One Day at a Time

Devin and I have been married for 3 years today!!! This past year was fantastic and I can't wait to see what 2017 has in store for us.

The first big thing we did this year was buy a HOUSE....We moved to Bowbells, a small town a few miles from the Canadian border. The school is K-12 and the Graduating classes are 4-8 (and I thought my hometown was small). To walk around the whole town is only 2 miles and we absolutely love it. We go to church in Stanley (40 miles away) and we do everything else in Minot (1.25 hours away).
Our house was built in 1912 and is pretty small. An older gentleman lived here before and had been vacant for a year before we bought it. It was in good working order and livable but needed a lot of updates (and a woman's touch)!
Here are our before and afters of the house so far (Next year we will have more to do too)
Living Room: Painted the walls, added crown and shampooed carpets.


Kamille's/new baby's Room: Painted walls and trim, and shampooed carpets

Kitchen: Removed Carpet, Painted walls, Painted cabinets, and painted hardware (still have to do counter-tops, back-splash, and flooring)



Dining room:
Painted walls, Removed carpets, and put in new laminate flooring

Outdoor shed: New coat of paint


The next fun thing is losing weight!!! Devin and I got on Thrive for two months and lost a lot of weight! :)

I was able to loose enough weight to get pregnant! In those two months I lost over 20 pounds and 30 inches. I felt fantastic and wanted to keep going. I can't wait for the baby to get here so I can get back to getting to a better self.

Kamille: Her hair is getting so long, she is over 3 feet tall and getting heavy. She is talking like crazy and picks up on whatever anyone is saying. She loves going to Nursery at church and she likes to play with her friends. Her favorite shows are Winnie the Pooh, Frozen, anything Minnie and Zootopia. She likes to eat rice and noodles and salad. She loves her Daddy and misses him everyday he works. We are working on potty training but she's taking her time and that's okay. She is way excited for her baby sister to get here and loves kissing and hugging my belly.


There were a lot of fun things that happened this year. My brother Justin married Brookelynn and we got to drive to Oklahoma!

Jacob married Danette in Twin Falls and we got to attend that one too!

We got to travel to Idaho and Wyoming for two family reunions! Camping with the Lloyd's and a Cabin retreat with the Jackson's

We are expecting our second girl in a few weeks and are so excited for her arrival :)


This past year has been so fun! I feel like we just keep going and going and never slow down. We always have something to do.
I hope this Christmas time we can slow down and remember the reason for the season. It's a time to reflect on the Savior's birth and a time to give to others. I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year. I pray that 2017 has many blessings in store for you and your family.
God be with you till we meet again,
Kaylynn Jackson

I feel like November just got here...and now it's pretty much December. This whole year seemed to fly by.
I closed down my photography business for the months of Nov-April. I'm starting up again in May but I really need to get ready for this baby and it's getting pretty cold out. It's nice to have a break but I miss taking pictures and meeting new people almost every night.


I got my results from my 3-hour glucose test and it's not as good as they want. So my doctor diagnosed me with Gestational Diabetes. I had to go to the diabetic educator and dietitian on the 11th. So I learned that I pretty much can't eat the good stuff (Grains, Fruits, some Veggies, Dairy and Sugar). At least I can eat some... just in moderation. It's really hard to change your whole diet when you are pregnant. I'm hungry all the time and sometimes just want to eat and not worry about how many carbs are in it. The really sad part is Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with delicious carbs and treats.
If you have gestational diabetes their biggest concern is how large the baby is getting. So I now have to go in for ultrasounds every 3 weeks. Yesterday was my last one and our little girl was measuring 2 weeks early and 4 pounds already. I have less than 9 weeks until my induction date, so that's not good. I will probably have to get on medication next week after I have my doctors appointment.


I turned 25 on the 12th. It wasn't anything too exciting except that my sister from Idaho came to visit me for a whole week! My mom was up that night too and we had tacos and pumpkin bars. It was a lot of fun. The week my sister was here we traveled a lot. We went to Minot twice, Bismarck, and Watford. I showed her my favorite places to eat and all the fun stuff we can do in North Dakota. It was really sad when she got on the train to leave. I cried and Kamille was so sad too. She wanted to get on the train with her. My sister and I used to be enemies growing up. I remember doing anything in my power to make her angry (It's what little sisters do best). But now we are best friends. I miss and love her everyday. She is probably the only one I can talk to about anything in my life. I'm so glad I get to be her little sister.


