Merry Christmas!

Thankful... We are so thankful that God loves us so very much that He sent a Savior into the world many years ago! We are grateful that we get to celebrate with our precious children and our amazing families!

It's funny to me that three of the last six Christmases we have not had the option to travel to visit family because we are about to have a child (what timing!). But, we always seem to love just staying at our own house. We always celebrate with both sides of the family somehow - sometimes our family comes to be with us on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day or they come before or after. It always works out perfectly!
This year we were blessed to have Matthew's parents, Aunt Judi and Aunt Mindy come and spend Christmas weekend with us. We had a wonderful time celebrating Christ's birth with family! Thank you for such a relaxing and fun Christmas celebration! This week we have my parents and my sister and her family coming to celebrate Christmas with us. We can't wait for another special celebration!
Oh, and one more reason this coming week is going to be special... On December 29th (or possibly before) we will be growing from a family of four to five. We can't wait to meet our little guy! Of course we will post lots of pictures of our newest family member once he arrives. In the meantime, we covet your prayers for a delivery free of complications and a healthy baby!

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Open House at Abby's School

Abby & Santa

Not to be outdone by big sister, Jacob hopped on up in Santa's lap too!

Abby showing off a Christmas present - Twinkle Toes shoes!

Jacob and BeBe reading a book that Jacob got for Christmas.

Abby & Aunt Mindy

Happy Early Birthday to Abby!

Considering I could go into labor anytime, we decided to give Abby one of her birthday presents in early December. Abby's birthday is January 12th and my due date is January 5th. We let Abby get her ears pierced, something she has wanted for a couple years now. Abby's dear friend Sara Kate (and her mom, my dear friend Tanya) came with us on our little adventure.

Me and Abby

Can you see her beautiful earrings (and maybe a few tears in her eyes - sweet girl was so brave but it does hurt a little)?

Me with Abby and Sara Kate

I just had to throw this precious picture in... This is Abby holding her new cousin, Mina Claire Haynes. We just love our newest family member. I can't wait to see Abby with her new baby brother next!

Catching up... at little randomly.

Welcome to the world, Mina Claire Haynes! It's sad that our new niece is already a month old and I'm just now blogging about her. Abby and Jacob love their new cousin and we are so thankful that all went well with her birth. We got to spend lots of time together over Thanksgiving and are already looking forward to the next time we can all be together.

Pop, Jacob, Abram, Abby & Hootsie just a few hours after Mina Claire was born.

Pop and Abby holding Mina Claire. Abby refers to Mina Claire as her sister, which is great because Abby is soon to be outnumbered by brothers:)

This picture makes me so very happy! In early November we met up with my best friends from Temple at a farm outside of Houston and had the best time. I will post more pictures of the weekend soon.

Babymoon!

Here we are on our babymoon! Matthew and I took a little trip to Chicago last weekend to spend some time together and relax before we have our THIRD child. We arrived before lunch on Thursday and stayed until Sunday evening. We had a wonderful time - eating, walking, taking in the sites, eating, shopping, eating again and as a bonus we got to spend some time with Matthew's brother Scotty. Although we loved everything we did during our time in the Windy City, Matthew and I agreed that our favorite thing was dinner at the Signature Room - a wonderful restaurant located on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. The food was delicious and the view couldn't have been better.
We did miss Abby and Jacob, of course, but I have been told one of the best gifts you can give your children is a strong, healthy marriage and getting away together is part of that. I loved getting to spend the weekend with my best friend - I felt like we got to hold hands all weekend and that is something that doesn't happen too much these days as the precious little hands we are usually holding are not each others:) Thank you to my mom and dad for taking care of our babies while we were gone. They loved their time with you!

Me and the love of my life enjoying dinner at the Signature Room.

Abby the Fashionista!

Abby picks out her own clothes daily. I just had to document this one outfit...

Kiddie Land!

When we were little our family used to come visit my grandparents in San Antonio. One of my favorite memories was getting to go to "Kiddie Land" when we would visit. When we moved here a couple years ago one of the first things I did was look up Kiddie Land because I wanted to take our kids to this magical place. But, I couldn't find it... then one day Matthew came home and told me he had driven past this place close to the zoo named Kiddie Park. As he began to describe it I realized he was talking about Kiddie Land! I'm sure my silly Grandpa Bob just called it Kiddie Land all those years. I was so thankful Matthew found this wonderful little place from my childhood!

Abby and Jacob on one of the rides - I don't think anything has changed from 25 years ago!

On the ferris wheel!

Abby getting her face painted.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Date night!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Our little man - full of joy and energy!

We love you, Matthew!

On September 12th my man turned 31! Matthew's parents (more commonly known as BeBe and BaBaw) came to celebrate with us. Matthew and I enjoyed a night out on Friday night and then on Saturday we celebrated all day long as a family. Abby planned a wonderful family party for her daddy, complete with a pinata and cascarones (confetti eggs). The children and I could not ask for a more amazing, loving, kind and selfless husband and father than Matthew - we love you!

