00

Wow, we have officially hit the 2 year mark in our marriage. Two weeks ago today, May 12th, was our 2 year wedding anniversary. Time flew by way too fast and it's so weird how I feel like we've been together for forever but it also feels like just yesterday that we got married. How can I feel both of those at the same time?!?!?!

On our "official" special day, the truck broke down on our way to dinner so I grabbed us some Pei Wei to-go and we ate dinner together in my car in a parking lot, so romantic! Lol. I guess it just goes to prove it's all about the love between two people and the memories you make no matter what the circumstance may be! It will be a funny story to tell our kids some day! :)

So, we went with Blake's parents to Orlando, Florida to celebrate a little be-lated. Only it decided to pour rain the entire time! I don't mean it was a light summer shower... I mean it was a torrential down-pour and flooding the whole week we were there! :( I will blog about that more later.

In the meantime, here is a video we showed at our wedding reception of our lives and how we came together, enjoy!

The Shack After...

2009-05-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

Here are some quick shots of The Shack after, we still have some work left to do but here it is so far...

My favorite place to hang out in the yard... the swing!

That tin building is the Shack (well, the right half of it is)

and there is Whitey/ Orville, my car that will never die or let me down! ;)

My front door with my welcome sign and new cute baby mail box

My one baby fake flower that sits right beside my front door and makes me smile everyday

When you walk in the front door and look to your right,

this is what you will see... the bathroom

We found that cute little cabinet thing @ Bed, Bath and Beyond... love it!

I got a cheap mirror @ Ross and put black paint on it and brushed a metal scrub brush over it until it looked kind of antiqued like I wanted! We put up new towel rack and matching silver accessories.

Here is the view from our bedroom door. I had to get creative and make hidden storage all over the room. Can you figure out where all I store things?!?!?

This is the little kitchen area... IKEA was our best friend in making this place livable! A buddy helped us put the accent lighting under the cabinets and we got a new fridge, compliments of my awesome mother-in-law. The island in the middle is a huge help for extra counter space and storage! On the far right is actually chester drawers that I use for kitchen drawers, it matched and fit in perfect!

I turned my armoire into...

my pantry... I loved this piece of furniture and knew it would give the Shack character so I improvised so I could keep it with us and it turned out to be perfect!!!

This is the main wall in the living and my favorite because Blake let me paint it my favorite color... RED!!!

I always have to keep lots of blankets around because I stay cold and love to snuggle

This is the front door

This is the view looking into the bedroom from the bedroom door,

that is right next to the armoire... That's our dresser.

Our bed and t.v.

The t.v reminds us of being in a hospital when we have to look at the ceiling to watch it!

I love my simple, quaint room... it is very peaceful

I still have a bunch of black and white prints to arrange on this wall behind the bed.

They will be in various sized silver frames.

We took the closet doors off and put up curtains to open up the room a little and give it a splash of color as well... I may replace these curtains with longer ones eventually.

I love to have everything organized @ all times...

I had to get very creative to fit a bunch of stuff in a very little space.

I hope you enjoyed my quick little tour update on the Shack... we really are proud that we were able to transform it from Shack to Sheik!!! It has become very homey and we are loving living here! Come visit it in person soon! We even have a guest book to document everyone who experiences this part of our life journey with us, so much fun!

Wedding Planning...

2009-05-05T00:25:00.003-05:00

Tonight I am remembering what all goes into planning a wedding. It's 12:30 AM in the morning Tuesday morning and I am still at my parent's house in the Woodlands trying to help make wedding plan decisions.

Here, I will try and paint a picture for you of what it looks like around here tonight... I have my mom asleep face down in the floor, my sister on iChat with her fiance, Eric trying to keep him involved in picking music for the ceremony, and me sitting at the family computer printing off labels for their invitations and trying to keep everyone organized, on task, and motivated to keep working and not fall asleep. My little brother is in bed, my husband is watching t.v. with my dad and amazed that the Rockets actually pulled it off tonight and beat the Lakers. I guess I am not being very successful with the task job... since I've lost 2 family members to sleep and 2 to the t.v. :(

That is my quick update before I move onto my next task tonight or this morning really. I will give you fun picture updates of the past couple of months very soon. Life seems to be moving so dang fast I can't seem to keep up and get everything done! :( I have got to get my blog slacking under control!!! SORRY!

