Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas to everyone! We hope that everyone had a great day. We spent the Sunday prior with my family and had a nice, big Christmas. Then on Christmas Eve day we spend the morning and afternoon with Jesse's family and had a blast. It is always so fun to spend the day with family. I loved watching all of the kids interact and open presents. It is amazing to me to see how fast they all grow.

Christmas day was a wonderful time where the 4 of us were able to have the whole day together. The kids got up at about 6:15am and so we started off opening presents early and afterwards spent a lot of time trying to set up the toys for the kids. At the end of our present time we opened our stockings and there was a baby onesie in there with the name Easton printed on it. Jesse surprised me with that and was truly one of the most special and creative gifts he has ever given me. So, baby #3 will be Easton James Black. Carter of course was not too pleased with this announcement as he thought the baby's name should be Thomas.

Hark, hear the bells!

Merry Christmas to everyone! We are really enjoying the season with decorations, baking goodies, spending time with family and friends and doing all of our Christmas traditions. This year we spent Thanksgiving with both our families which was very fun. With Jesse's family we went up to Frisco and stayed with Lindsey and Daniel and everyone! We had such a good time with all our loved ones. (eventhough I missed out on Black Friday shopping with my sisters)

The next week we took the kids to the Parade of Lights with Margot, Dean and Gavin. Deacon is still too little so we missed out on hangin with him, boo! We all LOVED it and had a wondeful time, not to mention the weather was absolutely perfect!!! On the ride to and from the parade we rode the light rail which was Carter's favorite thing because afterall, it's a train!

Rylynn recently went to a Happy Birthday Jesus Christmas party at a friend's house and had a blast making crafts, playing games, and hearing a great Christmas story. Rylynn loves Christmas time just like her mommy, so it's no wonder she has been a party animal and baking fool!

Next week we will be doing our annual Christmas light extravaganza! We started a tradition 2 years ago where we eat dinner, then go to a local gas station, load up on hot cocoa and treats and blast the Christmas music as we drive all around town looking at all the houses with Christmas lights. It is definitely one of my favorite things to do with the family especially hearing all the Ooooo's and Aaaaahhh's from the kids. Hard to imagine that next year there will be 3 kiddos in the back making noises! Yea! We love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season!

Blog Binger...

Well I guess it's safe to say that my first prediction that I would not be good at keeping up with this was correct. I think of myself as a blog binger...I just forget about it for a long time and then have to cram a bunch of stuff in all at the same time. Oh well! Lots of updates for people who live out of state...first of all Jesse's prosoccer season has officially started with him having his first two games in Calgary. This weekend they will be having their Home Opener in Southwest Denver and then immediately heading off for Dallas to play the next day. Crazy!

Rylynn is done with soccer for the season. It's safe to say she was the best little player out there this time and we really enjoyed watching/coaching her.

Carter is doing well and talking non stop. He is in the middle of potty training which we hope will be fully completed by the time the new baby is here.

I'm doing well and loving pregnancy, like always! I am currently at 18 weeks and 5 days and feeling the baby move all the time. We found out a week and a half ago that we are having a boy! We were SOOOO shocked and excited with this news. Jesse and I were so sure with our parental intuition that we were having a girl that when they told us that we were taken back. We're both really looking forward to having another little man running around. Rylynn was quite disappointed at first but now she is on board and happy to have another brother. We have our "big" ultra sound on the 8th of Dec and I will try and post some of those pics then.

These pictures are just some of the things we have been up to for the last while. Enjoy!

A Labor Day Extraveganza!

Well this year I definitelyl had the best Labor Day ever. Last in year in Seattle was close, but this year I was able to spend the whole day with the whole family and had such a great time being with them and experiencing new things.

Very early this morning, Rylynn and I literally rolled out of bed, jumped in the car and headed off to watch the 32nd Annual Balloon Festival at Memorial Park. Neither she nor I had ever been and we were very excited! We arrived just before they all started lifting off and were able to see them all fill up with air and then wait and see them take off into the sky. It was pretty mesmorizing actually. There were so many different colors, unique designs and they all were so big but yet so graceful. We were able to get some breakfast (freshly made cinnamon/sugar mini donuts!) and watch all the balloons. It was a really fun and meaningful time with Ry. I was kinda sad that Carter and Jesse couldn't join us, but I was also thankful for the mother/daughter time with her...she's just such an incredible girl!

We got back home and Jesse and I decided we wanted to do something all together. So, we packed a yummy picnic and were off to Garden of the Gods. Once again, a new experience for me and the kids (Jesse had been before) and we were all very excited. When we arrived, I was actually shocked at how amazing the rocks were. I mean, I knew it would be pretty but I guess I didn't think it would be as incredible as they were. I had fun taking lots of pictures (of course!) and the kids and Jesse had fun climbing and exploring. The kiddos found a little place between two rocks that they could just squeeze through, so they were really enjoying their version of cave exploration. We stayed for longer than I thought we would be able to, but eventually Carter got too tired and we had to head back. Jesse and I plan on going again, but kidless so we can do a lot more walking and exploring. Garden of the Gods has definitely become a new favorite of mine.

Tonight we decided to end our Labor Day with a delicious feast! We had BBQ ribs prepared by the master griller (Jesse), corn on the cob, salad, and beans...it was awesome! (I didn't get to eat any ribs though, because I have been having MAJOR adversions to red meat). The kids LOVED the ribs, especially Rylynn. She was making us laugh so hard at how much she was eating and how "passionately" she was eating her ribs!

