Beautiful girl!

After a wonderful thanksgiving, I was reminiscing about all that for which I am thankful. I am most thankful for my wonderful family, most especially my healthy, beautiful daughter. I am also so thankful for my wonderful husband, who decided that we needed to spend the dough to get professional shots of our pretty girl. I couldn't decide which ones to order, so he graciously let me purchase all of them. I've included some of my most favorite shots for you to enjoy. Happy Holidays!

So Thankful!

As we draw nearer to one of my favorite holidays (#3 on the list), I am always eager to think of all the things for which I can give thanks. This year, I have so many things that I could easily list one thing each day as many of my friends have done in their Facebook statuses. This year, I am so thankful that Josh decided to have his knee surgery so he can be full speed again. I am even more thankful that he had it done when he did, because had he waited any longer, we would

have seriously been up a creek! I am thankful that my grandmother is no longer suffering, even though she isn't with us any more. It's not always easy to find the good in such sad situations, but I am very glad that she isn't in any more pain. I am thankful that all of my other grandparents, and Josh's as well, are in good health and happiness. I am thankful that we will be able to see the majority of our family throughout this holiday season, since Josh's family will be here at Thanksgiving, my family will be here at Christmas, and then we start our trans-American auto journey! I am thankful that we have been blessed all year to both have good jobs

and great friends to keep us happy and healthy. With all of these things for which to be thankful, how can anything top the list?

Mama, I think you're forgetting something!

With everything that happened throughout this year, I am most thankful for my beautiful, darling, healthy, happy daughter. I can't imagine life before she was born. It seems like she's been a part of our family forever. She is so healthy and growing more and more each day. We took her for her two week checkup and she had already grown 1/2". She gained back over her

birth weight, up to 7 lbs. 13 oz. What impresses me about this was that she weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. at her one week checkup, so she gained over half a pound in a week. She's a great eater and she sleeps pretty well most of the time. I can't believe that she will be 4 weeks on Thanksgiving, but I am so thankful for every minute that I get to spend with her. Hopefully, you have plenty of things for which to be thankful this year!

Before and After

Well, it turns out that October has been quite the month of ups and downs for my family. It started off on a very sad note, with the passing of my grandmother. Even though we knew it was inevitable, it was not an easy time for any of us. Unfortunately, I was the only member of the family who wasn't able to make it home to see her or to be there with the rest of the family. But I guess that's how it goes when you're cooking another little person and the day is drawing nearer. My dad also celebrated a milestone birthday in October. I think it was a bittersweet day for him, seeing as how it was his first birthday after he lost his mom (by four days) and it was the big 5-0! However, a birthday is always something to celebrate and that was just what he did.

Apparently my dad wasn't the only person who thought October was a good month for a birthday. That little person that I was cooking decided that November just wouldn't work for her, so Mary Grace made her grand entrance into the world on Thursday, October 27 (three weeks to the day after we lost my sweet Mimi). It was actually a very quick, and mostly painless experience. We went to the hospital at 6am after contracting all night. I knew that there was no way I was going to hang out for the rest of the day in as much pain as I had been in all night, so I asked for the epidural as soon as we got there. I think the volunteer at the front desk may not have been qualified to supply me with those drugs, but I didn't care who did it as long as someone did soon! They hooked me up to the monitors, decided I had dilated to 4.5 cm, and was contracting regularly enough to be admitted. They took me back to my room, got me my wonderful drugs by 8:30, and we were set to hang out for the rest of the day. The dr. came in and checked me out, told me she would be back in the afternoon to check me and break my water, and we would see how things were progressing. The dr. came back at 12:30, broke my water, checked me, and looked a little shocked. I was already 9cm and she knew that the time for a baby was quickly approaching. She came back ready to get down to business at 1:00. They had me do a practice push at five after and then told me to stop because the dr. wasn't 100% ready yet. But that baby didn't care; she was ready to go. After ten minutes, she was born. She didn't hardly make a sound but was absolutely perfect in every way! Josh was completely mesmerized. He cut her cord, told me that she was a girl, and stood over her while the nurses cleaned her up. He even forgot to take pictures of the whole process because he was so smitten. He said that he forgot that everyone else existed, and the look on his face cemented that fact to me. Mary Grace has done beautifully. We all were able to go home the Saturday after she was born. And in the time honored tradition of welcoming the Jones family to VA, it snowed... Just like it did when we moved here in 2009. Thank goodness it wasn't 3 feet this time! I'll keep updating now that I have such great material. I'm sure they will be mostly picture and video posts, but that's what first time parents do! Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 26, 1:30 pm

Thursday, October 27, 1:30 pm

7 lbs, 6.6 oz, 20.25 inches long

(We didn't think she could be ours since she was so long, skinny, and quiet.)