The Shack Before...

2009-04-21T18:14:00.000-05:00

Wow, I know I am WAY overdue in updating our blog. :( I am really having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. But I am attempting tonight. Here are the BEFORE pictures of the Shack that we moved into back in February...

Justin, Randy & Blake acting like they are working! ;)

Then Stacy and Blake decided to paint each other instead of the walls...

Nice work boys, you get points for being artistic! ;)

Me getting organized as always...

Natalie working hard and being very fashionable @ the same time, as always!

Krista was a champ scrubbing and painting the bathroom al by herself

Our little baby Shack...

Painting my bedroom

Napoli is hott stuff!

Ellen was the official edger... so did GREAT!

Our kitchen before we made it our own

The bathroom before we took the mirror and cabinet down to give it the "Jackson touch"

Our bedroom closet before we took off the doors, adding curtains and added new shelves

Justin changing out the light bulbs.. such a helper in his cool jean shorts! ;) Lol.

The whole gang minus Randy who helped turn our little Shack into a cozy home!

We have the best friends EVER

We should start our own HGTV show... from Shack to Sheik

Wow... it's been too long!

2009-04-06T22:33:00.002-05:00

I apologize for not having updated our blog in such a long time. There is so much to say and so much that has happened over the past month. My goal is to have you guys all caught up complete with pictures and lots of stories within the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck! :)

-Robin-

Superbowl Party @ the Shack!!!

2009-02-09T21:55:00.006-06:00

We had to break in the Shack with all the amazing peeps who helped us to make the Shack what it is today!!! :)

The Boys

(Stacy, Justin, Blake & Randy)

Randy was ready for the commercial in 3D

The Girls minus Krista

(Natalie, Robin & Ellen)

The Scrantons

(Krista & Stacy)

Stacy was wasting my camera battery :(

He took so long that we didn't get a picture of all the girls! :(

January Flew by...

2009-02-08T17:35:00.002-06:00

Alrighty, it's hard getting back into the swing of things with this blog business, especially when we don't have Internet at our new house yet and most of my blogging usually occurs LATE at night while catching up on some DVR shows. :)

Let's see... it's a new year now and it feels like a TON of stuff has changed in the life of the Jacksons.

I guess the most important things that come to the top of my head are...

We have moved!!! It's official... We have moved into a tiny garage/ shop apartment (the Shack is what we call it) in some close friends of ours backyard. They have some land so its really nice and peaceful and a fantastic way for us to save money for a while. I will make sure my next blog is all about the Shack so you can see the amazing transformation that we, with the help of our amazing friends, were able to make. :) Also, if for some reason you need our new address, just email me at robinj@communityoffaith.tv and I will get it to you. I feel really funny about posting my address on here for the whole wide world to see. Gotta watch out for those crazies! ;) Hehehe.

We have a new edition to the family. Blake's sister, Kari, had a baby boy named Boaz. She has 3 girls and finally has had a boy!

We are in full-fledged wedding planning mode with Whitney and Eric's day fast approaching... It has been moved and is now set for, June 26, 2009. :)

Blake and I are going to Africa on a mission trip June 14th-24th (getting home right in time for Whit's big day). We are super excited and cannot wait. Please be praying as we prepare mentally and physically for this trip. And pray that everything goes smoothly in the wedding planning are so that I can truly be in Africa and not be worrying about things on the home-front.

Um, I can't think of anything else right now. So, I will fill you in as they come to me! :)

**********************************************************************************

Some random pictures from January 2009

Painting the new place...

Eric had a concert with some buddies, supporting Iamchange.org,

where he rocked our faces off!

Being silly at the concert

Zack Jones ladies and gentleman... always a pleasure! ;)

Whitney and her friend Kelly

Kimi came home for a QUICK visit

I needed more time with her, but was thankful for the time we did get! :)

Natalie (I call her Napoli) had a birthday and we went to Napolis to celebrate!