Kamille has been doing good. She has so much energy and is happy all the time (except when we take family pictures). She is over 30 pounds now and it's really hard for me to carry her being 30 weeks pregnant, but I do what I can. Her favorite movies are Zootopia (she calls it bunny) and Frozen (Ana and Elsa). She loves to draw and color and she loves getting stickers. Her favorite food is salad (which is so crazy for a 2 year old) and she likes rice and noodles. She eats so well and I can't complain. I'm glad I don't have a picky eater on my hands yet.


Devin's brother Derek and his nephew Ethan came up for a weekend. Devin had work so we couldn't spend much time with them. But one night, his family came up and spent the evening with us. It was nice to see Kamille and Ethan play and fight over toys and just see the family almost all together with a relaxed evening in our home that we have been trying so hard to make feel comfortable.

Coming up for the rest of November we have Thanksgiving dinner with Devin's family in Williston and then we get to spend Friday with my family (Jacob & Danette and Justin & Brookelynn came up). On Saturday we finally get to put in our new dining room floor!!!! I'm so excited to get rid of the carpet. It's going to be so nice not vacuuming up food anymore.  Then one more doctor appointment and we are  into December. :)
I hope everyone has a fabulous Thansgiving filled with laughs, family, and good food! (and eat a slice of pie for me...because I can't)

God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson

This last month was a VERY busy one for myself. I had photoshoots almost every night and sometimes 3 a day. This is the time of year people want pictures done for Christmas cards and it's not too cold to do them still. I also got to do the Preschool pictures in Stanley. I did them last school year and they asked for me to come back! I like hanging out with the little kids and they make me laugh.
I really want to get my family pictures done sometime soon before it's too cold to go outside.

Kamille turned two this month on the 9th. We had a small party at the church with taco salad and cake. Kamille had a lot of fun. I can't believe I have a two year old! I was looking back at her birth story and pictures and teared up. She has been such a blessing my our lives. I am so lucky to be her mom. I love watching her grow and learn. She is smart and just so cute. I have my bad days but then when Devin get's home, they cuddle up and read stories and play together, my frustrations all melt away and I can't help but just feel blessed.



















For Halloween this year Kamille was Minnie Mouse. I couldn't find a costume in her size so I got one two sizes too big at WalMart. It dragged on the floor and it just looked pretty bad. So I was brave and cut it into pieces. I made a tutu out of some of the scraps and made it fit her much better. We went to the Holyween Party in Stanley this year and I was in charge of a a photobooth. It was fun to see all the kids dressed up.

This month I had three doctor's appointments, the first one was a follow up ultrasound because the last one she was breech and turned the wrong way. They needed to finish measurements. This time she was turned head down but was curled up into a little ball. They got all the measurements and everything is looking great. We tried to get a 3D ultrasound did but she didn't want anyone disturbing her. My second appointment was just a normal check up. While my doctor was finding the heartbeat she kicked the Doppler so hard the doctor felt it and everyone in the room heard it. It was pretty funny. The last appointment was my glucose test. You are supposed to be under 140 but I was at 151. That means I need to go in on Friday and do a three hour glucose test. I really hope that I can pass that one. I still haven't gained any weight and I'm 27 weeks. I asked my doctor and he said that the baby is growing and taking what she needs so he's not worried. I think it's pretty sweet. I gained 30 lbs with Kamille. I only have 12 weeks left and life is just so exciting.

This next month is looking like a fun one. My sister is finally coming to visit me! She got the time off work and bought the train tickets. She comes the day before my birthday so I'm pretty excited. I have one week to show her all the things I love about North Dakota haha and she can help me go through baby clothes and get ready for January.

God be with you till we meet again,
Kaylynn Jackson

September came in fast and it's already over! I feel like I am so busy and have so much to do all the time, but when I really sit down and look at everything it's not much.
This month was filled with Photoshoots and Dr. Appointments. Devin also got to do a quick trip to Idaho with his parents.