Headed home from the hospital in my bear suit!

It may be a little big, but I'm still so stinkin' cute.

Daddy hasn't been able to take his eyes off of me since day one!

Well, you're right. I don't think I can get any cuter!

With Liberty and Justice for all!

Well, as usual, I'm a little behind with my posts, so I guess I'll start begging for mercy. I'd like to say that it's because there's been so much that's been going on with us, but in reality, I've just been kind of uninspired. Josh has been super busy with work, and I finally finished up the school year. It was a great year with great kids and I'm really sad to put it behind me. I know that I'll be back for a short time in the fall, but it's a very weird feeling to know that I'm not going back to work full time once this little one gets here. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are thinking, "Oh whaaa! What I wouldn't give to stay home." I'm loving the fact that we are blessed enough for me to raise our children, but it was a very surreal moment when it hit me that I am actually done with my career for many years.

Despite putting teaching behind me for the time being, I've been working like a maniac around my house. I guess the nesting phase has hit early and hit hard. I did have an excuse, as I did have a lot of "company" this past weekend. My sister, her boyfriend, and Josh's brother all came up for the Fourth of July weekend. We had a blast around Annapolis, MD and Washington, D.C. When we went to pick Z up from the airport, we hung around the MD area for the day, stopping off at some popular eateries. For those of you who love having your brains sucked out by the boob tube may have seen one of our stops on the ever-popular series Man vs. Food. Despite Chick and Ruth's Deli's famous reputation, I can honestly say I have had much

better food and a much more desirable atmosphere in my bathroom with a turkey sandwich.

Oh well, it was totally worth it to see Z and J try to tackle a six-pound milk shake after each

consuming at least two rolls of sushi. I thought they were both going to spew whatever contents were in their stomachs all over the greasy counter and the one-eyed waitress. Quite the adventure!

Before, when six pounds of milk shake seemed like a good idea...

Once things started to seem a bit more realistic (i.e. not so doable!)...

After a day of resting and picnicking with the neighbors (Thanks to everyone who came! We all had a blast, especially the boys with the water balloons ;) ), we packed up and headed to the city. We met up with my good friend Claire and watched the amazing Independence Day parade. We were lucky enough to make it to our spots in time to catch the very beginning of the parade. After an hour and a half, J was still unable to see the end of the parade! It was great! Everyone did a magnificent job, and all I can say is that I was so thankful to be there in shorts and a t-shirt instead of those horrendous polyester band uniforms!

The start of the parade. I'm sure they were roasty-toasty!

Crazy bike man! I liked that he was brave enough to stand up on the seat, what with that giant front wheel and all!

These guys were definitely my favorite part of the parade. They were so coordinated! ;)

Really cool photo J shot, capturing the monument rising out of the top of a fire truck.

After our long parade extravaganza, we relaxed with a bit of lunch before preparing to head to the mall for the incredible firework show. If you weren't fortunate enough to be on the mall with the other 50,000 sweaty, rude people from all different ethnicities (i.e. sporting all different kinds of bodily odors...), you'll have to TiVo it on PBS next year. It really is quite the experience. I'm pretty sure that next year, we'll be parked on the couch watching the PBS special ourselves. Let us know if you would like to join us. The more the merrier, after all!

Happy 4th to all, and to all a good night!

Much news

So, I have clearly been neglecting my New Year's Resolution for the past ten weeks, but I am sure that most of the rest of you have been doing the same thing. I guess that means that none of you will start throwing stones this way. Just because I've been neglecting my updating duties, it doesn't mean that much hasn't been happening around the Jones house. At the beginning of March, we headed back to my stomping grounds to celebrate with my family. My wonderful grandmother turned 80 years old, and since that's not an accomplishment that happens ever day, we decided to shower her with attention (which she hates as much as she hates Jesus...) and love. It was quite an experience!

