I'm one blessed girl...

When I told my family about our newest addition to our family, they were so excited! It was the greatest feeling to know that they were (and are) truly excited that Eric and I get to experience the miracle of bringing a child into the world! We told our parents on the same night and they were hilarious! We gave them all bags of "souvenirs" from one of our trips, so they thought... in the bags were actually small magnets telling them the good news (my Mama's said, "I'm going to be a Grandma again!"...Eric's mom's said, "I'm going to be a grandma! ...you get the picture! :)! Mrs. Pam kinda figured it out, ripped into her bag (literally), and started jumping up and down! My dad was ticked because he thought she got the prize or something! :) ha They were all so elated... and they immediately got on the phone to share the good news. It is certainly a night we'll never forget!

The next day we went to the lake and told Trae and his family. Here are some pictures we took:

Love this one! :) Nothing like pointing to your belly with your brother! ha :)

Talking with Abbie. She's all dressed up after her birthday party! Don't you love the crown and tutu?! Precious.

Ab is pointing to the baby. :) She said, "I can feel it!" I'm just glad the sweet thing didn't say, "It's squishy!" :) ha

Kisses for the baby! :)

Nonna, Papa, Mommy, and Daddy :)

...with my sweet sister-in-law :)

...and with the great-grandpa! :)

Eric's brother and sisters were very excited, too! Kyle has been asking us for a while when he would get to be an uncle. He wanted a ring bearer or flower girl for his wedding next June, but I'm afraid our baby will be a little too young. :) ...and I can almost guarantee that Julie has already gone shopping and/or already bought something for her niece or nephew! :)

Needless to say, it is so touching to have people in your life that truly care about you. I felt it when Eric and I got married, and now to experience it again... just awesome. :)

P.S. When we told Mr. Terry, he cried... in Chili's. :)

Day at the Lake

A few weekends ago we went to my brother's lakehouse to spend the day on Norris Lake. It was an absolute gorgeous day!

Isn't this the sweetest thing? :) I just might frame it...

Each time the boat started moving, she would say, "Hold on, Aunt Johnnie!" She didn't want me to fall off the boat... it's so fun to be loved by her. :)

Here is Miss Thang while we were riding... the wind was tough on her eyes, so she wore Nonna's sunglasses! She loved riding!

My honey and me on the lake :)

Ab can't wait to be the driver! She is really good at honking the horn! :)

Here is Eric tubing! :) My Mama got some great pictures... I stayed in with Ab for nap time while the rest of the fam went back out to ride. I thought I'd sleep for a little while while Ab slept. Yeah, we both slept for three hours. :) I am REALLY good at napping these days!

I did squeeze in some time for dominoes with Daddy Bob! He swears I'm really good at it, but I think he just lets me win. :)

Abbie, the big cousin!

It's true! Sweet Abbie is going have a little cousin! Eric and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our first child in April. :) We are amazed at the miracle that God is performing even as I type... it is just awesome that such an incredible thing is going on while we go about our daily lives!

To say the least, we are looking forward to meeting our little one! As you can see, Ab is pretty excited to be the "Big Cousin," too! She has already told me that it is going to be a girl. :) We shall see if she is correct in a few months. :)

Your prayers for us and little Baby Jackson are truly appreciated!

I will keep you posted as Baby (and Mommy) grow! :)

Wahoo!

A picture that Eric took while we were on vacation made it to the English FAIL Blog! I'm so excited! Go check it out here. The picture says "Submitted by Johnell" at the bottom of it. It is a hilarious blog!