We got her an early birthday present so she could ride it before it got too cold.

Kamille is turning two in less than two weeks! We are having a small get together with food and cake to celebrate. She is talking so much and loves to see her grandparents. We are so blessed that both sets of grandparents live within two hours. She always wants to call or visit them. Her favorite thing ever is "outside". She wants to ride her four-wheeler, go on walks, or swing. It going to be sad when it's too cold to go outside. The down side of living in North Dakota is that is can get to -50 and you can't be outside longer than a minute without freezing. So this mom is going to have to come up with some good inside activities for my active girl.

Our little one sucking her thumb.

Our other little girl is growing too. I'm 22 weeks pregnant and so far everything is going good. Our last ultrasound she was breech and face up. That made it really difficult to get all the measurements. So I get to go in again and get another ultrasound. We are  hoping that she has moved but so far I don't think she has. I can feel her kicking me in the cervix. It feels like an electric shock, so I know she is still breech.

Devin bought Kamille and our new baby their first matching outfit! I love how excited he is.

I've been busy with photoshoots like crazy! Now is the time families want pictures. They get them taken for Christmas cards, it's not too hot, and the colors are great. This last month I have had 7 photoshoots and I have 3 more before the month is up. October is already all half booked up. Some days I have 3 shoots scheduled! It's been fun and I really think my photography is improving. My favorite part it getting to know new people.




Devin has been busy with work. He got to go to Idaho and helped his parents pick up a few things from their house. He picked up a lot of fun items to fix up this winter.

That's it for our update...
God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson

Seriously this whole year seems to fly by. We have been through so much travelling, weddings, reunions, buying a house, getting pregnant, raising a two year old, and we just got back from our camping trip.
It was relaxing, fun, and we made some fun memories. Devin and I took our camper and we loved having it. First off we didn't have to get a hotel like we usually do when we travel to and from Idaho and second when the rain fell the last night we didn't have to worry about anything. I think the best part about camping was getting away from cell phones, getting to know everyone again and see where they are in their lives and just relaxing in nature.  We ate good food, swam in the ice cold creek, hiked halfway up a mountain until we got scared, played board games, and had some fun crafts.




Now for the rest of August: Most of my days have been filled with painting our kitchen, going to Dr. appointments, playing with my princess, and doing photoshoots.

Painting our kitchen:
BEFORE...

This is the first image we ever saw of this kitchen before we  bought. Seriously this guy posted to sell his house without cleaning it! haha... but I was so embarrassed of my kitchen. I still haven't invited my friends over. :) The Coca-Cola Wallpaper and Valance. The puke green counters, old greasy cabinets and carpeted floors. It was bad! But it was livable and the appliances worked.

We pulled up the carpet and luckily found beautiful floors!


Then we started painting the cabinets white and the hardware silver.


We took off the wallpaper and I sewed a new valance, we then started painting the walls a light blue!

It's a mess still and we are still working on it...but it's looking so much better. My dad is going to redo the counter-tops. We are going with a dark dark gray (pretty much black) and the back splash is a warm gray stone. Someday we will update the appliances.

Dr. Appointments:
We got the Panorama Blood test done and found out that we are having another girl. I was shocked at first, but I am so excited. Kamille is going to have so much fun with a little sister. Devin's happy because it's cheaper. We already have all the clothes and blankets and don't have to buy much.

Last Wednesday we had a Dr. appointment and it went well. At first the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with the Doppler and that freaked me out. So he did another ultrasound and the baby was doing great. This is the second time that this has happened and the  Dr. thinks it's because my c-section scar gets in the way.

Kamille:
She's turning 2 in October! I don't really have anything planned yet, but I'll get there. She's talking up a storm! Some days we can't get her to stop talking. She says the funniest things. The other day at Panera Bread she looked through small opening where the staff  and other customers were and said really loud, "Hello, welcome to Wendy's". Devin and I laughed so hard because it's been forever since we've been to Wendy's. She is 100% ready to potty train and now that the camping trip is over we can get right on that.

