New Links Added
I added links - Our Life Now and Colby and Kennedy’s birth stories. They are under the row of buttons beginning with Home; you have to mouse over them to see them. Enjoy!
1 comment April 22nd, 2008 by Jenna
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
So I was watching CBN tonight. Not something I usually watch, but I caught the beginning of it and they mentioned a new documentary that came out today. It’s called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and Ben Stein is the main character. The premise seems to be centered around the scientific community’s obsession with being anti-Intelligent Design. I am pretty sure it is not pro-Christian. Keep in mind that intelligent design doesn’t mean Christianity, it means that we originated by a higher power (which of course happens to be what Christians believe). Stein interviews several scientists that have questioned that we really originated by some fluke event, like lightning striking a patch of mud. I checked to see if it was at our local theaters, and it is- so I think we will go see it.
After a little digging, I found an expanded trailer on YouTube. Have a look for yourself.
Of course after we go see it, I’ll write some sort of review.
3 comments April 18th, 2008 by Kevin
The Business of Being Born
I am so glad I got to see this film with my friend Rachel, who has a fabulous post about it on her blog. Her review is so right on and exactly what I would have said. The film is on Netflix… anyone get Netflix? I want Kevin to see this too.
In addition, I will say that from personal experience, I wish I had seen this film before I had Colby. I think many in our generation are under the impression now to not trust doctors and their judgments. While I want you to form your own opinions, I also know that everyone’s body and birth experience is different. I’d recommend this film to anyone, especially first-time mothers, but also to those who think about delivering without pain meds (whether your first birth experience was bad or not!).
1 comment April 15th, 2008 by Jenna
Weaning & Potty Training
….was my answer when my friend Shala asked me “What are y’all up to?”. Kevin made sure to clarify that it’s Kennedy we’re weaning and Colby we’re potty training. Ha. ha.
Weaning: As soon as Kennedy turned 1, I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I had made it to the “magical year mark”, and I think my body stopped producing as much. We’re slowly cutting down on the number of feedings she has, but she still wants to nurse, so I let her. (I think we’re at 2 per day now.) She won’t take a bottle and also doesn’t want to drink whole milk, so we mix it with some Yo Baby Yogurt in a straw cup. That yogurt is yummy.
Potty Training: I recently read the book Potty Training for Dummies to help me with this task. And basically, the book says to let the kid wait til he’s ready. Apparently Thursday was the day. He woke up from his nap with a completely dry diaper (first time ever, I think), so I told him to sit on his potty, and he went! First time he’s done that for me, so we made a big big deal of it and called his daddy on the phone and then told him he could start wearing big boy underwear. He chose his Lightning McQueen underwear and has been doing great ever since! (I won’t say he hasn’t had accidents, but Rome wasn’t built in a day! He’s doing great.)
We bought Colby a Baby Bjorn potty. Best invention ever. Colby got to pick out the color himself (red) and he’s totally comfortable sitting on it and reading some of his books while he… goes. 
He also wears a pull-up or a diaper at night. We’ve been reading the book My Big Boy Potty by Joanna Cole for awhile now (we checked it out at the library a couple of times). In that book, Michael still wears a diaper at night, until he learns to stay dry at night. Colby has memorized this book, so we make sure to quote lines from it so he can be “just like Michael”. Of course, all of this means we have to stay close to the potty and/or take it with us everywhere we go, which means we haven’t been on time for anything since Thursday. It’ll get better.
***Update: Now Colby is not wearing a diaper at night; he wants to wear his Lightening pull-ups and won’t wear diapers anymore. He’s averaging about 2-3 pull-ups per day. I’ll keep you posted.
Kevin and I have great kids. Thanks for reading this far on 2 yucky subjects.
2 comments April 14th, 2008 by Jenna
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!
(No, this post is not late. For some reason it got lost in cyber-space and I just now realized it was never published.)