We are so creative or corny, whichever you think! ;)

Blake and Justin @ Nat's "Cypress Family" B-day party

Ellen & I were having trouble being photogenic that night... we never did a "good" one.

Randy is ALWAYS the start of the show! Lol.

Boaz David Lynn Richardson

Born: January 17th, 2009 @ 6:49 PM

10lbs 1.5 oz. and 22" long and a 15.5" chest

He is a BIG boy!

Such a proud uncle

Blake is going to be such a good daddy one day!

We can't wait to have one of our own! ;)

Us with Baby Bo

He is such a sweet baby

Faith wanted to join the party

Good times with the family

Blake with his Uncle Bud and Grandma Wilson

Blake and his momma, he is such a momma's boy! ;)

Blake's mommy and me

Faith

Patrick finally got a boy after 3 girls!!!

It was also Kari's 36th birthday

Happy Birthday Keek!

THE BIRD...

2009-02-07T20:59:00.003-06:00

Back by popular demand is the finale to the bird story (click HERE to read part one of the story)...

Background info in case you don't want to read " Part 1": In Lieu of the Christmas season, Robin (being the decorative type that she is) decided to make a Christmas wreath. But this was no ordinary, store-bought, run of the mill wreath. We scoured the rows of Hobby Lobby until every last perfect bead, stick and leaf were found. So, after purchasing all the materials Robin put it together one night. (Time passes)...Late one night, Robin and I were coming home from a friend's house. We were exhausted and ready for bed before we even hit the door. As I approached the front door to unlock it, something small and bat-like flew out of the wreath. Scared us (moreso me) to death. I think I might have even peed myself a little. Then a couple days later we had another few run-ins with this territorial little creature. Every time we came to the front door, I would always give the wreath a little shake and sure enough, the bird would fly out.

Well, there was this one night...it was about 8pm and I had just come back from the grocery store. My arms were full of bags and my legs were extremely tired after fighting crowds and then climbing the stairs to our 3rd floor apartment. I had ONE thing on my mind, "Get in the door and get these groceries out of my hands". So I unlock the door and open it...I forget about the stupid bird. So in the darkness, I stumble in the house, the bird follows me in and I drop the groceries. At this point, I have no idea where my wing-ed friend is and I am not happy. Every time I move, I can feel it flutter around me and finally I find the light switch. As I turn it on, the bird goes nuts, like it's at rave in some downtown warehouse. I call Robin and she is mortified/laughing at me while asking "where is the bird?" I don't know. She comes home and eventually we find the bird...see pictures below.

Many people have asked "what happened to the bird after you found him?" Well the story ends in three easy steps: 1. We cornered the bird in our guest room, 2. I hit him with a broom, knocking it to the ground 3. I released the bird into the wild on the balcony. Ok, the last step is a lie. I accidentally killed the bird in the guest room as I was trying to wrangle him in. And then, I gently tossed him over the balcony. I really am an animal lover... but only when I invite them to live in my house.

Enjoy the holidays,

Blake

A whirlwind of a holiday... I am exhausted!!!

2009-02-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

WOW... I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted... I will try to catch up in the next few days, I promise!

Let's see, where do I even begin? It all started on December 23rd, we had our 1st of 4 Christmas Candlelight services @ Community Of Faith. December 24th we spent all day at the church again! We had 3 more services, they went really great! We had a lot of fun, especially because Blake and I got to sing together again, it had been WAY too long! In between two of the services, we invited the special needs children from our foster home the we support to sing with us. They came up on stage and sang with us and the band, we video recorded it and made many of their dreams come true! Such a neat experience that I will never forget!!!

After we finished up our last Christmas Eve service at COF, around 8:30 PM, we headed to Katy to open presents and hang out with Blake's family. It was so fun to see his nieces get excited about the gifts, it made us remember how fun Christmas can be when you are with family. We are definitely blessed and had a blast hanging out with the Jacksons! :) Love you guys! We spent the night at Kari, Blake's sister's house that night and woke up to stockings from Santa and a family breakfast on Christmas morning.

