Woo Hoo!

Just a quick note to finally say, Kennedy did it! She finally is able to fit into her 3 months outfits. We have so many that have been big, but this morning we were able to fit into one! So now her wardrobe is fantastic! So many things to choose from. The outfits fit her in length, but not in width.

I had my 6 week checkup today with Dr. David and everything is fantastic. I am in full recovery from surgery and also after having Kennedy. I can start my obsession with exercise now and losing the remainder of my baby weight. I am so tired of being swollen (as I still have some fluid retained). You can just see it in the pictures. Keep your fingers crossed and lets hope the weight comes off rather quickly.

With Love,
Jason, Jen and Kennedy
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"Meet the GodParents"

On December 20th at 2:00, we celebrated the Christening of Kennedy. So allow me to introduce her Godparents, Audrey and Thomas Moore.

For those of you that know, Audrey is my cousin from Scotland and Thomas is her husband. Audrey and I have always been extremely close and I couldn't imagine Kennedy growing up without her in our lives. Thomas is just as great! He loves Kennedy as if she was his own! What more could one ask for. So here is a picture of the 3 of them at Kennedy's Christening.

After the Christening, we had a small reception at my mom's house. Kennedy received such lovely presents and we thank everyone for coming. It was very small, intimate, and lovely. Kennedy did so well during the christening ceremony, she didn't even scream. Maybe it was Uncle Thomas' (Godfather) magic touch.

Jason and I have painted the new house, and Jason (with the help of Thomas) is finishing putting in the wood floor. We will be celebrating Kennedy's first Christmas Eve at Nana Jurey's house and enjoying Christmas day at the house on Woodbine. Jason, Kennedy and I will be hosting Christmas Dinner for both the Jurey's, the Gardner's and the Moore's (Audrey and Thomas) and we can't wait. Some of you may be wondering when on earth we will be moving into the "Milton House". We will begin our move the day after Christmas and can't wait. We were hoping it would have been sooner, but I didn't want Jason to overwork himself. I am sure Thomas thought he was coming for a vacation! Boy was he wrong! Oh well, at least he is enjoying his baby duty!

I was back at work last Friday (12/21) and Audrey babysat while Thomas helped with the flooring. Mom has been sick, so her baby time has been limited. She keeps telling me she is having major Kennedy withdrawals, even though we have stayed at few nights at her house, because she isn't able to hold Kennedy! I am sure when she is better, hell would have to freeze over before she lets her go.

We hope you all enjoy your Christmas and New Year. Please be careful, and we will be posting a ton of pictures as this next week is another busy one filled with fabulous "FIRST" experiences for wee Kennedy.

With Love,

Jason, Jen and Kennedy

How hard is it....

I have not been very good at keeping up with the blog. I could blame sweet baby Kennedy, the holiday season, or just that I have been too busy, but the truth is I haven't given it much thought. I have been so focused on making Kennedy's birth announcements, photoshopping her "First Photos" and trying to put together my order for my christmas cards and christmas presents from Kennedy. I couldn't imagine doing this while working! Kennedy is growing like a weed. I was always one that felt like when other parents gave you baby advice, that I didn't want to hear it or it would be different for me. However, they are all true. The most common thing I heard was cherish every moment because your baby will grow up so fast. Boy is it true! I feel like I can't even remember when Kennedy was born, but I do, but it just feels that way! We are closing on the house in Milton on Friday. Hopefully we will be moved in by Christmas.
Kennedy's Christening invitations are going to be mailed out soon. We are excited about Audrey and Thomas (Kennedy's Godparents) coming in on Monday, December 15th. Kennedy can't wait to be spoiled more than she already is! There are no pictures to post today, but I will be posting some soon. She is getting her picture taken with Santa this weekend (which I will post) and her birth announcement (which I will post, after they are mailed out).

With Love,
Jason, Jen and Kennedy

Busy Weekend.

