Life is Bliss

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!

2008-12-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

I JUST HAD TO BLOG ABOUT THIS!

Long story short since I have little time these days:

I dropped Jacob off at Sunshine School. Fed Johnny breakfast and put him down for a cat nap before his 6 month appointment. Had Wendy's for lunch while driving between errands. Yum! Picked Jacob up from school. Took the boys to buy a Christmas gift for Nana.

Came home.

Let Jacob play in the driveway. Took a load of things into the house. Got Johnny out of the car and realized the wet leaves on the driveway were in Jacob's way and keeping him from riding his bike.

Put the baby on my hip and got the leaf blower out. Blew all leaves off of driveway.

When done blowing off the driveway heard the house alarm blaring!

Ran to back door.

Jacob screaming on the other side with door locked.

Realize that the keys are in kitchen.

Call husband in panic.

Have no clue if anyone is in the house with Jacob.

Make a mad dash to the neighbors.

Get spare key.

Run to front of house and unlock door.

Embrace my hysterical son while disarming alarm system.

Try to get myself under control and shaking frantically.

Jason comes home sees that everything is okay and goes back to work.

Retrieve other child and begin getting the remainder of things out of the car.

Come into my home to see Jason and two police officers standing in my kitchen.

OUR HOUSE WAS SURROUNDED BY POLICE CARS!

Jacob had dragged a chair over to the alarm key pad on the wall and hit the panic button. Since it took me so long to get the alarm turned off, the alarm company notified police and the police were surrounding the house waiting for back up before they started to enter the home!!!!! I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide under the covers for the rest of the day.

All in a days work right? Life IS Bliss right?

Another Randon Thought from Jason

2008-11-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Why is it that children of Doctors always have to get stethoscopes as gifts? No one gives my children parcels of real estate.

Random Thought----

2008-11-21T10:34:00.001-08:00

If you own a small hybrid car, is it required that you have an Obama '08 sticker attached the top of the trunk lid, directly on the paint? Do they come from the dealership that way?

Thoughts...

2008-11-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

1. Pictures tend to induce comments on a blog.
2. Posts by Holly always seem to get comments.
3. Posts by Jason never get comments.
4. I am setting up a firewall on my computer to block any website that has to do with the stock market.
5. I need to put more trust in God and less in me.
6. Will Jake ever obey?
7. Will Johnny ever stop crying and actually sleep through the night?
8. What would I do with my life if I didn't have to work for money?
9. Tech will beat OU.
10. ACU will win the Div. II Football National Championship.
11. Why do I care so much about Fantasy Football?
12. What can I do today to bless others?
13. I think I would rather have little and be content, than have much and worry.
14. I have a great wife.
15. I have wonderful kids.

Random Stuff From Jason...

2008-11-17T08:13:00.001-08:00

Hey Friends-

No pictures today since they are all on Holly's computer. I just wanted to let everyone know we are doing fine. Life with a 2.5 year old and a 5 month old is never boring. Johnny doesn't like to sleep or eat and Jake doesn't like to sleep in his bed or eat. Most nights Jake ends up on the floor beside our bed about 2am. Then at 6am he likes to lay on top of my head, generally constricting my breathing and definitely waking me from deep slumber.

I recently lost my home office. It went from masculine serenity to toy filled bliss overnight. I was instructed I needed to move all the furniture and books in there to my work office. I am glad I have extra space up here...the back office looks like a Uhaul storage facility.

Last Thursday our washing machine broke and flooded our new playroom. Holly pulled the carpet up herself and I managed to put it back down. I was sort of proud of us...we didn't have to outsource anything...except to Lowe's who delivered our new front loading washer on Saturday. I was fine with our top loader and we are now a little farther away from retirement.

Jake has his first school program on Thursday night. His class is singing 2 songs and reciting a memory verse. My parents are coming from Tyler to watch...I told Holly I was surprised they would come for a 2 minute show, but she reminded me the love Grandparents have for their Grandchildren...and she is right!

My most recent pet peeve is when people come up, and with a worried look in their eye, ask me how my business is doing. You may not know, but I own a small residential real estate financing company in Addison. The market is tough and getting a mortgage funded for clients in increasingly difficult. However, the Lord always provides. I appreciate the concern, but don't cry for me, just send some business my way!

Holly is a great Mom and the boys are precious. We are blessed and God is good.

Have a great week!

Jason

2008-10-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

I've got some serious dark circles under my eyes! I wish it was because I put on some cheap black eyeliner, but it's not. My kids won't sleep. Notice the plural...KIDS!!!! The last time I posted an update on here Johnny had been sleeping about 7 hours straight, but I spoke too soon. Then Jacob who has been the amazing sleeping child who loves to take naps decided he wants to be more like his brother. What?! Just when you think you have it all figured out and kids are getting settled, something just has to change. Some days I spend much of my time apologizing for being a grump and short tempered. I hate that girl. She's not very cool. I think Jason has been a grump as well, but he gets to deal with adults when he's tired during the day. Adults in the workplace may not always listen and follow direction but at least it's not in your house, and you don't love them!

At the same time, life still goes on and you manage. We've had a lot of things going on lately and seem to do a good job staying busy despite our incoherent state of mind. :)

At the start of the month Jason went on his yearly Man Trip to Taos for an entire week. It wasn't so bad and my parents took Jacob for one of those nights. I was so glad when Jason got back into town though. The early evenings when Jason normally gets home for dinner and then helps with bedtime was tough on my own. I reaped some reward by getting to go to the Women's Retreat while J watched the kids. However, I do feel a day of pampering or a least a massage is in order. Can I get an Amen? Please comment if you agree. :)

Jacob recently had a rodeo at school and they asked all the kids to dress western. Jacob was really excited about wearing his boots.

Although he was excited to wear the boots. Taking a picture was not one of them.
Here we are at Johnny's baby blessing at church. It is such a special time to receive this blessing from your church family. I loved it when they did this for Jacob as well.
Jacob enjoying his first ride at the State Fair! He was not tall enough to ride by himself so I got in there with him. At first he loved it and then he was totally freaked out. He kept saying "oh no!", every time the car would jolt quickly.
Johnny trying some cereal for the first time. This is probably a little early but he seems like a hungry fella. I decided to try it. Most of it ended up on his face. It was cute though.

On Saturday we braved the crowds and went to the arboretum. It was so much fun and was the beautiful day outside. Johnny slept the entire time since I had him in the sling and I hated to wake him up for pictures. We enjoyed a lovely picnic looking off at White Rock Lake. This was a two thumbs up for sure!
We went to pick out pumpkins the other day. We got four, one for each member of the family. Jacob was so excited to get to pick out the different pumpkins. He got the biggest for daddy, then mommy, himself, and Johnny. Here he is with Johnny's pumpkin.

Well, I think I need to do a Johnny post. He was 4 months on Sunday so hopefully I can get it up soon, but don't hate me if I don't!

Enjoy this wonderful season!

Blessings

JUST A FEW THINGS

2008-09-24T13:25:00.001-07:00

Both of the boys are asleep so I thought I would fit in a quick thought or three...

I purchased a double stroller second hand for $40 before the baby came. It wants to veer to the left at all times. Try steering that while trying to walk briskly for three miles. No fun.

Pushing two kids instead of one makes a three mile walk a heck of a lot harder. Especially with a crapy stroller.

Jacob started back to Sunshine School at the first of the month. He does really well and loves being around other kids. He cried the other day when we left.

Johnny has decided to sleep through the night finally! It's normally about 7 hours and other times around 9. There is no consistency yet. I'm just glad it's this way with the second baby and not the first. I'm much more chilled out this time...still hormonal but chill.

I want to go to the movies but fear I will fall asleep and waste my money.

I love coffee. No frills. I hate cream and sugar. If I order at Starbucks they always ask me if I want to leave room for the stuff and I always say, "why ruin it?".

We are transforming our home office into a playroom. If you've seen it then you know this room was meant to be an office. It's served a practical purpose for the last four years, but now a playroom seems so much more practical.

I love being practical.

I want a minivan. It's practical. Not cool, but cool to me because it's practical. Enough said!

I'm getting my Fall decorations down this weekend. Can't wait! I heart October!

Jacob refused to smile for his picture of his first day a school.

Jacob was a little freaked out at first but Mrs. Nicole made everything better. Now he talks about her all of the time. Right now they are learning all about cowboys. Jacob loves to come home and yell, Yee Haw!

The other night we went on a fun outing to a birthday party for our friend Shanta. I dressed all of us in blue and white stripes on purpose. I thought my boys looked very cute!

Getting a head start on the trike! Look out Lance A. !

This is an O'Quinn boy for sure! I just love those cheeks!!!!

The Cowboys and cool weather...

2008-09-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

How bout them Cowboys! they are fun to watch and one reason why I love the Fall so much! Holly and I enjoyed reading and drinking coffee on the patio this morning! The temperature was a cool 55 degrees and we take advantage of those few days out of the year to relish peaceful outdoor enjoyment...the only thing better would have been doing it in the mountains with the faint scent of pinon and pine. Tomorrow, we may try it again and just burn some incense.

Jason

FREE TIME!

2008-09-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a bit frustrated I can't get this video posted on my blog. I've uploaded it to You Tube and it's failing to upload from there as well. Any advice would be appreciated. You can click on the link below to take you to the video on You Tube.

Any way, I have had some time on my hands in the last few days since Jacob has been with my parents since Thursday. It's been nice but I was thrilled to have him back at home last night. He had a great time and got spoiled rotten I'm sure. It's amazing how much you can get done with one child, especially when they are young and can sleep anywhere! Jason and I have enjoyed some fun Johnny time. It's been great. Since I had some extra free time I created a slideshow for Johnny's first few weeks.

Johnny it's amazing to think that before I ever held you in my arms you were held in the arms of God. You are His sweet boy, and nothing can ever change that. You belong to Him. We love you sweet Johnny Angel.

CUTENESS OVERLOAD

2008-08-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

This week I had the pleasure of meeting Jael DeYoung. She is an amazing gifted children's photographer in the Dallas area. I have been admiring her work for quite some time on her blog and have been extremely impressed. It amazed me what she could capture out of small children, and I knew she had to do the same with mine. Jael came over to the house to take pictures of both of the boys and she was awesome. She was every bit of patient with Johnny and his sleeping and eating and worked so well with Jacob getting him to explore and play while she got the very best of him. I would highly recommend Jael to you for your kids pictures. She's wonderful and truly gifted.

CLICK HERE FOR A CUTENESS OVERLOAD

LET MY PEOPLE GO and some other random stories and thoughts

2008-08-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

The other day Jacob was standing in the living room reading his books out loud and started yelling with much passion, "Let my people go"! It was really cute and he's done it a few times since then.

Last week I was burping Johnny and he spit up. Jacob was standing behind me when this happened and got soaked. I think it freaked him out.

Jacob observes the spitting up quite often. The other day he wanted to "hold you", so I picked him up and Jacob proceeded to spit on my shirt like he was being burped. Not cool.

Have I mentioned that about two weeks after Johnny was born, Jacob decided he wanted to potty train? I'm still not ready to do this. But he's going to do it anyway. He pees just fine, but the poo poo has only been an after thought on his part. He's certainly ready, but I'm not pushing it too much. Besides, I am feeding a baby all the time. It's kind of hard getting a toddler on the toilet when a baby is attached to you.

I finally watched our Net Flix movie that has been sitting there for months. 3:10 to Yuma is awesome! If you like westerns and don't mind an R rating (due to violence) then you will love this movie.

I loved the Olympics and am sad they are over. It was great to record them and then watch them at 3AM.

Johnny has doubled his weight. He was 10lbs 7oz at his 2 month appointment. I'm very proud.

Johnny does not sleep through the night yet. Jacob was sleeping 8 hours at 7 weeks. I'm ready for more sleep.

Jacob's favorite song right now is Adelweis (from The Sound of Music). This was his lullaby and ever since we had the baby he wants us to sing it to him at nap time and bed time. It's very precious the way he holds my hair and sings it in my ear with me.

Johnny has a reflux issue and has started taking a medication to help him out. It's working. Kind of.

Weight comes off slower after the 2nd child. Bummer.

I went to the American Idol concert on Monday. David Cook was awesome! He sang the Foo Fighters song Hero and it was AMAZING! I'm so glad he won.

Well, I'm up way to late. It's time to go get my pj's on a go to bed.

Blessings.

Little Butterball or Mr. Clean. He just need some hoop earrings!

Enjoying some Mozart after bath time on the Nano! Notice how Jason attached it inside the diaper clasp.

Jason begged me to swaddle him the other night. Strange, I know.

Reading material is key while potty training!

I kept missing his smile when I would take a picture. I need a better camera. Grrr.

OUR LITTLE EARLY BIRD

2008-07-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for such a huge delay in posting. We have been great and we love getting to know our little Johnny. He's really sweet and really fun to cuddle with. Johnny is a good baby but is certainly more of a challenge than Jacob. I think the longer they have to bake the better off they are when they come out. However, Johnny was healthy baby boy and we are more than thrilled that he came early to see us. He's become a really great eater and already weighs around 10 pounds! Can you believe it?! At his two week appointment he had gained 23 ounces since he left the hospital. He may exceed Jacob before long! :) We have had lots of friends help out as well as family. Our amazing cell group and other friends were able to provide meals for the first five weeks. It was a huge blessing to not have to worry about meals at all. This is my first week to be back in the kitchen and I know it's going to be an interesting balance to tend to the boys and get a healthy dinner on the table that is not something frozen from a box! I'll let you know how it goes.

I am feeling good and have bounced back from this pregnancy/delivery so much better than the last time. I will share more about our story and labor etc. soon but I have to say I absolutely loved going drug free on this one. It made a huge difference and was great for someone like me who loves to control things. Of course there was pain, but I was in control. Awesome.

Well here is what you really care about. How about some pictures?!

Three generation's of O'Quinn boys! This was when Johnny was about a week old.

The 4th of July with Great Grandmommy Betty. My grandfather Johnny would have been proud!

I have to give a huge shout out to my mother-in-law who stayed with us and helped out for a whole week! I really needed the help after Johnny was born and my parents had a vacation planned so they were unable to help right after the baby came. It was a huge blessing. She helped out with Jacob and Johnny especially when he was nursing every three hours during the night. We love you!!! Come back at any time :)

This was taken on his due date.

Sweet Sweet Baby. One month old!

Jacob loves to give his brother lots and lots of kisses and hugs. It's difficult at times since he is always wanting to be near him and hold him. I don't know if I've mentioned this before or not, but Jacob is extremely tender hearted and he is amazing already as a brother. It makes my heart swell with pride witnessing the love in his heart for his little brother.

Well hello there.

Johnny loves to be swaddled. He is a much different baby from Jacob. I could lay out a blanket and lay Jacob down and he would stretch out for a long time. Johnny loves to be held and he loves to be swaddled. There is quite a difference between 37 weeks and 41.

Cousins picture. My sisters family has been visiting from Africa for the last 5 weeks. They leave on Tuesday and we are sad to see them go. We had so much fun with Emma and Clara and getting to catch up with my sister M'Liss and brother Clint.

Aunt Traci and cousins Audrey and Zach came for a visit on Saturday. Zach didn't make the picture.

Well, I'd better go. My oldest child is watching way too much television as I type this. Blessings.

2008-06-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends. Just a quick update that we are home and doing well. I can't believe how fast this has all happened and we are now taking care of our little Johnny. He is precious and every bit of sweet as you can ever imagine. He's such a tiny little man. Well, I've got to go catch some zzzz's more thoughts to come soon.

Hello Tiny Johnny

Family Picture... It's impossible to get Jacob to pose for anything.

Milk Mouth

Brothers meeting for the first time... This was an amazing moment.

Johnny Is Here!

2008-06-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

He was 3 weeks early, but John Max has joined us! Holly and I went to the Rangers Game yesterday (if was a request of hers before the baby came) and she started having contractions during the game! By 5pm they were 3 to 4 minutes apart. At 7pm we arrived at the hospital where her water proceeded to break in the lobby. Johnny was born at 8:35pm on 6/19/2008 weighing in at 5'8 and measuring 19 inches long. Mom and Baby are great!

