Last Week

I probably should have posted this before our big news, seeing as it all happened over a week ago, but I had 3 finals last week so I'm behind. Jordan and I got to hold sweet baby Jemma the day she came home from the hospital. She is beautiful and so good! With my crazy schedule I haven't been able to go back over there, so hopefully I can sometime this week.

Now for my trip pics. My grandpa turned 80 on April 18, so my family threw him a big party in Greenville, SC. My brother and I flew out there and surprised him- it was awesome! The Biltmore is just an hour from my aunt's house, so we went there first. It was amazing!!! I had been wanting to go forever b/c my parents have been several times and this was the first time I had been out there. I didn't get a lot of pics on my camera, but my mom has a million. Here are just a few. The ones of the whole house and the room inside aren't mine, but everything else is.

My favorite thing about the house was that they had hydrangeas everywhere (which are my favorite)! It was the Festival of Flowers, so every room had fresh arrangements that were ridiculously beautiful. This is a pic in the conservatory.

They have a winery on the property with wine tasting. It was so fun to try all the different wines! This is a room in the conservatory with a wine theme.

We were so fortunate to come when we did! Back home, my parents and I used to go to the Dallas Arboretum every year to see the tulips, and it happened to be the time that the tulips were in bloom at the Biltmore. It was breathtaking!

I made my family go to this McDonalds afterward. It was on the Travel Channel as being one of the most extreme fast food places in America. It has a fireplace and a grand piano.

On Saturday our whole family went to the zoo before Papaw's party. These are my

dad's sisters, Sonia and Deigh, Deigh's husband, David, his son Clayton, Deigh's kids, Emilee and Spencer, and Em's boyfriend, Andrew. (That's a lot of names, sorry!) My parents, Trey, and I also went to downtown Greenville where they have a really cool waterfall with a bridge spanning it and the most amazing landscaping I've ever seen in a downtown area. I'll for sure post pics of that when I get them. The cousins.

Papaw opening his presents.

The whole family!!

I had so much fun seeing my family since I hadn't seen most of them since our wedding. I can't wait to take Jordan back there and show him all the sites. Plus they are just a few hours from Charleston and Savannah, so we'll hit those up, too. Thank you so much Sonia for everything!

wir gehen nach Deutschland!!

What does that mean? It means

We're going to Germany!!!

We've been keeping it a secret because we weren't sure, but tonight was our big night! We finally booked our plane tickets! How and why are we going there?

How... the most amazing family is stationed at Ramstein AFB and has offered to be our tour guides. Remember the junior bridesmaid in my wedding? Or the other ring bearer (besides Beck)? That's them! The Sims. I've written all about Sophie before and how much I love her. I am SOOOO excited to go and see her and the rest of the family!

Why... because we need to celebrate! This year has been the hardest of my entire life. School has just sucked the life right out of me and it doesn't end until after my National Boards part 1 are over. We're also celebrating Jordan's acceptance to UTSA for his Masters. And also because thanks to Obama (ha! yea right..) we got a pretty hefty tax return. Apparently my $140,000 dental education earns $2,000 in an 'education' tax credit. Thanks.... We are getting to have this amazing vacation for only a few bucks, and we decided we'll never get to have the opportunity like this again. We don't have to pay for a hotel or a rental car or train fair, so it would be a waste not to go. And of course all history teachers should see something historic!

So we're packing our bags and heading over the big blue ocean June 16-25. My tummy is a little uneasy... so nerve-racking! But so exciting!!!

Jemma Jane

Jemma inside Jaime's belly yesterday...

Jemma in the real world!!
She is absolutely beautiful! Look at all that hair! 7.8lbs, born at 3:45pm. Jordan and I can't wait to hold her soon!

Easter Weekend

This last weekend was great! My parents came in town and finally got to see our house... I took tons of naps... I got Easter candy... what more could a girl want? Thankfully my parents were just as worn out as Jordan and I were. Friday morning I had a test and then I came home and all 4 of us slept until 12 or 1pm. Then we went shopping and I got tons of great deals at Macy's and had some delicious Mexican food. Saturday I laid out to try and get some sun before Sunday b/c I was wearing a yellow skirt. Yellow skirt + pasty legs = nasty.... so I slathered on the self-tanner all last week and laid out a lot. I think it turned out well. We cooked out hot dogs and sat around all day doing nothing (ahh... so nice) until later when my mom had a hair appointment and my dad and I went and saw 'Clash of the Titans' (sub-par). Then we ate at Maggiano's for dinner- yum!

Anywho, Paisley wanted to lay out, too, and she picked this spot:

Silly girl.

Here are some pics of Sunday. We went to church and then had a delicious lunch at the in-laws beautiful remodeled house.

When we first moved in to our new house, I posted a picture of our friendly neighborhood peacocks, but promised a better one to come... well here it is! My mom hadn't seen them so we went hunting for them on Sunday. We got a treat! He is so beautiful! (the males are the pretty ones) I love driving to and from school and getting to see them.