Thanksgiving week always seems so jam packed with activities. It was nothing less this year for Kennedy's first Thanksgiving festivites. On Black Friday, we went floor shopping for our new home. We didn't brave the crowds in a store as there was nothing we were dying to buy this year, and most everybody requested a gift card this year, so nothing we are getting a super deal on. Saturday, we headed back to Milton to continue our floor shopping and also attend Kelan's 2nd Birthday party. It was a Thomas the train themed event and we had so much fun with him. We played with his new golf set, watched him wheel around on his scooter, and had a great time overall. David and Tiffany really threw such a successful party, that we (jason and I) couldn't stop talking about how much fun we had, Kelan had, and how good the food/cake was. Not only did we have a blast, Kennedy and Kelan had several pictures taken together and Kelan was such a BIG help with his new baby cousin. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her and kept trying to giver her kisses. So sweet. Today, Sunday, we are going for the Gardner family christmas tree. Kennedy will be trying out her new "SLING CARRIER" instead of wheeling her around a christmas tree farm in a stroller. It would make for a bumpy ride. So I will carry her all around. We will make sure to take pictures and post of her adventurous weekend.

Hoping your holiday was as good as ours!
With Love,
Jason, Jen and Kennedy.

Happy Thanksgiving.

We are just wishing all of our friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving. It was a fabulous day in Florida with the temperature reaching 71 Degrees Farenheit. There was rain scheduled to come in last night, but the Gardner's were way too tired to know whether it rained or not! We took our first "Photo Shoot" at Nana's yesterday, so here are a few highlights of my day. We hope you had a joyous Thanksgiving.

With Love,

Jason, Jen and Kennedy

Friends and family

I can't believe Thanksgiving week is finally here. Kennedy will get to have her first Thanksgiving feast at Nana's house this year and then off to the Christmas Tree farm to watch Grandma and Grandpa Gardner pick out their tree. Kennedy has had special visitors the last week. She has been hanging out with her best friend (even though she isn't born yet) Aubrey Seeman, and in baby code tell her how great her parents are, what it is like outside of the womb, and how much fun the 2 are going to have. She was left by herself for the first time (even though I had a little separation anxiety about leaving her) with Nana (my mom) while Jason and I went to eat at Hooters with Aaron and Andrea and then we checked out the new bond movie (Quantum Solice). We were only gone a few hours and then home again. Grandaddy (my dad) stopped by on his lunch hour from work to see his "baby girl" (obviously not me anymore) and then off to work he went again. We have had a great weekend, a little lazy today (Sunday) as we have no plans for doing anything productive. Her umbilical cord finally fell off and she is going to enjoy her first bath in the tub later today! Hopefully we will get some pcitures of her during that time and post them sometime soon.

We wish all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
With Love,
Jason, Jen and Kennedy

Kennedy's first doctor's appointment

Today we met with Kennedy's Pediatrician and had a fabulous checkup. On the Thursday she was born, Kennedy weighed 7 lbs 8 oz. When we left the hospital the following Saturday, she weighed 6 lbs 15 oz. However, 2 weeks later, when we went to the doctor today, she weighed a whopping 8 lbs 1 oz. Can you say healthy! Kennedy now doesn't have to go back until she is 2 months old. So great news there. Her heart sounded healthy, her lungs are fabulous and everything seems to be on par. We were really happy and pleased with the outcome of today.

I also had a doctor's appointment shortly after Kennedy. Trying to kill 2 birds with 1 stone since we were out and about today. I have lost 25 lbs (in 2 weeks) from the weight I was when we delivered to my weight today. I am pleased with that, but can't believe it isn't dropping off of me faster! During the total pregnancy, I gained 45 pounds, so I am halfway to losing it all. My incision is healing nicely, and I don't have to go back now for 4 weeks. Good news there.

So we have taken a few more pictures. Some of them may look the same, as Jason and I are taking pictures of Kennedy at different times, sometime the same day, same outfit, etc and not realizing the other just took that picture. She is definitely "FILLING OUT" and enjoying her sleep. In some of the pictures, she looks like she just can't be bothered. But she is fabulous and we just love her more than life itself!

Enjoy the pictures and keep checking back with us to see how Kennedy is developing.