Pictures to follow!

Jason

OLD HABITS ARE HARD TO BREAK

2008-06-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

Brooke who is my wonderful nurse commented that she could not believe how fast my pregnancy has gone. I told her that I had to agree. The second one is far different than the first. I'm much more sore with this one, and a lot more tired. I have spent most of my pregnancy pushing through much of the discomfort and fatigue. It's been worth it though. I really enjoy staying busy and being on top of things. However the last few weeks have proved to be quite a challenge. Jacob's most wonderful Mother's Day Out program dismissed at the end of May, and my weekly Bible Study is taking the Summer off. The weeks following have presented a challenge for structure and sanity especially in the midst of my final weeks counting down to Johnny. I have been working on a new routine that is partially planned throughout the week (with some flexibility), but I have tried not to get any of us tied down too much due to the arrival of our little guy, and the rest and down time my body keeps telling me I need.

Did I mention this was a challenge? I'm sure that any one of you can relate that change of habit brings on a time of adjustment. My two year old has experienced this, and thought himself clever enough to attempt at manipulating the circumstances while preying on my lack of energy. He got the best of me. Seriously, allow me to elaborate on the gripping details...

It all started with BITING! Yes, I have the marks to prove it! I couldn't believe it actually happened, but I don't believe it was in anger or with much understanding of the the pain it caused. It was still awful and the discipline to follow wasn't easy but I think he got the hint really quick. Oh yeah, then there was HITTING. Jacob has an obsession with the garbage can (the kitchen garbage can), and is constantly putting his hands and mouth on it. Gross! In my attempt to "engage" Jacob so he understand that his mommy meant no he proceeded to hit me in the face and tell me no. This of course happened the day after he had bit me, so my confidence was beginning to crack. I still took on a strict course of action, but I had a hard time removing my scowl when seated with the family over dinner. There were also numerous tantrums during my errand days and even at the public library. I cried to myself, to God, and to Jason, and my mom on a number of occasions during those first few weeks of adjustment and I can confidently say that I survived and so did Jacob. Sigh...I know there are only more challenging times to come, but that was by far some of my hardest two weeks of motherhood/discipline I've ever experienced. Our little man has come around and is really impressing both Jason and me. He can be such a terror at times, but I still can see his heart and I KNOW that it is good.

It's times like these that God nudges me and lets me see myself through the rebellion of my own child. Ouch! Do you have to make it so obvious Lord?! Why does this change of habit have to be so hard?! Forgive me. Thank you for disciplining me in my time of rebellion. I know that means you are still close to me and your love abounds far greater than I deserve.

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Baby Johnny Update:
The sono we had a few weeks ago showed no complications. I was measuring small so they wanted to make sure everything was still on track. There is no change in my due date and Johnny looked great. He's just little. Big surprise! He weighed 4.13 two weeks ago when I was nearly 35 weeks which put him in the 29th percentile. I went back to the doctor yesterday and had a routine GBS test, which I doubt there will be any problems. I also found out I'm dilated 1cm. This is no surprise to me and if it's anything like Jacob I could sit at a few cm's for weeks! I may be eating my words but I'm not counting on it. Actually, considering the size of Johnny I'd like for him to bake a little longer. We go back to the doctor next week for a routine sono and hopefully he has grown some. I was measuring yesterday at 30cm and I'm 36 weeks... Again, we just long and pray for a healthy baby boy.

Have I mentioned I am going completely natural with this delivery? Some of you are familiar with my experience with Jacob, so you would understand why. I'm really excited about this, and I think Jason is still trying to get used to the idea but it's going to be totally different and I really am looking forward to that. I am still delivering in a hospital, just a doula rather than drugs. I will let you know how it goes and what I honestly think. Promise. For those of you who think I'm crazy, then you obviously haven't heard about my last experience. To deliver Johnny that same way...now that would be crazy! :) I know it's what is best for us.

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Pictures

Adorable huh? Jacob loves to strum Jason's guitar. He's quite the little musician who is always singing and can even match my pitch when I sing it to him. Don't you know this excites me?!

Jacob's last day of school had a really fun carnival type setting with a bounce house. Needless to say, he loved it!

This was back in April on his Birthday. This car has been so much fun for him. He just loves "beep beep's"!

The Fire Truck Birthday! What a blast! He was so excited to be sitting up there he just started clapping his hands.

Back in March on a much needed trip to Taos. It's extremely hard to get Jacob still for pictures. This was the best one...

Well, hopefully I'll do a little bit better on updating due to more time and lots of change to come soon!

Blessings.

Hey Friends

2008-06-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Our Dr. appointment went well yesterday. We got to see little Johnny in 3D. I always love that. We stuck a sucker in Jake's mouth so he would be still enough to see Johnny for the first time.

We'll be nesting if you need us...

Jason

HEART STRETCHING

2008-05-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Life has been a whirlwind lately. I'm glad things are slowing down.

Only seven weeks to go and still so many little things to take care of. The anticipation of Johnny grows so much more each day. Isn't the feeling of growing love so amazing? It's exciting to think our family is going from three to four in only a matter of weeks. Love grows, and Gods fills my heart as only He can. Some days I can't begin to know how I'm going to balance the ambitious little monkey we call Jacob, and a tiny baby's cry. There's assurance that plenty of parents do it every day and with even more than two, but going back to what God gives me is an even better assurance. There are things that come naturally as a mother, but wouldn't you agree there are many things that don't but you wish they did?! Most mornings I find myself praying that God would help me exhibit the fruits of the spirit. Lord, help me today that I would be grounded in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, so my child would witnesses your love for him which is far greater than my own. Thank you Lord for stretching my heart with love and this call to motherhood as only you can.

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BIRTHDAY'S AND MILESTONES
Birthday: Jacob celebrated his 2nd birthday in April. It was fun and sad at the same time. He's now a boy and no longer my little baby. The party was fun with plenty of friends and family. We did things small at our home with a fire truck theme. Jacob loves fire trucks and trying to make the sounds of the siren which gets old really fast on most occasions. Jason was able to pull a few strings and got our local fire department to come out to the house. The kids were extremely excited and Jacob had a blast sitting in the driver seat of the fire truck.

New Room: Jacob has moved rooms and is now sleeping in what used to be our guest room. This also means he has transitioned to a big boy bed. I assumed that this was going to be hard, but actually I haven't had huge problems. I think part of this goes back to the fact that he's such a great sleeper. Nap time and bed time have been a smooth transition. The only problem we've had is even though we have a side rail Jacob tends to move around in his sleep a lot and has fallen off the end of the bed. Of course when he would do this (which has only happened twice) he wouldn't even wake up. The problem has been rectified with two large european pillows that sit at the end of his bed, and now he no longer falls off.

Booster Chair: Jacob is out of the high chair and sits in a booster seat. It's been really great when we sit down as a family at dinner to have Jacob sitting between us at the table. We love it and it's so great to watch him put his hands out to both Jason and me and say "let's pray".

That's about it for Jacob. I always think about writing one of those sappy "I can't believe you're already two" posts, but I'm such a perfectionist I would hardly have enough time to finish it. Anyway, Jacob is the greatest two year old and it so much fun to watch him change and grow. His favorite place to be is outside. His favorite color is yellow. He can count to 14 with some help. He loves singing songs especially The Wheels On The Bus. He's all about cars and "beep beep trucks". He spends much of his time lining his cars up in special ways and playing with them on our couch or on top of his toy box. He likes eating hot dogs, chicken nuggets, most fruits, corn, sweet potatoes, peas, cheese, and he loves bread! Don't take him to feed the ducks because he won't share it with them.

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Pregnancy Update:
Today I am 33 weeks and doing fine. My only complaint is my pinched nerve. I never had this issue with Jacob but I wasn't toting a toddler around either. I do well with my walking, stretching, and regular visits to the chiropractor. Also, I have a support belt which has become my best friend. I pretty much wear it everyday, and especially when I walk and do things around the house. We have done a poor job taking pictures of my progression but I'll see if I can get one posted on here soon.

I have had typical doctors appointments with no complications. Johnny is growing and looks great. I'm measuring small but it was the same way with Jacob. My doctor said it probably wouldn't interfere with my due date but more than likely that I have small babies. More of this will be confirmed at my next appointment in two weeks.

We are looking forward to a lot of fun things in the weeks to come. We have weddings, holidays, birthdays, and fun people to see. My sister and her family will be coming back for about five weeks from Africa which is where they now call home. It's going to be great since they will be here when Johnny is born. We are very excited!

Anyway, that's plenty of blabbing for now.

Blessings.

July 11th

2008-05-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jason here. As you know, little Johnny is due July 11th. We have his nusery ready and Jake is now in his new room. We still have a study in our house, but no longer do we have a guest room. Holly and I like the fact that we offcially use every square foot of real estate in our house. Resourceful, for sure.

Who ever said someone had to have a guest room? Can't family and friends sleep on the couch or on the floor? We also have lot's of hotels around us.

Did you have a guest bedroom in your house growing up?

Jason

Peace? Jason Here...

2008-05-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have been meeting with a group of guys every week for 3 years. We meet at an old Pub and talk about God. This week, a friend of mine asked a good question.

Can we be at peace and be searching for peace at the same time?

Your thoughts?

Petra Lending Update

2008-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking...why is Jason posting and not Holly? Where did she go?! Well, she is around, but being 7 months pregnant and raising a 2 year old sometimes means free time is spent doing other things!

I am posting an update about our company, Petra Lending Group. As you know, we are a residential real estate firm that consults with clients looking to buy/sell or finance properties. Over the last 2 years, we have seen many changes in our national market in regards to liquidity and financing availability. This, of course, has a direct on impact on peoples perception of how they should handle their real estate matters. The reality is that the market is correcting and everything is settling as it should.

Even in the midst of instability in the market, we have experienced modest growth at PLG! I must say that I love what I do. By God's grace He has provided and I get to spend my days helping people. My hope is that in all things, His name is glorified in our business.

I was listening to a sermon on Family Life Radio this morning and was reminded that it's OK to ask for prayers! Will you pray for us? Pray that God will guide us and that we will serve Him in the marketplace.

Thank you for your support!

Jason

By the way, be looking for a picture post of Jake's birthday!

Middle Name? (Jason, again)

2008-04-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, Jake turns 2 years old on Friday! Can you believe it! Holly and I have been working on getting his room ready. He is most excited about his bunk beds. He is ready to move to a big bed, but his parents are not as excited. Next thing you know, he will be driving.

Holly is doing well with pregnancy #2. We are getting close...July 11th is the due date! Still no middle name picked...what do you think goes well with "Johnny"?

(By the way, his official name will be John _____ O'Quinn)

Random Thoughts:

1. Thank goodness for online TV. The Office last week was replaced with 30 minutes of us watching a storm cell pass over Dallas. It never rained at our house.

2. The Mavs are not very good.

3. We need to have a garage sale.

Jason

10 Things I Love (Jason)

2008-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post 10 things I love, not including God, Wife, Son, Family, etc.

1. Taos, New Mexico
2. Green Chili
3. 4-Wheeling in the mountains
4. A good book
5. Guinness
6. Strong Coffee
7. Cards and Conversation with Friends
8. Long Dinners with Holly. Must have steak, butterfish, a wedge salad, and a good glass of wine
9. Coming Home
10. Apple Fritter's

(oh, and number 11, Football)

Jason

Easter

2008-03-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Last week was so crazy. It was spring break and everything was off. Jacob decided not to go to sleep during his nap three days out of 7...what?!!! He's always been such an amazing little sleeper and then this happens, and right before I'm getting ready to transition him to a new bed. Ug! Jacob also decided to let himself out of the house. I always keep the door to our patio locked because it has the handle that pulls down rather than turns, but I left it unlocked after coming in from being outside. I got distracted on a phone call as I was working to resolve a bill, so I put a show on for Jacob and gave him some juice. The next thing I know I'm looking out my front window and see Jacob wandering around our front yard. Oh no he didn't! On Saturday we went to the church Easter Egg Hunt. It was a lot of fun, but started at the tail end of Jacob's nap so we were a little late. The hunt didn't end up going well for Jacob since all of the bigger kids got most of the eggs. He was a little upset but there were a few kids who offered him some of their own eggs, which we were so grateful for. We had planned to eat after the egg hunt but by this time they were done grilling the burgers and dogs so we left feeling very hungry. We decided to go out to eat at La Hacienda Ranch where Jacob decided to throw the largest tantrum I have ever witnessed! It didn't matter what we did, he was going to kick and scream and any attempt to calm him was not received. We ended up disciplining him and leaving the restaurant. We still had not had anything to eat when we left. Yesterday was busy but a lot of fun. We had four services at church and I was helping out in all four of the services with some music. Jason was so good to get Jacob up and ready for church all on his own. We attended the first service as a family and Jason and Jacob hung around for a little while during the second service. Jacob was having a great time running around outside and around the foyer. If you've seen him run then you know what I mean when I say he runs as fast as his legs will let him. At one point Jacob was running and tripped hitting his head on some crown molding that framed a window. This was a first ( I can't believe it either), for him to hit his head like this and it was sooooo loud. He screamed so hard it broke my heart. Now he has a big fat goose egg on his head but at least his hair covers it. I realize that even in all of the craziness and frustration of an off week God still reveals himself through the heart of our son. I think there were a few times I wanted to kick and scream myself, but the patience and understanding comes more easily when I look at the precious heart of this child rather than the outer things that frustrate me. Being a mom is really hard but loving my child overflows more than I ever thought possible.

This was moments before hitting his head. He looks like a little man doesn't he?

Jacob had a blast painting with his Tadoodles paints. Those are a brilliant idea for little ones who can't figure out how to hold a paint brush yet. Of course he did much of the painting on himself, but it was still fun. I tried to keep his hands out of his mouth but he's getting his last two teeth and there was no winning on this one. The bath water turned a nice blue hue the moment I got him in there.

Well, I have more pictures to post but I can't get any more to load for some reason. I'll post more later

Picture Post

2008-03-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Actually, I just got done writing a post about Jacob and by accident I hit refresh. I lost my funny and scary stories about him. Hopefully you'll just settle for pictures.

These blinds do not raise. Jacob is watching the big truck outside our house. Trucks are his latest fascination.

Jacob enjoying his favorite book. We read this book almost every day. If I don't read it with him he will read it on his own.

On President's Day Jason took a half day and we went to the park by our house. We had so much fun walking along the trails and getting some energy out.

My boys! Aren't they precious? Have I mentioned how excited I am to be having another boy? We are so excited about little Johnny being a part of the family soon. Today I was trying to get Jacob to say Johnny and I think he thought I was saying doggy! He would say Johnny and then let out a woof woof.... I hope he doesn't think I'm going to give birth to a dog. He would be really disappointed.

Trust me, we were watching him by the water. He would probably jump in if we let him. Our child is extremely ambitious and doesn't seem bothered by fear. Yikes!

I took this after cell group the other night. Most weeks at cell Jacob is outnumbered by the girls in the group. Sometimes, it can be a little overwhelming for him but he manages. These sweet girls are Alexa and Addison Toy, and Evelyn Mitchell.

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That's all for now. I was in NYC last week on a much needed girls trip. We had a blast! One of my favorite times was going to Kats Deli in SoHo. You might remember a famous movie scene that took place there from When Harry Met Sally. Yeah, that's the one. I didn't order what Meg Ryan did, but my Rueben sandwich was beyond words delicious!

The Office

2008-02-27T02:20:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile. There is no excuse offered, except that I just wasn't in the mood to blog. Why blog? In my opinion it's got to be something I enjoy doing for myself, before I can offer some words and family updates to my readers. Okay, so I gave an excuse but I'm not apologizing.

This morning I'm finding myself in a situation I hate. I can't sleep. I've been up since 3:30 due to my constant coughing keeping me and my husband awake. While being propped up on pillows helps, sitting up is much better for my asthma. In the last 45 minutes my coughing has subsided. Currently I am sitting on the couch in our living room in the dark with only the glow of my computer providing some light. It is kind of nice having the house this quiet and dark. At this point if I try to look around I can't really see anything, so my household responsibilities aren't evident. It's nice.

