Moving right along! I'm actually 29 weeks pregnant as of yesterday - only about 2 1/2 months to go. I'm starting to get really excited and feeling like we should get a move on getting the baby's room ready. Not going to be feeling like painting, moving furniture, etc. for too much longer I'm sure. DJ is in the fields now - they got a late start since they had 4 cuttings of hay this year. Hopefully they'll be done by Thanksgiving!

Woo hoo! We're having a baby girl! We were so excited and shocked! With five boys in DJ's family and five boys in mine, we really didn't think the odds of having a girl were very good. We were so thrilled to find out that we are having a little girl and that she is healthy and growing normally. Such a blessing that I don't take for granted anymore! I can't wait to meet her, name her, introduce her to Jackson... I watched Kortney Kardashian introduce her daughter to her son Mason last night and I bawled! Such a great moment. I hope Jackson falls in love fast like I know DJ and I will. I'll be 28 weeks on Wednesday which means I only have 12 weeks to go. This pregnancy has gone so fast! Now just about a million things to do before she arrives. She! Hah! I still can't get used to saying that!

At almost 25 weeks, I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going. We are getting so excited to meet our little boy or girl and to introduce him or her to Jackson. I am so thankful that the baby has been healthy and that things are progressing as they should be so far. We went in for an ultrasound at 20 weeks and went ahead and tried to find out the sex of the baby. But...the baby had different plans. They couldn't tell us if it was a boy or girl. :) We have one more ultrasound the second week of September so we'll see if he or she cooperates! :) This weekend we head out to visit my parents and Joe in Fort Lauderdale. Let's hope Hurrican Isaac gets the heck out of there before we arrive! I need some beach time and Jackson is DYING to swim in the pool with his Daddy. :) Til next time! xoxo, Heather

Gymanstics

Jackson has had some trouble with coordination, strength, etc. This, I believe, is caused by low muscle tone and his pronated ankles. He walked at 15 months (not terribly late) but seemed to be falling way too often. In the beginning, we thought the falling was due to ear infections (inner ear infection=poor balance) but then the falling was happening more and more. Then, we had 3 elbow dislocations within one year. Talk about horrible - watching your little baby boy experience so much pain from a dislocation is Aw. Ful. Then he fell and hit his mouth and one of his front teeth became permanently bruised and gray. I was like, "that's it, I NEED answers. Something isn't right..." I can't tell you the number of nights I laid awake worrying about what was wrong with Jack. I just wanted an answer - a label ... something! But then, we started learning more, and I panicked. I didn't want people to think he had a disability. Be careful what you wish for I guess. Truth is, there's nothing really "wrong" with him, he just needed some better muscle tone and his ankles lean in a bit (probably the major cause of his clumsiness). He's my little rubber band - flexible as all get out. The orthopedic specialist told us "this is just the way he's made. A hundred years from now we might be able to give you some genetic answers for this, but for right now, it's just how he's built." Phew! Now we know that he just needed a little strength training, ankle support, physical therapy, and TLC. Today he wears orthotics in his shoes every day. He completed his physical therapy in June and now we're on to gymanstics class once a week for improved strength, balance, and coordination. Here are a few pictures of his class at Miss Barb's (Fun N Fitness) where he loves to go on the "jumpoline" every Tuesday. I can see a big improvement! He can now run across the yard or room without falling. Woo hoo! His pediatrician asked me at his 2 year check up how he was coming along. I said great, and I feel better now that we've tried everything we could to help him. I don't want him to suffer from arthritis or some other problems when he's older and I would love to see him play sports if that is what he wants. We'll keep going with his orthotics and gymnastics, etc. I'm just glad my baby is okay.

Fun Summer

We have had such a fun summer so far! Despite the heat, we've had such a great time. We've had our cousins from Indy visit, a few trips to the lake, time spent with our fun and awesome friends, visits from family members, my baptism, Jack's 3rd birthday,...the list just keeps growing! I am so happy to have had this summer with my friends and family. Here's a few photos... On Tuesday, we had our 20 week ultrasound. Baby boy or girl is growing and healthy! Woo hoo! I have such a huge sense of relief now after seeing how much he/she has grown, that he/she has kidneys, a brain, etc. That might sound crazy, but I'm no longer naive about the miracle of having a healthy baby. I'm so blessed!

