I've Forgotten How to Do This . . .

My brother Grant is nearing the end of his church mission to Madagascar! He will be home in just a few weeks. For the past two years I have had an excuse not to have a blog/keep a journal. I write letters to my brother and save them on my computer and call it good. That's journal writing! That's record keeping! My plan is to take all of the letters I wrote to my sister while on her church mission from 2012-2013 and all the letters I wrote to my brother while on his church mission from 2014-2016 and compile them all into a journal/hardback book. That way when my kids ask me years later what was going on in our lives during that time, I can pull out that book and show them! And now that Grant is coming home, I am trying to make more of an effort to blog so that I don't lose that habit. You have to start somewhere, right? The most recent pictures I have are from Easter. So here's a few:  

 

Meeting the Easter bunny. Jamie and April were half terrified/half fascinated by him.

 After our wonderful Easter Sunday at church. I loved all the bright colors of our dresses.

 Decorating bunny cookies at Grami's house!

 Hunting for eggs in Grami and Grampi Garcia's backyard.

 April was really getting into it with Auntie Alli's help.

 Found one!

 Trying to get a group shot.

 We love spending time over at my Mom and Dad's house and the girls love it too. We had a wonderful Easter!

Summertime is Here!

It's officially summer here in Austin. It has been for the past few weeks, I guess, but it's finally hot enough to swim! I wasn't sure how Jamie was going to like the water, but we've had a few successful swims already so I think she likes it! It usually takes her about 5 minutes to get used to it and then after that she seems to enjoy herself. We got to go swimming with my mom, sister, and brother and I got some great photos. The water was so clear and beautiful and the perfect temperature. Ben hasn't been able to go swimming with us yet because he's been studying for the BAR, but I'm hoping this weekend we can go as a family! And just in case you were wondering, Jamie has 4 different swimsuits. She is so stylish. All of them were given to her, though. My mom gave her two, the Lira family gave her the cute pink and blue one, and then she also has a super cute ruffly one that the Thorley family gave her. Check out how much fun we had:

This little inflatable swim tire thingie was a garage sale find for 50 cents. She loved it!

Jamie and her Aunt Allison.

On a different day we went to Roy G. Guerrero park and swam in this amazing beach area that I wish Ben and I had known about years ago! The water is nice and shallow and so clear. There were actually kids building sandcastles, too!

Here's a shot of us after swimming. Jamie always smiles at the camera if you go, "One, two, three!" I have trained her well, I think. We're excited for more opportunities to swim this summer!

Bows and Frills

So Ben has this thing against hair bows. He doesn't think that Jamie should ever wear them under any circumstances. I, however, feel that bows only add to her beauty and they complete her outfit. So, whenever Ben is away on campus, and I feel so inclined, Jamie and I do a photoshoot and she gets to wear bows. Tell me, do they compliment her outfits? Are they outrageous? Is Ben right?

New "Bee"ginnings

I made these centerpieces for our Young Women. Their New Beginnings program is this upcoming Tuesday for mutual. Angela Araya said I needed to post them because she liked them so much. Oh, all right! I'm not a very crafty person, but I came up with this idea on my own, and I was pretty pleased with how they turned out. In case you can't tell from the pic, the vases are filled with Honeycomb cereal. Super easy to make and fun, too! I hope the girls like them. :)

Life with Jamie

Our gorgeous girl will be 6 months in just two weeks! I can hardly believe it! She is so much fun to be around and such a happy baby. Ben and I love to listen to her trying to talk. She is a super chatty baby. Jamie is getting closer and closer to sitting up on her own, and she can almost crawl. I'm getting a tad bit nervous for when she can move around the apt all by herself. I haven't baby proofed anything yet, but I know the time is coming. Ben and I still go on dates and spend time with each other whenever we can. This last weekend we got pizza and chaperoned a youth dance while my friend watched Jamie. Life sure is different with a baby, but it is also so much fun. I love this little one. :)

Baby Jamie is Here!

I update my facebook way more often than the blog, but in case you only follow the blog, baby Jamie is here! Jamie Christine Gillis was born on August 2, 2012 at 8:58 am. She is going to be three weeks old this Thursday. Ben and I are doing great and loving parenthood. We love her so much and are so happy. :)

If you want more pics, I posted a bunch more on facebook! Can't help it, it's just so much easier that way.

Eight Days Away from the Due Date

It's hard to think about anything else when the due date is just eight days away. Sure, I read books and cook dinner and do other things, but with July 30th approaching so quickly, my mind always goes back to...she's almost here! 

A few days ago my friend Jennifer Borget took some really cute maternity pics for us, and I think she did an amazing job. Here's another one for fun:

This weekend Ben and I had a super fun date night. We tried out this Greek restaurant that we both ended up liking a ton, went and got Amy's ice cream, and then saw "The Dark Knight Rises" in the movie theater. If everything goes according to plan, then we'll get one more date night this weekend before she gets here. I am trying to cherish every minute that Ben and I have with just the two of us, because I know life is about to change forever. I went to the doctor last week, and though Jamie has dropped a little, not much else is going on. The doctor said at my appt this next week, we may need to set an "induction" date. I never thought that I would need to be induced with my first child, but if she is just super comfy in there, then what else is there to do? I am going to aim for a normal labor, but I am not going to push it more than a week past the due date. Doing everyday things like going to the movies is getting harder on my back and I finally feel like I'm pregnant. I am definitely not anxious to wait until I am 42 weeks to get induced. We have the nursery all set up and I have almost everything how I want it. I keep asking Ben when we should strap the car seat in, but he says it's still too early. This week will be my last week at work, and then I will officially be a "stay-at-home" Mom. It's kinda crazy to think about. I've worked since I was 14, and I think adjusting to life without a job will be rough at first. I know that it will be worth it to take care of Jamie and be there for her, just like my mom stayed at home with us. Next time I post, it will probably be a bunch of baby pictures!