29...it's me this time!

Today is (unfortunately) my 29th birthday. In the words of Sheila, my best friend growing up, "our last year before the big one, BLUH!" (she wrote that in my birthday card, a card which made me laugh and cry at the same time!) I do not love the idea of my 20's almost being over! I mean, I remember when I was in grade school and I had a friend who had a big sister who was 17, and oh my, she sure was old! Then when I turned 20, I don't remember that being too big of a deal, I was in college in Nashville and I was engaged, so there were too many life changing things going on for me to think to much about that. But next year will be 30, and I have just always thought of that as a larger number. I do think it is interesting that I will be 30 before my mom is 50! Isn't that crazy? (She married Daddy when she was 18 and I was born a year and 18 days later)

I don't know why today is reflective for me, but it has been already. So I am going to talk about some of the GREAT things that are going on now instead of being mad that I am getting old...er.

First of all, I have a WONDERFUL husband!

He is so thoughtful and loving and always thinking of others instead of himself. He takes care of me and our kids and is very protective. I have always felt safe with him, from the moment we started dating. He is extremely busy, but he still shows me and the girls how much he loves us and makes us feel special. I appreciate his parents for teaching him the right way to love me. He is very supportive of me and my venture into the photography business!
Next, I have adorable fantastic children!

Maddie Kate is so cute and fun and her little mind is always working.

She was a surprise baby for us (born only 3 days after Johnny graduated college) but she has been nothing but a beautiful blessing to us from the moment she was born. Right now she loves anything and everything on Disney Channel, she is learning to read very well (and always surprising me with what she knows!) is enjoying taking piano lessons, and seems to have fun everyday at 1st grade!
Ava is still an A-bomb, but we really do enjoy her!

She is funny and knows it! She is not terrorizing our home as badly as she was for awhile, but she does still try her best to make a mess with every meal she eats and loves to shred things like paper, tissues, and toilet paper! She is partly potty trained, meaning she is doing well with it when we are at home, but I haven't gotten her to go in a potty anywhere else yet! Her 2 favorite things right now are "swimming" (which for her means getting in the tub and laying on her belly and kicking her feet) , and looking at my stomach! She says,"Let me see your fat beldy!" and wants to raise up my shirt and look at my tummy and kiss it. She seems to understand that something special is going on!

We are thrilled to pieces that our new arrival in February is going to be a boy!

I really can't hardly imagine what it's going to be like to be a mommy to a little boy, but I am very excited to meet him...and oh my, the pictures I will take! :) (I have so many ideas this time around!) He is starting to kick and move around a bit more, but I mostly feel him at night when I lay down, or when I sit on the couch with the laptop on my lap he always kicks it if I put it too much on him! I think he might have a name, but I'm not sharing it until I am totally sure!


I have great parents and siblings who love us and are always there for us when we need them!

I am so happy that I only live about a 15-20 minute drive from my parents! I don't know what I would do if I lived somewhere far away. When Johnny and I got married and he was working on a Youth Ministry degree, I always figured I would live somewhere far away from home, like Georgia or Virginia. But God blessed me and let me live near home, and I am so thankful for that! My mom is my best friend besides Johnny, we talk every day, most days more than once, and I really hope that I can have that kind of relationship with my daughters some day.
I have 2 sisters who are definitely some of my closest friends, (whether they know it or not!) They are always helpful to me, with my kids or my business, whatever I need they are there. I didn't appreciate them when we lived at home, but now that we are older, it's easy to see that siblings will always be there for you, even when friends aren't. (Not that friends are being evil, they just have their own families! :) )

Speaking of friends, I do have some wonderful ones. Some old forever friends, which are great! We can not talk or see each other for months, but then we get together and voila, it's just like old times (except we are usually chasing our kids now, which we we didn't used to do! :) And I have some new ones, partly from living in a new town (we have actually been here 6 years, but I only knew a few people when we moved here). I have several friends at church, and a wonderfully great youth group, who I also consider wonderfully great friends. I am blessed to have them in my life, both the ones who live here, and the ones who live in Nashville!

And lastly, I have the greatest job! I stay home with Ava, and am able to know her in a way I'm not sure I would if I had to go somewhere to work everyday. I have a photography business, which has been something I have wanted to do since I was a senior in high school, and seeing that become a reality has been a wonderful experience for me. I have been doing photos for friends and acquaintances for years, but I officially started my business last year, and this year, I booked 14 weddings, and lately I have been swamped with practically back to back sessions! It is tons of work (especially the post production!) but it is my dream and I love it! The greatest part is that I work a few evenings a week and a lot of Saturdays, but the rest of the time I am able to be at home with my kids. All the editing work can be done at home, in-between chasing Ava! (Hopefully the studio part will come soon so I can stop having sessions in my living room! :) ) It's the best "mommy" job ever!

So when I step back and think about all my beautiful wonderful blessings from God, I have nothing to complain about. I love my life and am truly thankful!

Jessica