Once we returned from that shindig, I began a new full time job at the elementary school around the corner. I had done two long term sub positions for them, and they finally found a way to keep me around full time for the rest of the school year. I started working as a special ed assistant with the kids I had worked with before. They are wonderful, and I know that they are teaching me more than I could ever teach them. I come home with hilarious new stories each and every day. For those of you who know me oh so well, you would be pleased to know that there is a student with whom I work that matches my sarcasm point for point. She even referred to me as "Captain Obvious" one day when I asked her if she was ready to go home for the day... I have found my niche!

Spring has definitely sprung around the DC area. The Cherry Blossom festival was beautiful, even though we didn't get to go downtown to see them up close. The spectacular flower bed we planted last year looks incredible. I was most pleased about this because all of the plants were perennials and I didn't really have to do anything to make sure they would come back. However, they didn't necessarily mean that they would all make a grand re-appearance. They did! My thumbs are not nearly as black as I originally thought they were. We have started our garden again for this summer. There are plenty of beans, peas, lettuce, carrots, gourds, and tomatoes in the works. All of them have sprouted so we should have a great haul again this year. The lettuce is even getting to the point of harvest and will continue to produce throughout the entire summer if we can plan it right. Below are the pictures of some of my favorite things that are growing around the Jones house. Enjoy!

Our azalea bushes were bursting with hot pink flowers! My favorite!

The lavender smelled incredible!

The lettuce is bursting and delicious.

Even though I don't like snap peas, they are growing like weeds.

The best thing we're growing, due to make an appearance in November!

Who knew...

So, the other day, I was eating at a fine fast food eatery with my good friend Claire, and we both overheard (as well as witnessed with our own two (four?) eyes) something that seemed totally out of left field to the both of us. As we were enjoying our french fries that were NOT cooked in beef tallow and our chicken that IS 100% white meat chicken, the ladies behind us were carrying on their conversation at a volume of 85. At that point, it becomes impossible not to eavesdrop. As they were preparing to leave, the little girl with them asks, "Mommy, can I get a toy?" to which the mother responds, "No, you didn't get a happy meal so we can't get a toy today. Remember, I brought your lunch. You had a wrap." Now, I suppose there is nothing out of the ordinary with a mother fixing her daughter a wrap for lunch. Quite the contrary, that is a very healthy lunch choice and, I am sure the daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. However, does it not seem a little cruel and unusual to bring your child to Mickey D's, order yourself a Big Mac with fries, and tell your little one that their lunch is in your purse? I remember when I was a little thing what a treat it was when we would get to go out to lunch or dinner. Not once did my parents pack me a meal while they partook of the menu without me. In fact, after having worked in the food industry for many years, I seem to recall that on many occasions, parent would actually bring a sack of happy meals with them to the steak place since junior wouldn't eat what was on the menu. Never had I heard of such an abomination as bringing your own lunch to McDonald's. I asked Claire if I had heard correctly, and I assumed that I had seeing as how her chin was somewhere in the booth below the table. However, we both resolved, "Whatever. We aren't parents. Not our choice to make" and left it at that.

Yet, not 15 minutes later, we were again surprised. As we were packing ourselves up to head out of the fine eating establishment, we made the obligatory ladies' room pit stop. On our way out of the restroom, we passed by a table where both people had spread before them not the fatty, delicious goodness that is McDonald's, but the salads and sandwiches they brought with them. Now, it seemed a little more understandable for a parent to deprive her child of such fatty goodness, but for two people to occupy a booth at the restaurant and bring their own food with them seems a little odd. Claire and I left laughing, in fact we were almost doubled over, planning our next lunch date.

E: "Hey, why don't we grab lunch next week?"

C: "Sounds great. How about McDonald's?"

E: "Perfect! I'll bring the Subway, if you'll remember the salads and dressing from home."

C: "That sounds fantastic. Should I also whip up a creme brulee for dessert?"

E: "HAHAHA!!!!"

C: "HAHAHA!!!!"

On a much different note, have you seen the line up for Memphis in May Musicfest yet?!?! I'm peeing in my pants because I am so excited. If you need to know why, please search through and read some of my previous posts.