Love, Jason, Jen and Kennedy

Catching Up....

For those of you who have or have had children you know what I am talking about when I say we are now playing catchup! Jason and I have not done much of anything except drool over Kennedy, her every smile, her every wimper, yadda yadda yadda. We have had Nana and Grandaddy Jurey over a few times to share the love with Kennedy (and let Jason and I sleep) and also Grandma and Grandpa Gardner over a few times to share the love with Kennedy (and let Jason and I relax). We are so grateful for the visitors.

We have already taken so many pictures of Kennedy that I think she will need her own blog before long! She has had a fabulous adventure filled first week. Here is where she has been and what she has been doing. Kennedy had a touch of jaundice and was at the hospital (not admitted, but for daily blood withdrawal) from Sunday through Wednesday. Her count is down low, we did not need a heat lamp or medication. She has already been to Target for her first shopping spree (newborn clothes, because we didn't think she would be this small of a baby), she has been to Milton (to see her new house that we are moving into before Christmas), and even to the allergist (for mama's shot). We made a stop at Woodham Middle School and she saw my classroom, hung out with Ms. Emily (a co-worker of mine who has a 1 year old son named Atticus, who could be Kennedy's future husband), We have been to O'Charley's and the Pensacola La Hacienda (but no Juvenal, so it doesn't count). We stopped by briefly to see Uncle David, Aunt Tiffany (who was at work) and her cousin Kelan for a moment but Kennedy slept through the short stay. She has had a ton of visitors at the house including: Aunt Katie, Aaron, Andrea and Aubrey, Both sets of grandparents, emails (and phone call) from Auntie Audrey and Uncle Bernard, Patsy, Neil and Hannah, Justin (she loves that guy) only to name a few.

I am sure she is tired of Jason and I taking her picture, but she makes the most fabulous faces, smells the sweetest, and is so much fun to stare at. Who cares about anything else! We have been very fortunate as Kennedy averages sleeping about every 4 hours and eats every 4 as well. She isn't into crying (must be tough like her mama) and only fusses when she is having to take a sponge bath. But at least she smells fabulous and is all relaxed when we are through. Please check us out regularly as it is hard to email all the pictures to everyone.

With Love,

Jason, Jen and Kennedy (we have been waiting a long time for her to be here and it is FABULOUS!)

Allow me to introduce.....

KENNEDY MARIE GARDNER. She graced us with her presence on November 6th at 4:33 a.m. weighing in at 7 lbs 8 oz and measuring 20 inches long.

Here is the story:

As my blog may have informed you, I was experiencing an enormous amount of pressure and unusual things happening during my pregnancy and things seem to get worse last week. After our doctor's appointment on Monday, I told Jason we were for sure going to deliver within the next week. Wednesday morning, I woke up, spoke to my mom as usual and the ongoing joke was that since my dad was on vacation and planning to golf that day, my mom was working, and Jason was planning a busy day, that would be the day we would go into labor. Boy, if only we believed in what it was we were saying.

I went to school that morning, feeling fine. I had a little bit of "leakage" but didn't have any pain or discomfort. At lunch time, I called my mom to tell her that I was still alive, and NO, my water had not broken yet. She sounded a tad disappointed, but was busy talking to her sister on the phone, so she had to let me go. So I called Jason, again, only this time to bug him. We talked about what I was doing and planning on doing for the rest of the day (since I was on my planning period.) I told him that I was trying to finish my lesson plans for the month since I was unsure of what would be happening. He asked how I was feeling and I informed him that I was feeling fine, but Kennedy hadn't moved at all that day. He thought that was weird and told me he thought I should call the doctor's office to let them know. So I did. I spoke with my nurse, Lisa and she wanted me to come in to get checked. LONG STORY SHORT, I was admitted and informed I would be delivering a baby that day. We started pushing around 12:45 am on 11/6 and after 3 1/2 hours of pushing, Dr. David stated Kennedy was stuck and a c-section was the only way to go. So they prepped me for surgery, and within the hour we had a healthy, beautful baby girl.

