Newborn Photos

I am SO excited to share these photos! I decided to get some newborn photos done for Everett since babies change so much and newborn pictures always look so peaceful and pretty.

Jake and I learned how long it can take and the energy that is put into making these photos look so peaceful! We worked with Jen from JT Photography and she was AWESOME. The pictures came out great, but even more impressive was how easy she was to work with and how comfortable she made us ALL feel. Isaac took to her immediately and she was the "baby whisperer" with Everett. Plus, I ended up being a half hour late (!!!!!) and she was totally relaxed about it and so was my husband, so obviously she made him feel at ease as well. Such a joy getting to work with Jen.

And now for the pictures! It's amazing how much Everett has already changed. It's fun to see him so new and picture perfect. :)

Will Everett be interested in baseball, music, the medical field, flying or all the above?

I LOVE MY BOYS! :) (just missing Striker)

Love Your Spouse Challenge, Day 7

Day 7 (Final Post)

For my final picture of the love your spouse challenge, I chose our first family picture with Isaac. I chose this pic partly because we’re going to be doing this again in just a little over a month! There is a lot that a stressful situation can reveal about a person and there are few things that are more stressful than labor! Jake was a fantastic partner during my labor with Isaac. He was calm, loving, supportive and completely selfless (much how he’s been throughout our relationship). Thank you, Jake, for giving me reasons to respect and honor marriage. There is no one I would rather be in this covenant with. And as we prepare to have our second child, I am confident it will be a positive experience just because I know you’ll be at my side. ::kiss kiss::

Love Your Spouse Challenge, Day 6

Day 6

This picture is from our baby monitor and I love it. I had already been in to console our crying child with no luck, so I sent Jake in. I didn't hear any crying and so I looked at the baby monitor to find Jake siting on the floor, playing his guitar, while Isaac quietly listened. Jake is the sweetest dad (as anyone who knows Jake can imagine) and Isaac adores him. I love embarking on this parenting journey with him!

Love Your Spouse Challenge, Day 5

Day 5

In this picture, Isaac was one month old and Jake and I FINALLY got out for some time by ourselves while my parents watched him. Naturally, we didn't have enough time to go to a movie or do much else, so we ended up driving to Avila Beach (only 15 minutes away) and grabbing a beverage from one of the only little shops open (hence the classy lime-a-rita) and spent time just hanging out in the car, with the windows rolled down, listening to the ocean. And of course, we spent pretty much the entire time talking about Isaac and making up little jingles for him on our phone. It was simple and short, but completely perfect. I love any time I get with my husband.

Love Your Spouse Challenge, Day 4

Day 4

The day two became one. I loved our wedding day and our adventurous honeymoon afterward. Just the other day I quoted part of Jake's vows to me in order to in an argument. ;) but in all seriousness, having the opportunity to commit to each other and make those vows in front of family and friends was powerful and wonderful. I appreciate marriage for the love and more so for the struggles that end up binding us in a type of love that I could have never understood before. I look forward to growing in an even deeper love with Jake through the rest of our lives. This day was only the beginning!

Love Your Spouse Challenge, Day 3

Day 3

This picture was taken right before Jake proposed. Of course, his proposal was fantastic, but the main reason I wanted to share this picture is because there is no one I would trust more to fly me around in a plane (or drive me in a car or drive a boat, for that matter). Jake is so good at what he does and so humble about his skills. He takes great care of his family by bringing in the dough so I can be a stay at home mom.

Love Your Spouse Challenge

Yesterday, I was given a challenge on Facebook to post a picture of my spouse for 7 days to celebrate love and honor marriage. I thought I would post on here as well, since I know some people aren't on Facebook and I'm excited to do it because talking positively is always refreshing to write and read.

Day 1: This first picture is a selfie of Jake and I during my first visit to his parent's in Moran, MI. We had just started dating and after traveling stand by to Michigan with him and watching him with his parents, siblings and pets, I realized how much I liked him and wanted to be in a relationship with him.

Day 2: This picture is from when I was first living in Grand Junction, CO, starting my LPN program. Jake has always been super supportive of whatever I'm doing and visited me often even though he was living in San Luis Obispo, CA. I also chose this picture because Annabel is in it and since she was my first born, Jake has always made extra space in his heart for her too. :)

Pregnancy #2 and family Photos!

About a month ago, Jake, Isaac, and I visited my friend, Renee, in Alameda. While there, Renee was gracious enough to take a few photos of us as a family and then of me with my baby bump. After the family photos Jake left with Isaac and I hung out with Renee and our good friend, Stephanie. I have been best friends with these girls since 1993 (Renee even longer) and it is ALWAYS fun and full of laughter whenever we get together. Here are some of my favorites from the session...

The "goddess" pose!

Lastly, I got Renee and Stephanie to do a "hands heart" with me

I love these women. This is what long lasting friendship looks like!

Birthdays

February is a very celebratory month for Jake and me. Jake jokes that February is an expensive month because of Valentine's Day and the many birthdays. It begins with his grandmother's birthday on the 7th, then his sister, Kate, on the 9th, his Mom, Betty, on the 13th, his sister, Sarah, on the 16th and me on the 25th. Twenty years ago I got a niece to join me in February (Suzannah Hasson, on the 23rd) and this year I got a late birthday present- Eden Elizabeth Feffer born at 6:44pm on the 26th. February is a very exciting month indeed!