We then, jumped in the truck and headed to the Woodlands to have Christmas morning with my family around 10 AM. My parents hooked us up with a video camera and we got all kinds of great stuff, but the best part was just getting to hang with my familia. I love them so much and adore the time we get to spend with them. We hung out for about an hour, then jumped in our cars and hit the road to head to Borger (it's an itty bitty town 1 hour Northeast of Amarillo, where all my family lives). It was a long road trip, but fun because Blake and I LOVE to travel together, we are a great team! ;) Christmas Day was full of driving and we ate Christmas dinner at a gas station Subway in Quanah, TX... wah-hoo! (oh the memories) About 10 or 11 hours later, we finally arrived at my grandparents house.

Friday, December 26th, we had Christmas with my Nana and mom's side of the family. It was probably the last Christmas we will have at my Nana's house (she lives in an assisted living center and is planning on selling her house this year), so it was a little emotional. It is so sad to see those you love getting older. I am struggling with that right now, I am not a big fan of change. I love traditions and have a hard time dealing with change. Overall, we had fun and I loved getting to spend some time with my Nana!

Saturday, December 27th, we started off the morning with a phone call that Blake's grandma Jackson had unexpectedly passed away, thus began the true chaos of our holiday break. We quickly began making plans of how to get from Amarillo, Texas to Cody, Wyoming ASAP.

Sunday, December 28th, we woke up and went to my Papa Jim's church (my dad's dad has been a pastor of a church in the Panhandle for 50 plus years). It was great to see the whole family and we even sang a special song together. I mean ALL OF US... Dad, Blake, me, Whitney, Eric, and Nathan. Mom wouldn't sing with us but she ran sound. We are quite the traveling family band! ;) Hehehe. It was a lot of fun! We came home with my dad's whole side of the family and had a big family lunch and played games all afternoon. It was such a precious time that I am so thankful for! After the cousins, aunts and uncles left my Granny Bev's house, Blake and I began packing to leave the next morning.

Monday, December 29th, it was time for Blake and I to leave my family and drive home to Houston. It took us ALL DAY and we got home late that night, just in time to repack and get ready to fly out to Wyoming the next morning.

Tuesday, December 30th, we drove to the airport and flew to Denver, Colorado, where we had a short layover. Then got on a teeny tiny plane that took us to a hole in the wall town in Cody, Wyoming. That itty bitty plane ride is a totally different story all it's own... short version, I thought I was going to die... we were on row 9 of the 9 rows of the entire plane!!! We got into Wyoming late that night and drove about 30 minutes to an even smaller town called Powell, Wyoming. It was there on the Jackson far that I finally got to meet the whole Jackson clan for the very first time! :) They were so so sweet... gentle giants. I am not even 5 foot tall and not a single one of them were under six feet tall... I felt like I was in the land of the giants, but the entire family could not have been more excepting and loving towards me!

Wednesday, December 31st, today was a hard day. We had to bury his Grandma J. Blake and I sang at the funeral and I was so proud of him, he was so strong! The family was incredibly strong as well. It was such a neat time of hearing all of the neat stories of the legend of the woman I never got to meet. She was the backbone of the Jackson family and left a huge legacy behind and I am so blessed to have been a part of this special day that brought honor to Grandma J. We love and miss you very much and know that you are smiling down, so proud of the family you left behind!!! Then we got to hang with all the cousins and bring in the New Year all together... what a sweet time!

Thursday, January 1st, we woke up at the butt crack of dawn and flew home... FINALLY. We were exhausted!

**********************************************************************************

Here are some pictures from our crazy Christmas Holiday

Blake, Robin, Nathan, Whitney & Eric

(The kids of my (Robin) family)

The COF Band

Blake & I after the Christmas Eve services @ COF

The FULL COF Band from the Christmas Eve Services

My mom's side of the family kids doing stockings...

Santa still visits us! ;)

My Nana (mom's mom) and all her grandkids!

The Gillmore Clan

We finally found Internet in one corner @ Grandma's house :)

We are such dorks!

The WHOLE Gillmore clan... My dad's parents, his sister and ALL the kids! :)

The teeny tiny plane we rode on to fly to Wyoming

Grandma J's gravesite

Blake's dad (Dave), Me, & Blake @ the funeral

Blake and all of his cousins

It is soooo cold in Wyoming in December...

