Introducing baby Jasper

I'm excited to introduce my nephew! Jasper Michael Shropshire was born today (Jan 26) around lunch time. He weighs 7 lbs 11 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long. Everyone is recovering well, just a little tired after a long night. Welcome to the family Jasper! We are super excited to have another boy and so thankful for God's blessing.

A little rest in Mexico

Jay and I were in Mexico this past weekend. We stayed at a resort called the Paradissus about 25 minutes from Cancun. It was a trip hosted through his Northwestern agency for meeting a certain goal for 2009. It was great to have a few days to enjoy the warm sunshine and rest. We also enjoyed spending some time with other agents Jay works with.

Beautiful beaches, nice 85 degree sunshine

This was the restaurant where we ate most of our meals--right on the beach with a great ocean breeze

We didn't do too much--a lot of sitting by the pool and reading books. I read Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliott and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

This is our 30 week pregnancy shot--getting close to the new baby coming!

It's great to go away on trips, but we were both really excited to get back home to Catherine and Will too. I'm already excited for next year's trip. I could get spoiled going somewhere warm every January!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

Catherine and Will had their first experience on roller skates on Friday night. We celebrated my neices' birthdays at the skate center in Union. Maddyson turned 8 and Kennedy is 2. I wasn't sure how the roller skating would go, but they both loved it! Catherine did more of the roller-shuffle and was just as happy to run around in her tennis shoes. Will figured out that if he put his legs out straight and someone was holding his hands, his legs would slide out from under him. He thought this was great! He was also very good at the hokey pokey and limbo in his roller skates and cried when it was time to take them off at the end of the night.

Excited to give them a try

With the birthday girls (Maddyson on the left, Kennedy on the right)

Doing the limbo

Catherine has also been learning to ride her bike by herself. Thankfully we had a warmer Saturday and she could go outside and practice in the driveway. (We have just been riding around in the living room.) She really has caught on well and is doing great at manuevering all around. We'll have lots of fun outside this spring with bikes, scooters, big wheels, etc.

and finally....

Happy New Year!

Christmas in WV

On the 27th, we headed to West Virginia to spend the week with the Hattens. We usually only make it to WV twice a year, so the kids (and us too) are excited to be there. It was super cold all week and we had snow flurries, which the kids thought were great. Nothing really ever stuck to the ground, but at times it looked like a snowglobe outside.

Present opening at their house is an all day event. We started around 10am, took a break for lunch at 12pm, and then finished around 3pm. Catherine and Will had to help everyone open each present (part of why it took so long) and play with every toy/read every book once it was opened.

Here they are helping Aunt Wissa and Uncle Andy open presents.

Catherine reading a new book with Mimi.

Catherine got a princess Bella Dancerella video that teaches you some ballet dances. She is totally enthralled by it.

Will enjoyed eating lots of treats while we were there. He really liked these ice cream cupcakes, which he decided were easier to eat without any utensils or hands.

It was a fun week to relax and enjoy time with family away from home.

Christmas in Union

On Christmas day, we headed to Union for the afternoon. We had lunch at my dad's, with Will wearing his hat and rainboots of course.

Later that afternoon we went to Amanda's house and had dinner with my mom. Will really likes hanging out with Mama Belk. I thought this pic of them together was so precious.

Everybody getting ready to open a few Christmas presents....

The pregnant sisters. Kelly is due with baby Jasper in about 4 weeks. I'm 26-27 weeks in this pic.

We had a great time celebrating with our family.

Christmas Morning

I'm a little behind getting the Christmas pics posted, but better late than never. We had a great Christmas Eve and morning at home. It's so much fun to watch the kids' anticipation and excitement. We made them at wait at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning to come down together. They were so cute!

Catherine's favorite gift was her dollhouse. She also got a princess Scooter, some rain boots, and a suitcase.

Will loves his Hot Wheels. But his real favorites were his rain boots, suitcase, a Reds hat, and a wallet.

Merry Christmas!