Last weekend we had an 81st birthday party for DJ's grandpa, Jim. It was a fun celebration of his life and all that he's accomplished. It was great to get together and see some cousins, neighbors, etc. that we haven't seen in a while. DJ fixed up his 4020 this past winter and brought it out to the party for the occasion so we could take a family photo in front of it. Here's a couple good ones..

My parents, brothers, nephews, sisters-in-law, aunt and uncles visited the weekend of my baptism. It was like a mini reunion! So fun! Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Here's a few pics from that weekend...

Here are a few pics from our summer thus far. DJ got me beautiful pink roses for our 8th anniversary, I am 16 weeks pregnant, our friends Jen/Riehl/and Piper visiting from Denver, and a shot of Jackson from last weekend when were were at the Indiana Dunes. It's been a fun-filled summer so far - can't wait for what's next! Peace! Heather

Jackson and I went to the park a few weeks ago and I took some pictures of him walking along the river. They turned out really cute! I am so excited to have his 3-year photos taken professionaly next Saturday by Hannah Wright, the same girl who took his awesome 2-year pics. Still haven't decided if we'll be taking some family shots - eh - why not!?! Loving my hubby today - made me breakfast in bed. What a sweetie pie. I sure miss him this time of year (planting season). I am proably the only person I know who loves it when it rains! Rain = I get to see him! Lots of changes going on in the Mangold family. David is leaving for Afghanistan in June. Andrew is off to boot camp this summer. Josh is taking a new position in a different part of Afghanistan at the end of the summer. All these military men make me proud, but scared too. Praying that God keeps them safe! Busy but fun weekend this weekend! Wedding, bachelorette party, etc... It's gonna be fun!

Hobo's

Last night we made hobo's on the grill. Nom nom nom. These are super easy and great for summertime (okay it's not summertime yet, but Mother Nature had me fooled last week!) Here's the recipe:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 large baking potatoes, chopped into chunks
baby carrots (optional)

Create 4 9"x9" square of tinfoil and lay out on your counter. Roll handful size balls of ground beef and place one on each square of tinfoil. In a large bowl, mix onion, soup, potatoes and baby carrots. Pour 1/4 of mixture of each ball of ground beef. Salt and Pepper to taste. Fold up tinfoil squares so food is completely covered up. Place foil packets on grill for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Garden

I'm thinking about starting a garden. I've wanted to for several years but it seems like the idea always come to me after it's too late each summer. So I should start simple. But what to plant? I'm thinking maybe tomatoes, spinach, and peppers? Those are my favorites so I know they'll get eaten. And if I'm really ambitious...salsa!! Now if I can fet DJ to help me build a container for a raised bed! :)

Madison Road

I wanted to share something really sweet with all of you. My friend Ann recently went live with her website for her company "Madison Road". Ann makes adorable, unique, hand-sewn clothing for your girls. This stuff is seriuosly adorable. The company name, Madison Road, has special meaning to me as Ann and her family live in the house I grew up in ... you guessed it ... on Madison Road. Ann is an amazing chick! She is beautiful, fun, cool, a great mom, so creative. I could go on and on. Please check out the website for her new company and support her!

Happy Shopping!

Children's Museum

This past weekend we took a short family trip to Indianapolis. On Saturday, we visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum. It was quite the place! LOTS of people and cool exhibits for the kids. Jackson had a great time and fell asleep before we even left the parking garage on our way out.

Yee ha!

She's here!

DJ's cousin Justin and Heidi had a baby girl on Wednesday - Presley Madison. We went to visit them in the hospital yesterday. She's so adorable! I feel like we've been waiting so long for her to get here! Welcome to the family Presley!

No more cast

Yesterday we went to have Jackson's cast removed. Hooray! He was a little unsure about the saw when the medical assistant pulled it out, but he ended up laughing the whole time he cut through the cast because it tickled. Such a trooper. Yay for normal bath time and being able to feed himself!

Jackson'isms

The other day I went back to a July 2009 post and read a post I wrote about a typical day in the life with newborn baby Jackson. It made me get all misty! I was so glad that I could go back and read those little Jackson'isms so I thought I'd do it again to help make some lasting memories now that he's 2 1/2 years old (31 months to be exact). So here goes ...