Because I choose to stay at home, I see the house as my office. All of it. Everything from the laundry down to the crumb on the floor I mentally and (most days) physically take on as my responsibility. I can't function if I don't. Seriously, to me mess creates chaos in my mind. I'm not implying that my house is perfect. Currently there are still a few dishes from last night's dinner in the sink, laundry on the guest room bed that needs to folded and put away, and lots of crumbs on the floor of my kitchen. It just looms over me though. When things are not complete I feel unsatisfied and almost like I'm not pulling my weight.

I enjoy doing administrative work because it involves order, lots of to do list's, and there's a stopping point for tasks. Administrative work gives such a sense of completion. Does that make sense? When I used to leave my office at the end of the day even though there were projects that took me weeks to complete, it still had its' own little area and was neatly labeled and put away in my file drawer. It was out of sight and awaiting completion. My function and chaos level was much more easily controlled then.

My "office" of the last two years does not provide this sense that I search for. Many days I find that my attitude suffers and I dread the thought of a simple task being dragged out of the cabinet and ending up in the middle of my living room floor. Sometimes it's the lack of praise and pats on the back for being so on top of things. Then it turns into something uglier...resentment. Sigh...

However, even in the midst of piles of laundry, sticky hands on my windows, and dishes in the sink, God speaks.

Honor me.

Before your family and before yourself...Honor me.

Honor me with the work of your hands.

If you don't get it all done today, it's okay. Live your life honorably so that those who enter your home will see MY Glory.

When I view my work as honoring God my attitude changes, resentment is lifted, and chaos is managed. Crumbs are still not gone, laundry is still there, and dishes remain endless, but God provides me assurance that I'm making it. I don't want to strive to be some ideal woman. That's foolish. Rather, when someone asks me if like where I work I can truthfully answer saying, "Yes, I enjoy my office and I LOVE my job".

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On another note:
Even though I haven't shared this publicly on the blog before now, I think many of you know that Jacob is going to be a big brother! Even better... we found out today that it's going to be another boy!!! It warms my heart to think of having two little boys so close in age. Jacob will have been 2 years old for 2 months when the baby is born in July. My nephews are this close together in age and they are the best of friends. I pray that mine will have a similar experience.

Well, I'm going to try and get a cat nap before the sun comes up. Blessings.

Pictures and Jacob updates will come soon...hopefully. :)

Urban Cowboy...

2007-12-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

Ummmmm.....

2007-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that I say umm way to much. Jacob has starting saying this in all of his conversations with me. He's babbling all of the time and sticks in words or umm when h'se looking at me. It's so funny to me because he has an expression on his face that I know is a Billingsley trait. You may have seen this, it's a very serious, intent look and my eyebrows are raised while my eyes are looking to the side. It's scary but I already see so much of myself in Jacob.

I'll be honest with you. I MIGHT get around to updating you all with what has been going on with us lately but I don't feel like doing it now. I'm extremely tired tonight but I feel convicted that I have neglected this blog. I have started writing a lot of blog entires in my head while I'm cleaning or doing some sort of mindless project, but I just lack the enthusiasim to put the text down. Probably because it's really deep and I shy away from deep blog posts out of fear of judgement...just being honest.

Anyway, how about some uncontrollable cuteness?

We went to Oktober Fest a few weeks ago. Jacob loved the Polka Band!

Why am I always the shortest one?

A sneak preview of what's to come at Halloween!

Jacob devouring his first Oreo... acutally it's a Newman-O which I think are a lot better. I gave this to him after dinner so he would be quiet while Jason and I talked. It seemed like a good idea but then he was bouncing off of the walls from all of the sugar. Silly boy...silly mommy!

When It Rains It Pours

2007-08-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Life has been a little frazzled around the O’Quinn house as of late, so please accept my apologies for the lack of posting any new information.

When it rains it pours right? As explained in a previous post, our entire air conditioning system went out a few weeks ago and had to be replaced. Now we are dealing with our wood floors. Before we moved into our house 3 years ago we had our master bathroom completely remodeled. Over time there was a small leak from our new tiled shower and it caused our beautiful wood floors to buckle. Ug! So last November we had the leak fixed. It wasn’t an easy process since they had to rip up the tile in the shower and tear into the wall in our living room. Ug! We allowed for things to “dry up” for awhile before we started on the floors, and here we are a total of eight months later getting the floors fixed. If only it were that easy! Last week when the floor guys came to rip up the floors there was still A LOT of moisture and they did not want to proceed until we were sure the leak was fixed. So, we had to tear into the wall for the second time and live with it and the ripped up floors for a week before we made any assessments. Mamma Mia! Well, I’m happy to say that the leak is in fact fixed and the area is as dry as a bone! Whew... Our house has not been a safe environment for a crazy toddler like Jacob. Anyway, the floor guys are back out today and installing the floors. Jacob is down at my parents house, and I’m confined to our home office while the guys are working.

Strange Story:
One of the workmen was asking me where our breaker box was ,and since it is in the back of the house inside a closet I needed to show him. When I came back out and walked into my kitchen one of the guys had gone into our fridge and was helping himself to our ice tea! What! I asked him, “so are you just going to help yourself to our ice tea?” and he said “yeah, just a little bit”. I wanted to scream! I told him to put the tea back in the fridge and had Jason call the guy who is in charge of the job. That guy is now no longer here. I don’t like to be rude but that was uncalled for don’t you think? If he had asked for some it would have been one thing, but just to assume he have fridge rights is beyond my own comprehension. Even though this is a very reputable company we are working with, I felt like this was a scene from The Money Pit and I’m Shelly Long dealing with freaks who have to hand me things out of my medicine cabinet. It’s been such a crazy day.

In all seriousness though, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. It seems as though a lot of different things have been going wrong with either the house, the cars, our trees, the refrigerator, and everywhere I look I’m seeing dollar signs rather than the abundance of blessings God has given our family. I am still learning though, and just like Paul I strive to be content whatever the circumstances. The things of this world will always disappoint us. My hope, rather...OUR hope is in the Lord!

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Jacob continues to be a little monkey. The other day I had my head turned for a mere second and he was standing on the end table stroking the lamp shade like it was a kitty. Crazy little guy. He’s so funny though, and my life is never dull because of him. So, because of all of this energy I have decided to enroll him in Sunshine School at a local church in the area. I’m nervous but I’m also very excited to. Jacob is extremely extroverted and I think he will really thrive in this environment! What a blessing it was that I was able to reserve him in the last spot that was available. They only allow 7 kids in his age group so I was thrilled to get him in when I did. The school is only two days a week and you have the option to do one or two days. I decided to start with one day and week and see how he does during his first month. I will be substituting for the school and if I work only one day a month it will cover more than half of his monthly tuition. That’s a huge blessing.

A Few New Words:
“A Book”: Which really sounds like he’s saying “Abu” the monkey from Disney’s Aladdin. This has been a huge deal for me since he is finally enjoying to sit down and read. He loves to play with his books and hand them to Jason and me for him to be read to. Love it!

“I did it”: Which sounds like ”I dee-et”

“Amen”: Which sounds like “Ah-beh”. He finishes the prayers with a very precious amen.

He has also added “Moo” and “Meow” to his animal sounds.

What a fun age. I love watching him grow up...if only it didn’t have to be so quickly!

I don't have a lot of recent pics. This is a mohawk picture of Jacob when we were on vacation. The quality isn't very good since I had it set on landscape, but it's hilarious!

Mommy and her sweet little boy!

Oh No You Didn't!!!!!

2007-08-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

I thought the plant fascination was over with...boy was I wrong! On Saturday Jason and I were both working in the kitchen assuming our angelic child was quietly playing on the floor with his toys. Knowing that it all of a sudden seemed more quiet than normal I peeked my head into the living room and this it what we found. It seemed best to capture this with a picture in an effort to keep me from coming unglued. It was only about the third time it had happened that day. Seriously, the kid has not cared about plants for about three months. Why all of a sudden when he's faster and smarter does he take up an old habit? Ug!

Yeah, it's official. I'm the mom of a toddler, or should a say a little monkey? He climbs on everything. I was the same way as a child. If there was something bigger than me I was going to find any way I could to conquer it. Last week I was on the phone and Jacob was out of my eyesight for a few minutes. He had figured out how to climb from the back of the couch to the front of it. I caught him when he was almost all the way over. How in the world?!!!! On average I probably stop breathing 2 or 3 times a day. The bigger he gets the more ambitious he gets. Maybe I should enter him in a gymnastics class. He really needs a playground in the backyard but I refuse to pay full price for one, so I've been looking around at second hand stores and garage sales. Have you ever priced a plastic slide at Wal-mart? Yikes! Let me know if you hear of any good sales.

In other news we've been working at staying cool this summer. Ha! Our air conditioning went out over the weekend, and we ended up having to replace the entire system. Thankfully the technician who came to the house on Saturday was able to kick start the fan until they could come out on Monday to replace the system. Praise the Lord! We ran the air but it was making a horrible sound, so we ran the air on 80-82 so it wouldn't run much. It was a lovely weekend...actually it was a lot of fun. We had some wonderful family time and played with Jacob a lot. Here a few pictures from the weekend.

Oh! By the way...here are some Jacob stats. He has now grown 4 inches in the last 3 months putting him in the 25th percentile for height. There is still hope that he'll end up tall! His weight is another story...Jake is still weighing in at a whopping 19.3 pounds putting him in the 3rd percentile. I'm feeding him, but he just runs it all off! I wish that worked on me as well.

We got away from the heat on Sunday by playing out in the backyard and doing a little yard work....

My happy wet boy!

Helping dad with the plants. There's nothing better than getting drenched and then rolling around in some dirt! Jacob definitely left a ring around the bath tub that night!!!!

Well, take care and stay cool.

Blessings.

I need a vacation!

2007-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

The month of July has been a lot of fun. Jason and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. What a blessing it is to be married to my dearest and best friend. Jason is one of those people who you love to be around becuase he has a contagious personality. If you're down, go spend some time with Jason. He's awesome. I love you sweetie!

Here is a fun picture of Jason on our anniversary. We spent the night at the beautiful Hotel Palomar in Dallas. This hotel is really modern and sophisticated. We LOVED it. We also enjoyed an amazing meal next door at Trader Vics. It's a unique island theme restaurant with delicious drinks and food. I highly recommend it!

We had the most amazing vacation in Taos NM. It was great because we got to spend a lot of time relaxing. The last few months have been a lot of change for us. We have hired some new employees and moved to a new office, thus taking on a lot of greater responsibilities and liabilities. While we are confident this is exactly where the Lord wants us to be it does add to our level of stress. I'm really proud of Jason and the great work he has been doing since he has been taking on the majority of it all. If you haven't heard me mention PLG (Petra Lending Group) you should check us out www.petralending.com We've been helping a lot of ACU friends lately, and it's been tons of fun catching up with them..... Okay! I totally did not intend to go down such a rabbit hole there. Anyway.... back to Taos. It was great. We were there at the same time as Jason's parents were so we had a lot of help with Jacob. It allowed Jason and I some time together. We did a lot of reading and hanging out. One day Jason and I went over to Santa Fe. We enjoyed some really great galleries, and I took some fun pictures. On another day we drove out to the gorge and hiked down to some natural hot springs. When we were down there we met a couple who were ready to get into the spring and had no inhibitions with disrobing in front of us and getting in the spring! I took that as our que to leave, especially since we had Jacob with us. It was pretty funny though! All in all it was a great trip. Jacob did really awesome considering all of the changes. He had two teeth that were coming through, and the altitude change really took a toll on him. He ended up with a cold and cough, but smiled through all of it. I will say that the saving grace was the portable DVD player we bought before we left. Seriously, I'm certain it saved us a lot of crying. Now he's on a video fast. Ha! At first I thought I would never allow Jacob to watch that many DVD's, but when you are on the road for close to 12 hours you will do whatever you can to keep the little guy happy. I felt super guilty at first but all the guilt was gone by the time we were on our way back to Texas. What a trooper!

Our first day in Toas we went shopping and walked around Bent Street with Jason's parents. Here is Jacob outside a toy store that has amazing stuffed animals. Jacob's Grammie and Paw Paw bought this precious little monster (from Where The Wild Things Are) for him. It was a hit! The store owner even came out and watched him embrace the monster. It was really cute.

Three generations of O'Quinn boys....

The Hollyhocks were absolutley beautiful. I took lots of pictures of them. I can't believe I had the guts to take pictures among all of these bees! They were everywhere and huge!

Did I mention that we did lots of eating?!!! Taos has some of the greatest food! One of our favorite's is Michael's Kitchen. I think we ate there 3 or 4 times. They have some of the best new mexican cuisine, and an awesome bakery. Here is Jason with one of their delicious cinnamon rolls. Yum!

The only family photo we took. This was at the gorge before we ran into our "friends" at the hot spring.

I love this picture! If Jacob could say more, I think he would probably say "my dad is my hero". He really does prefer Jason over me. I love it that he loves his dad so much.

We had a wonderful time, but it's always good to be home.

Blessings.

Funny Story

2007-07-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful relaxing vacation in Taos, NM. I will post more about our trip soon, but I wanted to fill you in on Jacob's newest word. Friday morning Jacob was cuddling in bed with Jason when he turned to him, touched his nipple, and said "NO". It was really cute and I can only assume that will not be the last we hear of the that word.

Picture Post

2007-07-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys! I don't really have much time to write anything but I thought I would post some recent pictures of Jacob.

We finally got around to taking pictures of Jacob in his Born To Be A Wildcat onesie. Which one do you like better? This one...or...

...this one?

Have I mentioned that Jacob refuses to wear a bib? He just tears it off, so certain foods make a huge mess. See what I mean?

Getting clean in the kitchen sink!

We went to our favorite mexican joint Chuy's on Saturday. Here is Jacob with his first taste of sherbert.

Jacob has started climbing into the drawers in our kitchen. I'm just glad he hasn't figured out the dryer.

He seems to be surprised about something.

My boys! Have I ever mentioned how much a love raising a boy. I would be happy either way, but I just love having a boy. I would be perfectly content if all of our children were boys and I was the only girl in the home. That may sound weird to some of you.

This was last night at dinner. I know I'm biased, but isn't that one of the sweetest faces you've seen?

Well, I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. I'll post more later.

Blessings.

My Boy

2007-06-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

I sure do love my Boy. There is nothing better than coming home from the office and watching him run to my arms.

We took a picture of him a few weeks ago asleep at the dinner wheel. It was funny. I also like the picture of he and I with our lawn mowers. He uses his more than I use mine.

Jason

As Time Goes By...

2007-06-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Wow. Jacob has been growing and changing so much lately. He is going to turn 14 months on the 25th and he's really hit some milestones that just crack me up. He talks A LOT! It amazes me how much his vocabulary has expanded. Last night he started saying bath time. It was really cute. He is also saying all done, brush, and birdie. He says "doo" for drink, which has made understanding requests a lot easier. He has discoverd the function of talking on the phone as well, so everytime it rings he thinks it's Jason and he'll say da da. He is also finding it fun to pretend that anything is a phone that he can hold up to his ear. Most of the time it's his remote and he'll walk around the room babbling away. Jacob has no clue the entertainment he provides. Since I've missed telling you all about a lot of Jacob's milestones I guess I can fill you in a little bit.

1. He started walking exclusively about a week before his first birthday in April. He had been taking a few steps here and there but really took to walking about a week before. Now he just runs. Seriously....runs.

2. He's cutting his 6th tooth. The incisors are horrible. Lot's of fever and fussiness.

3. I told you about his words, but his favorite is da da. He absolutley adores Jason and has a fit when he leaves in the morning for work. He just loves to love on him and play with him. It's a lot of fun to watch.

4. His 12 month check up was at the end of April. Jacob was in the 3rd pertentile for height, 8th for weight, and 25th for head, he's such a little dude but full of spunk!!!!

5. Jacob loves going outside to play and has become quite the hit with the neighborhood kids. He often stands at the back door crying to go into the backyard. I'm getting a great tan.