Eden is my 7th niece, my sister's third daughter. When Ashlie became pregnant with her first daughter, Josephine, we hoped it was a girl partly because Ashlie and Adam were sure they were going to be blessed with boys. Then little Eleia Ruth came along and again most were shocked that it was another girl. In June, Ashlie became pregnant with her third child and didn't have near the morning sickness as she did with Jo and Lou (Eleia's nickname). Overall, she felt this pregnancy was different. September came and the ultrasound delivered God's desire for it to be another GIRL! Once again we were surprised, but blessed with a healthy baby. Now Eden has arrived, the heaviest of the three- 8lbs 8oz and 21 inches long. and she is a treasure. With their three jewels, Ashlie and Adam do have their three boys- Jo, Lou and Ed. :) Happy days at the Feffer homestead. SO thankful this girl has been born, as I had been waiting on pins and needles for the call to come to San Jose for her arrival. I truly love each of my nieces and nephews with a love that only an aunt can have. It is such a blessing. Welcome, Eden. Glad you could join the awesomeness of February. :)

Valentine's Day

Today was a food day, which means more to me than it would normally because I was feeling well enough to cook! For the last two months I've been exhausted and feeling crummy pretty much all the time, so preparing food has become my enemy. :( That's probably one of the reasons I feel like pregnancy robs me of who I really am; one of the downsides to growing a human. Thankfully, it seems like it's on it's way out when I have days like today! Granted, if given the opportunity I would have laid down and rested, but it wasn't like I had to rest, which has been the case MANY times.

So lunch was more like a breakfast lunch with scrambled eggs and bell peppers and onions and chicken sausage.

Dinner was the main meal I spent the day preparing for. I was really looking forward to having a Valentine's meal with Jake. He was scheduled to arrive in Sacramento at 5:30pm. Then a mechanical on the plane he was flying happened and they had to deice in Minneapolis. :( This meant Jake was going to miss his connecting flight and consequently not arrive to SMF until 8:30pm. I was so bummed. To lighten the blow, I shared some of the left over chocolate mousse (I had made for dessert) with Isaac. He was very happy to be part of my coping.

I didn't realize it at the time, but Jake had ordered me flowers AND chocolate (what a splurge)! He clued me to check the front door and there was the gift. So sweet.

Even though I'd like to be, Jake and I aren't naturally very festive, so doing anything special on holidays is pretty exciting. The flowers were beautiful and the chocolates surprisingly good! (I'm always a little weary of chocolates not purchased from See's or another reputable chocolate shop.) Sadly, as my life would have it, when I left to get Jake from the airport, my animals worked together to get the chocolates off the counter and ate about two-thirds of the box. Thankfully, no throw up and everyone is acting normal. I'm still bummed not to have the chocolates, but better for my health, right?

So before Jake got home I prepared salmon from a grilled salmon recipe, fingerling potatoes, and green beans. As soon as we got home from the airport, I put Isaac down and Jake put the food on the grill. Even though it doesn't look super pretty, it sure tasted good! Success!

Then for dessert, we had and a small red velvet bundt cake (mmmmm) and chocolate mousse with strawberries and whipped cream. YUM!

So it might have ended up being a late night, but it was wonderful to end it with my forever Valentine. :)

Transitioning: 2 Naps to 1

Isaac hasn't been taking his afternoon nap lately, so Jake and I decided to start moving him to one nap a day. It's only been a couple days and not super easy. Isaac has always gone down for bed beautifully and this just makes it that much more of a stressor when he doesn't go down easily. A few nights ago after putting him down, he got upset and cried and cried. I went in, tried rocking him and then he decided he wanted to get up and play, so I put him back in his crib to stress BED TIME. He got upset again, so I sent Jake in with his guitar. This is what I saw on the baby monitor...

SO PRECIOUS!

Sadly, the music wasn't enough to lull him to sleep, so I came back in and rocked him while Jake played and after 20 minutes or so, the boy was finally asleep. Whew. I look forward to this transition being over!

Point Reyes

Yesterday, Jake, Isaac and I took a day trip to Point Reyes. Jake has wanted to visit this spot ever since he use to fly over it while working for SkyWest Airlines. I simply love to travel to scenic areas and since Jake and I won't be traveling together to Michigan or Florida for Thanksgiving, this was our time to get away, even if just for a day.

This part of Point Reyes is at the "point," just a walk from the Lighthouse. It was very beautiful...

and WINDY!

Then we went to the visitor center and walked along a beautiful and manicured path- 4 miles to the ocean. When we got to the marker that said we had one more mile to go, it was already getting dark and Isaac was beginning to get cranky, so we turned around. It was still a marvelous walk/jog and being a person of completing goals, I am anxious to get back and make it to the ocean!

We don't have any hats for Isaac, but I found this bomber hat that I bought him awhile back. I got it because it was cute, but it thankfully keeps his head and ears warm too! win win.