Swim Lessons with Cousin Loyd

We had so much fun with "Aunt Loyd," I mean Cousin Loyd--it took the kids a little while to learn the appropriate family titles :) He was so good with the kids and helped clean up the house, etc. I appreciate his coming to visit and help out during this time for our family.

Here are some pictures I was able to get of their trip to the pool.

MJ--getting older

It's dangerous when you leave me at home with a camera and a beautiful new baby. Here's a shot that shows how MJ is growing.


Thank you Aunt Maralee for the beautiful dress--I love the neutral colors and pattern. M looked so cute and relaxed in it.

Rites of passage and grateful for family

I'm especially grateful for Aunt Kristen and her daughter Abbey who are staying with us right now to help out after M's birth. When I see happy kids who are engaged in all kinds of activities and getting healthy meals, etc., I'm especially thankful for their service and love. I know I need to heal and recover, but I don't want to do this at the expense of my older children, so having their help is really important to me.
Especially today, I have a new level of gratitude. Riley, while she was supposed to be down for her nap--so she was in her crib, took off her diaper. This was just before she had a really big, stinky poo that she proceeded to paint all over her crib, the wall, dresser, etc. Of course, she waited to do this until I was out numbered with kids :)

I was taking a nap at the time so Kristen found her. When Kristen put Riley down in the bathroom to clean her up, Riley made a mad dash to my room, and climbed up on my bed. Kristen was right behind her and told me she was covered in poop. I brought her to the bathroom and got Riley in the bathtub. Meanwhile, Kristen tackled her crib. Before I fully realized what really happened, Kristen had it mostly cleaned up.

While I feel like less of a mom that I didn't clean up all of the poopy mess, I am very grateful for a loving Aunt who really just jumped in to help as needed. She is a loving and wise mom of four, all of whom are older than 8, so she's beyond the toddler phase. Yet, she willingly jumps back a decade to help our family at this time in our lives. Good family and friends really have the possibility to influence and help each other for good. Much love to all of our family and friends who, from all over the world, are there to love and support us as we welcomed another precious girl to our family. Thank you!

P.S. I have no pictures to include with this post--just imagine a big, stinky mess all over and you've got a good mental image of this one!

New Addition: MJ

We are excited to announce our newest addition to the C&C Jones Family. Meijke (pronounced Micah) came to us on June 14th at 10:31 pm. She was 9 lbs. 13 oz. and 21.5 inches long. She has super long fingers and toes and actually had hair!
D&R were so excited to hold her and are adjusting well. D ran into the hospital room and said, "Good job pushing out baby Meijke, Mom." When we brought her home, he was fascinated with her umbilical cord, and can now tell you about it himself. He even remembers what it is called :) We hope he also remembers that he can't "pull it out."
R looked at Baby M skeptically at first, but then excitedly said, "Baby Meijke!" At that point, she wanted to hold her right away. At home, she'll run into our room in the morning and look at Baby M in the crib. She also often tells me what is happening, like "Baby Meijke crying."
Here are some pictures of the experience. We're so enjoying a third baby, and feel blessed to have her in our family.

We are also glad for the many friends and family who are supporting us during this time. Thank you!!!
We are fortunate to have Candace back from Costa Rica (as of last night) and have enjoyed seeing her again. Also, my cousin Loyd came in from UT and has been a tremendous help! He'll do the dishes, help make sure dinner is ready, play with the kids and hold baby M. While I'm missing my Mom, I'm so grateful for Loyd being here and his constant support. He'll be a great dad one day!

Visiting Great Grandpa S in San Antonio

We were able to head to San Antonio for a fast trip on Saturday. Clinton's 2nd cousin, Caden, go t baptized down there, and Clinton got to perform the baptism. It was a great event, and we enjoyed seeing family and catching up.
D&R are becoming more aware, and it is great to see them interacting with others. Here's a clip Clint captured of the kids playing with Great Grandpa. I just love seeing these smiles and hearing these giggles. Oh the joy that comes from simple pleasures. Hope you enjoy as much as we do.

D&R--the pair

I am grateful for kids who play well together and are friends, well, most of the time :) If Riley is not following Daniel, it's the other way around.

National Donut Day

So, last week, we celebrated National Donut Day with a trip to Dunkin Donuts. The kids asked to wear their Easter sunglasses and had a ball. Donut pickings were slim (they had no cake-donut varieties at all!); it had been a busy day, but we all found something we liked.
Here are a few shots of the kids all decked out...