We made it to 6 months! :)

I cannot even believe how long it's been since I posted. Oops :) A lot has happened since I last posted! We finally reached the 6 month mark that we had heard so much about (all of our friends that have had 2 kids under the age of 2 said that once the youngest baby was 6 months old, life would change for the better-turns out, they were right!) Jackson is sitting up now which makes him the perfect play companion for Charlotte-attentive, but not up in her business ;) They are SO sweet together. She loves to dance in front of him, bring him toys and give him LOTS of hugs and kisses. She can officially say Jackson, but most of the time she just calls him Jack or "my baby". If she hears him crying in his room she is quick to climb the stairs and stand outside of his room until I catch up with her. She's a wonderful big sister. He, of course, thinks she's the GREATEST. I swear, he likes her more than me ;) At dinner time they usually get themselves into a giggle fit, and it's the most amazing feeling. I'm always grateful for their laughter at the end of our long days.

Jackson will be 7 months old on February 1, and Charlotte will be 21 months old on February 3. Time is really flying by. Jackson has 2 teeth, is sitting up, babbling all the time, and is really such a sweet baby. At his 6 month appointment he was a little over 22 lbs (only 9 lbs lighter than Charlotte!) Such a big boy! Charlotte astounds me every day with the things she understands and says. We're officially in the stage where she copies everything she sees and hears. It's really holding me accountable to be on my best behavior! ;) The most exciting new word she has as of last week is CHARLOTTE! She taps her chest and says her name. It's precious :)

God has been so good to us over these last months. When we look back, we're really not sure how we made it through the first 6 months (only through God's good grace). It's been a crazy adventure so far, but an amazing one. Now we're just focused on looking forward to the growing bond between our children!

Here are some recent photos of the kids...ENJOY!

School photos

Charlotte had her first school picture taken a couple of weeks ago. The teachers said she LOVED having her picture made. She kept saying "cheese" when she was in front of the camera and even fussed when her turn was over. Classic :) The next day at school the photographer took her picture with Jackson before I dropped her off, and even snapped a few of just him. I think they turned out pretty cute :)

Halloween

We took the kids to our church's trunk-or-treat (trick-or-treating out of the back of cars) on Sunday. Charlotte wore a bumble bee costume my mom picked up at Marshall's after halloween last year and Jackson wore Charlotte's old pumpkin costume. I have to say, they looked pretty cute :) They loved sitting in the back of our car to help hand out the candy. Charlotte took it upon herself to sort/organize the candy. Typical :) Here are a couple of pictures of my sweet bee and little pumpkin:

Trip to Florida

This past week I went to Florida with the kids to visit my parents. Matt came for the 1st weekend which was such a treat since it had been a couple of years ;) My grandparents, Sheree (my aunt), Victoria (one of my cousins), Trent (my brother) and Meghan (his girlfriend) all met us there! It was so much fun to get everyone together. It was the first time my grandparents had met Jackson and the first time that my Aunt Sheree and Victoria met BOTH kids! We had such a nice time on the boat, hanging around the house and at the beach. Although, Charlotte was NOT happy that her hands kept getting sandy (see the picture below). She's so funny about getting dirty. Such a girl :)

Both of the kids really enjoyed being on the boat. Charlotte loved it as a baby, but now that she actually knows what's going on it's even more fun for her. She was in heaven. Every time the water would splash on her face she would giggle and ask for more. Jackson loved being held by my grandmother, who I have now dubbed the Jackson-whisperer. He was so peaceful and happy in her arms.

It was such a special trip. There's something so heart-warming and incredible about having generations of your family love on your kids. I've included some pictures below, enjoy! :)

Jackson's 2 Month Update

Jackson had his 2 month check-up today. He's 15 lbs 4 oz and 23 1/2 inches long! What a big boy! He's slightly bigger than Charlotte was at this age (she was 15 lbs 1 oz and 23 inches long). As you can see from the picture, he's smiling now (he started doing that a few weeks ago). He also makes the sweetest cooing noises. The doctor remarked on what great neck strength Jackson has, which was also the case with Charlotte.

Things are going great with his schedule. He's been a little slower to fall into a pattern, but he's finally more predictable (which is a huge help in managing both of them during the day). He's still waking up once during the middle of the night. I have to admit, I'm a little frustrated with this since Charlotte slept through the night at 6 weeks. I know we're getting close, though! Every baby is different :) All in all, he's doing WONDERFULLY. We feel so blessed to have another easy-going baby.

Here's a sweet picture of the kids hanging out in Jackson's room this afternoon. I was singing them a song, and luckily they happen to be the two people in this world that like my singing :)

So sweet

Charlotte has been so sweet with Jackson lately. I've been meaning to post this video of her giving him kisses for awhile now. This is from around 2 weeks ago :) Better late than never!