6. We switched to the sippy cup. It was not as easy as I thought it would be, but the bottle was getting old and he was treating it more like a toy. I think I tried 5 or 6 different cups before he finally took one. He really likes the cups with the straws, but they leak and I can't stand them. At least he's using a cup though.

That's about it. Not a lot of things, or ones that I am not thinking of off the top of my head. Anyway, all is well with us. We are planning a vacation to Taos in July. This will be our first long roadtrip with Jacob so it should be interesting. We are all really excited to get out of the city for awhile and be in some fresh cool air. Petra is moving to a new office space on July 1 which is really exciting. We are going to have a lot more space and Jason will finally have an office with a window. If you've ever had an office without one, then you really understand that.

Any suggestions on good movies to see in the theater? Jason and I are actually going to go see one this Saturday. The last movie we saw together in the theater was The Pursuit of Happyness back in December. It's been awhile and there are so many summer movies out I don't even know where to start. I love movies but Jason could care less about the experience. I used to go to the movies by myself all the time. There is just something about getting there early, finding the perfect seat, eating a bag of popcorn, watching all of the previews, and then enjoying the movie. It's such a fun experience. Most of the time I feel totally out of touch with what is going on in the movies, when I used to know everything. So, as you can see Saturday is really important to me. Any guidance offered would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I will leave you all with some pictures of the muchkin...

I guess this answers the question of boxer's or brief's! Don't worry these are clean!

My little boy! He's running towards me...

Hello Blue Eyes!

Singing along with Praise Baby!

Playing with the water and sand table...

Yuck! Sand in the mouth!

Off to find a new discovery...

CLEVER CUTIE

2007-05-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

The other day I walked into the kitchen to find my child on the floor sucking on a scrub brush from underneath the sink. I did not calmly hold my composure before hastily removing the brush from his hand. I freaked out imagining all of the germs that the brush probably carried and then reality sunk in...how in the world did he get into the cabinet??? Yes, my almost 13 month old child has figured out the child proof safety locks on our kitchen cabinets!!!!!!! It was quite frustrating since this was the second time we had run into this problem. First, we used the locks that go on the inside of the door and it has a latch that catches. He figured those out simply by pressing all of his weight on the door and putting his hand on the latch to release it! I was very surprised. So, after the first failed attempt we resorted to the locks that go on the outside and fit around the hardware. We knew we had outsmarted the little guy and we actually did for a few months! However, to our disappointment the knobs on our cabinet doors are too close together. Of course Jason and I are not smart enough to figure it out, so we had been expanding the lock taking it off and putting it back on whenever we needed to get something out. Jacob just lifted the lock up and pulled it off! Talk about frustration! We have now opted for the rubber band approach. I guess we'll see how long it takes him to figure this one out. Clever little cutie huh?

Back In The Saddle Again

2007-05-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not an enthusiastic blogger. It would seem (at least to me) that leaving the blogging world for a brief stint would leave me with more insightful interesting things to write about. However, the reality is I have now ended up with a luandry list of happenings, milestones, trips, etc. to catch you all up on. So, my lack of enthusiasim bascially updates and informs my readers (glad you are still with me), that due to my absence I now have a lot of work ahead of me. Sigh...I feel better now.

It would make sense to start back in March when I last posted, but I'm going to wait on that. It requires some thought and I feel as though I need to make a list so I go in the correct order. Especially on the Jacob stuff. He's just changed so much. So, with that expressed I will just let you all know that we had a great Mother's Day. It's still takes some getting used to(being a mom), and highschool seems like it was just the other day. I can't believe I'm a mama. I love it, but since I'm being honest with you... it still continues to be an adjustment. I have day's that are really hard and I feel extremely selfish and guilty when all I want is some time to myself. Again, I love what I'm doing and Jacob is sweeter than I ever imagined he could be, there's just "those days". I'm sure there are some of you who can relate. Anyway, back to Mother's Day. We had a great time with both the O'Quinns and the Billingsley's. We got together for a delicious lunch and enjoyed each others company. Later, Jason's family came to our home for a visit before they got back on the road to head home to Tyler. It had been busy most of the day already since it was a praise team Sunday for me. Meaning I go to church at 7:30 and leave around 12:45. So, after family left yesterday and I got Jacob down for a really late nap, it was 5:00. I was exhausted and rested until Jacob woke up. All in all, it was such a special day and I'm so glad I got to spend it with my boys, and the rest of my family. I am truly blessed.

Here are some pictures from our fun day...

It amazes me that we got Jacob to look at the camera. This is very rare these days so I was really excited that he's smiling for the camera.

Jason holding Jacob. Isn't that face just adorable?!! That face gets cuter every day! I can't get enough.

Do you read this BLOG?

2007-05-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Holly told me today that she is not sure anyone reads this. Let's leave posts and encourage her to keep going! We have great pictures of Jake's 1st Birthday to show off!

Jason

Business Update

2007-04-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

In March, Holly and I took 100% ownership in PLG. We are excited about our work and we enjoy the service we provide our clients. Holly has allowed me space on her blog to place another "plug".

Entrepreneurship and "self-employment" run in both of our families. Holly's Dad owned a coffee distribution company for many years and my family has owned a commercial roofing business since 1933. As a child, it was drilled in my head from my Dad and Grandfather to get a "job" with a big Company, take a pension, go home at 5:00 pm and sleep well at night. This was often spoken in jest. True, there are headaches that come with owning your own business, many of which I have yet to experience. But as I see it, I wouldn't change a thing. I love witnessing, first hand, the fruits of my labor. I love being able to take pride in my work. I love satisfied clients. Mostly, I love glorifying God through my business in the marketplace. People often ask what Petra means. Petra is Greek for Peter (Rock) and upon the confession of Jesus as Lord, He said he would build His church. Upon that same confession, we build our company. Our ultimate goal is that people come to know the Lord through our efforts. That is true success.

I ask for your prayers as we move forward. And because our business is built on referrals, I ask for those too! I would like to visit with anyone you know who wants to purchase or refinance a home. We also provide home equity loans which help many as they seek to consolidate debt and manage cash flow.

Thanks for your support of Petra Lending Group and I will keep you posted along the way.

God Bless-

Jason

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

2007-03-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

It seems as though our life never slows down. We have had so much going on in the last two months, I don't even know where to begin to tell you. I guess you could say the biggest endeavor is that we now have full ownership over the company Jason has been partnering with over the last year and a half. It's been such an amazing experience and a huge step of faith for both of us. Titus 3:8 have been words to live by for Jason and me. As we move forward in this, we long to do only what is good, and allow the work of our hands to serve as an example that is profitable for the sake of Christ. We also decided in February that I would stop working my job from home, so I could devote more time to some of my passions, like being with Jacob all day every day and working with our church more. I know I'm not the first to admit this, but it's hard work. It really is. Despite all of that, I would not change a thing at this time. I love it!!!!

Well, amidst all of this business I had a girls weeked with some of my old pals from ACU. It was such a blast!!!! Seriously, we shared old stories, laughed, and even revisted some old dance routines. These girls are such a riot, but also an amazing blessing. Even though we all don't keep in touch all to well, we seemed to just pick up where we left off. Thanks girls for coming to Dallas and living it up for a few days. You are wonderful.

Here are some fun pictures!

Brittyne, Angela, Lori, Jenny, Erin and myself

We had a nice long wait at Houston's. Here we are waiting. I didn't even notice that an hour had passed. We had so much to get caught up on.

Still waiting....

Okay, Why is it that Jenny and I look like dorks in these glasses and Lori looks awesome? Some people can pull anything off!

___________________________________________________________________________________

JACOB'S CORNER

The dude is just hilarious and adorable these days. He's started to move to music a lot. Today I put the radio station on 106.1 ( a huge pop station in D) and he starts moving to the beat and shaking his head. Too cute! Here we are the other night at the piano. He loves it!

Cliburn here we come!

QUESTION: I was wanting to put Jacob in some Kindermusik classes. Has anyone had some experience with these or something like it with thier kids? I'd like to know what you think or what you might recommend.

Changing and into everything...

2007-03-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Jacob is everywhere and into everything! It's hard to believe that he is already 10 months old. He is changing so much but it's a lot of fun to watch. Lately he has really enjoyed doing peek a boo except he covers his ears, it's really funny. I've been trying to catch it on video but everytime that I get the camera out he freezes.

He loves it when Jason comes home from work. He starts laughing this really silly high pitch laugh and smiling. Whenever Jason leaves the room he always say da da. He's saying ma ma as well which I love, especially on the monitor when he wakes up from his nap, it just melts my heart. He has really taken an intrest in his rocking chair that he got for Christmas. He has the cutest grin whenever he gets on.

Monday I followed Jacob around the house and let him have a little bit of fun. Check these out, it's a good laugh I promise!

Getting into kitchen drawers

Playing with the new finds...

Banging the lids together, a favorite!

Discovering the toilet paper roll

Got it!

Wow, this is fun!

All smiles

Trying to give mommy kisses through the door.

Finding his puffs in the diaper bag

Getting the puffs open

Yum! I love that face!

She's Alive!

2007-02-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow! I am so glad that Meredith Grey survived and is still alive. The last three part series of Grey's was just so brilliant and so well written. I feel like the characters have really developed and are evolving into their own. Even though I'm still ticked off at Izzie for playing an expert on how George should live his life, I loved the ending when she was passing through the hospital and she knew Denny was there with her. I think it softened her a bit and helped me want to give her a second chance. Oh, George totally put her in her place didn't he? I know she tried to apologize to him, but she's got to accept Callie. I don't think he'll give up on her as a friend though. Ummm....I love how Meredith is Christina's person. Don't we all have one of those? You know who they are. Your most important happenings in life don't matter if you can't tell them first or share things with them first. Wasn't it classic how she told Meredith that she was engaged to Burke? She cracks me up. Okay, what is the deal with Addison and Mark? 60 days my foot! Good luck! Neither one of them will go 60 days, and you know what Addison is thinking about Alex. We've seen the stares.

Ah well, I'm not one to write much about my guilty pleasure's but I figured I might try to write about something that's popular so I can acutally get some comments on my blog. What has happened to you people? Do I smell or something? It's not like I gave an I believe speech. Just kidding. I'll continue to blog, but I live for comments!!!!! That's part of the reason blogging is so fun! Don't you agree?

Go Wildcats!

2007-02-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

We packed up the car this weekend and headed west toward Abilene for the 51st Sing Song at ACU. We had so much fun taking in all of the fun events of the weekend, plus it was amazing how much of the campus had changed. We had not been since they had put the new walking trail in, the Starbucks in the library, and the new Jacob's Dream sculpture on campus. The sculpture is breathtaking....breathtaking. Sing Song was typical with the same clubs winning, and I got to watch Jason sing on the stage after the show was over with Gamma Sigs for the 7th time. Typical. We had a great time though, and Jacob enjoyed himself to. We hit the bookstore to make sure he was stocked up on plenty of T-shirts. Since it was windy, I insisted on the ACU beanie hat. Jacob looked so adorable in it.

We had a great Valentines day. We didn't do anything fancy and we didn't give any gifts, but exchanged cards and thoughtful words. I love cards! I made a great dinner that was absolutely delicious, and I got our china and crystal out. We ate t-bone steaks, potatoes, and a homemade ceaser salad. If that's not the way to a man's heart, I don't know what is.

Little Baby Boy

2007-02-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! Nine months old! Jacob went to his nine month appointment on Monday. Everything went great and he is still a healthy bouncing boy...literally. Many of his friends seem to be exceeding him in size but I didn't think much of it until I heard the percentage's he fell into.

Height: 26 3/4 inches 5th percentile
Weight: 17.3 lbs 6th percentile
Head Circumfrence: 44.5 cm 26th percentile

Bless his heart. I'm afraid he's taking after me and not his 6'2 daddy. There are advantages to being a small kid, but it can be hard to. I guess I can just remember some of the things that I had to deal with as a kid just for being short. I know, I shouldn't be worring about this yet, but I'm just protective already.

He's doing great though. He's pulling up and sitting down all of the time, and I got him a little car that he can push around and walk with. He's also started snorting when he laughs and when he gets excited. Every morning he wakes up and I bring him into bed with me to cuddle and he says bye bye and ah da repeatedly. Jason and I tell ourselves that he's trying to say da da, but we don't know. He says a lot of na, ma, and pa as well. Now when I see little babies I realize even more how much our sweet baby has changed. It's exciting to watch him grow, but a little sad at the same time.

Well, here are some more pictures for your enjoyment.

Jacob loves looking at his reflection in the TV. Here he is on Saturday when my dad was watching him. He's wearing one of Jason's favorite t-shirts. "I may be small, but I'm still the man" I would have to agree.

This was hilarious. He was laughing so hard in this picture. Yes, he was snorting as well!

Last night we had spaghetti for dinner and Jacob ate some noodles for the first time. It was everywhere!

Trying to decide if he likes it or not.

HI!

2007-01-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

This is a picture post again. We have so many pictures lately...I don't want to bomard you with too many! Here are some of the latest!

I thought this picture was really cute of Jacob watching a video from inside his playpen. He looks like he's glued to the suspense...

Jason's sister Amy and her family were traveling a few weeks ago and spent the night with us. Here is Jacob with his sweet cousins Emily and Will. It's so great to see how much his cousins love him and want to play with him.

Saturday Jacob enjoyed a biter biscuit before heading to the bathtub. He was so hilarious! He just loves these things! At one point he rested the biscuit on top of his shoulder. Random! He thought is was funny I guess.

What a mess!

Pictures as Promised

2007-01-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas and my 30th Birthday. Enjoy!

Isn't he a cutie? This was right before Jacob started crawling.

Going for a present!!!!

More excited about the bow than anything else!

Merry Christmas!

This was the beautiful and delicious red velvet cake from one of my favorite bakery's in Dallas. It was delicious!

Blowing the candles out!

Joe Dan Galyean, Jamie and Steven Schlegal

Melissa Marts and Amy Mullins

Brent and Erika Hughes and Kellie Galyean

Myself and Robin Smith

Justin and Jauna Reeger

Clay and Jess Hooten

Jason and Kimberly Schumaker

Jason and my dad gave the sweetest champagne toasts!

My brother Mark and his wife DeLana

Dancing with my sweetie!

Welcome Back!

2007-01-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

Where do I even begin? I know it's been such a long time and I've probably lost a lot of my readers because of it. Sorry, but blogging can't always take priority. We have had tons going on in our family since about the beginning of October, and it hasn't really stopped until just yesterday. So I guess I will try to pin point some of the specific areas and get you all caught up on what is going on.

Yesterday was a bittersweet day. We all joined together in Abilene to celebrate the amazing life of my precious grandfather and friend Johnny Billingsley who went "home" on Friday. He truly was a faithful servant of the Lord his entire life. There were countless stories shared yesterday reflecting on the acts,gifts, talents, and giving spirit, the he exemplified throughout his life. He has most definitely left behind a legacy that will serve as an example to my children and my children's children. Praise God for the rich heritage that my grandfather came from and the many generations that benefit from him continuing to raise those to know and call on the name of the Lord.

I celebrated my 30th birthday! Yes, I'm no longer in my twenties, so why does it still feel as though I started highschool just the other day? I'm fully ready to embrace this phase of my life in full force. I know who I am at this point, and I am so much more confident with the woman that I've grown to be. I really don't see this as getting old but beginning the best years of my life. Oh yeah, Jason threw me the most amazing party. Amazing! I knew that it was going to happen, but I didn't know any of the details or who was going to be there. It was just Jason and me and about 60 of our closest family and friends. It was so wonderful and quite humbling to. Everything was absolutely beautiful and had been thought out to the greatest detail. I think one of the greatest surprises was the piano player. Jason got our worship minister Robin Smith to play the piano during the party and we even had some time to do a sing along! I know, that is so up my alley! We sang some of my favorite songs and then I was put on the spot to sing Over The Rainbow for everyone. Yikes! It was pitched rather high but I pulled through...I hope. Thank You to my wonderful husband who never ceases to make me feel like the most important and loved woman on this earth. You did much more than I deserve, but thankyou for all of your time and effort. I had so much fun! I love you with all of my heart.