Dear Kennedy,
I cannot believe you are ONE year old today. At this time last year, I held you and held you in my arms. I was so glad you had decided to get here! I kept telling your daddy you knew what you were doing - your April 5th due date just wasn’t going to hold up, but you had to be an April baby so your birthstone would be a diamond. That, and you wouldn’t have to share your month with anyone else in our family’s March-full birthday month!
Your big brother loves you so much. He takes such good care of you and is so protective of you. You love him back, too, and want to play with all of his toys. It’s okay because I never played with dolls much growing up. Who knows what you’ll do, though, when you figure it all out?
Your favorite things to play with are your stuffed bunny, your stuffed pink bear, and your Elmo book. You love “EL- BOW!”, as you call him, and you look so intently at the tv when Sesame Street comes on.
Your other favorite toy isn’t a toy but an issue of “Bark” magazine we found one day at Half Price Books. You saw it and started making kissing noises at the cover. We ended up buying the magazine because you drooled all over it, but it’s been the best $1 investment of a toy! You love to look through the pictures of dogs and say “Pup-py!” You love your puppy Cooper too. Anytime we say his name, you look down to see him, and you like to try and pet Cooper whenever he’ll give you the chance.
Recently you’ve liked to say “Ay-MEN!” at the table. You’ve always held our hands when it was prayer time, but lately you’ve taken to be more vocal. You are a great eater and will eat any vegetable or fruit that comes your way.
I love you, Baby Girl, and I’m so proud of all that you have done this year. You are such a beautiful blessing in our lives and I look forward to many more birthdays to come.
Love, Mom.
2 comments April 13th, 2008 by Jenna
Bluebonnet (and Indian Paintbrush) Pictures
We went to Old Baylor this year to take the annual pictures in the bluebonnets. (very close to the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence, TX) I highly recommend this spot; it was wonderfully colorful!
I wish I knew how to make this easier… Pictures are in our gallery - click on Photos at the top OR Our Photo Gallery at the right, then click Combined Pictures of Our Kids, then 2008, then March. Enjoy!
2 comments April 7th, 2008 by Jenna
Book Review #2 - What Women Want
I’m just waiting for the hits… if you Google the title (minus the subtitle listed below), you might land on a book which has a little different meaning… nothing to worry about here.
What Women Want: The Life You Crave and How God Satisfies written by Lisa T. Bergren & Rebecca Price
Have you been to the self-help section of your favorite bookstore? You’ll notice that there are literally hundreds of ways, methods, and techniques you can use to “feel better about yourself” or “get rid of those negative attitudes in one day” or my favorite, “wish your way to a better you”.
This book is so much more than a self-help book. It is a Bible study designed by women, for women. I am constantly amazed at how God works in my life, especially through the books I read. These authors could never have known what areas of my life I would be struggling with at the exact moment I’d read their book. And yet, it seems as if I could read this book over and over (and work through the accompanying workbook pages) and still come away refreshed and renewed.
Many times I will read a book and think, “My husband would really like this chapter.” Or, “I’ll have to let my husband read this book; he’d like it.” This is not such a book. “What Women Want”, the movie with Mel Gibson, is probably what you think of when you read the title. However, you will love to recommend this book to any woman of any age, circumstance, or background. Each woman who reads this book will know they are a PCOG, a Phenomenal Creature Of God. And that’s exactly what we are.
Add comment March 18th, 2008 by Jenna
Book Review #1 - The Busy Mom’s Devotional
I was contacted by the authors and/or their publicists to read and review 4 books for my MOPS newsletter. (Then, after the review was published, we were free to give the books away as door prizes to 4 lucky MOPS moms.) I recently gained permission to post these reviews on my blog. The books are listed in the order I read them, not in any ranking order. Enjoy!
The Busy Mom’s Devotional written by Lisa T. Bergren
Each year for Christmas I receive a devotional book as a present. I’ve seen all kinds.. The ones with Scriptures to read each day. The ones with short inspirational thoughts to start your day. The ones that make you journal to your heart’s content. Can you guess my success rate with these day-to-day, minute by minute devotional books? Yep, most of them are sitting on my bookshelf, half-read or even unread.