I had to borrow a jacket!

Life on a family farm :)

3 Generations of Jackson men...

Blake, Grandpa J, and Dave Jackson

A beautiful sunset we got to enjoy...

It is gorgeous country up there!

Heart Mountain

The view from the Jackson Family Farm

New Years Eve on the Farm

Play time with Little Will

He is the cutest Cowboy EVER!!!

We played "Rodeo" all night

Such a cutie... Will Jackson

Flying home!

Whit is a college graduate... Sick 'em Bears!!!

2009-01-01T21:06:00.010-06:00

Whitney Taylor Gillmore (soon to be Paul), my baby sister is a college graduate!!! She graduated December 20th from Baylor university with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. We are SO PROUD of her and I thought you might like to see some pics from her special day...

The whole family...

Blake, Me, Dad, Whit, Eric, Mom & Nate

Eric & Whitney

The Gillmore kids

The Jacksons and Nini

SisTeRs!!!

Bubby & Sissy

Whitney & I showed up wearing the same bracelet... great taste! ;)

Sick 'em Bears!!!

They are such goof balls...

She is too cute!

Eric & Whit

Wow, they sure know how to respect property! Lol.

Having fun on her special day...

We love you Nini and cannot express to you how very proud we are of your accomplishments. This is going to be an incredible year for you and we cannot wait to see how God grows you, stretches you, and does amazing things in and through you in 2009!

-Robin & Blake-

PaRtY!!!

2008-12-19T20:46:00.008-06:00

Tuesday night, we had our Community Group Christmas Party (our 2nd small group, we are in 2 different ones). These are all couples around our age and in the same stage of life as us. We love them and have so much fun together!!!

The whole group

I LOVE EATING!

The Girls

Becky, Courtney, Jess & Me

And more eating...

Randy being Randy! He came in through the doggie door!

Our fearless leaders... Mark & Laura Shook

Krista & Stacy Scranton

Me & my Ellie girl

Try # 1... No such luck :(

Try # 2... Much better :)

The Olives are too cute!

Picture perfect!

Ellen & Randy Olive

Concert @ Crossroads

2008-12-19T20:09:00.007-06:00

Monday night we went to the Woodlands to attend the Tood Agnew Christmas tour concert @ my dad's church. I was pleasantly surprised! :) We had a great time enjoying the sounds of some very talented musicians and got to see my family, which is always a plus. It's always so nice to go home and visit the church I grew up in (Crossroads). The people there are so warm, welcoming and make us feel extremely loved and cherished! We got to see old friends and make some new ones. Thank God for a short break from reality and such a relaxing night full of fun! Here are some pics we took that night...

Andrew, Me & Bradabus

(two of my best buds from High School)

I was stalking him since he is all big and famous now! ;)

So many fun memories over the years...

The Gillmore Kids

Blake, Me, Nate, Whit & Eric

Todd Agnew & all his peeps that were on tour with him

Kimber Rising is a great new girl group that really impressed me :)

These girls have got pipes!

Merry Christmas!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Jackson

We are so blessed this Christmas Season!

Anthony Evans, Andrew McKinney & my familia

We adore Anthony & his powerhouse voice!

This Sunday

2008-12-17T02:12:00.008-06:00

I know I always post a TON of pictures, but I love pictures and love to share them with you! These are from this past weekend @ church and Sunday night @ Carrie/ Cheryl's B-Day celebration downtown at Mia Bella Tratoria...

Cheryl White, Blake & Me

We have been buddies for over 6 years!

I was so glad that she got to sing with me @ COF this weekend

I liked this one! :)

YEA, Ellen came to sing with me too, so much fun!

Rachel is pregos with baby Levi...

I cannot wait to meet and spoil this precious little boy!!!

oops, her head got cut off... take two...

I love this girl...

Carrie Lelsz & Me

The Jacksons & The Whites

The Whole Gang!

Brooklynn is such a ham!

She keeps us entertained...

LOVE HER SOOOO MUCH!!!

My Christmas Wreath!!!

