Rest

I love holidays at my parent's house. There is never an agenda, or a set plan. There is always good food, good movies, and great times spent together resting and rejuventating our weary spirits...sometimes you can spend the whole day in your pj's if you want (but not if you have to run to Walmart!). I spent most of yesterday finding opportunites to take pics of Libby, you know the same shots I always get. Here is the thing, I love her face and everything she does is photo worthy to me, so even if you are sick of seeing her I'm going to keep setting up opportunites to lean her against a backdrop and take her picture!
Grace and Peace

Kev snapped a couple shots like this when she was having a fussy time, I was trying to settle her down.

I don't know what happened in these 2 pics but Mom looks scared in one and Dad looks scared in the other...I know they will not be pleased that I posted them, well Dad wont care, but Mom specifically requested they be deleted.This one is cute of Grandad and Libby

I actually have a couple of the grandparents and babe looking quite sweet and I have our first attempt at an all family photo that I will share later...brace yourself for those. When I say all family I mean the mister , the mrs., the baby, the dog, and the cat. It was less then successful. No one cooperated.

Christmas...a wahoo!

I wont tag anyone on this, but if you read it and you want to join in on the merriment feel free. If you do, comment me so I can read about your Christmas favorites on your blog.
Merry end of November and happy December!

WELCOME TO THE CHRISTMAS EDITION OF GETTING TO KNOW YOUR FRIENDS.
1. WRAPPING PAPER OR GIFT BAGS ? Paper I love to wrap and make big bows, I also love to open something that has been wrapped
2. REAL TREE OR ARTIFICIAL ? I have fake, but maybe one day we'll do real. I'm not partial to either
3. WHEN DO YOU PUT UP THE TREE? Normally right before we leave for Thanksgiving, but we have been busy so probably this week
4. WHEN DO YOU TAKE THE TREE DOWN? Week after New Year's.
5. DO YOU LIKE EGGNOG ? YES-We're the first people to buy it
6. FAVORITE GIFT RECEIVED AS A CHILD ? A crayola crayon set with about a million colors. Mom forgot to give it to us on Christmas, but remembered a few days later. We still have it!
7. HARDEST PERSON TO BUY FOR ? Kev's Grandparents
8. EASIEST PERSON TO BUY FOR ? My nieces and now probably Libby, little girl stuff is the best
9. DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY SCENE ? Yes, it is from Laura and Slim Gillian. It came with a shepherd with a broken arm, but we kept it anyway. I embrace the imperfections..."blessed are the cracks, for they let in the light"
10. MAIL OR EMAIL CHRISTMAS CARDS ? Cards, I love to send and receive photo cards.
11. WORST CHRISTMAS GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED ? I can't remember, I try to appreciate it all
12. FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE ? White Christmas or all of them
13. WHEN DO YOU START SHOPPING FOR CHRISTMAS ? when I have time
14. HAVE YOU EVER RECYCLED A CHRISTMAS PRESENT ? no
15. FAVORITE THING TO EAT AT CHRISTMAS ? my sisters rasberry thumbprint cookies
16. LIGHTS ON TREE ? yes, lots of them
17. FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG ? all of them
18. TRAVEL AT CHRISTMAS OR STAY HOME ? We always come to my mom and dad's house and one day I'm sure we'll travel to England
19. CAN YOU NAME ALL OF SANTA'S REINDEER'S ? yes
20. OPEN THE PRESENTS CHRISTMAS EVE OR MORNING ? Christmas Morning!!! when I was little I would beg to do one on Christmas eve
21. MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR ? the exploitation of it...like Santa on a Harley
22. FAVORITE ORNAMENT THEME OR COLOR ? I love Christopher Radko glass ornaments, the shinier the better
23. FAVORITE FOOD FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER ? Everything my mom makes
24. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR ? I already got it in September and she is cute!
25. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND TO THIS? I'd say Laura, maybe Mel
26. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND ? I'd say Kari, b/c who knows where she went!

Santa's Little Elf Stopped By

Or the Travelocity Gnome, you be the judge. Whoever it is, she's the cutest thing I've seen and her Christmas outfits are gearing us up for the Holiday season!
Be Merry...and smile!