We have enjoyed her so much already and can't wait to keep posting pictures of her. Here are a few of our favorites. In some of them, her face is bruised as she was stuck and we didn't know. However, her bruising has almost gone away and she is more beautiful than ever!

We will be sending out birth announcements that have her professional pictures on them, and believe me, there will never be a shortage of pictures of our sweet beautiful baby girl.

With Love,

Jason, Jennifer and Kennedy

Another long, but busy day.

Today has been a really hectic day. Jason and I put an offer in on a house in Milton. Actually in my mom and dad's neighborhood. We then met my parents for dinner at Beef O'Brady's for dinner. We are hoping to keep our fingers crossed that our offer is accepted, or if not, the counter offer isn't too far off of where we are hoping to be.

As far as Kennedy and her arrival, well, nothing yet. I have a lot of pressure and feel like any minute my stomach skin is going to rip open like something out of an Alien movie or something. I just want a full body massage, a foot massage, etc. Can someone say, spoil me please? I am still working, as my plan is to work until I give birth. However, the more uncomfortable I feel, the harder it is to go to work. I am trying to plan for the next 6 weeks of school, teach kids, etc all while feeling like I am the goodyear blimp. Enough regarding me. We will still keep you posted and keep our fingers crossed for a smooth labor and hoping that the house goes through.

With Love, Jen.

Another weekly doctor's appointment.

Today, at 1:00p.m. we had another doctor's appointment. Jason was super busy and leaving work early to go look at a house for us, so he missed our appointment. However, it was well worth it. This morning as I was getting ready to go to work, I told Jason this would be the day that something happened as he wouldn't be at the appointment with me and I would be all alone. ha ha ha
Anyhow. I went to the doctor and scoped out the brand new floor/office. It is very pretty and so much nicer than the 3rd floor office. However, I wasn't there to see the decor. I was there to see if we had made any progress and if Kennedy would be gracing us with her presence. I have felt an enormous amount of pressure over the last few days, even thinking my water had possibly broken on Saturday while we were in TJ Maxx. Not the case, but I definitely was hoping that we had made some progress. So I was informing Dr. David of all that had transpired in the last week, including the pressure I had been feeling. She reassured me that all of those symptoms/feelings are normal and that she would just examine me to see if we have any progress.

We have dilated 3 cm and my cervix has thinned 75%, so we could literally go into labor any moment. We could also not go into labor anytime soon and still deliver on our due date or after. So we will just keep you all posted. I was very curious, as I always am, and asked Dr. David a few questions. Questions such as, how soon does the full dilating process occur, which I already knew the answer, it varies with every pregnancy and woman. However, after hearing that I had started dilating, it was a little nerve racking to know that very soon, Jason and I would be parents and responsible for another human being, for the remainder of our lives. Exciting, but still a little nervous. Dr. David did state that she would schedule me an appointment for next Monday, but she anticipated that she would probably be seeing me before then.

So keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a smooth, successful, pain-free (wishful thinking) labor. We will definitely be keeping you all posted as we progress.

With Love, Jen .

Another Busy Weekend!

It is now Sunday night, and we are finally winding down from another busy weekend. I am sure this is only the start of our busy lives, but here is what we have been doing in the last week.

Jason and I worked our way through the work week and decided to celebrate my birthday on Friday night. We had some news that changed our plans a little bit, but we sat down, came up with a plan, and then put it into action. We have decided that we might try to get rid of the Armada. If we are to cut back on our luxurious life style, we should cut costs by getting rid of some of our luxurious things. So, after I worked on Friday, we went to a few car dealers and looked around at smaller cars, more efficient cars, and then came home. We postponed my birthday dinner (just the 2 of us, since it would be our last alone birthday dinner), and came home and ate leftover pizza, and went to bed early as I was super tired. On Saturday, we of course went to Milton. We were hoping to see my nephew Kelan, as it was my birthday, but David and Tiffany's plans were cancelled, so we didn't get to catch up with them. No big deal though. We ran a few errands with Mom, looked at a few houses, and then went to dinner at La Hacienda for my birthday. We found a house we really did like, so Jason is off to see it again tomorrow, and we are hoping to make an offer on it on Monday/Tuesday. Keep our fingers crossed that we are lucky to have our offer accepted. On Sunday, Jason and I went to eat some breakfast at the Waffle House, and then went to Target where I purchased a Nintendo Wii with my birthday money. Jason, who has never played the wii before, was so excited. So we came home and put it together, and began to play the wii. He was not excited at playing Tennis, because he was having "Operator Issues" and blaming the game. But after the gazillionth time of me beating him, we switched to bowling, then baseball, and then after a while, golf. We had a blast. We then went to eat dinner with his family for my birthday. It was good. So we are now back at home and just trying to relax.

