Showered with Love... again!

Wow! After a weekend that was entirely too short, we are back in Knoxville again. We travelled to Memphis for a shower. My mom's generous friends threw me a baby shower. I was surrounded by friends, family friends, and family. Then, on top of that, many people sent gifts who weren't able to come.
We are so blessed!

The amazing hostesses! (Minus two)

Grandma Rene and me

My Grandma Dee.. she came to Memphis from Saint Louis for the shower!

Just one of the great gifts we received! They look so good above the cribs.

My sister Laura, Grandma Dee, sister Julie, Cousin Carolyn,  and niece Haley (5)

As I sit here working on my thank you notes, it is hard to keep the pen steady because the babies keep kicking the clip board I am writing them on! It is hard to be mad though.. :)

Since Jason was off a few days last week, we were able to set up a lot of the babies' room! We got both cribs, a rocking chair, and a changing table set up. We also stocked the closet with baby clothes.. I can't believe we only have 3 months!

24 weeks...and first baby shower!

I am now 24 weeks.
(Don't be confused by the last blog post.. I drafted it 2 weeks ago and it took me that long to go ahead and post.. now I am 24 weeks!)

Jason finished his quarter and we were able to celebrate by going to the Smokey's this weekend. After dinner with his parents, we retired to the cabin. They called me into a room to show me something, and when I walked in...

Genevieve made these little babies out of diapers! How CUTE!
My mom about had a heart attack when it hit her--there really is going to be TWO bundles of joy! 

How do we look? Like we have our hands full? :)

My sister-in-law (and she was one of my bridesmaids!) planned an entire long distance baby shower for us. It was a total surprise to me. Jason, his parents, and his entire family were in on the secret, but somehow they kept it a surprise! 

I was overwhelmed by the generosity and support of his family and family friends. I was so deeply touched by the hard work and thought that went into it. Laura did a great job coordinating, and Genevieve (my MIL) did so much, too. Everything was sent to her house and she wrapped it all and transported it to the mountains. Then she decorated the whole place and made it a real shower. I know they both did so much more that I am unaware of to make it special, but it paid off. 

Thank you so much to everyone who participated. Overnight we went from (LITERALLY) not having a single thing in the baby room, to being able to start getting the room set up.

It is a good thing Jason has a few days off from school... he has a lot of work to do!  

22 Weeks..

So much has happened in the past 6 weeks!
As you can see, the babies have grown significantly! When we went for our 20 week check up (full anatomy data collection) we spent a full two hours in the ultrasound room. We got excellent reports from the doctor. It made us so proud to see our little babies growing so healthily! Jason was really interested in all the measurements they were taking. His favorite part was the hearts. I was interested, too, because it had to do with our babies, but not so interested that I didn't accidently fall asleep. Oops! Hey, put a pregnant lady in a recliner after a full day at work and dim the lights, see what happens.

You might have heard that we know the genders now... two girls! What a blessing!!!!! Their names will be Dakota Elizabeth and Kiley Rose. They are little wiggle worms. Dakota is on my left side and Kiley is on my right. It is so neat to know where they are because I talk to them more often than I should admit if I want people to think I am sane. So when my right side is being kicked over and over I can tell Kiley to cut it out! (Ok, the truth is... I don't mind right now. That may change as they get stronger and have less room to move, but right now I love to feel them!!!)
I think Jason was scared of pink at first, but he is warming up to the idea. He made the decision that we will be moving to Starkville, MS in 18 years.. So we can keep an eye on them when they go to college. Good luck, girls!

We have moved into our new three bedroom condo/house. We absolutely love it!! Our old apartment was perfect for us starting out, just the two of us. Now that we have moved to this palace we would never go back. We love the high ceilings and open floor plan! We are getting settled in and getting things ready for babies!
Last weekend our air conditioner broke.. Although it was a very hot, sticky 4 days, it made us very glad that we are renting. Plus it made us appreciate our blessings.
When the guy came to identify the problem, he took one look at me and offered to get us a window unit until he could get the new part. Apparently he took pity on Jason. Maybe he has had a pregnant wife before...?

School is in full swing now. It started out quite rough for me, but it has really smoothed out. I can truly say that although things aren't going perfect or easily, I really love my job. I love working with my special kiddos, although sometimes I look at how they are acting and search the room for hidden cameras.
We have a new "Cool Down Room" in my classroom. It works well for students.. and teachers!

Jason is finishing up his 4th quarter of his didactic year (he will spend a total of 5 quarters in the classroom before starting rotations). The schedule has been tough because there were a lot more night classes this quarter, but overall he is doing great.
He makes me so proud. I love the way he invests so much time and effort into the things that matter- but he also makes sure that his family is a priority. Somehow he manages to balance school and taking care of me. He never complains about having to help me pick things up all the time, or helping me put on my socks. When I start crying for no reason, he doesn't dismiss it because he knows that it is only because I am pregnant. God chose a great man for me to partner with to raise our daughters!