A Thanksgiving Hullabaloo

If you are an avid reader of my blog than you remember this post. Well Gus the Great creative havoc in my a parents house AGAIN. Except this time it came after my mom slaved for hours over her traditional Thanksgiving baking. Every year mom makes a slew of apple desserts for our family's Thanks meal. As each item came out of the oven she strategically placed them in places she thought would be Gus proof...one pie on top of the microwave, the apple dumplings on the back of the oven with pots stack up in front of them, and one apple pie on the center of the dinning room table with items surrounding it for protection. She thought all would be well, seeing that there are 4 grown adults here to guard her hard work. However, when she left the kitchen to get ready and left the rest of us in charge is when you know what happen. My dad heard a crash and when he got to the kitchen Gus had devoured half of the biggest apple pie! I wish I was a quick thinking girl b/c I would have thought to get the camera. I was too busy consoling my distressed Mother though. To make matters worse while Gus was eating the pie at our house, we found out that at Aunt Judy's house the Turkey drippings caught her oven on fire! Thankfully, my Mom is an incredible baker and whipped together another pie in just enough time to take to with us to dinner, and the fire did little damage to the bird. We were thankful that we had a pie to be eaten by a dog and a turkey to catch on fire. I have no pictures as proof of our distressful day, so you'll just have to take my word and enjoy the pics I do have!

Tyler, Aunt Di, Adam, and baby girl at the end of the evening

Jill, Aunt Jud "the turkey fryer" and mommy and babyThe Jones'...being thankful for each otherJill and Scotty, I'm thankful for them tooSweet Libby all ready for her first Thanksgiving

Peek-a-Boo

We are back and have very little to show for it. Except for grateful hearts that missed our true love more than we can say. Being away from him is hard and sometimes hurts, but coming home to him is better than a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.

Our blogging hiatus was spent having a fantastic time with people so kindred they feel like family. I think I promised heaps of baby pics to share but the camera only came out one or two times and here is what I got, a rolly, polly, bundle of Libby lovin'.

Be thankful this week and always, we have much!

One Last Thing

I never have mentioned Cousin Jill in a post.
She is my sweet cousin, who loves Libby almost as much as me.
Actually she loves all the people in her life with greatness and shows them with her sweet kindness.
She cries at all family weddings, family hardships, and just general good news will bring a tear to her eye. God has blessed her with a sensitive soul that is not far off my own.
When I was enormous and preggos she came down to VA from MD and helped me organize the new house and paint our bedroom(just a warning, her painting skills are not professional, but it's the thought that counts:).
She also came back after Libs was born just to meet her, she even took a day off of work. As an added bonus she brought me my favorite lip balm and brought Libby a pretty pink sweater for the spring!
Those are just a couple examples of her sweetness, but I could go on and on!
So here's to you Cousin Jill, may you always cry at the simple things ,live to bless others and love strongly.
We love you. xoxo

Jill and a brand new Libby

Jill and Scotty with Libby. Scotty is Jill's good friend. I want her to marry him. I can say that b/c I don't think he reads my blog, but if you do Scotty, don't let it scare you off. It's a compliment really!

Before We Go....

Here are some pics from last week. Meeting GiGi Mom and spending time with Babs and G-Dawg(this is a knick name I just thought of for my dad, Amy and little girls, what do you think?)
Grace and Peace!
Mrs. Jones

GiGi and Libby

Babette and Libby
(I made this sepia b/c my mom did not like this shot, but I think it's precious and shows how much love there is here. Maybe in sepia she'll like it better!)

My new favorite outfit on Libby so cute!

4 Generations from Great Grandmother to Baby

Gus was so naughty all week...I almost killed him. Here is an example of his behavior. I promise this is not a staged picture, he stuck his head in the trash can and the lid got stuck on his head. He came out of the laundrey room with this look on his face!

I may have posted these two already, but who cares, look at those eye lashes. When she was born she had none, now look, they keep getting longer and longer. No fakes here girls!

Libby looks like she is upset here, but she was laughing at my Dad and it was so cute. She and he had this time at least once an evening each day we were there! She loves him, but then again so do all his girls!

Babs gave Libby a bath in the sink...she loved it despite her concerned expression.

This was a shot I took to send to Daddy, but their computer only let me post pics once, then I couldn't figure it out again. non-the less, this one is for you Daddy!

Still Kickin' It

We are taking a brief blog hiatus, but will be back soon with lots to talk about and hills and heaps of photos to fill any baby cravings you might be having. Until then here she is 2 months old and loving life....did I mention she slept 8.5 hours last night? Wahoo!

12 Days of Christmas

I copied this from Mel's blog:
For anyone who loves free stuff. You can check out this blog. Notice my button on the right about free give away's for Christmas! Wahoo!

Ouch

We put Libby down for a nap last night in her crib, in her room. Her nap lasted past our bed time so we decided to leave her for the night, for the first time.
When I crawled into bed and realized that the space in her pack and play next to me was quiet and empty something inside began to ache. Kev asked me what was wrong and I told him that I didn't know that it would be this hard, letting her become. I know it is silly, sleeping in her room is a baby step of life, but to me it felt monumental. Of course it is what I want to happen, I want her to grow up strong and healthy and independent, but with each passing day as she changes, the tug on my heart pulls harder and I want to hold tighter. Life however, will continue asking me to let her go. I might be being a little bit extreme(it's what I do), but as I lay in my bed last night crying myself to sleep, I missed her and I realized that being a mom is more difficult than I ever imagined it would be.