We do have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, that I will be attending by myself, as Jason will be checking out the house in Milton again. So watch tomorrow be the day something actually happen, and Jason won't be there for me. Just kidding. I will definitely be keeping you posted as to what happens. We have had contractions, but just the braxton hicks contractions, for the last few weeks. Nothing organized, they have just been sporadic, some every 25 minutes, but last night they were strong and I had 1 every hour or hour and a half. So, no sleep for me.
Here is hoping tonight will be better. I will go for now, as I will keep you posted on the doctor's appt that we are going to on Monday.

With Love, Jen

Doctor's Appointment Today!

Jason and I went to the doctor's today. We are into the middle of our 36th week and are doing our once a week visits to monitor our progress. We are doing really well and are still on schedule to deliver on November 22nd. Last week, I had gained 11 pounds of fluid in a 2 week time frame and my blood pressure was elevated. Dr. David (our obgyn) was very nervous and wanted to make sure that we were closely monitored with my blood pressure and severe water retention. However, this week, everything has changed. We gained 2 pounds in 1 week (which she stated was normal at this point) and my blood pressure was back down to 120/72. She said that we were had not dilated any and that my cervix was pointed to my back-bone. I asked when that would move, and Dr. David stated that my cervix would begin to shift when Kennedy makes progress and decides she is ready to face the world. I told Jason that she is probably going to be stubborn (like the both of us) and take her time, therefore being born after her due date as she will be laid back and not in a hurry. Forget the fact that my cervix pointing towards my back-bone is the uncomfortable-ness that I have been feeling/borderline of pain. Her heartbeat was very strong and she is still very active. We are scheduled to go back next Monday for another checkup, so I will be keeping you updated.

For those of you that were wondering, we did ask Dr. David if she could determine Kennedy's weight. She stated that it would be an estimation but she felt all around my stomach. She then said that if Kennedy were to be born today, she would say that Kennedy would probably weigh in between 6 1/2 pounds to 7 pounds. Jason and I about died, since I do have roughly 4 weeks left and that is when babies do most of their growing. OMG, if she is going to be 10 pounds. Can you say C-SECTION? Keep your fingers crossed that she isn't over 9 pounds. We want a newborn not a toddler! ha ha ha
With Love,
Jen

Another Busy Weekend.........

Another weekend has come and gone. Friday was a pretty busy day. After a full day of school, I came home and my mom was here. She had just gotten her hair done and decided to stop by to drop off a present from one of her customers for Kennedy. We then discussed going to dinner but she wasn't really up for it. So she went home. Jason and I then decided we didn't want to go to the grocery store, so I took him to Horizen and watched him eat sushi. Oh well. Afterwards, we came home, did our thank you cards (from Mom's shower on October 5th) and watched the ball game and went to bed pretty early. Well, I fell asleep on the couch and then Jason woke me up to go to bed.

On Saturday, we had talked about getting up early going to vote, running a few errands, all before the baby shower. However, I was so unmotivated to get ready and begin my day, that we got none of that done. Jason then received a phone call from his mom that he needed to come help with the shower decorations by bringing a ladder and hanging up the "TALL" stuff. It helps to be 6 feet tall. So he left to be a big help! My mom and Tiffany then came by the house to pick me up to go to the shower. I got to hang out with a few great friends, and we laughed and talked about so much. There were a few guests I didn't know or remember, but at least they were there because they knew Jason and they were there for him. But I felt a little funny about taking a present from someone I didn't know. We received lots of things that were on our registry and also lots of things that were not on the registry. If I can give any advice, STICK TO THE LIST! But other than that, it went really well and we had a great time. After the shower, we came back home, unloaded all of the presents, picked up the dogs, and went to Milton with my mom. When we got to good ole Miltonia, we picked up my dad and went to eat the Roadhouse. MMMMMMMMMMMM. We then came home and went straight to sleep.