We had such a memorable Christmas. For Jacobs first Christmas we traveled to Ozark Missouri where my brother Mark and his family live. It was a lot of fun. We got a condo in Branson for a few days and spent one day at Silver Dollar City. It was a blast. Jacob got some really wonderful presents, but he seemed more interested in the paper and bows. He loves tissue paper!!! I think the biggest hit was his beautiful rocking horse made by Paw Paw O'Quinn. It's a piece of art and something that will be passed down for years to come. Jason and I rung in the New Year by going out on a much needed date. We spent the evening at our favorite Italian restaurant and went to see The Pursuit Of Happyness (spelled incorrectly on purpose). It was so great. Mother and daddy stayed home with Jacob and invited some of their friends over. We got home after the movie and just about 15 minutes shy of midnight so we could celebrate with all of them.

Jacob is growing and changing like crazy. Jacob will be 9 months on the 25th, and it's so hard to watch him get so much older. I spend most of my days trying to keep Jacob out of things. He was pulling up before he was crawling and about the time he started crawling he figured out he could cruise. Our two couches in the living room make an L so I've made a little course for him that allows him to cruise from his exersaucer all they way around the couches. Also, if you read my last post you saw that he has said his first words. What a cutie he is... He gives the cutest looks and grins that would melt anyone's heart. He finally cut his first tooth a few weeks ago and his second one is right behind it. We go to the doctor for his 9 month appointment next week. I think he weighs 17 lbs. but closer to 18 really now that I think of it. He's still a little guy, and is just now starting to fit into his 6-9 month clothes. He's got his daddy beat though. Jason and I were both tiny babies. When Jason was 12 months old he weighed 17 lbs. and I was somewhere around that as well. Jacob still loves music and I'm already seeing some artistic tendencies in him. I'm not just saying that because I'm his mother either. The kid really prefers Mozart over Justin Timberlake or Snow Patrol.

Well, before I bore you guys with anymore stories I better save something for my next post. I hope I haven't lost a lot of you from checking in with the O'Quinn's. We have really been swamped. Anyway, thanks for checking in. Also, I love it when people leave comments since I continually find out I've got some lurkers on this blog. I hope you are all having a great New Year.

Blessings.

P.S.

Pictures coming soon!

P.P.S
Way to go Jennifer Hudson on winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. If you haven't seen her in Dreamgirls yet, I highly recommend it. She is the star of the movie.

Exciting News!

2007-01-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

We had a momentous event tonight. We were leaving my parents house to come home. My mother leaned down to kiss Jacob goodbye, which she said bye bye and Jacob looked right at my mother and he SPOKE bye bye back! Every single one of us just froze giving a look of disbelief, so I looked at Jacob and muttered bye bye again, and he repeated it!!! I think this has been one of my most exciting moments as a parent to date. We did not have our video camera but my brother is in town and he had his so he got the camera out to see if we could record him saying his first word. It was hilarious, we were all in his face staring at him and we were able to get him to say it again. Then my dad looked at him and asked him if he could say Pa Pa, and he repeated it! Unreal!!!! Really, I'm gushing I'm soooooo excited!

Hopefully I can get the footage from my brother soon and post it on here. I thought I would share the fun news.

Blessings.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas....

2006-12-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Song...one of my favorite Christmas tunes and made famous by Mr. Nat King Cole. I pray all of you will have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now....

Blessings,
Jason, Holly, and Jacob

2006-11-29T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Fire

This is one of the many reasons I love the show The Office. This speaks for itself!

2006-11-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

Will Ferrell is The Phantom of the Opera

Next to Jason, Will Ferrell is by far my favorite funny man. This isn't his funniest talk show moment but it's good. My favorite Will Ferrell moment is when he dressed up as a leprachaun on Conan. Anyway, check this out. It's a good laugh!

Our Little "Pumpkin"...

2006-11-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

He's really our little "Peanut", but dressing him in a pumpkin outfit is more fun than dressing him in a peanut shell. Maybe next year...

Jason

Pictures People!

2006-10-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends-
I don't have much time to write a lot. This is the week of the Fall Festival and I'm swamped, but I wanted to update the blog with some new pictures of Jacob.

HUGE Surprise! My sister and her daughters came back to the states from Guinea Africa. They have one more week here until they go back. We didn't think we were going to see them until 2009! Here is Jacob meeting his cousins Emma and Clara for the very first time in the airport. They had been traveling over 30 hours but were really excited to meet Jacob. Cute huh?

Jason and Jacob having some father and son time. Jacob really loves his daddy. It's quite heart warming to see them interact.

My mom (Nana) got the girls a chest full of dress up clothes. Aren't they adorable. I can't believe how much they have grown up!!!

Nana taking time to read to all the kids before they go to bed. Jacob is really hands on.

Here we are at Jacob's baby dedication at our church. The elders and their wives laid hands on us and prayed a blessing. You can see our good friends and neighbors Tim and Karen Yarbrough (that's Karen and Tim on the right) . Jacob would not be still for any of these pictures. He's a blur in all of them, plus I had to bounce him to keep from fussing. He was hungry!

The whole church read the blessing over Jacob:

Child of God, you are a blessing to us, and we now bless you. We pray that the Lord will give you joy and peace. We pray that as you grow older, you will grow deeper in the knowledge of our heavenly Father's love. That your faith will increase and you will choose to walk in His ways and follow His plan for your life. You are not alone on this journey; your church family will walk beside you. We pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dewll in your heart through faith. And we pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Emma and Jacob hanging out after church was over. They really like each other.

More hanging out time!

Jacob turns 6 months tomorrow. It's hard to believe how much he has changed in these last 6 months. I can't begin to imagine just how much more he will change 6 months from tomorrow. Praise God for the blessings He gives us through children, especially our own. The love I have for Jacob has streched my heart more than I ever thought it could. It's just another reminder of how much God loves me as His daughter and that his love is greater than I ever thought possible. Thank you Lord.

Bad Hair Day

2006-10-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Poor Jacob. He has the most hilarious hair. I can never seem to get it to look very neat. He woke up Monday morning with the worst bed head I have seen. It was fun to wake up that morning and see Jacob's hair like it was. I just had to take a picture.

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately. I have had so many different things going on lately and I find myself trying to juggle a lot. In September we celebrated my mother's 60th birthday which was a huge deal. I took the liberty to do a lot of the planning and preparing for her surprise party. It was a great success. We rented a limo and had my brother and his family come down, and we all surprised her at the house. We had a great party with a lot of her close friends and took time to praise her for the woman she is. It was a wonderful day.

Jason and I have taken on the responsibility of coordinating the Fall Festival at our church. I love doing things like this so while it's a lot of work, it's fun for me. We are going to have a lot of cool things to do. Different bounce houses, dunk tank, petting zoo, pony rides, velcro wall, 25ft slides, ....it's going to be awesome and will be a wonderful outreach to those in the area here.

Jacob has flipped my world upside down. He started teething about a month ago. He had all of the typical signs but it seemed a little early. I went ahead and took him to the doctor to make sure he didn't have an ear infection or anything else, but the doctor said he was definitely teething by the look of his gums. Poor Jacob must have a really low pain tolerance. He was waking up at all hours of the night, and I finally learned what sleep deprivation really was. Seriously, Jacob was sleeping 5 hours straight at 2 weeks. Then all of a sudden I was getting up with him about 6 times during the night. It was horrible for both of us. I became really cranky. He seems to be adjusting to the discomfort and is going to bed a lot easier now. He's still waking up at night, and I've just started working with him to get him back on a schedule. The lack of sleep and lack of appetite on his part really got him off any kind of normal routine. This is really a transitional time for us. He's great though. He is rolling over from front to back, and he absolutely loves his Johnny Jumper (that thing that hangs between the door frame), he's always got a laugh or a smile, and enjoys people. I can't believe how much his is growing up. It really does go fast.

Sometimes when I'm rocking Jacob he looks up at me and reaches for my face. Then he will make a really gentle cooing sound. I absolutely melt every time he does that. It's precious to know that someone needs you and loves you like he does. I know it won't always be this way so I'm taking it all in.

Here are a few pictures that Jason's mom (Grammy) took a few weeks ago when his parents were visiting us. We had an awesome dinner at Chuey's and then we went to Pottery Barn Kids down the street after we were done. Jacob loved the experience and thought he would pose for some pictures in one of the kid chairs.

I hope you all have a great week!

Our Trip North to the South

2006-09-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends-

Labor Day weekend Holly, Jake and I traveled north to Arkansas and Missouri to see family. Our first stop was Rogers, Arkansas to see Holly's Aunt Jan and Uncle Rick. We had a great time with them and enjoyed taking in the beautiful views of Beaver Lake.

On our way to Ozark, Missouri to see Mark, Delana and the boys we stopped off in Bentonville to be tourists. Once in Ozark, we had a great time with the Billingsleys and their friends just hanging out! To see pictures from our pool party, click here.

Have a great weekend!

Jason

By the way, Jake is 5 months old!

Business

2006-09-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow blog readers!

I am interrupting our regularly scheduled Jake picture parade to talk “shop”. Do you know someone buying or selling a home in Texas right now? If you do, I would like to speak with them. God has blessed our company and our efforts tremendously over this last year. We are driven by a sincere desire to counsel, educate and empower our clients to make wise financial decisions when it comes to financing a home.

Send me an email or call me if you have a referral. Our business grows in whole by obedience to God. It grows in part with the help of a strong friends and family network.

Thanks for your support of our business!

Jason O'Quinn
Business Development Manager
Petra Lending Group
http://www.petralending.com
joquinn@petralending.com
(O) 214-432-0443
(C) 469-222-4353

Check us out at:

http://www.shepherdsguide.com/

Pictures...

2006-08-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hello! We have some pictures to post. I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

"I'm ready to go!"

"Football season is almost here!"

"My first day with cereal! Is my bib too big?"

"OK, cereal is nice, but I want milk."

"I'm gettin messy..."

"I love my Mom!"
(Thanks Erin for my cute onsie!)

An Honest Laugh

2006-08-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

One thing I have noticed about being a dad is that there are times when Jake makes me laugh. It might be his cute expression when I stand him up and clap his hands that does it. Sometimes, it's when I lay him on the changing table and he stares up at me with that look that says, "thanks for changing me...I feel better already!" But mostly, I laugh when he laughs. It's an honest laugh from inside of me because it's an honest laugh from inside of him. His smile and his laughter warms my heart like nothing I have ever experienced.

Many nights Holly and I find new and creative ways to make him laugh. Someday, closer to puberty, it will be harder to make him laugh. So for now we soak up those precious smiles and giggles and out of the overflow of our hearts we laugh. Honestly laugh.

Jason

2006-08-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’m a mother. Last night Jason and I were talking about that at this time last year I had just found out I was pregnant with Jacob. It’s funny how things change. I went from wearing suits and heels to wearing capri pants and flip flops. I once swore I would never wear capri’s because I thought they made me look even shorter, which now only reminds me that there are much more important things to think about now that I have a son. Words can not express what it’s like to be a mother for the very first time, but I love every minute I experience with Jacob. I was trying to explain this to some of my girlfriends without children the other day. While it’s not the best comparison, it’s all I can think of. Do you remember the first time you fell in love with someone or your first real relationship with a guy or a girl? You couldn’t wait to be around them so you could hear the sound of their voice or when they walked in the room for the first time your heart felt like it skipped a beat, or maybe you continually had butterflies in your stomach out of the anticipation of just being with that person. That’s kind of what it’s like to be a mom for the first time. Everything is so new, fun, exciting, and emotional. This is the greatest job and I never even had to fill out an application!

Things are well on the home front. I’ve been working at getting myself into a real routine which is not always easy for the very reasons listed above. I’m working hard though. I started working out about 2 weeks ago. I know how many pounds I need to lose to get down to my pre Jacob weight, but that’s really not a goal I’m setting. My goal is to get back in the gym to build up my strength, and there are weight loss (or fat loss) benefits from that. I lifted really light weights in my first trimester and then quit them completely after that. I lost a lot of definition in my legs, so I’ve been focusing on building strength in my legs and of course abs. Another fitness goal I’ve set is to run in The Race For The Cure in October. Jason and I used to run a lot of 5K’s before Jacob, so we are planning to get back into that as well. Since I could barely run a mile the other day, I feel like I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I’ve recruited two of my girlfriends to run with me. They are both great runners so I really can’t slack off or they will leave me in the dust! If any of you in Dallas would like to form a team with me, Julie, and Kamara, just let me know.

We are planning a trip to Missouri to see my brother and his family during the Labor Day Holiday. We also plan to go through Arkansas and see my aunt and uncle who have not had a chance to meet Jacob yet. This is our first real road trip with Jacob, so we will find out what it’s like to be on the road for longer than 2 hours with our little man. It should be interesting since I’ve always been the type who wants to just get in the car and only stop for gas if needed. I don’t even like to drink anything while on road trips since it means more stops to go to the bathroom. I’ll let you know how we do.

Jacob is doing great of course. He is growing and changing so much! He’s absolutely adorable with everything that he does. Would you believe that his hair is turning red?! I assumed he was going to be blonde but his hair is turning into a really pretty auburn color. He is smiling and laughing all of the time, holding a rattle really well, and his head is always up. I’m so proud of him. He will be four months old next week. I can’t believe how time has gone by so quickly. We go back to the doctor on Monday so I’ll find out how much he has grown as well. Jacob is sleeping on average about 8 hours every night and takes two good naps during the day with some cat naps in-between. I love the fact that he is sleeping so long at night because I am not sleep deprived at all. Praise God for that blessing. My parents live about 30 minutes away from us, so every Thursday my mom comes over to watch Jacob so I can work without any interruptions. We are all happy with this arrangement, of course it seems like Jacob will nap his best whenever my mom comes over, but it’s still nice to be able to sit down at the computer and get a lot of things done.

Sorry that I’ve been away from blogging for awhile. It’s good to hear from you all and get comments on our blog, that way I feel more anticipation to write when I know people are reading.

Blessings.

I'm having trouble uploading pictures just like everyone else it seems. Sorry. I'll post some when blogger lets me.

Jacob has become the spittin image of his daddy! What a cute smile!

Jacob and friends!

I love this picture. What a precious face.

Sweet Baby Boy.

We went on a double date with Matt and Carolyn Tapie a few weeks ago. It was one of the best dinners I have had in a long time. If you have not experienced Perry's in Dallas I highly recommend it. The Tapies are getting ready to move to DC in a few weeks. We are going to miss them a lot.

Check out these studs! Matt and Jason first met each other working in the campus life office at ACU.

I couldn't help but include a picture of our dessert. This was so good we had to take a picture.

That's My Boy...

2006-07-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I have posted on "Life Is Bliss." Things have been a bit crazy around the O'Quinn household with starting a business and raising a young lad. In the midst of it all, Holly and I are always thankful for God's blessing and provision in our lives. Jake is 3 months old now, so the coo's and smiles are a plenty. Holly says they are developmentally appropriate. I think he thinks we look funny. Nonetheless, I have attached the obligatory Jake pictures. Life is truly Bliss!

Jake loves his bunny...

...and his Baby Einstein.

Jake chillin' in his camo...

...and with his friend Kelli.

Holly and I before our 4 year anniversary date!

My "Andy Bowman Naptime" picture...

That's my Boy!

Jacob meets Charlie

2006-07-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday night we had some fun visitors come over to the house. The honored guest was Jacob's new friend Charlie Bowman. They had a great time getting to know one another and Charlie really liked sucking on Jacob's hand. It was so much fun to watch their interaction. I hope they will be great friends some day.

I had so much fun catching up with with my old college roommates Amy and April. I haven't seen April since Amy's wedding four years ago, so it was really good to see her. We are really hoping that she and her husband Jason will take up residence in the great state of Texas, which may take some convincing, but we miss them both a whole lot!

Ken and Shanta joined the fun as well. Since they are really big Jacob and Charlie fans, they were not about to miss out on the introduction of these little guys. They are getting a lot of good training with all of these babies. It was fun to get to see everyone and catch up on old times. Enjoy the pictures!

