Happy Birthday, Sis! | Jessica's Visit

Happy 24th Birthday, Jessie!!

{ Copyright 2012 @ Jessica Purkerson. DO NOT COPY. }

Jessica, you are an amazing woman, and I am glad to call you my sister. You overcome the odds daily, and I am proud of you! I think about you often, and hope someday we live much closer together, so you can hang out with Nick and me, and get to know your little niece. It was so nice to hear your voice today, and I am glad you had a nice birthday. Enjoy some Jello Fluff and know we love you tons and tons!

~ Alena, Nick & Serenity

Jessica visited us back in March during her school's spring break...

{ Copyright 2012 @ Jessica Purkerson. Do Not Copy. }

Only a month before my due date, Jessica took the train from her home on the west coast all the way to my home in northern Illinois, to help me get ready for the baby. She was able to stay for almost a week, and we had a great time! Butters absolutely loved her, and they had a great time playing in between our conversations and moving furniture all over the place.

{ Copyright 2012 @ Jessica Purkerson. Do Not Copy. }

I had a lot of fun showing Jessica around our area, though the weather and my prodigious belly were such that we had to pass on some of the cooler outdoor sights this visit. She came to church with me, and we thought it was pretty funny how everyone immediately knew we were sisters.

{ Copyright 2012 @ Jessica Purkerson. Do Not. Copy. }

Jessica took a picture of me the day I hit 9 months pregnant. Looking at this picture today, I am amazed - I remember being a LOT bigger than this! Funny! *smiles*

{ Copyright 2012 @ Jessica Purkerson. Do Not Copy. }

Jess and Nick get along great, and they had a nice time catching up, too. We decided to get a "doggy and daddy" shot, before the baby came. Butters thinks he's a purse dog, and loves being held like this, but as you can see from Nick's face, he's a bit heavier than your average Chihuahua *wink*

{ Copyright 2012 @ Jessica Purkerson. Do Not Copy. }

Thank you, Jessi, for the family picture! I think this is our last one before all three of us came earth-side!

I'm so glad that Jessica was able to visit up this spring, and I hope she can come back for another visit soon, and meet Serenity! I wish I had more pictures from her visit, but we both forgot about our cameras, we were having so much fun together. So I leave you with one my favorite pictures of us as children, with our baby brother, Cole...

{ Cole, Alena, Jessica @ 1991 }