Those dang "thunderstorms"

So, now that we're getting into what I call "tornado season" in the Southeastern United States, it's time for all these crazy Virginians to face what they consider major storms. Last night, I heard on the news that we were facing a major thunderstorm that spanned from VA to AR and LA. However, there was only a little light green over my area and out to the west. That is, it was light green everywhere but my old stomping grounds. Out in TN and AR, it was bright red and yellow with lots of tornadoes in the area. Believe it or not, and you should since I've blogged about this before, I LOVE thunderstorms and tornadoes. While some of my friends, you'll remain nameless, hmmmm......, head straight to the liquor store then the tub with the mattress, I'm standing on the porch with my glass of "juice" analyzing the sitch trying to determine if my house will in fact be blown to never never land, or where ever houses are blown these days. Today, I took the kiddos out for recess and I heard one of the other kids who was already outside exclaim, "You guys should definitely stay inside. This storm's going to be bad!" I could only think to myself, "The sky is blue, not even green... I only feel straight winds. They're not even turning, yet..." Oh well, whatever. I'm ready for some real thunderstorms.

On a totally different side note, we're getting new carpet on the main floor and the basement tomorrow morning. I'll let you all know how that endeavor goes and whether or not I'll maintain a drinking attitude all night and into the morrow.

musical promiscuity

So, I'll admit it. I'm a bit of a music whore. I love music and, most of the time, I really don't care which genre. I like good songs. They are one of the few things that can really alter my mood in many different ways. If I'm really happy, nothing cements that feeling more strongly than "Don't Stop Believin'." If I'm feeling down, I can always count on Johnny Resnik and the Goo to help me out of my funk. When I'm feeling a little nostalgic, I live for Dave and "Everlong." Every time I hear "Me and You" by Kenny Chesney, I think back to what a wonderful time I had at my wedding reception. When I hear "Pour Some Sugar on Me," I think what a great time Josh had at the wedding reception. I like to listen to music when I'm in the shower because it does almost as much to wake me up as the shower and coffee I must have. When I'm scrapbooking, I love to listen to some Taylor Swift because I can relate to each of her songs. (I know that she's only an 18 year whatever with no life experience, but hey! Don't judge me!) Nothing makes a girl feel sillier than dancing around the bedroom to some Zac Brown Band, and the ultimate laundry mix (cause, quite frankly, there's nothing worse than folding the laundry) definitely includes some Paramore. Haley seems to make that tedious task go by just a little faster.

However, I must say there really is nothing better than putting on some of your favorite chill music, laying in the hot, hot bubble bath, and sipping on your favorite glass of white wine. Now, I'm sure you're saying, "Well of course that sounds great, but that's not a luxury I get to enjoy, EVER!" Hold those words in your head, because I only ever get to do it once in a blue moon and I turn on the music to specifically drown out the sound of the dog scratching on the door so she can see what I'm doing. But I digress. The point is, I have found a new chill band that I must say I am in love with. I have a couple of go to favs, but I do believe that this one may trump them all. I don't normally watch the grammy's because I'm not the biggest fan of award shows. I really couldn't care less who is wearing whom and who is doing whom. I have better things to do. But there was nothing else on tv on Sunday night so I sat on the couch with a little drink and decided to see who was performing. Much to my surprised delight, I discovered this:

Let me know what you think.

A broken resolution...

So, it only took til February to break the resolution, but I knew it would happen. I missed last week, but I decided to jump back on the wagon, so here we sit. In reality, I didn't update last week because there's nothing terribly exciting going on in the Jones's world. Josh is working hard, and I'm working occasionally. The most interesting thing that I've been doing lately is a workout. There's never really been anything that I've been able to stick with besides my dance classes, but now I've taken up a weekly yoga class at the gym, and I must say that I really enjoy it. I don't believe that I'll be taking the toxic free lifestyle anytime soon for so many reasons, but I do like that I come out of the class feeling much more centered and stretched. I'm actually getting my splits back, which hasn't happened since I quit dancing almost 10 (holy shit, I feel old) year ago. Like I said, this is most definitely not a toxic free lifestyle because there's nothing better than some hamburger helper and cranberry and vodka after yoga class, which I'm fairly certain is the most counter productive combination in the universe. Oh well! Here's to some good yoga and and even better vodka and cranberry. Happy Friday!

