In order to update the blog, and actually finish, here's the shortened version of the last 6 months. Here goes.
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Thanksgiving was wonderful! We went to Tasha Hale's Parent's house and Kenzie played with Ellie while Thomas, Tasha, Josh, and I played games after inhaling a most delicious dinner! Kudos to Tasha's parents!
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Our car (Chevy Tahoe) finally was registered in GA! It was a triumph for my pregnant body to be able to travel all over the north Atlanta area finding a good mechanic and going to the Emmissions countless times. It took $600 dollars and a lot of huff and puff to get it registered. Wow am I glad that's over! However, I WILL be posting more about this because no one (especially a woman 8 months pregnant with a toddler) should have to go through this but learn from my experience.
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The biggest event of the year was at the hospital when I got to hold my baby Grant Wayne seconds after he was born. He is the cutest things, well, since Kenzie I guess! But he has the biggest spirit and looking at him is like chocolate melting in your mouth! Grant is so adorable! He was 9lb. 3oz. 21in. I labored until a 9, then received an epidural. Four hours later, I "pushed" (breathed down) 10 minutes and he came. I loved walking around the hospital with him and really loved the photographer coming to the hospital room to capture the picture above. He was a still is a happy (BIG!) baby. My mom came a week early and stayed a while which helped a ton! McKenzie stayed entertained quite well with 'Waka waka' and 'Cotton eye joe' to help.
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Christmas was a blast, it was strange to cook our own dinner but very rewarding. I loved the simplicity of the day and how my mom pretty much delivered all our presents as a favor to Santa. ;)
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Jamie and Sara came from Missouri for a week to see Grant. It was a lot of fun to have them and show off our chunky hunk. Sara made me an amazingly creamy birthday cake and they watched the kids while Josh and I went on a date. Joshua finished Kenzie's "Big Bed" while they were here too! He did such a good job, Kenzie loves it!
McKenzie's birthday was fun, she got to go to Nursery which beat out Chucky Cheese or anything else. It's her favorite! Her cake was the easiest thing I could think of and luckily her favorite book at the time. She loves to sing the ABCs and Twinkle little Star, but now, since Grant, her favorite is 'I Am a Child of God'. I love it when she sings it in the grocery store! People stop and listen and knod their heads and go.
My present for my birthday/Christmas/Anniversary/Valentines, and possibly birthday next year is a piano! A Casio PX 130 digital. I love it! It has made me so relieved and relaxed to have a piano again! And it's made my calling to play in Relief Society much easier. Thank you Josh!! Oh, and I carried it up our three flights of stairs all by myself! Fist pump!
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We just got back from an amazing Spring break vacation to Missouri! It really was like a vacation, it was so nice! It was wonderful to bless Grant with so much family around, all from so far away. Just being at my in-laws made it so most of Josh's family was there. My parents dead headed from Kansas City on their way to South Dakota for the day, Grandma and Grandpa Jackson had flown in for a visit, and Grandpa Foster was there too. It was quite a big circle with Cousin Gene included.
It was a beautiful blessing. Short and sweet with very specific blessings. After church, we did a picture marathon. Grant wore the same blessing outfit that Josh wore, I thought that was very special. I wanted to take a picture outside the Stake center in front of the same bush that Josh was posed in front of for his blessing and Missionary picture, but I was a year too late. It was mostly destroyed in the Joplin tornado last May. But the people inside survived! And they are rebuilding on the same property! If you want to learn more, they have a few Facebook pages about stories and relief.