This book is different. I’m serious. The subtitle of the book is 10 Minutes a Week to a Life of Devotion. Only 52 stories packed inside this book, and she includes spaces for you to jot down your thoughts and prayers or even your shopping list, because of course, Moms have so many things running through our minds when we should be praying! Perfect for a type A person like me. (If you’re not type A, keep reading.) Bergren takes a beautiful passage of Scripture from The Message Bible (paraphrase) and adds a short story about her life to illustrate it. Although we Texas girls can’t identify with her stories of the Montana lakes or the cold winter’s temperatures, you will nod your head in agreement with her adventures in parenting. To say “I’ve been there” is a bit trite, but true. I wanted to include one of her stories in this review, but I honestly couldn’t choose just one.
The phrase “Busy Mom” is an oxymoron. If you’re a Mom, of one or especially more children, you will be busy. This book is a great way to steal away some time to focus on your Heavenly Father. After all, if we’re not focusing on Him, then the focus on other things will be blurry. I highly recommend this book for reading.
Add comment March 18th, 2008 by Jenna
Role Models vs. Titus Women
Did you ever have role models? There are wonderful women in our church that I have looked up to for years now. I have watched them raise their families, teach Sunday School, and hold various positions of notoriety in our town. I still think they “hung the moon”. But I think I held some unrealistic expectations of them. After all, they are human and they are capable of every emotion, good and bad. I just never saw their bad side.
Don’t think that something has happened to one of these women to make me change my mind about them. I am just realizing now that it’s time for me to stop aspiring to be one of them and to follow my own life’s plan. I can’t be them; I’m not them! It’s hard for me to think that maybe somewhere other little girls might be looking up to me, wanting to be like me. (And I don’t say this to be proud, I say it because I have a daughter that will hopefully want to be at least a little bit like me.)
So how do I be “all that I can be” without joining the army? How is it possible for me to aspire to be perfect, when I fall so laughably short? I keep running across these verses -
“…the older women [should] be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” - Titus 2:3-5 (NIV)
The New Living Translation says if the older women do these things, “then they will not bring shame on the word of God”. Wow. What a responsibility. I don’t claim to be old, but I know I’m older than most of the people I am around, and I know my life choices make me “older” than most. (being married, having kids, etc.)
So, I don’t want to be a role model. I want to be a Titus Woman. Next week I’ll pick out my costume. Hopefully it will have a cape.
Add comment March 15th, 2008 by Jenna
What we’ve been up to
People keep asking us the question, “So, what have you been doing lately?” as if we sit around doing nothing all day. Well, mainly we’re trying to keep our sanity because the kids keep catching fevers every time we leave the house. And when we are well, we’re trying to keep the kids from tackling each other, as in Exhibit A.
Ah, Kennedy is going to be one tough cookie. I pity the fool that tries to date her - Big Brother is gonna get chu!
More updates when I can get videos of Colby reading his books and Kennedy saying “uh-oh!”
Add comment March 10th, 2008 by Jenna
Aggie Baseball rules
I cannot take any credit for this. Alicia wrote them all. But they are great, and I concur. Make sure you follow these to the letter.
So, in case you haven’t been told yet, the most entertaining and addicting* sport here at Texas A&M is baseball. And at last, baseball season starts this Friday, Feb. 22!! The whole reason I bring this up is that I want us to reserve a row. Not a Percussion Studio row, but a “bring everyone you know and let’s hang out and watch some great baseball” row. And by “reserve a row”, I mean that we have to be there early the first game to get a good row, and then we must sit in the exact same spot for every game. It may sound lame, but this is how it works at Olsen. Otherwise, you are one of the losers wandering around looking for your friends. So please post here if you are ready to commit to sitting on a designated row for the season. This does not mean that you will be there for every game! It just means that you will be in attendance for a good number of games (there are 39 home games, and I’m thinking you should be looking at going to at least 15 of them to make this commitment) and that you would be interested in sitting with other cool people.