Labor Day Weekend

Now that we are halfway through the month of October I finally decided to free the pictures from my camera from our Labor Day mini-vacation to Lamar, Texas. The newest part of our family - the Starkeys - have a wonderful house in Lamar where we were able to spend a long weekend as an extended family. We played at the beach in Rockport, went crabbing, relaxed and ate delicious food all weekend. (One perk of our newest family is they are exceptional cooks and we all benefit:) Sorry for the delay in posting these pictures, but better late than never!

We finally timed it right and Becki and I are pregnant at the same time! I have loved going through this pregnancy with my beloved sister. She is expecting little Mina Claire on November 2nd and our little man should arrive about two months later. It is hard to believe that between us we will have had five babies in five years! I keep thinking about our parents and how grandparenthood has overtaken their lives in a relatively short time. We are thankful for such wonderful parents, in-laws and aunts and uncles for our ever expanding family!

Cousins playing at the beach. These two just adore each other!

The Starkey family introduced us to crabbing! We had so much fun on this little adventure.

Our little beauty!

Abby and Pop feeding the birds.

The Ranch

About two weeks ago we spent the day at the ranch of one of my college roommates, Laura. Laura and her family live on a beautiful ranch outside of Wimberley, Texas. One of our other roomies, Heather, was out at the ranch for the weekend so we had a fun little reunion!

Abby and Gwen, Laura's oldest

Laura and Heather with the kids in the fabulous pool!

Our brave little swimmer and Daddy!

Jacob always manages to find a lady friend. Here he is with Emma, Laura's youngest.

We're having (another) BOY!

It's official - Reyes Baby No. 3 is a BOY! We are so excited! Matthew and I went to the doctor on Wednesday and it was very clear to us and the doctor that our next child was a boy. I had no inclination as to what I was having but our little Abby thought (or was wishing?) that our baby was a girl. I was a little nervous about how she would react but when I told her it was a boy she was silent for a minute then said, "Well I thought I wanted a girl but I think what I really wanted was another little brother." Whew, what an answer to prayer! Abby is an amazing big sister so Bubba No. 2 (Matthew's name for our third child) will be one blessed little man, just like his big brother Jacob - who will also make an excellent big brother! Most importantly, we are thankful that the baby looked healthy. Thank you all for praying for our third child - we are truly blessed!

Enjoy these pictures of our family!

Abby and Jacob with Pop and Hootsie at the JW Marriot Resort in San Anontio. I highly recommend this place - tons of fun! Thank you to Pop and Hootsie for a fun weekend!

Abby feeding cousin Josiah his bottle. Josiah is adorable we are grateful we were able to spend some time with him (and his amazing Momma and grandparents) in Temple earlier this month.

Our handsome hunk. Jacob has recently grown attached to Ty Ty, his green monkey. He even feeds Ty Ty a bottle!

Our sweet and sassy girl on the first day of preschool. This time next year we will be sending her to kindergarten. Wow, is that possible!?!

Hello Again!

Once again it's been too long since I updated the blog! I always think the summer will be somewhat of a break - less busy with time to catch up on things - but I'm always wrong! I am always surprised by how crazy busy the summer is. We have had a great summer though. We have had several weekend trips and a week long vacation to our family's summer cottage in Michigan. We've spent several Wednesday nights at Floore's Country Store for Steak Night and lots of time at the pool with friends. Abby is an amazing little swimmer and Jacob has recently discovered the diving board - he is a fearless little dude! We do not let Jacob near the water without a life jacket.
We said goodbye to Grandma Cason earlier this month. She had Alzheimer's for the last three or four years of her life so we really had to say goodbye much earlier. We are thankful she is finally Home with Jesus!
I am 20 weeks pregnant - halfway there! We are so excited to meet our newest family member in January and should find out next week if we are having another little girl or boy. I have no inclination as to what the baby is and Matthew won't even play that game so we are both really looking forward to being completely surprised at the ultrasound. Some people may wonder why we are even finding out at all, but it's enough of a surprise to see what our children look like when they are born. I think I will never cease to be amazed that Matthew and I seem to make blonde haired, blue-eyed babies! Speaking of our babies, here are some pictures from earlier this summer.

The Reyes Family

BaBaw and BeBe with their grandbabies - Josiah, Jacob and Abby
(Rather than calling BaBaw by the name given to him by Abby, Jacob calls his grandfather PapPoo!)

The Larger Reyes Family

Sweet picture of Daddy and his baby girl!

Jacob and the sippy cup. This is the only kind of cup he really likes because it allows him to drink hands-free. That way he has his hands free to cause trouble:)

So we have some exciting news...