I'm sick of this shiznit

I know they always say, "Same song, second verse, a little bit louder, a little bit worse." As far as I'm concerned, "they" can shut their damn mouths. I wouldn't necessarily qualify this as worse, but I am for sure sick of it. When we moved to NOVA last year, we were dumped upon with feet and feet of snow. Thankfully, those feet and feet of snow decided to move just a little bit north of us this year. All I've heard for the past 12 months was, "OMG! Can you believe that snow we had last year?! That is completely atypical for this area. We NEVER get that much snow! It usually only snows once per winter here!" I call BS! I think you are all full of crap, most especially you, Mr. Realtor! It has essentially been snowing on and off since Christmas day. It's in our forecast at least once a week, sometimes even more than that. We were surprised with snow on Wednesday morning and then dumped upon again Wednesday night. Guess what, friends?! It's snowing again! OMG! We had around a foot of total accumulation on Wednesday, and now it's dumping on us again. I believe the forecasters were wrong when the Friday forecast called for a 40% chance of flurries around the area. I'm just ready to see a sky that is any shade other than gray. It's depressing, it's wet, it's cold, and I freaking hate it! If anyone wants to visit hell, stop by my house cause I'm in it! So much for looking for the silver lining in things...

This blows!

So, forget Martha Stewart; I'm Bob freakin' Villa! I know it's hard to believe that there is still something to do around this house after I spent all of last winter repainting every surface in the house that could hold paint, yet here I am with a new project on my hands. I decided that I wanted to redo the cabinets in the kitchen, but of course I couldn't just jump right in and do it without having a little practice first. This is where the bathroom project comes in. The cabinet in my bathroom is a little skeezy, but nothing that I couldn't live with. However, it seemed like the perfect place to practice. I started sanding the cabinets, and after three days, I'm nearly finished. I only have three drawer faces and a door to finish before I clean it all up and start the staining process. I think the thing that's driving me the craziest is that I can't use my bathroom and that everything that I have in there has to have a temporary home in my bedroom. I never really thought of myself as a clean freak, but I think that may be what I am morphing in to. Hopefully I'll be able to post pics of the finished product next week because I am so over having to use the shower down the hall. Anyway, have a great weekend and remember to wear your eye protection!

Let's do that again!!

This post is mostly a photo post, so peruse at your leisure. When my wonderful M-I-L came up for Thanksgiving, she brought my wedding dress with her. Since I still fit into the dress, I decided I would get my sister to take more bridal shots of me. I even convinced my husband to get in on the action even though it was 22 degrees (with a wind chill of 7) when we did this. Oh well, I love what she did!

Obsessed!!

This one's for you, Jennie. I have recently (relatively) discovered that I am obsessed with vampires. I know to some (aka Mr. Jones) this seems like a ludicrous way to spend all of your free time, however, there is nothing that I can (would like to) do about it. I have read and reread all of the books in the Twilight series so many times that I have lost count. I own all of the movies that have been released. I must say that, thanks to my bestie, I even have a couple of the magazines over which to ogle. Yet, I simply cannot quench my vamp thirst (haha) in the world of the teeny boppers. I branched out when HBO decided to make the best show in the world! I have seen every episode of every season of True Blood, and I plan to keep this up as long as they will make the show for my personal pleasure. While this is all well and good, new True Blood episodes are only available in the summer (because, quite frankly, what better way is there to spend a summer Sunday evening than lusting after beautiful actors who portray oh-so-powerful vamps with a nice fruity drink in your hand?!). I know that the most recent True Blood season is available On Demand, but what about those other seasons that I loved so much?

Now comes the part where you all become jealous of me because I have the greatest husband in the world. Despite the fact that he knows I get a little attached to the vamps with which I am having a literary affair, Mr. Wonderful gave me some of the best Christmas presents I can think of. Not only did I get Season 1 on DVD (it's just a little way to recreate those first moments when those big hunks of power and fang stepped into my life...), I also received all ten Sookie Stackhouse novels. I have spent the last week reading and reading and reading. I cannot stop myself. I take the books to school, I take them to bed, I can't put them down. I raced through the first 8. Now that I'm on nine, I've come to the realization that I'm reading at a much faster rate than my new favorite author can write. Her next book comes out in May, so I have to finish the next two books and do what I am worst at:WAIT... I must say, that's the worst when it comes to a really good (in my opinion) series. So here I sit with a conundrum on my hands: continue reading at breakneck speed just to see what happens with Sookie, Eric (OMG), and Bill, or slow myself down to a reasonable pace and finish just in time for the next one to come out in May. I guess that since I've ripped through eight books in a week, option two does sound a little far fetched, especially when Eric Northman is involved. I guess I'll just have to reread all ten in the ten days leading up to the new one. I'll let you know how it is!

Here are the first eight. Definitely worth a look in my opinion.

And here's Eric Northman. Also worth a look in my opinion. Just for you, Jennie!