Charlie going for Jacob's hand....

He got it!

Amy and Charlie, Me and Jacob!

Ken and Shanta...parents in training!

Charlie was very alert and playful!

Amy giving Jacob some sugar!

Me and the twins! Where are my eyes?

FOUR MORE YEARS!!!

2006-07-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today Jason and I celebrate our four year wedding anniversary. It seems like just the other day that we were getting ready for our wedding, and the town of Abilene was in the midst of a flood. It was absolute insanity! It rained everyday for over a week prior to the day of our wedding. Being that Abilene seldom experiences much rainfall, it relies on it’s creeks to manage excess water rather than a real drainage system. Brilliance! I headed to the church to get ready around 3:00, and at 3:30 the neighborhood I was living in was being evacuated! My parents were a nervous wreck through the wedding and the reception wondering what they would come back to find after it all. Thankfully the water never hit the house (my grandparent’s house), and we have fond memories and fun stories to share from that day.

It’s amazing to me how so many things have changed since the day we got married. The most obvious being that we are now a family rather than a couple, but what I am referring to is much deeper than that. I’ve heard the phrase, “I never thought I could love my spouse more than I did on the day we married’, and when I first heard that I was not married myself. This statement always gave me something to look forward to and made me prayerful that I would experience that same kind of love this person was talking about. Now I can say that I have. In the midst of four years A LOT of things have changed, but it’s my love for Jason that has surprised me the most. It’s true, I love him so much more than I did on the day we married and I have no doubt that four more years of marriage to Jason will bring even more love to my heart.

Jason, I’m honored to be your wife and stand beside you and support you. Each day I have the pleasure to witness you in your finest moments, and I’m reminded why I fell in love with you. I love you because you are a man of integrity, romance, humor, spontaneity, faith, diligence, honor, grace, love, compassion, leadership, humility, talent, empathy, and so much more. I thank God for you and promise that I will work to continue to uphold what we vowed together on this day four years ago. I love you with all of my heart.

We vow to honor God whole-heartedly, while honoring one another with hearts of love, purpose, and commitment. To have a spirit of forgiveness and understanding that respects each other and most importantly our Heavenly Father. We recognize God as our stronghold, and we dedicate our lives to prayerful service to Him, striving to grow our marriage and our family in a household of faith. We will work to develop an unparalleled emotional and spiritual relationship that is based on trust, compassion, honesty and most importantly prayer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Isaiah 25:1

Farewell To A Masterpiece

2006-06-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

There's not been a whole lot to write about lately. I started back to work last week which is always an adventure. For those of you who don't know, I work part time for an insurance agency out of my home. It's a really painless job and I'm able to work when I want, which is when Jacob is asleep.

Jacob got his 2 month shots yesterday, and it broke my heart to watch. Some friends told me to turn my head and not watch but I couldn't bear that. It's like getting my own shots, I'm less tense if I can watch the needle go in my arm.

Jason and I are going on our first real date on Friday. I can't hardly wait for it to come. We are going to an event called Starry Night that has dinner and dancing. It's going to be wonderful to be among adults and eat a romantic dinner outside. I love doing things like this, and it's really nice when it's been such a long time. For those of you who are parents how long was it before you went out on a real date?

On Sunday Jason is taking me to see the 21 year running musical Les Miserables for our four year anniversary. Les Miserables is by far my most favorite musical and it never gets old. I absolutely love how an amazing story can inspire someone to compose an entire musical score. I can't wait to get lost in these familiar melodies, and cry my eyes out again for the third time and last time. It will be my third time to see Les Miserables and Jason's first. If you have not heard, this is the last season before the musical closes it's doors. So if you have yet to experience this musical delight, I strongly suggest that you find the nearest city where it is showing and see it. You may regret what I consider to be one of the greatest musicals of our time.

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. Have a great week!

Here are father and son on Father's Day.

We really tried to get Jacob to look at the camera. This is what happened.

We still can't get him to look at the camera. Aren't his little shoes adorable?!

I love this kid!

2006-06-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jacob has been doing a lot of different things lately. He has discovered his thumb which has really come in handy when the pacifier falls out of his mouth. Now when he's hanging out by himself he won't start crying for his pacifier, he'll just stick his thumb in his mouth. He has also discovered that he has hair, and lots of it! He is always reaching for the back of his head and pulling on his hair. I'm surprised that it doesn't hurt him, but he doesn't seem to bothered by it. I guess it bothers me though. I dreamed last night that he was pulling chunks of hair out of his head! I know that must sound strange.

What else...Jacob went to his 6 week appointment last Thursday and he weighed 10lbs 10 oz. I could hardly believe it! This kid has gained so much from when he left the hospital 7 weeks ago at 6.7 lbs. He's such a champ! Jacob is also smiling and cooing a lot more. It's very sweet to hear him on the monitor making such sweet little noises.

The Lord is continually confirming that motherhood is a calling on my life. No matter what happens I am blessed to be able to care for this child. We have so much fun dancing around the house, listening to good music, and playing little games when he is awake. Even 2:30 in the morning is so special because I know that he needs me. Jacob has changed me in ways I can not quite explain. Children are a blessing from the Lord.

Enjoy some fun pictures!

Sleepy time. Isn't that face just precious?

Now I'm awake! Let's play!

I just had my bath and I'm very happy.

Jacob was really tired when I took these last two pictures. Hopefully I don't offend you over the fact that I think taking pictures of a crying baby are so darn cute. For some of you this might be great birth control! Look how glazed over he looks in the last one with some of his friends. They are all smiling and looking at the camera except for him.

Why?

2006-06-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Jason here. Why am I so upset that the Mavericks lost tonight? I don't play for them. I have no ownership stake. In fact, I am really just a fair weather fan. When they are good, I support them. When they are bad...Well, I just don't care. But tonight, I spend 3 hours of my night biting my nails, somewhat confident we would pull it out. Up by 13 in the 4th. Deep bench. Wade is limping. But no. The team can't finish tonight (Dirk misses) and we get to do it all over again on Thursday.

Now, I know that no males read this blog, so my comments will most likely get skipped in lieu of pictures of Jake. I understand. But, I need to know. Who wins the series and in how many games. And why am I so upset?!

A PROMISE IS A PROMISE

2006-06-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures I promised I would post. Enjoy!

Oh No! I'm going to cry...

Ahhhh, much better.

Memorial weekend with cousins Bryce and Dylan.

We traveled to Tyler last weekend to introduce Jacob to his many family and friends. This is Jason's grandmother holding Jacob. He is their 6th greatgrandchild.

Jason's grandfather.

Jason was playing basketball last week and suffered a really terrible ankle sprain. Here he is with his foot elevated and enjoying some father and son time.

Jacob has his daddy's hands.

Hanging out time....

10 Things You Need To Know About Jake

2006-06-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

While many of you have had a chance to see lots of pictures of Jacob, you haven’t heard much about him. So, in the effort to keep you all informed on what he is like I thought I would give you 10 insights into the life of Jacob.

1. Jacob loves to eat. He was 6.7 lbs when he left the hospital and was 7.9 lbs. Only two weeks later. Thursday he has his six week appointment with the doctor and I know full well this child is well over the 9 lb mark!

2. Jacob loves his swing. I try not to make a habit of putting him to sleep in his swing, but if he’s really fussy the swing is a life saver!

3. Jacob holds his head up like a professional. From the day I met him he has been holding his head up and looking around. It’s unreal!

4. Jacob loves to dance with me to Michael Buble. Quite often I’ll have Michael playing in the background and I love to pick Jake up and dance with him. He seems to like it.

5. Jacob is a really cuddly baby. He loves to be held by anyone and everyone. He will probably be very social like his dad.

6. Hymns, Worship Songs, Showtunes, American Standards: I love to sing to Jacob from all of these fun to sing music genres, and then see his reactions to my voice. Last month I was having a difficult day with Jacob and his sour tummy. I think I sang everything from “There’s Just Something About That Name” to “Nature Boy”, it was good that I enjoy singing so much.

7. Jacob loves to be clean. I’ve never seen a baby who enjoys bath time and having his hair combed as much as this kid. He’s just like his dad! However, when it comes to a poopy diaper he will scream until it’s changed.

8. Jacob sleeps well at night. Since I’ve brought him home he hasn’t been hard to schedule. I think he knew the difference between days and nights. On average he sleeps 5 hours straight at night. I think that is spectacular for 6 weeks old.

9. Jacob grunts in his sleep. Holy Cow, this kid makes tons of noise. By the time he was 3 weeks old he was out of our bedroom and in his crib. Jason and I sleep more soundly now.

10. Jacob knows what he likes. He will only take the pacifiers given by the hospital. I’ve introduced a lot of different pacifiers, but he spits them all out. It’s a good thing I was able to find more at Target.

Well, that’s all the news for now. I would like to display some pictures but blogger is giving me a hard time. I'll see if I can post some tomorrow.

Blessings.

Memorial Weekend Pictures

2006-05-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends,
It's been so long since I've taken the time to put anything out here. Thankfully Jason has been keeping you all updated with pictures and some brief news on Jacob. I've been slowly writing on some of my experiences, but I really haven't made it much of a priority. Sorry. It's just that I love taking care of our little man. Sometimes I just sit and stare at him, amazed how much my life has changed with this little blessing.

There was no resume, no interview, no experience required, and still I have the privilege to carry the title of mother. What an honor it is to have this little life dependent on me. Am I tired? Yes. Am I challenged? Yes. Do I find it hard to understand what he needs? Absolutely! However, despite my humanness none of this seems too difficult for my heart. Like I mentioned in so many of my other posts, God was transforming me through nine months to give me the heart of a mother and now my heart is simply pouring over. I love my son more than I can even begin to know how to explain in the words I type, plus it has given me such an incredible perspective on the love of God. How is it that He can love Jacob more than I do? Isn't that an unreal feeling? It's an emotion and love I have never felt before and God's love is even bigger. It's quite humbling.

I hope to put more out here, and really give you a little more of an update on all of our experiences. Until then I will keep trying to put pictures out for your enjoyment.

Blessings.

Jason and I found this outfit at Christmas. It was expensive but I coudn't resist it when we had called him peanut for so long.

On our way to church this morning. We actually took a few pictures in this outfit but he's not looking very happy in them.

Jacob and his Aunt DeLana. I love his little expression in this picture!

Hanging out with Uncle Mark. Aunts and Uncles are so much fun!

Memorial Day Mohawk

2006-05-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Jake's starting the weekend off right! Have a great Holiday everyone!

More Pictures!

2006-05-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day Portrait...

Jake loves having his picture taken...

PawPaw loves holding Jake...

That's Holly's Mother (in case you couldn't tell)

Our little bundle of joy!

Jason Here. Jake is great! He has been a little fussy over the last two days, but he seems better now. We're learning the tricks of the trade. I have attached some pictures from Mother's Day. One beautiful Mother. One cute baby. I love my family.

Jason

Touchdown!

2006-05-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jason here. Even though it's basketball and hockey playoff time, it's great to know that my boy dreams about football...

Happy Mothers Day to my beautiful wife! She is a great Mother and I am thankful that Jake has a Mom with such faithfulness, love and compassion. She amazes me and I am a blessed to have her as my wife and best friend.

feed, burp, poop, sleep, feed, burp, poop, sleep, feed...

2006-05-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Three Generations...

Our little family's first dinner out together! (Unless you count the hosptial cafeteria).

Cute Jake Picture #1

Cute Jake Picture #2

OK, OK, Some Pictures...

2006-05-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

The position Jake assumes the most.

Just hangin' out with Grami. Love the hair, son.

Playing online spades with Dad. He is good for his age.

Just swinging...

Sleep. A word Holly and I used to know.

One proud Dad.

Hey everyone! Well, it has been a great week or so with our little man taking up residence. Thank Heaven for little boys. Thank God for Jake...!

Our Family!

2006-04-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our little man is doing great! Here is a picture of our family on his Birthday!

Jake is Home!

2006-04-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

We left the hospital today at 1:30 and are now home. The little man is good, but mom is tired. After all the work we put into the nursery, I thought he would be more excited than he was. More pictures to come later tonight...

Jake is here!

2006-04-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Jacob Haws O'Quinn was born at 2:28pm on April 25, 2006. He weighed 6'14 and was 19 3/4 inches long. He and mom are great! More pictures and plenty of stories to follow...

NOT YET

2006-04-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,
I just wanted you all to know that I went to the doctor today. I have not progressed since last weeks appointment, meaning I'm still 2cm dilated and 75% effaced. We got the last opening this week for an induction which is tomorrow April 25 at 7:30 AM. If we did not take this opening we would have to wait another week past my due date which at this point may not be safe considering the size of Jake etc.

While it's a hard decision to make, Jason and I feel it's the best one for us. God's timing is still evident to Jason and me in this situation. I know that there were divine happenings in my life and Jason's life this last week that had to take place before Jake could come into this world. Now we are just giving him a little nudge to come on out. God is faithful, and I can hardly wait to see His creation tomorrow when we finally get to meet Jacob face to face. We petition your prayers for a safe and healthy delivery. We can hardly wait for you all to meet him. Thanks to many of you who have lifted up prayers and encouragement for us. We are so blessed and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Blessings,
Jason, Holly, and Jacob
The Lord God is mighty and powerful!

Job 26:7-14
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;

he suspends the earth over nothing.
He wraps up the waters in his clouds,

yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea;by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!

Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"

God's Timing...

2006-04-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Jacob is still waiting to come out. I figure that when God creates something so special He must have a really hard time parting with it. At least that's how I like to reassure myself these days.

I'm officially one day past my due date. Talk about an emotional bummer! I woke up yesterday knowing that it was my due date, and that Jacob would not be coming. How do I know? Do you ever spend time in prayer and hear the Lord telling you no? Well, that's what happened during my prayer time yesterday, and it was at that point when my melt down began. It started as a slight whimper and progressed into a full blown wale. Tears and snot were everywhere! Yuck! Sweet Jason, he just laid down next to me and held me as I cried. All I could say was "he's not coming today, it's not fair". I say all of this not so you will feel sorry for me, but really to give you an account of what's going on. Honestly, there is not much news to give.

Today I've continued to have more small contractions, but nothing huge. I've been walking about 35 minutes every day, and that seems to be the best thing to bring on more contractions. We've tried all of the many different techniques, but for me walking works the best. All in all, it still proves how much of this is ultimately out of my hands. I have no control and only God does. He continues to show me that, so I can throw up my hands and give Him the reigns. It's a lot easier that way, but I simply must be prayerful that I can continue to give this to Him each day.

I am scheduled to go back to the doctor on Monday. Hopefully we won't have to do that, but I have no clue. My doctor has told me he does not want me to go past 41 weeks, so we will induce if that's the case. Please be praying for this. I really do not want to induce. I don't think anyone makes a bad decision if they want to do this, but for me it's not what I want. That's all.

Well, hopefully we will have some more exciting news in the next few days. Until then, we wait.

Life Is Bliss even in times like this.

Blessings.

Another Update on Jacob

2006-04-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Most of you received an e-mail on how I was doing, but if I don't have your e-mail address then you haven't heard the latest.

Yesterday we went to the doctor, and things are continuing to progress. I'm still dilated 2cm, and am now "close" to being 75% effaced. My belly actually grew two more 2cm in a week! I went from measuring at 34 cm's to 36, and I lost a whole pound. Isn't that crazy? All of this pressure on my pelvis is really not bringing on any cravings. Food has become fuel and that's about it.

Jacob's position is at 0 which means he is extremely low. The doctor said that is really good for a fast delivery. Hallelujah!

I feel really great at this point, I'm just anxious about Jacob getting here. We really want to meet him and tell him how much we love him. These last 40 weeks have been so wonderful, and are a testimony to God's faithfulness, love, and provision. I can't understand how people can experience 40 weeks of physical and emotional growth, give birth to a child, and dare to say there is no God. Can you?

We are still waiting, but are praying for patience as we wait on the Lord and trust His timing. Have a blessed day.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired

His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:28-31

No Baby...