We are having a baby! Yes, baby number three is on the way and we couldn't be more excited! I am about 13 weeks along and the due date is January 5th.
I have been sick as a dog but the really bad days are becoming fewer and fewer so I am hoping and praying I may be turning a corner. I was a little sick when I was pregnant with Abby but had very little difficulty with my pregnancy with Jacob so this has definitely thrown me for a loop. And, the fact that I spend all but two hours a day (when J is napping) chasing a climbing, running, adorable, crazy, dancing little boy around may contribute to the fatigue... I am so thankful for wonderful friends, a supportive family and an incredibly selfless husband that have been taking care of me and feeding my children while I had to take a hiatus from the kitchen.
Big sister Abby is ecstatic about having another brother or sister (she is hoping for a sister because in her own words, "I don't think I could handle another brother") and Jakey has no idea what exactly is going on although we sense he does know change is coming based on the major "Mommy" phase he has entered into.
We praise God for this new life and covet your prayers for a healthy baby and pregnancy!

My current favorite picture of our precious babies, taken at Uncle B and Aunt Hannah's wedding in June.

Fun Times

This is what we've been up to the past month or so...

Run for Hungry Children

Our family, along with our life group, participated in the Run for Hungry Children. We had a wonderful time and Abby really seemed to understand the concept of raising money for children that do not have food as readily as we do. Our family raised more than $400 so thank you to everyone for your support!

p.s. Jacob really was happy to be there even if his expression doesn't show it!

Memorial Day Fun!

We spent some time over Memorial Day weekend at the Duysen's house for a BBQ. We had an amazing time and we are so thankful for all our sweet friends!

Little man loves water!

My favorite pic of the day... Matthew with Sara Kate, Abby and Jakey.

Abby finished her semester of dance class at The Little Gym. Here is our beautiful dancer striking a pose for the camera.

Jacob = Joy

I just have to express how happy of a child Jacob is - Matthew and I say he is a jolly, joyful soul. It's almost as though he knows he was in an accident as a 10-week-old and he's decided to live each day as the gift that it is. Sure, he gets fussy and can even throw a tantrum or too but most of the time he is literally humming a tune (dee, doo, dee) or dancing and almost always smiling. And he loves to hug people, even strangers (he also likes to eat their food)! I told a friend the other day that I can already tell he is going to be the best, sweetest little grandpa ever. We are thankful for our ball of joy - I use the word ball because his rotund stature seems to fit his personality!

For Aunt Kristine

Once again, it's been way too long since I updated this old blog. A busy mom who doesn't like to upload pictures does not a good blogger make. Aunt Kristine told me it was time so this update is dedicated to her. We've been busy living life and loving on our babies. We are counting the days until the summer because that means we get to celebrate Ben and Hannah's marriage and meet little Josiah, the newest family member, along with lots of other fun summertime things. Here are some pictures from our family's adventures of late.

Julie (one of my oldest and best friends) and me with our baby boys, Hudson and Jacob. Hudson and Jacob must be focused on something more interesting on the ground. Sorry you miss out on seeing their precious faces:)

Friends + Helotes Cornyval = The best night of Abby's life!

We went to the Cornyval with some dear friends here in San Antonio and had a wonderful time. Abby is ready to go back, well she was never really ready to leave!

Sara Kate, Abby, Tyler and Naomi

These four met when they were two and have been best buddies ever since!

Daddy and Abby

Abby loves riding her new bike. This picture was taken on Easter as we were heading down the road to our friends' house for an Easter lunch and egg hunt. We had a wonderful time!

This picture was taken when we were in Temple over Easter weekend. I just love it because this is what Abby looks like when she is thinking. Abby is such a sweet and compassionate girl and we are blessed to call her our daughter.

Life

I can't believe I'm just now getting a moment to update the old blog. Life has just been so busy. So fun. So tiring. So wonderful. So crazy. So fast. So thankful. So blessed.
Here are some pictures from our recent adventures. Of course I have many more stuck in my camera that I am too tired/lazy to upload at the moment...

Well, I'm not in my twenties anymore. We spent my 30th birthday with some dear friends, the McHales. Matt and I share the same birthday so we hired a babysitter (something is wrong with us because we hardly ever do this and it is so wonderful and healthy!) and went out for dinner at Dough, a fabulous Italian restaurant. It was the perfect birthday. Thank you, sweet friends and thank you babysitter.

Reunited.

One of the greatest gifts in my life are my oldest friends. I cannot express how thankful I am to have grown up with such amazing, loving and loyal friends. We always pick up where we left off and it's so comforting to just know each other so well - I mean we have known each other since we were little girls. These girls (well, ladies I should say because we are now all officially 30 as of today - Happy Birthday, Kelly!) are my heart and I love them so very much. Thanks for another great reunion.

Abby and Annie. Seeing these two together brings my heart so much joy. Julie (Annie's momma) and I met each other when we were just a tiny bit older than these two. These girls love being together!

So happy.

Amanda, Chloe (Kelly's precious daughter), Heather, Kelly (with Daniel, our newest addition and miracle baby), Rachel, Me and Julie.
I love you girls and cannot wait to see you all again soon.

(We try to have as many reunions as possible.)

Birthday Boy! Jacob is one and as of this week is officially walking. One of the things stuck on my camera is video of this little man walking - it's adorable. Jacob is a blessing and just more fun than we could have ever imagined.

April 24th will mark one year since we were hit by the car. What a reminder that life is so fragile. We have spent the last year with thankful hearts that God protected our precious little guy that day. My cup overflows.