On Sunday, Jason and I got up, I went for breakfast, and then we went through the presents from the day before. We had a ton of laundry to do so I wanted to get started. I had a wedding to go to, My good friend Nick Davis, but I was feeling under the weather with a head cold. Luckily I am going to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some medicine to feel better. After going through all of the fabulous gifts, Jason and I managed to get ready and left to run some errands. We ate lunch at Santino's and ran into Briana. We then went to Target and bought a ton of stuff that we hadn't received off of our registry that we definitely needed. We then went to the pet store for some dog food and then to Jason's favorit store in the world (Books a Million). Then we just came home. Jason put together the highchair, and put the carseat/baby carrier in my car, so when the time comes we are ready. We finished the laundry and now have decided that we are completely exhausted.

We do have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, at 1:00, so hopefully we have made progress in 1 week, and we can definitely keep you posted. We officially are down to a little less than 4 weeks, and we are so ready. My birthday is this coming Saturday, so maybe Kennedy will be my birthday present. I guess we will wait and see. I am a little concerned about my blood pressure as it is on the rise, but we will see.
With Love,
Jen

Help me..........

I can't believe I am saying this, especially online, but for those of you who know me, I am sure you know that I don't like to ask for help. Not for anything. But I finally gave up and had to do it. I have now succumbed to getting Jason up 30 minutes earlier in the morning to shower, so he will still be in the house when I shower, incase anything happens. Also, I know have to get dressed in the morning while he is still in the house so he can put my socks on for me, if I choose to wear them. When I get home, he unloads my car for me, takes off my socks, and makes me sit on the couch with my feet up and waits on me hand and foot. He doesn't let me bend down and pick things up, clean up, etc.

Now I know some of you are thinking, "isn't that what he was suppose to do"? My husband is great and loves me bunches, but I can't stand to feel helpless. Kennedy is going to be so proud of her dad, whom she loves so much already. Anytime he rubs my belly or scratches my belly she freaks out and it actually looks like she is going to just punch through my belly. It is really creepy, but cool all at the same time.

With Love,
Jen

We did it, Jason and I graduated.....

Jason and I had our last lamaze class on Monday night, (which I may have mentioned before). We are officially graduates and ready to move on to try out how "Strong" I think I am going to be during labor. We registered for the Child CPR class tonight, and decided to take both grandma's with us. Well my mom is going to be "Nana" and Gail hasn't decided what she is going to be called yet. So the 4 of us went and learned how to save lives, both on Adults and Babies. Did you know it is now 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths. It is pretty crazy to know, that I can actually attempt to save a life if I had to. Here is hoping it never has to happen.

So we feel ready for the whole shabang now. We are going to finish packing Kennedy some items in our hospital bag, that way Jason isn't unorganizing her room, while we are in the hospital trying to find something for her to wear. You may never know what he would bring for her to put on. ha ha ha

We are definitely just hanging out for the rest of the week. We are pretty busy tomorrow still, as we are going to look at a house in Milton. I will keep you posted on that. We would like to buy before the interest rates spike and we are in more of a recession than we are in now. I guess you never know.

Thanks for checking on us!!!!!!
With Love,
Jen and Kennedy

Doctor's Appointment Today

Kennedy and I had a doctor's appointment today at 4:15. We are in the middle of our 35th week, and have just started our once a week doctor's visits. We have officially 32 days until our due date and counting.