2006-04-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...the John Denver song keeps playing in my head like a broken record! This is certainly the very hardest part of being pregnant, I just want this to come soon. Jason and I went to church tonight, and I heard that two girls that were due around the same time as me both had their babies yesterday. I can't begin to tell you how hard that is to hear at this point. Everyone seems to think that I'm going to have the baby tomorrow, but I just don't know. I can't figure out what my body or my heart are telling me.

I can tell that things have progressed since my doctors appointment on Tuesday, and I think quite possibly that my plug has broke. I've been trying to do everything I can to try and speed this up, but honestly, it's out of my hands. I know that God's time is perfect and is always better than my own. He sustains me.

Please pray that I will continue to trust God and His timing, and that my heart will be open to continue trusting Him. Please pray against anxiety and pray for restful sleep for Jason and me. I know that the enemy can certainly use these things against us, and discourage us in something that is natural and designed to be this way. I also petition your prayers for post pardom tendencies, that I will not have strong symptoms and will be most attentive to Jacob and his needs.

Thanks to all of you for your care and concern. Jason and I will keep you posted via blog or e-mail on how things are going in the next few days.

Blessings.

WAITING

2006-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it’s got to the point where waiting is extremely hard! I’m really anxious and ready for the ball to get rolling. Good news, I am 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. I’ll take that any day. I was so nervous that the doctor was going to tell me there were no changes and I was exactly where I was the last time he checked me. This is one of those times where it’s really nice to be wrong! A lot of people have commented that I don’t look like I’ve dropped, but I think that’s because they forget I’m only 5 feet tall and I really don’t have much of a torso. The doctor was actually touching the Jacob’s head today. He’s is definitely dropped and in position.

I’ve had a monster list of things I’ve wanted to get done before Jacob came, and though it all was not accomplished I must pride myself on those that were. I know that it doesn’t really matter what the house is like, or how well Jacob’s room is organized, but I need a sound mind! I took an entire inventory of everything Jacob has. That way I was able to see what things he still needed. I have everything washed, folded, and hung up, according to size. That was a big job, but very fulfilling for me. I found myself praying for Jacob’s health and growth as I folded his little 0-3 onesies. It’s unreal how small some of his things are, and how a tiny body will actually fit into the clothes that are neatly folded and waiting to be worn. The last thing I hope to get done is steam clean the carpets. I borrowed my mother’s steam cleaner and plan to get this done sometime tomorrow. It’s a lot easier than it sounds. So, did any of you mom’s out there go through some of this? There’s no way I can be the only one.
I thought I would include some pictures of Jacob’s nursery, as well as me before my doctor’s appointment today. I’m 39 weeks on Wednesday.

No swollen feet! This must be the joy of having a baby in April!

Mom O'Quinn

That is quite the bump!

Jacob's Room!

Cute bumper pads with his initial.

I plan to spend hours in that chair! Notice the nursing stool. This also comes in handy for women who are 5 feet tall and have issues sitting in any chair that never allow your feet to touch the floor!

My mother helped me makes these cornices. I absolutely love them! Thanks for the help mom and dad!

Another view of the crib.

A LULLABY FOR JACOB

2006-04-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

My heart and my spirit are at rest tonight. This day marks my 38th week of pregnancy, and I can hardly believe it is getting so close. It seems like just the other day I read the positive result of my pregnancy test, and the tidal wave of emotions began. I was crying and laughing at the same time. There were a slew of reasons, but the first reason is because I was astounded by God’s timing, and second I knew Jason was not going to believe me. My heart was beating so quickly as I fumbled to dial the phone number to Jason at work, but I could never reach him! I ran into our home office where I love to pray and fell to my knees, still crying, laughing, and praying to God thanking Him for this blessing. Like I’ve mentioned before, the 9 month season for a mother’s heart is so humbling. Just as I have watched the physical effects of my body changing, my heart and my spirit are so different 9 months later. What was once a prayer for peanut, evolved into a prayer for a young son, and I’m now urged to think of what to say to him when we finally meet.

What will I say to this tiny being the first time I hold his little cheek to my mouth and whisper to him softly? Will he know my voice? Will he respond to me? Can I soothe him from his unfamiliar surroundings?

It’s very emotional to think of what I want him to hear from me first, but a friend of mine helped confirm this the other day. We were visiting after church a few weeks ago and she said that I should sing the name Jesus. Tears began filling the eyes of my friend, a mother of three sons, as she remembered the first times she held and spoke to her own for the very first time. By now I was crying and envisioning that moment for Jacob and me.

So, in the midst of all of this preparation and nesting I’ve been trying to think of the best way to sing to our little Jacob. His mind is so precious and vulnerable and I long for him to be instilled with the truth and love of Jesus Christ. A melody can be very sweet, but the words behind it can mean so much more. I’m not much of a song writer, but I think Twila Paris knew how this song should speak right to the heart of a child. It’s simple, sweet, and communicates what I long to hear Jacob utter some wonderful day. It’s going to be his lullaby.

My Best Friend: Words and Music by Twila Paris

Jesus is my best friend
I can always go to Him
Tell Him everything I’m dreaming of
My friend Jesus whom I love
Jesus is my best friend
He’ll go with me ‘til the end
Watching over me from up above
My friend Jesus whom I love
My friend Jesus whom I love

Petra Lending Group

2006-03-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, Holly and I have recently launched a lending group with several partners. As a team, we are excited about our growth and potential in the marketplace. In the midst of EVERYTHING that goes in to launching a business, I am still focused on originating property loans. So, in an effort to keep diapers on Jake, I am asking for your help! Please refer business to me if you can! Our lending group handles home mortgages, commercial loans and refinances. I appreciate a good word when the opportunity comes about! Most importantly, I ask for your prayers as we serve Him in this industry. Below is my contact info:
Thanks, Friends!
Jason

Jason O'Quinn
Petra Lending Group
Business Development Manger
Office: 214-432-0443
Cell: 469-222-4353
joquinn@petralending.com
www.petralending.com

My car is for sale! Make an offer...

2006-03-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

http://dallas.craigslist.org/car/145005866.html

It worked!

2006-03-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

It finally worked! Blogger has been acting crazy lately!

Here is a recent picture of Emma and Clara. I'm told this is just outside the guest house they are staying in. The huge tree in the background is a mango tree, probably the only green thing there for such a dry time. Anyway, I'm glad I can finally put this up on my blog so you can see two of the faces you are praying for. Blessings.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

2006-03-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends,
Well, I'm a bit frustrated that I can't get some pictures added to my post. Blogger has some picture issues. Anyway,I wanted you to see a recent picture of my nieces in Guinea. It's very cute, but you'll just have to wait. Here is a fairly recent e-mail that I received from my sister about their new life in Guinea. Please continue to keep them and this ministry in your prayers.
Blessings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hello all! We are so glad to get to Guinea. It has been a long road of training and preparations, and we are almost having a hard time believing that we are really here. But we are! It is right and good for our family – we know that we are in God’s will for our lives. He is blessing us with peace and joy, with community, and His nearness and love. We are so glad to serve a King that is 100% trustworthy, and who cares for us so deeply.

So, what have our first 10 days been like? The words, “really great, really different and really hot” come to mind! Our teammates here have taken great care of us from the minute we stepped off the plane in Conakry. They have fed us, showed us around town, helped us enroll Emma in French school, taught us about the culture here, taken us house hunting, begun training us in our new jobs, listened to us, played with our kids, answered questions, prayed for us and have been caring friends to us. We are glad to be joining a team like this. We pray that we can be a help and encouragement to the translation teams all around Guinea, as we begin our work and lives here.

“Toto, I don’t think that we are in Kansas anymore.”

Life in a third world city is really different. Some of the city roads are paved, but most are not. Sometimes there is electricity and running water, but not all the time. Some of the people here have jobs, get enough to eat and have medical care, but many, many do not. We look around and can easily see evidence of the evil one in the disorder and poverty that seems to rule life here.

Still, we see awesome evidence of God’s presence and Jesus’ love. The creation here is beautiful – the trees and flowers declare His majesty. The joy and smiles from people who greet us remind us that there is more to life and happiness than having lots of money. The desire of many people to have and to read the Bible in their own language – to know more about God and His love for them – encourages us and shows us that His is at work here. Please pray for this country to turn to God, for His Spirit to be poured out here.

It’s dry season. The sky is full of whitish dust from the Sahara, and it hasn’t rained in months. The temperature is about 87 each day. We got on the plane in Paris, where it was very cold, wearing our winter jackets. We got off the plane in Guinea wearing sandals, skirts and short sleeves. We are adjusting to the heat, and our sweat glands are getting a work out! The girls have loved getting to play outdoors many hours each day, and we have gone swimming a couple of times, too.

We are living in the PBT guest house while we look for a place to rent. We have seen many different houses, but so far have not found the right one. Sometimes we like the house, but it does not have any water (including no well water), or the house is fine, but there are security issues, like the walls around the house are not high enough (security is an issue in the big city here, just as it is in the US). Please continue to pray for the right house for our family. We trust God.

We are going through orientation with PBT here. This includes learning how to get around town, where to shop and how to prepare food (one must bleach the vegetables and fruit before eating them), to learning about our jobs and roles with the team, to cultural issues. (If I, M’Liss, took a plate of food to one of the guards here on the office grounds – in my mind thinking it was just a nice thing to do – the man would likely think I was interested in marrying him!) We are glad that we are doing well communicating in French. This week Clint will really begin to learn the ins and outs of his job as branch administrator. I will soon be taking over the job of guest house manager.

Emma has done really well at her new French school. It is run by the French and is just like her school in Tours, France – with a bit of an African touch! Because many of the things are similar, she has adjusted easily. She also knows some of the kids from the mission community who also attend school there. She is making new friends, and during one of her special classes learned how to play African drums and dance an African dance. Please pray that she well continue to make this adjustment well.

Clara and Emma spend a lot of time chasing the many lizards here near the guest house. They play outside as much as possible. Clara got a bit of a heat rash the first week we were here, but has adjusted to the heat. Emma lost her first tooth yesterday, and was very excited.

So, that is the news of our first couple of weeks here. They have actually been better than we imagined they would be! Thank you for your continued prayers for us and the people of Guinea. Stay in touch!
Love, M’Liss, Clint, Emma and Clara

2006-03-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

Why is it whenever I go into my local home improvement store I attract everyone but a store employee to me? Today I schedule a leisurely trip to Lowe's to purchase a small decorative shelf for Jake's room. I arrive and make the two mile pilgrimage from the store entrance to the back left quadrant in search of the perfect shelf for my boy. Before me lies an isle with seemingly endless choices for me to peruse. The hallelujah chorus rings in my ear. It's a rainy Sunday morning at 10:00am and I figure I have the store to myself. I begin to shop.

Then it happens. Mind you, there are a total of 10 people in a 500,000 square foot warehouse and someone else just happens to be looking for the same shelf I am. Over my shoulder, standing in my blind spot, is a 70 year old man staring at the back of cranium frustrated at my very existence. "Excuse me," he says, as he reaches around me to pick up his new found treasure. Thirty seconds later his wife arrives and she herself seems to need to be in the same space I was occupying. I'm annoyed, but I press on with my shopping until another gentleman comes around the corner and starts eyeing the contemporary shelving units directly beside me. He slowly slides over into my personal space making sure that the more traditional decorative shelf wouldn't suit his needs better. "Excuse me," he says, and abruptly displaces me from my position. Five minutes ago I had 2,000 square feet of unoccupied isle all to myself. And now, it's as if the President has issued a national alert to the shortage of decorative shelving.

Because of the crowd on isle 12, I ended up on isle13 and I never bought a shelf for Jake. I did, however, remember we needed some trash bags for the kitchen. Conveniently located on isle 13, I grabbed some and headed home.

STILL GROWING...

2006-03-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

It's absolutely amazing to me the many changes that take place physically during pregnancy. I feel absolutely enormous, so I confess it's a bit hard to post pictures of myself when you may have not seen me recently and I look this huge. However, my large size is a blessed reminder each and every day of the gift that will soon come to greet us. Jacob is already so precious to Jason and me, and we eagerly anticipate his arrival in the next month.

Here are some pictures I would like to share:

This was at Jacob's shower on February 18th with my wonderful group of hostess'.

Back Row: Liz McGregor, M'Liss Stringer, Me, Melissa Marts, Carolyn Tapie, Emily Turner

Front Row: Gwenda Futch, Robyn Knight, Karen Yarbrough

Me and my little mother Lois Billingsley. Notice the picture of us on the table? That was 29 years ago!

Luckily we did not have to go very far with the gifts since the shower was at my next door neighbors house! Here is Jason and our friend Sarah, along with our two nieces Emma and Emily lugging the travel system.

Jason putting together Jacob's crib. This room has changed a lot since the picture was taken. We painted the walls a pretty pale yellow and are using a lot of blue and green to accent the room. It's still not completely done, so I'll post a picture when the room looks better.

Last Saturday night we went out for a nice dinner with my parents to celebrate my dad's 62nd birthday. Jason took this picture of me before we left the house. I'm 34 weeks here! Whoa mama! I just hit 35 weeks today.

There should be more fun news to come as we are getting closer and closer to Jacob's arrival. I see the doctor once a week starting tomorrow, so I should have some more fun and exciting Jacob updates for you all.

By the way...My sister and her family are now at their new home in Guinea. Emma has already started her private school that she goes to with some of the other missionary kids. It should be very exciting for her since she is so outgoing, and there are kids from around the globe that attend this school. I plan to blog about them soon, so stay tuned.

Blessings.

ETERNAL THREADS

2006-03-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

You must check out this website for Eternal Threads. This is amazing!

My mother-in-law was in town yesterday and I commented on the lovely purse she was carrying. She told me it was an Eternal Threads purse, which I had no clue what or who they were. You can read about it more on the website, but Eternal Threads helps women of southern India in over 120 villages with a source of income. Their skills used to make these gorgeous bags and purses bring hope to the faces you see on the website. Be sure to check out the slideshow, and the products. What a great charity to get involved with as well!

REAL SIMPLE: life made easier

2006-03-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

If you don't know this about me already, you're going to know now! I enjoy a clean home! In fact a friend of mine e-mailed me the other day, and commented that she had bleached her sink the other night and she thought of me when she was scrubbing it.

While challenges have presented themselves to me and my ever protruding tummy, I have had to find ways to "make life easier". Bending down to clean the shower or tub in my house has become much too difficult at this stage of pregnancy. So, today I was in my neighborhood Target buying some Dreft detergent for the first time, and I choose to walk down more than one aisle which is very easy to do in this store.

It was then that I came across the Real Simple Tub and Tile Cleaner! It looked like an incredibly great and practical tool for me, and it beat having to buy one of those Clorox wands that forces you to buy a disposable sponge each time you clean. My impulse got the best of me, and I purchased the tub and tile tool! Tonight I took a chance on this new little gadget of mine, and I am very pleased with it. Not only does it clean the tile, but it comes with a grout brush you can pull out of the top. Brilliant!

So, let me encourage you to think real simple and make life easier! I did, and it was worth it! Does anyone else have something they love that makes life easier? Tell me about it!

Also, if you are not a subscriber to the REAL SIMPLE magazine I can't encourage you enough to check it out. It has a lot of practical advice and some really fun articles. The website is really helpful and you can find all of thier products on the site.

FOUR THINGS

2006-03-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

By now I’ve probably been tagged for this at least 10 times and have not indulged. Well, here you go!

Four Jobs I have had in my life:
My first four…
1. Mazzio’s Pizza: Taking orders/ cashier
2. Delivery truck driver for Mister Koffee Service (yes, I worked for my dad)
3. International Division at ACU: assistant to incoming ESL students
4. Surprises Gift Shop: Sales Clerk

Four Movies I would watch over and over.
1. About A Boy
2. The God Father I and II
3. Oceans 11 (Does a cast get any better than that?)
4. The Sound of Music

Four places I have lived
1. Endicott, New York
2. Springfield, Missouri
3. Abilene, Texas
4. Lubbock, Texas

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. American Idol
2. Good Morning America
3. Design To Sell
4. Paula’s Home Cooking

Four Places I have been on vacation:
Here are my most recent…
1. France
2. Taos, New Mexico
3. Denver, Colorado
4. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Web sites I visit daily:
1. Google
2. Most of my friend’s blogs
3. Foxnews
4. The Branch: Mainly to find people’s phone numbers or e-mail address’

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Right now it’s all about apples…I crave them prepared any way!
2. Mashed potatoes
3. The Health Nut pancakes with blueberries from Benedicts
4. Marble Slab Double Dark Chocolate and Peanut butter ice-cream mixed together in a cup… no mix in required!

