Legoland

Hey friends, it's Jalen! Sunday we celebrated my 7th birthday! I know, I know, you can hardly believe that I'm growing so fast right? Instead of getting a ton of presents that Mom says will end up in next year's garage sale, my brother and I always get one or two small gifts and our choice of a family mini trip. Mom and Dad tell us that the memories will last longer than the toys and I'll admit, I sure do love traveling to new places! This year, I chose Legoland Chicago.

We started the birthday morning just as we always do with cake for breakfast! This is one of my favorite family traditions:P

Once inside the museum, we were able to walk through lots of exhibits, all made entirely out of legos!  

We entered a jungle with hippos, tigers, monkeys and snakes all constructed of tiny plastic bricks, pieced together one by one. I wonder how many hours it took to build such a masterpiece? I hope they stopped for snacks!

Mommy and Daddy's favorite exhibit was the mini replica of Chicago. It was amazing! Every tiny detail was there from the sears tower down to road construction being completed in the middle of Michigan Ave. There were dog walkers on the beach, shoppers galore and lights that shined through the stained glass windows of the beautiful churches. The pieces even moved so that the whole city was in action!

We rode a hanglider and we even took a tour of the lego factory where we made our very own souvenir lego. I was in charge of pushing the button that stamped the factory name on top.

My favorite part was when Daddy helped us build a giant tower out of lego bricks. 

Jacey took a little nap while we worked on our project.

It took a long time but we finally finished! Can you guess who's inside?

Before heading home we stopped at my favorite restaurant, The Rainforest Cafe!  Thanks Mom and Dad for such an awesome birthday! I'm already planning for next year.

Hmmm...an African Safari sounds like fun! Do you think we could make it there and back in a day? Probably not huh? Well, let me know if you have any ideas. I love exploring new places!

The Perfect Morning

Five years ago, my perfect morning would have consisted of my favorite black suit, a starbucks in hand and my favorite song on the radio while driving into to work. My agenda for the day would include managing a staff of 25+ people, 140 children, answering telephones, returning emails, scheduling, problem solving, answering questions and addressing concerns. My how things change! Last week, my day started out with my alarm clock going off around 7am. (a hungry baby crying for her bottle) I then decided to take my work outside to the front porch. There I sat, feeding my newborn baby and sipping on a glass of ice tea. A warm summer morning breeze was blowing and dew drops were still on the blades of grass in my front lawn. A cardinal was perched in the tree and a chipmunk was running through the mulch. Across the street my neighbor was wearing a straw hat and landscaping his side yard. Ah yes, now this was the perfect morning! I love that life has slowed down for me to enjoy little moments like these. It's days like this that I am reminded of how grateful I am that God is in control and not me, that He knows what is best for me and that my life is going according to His plan and not my own. I thought I had it all figured out, that I had a 5 day, 5 month, 5 year plan and that I was happy. That was before giving my life completely to him. Wow! What a difference it has made.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Out and About

Hey everybody, it's Jacey! My brothers aren't here this week so I thought I'd steal the show. Now that I'm getting a little older, Mommy and Daddy have been taking me out to see the world! Friday night, I went to my very first strawberry festival. There really wasn't a whole lot to do there but Mommy insisted on taking me for an hour and fifteen minute drive just to get a picture of me in some dress that she bought before I was even born! Well, here it is folks. You can see how excited I was to be there. I guess I did look pretty darn cute huh?

Saturday I was a big city girl as Mommy and I went downtown Indianapolis to my cousin Sarah's graduation. She's a graphic designer and made me some super fun note cards with my name on them! Sarah says that I'm her little princess in training. I guess I might as well learn from the best:)

This is my cousin Halley, she's a soccer star! Mommy says that she will show me how to do my hair and makeup when I get older.

And this is my Aunt Alyce. Isn't she pretty? Mommy has looked up to her since she was a little girl. She says that she is very smart and talented and that I will want to be just like her.

My cousin Steph and Uncle Steve were there too but they were busy mingling and somehow we didn't get a picture with them. Maybe next time.

After the graduation, Mommy and I went to see the girls in her Life Group. My friend Jani was there but Brayden and Josh had stayed home. Bummer, I really wanted to see them. We were celebrating my new friend Zack which is suppose to join us sometime in the next couple of weeks. Then baby Russell will be here in November. Her Mommy isn't telling us her name just yet but I'm already excited to meet her. I just know that we are going to have so much fun together playing dress up and having tea parties.

Well, I'm starting to get hungry so I better sign off and let the parents know that it's time for my bottle. Trust me, it won't take them long to figure it out. Mommy says that the neighbors usually know when its time for me to eat. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Love, Jacey

What's Cookin Good Lookin?