After our feast Rylynn decided it was time to pull her second tooth. So we had round 2 of the tooth pulling. She was a little scared at first but then she said, bring on the $ tooth fairy! What a day! I love my family!

Yup, There's a Baby!

I had a surprise call from my doctor yesterday requesting that I come in today for a quick ultra sound just to see how everything is. I went in this morning and everything is GREAT! We saw the baby, and a heart beat and everything looks perfectly normal! Praise God!!! My due date is April 16th, which ironically is the same due date that I had with Carter. So, he may end up getting a baby for his birthday next year. Thanks for all your prayers and support and we will keep you all updated on all the progress!

Baby Girl, Growing Up

Well, it is official. Rylynn is growing up and passing milestones like they're nothing. She started kindergarten last week and is already WAY ahead, so we ended up doing two weeks of work in one week. We'll probably end up doing that again for the next couple of weeks to get her to a place where she is actually having to learn everything that we're doing. She's SO smart! And then, last night she lost her first tooth! She has had two loose teeth for about a month and yesterday she was determined that it was going to be the day to lose a tooth. She worked on it all afternoon using celery to wiggle it real good. And finally she convinced Jesse that it was time and we got the dental floss. Jesse was extremely apprehensive about pulling the tooth because of past memories of his childhood. But Rylynn was ready and there was no stopping her! We tied he dental floss on to the front door and then to her tooth. Jesse ended up not feeling up to doing the slamming, so he made me do it. I wasn't afraid because I knew it was ready and she was so ready that I knew it would be okay. I slammed the door really hard and actually got hit with her tooth! She screamed in excitement, gave a big bloody smile and just started yelling, "I can't believe it, I can't believe it! I just lost my first tooth!" She is going to do very well in drama...She was visited by the tooth fairy last night and woke me up very early to tell me all about it! And now she has informed me that tonight we are going to pull the other tooth out...so we may have more pictures to put up after tonight. We shall see!

big, Big, BIG UPDATES!

Well it certainly has been awhile, and for that I'm so sorry. I kinda knew there were going to be spurts like this with me being the one in charge of blogging. Oh well!


First of all, the painting is done, hallelujah! (well, minus the downstairs bathroom/laundry room) But, 98% of it is done and what a job! I tend to do that normally where I get so fired up for something and dive head first with complete abandon and then after A LOT of really hard work I am pooped and have to force myself through the rest. Despite how much work it was, it was totally worth it. I love being in our home and feeling the warmth of the colors. It feels so much more like home. I also love looking at all the walls and feeling a sense of accomplishment and a reminder that hard work pays off even when the results aren't quite as obvious as a stark white wall going to chocolate brown...the benefits are there.

Next, Jesse went to San Jose, California and played in the Nationals for his semi pro soccer team and they did very well. They did not end up winning the thing, but they took 3rd and made Colorado proud. Jesse is currently playing with a recreational team and will begin training in a couple weeks for his semi pro/pro team. They will have tryouts and actually be drafting people to either be on the ColoSprings team or Ft Collins. We are praying he'll be on the COSprings team of course, otherwise he will most likely have to turn down the opportunity.

Also, Rylynn starts Kindergarten on Monday at La Casa de Negros (aka our house). I will be homeschooling her for this year and maybe years to come as well. We are incredibly excited and I'm not sure who is more me or Rylynn...We got all of her curriculum and lots of other goodies and fun things to do! She is also enrolled at New Life for some enrichment classes such as Ballet and Drama. I am really looking forward to watching her learn and grow everyday and being able to spend such a precious time in her life with her is completely invaluable to me.

And lastly, we are pregnant!!! We were very surprised as we weren't technically trying. We are very excited and I am feeling totally prego. I am SOOO tired and that to be honest is an understatement. I am having pretty much ALL the pregnancy symptoms including morning sickness which has been more indigestion but I have NEVER had that with any pregnancy, so that is a great sign. Jesse keeps saying that maybe because I have never had that, it means there are twins...but we'll just keep thinkin it's one. We have our first doc appt on Sept 2nd and will post baby pics after that. Keep us in your prayers and we thank you for all your love and support and we look forward to continuing to share our lives with you!

Home Improvements and More...

As some of you know, I have been a "painting fool" the last week. I have posted some pictures of the kitchen and living room which are the rooms that I have painted already. Then I posted some before pictures of the dining room, upstairs hallway, and downstairs bathroom which I have not painted yet. Then when I finish those areas, I will post after pictures. I LOVE to paint and think that it is like coloring which is proven to be stress relieving! I really feel like a 24 year old kindergartener who is just coloring on a big palate.

Other news is that Jess's soccer team has made it to nationals which will take place July 25-27th in Chico, California!!! I am SOOOO proud of him and wish that I could go too. But, I know that he will play great and I LOVE that he is now being able to do what he loves at such a challenging level and he still shines!

Love to you all and I hope all is well!

Photo Shoot

Today we had a VERY fun day. Got up early, had the annual photo session and then continued on to Meme's house and went swimming! Just wanted post some of the pics that were taken, so of these made the cut and others didn't. (Only due to us not being a millionaires)

Swim Fishy, Swim!

We took the kids swimming today and again they amazed us at how much they are changing and growing. Carter who had a HUGE fear of the slide finally decided to do it for the first time and proceeded to do it over and over and over until he could hardly walk up the stairs. (Video is of him on his 20th time, literally!)



Rylynn has always been such a go-getter and loves challenges. She has had a few "swim lessons" from myself and Grammy Black, but mostly she has taught herself how to swim and hold her breath. Today she was swimming from wall to wall and already practicing her race swim, as she called it. So fun!