Our appointment went really well. Kennedy is in position and we seem to be just waiting for her arrival. We haven't started dilating yet. My blood pressure is a little bit elevated, not enough to enduce my labor yet, but enough for Dr. David to be concerned about. Along with the elevated blood pressure, we have had substantial weight gain these last 2 weeks, but according to Dr. David, it is all water retention. I feel severely swollen, but according to the doctor, we are just going to monitor my situation closely. Kennedy is doing well and appears to be happy. Her heartbeat was in the 140's today and she of course was playing "catch me if you can" with Dr. David as she was trying to hear her heartbeat.

We went to our last lamaze class tonight and got a graduation certificate. We heard from a few parents and saw their newborn babies and got to ask questions or hear their experiences. It was pleasant and peaceful. They were all so precious. Mrs. Hanna, our lamaze teacher, started off class with answering any new questions, asking about doctor's appointments, and just being a fabulous concerned woman. When it came to Jason and I, I told her about our doctor's appointment and the water retention/weight gain. She seems to think that with the elevated blood pressure, we will go sooner than later, and more than likely, not make it to our due date. However, no matter what, Jason and I both agree that Kennedy will come when she is ready. We do have our hospital bag packed, for a just incase. We are all put together, but getting a little nervous.

Thanks for reading and I hope I didn't leave anything out. We will definitely keep you posted on the progress and of course Kennedy's arrival.

With Love,
Jen

We are married.........AGAIN!

On Saturday, Jason and I got re-married. We had made the decision a few months ago that we would have our marriage blessed by the Catholic Church, so we could raise Kennedy Catholic. In order to do this, we had to meet with our priest, take a relationship test, go over the results, and then have a small ceremony. It was really funny to see how after 3 years of marriage, Jason and I did on our results from our compatibility test. We were matched fairly well, and no we didn't cheat. We even disagreed on the same questions. It was fun!

So now, we have 2 wedding anniversaries. April 2nd and October 18th. We didn't have a big ceremony, and only had a few people. Our guests included my mom, Ann Smith and Betty Regna, Jason's parents, his sister and Jeanne Jackson. So a small intimate ceremony. And believe it or not, Jason did not cry like the first time.

The funny part of the whole thing was that Jason had to help me get up from the chair and the kneeling bench. We didn't wear anything fancy, and only took a few pictures. Just thought I would post them for ya'll to see.

The Happy Groom before the ceremony!

The Bride and Groom in the small chapel, Before we realized we were getting married in the big chapel.

Father Dennis O'Brien, Bride and Groom.

We hope you enjoyed the pictures of us. Yes, for those of you who were at the first wedding, we do realize the weight gain over the last 3 years, but remember, I am pregnant therefore a major weight gain, and Jason just has sympathy weight for me. We will be thin again, give us 1 year.

With Love, Jason and Jen

Another day down.....

I don't know what is funnier in our house right now, The dogs pretending to be the "baby" or us trying to dress the dog up as the baby. Let me paint a picture for you. Jason and I were sitting in Kennedy's room putting up her laundry, when all of a sudden Jason got my attention and I looked over and there was poor Delilah in a newborn diaper. We laughed so hard that she was embarrassed, wouldn't move until we took off the diaper, and then she left us and wouldn't come back for a while. Another day in the Gardner household.

We are excited about our Pensacola Baby Shower coming up on October 25th. Grandma Gardner and Aunt Jeanne is throwing the shower for Kennedy and we can't wait to see what she is going to receive. She already has so much and we, as parents, are SO GRATEFUL!

As we close out this blog session, I would like to ask everyone reading this, to pray for our BEST friends, Aaron and Andrea. They are having a difficult time with some difficult news. They are the greatest, strongest people that Jason and I have in our lives and we are always forever grateful. We love them and hope that all of you can wish them well in your prayers and keep them in your thoughts as they make it through such a hard time.

Anxiously Awaiting....

So, the countdown begins. 40 days to go and counting. Jason and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kennedy Marie Gardner. Although her due date is not until November 22, 2008, we are taking a baby pool of estimated dates of arrival and the guesses of her weight. If anyone is interested, email me and let me know.