As in any organized society, Olsen Field has rules. And these rules specifically apply to the row that we will reserve:
1) Do not yell at the first base coach to get in the box. I was in the stands when that was invented, and you don’t even know what you’re talking about. It is not cool, entertaining, or even remotely funny. It is dumb. Olsen is about originality, not mob mentality.
2) Only yell “Blue, you suck!” when there are no other words in the English language that suffice in this instance. See point #1.
3) Game time is posted on the website. Only a university excused absence will excuse tardiness. (j/k)
4) Everyone gets heckled at Olsen, including other Aggie fans. It’s all in good fun, so lighten up and laugh. And then yell at the next person that does something stupid.
5) If someone makes a good play, you applaud their outstanding physical prowess regardless of what uniform they wear. We respect hard work at Olsen.
6) Do not yell, “Hello?!?” at people who are on the phone. You don’t know what kind of emergency would call their attention from a baseball game.
7) Stay until the end of the game. I have seen (with my own two eyes) us come back from an EIGHT RUN deficit in the EIGHTH INNING to win the game 10-9 (vs. Nebraska). I have also seen us beat Tech (amazing!) in the bottom of the 10th inning by ONE RUN off of a GRAND SLAM. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings, and we have this special substance we call “Olsen Magic” on our side.
8 ) We do not talk about a certain city in Nebraska until after Super Regionals. Period.
9) If you have something intelligent/witty to yell at players/coaches/fans/umpires, keep it short. We don’t keep stenographers in the stands.
10) Take care of the fans that sit around you. We’re all there to support our team, so get to know them and reserve their seats when they have to be late for whatever reason.
She wrote this sometime last week, and we ended up losing 3 out of 4 games this past weekend. Hopefully the Aggies’ luck will change starting tonight. Gig ‘em, Ags.
3 comments February 29th, 2008 by Jenna
This one’s for Ashley
Check the gallery. Enough said.
P.S. I will finish it tomorrow, but theres a good 150 new pictures there.
4 comments February 17th, 2008 by Kevin
Library Updated
Kevin and I have been adding the books we’ve read into our “Library”. Look on the right-hand side of our page to peruse, and don’t talk above a whisper.
1 comment February 5th, 2008 by Jenna
Our little barometer
I don’t check the weather reports much. I don’t really have to. I can tell it’s going to rain if Kennedy has lousy sleep patterns. (She did this while in the womb too.) Pretty cool, huh? Except that for the past 2 weeks or so, something has either been coming or going. Guess we’ve had a lot more weather than usual.
Since I’m on a Kennedy update, she has done quite the developing in the past month. She can sign “all done”, nod her head “yes” and “no”, and she says, “mama”, “dada”, “bubba”, “yes”, “dah” (down). She also can mimic pretty well. Kevin says, “Sss” and she does it right back to him.
She is also quite drawn to water - including Cooper’s dish and the toilet. We have changed many clothes and closed many lids since finding out this fact. Colby has taken to saying, “Kennedy, no ma’am.” when he sees her going towards Cooper’s water. He knows to put it on top of the cabinet. What a helper.
Kennedy loves to pull herself up on the coffee table. It’s just perfect for her to swipe at whatever is on top. Of course, the coffee table was taken over by Colby a long time ago as his racetrack for his Hot Wheels cars. So now Kennedy wants to try and play racetrack with Colby’s Hot Wheels cars. This turns into a lesson in sharing and being nice to baby sister.
We are so blessed to have children. I read this Verse the other day that I’m praying for them.
“My [children], do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and to serve him…” - 2 Chronicles 29:11
Add comment January 24th, 2008 by Jenna
Green Mom Finds
This week I found Green Mom Finds. So far they have been enlightening me about the ability to recycle athletic shoes and buy organic underwear. Okay, so I’m not so down with the underwear part, they don’t have any in my size, but the recycling shoes part is really cool. Subscribe to them, even if you’re not a mom, and learn something useful.
1 comment January 16th, 2008 by Jenna