This morning Jameson came running into the nursery and asked if May was over yet. "Only one more week!" I told him. Why did he ask? Apparently, he just remembered that Topper's birthday is in May. Who is Topper? Ah yes. Topper is a beanie baby giraffe from a McDonald's happy meal that we were blessed with three years ago. Let me add that the tag is no longer attached to tell us his date of birth so when Jameson said that it was in May, I figured that he was just trying to find another reason to eat more cake! Lo and behold, after doing a quick search on Ty.com, Topper's birthday is in fact this week. Our little guy will be turning three which means a celebration is in order. Jameson wanted to do it up right so he decided that Topper would enjoy some confetti cupcakes with lifesavers on top. Okay little man, if you say so! Chef Jameson in the house! He did it all by himself from start to finish and I must say...not too shabby. He told me that he thought the first "patch" turned out better then the last...no that was not a typo, he said "patch" not batch. We are still trying to learn the kitchen terminology but we may just have the next Emeril on our hands folks!

Comes the End of One Season and The Beginning of the Next

It seems like yesterday that I was posting a picture of Jalen, standing on the front porch with his backpack on, wearing a proud smile upon his face as he loaded the bus for his first day of Kindergarten. Throughout this school year we were introduced to the letter people, we learned how to tell time and how to add. I attended two field trips and made lots of yummy treats for our designated snack days. We began reading and we have become more independent then any 6 year old should be. A mommy wants to feel needed you know!

Jameson stayed home with me this year with the exception of attending a mother's day out program once a week, for a little socialization more suitable to his liking. However, that doesn't mean that he wasn't growing measures academically. This year we worked together to learn everything needed for our big debut in Kindergarten. He is counting in the hundreds and reading books! We've enjoyed afternoons in the park, baking cookies and learning our site words. He even became quite the helper around the house.You would be surprised at how well a 4 year old can dust!

As I sit here today and look back on the past year, I realize just how fast the time flew by. The boys and I had so much fun during this season but as life goes, it's time once again for change.

Last month, little Jacey was born and the Gilbert house will never be the same. A house that was full of nails and snails and puppy dog tails now has a dash of sugar and spice with everything nice. I must say, the two are blending perfectly! The boys love their new little sister and the protective instinct has already set in.

This is the last week of school and then the season will change. This fall, Jalen will move on to first grade and Jameson to Kindergarten which will leave just us girls. I'm excited to have this mommy-daughter time but also sad at how fast the boys are growing. Tomorrow I will wake up and they will be in cap and gown! Slow down my little munchkins, you've got plenty of time.

Here are a few memories from this school year including Jalen's last field trip that was today.

Jameson was Lucky and Charming for St Patty's Day

Jalen with his lead as a fish in the school play "Carnival of Animals"

                                                    Field Trip Columbian Park Zoo

Jacey Noel

She's finally here! Jacey Noel Gilbert was born on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 10:09pm. She weighed 6 lb and was 20.5 inches long. As you can imagine, time and sleep are hot commodities around here so I must be brief for now. We were blessed to have had a natural delivery with no complications and she is a healthy and beautiful baby girl who loves to be held. The boys are adjusting well and love their new baby sister. They are quite the helpers! I am enjoying every second with her, even at 2am. She is such an amazing little miracle. Here are a few pictures of our precious little girl.

Three Men and A Baby + One Mommy of Course

Let's just say that with three boys in the house, I am beginning to feel a bit out numbered..but not for long! We only have 3 weeks left until Jacey Noel joins our family, making it a party of five! The nursery is completely finished and James did an amazing job. It took several hours and lots of patience to finish this "Practically Perfect Paris in Pink" project but he pulled it off.

All of her little outfits are washed and dried, hanging in the closet anxiously as if they are saying "pick me, pick me, wear me first!"..Okay maybe that is the voice inside my head that is beyond excited to finally have pink clothes in the laundry basket. Do you have any idea how long I have waited for this day?  Our official due date is April 26th but I wouldn't be disappointed if she decided to surprise us with an early delivery. I've had fun with the upset tummy, restless nights and now the "oh so swollen are those really my ankles?" but I'm ready to put all that behind me and hold that precious little girl in my arms. All there is left to do now is wait. 

Okay, I have a confession. At first, I was completely against taking maternity pictures. After all, do I really want to remember what I looked like over these past 9 months? I hardly even recognize this person! Then it hit me. What I see as chubby cheeks, a double chin, big hips and cankles, is really a beautiful miracle and gift that God blessed James and I with. This is an experience like no other that I may never have the opportunity to embrace again.

The past few days I have found myself looking at my tummy thinking wow...there is a little person in there that will soon be in my arms. The same little person that I will rock in the rocking chair, take to her first day of kindergarten, shop with for her first prom dress, drop off at her first year of college and look at her beautiful reflection in the mirror of a bridal boutique as she says "mom, this is the one". Okay, I'm tearing up. The point is, yes, there have been moments over the past month that I have thought "I am so done being pregnant" but as the end (or shall I say the beginning) draws near, I remind myself that God has blessed me beyond belief with this miracle of life and I am overjoyed at the opportunity to be a mother to this little girl while humbled that God would entrust her life to me. I wouldn't trade the past 9 months for anything in the world. Here are a few maternity pics that we took over the weekend. We can hardly wait to meet you Jacey Noel. You are already loved so much. See you soon:)