A few of my favorite things that Jackson says:
- That's mines! (Yes, "mines" is plural.)
- Mama, whatcha doooooin?
- I wake up! (This is our bright, cheery, ethusiastic greeting every morning around 7 a.m.)
- IIIIII do it. (Likes to do everything himself like a big boy these days.)
- Take a baf. (Take a bath.) :)
- Daddy workeeeeng.
- I jumped in da POO! (Translation: I jumped in the pool! He tells people this a lot as we just visited Nee Nee and Papa in Florida.)
- Baby hit me. (Jackson likes to tell on Katie, a little girl from the babysitter's, when she hits him. Sometimes I think the story might be reversed.) :)
- "Jackson what road to you live on?" - Me. "HickoREEEEE" - Jackson.
- "When is your birthday?" - Me, "June Elebbnen." - Jack.
- "How old are you?" - Me. "Two....two and a half." - Jack (Pauses EVERY time.)

We went South for the Winter (or at least January)

Swimming in the Pool with Uncle Josh and Uncle David!

Fun in the pool!






Jackson dislocated his elbow while we were in Florida. We had to go see an orthopedic specialist and this John Deere Green cast was the result. :(

A few recent pictures of our holiday season ...

I Am Thankful

This year, I am especially excited for the holidays because I get to enjoy them with my little family. This year I am thankful for ...
- The excitement that Jackson experiences each time he sees or learns something new.
- My husband, who went and got me a chocoloate milkshake at 9 p.m. last night with no whip cream and two cherries. I'm not even pregnant (when this kind of thing would be much more common)!
- School. Yes, that's right, for school. Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that I'd be getting a B in a Stats course. It makes me feel proud of myself.
- My girl friends. Without these ladies, my life would be boring and without laughter.
- My home. While I"m always wishing that I had this or that for my house, I'm thankful to have a warm place to rest our heads and to raise Jackson that is close to friends and family.
- Flannel. I'm obsessed with it. Jackson has like 4 new flannel shirts for the winter.
- Pictures. I get so caught up in looking at old photos sometimes. They make me happy.
- My grandparents. Never have you met such fun and supportive people in your life. They are ALWAYS there for us!
- My job. I've been in my current position for a little over a year now and I am one lucky chick. The people I work with are INSANEly great!
- Airplanes - especially the one that will be taking me and Jackson to Florida in January. Counting the days.
- Uggs. I don't care if these ever go out of style I'm still going to wear them.
- God. For giving me so many blessings and for planning my life just the way he wants it.
- Wine. I've been drinking it regularly latey. Pinot Noir.
- Cousins. These people are my friends forever, even if I don't see them as often as I'd like.
- Brothers. We're all over the map, but get us in a room together and it's like the good times we had growing up all over again.
- Pinterest. Have you SEEN this website!? It's insanely addicting and fun. I. Love. It.
- Diet Coke. It's horrible for me but I can't give it up. Everything in moderation, right?
- My iPad. One of the coolest gifts I've ever received. Such a fun toy. DJ and Jackson would agree.
- My sisters-in-law. Growing up an only girl was fun/challenging. I'm thankful for my SIL's and their friendship.
- Fingerless gloves. These things are the bomb diggity. I have three pairs.

I'm thankful for so much. I might post more things I'm thankful for later. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Love,
Heather

Cute Ideas to Remember

Have you seen the website pinterest.com? It's awesome...and addicting.
A few cute ideas that I loved from this website:
- have your kids wake up to a room filled with balloons on their birthday.
- take a photo of you and your spouse on each wedding anniversary holding a framed number indicating the number of years you've been mArried (e.g., on your 8th anniversary the framed number would be 8).

Rocka Rocka, Mama?

I just came into my bedroom after rocking Jackson to sleep feeling like the luckiest person on earth.
I'll admit that since he turned two two, it has been tough sometimes dealing with this little boy who doesn't know how to deal with his emotions and hates hearing "no" (and believe me - he hears "no" a lot!). But tonight ... there were no tantrums, no struggles, and no tears. Jack and I had the house to ourselves and had one of the best evenings I have had in a long time. We played, we laughed, we watched Wonder Pets and I fell even more in love with my little man.
To end the night, Jack said, "Rocka rocka Mama?" My heart melted. He laid his little head on my shoulder while I rocked him to sleep. I'm so lucky to be this kid's mom it's crazy. I wanted to write this down tonight so I'd remember it some day when these years seem like a blur. Jack you are an amazing, soft-hearted little boy and I am blessed to be your mom. Love you, Buddy.