Thank Heaven for Little Boys

Aaron and Allison welcomed their new baby boy, Nathan John Sackett, into the world Friday morning, March 27th. Weighing 6lbs 11oz and measuring 20 inches, he is absolutely perfect! He has dark hair, blue eyes, and great color. Being first-time parents, Aaron and Allison are so excited about all the new experiences God has in store for their growing family. Allison and baby Nathan will be going home from the hospital today!Sam and I are very proud to be the aunt and uncle of 10 neices and nephews! With 3 siblings each, our families are growing bigger and bigger each year!Above: Uncle Sam and Nathan

Above: Meme and Nathan

Above: Aunt Keri and NathanAbove: Noah, Ella, Owen, and me visiting their new baby cousin at the hospital

Jeni + Sam

IT'S OFFICIAL! Our wedding, Jeni + Sam August 15, has finally been posted to the Hudson Photo site! I finally booked my wedding photographer, Kara, at Bliss!, a division of the well-known Hudson Photography. I found out about Bliss! through my BFF/MOH (Matron of Honor), Kendall Jones. Her wedding pictures were amazing and they did a really great job! Of course she is also very photogenic, which is a perk to any photographer. The picture below was taken at Kendall and Keith's wedding at Pulaski Heights Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is also where Sam and I will be married! The wedding plans are coming along very well and time is flying by. Only 144 days to go til THE BIG DAY!

BLING!

Many people have asked me to email a picture of my ring. The problem is that I cannot get a good picture of it because either the flash or other natural lighting is reflected off the center diamond. Now don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about that, but it makes me sad everytime one of my friends asks for a picture and I don't have one to send. So, here is a picture I took from Sam's Blackberry. Although the picture still does not do the ring justice, it will work for now!

The Ritani Setting: Sam chose the center stone, an elongagted cushion cut diamond, and had it cutom fit to the setting. The Ritani Setting is comprised of twelve round diamonds down each side of the band which graduate in size (ie, the diamonds gradually become smaller as they move down the band).

The Wedding Band: My wedding band will match the band on my engagement ring. It is Ritani as well!

Meet the Sackett's

Most of you who read my blog know me well, but you probably do not know my fiance's family so let's take a moment to introduce you to the Sackett Family! First things first, the Sackett's are huge Ohio State Buckeye fans (pictured above left to right: Sam, Dad, Matt, Aaron).

Let's begin with Sam's parents, Les and Marlene Sackett (a.k.a. Dad and Mom). They raised four wonderful boys and are enjoying retirement and spending time with their two grand-daughters and four (soon to be five) grand-sons. They are also members of the church choir at Christ's Community Church. Marlene is spunky, full of life, and an amazing cook! Les is a man of many hobbies, which include being a real estate agent for Caldwell Banker, going to antique car shows, farming, and the list goes on. Les and Marlene are currently helping us find our new home! Pictured above right to left: Sam, Aaron, Les, Marlene, Grandma & Grandpa Dunbar (Marlene's parents).

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Sam's oldest brother, Dean, lives in Tokyo, Japan with his wife, Christine, and their three beautiful children, Luke (9 years old), Charlie (7 years old), and Amanda (4 years old). Dean is the Finance Director for Cadbury-Schweppes Japan and Christine stays busy taking care of their 3 kids at home. They enjoy taking family vacations to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and they also enjoy snow skiing. I met Dean and Christine in December via webcam and Skype. They are so sweet and I cannot wait to finally meet them in person when they come to Arkansas in August for our wedding! I hope to post a picture of their family later this afternoon! The second oldest brother is Matt (pictured above left to right: Matt, Noah, Owen, Keri, Ella). You have probably heard me talk about his family a lot because I work and live with them. Matt is very funny and a great boss and I'm not just saying that to avoid being evicted and fired! He and his beautiful wife, Keri, have three wonderful children, Noah (7 years old), Ella (6 years old), and Owen (2 years old). Matt owns a sports and leisure insurance company, Leisure Sports Specialists, and Keri stays very busy at home taking care of their children, as well as owning a stamping business called Stampin' Up! Keri is one of the most creative and fun-loving people I know and she is also one of my bridesmaids! Their oldest son, Noah, attends Deer Ridge Elementary and enjoys swimming and flag football. This is Noah's first year to be on swim team and he swims like a fish! Ella also attends Deer Ridge Elementary and enjoys swimming, cheerleading, and gymnastics. Trust me, her cartwheels are awesome! Owen stays at home with Keri and he loves building towers with his blocks and reading books.

