Mr. & Mrs. Box!

The last several months have been filled with babies (showers and deliveries) and weddings! I LOVE IT!!

This past weekend was my brother’s wedding which makes it particularly special! We had such a wonderful time and we adore Erica, the bride. They're on their honeymoon in Jamaica this week! I can't wait to hear about their trip and we are all so excited to have Erica as part of our family!

The ceremony was outside on the Fossil Creek Golf Course in Fort Worth. It was totally worth the 108 degree heat watching the sweet couple exchange their wedding vows! Jude was all over the place and embarrassed me a little but the crowd enjoyed the entertainment and Brandon and Erica swear they welcomed the distraction!
Bridesmaids: Jenna, Nicole, Me & Gabby
Maid of Honor: Julianna
Best Man: Marc
Groomsmen:Blake, Jon & Kevin
Ring Bearer: Jude bug :)
Family Pic: sister, brother, me, BRIDE/new sister, GROOM/brother, Mom, Dad

After the photographer was done snapping pictures, it was up to the clubhouse for the reception! Everything was beautiful and we had a blast!! Family (that were always willing to help with the boys), great music & dancing, Fajita dinner complete with margaritas & wedding cake...what more do you need for a perfect night?? NOTHING!
Still so in love! Can we get married again?! HeHe

I truly adore my family!! My Uncle Tim, Aunt Pam and Grandma cheesin' it up with my sweet boys :)

I promise he's mine! ;-) BUT MAN, he sure does favor Erica with that blonde hair, right?!

Bouquet Toss! The other girls didn't stand a chance against Cortney! Love it!

It was SUCH a fun night celebrating Brandon and Erica with all of our family!!
I feel SO honored that we could be a part of such a special day! Congratulations and many blessings to Brandon and Erica, er....Mr. & Mrs. Box!! ;-) XO

Maui, HI - July 2011

Click here to view these pictures larger

Hawaii Family Vacation 2011

My mom called mid March to tell me they had booked a condo in Maui at the Marriott Ocean Club Resort for 2 weeks in July and were looking at airline tickets if we were interested in going with. Joel being due May 6, there was just no way I could commit…way too many unknowns! I just hated we were going to miss out…neither of us had been to Hawaii before.
Joel arrived happy and healthy a week earlier than his “due date” on April 29, 2011! We were in and out of the hospital with no issues…I couldn’t have asked for a better delivery/recovery! By the end of June I was rethinking my decision to decline the trip. ;-) After talking to a couple friends that lived in Maui and several others that had visited, I was VERY SERIOUSLY reconsidering. Jon was on board to look for airline tickets and…we booked our flights the beginning of July! We were definitely nervous about the very long flights and enduring such a dramatic time change with 2 babies less than 2 years old but…we were doing it! I was off work on leave already, we had family there to support us with baby help and we couldn’t be sure we’d have a second chance for a trip like this!
The boys did AMAZING flying!! I was SUCH a proud mommy! :) I must mention that AA has the BEST flight attendants when flying with children. GINGER was our favorite…she was WONDERFUL with both boys and they absolutely LOVED her! She was on both flights (going and coming home) which was a total blessing to us!
My Uncle Rikki and Aunt Sharon stayed with my parents and brother, Kevin, the first week of the Maui trip and we joined them for the 2nd week. We had one night with all and it happened to be Kevin’s 14th birthday! We had a great time celebrating with everyone and we were so thankful we got to see Rikki & Sharon for a bit before they flew back to Texas!
The week flew by and Jon and I are SO glad we decided to go AND that we brought the boys! We made such unforgettable memories and my family was a HUGE help!! Our only wish was that we could have stayed longer!! :)

I'm posting a slideshow of pictures in a post but here's a handful...there are just so many it's hard to choose!! :)


*The Resort Pools*


*Old Lahaina Luau*


*Our smiling beach bum baby*


*Introducing Jude to SAND!!*


*Road to Hana*


*Beach right off our resort*

Joel Philip Howerton

Only appropriate to make my first post after my "summer break" about Joel, our newest Howerton!! And what better way to tell a story than thr pictures?!

Just before bed on April 28th...our last day with just one sweet boy...
Grandma Judy (Jon's mom)was already at our house to stay with Jude so we could head to BAYLOR the next morning. :)


What better morning to have a baby?! Prince William and Kate's Royal wedding was on TV!! I walked in the doors of Baylor at 5:00am and the nurses already had it on my room TV. :)


A quick picture in between contractions ;-) We knew baby Joel was coming soon!


And...10:47am on April 29th, Joel Philip Howerton was born!! Perfect in EVERY way!!


Weight: 6 lbs, 6 ounces
Height: 19 3/4" long

Pictures from the hospital...
Jude meeting his new baby brother!

Our family...TEAM HOWERTON :)

Look at those precious feet...long and skinny :)

and perfect little hands...

My heart in a picture!!

XOXO

Daddy watching TV while Joel sleeps on his chest :) So sweet!

Jude checkin on his new brother!





Time to go home!! :)

Summer Slacker!

Okay, so I've taken a couple months off from blogging...BUT I definitely have the best excuses: my 3 sweet J's!! We are now a family of 4!! Joel Philip Howerton was born April 29th! I'm so blessed to be able to have the summer off (maternity leave) to spend with my little angels! It's been amazing so far and there's still a month to go (and a Hawaii trip) before I return to work! I know I'm using a ton of exclamation points but it's becacuse I'm just so darn excited about life these days!! :) Every day I think it can't get better...and then it does! :)


Dear God....Thank you for a house full of people I LOVE!! Amen.

Last Date Night for a While??

Jon and I went to a wedding a couple Saturdays ago downtown Fort Worth and I'm assuming it will be our last "Just Us" date for a while... It was fun to dress up and spend time with friends w/o kiddos. Unfortunately my prego brain was at less than "full speed" and the night ended a bit early after walking dead on smack crotch into a steel bike pole while walking downtown, LOL. Everything is good to go again now and baby is fine :) so we can look back and laugh! HaHa. Had to create a blog post for memory sake tho ofcourse! :)

37 weeks...and a couple days :)

17 Days to Go…

I’m growing by the minute at this point! At my appt last Thursday (April 14th) Dr. Flower’s guesstimated that our sweet baby Joel is 6 lbs even. I have another sonogram scheduled for this coming Thursday so I’ll know more after that. Jude was 5 lbs 9 ounces and 12 days early so…if the Dr is right on, Joel is already bigger with some time yet “in the oven” but really, he could be here as early as THIS SUNDAY!! I feel like I’ve grown so much since Thursday’s appt even! Getting curious for sure! :) What will he look like? How will he be different/similar to Jude? Will labor be different this go-round? WHEN will labor begin? What will we do with Jude while I’m in labor if my mom isn’t here by then?! How will Jude react to having a baby brother? How will Jon and I be as new parents of 2…under 2?! :) So many questions bouncing around!
I’ve gained right at 25 pounds (as of this morning). Maternity clothes are even tight at this point, LOL. I’m SO thankful it’s warmer and I’m not having to layer! I pretty much stay in flip flops & dresses or loose shorts and flowy tops... though I honestly don’t mind showcasing my “baby bump” from time to time with a tighter fitted outfit. :)
Nesting is in as full force as it’s going to get! Jon has been a great help! He pulled everything that we had stored down from the attic so I could wash it all...which resulted in him falling thru to the garage and having to repair the sheetrock (oops). Poor guy took it in stride like a champ! Clothes are all currently folded neatly and ready to find a “home” in the boys’ room (or elsewhere). I have today off work so I’ll be focusing my (lack of) energy on organizing Jude and Joel’s room, mainly their closet! I forgot how many clothes we had for Jude! The memories were flooding with each laundry load. Hard to believe he was so tiny at birth!! He wore preemie size for almost a month! Will Joel?? Hmmm… more questions!


Dr. Flower’s suggested I be doing “kick counts” and wanted to make sure I have been feeling movement…um, yes! TONS of moving! I look down at my belly, inside or out of clothes, and it moves like a water bed nearly all day! Makes me smile for the most part but there is the occasional belted “ouch!” when I feel like my ribs are being broken by a strong kick, LOL. I do love the reassurance it brings that Joel is strong, alive and well and getting ready to meet us! :)
This week I’ve had quite the head cold which makes breathing even harder than it already was! I told Jon I feel like I’m standing on top of the highest mountain fighting for that good deep breath and now I have a snot filled nose to add to that struggle, LOL. BUT all in all, it’s been a great pregnancy…totally bearable and smooth. It’s flown by! :)

Can't wait to meet baby Joel!!