PS. All my post are becoming very similar. I'm sorry. I did do art again, I'll post at another time. Posting pictures of baby details is more fun for me right now.
By the way, out little Freedom Flower turned 2 months old this weekend and has the rolls and crevasses to prove it.

I Was Tagged...Again

The rules of this tagging involve me tagging others, but since I just tagged people, I will not be following the rules. However, if you wish to take part in trying to think of 7 random facts about yourself feel free to join in. Go to Jenn's blog to read the rules. I think that it's hard. I have been thinking of them for a couple days and I think I'm not that interesting! However, I have learned that I "love" lots of things, I used to be a great many things, and I'm a bit strange.
1. I cannot sit in different seats. Let me give you an example, when I was working I would always have to sit in the same seat at lunch, at church same pew, dinner table, couch anywhere. It throws my equilibrium off when I sit in a different seat.
2. I love clean sheets. I wash our sheets and our comforter quite often b/c I love crawling in to a fresh, crisp bed...so does Kevin.
3. I used to work at a rock climbing wall. Great exercise for your legs!
4. I used to be a tomboy...believe it or not. You may know me now as the always accessorized, non-pajama pant wearing lady I am today, but there was a time when I was ruff and tumble and in the dirt with the boys. My mom would tell me it looked like I brushed my hair with an egg beater at least once a day.
5. I love to be read to. I think this comes from my mother reading to me as a child. To this day I still love when someone will read allowed to me. I can't get Kevin to do it that often, but I do ask him sometimes.
6. I always follow the rules once I know them, except with this tag, but if I had not just tagged people I would definitely have followed the rules
7. I can't spell definitely. I write this word all the time and spell it like this "definetly"every time.

It Makes 'Em Better

I always love the way that black and white photos make me feel.
A little nostalgic and romantic.
I heard the effect of a black and white photo described as, focusing on the moment instead 0f the colors? I don't know about that, but here are some photos of me focussing on on my growing lady....
P.S. I have discovered Picasa and think that it is easy to use. Libby has discovered her hands and thinks that they are amazing.

Dear Daddy

Dear Daddy,
Today I went to church and made it through the whole service for the first time. I listened intently to the entire message...in my sleep. Here is a picture of me reflecting on the what I learned, or just showing off my pretty dress.

Mommy and I are trying to stay happy even though we miss you so much.

Mommy is putting on a brave, but drowsy face in this picture. I can no longer pretend that it's not hard to be without you.
And here you can see that the separation from our Love has become unbearable and we just can't hide our true feelings anymore.
Both sad.Please come back soon.

xoxo, Liberty Rose Jones

Good Night Daddy 1

"We go each year to unwind, to decompress-
To smell the cold, to jar the last rays of sun.
To let go of clocks, to go over footsteps.
To wake to creaking trees,
to fall asleep to wind.
To make sense of migrant birds and slumbering soil.
To grasp it all before the others arrive."
~The Anthropologie Catalog

Kevin read this on our way to the airport today...he said that we should go there. He's away for a whole week and Libby I already feel lost without him. So the picture above is just for him, but you can look if you want to.

I got Tagged By Laura

1 . Where did you meet? In Mississippi
2. How long did you date? 3 years
3. How long have you been married? 3 years
4. What does he say that surprises you? I am surprised every Thursday night when he reminds me that it's Friday tomorrow
5. What is your favorite feature of his? His face..it is perfect to me
6. What is your favorite quality of his? He is the kindest and most sincere person I know
7. Does he have a nickname for you? Not really, but sometimes he calls me "Petal" or "Rosebud" b/c he knows that it makes me mad
8. What is his favorite color? I'd say blue
9. What is his favorite food? I would have to say lasagna
10. What is his favorite sport? football or soccer as we like to call it
11. When and where did you first kiss? In a courtyard in New Orleans
12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? walk in the woods or at the park or our new thing hanging out with Libby
13. Do you have any children? Libby Rose and Gus and Trouble
14. Does he have a hidden talent? He is good at everything he sets out to do
15. How old is he? 31
16. Who said, “I love you” first? Um,,,. I don't remember, I think we said it at the same time
17. What is his favorite type of music? He likes all music. He's very diverse
18. What do you most admire about him? The way he treats other people and the way he left everything he was used to, to marry me.
19. Do you think he will read this? probably not, I have to read him my blogs

I'm tagging Erin, Jenn S. and Teri

Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Donovan Jones and Mr. and Mrs William Bennett these two lovely children came into the world. Courtesy of these two children the world now has Miss Libby Rose. Who do you think she looks like, most people say Kevin, but when I look at my baby pictures I see her face! The first 4 are of me and the last four of Kev...he's slimmed down a lot! Check out those chubby cheeks!