Four Places I would rather be right now
1. Relaxing at some ritzy day spa having all the amazing beauty treatments offered except bikini waxing and colon cleansing.
2. Dinner with Jason at one of our favorite restaurants
3. NYC taking in all the cool shows
4. My hospital room with my darling son Jacob

Hello Again Hello!

2006-02-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

It’s good to be back! The last few weeks have been hectic for me, but thanks to
Jason you have not been left with nothing to read. There’s no doubt that Jason
is much more comical than myself.

________________________________________________

I guess you could say I’m starting to go through withdrawal. The last two or three weeks have been dedicated to heading up the Spring Women’s Retreat at The Branch. (While I really don’t consider the month of February to be a part of Spring, that is the only place it could actually fit into the schedule over the next few months.) I had been extremely busy trying to get a lot of things in order so the retreat would be a success, and I can honestly say that it was. It was so wonderful and beautiful! It’s extremely exciting to step back and be hands off, and allow the Lord to lead. His fingerprints were everywhere, and I’m so thankful for how it ended up. I owe a huge thank you to my husband who organized the entire breakfast and lunch for all of the women at the retreat. He did an amazing job organizing and getting everything ready so all who attended could have a nice sit down lunch. It was quite a blessing and an honor.

_______________________________________________

Today is somewhat bittersweet. This evening my sister M’Liss, her husband Clint, and their two little girls Emma and Clara will board a plane taking them to their new life in Guinea West Africa. This is a very important and pivotal time in their lives, and that’s why part of me can’t help but rejoice. They have been preparing the last three years to get to this point, and it’s finally here. They’ve been visiting churches to raise support, going to classes, learning a new language, all in preparation to get them ready for what lies ahead of them and the team they will be joining in Guinea. I actually plan to commit an entire post to them so everyone can learn about the ministry that they will be involved with. Here is a brief summary of what they will plan to do:

They are joining an already established team through Pioneer Bible Translators. PBT does exactly what their title says; they translate the Bible into different languages and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with this. There are so many who do not have the Bible in their own language, especially in the small villages in Guinea that all speak in different dialects. Can you imagine being a Christian and not having a Bible in your own language to read? We are privileged to have the Bible in our language as well as in so many different versions.

Clint will be heading all of the administrative duties that the team has a huge need for. Missionaries can easily get bogged down with everything that is involved with keeping in touch with supporting churches, and management of the ministry itself. This will be a great blessing to team they will be working along side with.

I do petition your prayers for their safe travels to Guinea. They will be stopping in France to change planes and will spend a few days there to give themselves a little break before heading on. I’ve been asked the question, is this sad for you? Yes, it’s sad that they will be so far away and they won’t get to meet Jacob until he is nearly 3 years old. However, I’m excited for them and what they will be doing, and the lives they will be changing for the sake of Jesus Christ. This is what they were called to do, and if you’ve been called by the Lord to do something or change something then you understand what I mean. This is a calling they began praying about nearly 10 years ago, and here they are today with their family on their way. Isn’t that exciting?! Yeah, it’s dangerous! But what isn’t dangerous these days? All of us risk our lives the moment we step out our doors each and every day. Seriously, 635 is absolute madness! Besides, I’d much rather die doing what the Lord called me to do, (no matter where that is) than living a meaningless life of what the world expected of me. Don’t take it the wrong way, I’m not implying that by living in the United States of America and working a job that earns a decent paycheck is wrong. There are not spiritual and non-spiritual jobs. We are all called to be missional and serve the Lord and His children in the workplace, wherever that might be. So, thanks for the prayers and I’ll keep you updated more on what they are doing.

_______________________________________________

Jacob/ Jake Update:
Okay, so the end is nearing! I’ll be 33 weeks on Wednesday, leaving me with 7 weeks to go. I can hardly believe it! I am still feeling wonderful, and don’t have a lot to complain about. I have remained very active up until recently, but now I have to take more time to rest and get off of my feet or I’ll be sorry. Jacob and I have regular conversations. It’s mostly me asking him to move into another position so I can breathe, but he seems to be listening. I’ve been having a lot of insomnia which is really frustrating come the morning, but I guess it’s just one other way of getting ready of what’s to come.

We had an ultra sound last month, and everything still looks great. The placenta has risen which was a small concern when it was too low at my 5 month ultra sound. This time it was a 3-D and it was unreal to see my little boy moving around so much and looking so developed. My doctor commented that he was really active. That was not a surprise! I still hear horror stories of how active I was as a child. My mother speaks of me escaping from the house when I was only 18 months, and crossing the street as if I knew what I was doing. Lord give me patience!

I had a lovely shower a few weeks ago. What a blast to get so many different things for Jacob. Now that the retreat is over, I have tons of thank you notes to write.

Jason has continued to be an amazing support through all of this. He does so much for me, and I love it. He cleaned our baseboards the other day! If that’s not love I don’t know what is. God bless him!

Is it that hard?

2006-02-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

Jason here again. Holly is busy growing a baby, so I have something to say. A good friend of mine Andy Bowman always said, “Under promise, over deliver.” This phrase means a lot to me. Why? This week I am experiencing someone’s over promising and under delivering.

Last Thursday, I asked a Contractor friend of mine if he would send some guys over to paint and place crown molding in Jake’s nursery. With enthusiasm he shouted, “Sure!” “Whatever you want Jason. I’ll send some guys over and you just tell them what you want and they will get it done.” “Great”, I respond. “In fact”, he says, “I will just charge you how much they charge me for their time.” “Even better”, I think to myself! He leaves and I start bragging to Holly about my connections and how much clout I carry in the contracting arena. She smiles and we move on to something else.

Tuesday morning, Painter #1 was supposed to arrive. I sat at the house all day. He never showed. All day, I call my Contractor trying to get an answer. Of course, his cell phone was dead. Painter #2 does arrive Wednesday afternoon and gets a considerable amount of work done considering he is by himself, only worked the afternoon and came ill prepared. His ill preparation places considerable strain on my pocket book as he makes multiple trips to the hardware store…or wherever he goes.

Painter #2 leaves Wednesday with one coat done. Painter #2 them comes back Thursday at 7:00am and works until 1:30 (when I kick him out because I have other things to do) with the trim still needing another coat and the crown molding yet to be installed. I make more calls to the contractor. Painter #2 and Crown Molder #1 arrive Friday morning without crown molding, a nail gun, caulk or a work ethic. But they do bring some cigarettes and few scary tattoos.

Friday at 3:00 pm the crown molding is up on one wall and the trim still needs another coat. We have baby shower guests in the morning eagerly anticipating the unveiling of our nursery.

Why do people over promise and under deliver? The Contractor said this could be done in one day; we are now finishing day three. As we speak, Crown Molder #1 is walking back and forth from the garage to the nursery trying to get the cut right to complete wall number 2. If my math is right with four walls, let’s see…it should take 8 cuts. We are quickly approaching 800 today so far. Hey, we are two walls down!

I am committed to not over promise and under deliver. If you can’t do a task, don’t tell someone you can. If you can’t stand by your word, then keep your mouth shut. People only want the truth. Excuse me now, I am going to call Contractor #2.

Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T07:00:00.001-08:00

Jason Here.

Holly-

Happy Valentine's Day Sweetheart! I love you with all of my heart...

Love,

J

Never The Same Again.

2006-02-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Jason here again.

Ok. I am so stinking ready for Jake to come out and play. I am tired of always having to talk to him through multiple layers of tissue. Being the husband of a pregnant woman has brought to my attention some annoying tendencies in people. Most notably is when I tell someone I am ready for Jake to be born, they always respond with a quick, and might I add, unwarranted comment of reality. “Life will never be the same,” they quirk. “So I hear.” “Take advantage of these last few nights of sleep.” Emphatically I say, “I plan on it.” “No, I am serious.” To which I respond, “Me too.” Then they look at me with those eyes that say, “I can’t wait to see you crack under the pressure of child-rearing.”

I now call them "life will never be the same” people. They make the same comment when people get engaged.

Anyway, with modern technology, we are able to capture the image of our “in utero” children through ultrasound imaging. Still, I wonder what Jake will look like when he grows up. I have included a few options. What do
you think?

Jason

Maybe.

My best guess.

Possibly.

I doubt it.

Huh.

Nah.

Pretty Likely.

2006-02-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking: Why is it I can’t eat a raw tomato? It seems so harmless. Just slice off a piece, put a little salt and pepper on it and munch away. I see people doing it all the time. With un-ending pleasure and pure elation they gently bite into the succulent red gelatinous material, enjoying every bite as if it were their last. I don’t get it.

Here’s the kicker: I love to eat not-raw tomatoes. I am like Forrest Gump with shrimp when it comes to cooked tomatos. I like them stewed, boiled, fried, grilled, sautéed, baked, in salsa (still raw, weird, huh?) and in pizza sauce. I like tomato bisque, tomato soup, sun dried tomatoes, tomato chutney, tomato stir fry and tomato quiche. I like them in anything Mexican, even pico-de-gallo (also raw). But I just can’t swallow a raw piece of tomato by itself.

Am I alone here? Does anyone else have this problem with tomatoes?

Jason

JASON

2006-01-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

I think Jason is hilarious. Seriously, he is one of the funniest people I know and I love being around him so I can laugh for hours. I would most definitely label myself as the level headed and even keeled one of our relationship. I believe this helps Jason stay in the world of reality, and he helps me loosen up and not be so serious all of the time. For this I am thankful, because without Jason I know my days would not be nearly as bright and beautiful. He has a way of putting a spin on things that I would never look at in the same way. Yet, I am bothered by something quite serious and need your opinions please. Jason doesn’t seem to think he’s very funny. I’ve been trying for weeks to coax him into having the liberty to humor you all on my blog, and post something light hearted and funny for your reading enjoyment, and he dislikes the idea. I know many of you out there must be appalled by this and I simply must ask you to voice your concern! Please! If you want to hear from Jason, let him know it! I simply have issues with being funny and sarcastic, so it’s only in the hands of Jason to make Life Is Bliss a humorous blog to drop in on. Help me, help you! Let him know!

WISDOM AND INTEGRITY

2006-01-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-6

In my previous post entitled A Prayer for Peanut, I shared with you the amazing bond I had formed with my child through prayer. I still have to admit it’s been an amazing prayer time, and God has opened my eyes in so many ways preparing me to mother this new life. Continually I’m reminded that I have no control, and that God has only given me one stance to take on the behalf of Jacob’s development, and that is through prayer. In these last six months I have been stretched and have allowed my hopeless flaws to be pointed out, yet my heart for being a mother continues to grow.

However, when I speak of development it’s become apparent that it’s not just about Jake’s lungs and heart that need prayers. It’s also his character. A few months ago I decided to start reading The Word over Jacob during my quiet time, and I was urged to begin praying for the wisdom and integrity of my son. I immediately stopped reading because I knew the Lord was right, it’s so fitting to begin praying this over a little unborn child, especially for a boy. From there my prayers for Jacob were filled with how God might begin developing in him a character based on these things, and use him in ways greater than I could begin to imagine. I prayed that Jacob would have an understanding of his true worth, and that it’s not in what this world tells him it is…everything just kept flowing. It was amazing. Since then my prayers for Jacobs wisdom and integrity continue, and I have been reading Proverbs 2, 3, &4 to him. It’s powerful, and I don’t really know how to explain it that even begins to make it all worthy of a blog post, but I had to share this.

I’m so glad that we waited to start a family until we were ready. It was apparent when God laid it on my heart and my priorities shifted, otherwise I don’t think this one of a kind experience would be quite the same. Blessings.

I'VE BEEN A BAD BLOGGER!

2006-01-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

I’m a good girl I am! Just like Miss Eliza Doolittle, it seems that I have been accused of poor etiquette. Well, poor blogging etiquette that is. I confess that I have not posted anything in over a month, and for this I’m sorry. Things were busy with the holidays, but I really don’t have a good excuse as to why it’s been so long. I’m going to try to be better.

Many things have happened with our little family since I last announced that we were having a boy. My sister and her family arrived back in the states after living in France for a year. It has been great fun spending time with all of them, especially the nieces. Emma and Clara are loads of fun to be with, and they make me laugh. Our time with them is short since they are planning to leave for Africa March 1st.

Jason and I have been burdened to reach out to those in our neighborhood for quite some time. We hope to continue to reach out to them a lot in this next year. We kicked off our efforts in December by hosting a Holiday Tea for the women in our neighborhood. We had a wonderful turnout, and I’m thankful for how God is working in the lives of the women.

We spent our Christmas holiday with Jason’s family in Taos, NM. It was a lot fun to have his whole family together in one place. We got to play with nieces and nephews, and breathe in the mountain air. I of course did not do any skiing this year, and Jason being the sweet guy that he is sat out with me. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, and it finally snowed the night before we left.

New Years was a lot of fun, with our family and friends. We had everyone over to the house for a big bash! We played games and enjoyed a yummy Mexican dinner. The kids went outside at one point and threw poppers on the ground, and rang noise makers. It was very cute. Needless to say we were very tired the next day. Jason had to get up and drive the church shuttle at 7AM, and I was singing with the worship team. We were beat after services, but didn’t want to miss out on the fun at my parents. We got to their house in time for black-eyed peas, and more fellowship. No worries, naps were had by all.

The New Year has started off well, and we are looking forward to a great 2006.

Peanut Update:
We have a name! After much discussion, Jason and I have decided to name our little peanut Jacob Haws O’Quinn. Jason suggested this name the day we found out it was a boy and I have loved it ever since. I think the reason why it took so long to decide was because Jason wasn’t as sold on it as I was. We were able to come to an agreement as long as he would be called Jake, rather than Jacob. Of course, his mama will call him Jacob, but everyone else is welcome to refer to him as Jake. His middle name is a family name on Jason’s side, and we wanted to include heritage to our son’s name as well. I’ve already heard from people who have friends who have a son with the same name, but I really don’t care. This name is so fitting and carries incredible meaning behind it. We couldn’t be more excited! We love it!

I’m still feeling really great! I have hit my 6 month mark, and people are finally beginning to take notice that I’m pregnant. I’ve been really small up until recently, and my belly is finally giving it away. What a relief! It’s a lot more fun to relish in the moment when you don’t have to explain to people you are pregnant.

I’ve been experiencing some lower back pain, which has always been a nuisance in my life. Unfortunately, the pain comes more often since I’ve been gaining weight. Thankfully, my yoga routine has been helping my back.

Well, hopefully this post redeems me from being so bad. I pray you are all doing well and that your 2006 has gotten off to a great start.

Blessings.

Here is our Peanut!!!

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Isn't he precious! I just think he is beautiful, I can hardly wait until he comes out to play. It's been a lot of fun telling friends and family today. I even called my sister and her family in France.

This picture does not show "the goods", but I think it gives all of you a good idea of his size. He's only 10 ounces right now, so there are plenty of pounds to put on. I guess that goes for both of us. Ha!

We are still working on names, but we'll let you know when we decide. Blessings to all of you, and thanks for your prayers thus far. God is good.

I Told You So!!!

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IT'S A BOY!

I love it when I'm right! Everything looks really great, he has all 10 fingers and toes, two arms, two legs. He's healthy and still growing. The only thing mentioned was that the placenta is low, so they are going to check in two more months to make sure the placenta has raised. My doctor told me that there is a 97% chance that the placenta will raise, if it doesn't it means I can't have a vaginal delivery. So please be praying that the placenta does raise, but praise be to God for everything looking so great. He is beautiful. Pictures will follow.

Blessings.