We're Back!

I am so sorry for the lack of blogging over the past 7 weeks to be exact. A lot has been happening in our life...good and challenging! We finally closed on our house 6 weeks ago, but could not move in for another two weeks because of painting and plumbing issues. So the girls and I headed to Colorado...we needed a break! The drive was rough to say the least. Jacklynn did all right. She slept the majority of the time, but would wake up crying to remind us she was still stuck in her seat at every stop. Then the last two hours was a constant whine...but we made it!Isabel was the MVP! She slept the whole way except for when she would wake up to eat..which only happened 3 times...not to bad for an 18 hour trip!
I drove...the majority of the time! This is me taking a picture of myself in order to stay entertained and awake!
And Jenni...she pulled through! Although I am not sure she will be signing up to drive cross country with us again any time soon!
The van was a trooper. We only had one incident where the cargo carrier on top blew open for a few miles and we only realized after 9 people honked, flashed their lights, and pointed to the top of our car! But hey who doesn't want to stop for bungees in the middle of Kansas when it is freezing sideways rain?!
Being in Colorado was a great refreshing time for me spiritually and physically. It was so nice to have everyone there to help out with the girls! The weather is so unpredictable...Jacklynn had to wrap in this fleece blanket because it went from 70 to 30 while we were out one day!
Oh grandpa! The best part about the way he is carrying her is that she did not even seem to notice or care!
We went to 8 of Uncle Ben's basketball games while we were there. He is an amazing athlete...I am so proud! On Sunday, we went to 3 games in a row. The girls were such troopers...but the 3rd game did not have AC and Jac's face says it all!
Big Sister & Little Sister...
I am sorry we do not have many pictures from Colorado...we were there for a little over 2 weeks. While we were there, my sister Jenni graduated from high school too (way to go Jenni!). FYI I would not recommend trying to take 2 kids under 2 to a graduation...it did not really go over to well!
Soon after we got back, we went downtown to another Indians game to hear Nic's Uncle Steve do an AMAZING job singing the National Anthem! Jacklynn enjoyed for the very first time her own ice cream cone! Ha! It was so entertaining and she was so dead serious about eating it!
This past weekend all the Becky, Cecil, Cara, Nic, me, and the girls went to Holiday World. It was a beautiful day and we definitely had the most fun in the water park! Izy took a little dip...she wimpered at first, but then seemed to enjoy the water!


The whole fam at the entrance...
There was this cute white picket fence outside of our hotel, so while killing sometime we had a small photo shoot...


If you noticed, Jacklynn does have a massive scrape on her nose in a few of these pictures. She fell face first the other day on the concrete...OUCH! Here is a picture of me and my girls...

On Sunday, we drove home through French Lick. It was so pretty and definitely worth the drive! In one of the hotels, there was a bowling alley, so we decided to let Jac give it a try...
She hated it...
We were literally forcing her to push the ball...oh well! It was funny!
The hotels originally were founded in French Lick because of the springs. Here Cara and I are standing in front of one...and we forgot to bring the stroller in, so we just tagged a few wheelchairs!
There you have it! The past few weeks in a nut shell! Love you all!

Newborn Pictures

There are a few pictures of Jacklynn and Isabel from last week on the Carpenter Photography website (date: May 7), so check them out! I think they are just precious!

Little Cheeseball

At the park the other day, Jacklynn spotted a muddy creek. She walked straight toward it...and feeling adventurous...I let her explore! But since she was wearing a new shirt I thought it would be better if she tackled the mud without any clothes! It was so cute!
I wanted to share that I have come to conclude that the two funniest people I know are Nic and Jacklynn. Nic because his sense of humor is, well, unique and I love it! Jacklynn because she can completely frustrate and/or exhaust me one second and literally have me rolling on the floor the next. Her facial expressions are straight up cheeseball and so over the top that you can not help but smile! She has not taken a nap the past two days which causes the "overdramatic" side of her to come out. For example, the entire time we were walking through Target today she was moaning, loudly inhaling, and then saying "uh, uh, uh, uh" repeatedly until she got something that made her excited...then she would flash me a cheesy smile! Oh my! Then as I gave her a bath tonight she was crying as she reached for a toy that had fallen to the floor. I looked away for a second, only to look back and seeing her falling head first toward the tile over the side of the tub. I grabbed a leg and pulled her up as fast as I could. Luckily she did not hit the floor, but as she stood back up she began laughing so hard...like I thought she was not getting enough oxygen kind of laughing. It was hilarious! You know, sometimes it feels like I don't breathe all day long...chasing after Jac and keeping Izy happy. Then cheeseball moments like these happen and it reminds me to just stop and enjoy the moment! All I have to say though is Lord help us when she hits puberty!

I need your help!

We are getting our family pictures taken next week and I am not sure what to do with Jacklynn's hair. It is a bit crazy right now, but I love it and can not bare the thought of cutting it! So, for the pictures the choices for her hair are either all down, half up and to the side, all up, or pigtails. What do you think? Thanks for your input!

Isabel...2 weeks and 1 day old!

