Joyful, Joyful

Sporting his new sweater from Aunt Katie

Christmas morning with Samuel

Mimi can't get enough of this guy

Two of his favorite peeps - Aunt Katie and Uncle Rudy!

Katie and Jolly in their Birthday shirts

I sit here happily reveling amongst the remnants of our Christmas celebration. My cup overflows with the joy of my son, who I've been praying to have for quite some time and now sleeps in the room next door, together with a husband I love and treasure more every day and the special blessing of having my mom and dad all to myself for the better part of a week. If that isn't enough to make a holiday merry, we had a fantastic meal together with Katie, Ryan, Bruce and Cindy on Christmas Eve and visited (and engorged ourselves) into the night - we have amazing people in our life. I feel myself becoming a nicer person by osmosis when I spend time with the Jenkins! Christmas morning treeside will be a treasured memory, too. Samuel woke up happy - he must have sensed it was a special day. He grinned and cooed as we opened his presents and ours and flashed them in front of his precious face. Needless to say his pile was the highest, our family can't help but spoil its newest addition - including Aunt Katie who knit him a beautiful new sweater, an original pattern she made just for him. This is how the holidays are meant to be! As they come to a close I'm grateful to know the hope and joy of the season is meant to last, just like the life Christ came to give us. Hope your Christmas was merry and your new year is happy, too!

Samuel's First Laugh

hey guys this morning we were playing with Samuel and Jolly got him laughing for the first time.

What are your Christmas traditions?

Jolly and I had a blast decorating the house and making treats for friends the past few days! We even got our first good blanket of snow, which provided a great backdrop for our family Christmas photo. Since this is our first Christmas with Samuel, we've been recalling all the things we loved about Christmas when we were little - trying to decide what the special traditions will be for our family over the years. I really loved the little nothings tucked inside stockings growing up. I even decided somewhere along the way that my mom and dad should get stockings too - it originally was just for the kiddos. Jolly liked doing plays with his cousins and celebrating with all the family - these are both things we'll incorporate somehow. My friend Laurel grew up with a tradition of turning the lights off on Christmas eve and playing games and visiting with friends and family by candle and firelight - I really like that idea! What special things do you remember, or do as a family now?

Dr. Jolly Junior

Oh, the fun we had today! Samuel and I took a little trip to Jolly's office for the first time to meet the staff and see where Daddy works. Our little man had fun flirting with Jolly's assistants and administrators, and even got to sit in Dad's chair with a bib and everything. The pictures are great - Samuel even smiled in one :O) Hope you enjoy!

Sam is 2!! (months old)

I can't believe its been two months since we welcomed Samuel into the world!! It definitely seems as though he was meant to be a part of our family. We've been busy the past couple weeks, the blog has been neglected. Samuel went on his first plane ride at 6 weeks to visit our family and close friends in the Houston area. I've posted a few pictures from our trip. It was especially fun to introduce him to his great-grandparents. Four generations together at the same time - pretty amazing! This little boy has a rich heritage, Jolly and I have wonderfully loving, wise and supportive family. The most recent pictures are from today- Samuel has discovered his hands and feet and uses them to suck on and box his toys that hang from the play mat. He showed us his adorable smile last week when he began locking eyes with us. I'm in trouble, my heart melts into a drippy puddle when he flashes his gummy grin. I'm still working on getting a picture of it. Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Leaves

Jolly and I took a drive with Samuel along the Pingree Park road in the Poudre Canyon to see the changing aspens. This time of year is absolutely gorgeous in Colorado. We had fun doing the baby thing outside for the first time!

First outdoor diaper (and clothing) change

... and feeding

Family photo with fall foliage (like that alliteration?)
Jolly and Cherie - better together :O)

Mmmmm . . .

This is the first cake I've baked from scratch since Samuel arrived. Its a dark chocolate cake with orange buttercream frosting. It feels so good to be back in the kitchen cooking up some tasty fun!

Growing boy!!

I can't believe how much Samuel has changed already! He's much more alert, we've been seeing his pretty eyes a lot lately. Jolly's cousins Heather and Corrie came to visit this weekend with their little girls Jenna, Sophie and Susannah. Jolly and Heather were born three months apart, and now their kids are three months apart, too! Susannah was born in July - she is the smiliest most beautiful baby you've ever seen. Katie and Ryan came over for breakfast with everyone and Katie took some great photos of all four little cousins. Jolly's grandmother is going to be beside herself to have pictures of ALL her great grandchildren together! I'll post some when she gets them processed. Samuel continues to be such a blessing and a joy - even though he shows us the power of his lungs a little more these days :O) What can I say, he is a strong healthy boy - just what I prayed for!!

Bathtime fun! He loves it :O)

Snuggling with cousin Susannah Grace - they are too cute!!

3 Weeks old, looking like Dad's baby pictures

2 Weeks!!

We've had an exciting two weeks getting to know Samuel!! He had his Mimi and Papa here for the first few days home (that's my parents) and his Mojo (Jolly's mom) was here until last Thursday. Samuel had his first bath - he loves getting his hair washed. He went on a lunch date with both of his grandmas, met his big sister Keeva - our Australian Shepherd, met lots of friends, and did lots of snuggling with mom and dad. Last night was his first sleepover - we spent the night at Uncle Ryan and Aunt Katie's to celebrate my birthday. Samuel is a really good baby - we are having so much fun!