Enjoy the preciousness :)

one month photo comparison

I think Jackson and Charlotte look a lot alike. Here are their one month photos side-by-side. What do you think??? :)

15 month and 1 month updates

Oh my goodness! So much has happened since my last post. Clearly, I've been a little busy with the two babies. It's been great, but intense :) I think it will get easier every month and as we have more of a solid schedule for Jackson. As with everything else in life, it gets easier with practice! The great news is he's a fabulous sleeper just like his sister. He's already in his crib which is sort of wonderful for me and Matt.

Miss Charlotte and Mister Jackson had their well-baby checkups on Monday. Talk about intense. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little tricky trying to wrangle Charlotte and keep Jackson from getting too ticked. Luckily, we made it out alive and well. It was definitely an adventure in parenting!

Charlotte Update:

- Weight: 29 lbs (98th %)

- Height: 31" (75 %)

- She has so many words now! But, she's super sassy and only uses them when she feels like it...I'm working on that :) I will say, she's been very consistent with yes, dog, bye and God

-Charlotte's words:

*Daddy

* Yes

*Cheese

* Dog (along with "woof")

* hi & bye (has said "hi daddy")

* please (has said "yes please")

* God (anytime anyone sneezes she says God for God bless you...pretty cute)

* Duck

* Juice (this is becoming more regular)

* Moo (does this count as a word???ha!)

* Jesus (such a PK, right??)

* Ball

* Daddy and Mama (but more like mamamamamama)

- She makes lots of sounds that are getting close to some words, but these are her only clear words

- Very interested in copying my household chores...mainly sweeping and laundry. She's actually kind of helpful! She likes to put the wet clothes from the washer into the dryer. Very handy :)

- She's always loved books, but lately she has even more of interest. She especially loves her nighttime book. It's basically the only time during the day that she will sit very still. Needless to say, it's one of my favorite times of the day :)

Jackson Update:

- Weight: 11 lbs 5 oz (85 %)

- Height: 21.75" (50 %)

- He's SUCH a good sleeper, just like his sister :) Although, he's a better napper :)

- His awake hours are becoming more fun now that he's more alert. He really loves his activity mat when Charlotte gives him his space to play :)

- He's an amazing eater, and by that I mean he eats A LOT! I'm a little nervous for his teenage years. How will we ever keep up???

- He is super chill and a very quiet baby. I love him for that :)

All in all, things are great here in the Stone household. Charlotte is really taking to Jackson. Every time she does something sweet like kiss his head I get so excited for the years ahead. What a blessing it is that they'll always have a buddy in one another. I'll try to remember that when they're driving me crazy :)

Here are some pictures of Charlotte being sweet with Jackson :)

Jackson Update :)

It's been two days short of a month since I last posted. But, in my defense, I've been a little busy :) My sweet, generous mother came to Houston a few weeks ago to help me out with Charlotte in the last weeks of pregnancy. Isn't she the best? I cannot overstate what a blessing this has been. Especially in the last week or so, I've really needed the help. She's a saint, as is my father for loaning her to me for so long!

Speaking of pregnancy...So I know last pregnancy I did a MUCH better job of keeping everyone in the loop. I just forgot to blog about it this time around! I'll tell you (while trying to not over-share) that I've had quite a bit of progression in the last few weeks, but still no Jackson. Even my doctor is shocked. She thought he'd be here last week. They stripped my membranes to help speed things along, and still no Jackson. (In case you're wondering, that procedure is about as fun as it sounds) So the latest is that if he doesn't make an appearance on his own this week they'll induce Friday, July 1 around 6 am. My children never want to be born. What's up with that? Here's a pregnancy picture from last week:

In other news...THE NURSERY'S DONE! Here are some pictures:

I LOVE the pottery barn kids madras print, so I decided to use it in a big way on his curtains. They make me very happy :)

Navy blue shelves from pbk. I haven't finished styling them yet, but you get the idea :) The "J" & "S" are going to be hung somewhere, just haven't gotten that far

an autographed babe ruth photo, matt's childhood boots (PRECIOUS!), vintage tom swift and hardy boys books and an iron jack

Changing table (vintage longhorn plate and a painting my dad had commissioned for Matt last Christmas)

close up of the books and jack

decal above the crib (we found this at Target for$12!)

Crib...his sheets are orange gingham, you can't really tell here

vintage Dr.Pepper cooler that houses his burp cloths/blankets...

it's doubling as an ottoman, hence the pillow :)

I'm OBSESSED with our giant orange mirror from Ikea. It maks me happy :)

Ikea rug I bought at Baby Daze for around $5...you can't beat that ;)