I can't believe it...Izy has only been here 2 weeks, yet it seems like forever! She has been an amazing baby eating 4 ounces every 4 hours. I definitely can not complain! It was so nice to have all of my siblings here for Isabel's debut on this earth! They left last Wednesday, but all that they did meant the world to me...I love you guys! I thought I might have forgotten how to give a sponge bath since it has been awhile, but no worries. It was not to bad! She was not a huge fan of the bath, but loved having her hair washed under the faucet.
Aunt Cara also came home to visit...and ended up staying 2 weeks! It was such a blessing and a joy to have her here! She kept Jacklynn entertained when I needed a break and helped out in any and every way possible...thanks Aunt Ca!
Nic went back to work last Wednesday, but loves to come home to his baby girls!
Some of our friends had a little girl, Abigail (not sure on the spelling...sorry!), 6 days after Isabel was born. Visiting the Martin's in the hospital was our first major outing! Here is Izy with Abby. Just a side note, they also have a little girl that is 6 weeks older than Jacklynn...lots of pink around here!
We went to the zoo last Wednesday (with Aunt Cara, Ashley, and Julia) and could not pass up the opportunity to get a few shots of the girls together! Now if you have been around Jacklynn at all lately you recognize this face in the first picture...it is a staple! She uses the "o" face with a high pitched inhale when she is excited or testing her limits. It is very hard not to laugh everytime she does it! She is definitely a cheeseball!



Isabel having the time of her life at the zoo!
Jac petting the goats!
The girls...
On Thursday night, we ventured out to the Indians game. The goal was to hear Nic's uncle Steve sing the national anthem, but we were a few minutes late...oops! The night was beautiful and I think both girls enjoyed it! This is OWO (Nic's dad) showing Jacklynn the field.
OWO, Jac, and Gam...
And of course, had to get a family pic...
It has been an eventful few weeks of adjusting and figuring out life with 2 girls, but we are enjoying every minute of it...I think! :) An update on our house, there is NO update! Which is extremely frustrating! We are just waiting on the HUD people to sign the papers and then we are in...but who knows! Keep us in your prayers! We love you all!

We are a family of FOUR!

Isabel is here! She arrived first thing Monday morning...8:27 AM to be exact. I had a scheduled C-Section that I was not particularly excited about, but it seemed like the safest and best option. For those of you that know (and those of you that don't), I was worried about my anxiety during another C-Section since I had a panic attack during Jacklynn's birth. So on Monday morning I was blessed with a wonderful anesthesiologist and obstetrician who helped me stay calm throughout the whole thing with some added help from Jesus, my iPod, their words, and drugs...the best combo this side of heaven! She weighed in at the exact same weight as Jacklynn, 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 in. long, 1 1/4 in. longer than Jac.
This is her first picture outside of the womb...sorry if this is to graphic, but hey I'm all about what really happens!

This is my doctor, Dr. Box, showing us Izy!
The drugs lulled me right to sleep after she came out, so daddy stepped right up with her first feeding!

I was not 100% with it all morning, but by the afternoon feeling pretty good and ready to get up and about. Jacklynn was so excited to meet her baby sister for the 1st time!
Here we are...the whole Nicholas McCord Family!

Isabel has been pretty content ever since she was born...

Mommy...
Big Sister...

Jacklynn loves to hold Isabel! She actually sits still and gets so excited to be near her. Jac is very gentle and does a great job with her! Here we are all sitting together!
Precious baby girl...
Ain't it great to have a sister?!

Cara flew in from Florida to see her brand new niece and my whole family flew in from Colorado too! It was so fun to be all together!
I had to add this picture...we played a couple rounds of Balderdash in the hospital and in order to keep Jacklynn contained Nic put her in Izy's hospital crib...she fits really well, huh?!
I just love this picture of our new baby Isabel! Isn't she precious?!
This is just an update of all the activity in the hospital...don't worry there are more pics to come of my new life as a mother of 2! We are so thankful to everyone for your prayers, gifts, calls, and visits. It is such a blessing to have amazing friends and family! Everyone has asked me how it feels to have another baby girl and honestly I am just not sure yet. It is so surreal to me still sometimes that I am old enough to even be married, let alone married with a house, 2 kids, 2 cars, and a business! As far as my physical state of being, I am sore, but not too tired. Izy is a great sleeper and I have a great husband with lots of mothers and sisters around to help me with Jacklynn's need for entertainment! My emotional state, honestly, I am a little unsettled. We still have not closed on our new house and everything still seems so up in the air right now with the house and the adventures ahead involved with being a mother of two. It seems like I have a million questions running through my mind...how will we take care of 2 girls at such seemingly different stages of life? How will we love them enough? How will we teach them what they need to know, when they need to know it? And when in the world can we move into our new house? Not exactly the breeding ground for "peace of mind," but if there is one thing I have learned in my 24 1/2 years of life it is that God leads us every step of the way...even if we can only see one step at a time! Thanks again to all of you for everything...we love you and are doing AWESOME!

Say "Cheese!"

On Easter, I took some pictures of Jacklynn with my old fashioned, non-digital, nice camera...and I think she looks pretty darn cute, so I had to share!

These are just a few from the park on Monday. Since her ear surgery, her walking has improved so much! She also will actually walk on the mulch and concrete, but she still loves to squat and check everything out...wants to have quads like her mama!