Hanging out with Dad, Jeff, and Dan

Napping on momSnuggling with DadWearing his Sunday best from Mimi and Papa

Sam is Here!!

Born at 5:07 pm on Saturday, September 6. He weighs 7 pounds 3 ounces and is 20.5 inches long.

We are thrilled - can't get enough of him. He is a perfect gift from God. Check out pictures on Katie's blog! We will post updates soon.

Love, Jolly and Cherie

http://www.ryanandkatiejenkins.blogspot.com/

Still waiting . . . come on Sam!!

So - things are still progressing but baby is still cozy in his spot. I am 4cm and 90% effaced but I'm not having strong, regular contractions. The good news is - early labor is over and I didn't really even feel it!! The not so good news is no baby yet. My mom is here and we are having fun distracting ourselves. Jolly's mom is coming this weekend, and hopefully Samuel is too! The dad's are coming when active labor starts. Please pray for me to have patience with God's perfect timing, for my mom to be able to stay a few days after we get home from the hospital, and for Sam and I to continue to be healthy and strong.

Update from the Doc

• 3 Cm
• 80% Effaced
• Baby is in 0 station
• The mom's (grandma's) are making plans to come this week!!

Jolly's Latest Adventures

Jolly went on a backpacking trip in the Sangre de Cristo mountains in July with his brother, Nate, and several guys from our church. They had an AMAZING trip - the view at their campsite was spectacular. Their final destination was close to treeline, about 12,000 feet. Also, he has been working with several students from our college group on how to get in on what God is doing on the CSU campus. Last night around 9pm they chalked huge Realm (name of our bible study) logos all over the student center plaza with hopes that it will give them opportunity to talk to other students about the gospel and the vision of this ministry. Jolly re-did the website as well, check it out: http://www.therealmcsu.com/

Samuel's Room!

Jolly found the camera this morning - so here are some pics of Samuel's room. The adorable sweater and hat in his crib were lovingly knit by his Aunt Katie - she's amazing. My friend Deb and I made the curtains and the girls who threw our shower encouraged friends and family to bring books instead of greeting cards, so he already has a well stocked library!! Can't wait to bring our little boy home to this wonderful place!

Baby Update

A few things of interest:

1. We decided to name the baby Jolly Samuel Johnson Jr. - we'll call him Samuel as long as he'll let us :O)

2. As of Saturday, baby is considered full term!!

3. The doctor said she doesn't expect me to make it to my due date - I am 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced.

4. The nursery is finished, and I would love to post pictures - but I can't find the camera :O(

5. Can't wait to introduce you to little Samuel.

5 Years!

Jolly and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary yesterday! We've had an amazing start to our marriage. Usually, we go on a weekend trip or hike a tall mountain to celebrate, but being 32 weeks pregnant limited our choices of activities this year. We decided to celebrate close to home and had a wonderful day that we'll remember for a long time.

We started out with a breakfast picnic at the top of the hill in our neighborhood. You can see all the mountains to the west from there, the weather was clear and beautiful. We just lounged around and enjoyed the cool breeze for most of the morning.

I've been wanting to visit the Denver Aquarium for a while now, so we decided to check it out! It turned out to be a lot of fun. There are seven different aquatic habitats represented. Our favorite were the Archer Fish - they had a demonstration of how these guys hunt. The caretaker placed several crickets on a vine above their tank, and the archer fish shot water out of their mouths 5-10 feet to knock their prey into the water. We had never heard of those before. I love otters and sea turtles, and got to see both of those as well. Then we stopped by the huge REI in downtown Denver, we can't really pass up a chance to visit that store!

We ended our day with a great dinner at Hibachi Steakhouse here in Fort Collins. Its just like Benihana. It was yummy and we had a fun chef. He tossed shrimp at all the guys at the table for them to catch in their mouths - Jolly caught his no sweat. We had a great day - and are looking forward to many more fun memories to come.

I did it!

I made my favorite cake from Whole Foods - the Berry Chantilly cake. For the longest time I couldn't figure out the frosting - then Katie's mother in law Cindy discovered the missing ingredient, mascarpone cheese. So, here is a picture of my favorite creation so far!! Happy Birthday Ally :O)

Maternity Portraits

My amazingly talented sister-in-law, Katie, took maternity portraits yesterday. She's a genius! Here is a link to her blog so you can see a slideshow.

http://ryanandkatiejenkins.blogspot.com/

28 Weeks!

Here is a pic Jolly took after church today, as requested by my dear friend Annie! I'm just barely seven months . . . I think I'm going to be a planet by the end (in the words of Juno). The baby is always on the move lately, every time I'm still I feel him squirming all around. So much fun!

The Nesting Period

The nesting phase has definitely arrived! Today Jolly helped me put the baby bed together and situate it the way I like it in the nursery. Mojo helped me pick out fabric and make the crib sheets and bumper pads when she was here in May (mostly she made everything and I helped cut the pieces :O) and my mom and I painted last time she and my dad came for a visit. Its so sweet to look into that room and think of all the love that has already gone into it! There are still lots of things to do, but I feel like we're off to a great start.