Puppy Love - Zoe Belle Edition!

This is the new addition to our family, Zoe Belle Jackson. We got her for protection (she's a pitbull) however, so far, the only thing she is good for is licking toes! :)

Three Months...We Still Miss You.

Our baby passed away three months ago and not a day has gone by that she hasn't been a part of my day's thoughts and memories. It has been a hard three months, but we have always truly been blessed. When you go through a tragedy, you learn things about yourself and the people who are closest to you. You learn who truly cares and who never did... but, most of all, you learn about mercy and grace from a loving God. You learn that God does NOT make mistakes and this WAS part of his bigger plan.

Rest In Peace Sweet Baby, We Love You And Miss You Everyday!

Movin On Up...

This picture (above) pretty much sums up how I have felt lately. I know that I complain alot about my husband's work schedule, but I just cannot stress enough how much harder it is to get work done at home when there is only one parent there. We finally had to sit down and make some big decisions for our family...
Does anyone recognize this school?

This might give you a little better hint.... :)

We are moving to Kingston! My hometown :)

We still have to - put our house on market, get our house ready to sale, let the boys finish up football season and at least one six week period of school, find a house to rent or purchase, pack up our whole house, giveaway or sale some of the junk we have accumulated, and somehow do all of this... around DJ's hectic schedule of running a store in Pikeville (40 minutes away!)

Pray for us as we embark on this adventure as a family!

Life Is Random (So Are My Posts!)

I had this tattoo designed for Allie. It has been three months since we suffered the loss of our child. Not a day goes by that I do not think about what life would be like right now if the doctors could have kept her alive in the womb. I would almost be six months pregnant and probably complaining about the hot weather. I would give anything to get her back, but I know she is resting in the arms of Jesus and I hold tight to that when I am feeling depressed. I am still trying to decide where to put the tattoo and also the size. I'm also wondering if I should put her death date in the cross. All ideas welcome.
I can't imagine life without these boys. They make everything so fun. I took them to a random lunch last week and they had a blast wearing LJS hats and pretending to be pirates! Never a dull moment!!

And my last random (very cute) moment of last week was seeing my dad running and playing on the playground with my babies. It is one of those memories you can just never forget and replay over and over in your head... they love their poppi so much - and we don't get to see him as much as we wish we could (but that's going to change soon!!!)

Family Date Night!

I have been really inspired by a few bloggers recently, especially Kelly over at www.kellyskorner.com and I have promised myself that I will start blogging more and taking more pictures so that I can look back on these wonderful memories and smile.
DJ had the chance to take a Friday off which is rare so we decided to suprise the boys when they got off the bus - and take them on a family date. We rarely get the chance to have a weekend family night because of DJ's work schedule so we took advantage of it and headed to Cookeville! First thing first, we stopped by Miss Carolyn's house to pick up this years Titans tickets! We met Carolyn through an online website called LSN which locals use to sell things they do not need. Sweet Carolyn's husband was a huge Titans fan and saved up his whole life to get Season Tickets to the Titans games. Soon after he bought them, he tragically passed away and she continues to get the tickets every year even though she never goes to the games. Although she started as a stranger, DJ and her have become good friends and every year she gives us first choice on tickets after her children pick. She loves getting to see the boys and always gives them a gift when they come too - I think she secretly always hopes the boys are with us when we come! We picked up four tickets to two of the games and will probably pick up more next month once we get the "football fever". GO TITANS!

These are the moments that melt my heart. We went out to eat at our favorite restraunt in Cookeville, Logan's Roadhouse. Then, my sister in law called and told us she was taking her child to the derby at the local fair so we decided to stop by there and see her too. Then, of course we did a little shopping and got the boys some cute new stuff, and then headed to Burger King because they have the cutest little playplace that the boys have been begging to try.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my children having fun with their daddy! Everyone who is a part of the car business knows that the hours are not family friendly. Right now, DJ is working a 13 hour day, sometimes 14 days in a row before a day off work. They are preparing him to move up into another branch of management and that takes alot of hard work and dedication (post with details to come!). I am so so so proud of the man that he has become. I know this is not the first time I have talked about it and it will not be the last, but I cannot believe the change he has made in his life - all for his family. You will not find a better husband or father than ours and we are so lucky to have him. It also makes me think about what life is like for military families - God bless you all for defending our freedom!