Baby Jones Update

Baby Jones's 18/19-week ultrasound was this morning with the entire Jones family present - Thompson included. It was amazing to see God's handiwork in the creation of this new life. The baby's heart was beating strong at 168 beats per minute...measured 19 weeks 3 days...and everything looks great! We are scheduled back in one month. A couple of the fascinating things we saw included the imagine of our baby's spine, which showed with clarity the individual bones and curve of the baby's back, and the four chambers of the baby's heart. Many thanks to those of you who continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.

Cousins

Thompson with his cousins Tilley and Wyatt over the Father's Day weekend.

VBS

Thompson is enjoying his first experience with VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week at our church. Through the theme of the Australia's "Boomerang Express", he's learning about God's great love for him and growing in his knowledge of and love for Jesus through stories, scripture, crafts and music. Needless to say, he is having a great time!

Anna and Thompson ready for day one.

Thompson with Pastor Bill pulling the cord to blow the train's whistle.
Needless to say, Thompson was on "cloud nine"!

And if you are wondering about the status of the crayon-colored carpet...it's still there...we've been so busy since Friday, that we've yet to find the time to work to remove it. We'll keep you posted!

Need we say more?

Crayon and carpet don't mix...

but T gets an A+ for creativity!

Carpet cleaning vs. hardwood floors???

Hardwoods are sounding more appealing by the moment!

Artwork 101

Oh my goodness...where does the time go!? While I knew I was delayed in updating our family blog, I hadn't realized it has been over a month! Please accept my apologies....I guess it goes without saying the life around our home has been quite busy.

First things first...
Q: Can you guess what Thompson drew for us last week?
A: Digger on crawlers

While he's been coloring and drawing for a long time, this was the first time we could recall his artwork taking on a bit more clarity. He had asked me to draw a digger for him, but I was busy cooking, so I reminded him to think about what one looks like a go from there. Needless to say, we were impressed.

All is well here...Thompson's school wrapped up in May and we've been busy settling into our summer routine. He starts swim lessons this afternoon for a couple weeks and will be attending our church's VBS next week. He continues to enjoy trains, diggers and garbage trucks...and if you were to ask him to pick a favorite, he'd tell you he likes all three. He also loves the outdoors and is quite the little helper around the house.

Bobby's work continues to keep him busy and he is finding his new career extremely satisfying. He is playing on one of our church's softball teams and continues to enjoy fly-fishing and mountain biking.

Avery is staying busy consulting and volunteering. Among the many other things she stays busy doing, this coming year, she is serving as a Co-Coordinator for her church's MOPS group.

As for Baby Jones, he/she is now 16 weeks along. We have a doctor's appointment scheduled for this coming Friday and an ultrasound for later this month. And for those of you wondering what we are having...you will have to wait along with the rest of us. We feel there are so few surprises left in life that this is one we are willing to wait for. We enjoyed the surprise Thompson gave us when he was born, and will wait until Baby Jones's birth to discover the gender. We ask that you simply keep the baby's and Avery's health in your prayers and that you would pray for Thompson as he prepares to become a big brother.

We spent the past weekend in Raleigh with friends and are looking forward to being back in Cashiers to celebrate Father's Day with both our families and fathers. Stay tuned as we are anxiously awaiting Aunt G's arrival for the 4th of July weekend, a week at the beach in July and then a trip to NYC in August. Thompson is ready and waiting as it will be his first time on an airplane, in a subway, on a taxi, etc.

I think that's all for now. Thanks for "keeping up with the Joneses"!

Our. Real. Family.

This past Sunday afternoon, our dear friend Jill Schwarzkopf, owner of Realities Photography, came to our home for a photo-shoot. Her pictures are timeless and truly capture the essence of our family, especially Thompson. Sit back, grab a tissue, crank up the volume...and enjoy.

www.realitiesbyjill.com/thejonesfamily

We are continually honored to have Jill as part of our family. She was with us when we were married, and now, fast approaching 8 years later, she is still capturing real life images that bring smiles to our faces and "happy sad" tears to our eyes. We also know that no matter when we look back at any of her pictures, memories and stories from that time will be stirred within our hearts.

Happy Sad

Last night, our neighbors the Freemans watched Thompson so we could enjoy a nice dinner out. Upon returning home, Kristine told us they introduced Thompson to a new movie - Arthur and the Invisibles - and at the end of the movie, Thompson was overcome with emotion and began sobbing during the credits.

As a bit of background...about a month ago while watching Ice Age, Thompson began crying when the father encounters his infant son towards the end of the movie. He was a bit embarrassed about crying, covering his face under a blanket. When I asked Thompson why he was crying, he said I just am. I realized then that a 3-year old may not understand or articulate why he would be crying, especially if he wasn't physically hurt or upset, so I attempted to explain that sometimes very happy things will make us cry.

So, this morning (with no prompting necessary) Thompson told us he was "happy sad" last night when he watched Arthur and the Invisibles. "Happy sad"...we couldn't have described it better ourselves! I don't think we'll ever think of the emotional tears we shed the same ever again...if we are to shed tears, wouldn't "happy sad" tears be the best!?

Let's see in other quick updates...Thompson is still talking about his train ride from Greensboro to Raleigh (pronounced RAW-lee) with Ma-mere and Pa-pere on the passenger train two weeks ago...Thompson and Avery had a great time at the beach last week, although we missed Bobby incredibly--needless to say, we are glad to be home...Thompson helped me make a red velvet cake yesterday to celebrate Bobby's birthday last week and my birthday today...we are enjoying awesome spring weather with all the windows open...we are having dinner tonight with the Freemans at the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway to celebrate our birthdays...I'm 10 weeks along now, feeling good overall despite some fatigue, and feeling bigger with each passing day...Thompson is already talking about being a big brother and mentioned this morning over breakfast that we wanted to hold the baby...we are reminded daily that God continues to bless us more than we know.