Happy 5th Birthday!!

We had a pretty busy weekend around here! While our birthday celebrations are typically intimate, family-only events we have decided that a few birthdays (5, 10, 16, etc.) will be bigger celebrations. With 4 children every celebration can't be grandiose but I LOVE birthdays and love celebrating the gift of their lives.

This year Olivia turned 5 and with kindergarten, her growing independence and all the new things this season brings we were so excited to celebrate with her. When asked what type of birthday she'd like to have the answer was always all things princess. She's only seen 2 Disney Princess movies (Cinderella and Beauty & The Beast) but via books and ridiculous advertising to little ones, she knows who all of the princesses are :). So...we set out to celebrate in princess style..here are a few photos to recap the details!

The princesses!! Each of the girls wore a dress or dressed up as a princess :). They were so excited!

Before the birthday celebration started Olivia noticed a little something happening out in the front of our house..."It's a bounce house!" and as it was set up she could hardly believe her 5 year old little eyes..."It has PRINCESSES!!!" She was in heaven while she and her sister spent a good 20 minutes jumping alone in their underwear before getting dressed. Precious.

Our cake was made by a friend who does excellent cakes! We had a hard time finding a great Beauty & The Beast Cake but she did a fabulous job. Liv was so excited about it.

The food was as kid-friendly as possible and we tried to include some healthier options as well but all had names and labels that were princess-friendly; We had "Snow White's apples and caramel sauce" for apples and caramel dip, "Ariel's Guppies" for goldfish crackers, "Cinderella's mouse snacks" for cheese and crackers, "Bippity boppity broomsticks" for twizzlers, "Sleeping Beauty's forest friends" for circus animal cookies among others but those are just a few :).

With the bounce house there we didn't really play party games...the kids jumped, the mommies and daddies talked and the weather stayed clear just long enough!

Happy Birthday my sweet Olivia :) I loved celebrating you.

The J Family 4!

I haven't done photos in a LOOOONG time. I love taking pictures and really enjoy the whole process but once school started my time was so limited I just haven't been able to. I've turned down more doula clients and photography opportunities in the last year than ever...go figure! In any case I was able to take photos for a friend a week ago and wanted to share a few. I don't have updated equipment or stellar software but they have a beautiful family!! Hope you enjoy a few of my faves.

Pregnancy & other worthwhile things

I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy....not too much longer to go (I hope!) until we meet our sweet baby. He is moving everywhere...I don't remember having a baby this active ever during a pregnancy!! I can't wait to meet him and see what all those squirms, kicks and rolls look like in person :). That being said I'm getting more and more uncomfortable.
I'm enjoying pregnancy and having bittersweet emotions knowing that this is likely our last pregnancy and the completion of our family. We feel so blessed. Not long after I experience the overflow of emotions that come with intense gratefulness the nausea kicks in...seems like all of the sudden the past week or two it has really picked up again. Not fun. I also have pregnancy induced carpal tunnel that is bad enough that my fingers and palm are tingly or numb about 80% of the time...and sometimes they ache from my fingers to my elbow. My nose is wider, which I hate, but it goes away after pregnancy...and my back aches at times. These are all common complaints of pregnancy and many women experience them. In some odd way I feel privileged to walk this road of discomfort knowing that many have walked it graciously before me. The end result is life. Consider that for a moment; babies have been born for centuries...you and I were babies at one point...but to have life conceived in love, grown in travail and birthed in labor to bring forth promise, hope and God's personal creation is awesome in the most descript nature of the word.

How often do we walk roads which present unkind and uncomfortable side-effects and question whether we are walking where we "should" be walking?? How many times do we count ourselves blessed only when our lives present material comfort, beauty and relational warmth? This thinking, it seems, is so backward....more often than not, our discomfort in the midst of serving the Lord or working toward a goal is confirmation that we are on the right track!!

Today, in the midst of my discomfort I have an odd joy...I feel blessed not because I have no symptoms of pregnancy...but because the symptoms of pregnancy serve to remind me that I am indeed carrying a healthy, growing baby who carries within him the promise of tomorrow, the potential to know the Father and reflect His glory and who houses within himself all God has gifted him with to do great things. Perspective is everything!!