2008-12-17T02:07:00.004-06:00

This year, I couldn't find a Christmas wreath that I liked, so I decided to make my own! :) I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a plain green wreath and lots of fun flowers, berries, pine cones, and twigs. It was very relaxing, I love to be creative! 30 minutes later this is what I came up with...

A funny story... The last few nights we have been coming home after dark. Apparently my new wreath feels/ looks real life-like, because we now have a friend who lives in it! When we come home, Blake unlocks the door and holds it open for me to enter the house first. The last few nights, when he sticks the key in the door, this bird flies out right at his face and he screams like a girl! It is hysterical, I wished I had it on video. Last night, I ASSURED him that the bird wasn't there, but as soon as he touched the door, the bird swooped out at his head like a scary Alfred Hitchcock movie. Blake freaked and I was laughing so hard I nearly peed my pants. Good times and fun memories this Christmas season! :)

SNOW in Cypress!

2008-12-17T01:58:00.004-06:00

It didn't last very long at all, but last Wednesday it snowed... it really snowed! :)

Our 747 Student Band @ COF

Before we led worship

All bundled up for the cold weather

Sam is Crazy... she was sniffing me!

Thats better... Sam & Me

My little baby car with snow on it!

Ladies Night!!!

2008-12-09T00:15:00.009-06:00

Monday night, December 8th, we had a ladies Christmas Dinner at COF. Here are some of the pics of the sweet ladies from our church...

Weekends are so busy...

2008-12-08T23:15:00.022-06:00

This past weekend we had a bunch of our youth come in a bang on trash cans (performed a drum cadence) as we combined "Little Drummer Boy" and "This is the Noise We Make." It was a lot of fun and the kids did a GREAT job!!!

Then we headed home to bake some holiday potatoes and cookies to take to our Community Group Christmas Party. Amos and Rachel came over and we dug around my house for some fun gag gifts to take to the gift exchange. We definitely found a lot of junk that worked out perfectly! The Abrameits have the most beautiful home in the whole wide world and were sweet enough to host our festivities!

Some of our awesome COF youth

Our drummer boys & girls

Rachel & Amos Rivera (with little unborn baby Levi)

Emerson Pauler is such a little cutie!

Baby Brooklynn with her pretty new dress

Alex got a singing penguin that Brooklynn loved!

Jamie got the best gift of the night... it actually was a really nice blender!!!

Best gag gift EVER... 2 goldfish in a blender

Sweet baby Jaci loved watching the fish swim around

Mindy got my gift, I called it my "bag of crap!"

It was full of all the random stuff I didn't want in my house anymore

Brandon got a HUGE bag of salt

I actually liked this cross and wish I would have gotten it! ;)

Cheryl loves snowmen so she was excited!

Lucas stole the cross back for his wife... such a sweet husband

She also opened the Rubix Cube...

She kept getting her gifts stolen, it kind of became the group joke

Finally... she ended up with Blake's African drummer man... so funny!

Rachel stole the blender...

Amos was crazy excited about this air-soft gun

Jerison stole the gun from Amos, he was so sad

Brad got a little pink bag full of bath stuff that Amos found in my closet

Brian got a trumpet!?!?!

I formed an alliance with Rachel and stole the blender from her so it could be "locked"

then she stole a movie for me, yea for teamwork! :)

I got the fish out of the blender so they could be given to an owner that would love them...

Karen, except I talked to her today and found out one fish ate the other and then died. :(

Brooklynn was so cute opening up her present!

She loved what was inside even more!!!

Look at her cute little baby toes...

Here is our community group (minus the Loftins)...

Brad & Mindy Abrameit

The Pauler Family

Brandon, Kacey, Kason, Madison & Emerson

Alex, Cheryl & Brooklynn White

Lucas & Jessica Mauro

Jamie, Jerison & Jaci Herridge

Amos, Rachel & (unborn) Levi Rivera

Micah & Karen Kronjager

Blake & Robin Jackson

Chilis can be fun...

2008-12-08T22:59:00.005-06:00

After church this past Saturday night, we went to Chilis to hang with some friends. I decided to document it as usual...

Randy & Ellen Olive

Trey Willis

Alex & Cheryl White

Brooklynn White

Laura & Mike Kinion

Aly & Zach Kinion