Also, This Saturday, October 18th, 2008, Jason and I are taking the plunge (yet again)! No, we aren't doing anything crazy, but we are getting our marriage blessed by the Catholic Church. So needless to say, we will have 2 wedding anniversaries, April 2 and also October 18. We are blessing our marriage so that Kennedy can be christened and raised Catholic. Her christening date will be December 20th, so watch out for those invitations. After the 18th of October, we will be posting some pictures so that you can see our 2nd wedding/marriage blessing and enjoy in the day with us, one more time.

We will keep you posted......
Jason and Jen

Milton Baby Shower 10-5-08

On October 3rd, my lovely cousin Audrey and her mother, my Aunt RoseAnn, flew in from Scotland for Kennedy's 1st baby shower. My mother, Audrey and Tiffany, threw the first shower for the "Milton Folk" at the Garden Center. It was fabulous. Kennedy is going to be "SO FASHIONABLE" and have all of the latest, best baby gear on the planet! Jason and I are very grateful that we have such wonderful friends and family who love us dearly, and we know will love Kennedy the same.

So here is a picture of my expanding waist line/baby belly for those of you to see. Keep checking us out as we will continue our blog efforts more frequently now, and with a ton of pictures of Kennedy as we have 43 days to go and counting!

With love,

Jennifer and Jason......

So it has been a little while since we have blogged, but we are keeping busy. I have a few photos to be posting within the next 2 weeks. Jason and I are going to be posting our own pictures, so you know we stand behind our work and we can show you the "Thank You" cards we will be creating. Just another option that is out there for you to see.

Couples in love.....

Below, I have posted some photos of 2 loving couples that we have had the priviledge of calling them "FRIENDS."

First, please allow us to introduce Brad, Dana, Duke and Dutchess. We wanted to capture these animal lovers with their pooches, who were all to eager to be in the water.

Trying to capture some scenery here and create a family photo for Dana and Brad's family who live in another state. Love this family!

Here we wanted to capture JUST Dana and Brad. Believe it or not, this was the scenary in their backyard. They are so much in love and it really shows......

Last, but definitely not least, is Aaron and Andrea Seeman. These two lovebirds are how Jason and I met, fell in love and got married. THANKS GUYS! This was before they were married and they are more in love now than ever.

Some more of our work........

We have compiled a few photos of different types of opportunities that we have had the priviledge of photographing and putting together.

Above, Dan and Erin Kinzer, made a Christmas card and also a "Save the Date" card for their wedding which was May 24, 2008. A little 2-in-1 project never worked better! I worked with both Erin and Dan, and believe me when I tell you, that these two are a match made in heaven! They were hilarious and kept me laughing the entire photo shoot.

Above, is the most gorgeous baby boy (yes, I am a little bias) on the planet. I can't get enough pictures of him but don't want to share him with the whole world just yet.

Below, is my sister-in-law, Katie Gardner. She wanted to take some portraits to possibly build a portfolio for modeling and also to send as a school photo to family and friends. She is always great to work with and is willing to "LOVE the camera" if you need her to. She is the best!

Katie and Justin, Christmas of 2007

This was Christmas of 2007. Here is the lovely couple, Katie and Justin. These two were great to shoot as they were fun, charismatic, and willing to trust us with what only the camera (and a good photographer) can truly see. Here are some highlights of their photo session with us.....

The Hayes'

We owe a big THANK YOU to Daphne and Victor Hayes. They took a chance on us allowing us to see what photographs really capture, LOVE and HAPPINESS! We have been very fortunate to take this FABULOUS couples' engagement photos, wedding photos (which they have asked to remain private) and also anniversary photos. Here are a few highlights of those.......

Just starting out.

We are a husband and wife team, Jason and Jennifer Gardner, and we are trying to start our photography business. We have had quite a bit of success with a few clients and hope that this is the start of a booming business. We believe that pictures are worth a thousand words and memories, and therefore you shouldn't have to pay a thousand dollars to get that. So take a look at what we have done in the past, and if this is something that you may be interested in, please don't hesitate to contact us.

We hope you enjoy our work and thanks for stopping by and taking a look!
Jason and Jen Gardner
jgardnerphotography@cox.net