Dr. Aaron Sackett is the third oldest brother. He is a pediatrician at Pediatric Associates in Fort Wayne. His beautiful wife, Allison, is a very successful pharmaceutical sales representative for Sanofi-aventis. She has won tons of sales awards and once you meet her you can easily see how she is so successful. Hard-working, driven, caring, and detail-oriented are just a few words to describe her! And did I mention she is pregnant with her 1st child! (pictured above left to right: me, Allison, Keri) She is having a boy and, as you can see from the picture, is absolutely glowing with joy! She will be a great mother and Aaron will be an equally amazing father! Baby Sackett will be here before we know it! (pictured below left to right: Uncle Aaron and Owen at Owen's 2nd Birthday party)

Sam and I have 9 nieces and nephews (soon to be 10) and absolutely love having such big families! I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Sam's family a little more! Look for pictures of the Tokyo Sackett's soon!

A Recap of My Blissful Weekend

Sam and I visited my friends and family in Arkansas last weekend and we had such a great time! The highlight of my weekend was definitely spending time with my nieces, Aspen (2) and Elli (1), and nephew, Hunter (8). I flew into Arkansas Thursday night and Sam didn't arrive until Friday so I had the family all to myself for a day. I was greeted at the airport by my parents and it felt so great to be back in Arkansas! I was kind-of bummed because it was late and I knew I wouldn't see the kids until Friday, but to my surprise I was greeted at the door by Hunter, Aspen, and Elli! Aspen held on tight to me screaming "My Jeni! My Jeni! My Jeni!" over and over! It was so cute and she is learning more words everyday! Elli was running behind her trying to jump in my arms first! Chris, Brandlyn, and Ryan were also there to greet me with big hugs and kisses when I got home. Brittany, however, is another story. Chris nicknamed her "Sleeper McSleeperson" and if you know her, you know that name is very fitting. I woke her up when I got home and she gave me a big hug, smiled, and then was out like a light again. What more could anyone ever need or want in life than to be loved this much by so many people?! God has blessed me beyond what I ever thought possible.

Friday morning my sisters, Brandlyn and Brittany, my mom, my Maitron of Honor, Kendall Jones, and I went to Low's Bridal in Brinkley, Arkansas and I found THE wedding dress! I tried on eight dresses and knew when I found "the one"! I ordered it and I will get it back just in time to take my bridal portraits in May! We had some time to spare before my appointment ended so Kendall, Brandlyn, and Brittany entertained me by trying on many bridesmaid's dresses. They looked so great in every dress that I am having a tough time deciding which one to choose! After all that we were famished so I took the girls to lunch at a great local deli called Cottage Cafe'... yumm-o! After a long day of wedding work, I picked up Sam from the airport and we had dinner with the family at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Mexicana!
Saturday was even more eventful than Friday. Sam and I began our day with shopping, working on our registry, and finding a rehearsal dinner spot. For the rehearsal dinner, we knew we wanted Italian. This little fact doesn't exactly narrow our options much considering there are tons of great Italian restaurants in Little Rock; however, Sam decided pretty quickly that Ristorante Capeo was the spot! The restaurant seats 70, which is perfect for our rehearsal dinner guest list and the entire menu is authentic Italian and amazingly delicious!

The best part of Saturday was my bridal shower! Lonnie Richardson, a sweet, dear family friend, threw my first bridal shower and it was over-the-top amazing! She had beautiful floral arrangements, great food, a beautiful cake, and many other fun surprises for me! It was a family shower, which also included some of my mom's best friends in the neighborhood and everything was perfect! Sam and I received lots of great gifts and we cannot wait to start using everything! Sam and I are so blessed to have such thoughtful and loving family and friends!

My nephew, Hunter, and I had "Pogey Bait Night" on Saturday. On Pogey Bait Night we watch movies and we are only allowed to drink caffeinated sodas and eat candy and popcorn. Basically, if it is unhealthy then you can eat it! I don't know which of us enjoys this night the most! I wouldn't miss it for anything!

Sunday morning we went to Fellowship with my family and then had a big party at my parents house afterward. The entire family came over to celebrate my visit to Arkansas and our engagement. We received even more gifts and the best part was seeing everyone together! Because of eeryone's hectic schedules, we almost never all get together. This time it just seemed to all work out perfectly! I even got to see my cousin, Tiffany, and her fiance, Scott! They live in Stillwater, OK but were in town for the weekend! After the family left, we spent the remainder of the night eating pizza and watching our favorite tv shows with my parents, brothers and sisters, and neices and nephew.
We had so much planning to do and people to see that Monday morning came very quickly. I had a delicious breakfast at Satellite Cafe' with one of my very best and sweetest friends, Jessica Buckler, and then it was time to leave for the airport. It was the best weekend I have had all year and I cherished every moment of it. Sam and I will be back in Arkansas in May and I am already anticipating the trip down south!

I'm not exactly what you would call "techy"

After months of reading my friends' blogs I have decided to create one myself. I created my blog about two months ago, but I couldn't figure out how to actually "blog". With the help of two of my best friends, Kendall Jones and Meredith Adams, I will be blogging in no time!

Stay tuned for more updates!