It's a...boy or girl???

Here I am...20 weeks and 5 days pregnant!  It has been an easy journey so far, so we'll continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy!  

Here's the big announcement!  The Pence boys...

--and the Pence girls present...

...the newest member of the Pence family!!  IT'S A GIRL!!!  Here's a picture of the baby's face and hand...

Here's a picture of the baby's left foot...you can see the arrows pointing to the heal and the toes...

And here's a picture of the baby's spine...

Everything is looking really good!  The baby girl was measuring 3 days ahead of schedule with a heart rate of 160 bpm and weighed in at 1 pound 1 ounce.  Continue to pray for all to go well!  

We're Glad to Be HOME!!!!

We had a GREAT Christmas, don't get us wrong....our week consisted of spending time with both families, and that was very nice!  But we were very ready to get home on Sunday night.  We just spent the night vegging out, eating popcorn and drinking juice boxes...but Mommy says this week is detox from Christmas candy!!

Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma's House

We spent Christmas Eve/Day at Grandpa and Grandma's house in Ida Grove.  We had a lot of fun singing Christmas carols, listening to Uncle Tom play his guitar...

Silly smiles with Aunt Amy...

Lovely Christmas bow for Ava's hair...

Carson checking out Grandma's ornaments...

My sisters...aren't we cute? 

Carson and Ava anxious to open presents on Christmas Day!

Diving in to opening gifts!

Ava's SO excited...she got her makeup table - thanks Santa!

Carson enjoying a juice box present from Aunt Jenna...

The little princess...with her new mirror and comb...

Iowa City girls...AWE!

Grandpa Ray with the kiddos...

Spending time with Aunt Alyssa...

Saying goodbyes to Grandma Barb...we'll miss you!!

Christmas at Papa and Grammy's House

We had a great Christmas at Papa and Grammy's house in Bloomfield...we loved the time we got to spend with the whole family and especially our cousins!  

We were glad Jackson got a Herky for Christmas...GO HAWKS!

Grace had a fun time opening gifts too!

Who can resist those beautiful blue eyes?

Ava opening gifts...nice smile Ava!

Carson excited to see what's in his package!

Santa's Little Helpers

Holiday Baking!

This weekend marked the official Pence Family Holiday Baking Day!  Here are Carson and Ava posing with ALL the ingredients before the fun began!

The little elves working diligently on making sure each pretzel "o" had a peppermint kiss in the center.  I think we heard, "Can I eat this?" about a thousand times!

Chad making his "famous" M&M cookies...the secret is that the only way the recipe turns out right is if his wife walks him through each step! Shh...don't tell!

Aw...

This is what was done at the end of the day....160 pretzels, 7 1/2 dozen cookies, 90 toffee bars...only 5 more things to make before we make our deliveries! 

Final pics of decorating

Take a look inside our house...all decorated for Christmas! First of all, I was very proud of Chad for doing such a great job on the outside! He's pretty proud of his work, and pretty particular too! He won't let a loose bulb stay out for long without getting back up on the ladder and making sure it's lit! 

A fun pic, enhanced a bit...

Here's Carson and Ava's tree in their room....

Posing by the tree in the entry way...

Buddies, smiling pretty in front of the tree...

Carson and Daddy enjoying a cup of hot chocolate following decorating. 

Cheers!