No Husband Again...

Jonathon got called away to help with the snow storm damage in Kentucky. They have activated all National Guardsmen in the entire state. There are a lot of areas that will be out of electricity for weeks and they are actually flying over and going door to door to make sure people are safe. It's really sad to hear some of the stories. He was supposed to be gone until tomorrow but now it looks like it may be longer. Be careful, babe!!

Last night Aimee called to invite me over for a nacho bar and some board games with the Ledbetters and Paxtons. It was a fun way to keep my mind of JOnathon being gone. I love board game nights!!

Today JJ had its first cheer competition of the year. We came in 2nd place...only lost by 1 point! I couldn't be more proud of our girls. They hit every stunt solidly and they had great smiles on their faces. We have two weeks to clean up our routine a little bit before they compete again. Go Pirates!

I barely made an appearance to Chris and Megan's baby open house today. I knew I would be running late because of the competition, but I made it in time to watch them clean up. I was really bummed because I wanted to catch up with everyone there. I heard it was a great time and I can't wait to see the pictures they will post on their blog soon. I got stuck in the snow getting out of the parking lot, but luckily it was a coed open house so I had plenty of help giving me a push on the highway. Thanks to Mike King and the others!!!

Right now I'm waiting on Kristen to stop by. I'm going to run errands and hang out with her a little bit. Both of our husbands are working so it's a great opportunity to get in some sister time. Plus I get to hold the baby. :) He's so cute. I'm going to have to take some more pictures soon...

Happy Saturday!

Every Marriage Needs a Snow Day...

That's what Jonathon said about an hour ago. We've been having so much fun!! We do a little work around the house, snuggle on the couch a little, make something to eat, do a little more work around the house, snuggle on the couch again.....Too bad our lives can't be like this every day...

It's Official

Our mission team booked the Africa trip. I received the confirmation today. I'll be spending nearly six weeks in Malawi again this summer teaching English at The Good Samaritan Orphanage. This will be the last time I'll be able to do something like this for a long time so I want to give my best work. Right now I have mixed emotions....excited, scared, happy, and sad all at the same time. Please pray for our team.

Snow Day!!!

It's 1:30 and I'm still in my pjs. I love snow days. I got a little extra sleep, caught up on grading papers, watched The Bachelor episode I missed, and now I'm doing some laundry and baking a cake. It feels so good to wipe things off the to-do list that always seem to get pushed to tomorrow...

Now I also have time to catch up on some blogging....

One thing I meant to blog about but haven't had the time is celebrating my friend Tim's 30th birthday. It was so much fun!! We went to Incredible Dave's...

Also, yesterday was my sister's birthday and we went to her house for lasagna and cake. Yummy. I didn't take any pictures but here's a picture of Kristen and me taken at a banquet a while back. I love you, sis!!

Callie made Kristen a card and it cracked me up. On the front it said, "Happy Birthday Mom..." On the inside it said, "You turn 34 today. Love Callie." Ha ha....I just thought it was funny for some reason.

This Week's Update

I guess things have gotten so busy that I'm doing well to put in one update per week...

There's really nothing new to tell through the week...Lots of basketball games, cheerleading practices, and a bowl of ice cream each night. It's just a lot of running around and getting tired. School is going well though. I really have a great class!

This weekend was full of Pirate basketball excitement. Three games in a row made for a busy weekend. One win for the girls and two very much needed wins for the boys. Our cheerleaders were looking great too!

Jonathon had drill this weekend so I was happy he was able to make it to the game on Saturday. He sat with Tony and Sulayne and got caught up with them. The only thing I don't like about coaching this year is usually I used the weekend ball games as a time to sit with friends and socialize. I really want to walk around and talk to everyone during the game....but can't. We grabbed pizza with friends after the game. It was so good to catch up!

Today was BUSY. I had church which was so awesome. The singing, the testimonies....everything was just what I needed right now. I'm sad Jonathon had to miss it because of drill. I've told him about how testimony services have always been my favorite but we haven't had one since he's been coming to CIC with me.

This afternoon it was run errands, Birthday plans for Kristen, drop in on a birthday party (Happy Birthday Zoe and Alex!), visit with Jami for a few minutes, go to a Bingo party for toys, meet to finalize AFRICA plans, and yes....enjoy a bowl of ice cream with my husband. Shew...I was in and out all day long. Now Jonathon is snuggled on his couch with a blanket and I'm on mine. Ahhh..... Now it's take a deep breath and start over tomorrow. Life is busy...

Busy Week

They are all busy these days...Between JJ and CHS, I am always at a cheer practice or a basketball game. This should last through the end of February so I might as well get used to it. The colder it gets though, the more I just really want to be home under a blanket. :)

Jonathon and I are enjoying the true picture of a married couple. We have both been working the daily grind for the past two weeks. We still don't have a routine of any kind set yet, but we have managed to get to the gym a few nights per week. Oh wait....the one routine we haven't skipped has been our nightly bowl of ice cream. I guess that is kind of cancelling out our trips to the gym, huh...

We had our "date night" at home last night. Yes, we were in bed at 9:30. I got 11 hours of sleep last night!!! It was so awesome. We are so pooped by Friday night that laying around sounds like more fun than anything right now.

Tonight will be more festive though. We are celebrating our friend Tim's 30th birthday with friends. We will be having tons of fun at Incredible Dave's. I've heard so much about how fun it is. I can't wait...

Thanks for your Prayers...

Connor is out of the lamp suit case and looking healthier. His bilirubin levels are still elevated but not enough to warrant him sleeping in the suitcase all the time. I don't know all the science behind it but Kristen is going to have to switch to formula. You moms out there may know more than I do about this...breast milk is partially digested for the baby and because of that Connor's liver was being a little lazy. When Kristen mixed in some formula which is not partially digested already, Connor's liver had to kick in and work at full speed. Apparently when the liver was being lazy with the breast milk, that's when the jaundice was happening. They think it's because with the blood disorder your spleen and liver are usually affected in some ways.

So anyway...there's the explanation. I'm sorry if I didn't explain it well. The bottom line is he is okay now and they figured out what to do to keep him healthy. Kristen is a little bummed that she won't nurse anymore though. Thanks for praying for him!!!

Prayer Request

Please say a prayer for my new nephew, Connor. He has be jaundiced since he was two days old. He is now thirteen days old. For those who don't know, my family has a hereditary blood disorder that isn't a huge deal from day to day but it can cause major complications along life's way. Passing it on to our children is a 50/50 shot. Kristen and I both inherited it. Callie has it, but Madison does not. Although babies can't be tested until they are 9 months old, the pediatrician is certain that Connor has it as well which is why he has been jaundiced for so long. It's typical for babies with it to do this, but not for this long. He has been sleeping in the "lamp suitcase" on and off since day two because he gets better, then worse, then better again.

Please say a prayer that he will get rid of the jaundice and he can come out of that light suit case.

Weekend Update and the Back to School Blues

Friday-Jonathon and I went to see Marley & Me. Bring the tissues with you when you see this one!! Jen and Ryan ended up meeting us at the movies. It was great to see them. We finished off the night with a trip to Chick-fil-a. So yummy.

Saturday- I had a basketball game to attend and then Jonathon and I were off to Bowling Green to see my family there. I usually try to make a stop there at some point over the Holidays and I was cutting it close this year. It was so much fun to see everyone. I wish I lived closer so I could see them all the time.

Sunday-Jonathon and I continued visiting the family and then we headed home to prepare for the work week. I was dragging my heels this morning. Usually I see January as a fresh start with the same kiddos and I get really excited about it.....but I think this is because Jonathon and I had two whole weeks together without work. We were both a little sad last night.

It was back to school for me today. We had teacher meetings and I think we got a lot done, but when I walked back to my classroom I made a "to-do" list a mile long. There's never enough time in the day to get it all done!!

New Year's Fun in Pajamas

The Gillespies had a Pajama party for New Year's Eve. It was a great idea so everyone could go right to sleep when they got home. The kiddos enjoyed it too...

Our hosts...

We played some wii...

Heather and Zoe...

Aimee and Kimberlyn...

We played a fun game too. It was the girls....

against the boys...Part of the game had you bounce a ball over your partner's back and have them catch it. The girls won the first time....

The girls win again...

Jonathon and I were just hanging out...

We had so much fun!