Photoshoots:
Lastly my photoshoots seemed to have picked up like crazy! I guess everyone likes pictures done in the late summer and early fall. I'm all for it! It's been nice meeting new people and catching up with old friends.

Devin:
He's been busy working and helping me with the kitchen. He also has been handy and building me things like shelves in the garage and garbage can holders outside. Devin also was given a mini bike from a coworker and he's having fun taking that apart. I love him so much :)

Sorry for the long-ish post, but life is good!
God be with you until we meet again,
Kaylynn Jackson

JULY 2016

Seriously I blinked, July is over! This month went by so fast. It was a great month though! First Devin and I announced we were pregnant on the 4th. So that was fun.
Our next adventure took place in Star Valley, Wyoming. Devin's family had their first family reunion. We stayed in a cabin and had over 50 people there. The food was great, the games were fun (We probably played too much Mafia), and getting to know Devin's cousins was the best. Kamille had plenty of kids to play with and overall it was so much fun! I think my favorite part was hiking up to the spring and painting rocks.

Next we drove all the way back to North Dakota for a week and then packed up again for Idaho. My brother Jacob got married to Danette in the Twin Falls, Idaho Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony, and of course it was amazing to see all the family and friends there.


On our way back to ND we stopped and picked up our camper! Devin and I purchased a small 12ft. A-frame camper. It's so cute and just what we wanted. I love camping and I always thought if you had a camper it was cheating and not real camping. Well this one doesn't have a bathroom in it and the shower is a small outside hose! lol basically it's a bed and a table! We are excited for our first big camping trip the last weekend of August with my family. It's going to be great.


Kamille is growing like crazy. We are just putting away her 18 month clothes and pulling out the 24 month/2T. She has attitude and such a sweet personality. She's talking up a  storm and sometimes won't stop talking. On the hike at the reunion, she walked with her cousin Ethan. Well I guess she wouldn't stop talking and Ethan finally got tired of it and yelled "Shut Up!" (It's funny because he is only 3!) Well Kamille doesn't know what that meant, so she just kept going. Poor little guy.

I can't keep up with all the words she is learning. The other day she brought me my phone and was watching a kid movie on it. The sound was off so she handed it to me and said "sound please". I was like ....what? Okay! Also when we go on long trips she gets really car sick so we have to give her Dramamine. Well she learned that word real fast too. So now when I get her little purple pill box out she sings out "Dra-ma-MINE!" It cracks me up. She likes the Clean-Up song and when I sing it she actually starts picking up her toys and throwing them in the toy room. (I like the Clean-Up song and use it often). Potty Training is going slow and I am just letting her lead the way. Some days she is really in to it and brings out the potty and other days she just doesn't think about it. I'm not pushing her and I know that when she is ready it will be a lot easier on me :)

She was a grumpy pants for the pictures!

Our new little baby is doing good. I have had over 4 ultrasounds already (which is a lot for only being 13 W 5 D). I love babies don't get me wrong but I HATE being pregnant. I feel like I'm bad at it! I'm always worried something is wrong or I'm messing up. It's a stressful thing, and then the doctor tells you that you can't be stressed because it's bad for the baby. Ahhh I have to remind myself that my body can handle it and to CALM down.

Did you know that people are finding out the gender of their baby at 10 WEEKS?? That's insane! I looked into it and it's a non-invasive blood test where they take a few vials from your arm and they use science and tools to find the baby's blood inside your blood. Then they can look at all the chromosomal make-up to find out health problems and the gender of your baby.  Well I was freaked out at first but I decided to ask my doctor about it. He told me that most insurances don't cover it and it's used mostly for people with a history of chromosomal problems or if you are over 35 years old. But he suggested I talked to my insurance and that it wouldn't hurt to see. So I seriously spent a whole day on the phone talking to my insurance, doctors, blood labs, and so much more. I honestly didn't think it would be possible but by the end of the day the insurance said they would cover it. So yesterday I went in to get my blood drawn and I'll have the results in 7-10 days! How cool is that? I'll be 14 weeks and know the gender of my baby!

New haircut!!! Cut of 8-10 inches!

Anyways enough about us, I hope you all are having a fabulous Saturday,
God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson