Welcome to my World

No More Squeaky

2011-08-30T16:17:00.002-05:00

Last night at about 9:30 pm, Nathan and I became the proud owners of a new car. Well at least 20% of a new car. The bank owns the rest for now. It was about time to let the wonderful gift Toyota Sienna rest in peace. It served it's purpose well and was becoming very tired with each passing day. I can't express how nice it is to know that I will now be driving a safe, reliable car. What a wonderful gift. Not to mention all the handles, wipers, sprayer, and belts work, and there will no longer be random alarms going off for no apparent reason. Yea! In the words of Brenna, "Someone else can drive the squeaky car now. We were very grateful for it's use for several years now, but are glad to move on as well.

I can't say Nathan and I have much luck driving home new cars. When we bought his new car in 2003, on the way home, a deer jumped in front of him and almost caused him to wreck. It was quite scary for him as he was driving, but I was in the car behind him and nearly had to close my eyes (which probably would have caused me to run into the back of his new car. Last night as we were getting into my new car, we joked about that night so many years ago. I told him he needed to stay away from all deer tonight. Well, I shouldn't have said anything. A wild hog ran into a ditch next to us, and shortly after that a racoon ran directly in front of our tires. Let me just say, Nathan as very fast reflexes and the new car handles very well. We were very glad we weren't in the van which probably would have left something important on the road.

Kindergarten

2011-08-26T15:05:00.003-05:00

I sit in my living room a week after school has started. I still have a hard time comprehending that Brenna is already in Kindergarten. How could she possibly be old enough to be in school? Didn't Nathan and I just bring her home from the hospital? Wasn't it just yesterday that I drove my little red civic with her in it for the first time and was almost paralyzed with fear? What happened to all the diapers and midnight feedings? What about sitting on that little potty in front of the TV and praising the little trickle that we heard after 45 min and several glasses of juice? It was bound to come at some point.

Nathan and I took her to her classroom on Monday. She was so brave. She found her name and sat right down at her spot. I know she was a little nervous, but she was also so excited to be at school. She was excited to meet new people and learn new things. Mostly she just wanted to go on the playground. I can't tell you how many times she asked Mrs. Lane (her teacher) that question. Now here I am at the end of the week. With a few thoughts about it.

I love the time I have before I pick Brenna up from school. They are precious hours I haven't had in years. I have had no problem filling them this week, and yet there is a sense of displacement and quite in the house. For five years now, I have been in every part of Brenna's life. Her world and my world were one. Even when she was going to day care, our worlds were one. Kindergarten has brought split. It is a good and healthy split, but I feel left behind in some ways. I am forced to find out about her day through her eyes and words. Sometimes the descriptions don't make much sense. Nathan and I have laughed at several. Like I said, this is normal and good, just a new place for me.

One of my prayers for Brenna was that she would learn to love school and want to go back each day. I am so thankful that God seems to have answered that positively for me. At the end of each day, she asks if she gets to go back the next day. I don't have to convince her. She is excited. I hope that excitement lasts at least a few years.

For now, I will enjoy each day of Kindergarten, take pictures the new things and love watching her learn and grow. I wonder if the sadness of being split ever leaves completely or if that is why all parents ask their children how their day at school was. I wonder if there is always a part that misses those precious first years of complete unity with your children. I guess time will tell.

Under 100

2011-04-15T06:46:00.002-05:00

We have had this Africa countdown from almost a year before we leave. Today marks 100 days until we board a plane to leave for Bela Bela, South Africa. Wow. I can't wait to see what God will bring that week of my life. I can't wait to love on the people of Africa. I am especially excited about the playing with and loving the kids there. There is still a lot to do here before we leave. Nathan and I need to work on our will. We also both need tetnus shots. There are bags to pack, things to buy for the trip, and hearts to prepare. I am working on all those items. Sometimes it feels like the end of July will never come, and sometimes it feels like I need to put the breaks on a little because I may never get ready in time. Most of all I want God to be honored in this preparation time as well as our time there. I don't want to get to August 2011 the same person that I am in Apri 2011. I want to be molded and changed by God's hand in my life.

If you are praying for this trip, please pray that I will keep seeking God in everything I do. Also, that I will have open to ears to hear his gentle whisper and an obedient heart to follow his commands. Again, thank you to all who are participating on this trip with Nathan and I, your support is so important to us. Thank for being our partners.

The FInished Product

2011-03-19T19:55:00.003-05:00

YEA! I am so proud of myself. I love the way the patio turned out. Three trips to the supply store later, I finally had enough flagstone to complete the project. So much fun. I still have to let the stand settle a little and then I will be able to move Crabby (the sandbox) to his new home.

Ground Shaking

2011-03-13T07:57:00.003-05:00

Well, not shaking, but moving. I have discovered that moving bits of earth from one spot to another is very hard work. For a moment, I though I bit off more than I could chew. Thanks to very smart people, who must think I am stronger and handier outside than I really am, I decided to take on a flagstone patio project. I'm not done, but I did manage to level the area for the most part as well as lay down the gravel. Hopefully in the end the stones will lie flat enough to not trip us or allow us to stub our toes.

It all began because of a snake. Those darn snakes. For a little while I wondered if I would ever go outside again. I quickly realized that wasn't really possible since Brenna and I both love to be outside. But I have been more mindful of the likely homes I am supplying for said snakes. One was in the patio area. We have had Brenna's sand box in the grass by the house for a year now with no sand in it. She keeps asking for sand, but after my snake experience I noticed how much the grass grew up around the box. Hence the patio. I am hoping to finish and then finally fill her box knowing I have made her world a slightly safer place. We shall see.

On a whole different subject, our Africa trip is coming along. I can't believe how soon it is coming. I have a count down going and there are around 130 more days until we leave. Wow. That is soon, and there are still so many details to care for. On Friday this week we are doing something called Secret Church. I am excited about it, but a little worried about the time of day considering I don't think well after 9:00 at night. Secret Church goes from 6:00-12:00 Friday night. I am looking forward to the worship and a new knowledge of my Heavenly Father, but man that is late. I hope my brain can last.

One more note of randomness. Brenna and I are both excited about our Wednesday and Thursday this week. We will be visit Amy, Krissy, and the Mitchell's in Round Rock. It has become a Spring Break Tradition. I just told Brenna yesterday and now she will probably not stop talking about it until we get there. So glad to have friendships that last through the years and can be transferred down to our children.

Snakes

2011-03-08T21:31:00.005-06:00

Snakes, Snakes You must go
for I am mighty with a hoe

If with your family you long to stay
Be gone from my yard come what may

This has been my fear from the moment we moved in and I realized I was living in snake territory. I was moving the hose in our front flower bed when I came upon the late coral snake pictured above. Talk about "freaking out." By the way, we must use that expression in our household a lot because Brenna has used it twice today. As I am frantically trying to smash the snake in half with a long garden tool, I am calling for Nathan to no avail. Shaking in my boots, no wait... Shaking in my flip flops, I strike the poor creature repeatedly because it keeps moving. Finally Nathan comes to my rescue to make sure the snake is officially dead and dispose of him. What an afternoon. Needless to say, the original task of watering the yard never happened. Tomorrow is a new day.

The Massacre

2010-11-19T15:30:00.004-06:00

The line up depicted above is the result of the brutal massacre that occured in our house. Apparently Sophie has not received the memo that she is no longer a puppy. She is so sneaky too. When unattended she takes every opportunity to attack Brenna's stuffed animal. She is especially fond of the plastic eyes on the animals. I guess she doesn't like all those animals watching her. When we got home, I promply became Dr. Mom and stepped up to the super glue challenge. Over the past few weeks, I am sorry to say that Sophie has not become better and my fingers have suffered from the excess glue. Hopefully she will eventually grow out of this stage and I will no longer have to care for suffering stuffed animals.

Badger Pride and Sophie

2010-10-19T15:04:00.003-05:00

Okay, so the title doesn't make much sense. I just couldn't think of anything else. I'm doing good to get something written here. We are in the heart of football season and in the Jones house, that means crazy. The high school band did great at marching contest yesterday and the football team is undefeated so far. That doesn't bode well for our Thanksgiving break, but it is exciting for the community. Brenna loves being a part of the seasons. Every home game Friday, Brenna sees my Badger shirt and exclaims, "Yea! It's Badger day." She then goes for her shirt. It is fun living in a small South Texas town during football season even for someone who doesn't love football.

I also realized I haven't posted a picture of Sophie sense she was a puppy. She still acts like a puppy, but she has grown up so much. I love that exuberant dog.

Can anyone say joy. Most talk about a boy and his dog, but this girl definitely loves her dog.

Summer 2010

2010-08-22T22:03:00.006-05:00

So, today was officially the last day of summer. Nathan starts school with kids tomorrow. Brenna will start school tomorrow a year from now. I guess I shouldn't really be worrying about that yet. I'm not really worried. Just a thought.

I thought I should post something about this summer. I know, I got way behind on here. Sorry to all those reading in Georgia. I didn't do it on purpose, just ran out of time. So, here are a few pictures to sum up the summer.

First of all, Brenna did swimming lessons again. She had a great time and learned to swim even better. We really do have a little fish. Also this year, she learned that jumping off the diving board is lots of fun. She asked to do it almost every time we were at the pool. So cute.

We also went to Galvaston with my family.
Brenna had a great time playing with her cousins and with her daddy.
Nathan and Brenna finished digging the hole Aaron and Tanner began.
It really is amazing that a hole can occupy someones time so well.
After the beach, Brenna went home with Mimi and Poppi. Nathan and I were able to spend some time together and I was able to paint Brenna's room. Hers became my second favorite in the house. Speaking of paint. I need to post some pictures of the painted rooms in our house. I'll save that for another post. Brenna, Tanner, and Avery also went back to Mimi and Poppi's house for Cousins Week. They had a great time together, but I think Mom is still recovering from it.

And that is our summer. Nothing terribly exciting, but a nice time. Nathan spent a lot of time being Mr. Mom. I think Brenna loved the time she got to spend with Daddy. I think Daddy also liked spending time with Brenna. There were lots of smiles and giggle.

Long time no see

2010-07-02T15:15:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been awhile. I have to say, I have been a little overwelmed. I'm also not promising to right regularly again yet. I am having a hard time adjusting to working part time. I very happy for my job now, just adjusting my time management. I know I will get better.

Last week and this week has been especially crazy because of VBS. It is lots of work, but well worth the time. We are all tired in this house, but doing well. Hopefully we will get a little rest this week. Maybe I can get some pictures up soon, but I'm not making any promises.

Wishful thinking

2010-06-06T08:28:00.003-05:00

Sewing Machine, oh, sewing machine. How I do miss thee. I long for your gentle purr in my ear as we create new items together. I miss the feel of your pedal under my foot, and the shine of your little light as it shows where the fabric should go.

Maybe one day I will finish painting this house and will feel the joy of creating projects with you again.

In Tribute

2010-05-10T20:27:00.004-05:00

My precious grandmother went to be with Jesus last week on May 2. I can't even express the degree of sadness that has enveloped my heart. I already miss her dearly, and I don't forsee it getting much better soon. I loved my Nena so much. I haven't really grasped the consept that she isn't here with us anymore. I keep expecting to answer the phone and try to explain how to fix the TV for her. I could rairly fix it over the phone for her and inevitably refered her to Nathan's cell phone. My sweet husband could always patiently walk her through the solution to fix the problem.

There are so many things I will miss about Nena. She had the most amazing giving spirit. She freely gave her love, attention, and resouces to anyone in need and some that just wanted. Ask anyone what the remember most about Nena and they will tell you she was one of the most generous people they knew. Speeking of friends, Nena had friends she didn't even know about. Anyone who met her was instantly a friend. Shy to a fault, she learned to move past her first instinct to avoid new people and situations. She learned to care for herself and make new friends everywhere she went.

Her name wasn't Nena, but that is what everyone called her. She was born Edith and stayed that way until I was born. I renamed her Nena and it stuck. No one knows how I picked that name, but that is who she became to everyone. Shortly after her death, I had several people express that they never even knew her given name. She was always simply Nena. Maybe her peers called her Edith at one point, but many of them had grandkids too and ended up sticking with Nena instead.

I was blessed to have 34 years with my Nena. Many kids don't have as many years with their grandparents. In the later years, I spent some time caring for her. I watched her interact with Brenna and got glimpses of my childhood again. I wish I could have had more years with her, but know that she is without pain with Jesus now. I am greatful that she is now able to dance with her beloved husband again. Her knees and back no longer hurt and she doesn't have any need for a cane, walker, or wheelchair. She didn't suffer over long years, and the last words she said and heard were, "I love you." I pray I will go that well one day.

She was loved by many which was evit at her well attended funeral. What a beautiful service of laughter and tears. She would have loved the service. It was a great time to remember and reflect on her life. It will remain a precious memory for me to hold in my heart. The graveside service was quiet and intimate as we said our last goodbyes for now. I am thankful that this goodbye is not forever for I will one day be able to hug my grandmother again. Her body may lie beside her husband and inlaws, but her spirits is dancing with them in heaven.

Brenna Bear

2010-04-29T15:33:00.004-05:00

My little Brenna Bear, where have the years gone? Are you really already 4 years old? You are such a little girl now, no longer a little baby. Although you will always be my baby girl. You have grown a lot this year. I'll start with your vocabulary. It is practiced almost all day long. You amaze me with the words you know. I have to laugh at some of the new grown up words you randomly use. They creep into your speach and surprise me. You pick up language so quickly probably due to your love for books.

Speeking of books, we read all the time. You love to go to the library and pick out new books to read. You no longer fall asleep each day at nap time, but we do have rest time. If you aren't sleepy, you like to "read" in bed. You spend the whole time looking at each book I have piled on your bed. You have also been known to fall asleep with a book on your head. You are following in your father's footsteps.

I love the way your sense of humor has started to take off. Daddy says his prayers were answered because you got my looks and his sense of humor. I'm not sure if it is really his sense of humor, but you do love to laugh. You love to make other people laugh. Often you will laugh and then wait to see if anyone around you laughs too. Of course if you get a response, you will perform again.

You love music and dancing. If you are watching a show you will get up to dance whenever music is playing. And you are always the last one to watch the credits with Daddy. Daddy is watching to see who wrote the score, but you want to hear every last note of the score. It is fun to see you sitting at the end of a movie long after all the other kids have left.

I love to hear you sing. You even hit the right notes most of the time. Daddy and I were recently discussing how much we would love to hear you sing in church someday. I'm not sure if you will enjoy singing in front of a bunch of people, but you do love singing your praise songs to Jesus.

Speaking of Jesus, your prayers are starting to develop past the rote memory ones. For so long you have said the same thing every night, but in the past month you have started to change it up a bit. I think you are starting to understand how to talk to Jesus. I'm sure it stirs his heart as is does mine. You pray for people in your life and for those you don't even know. It is so sweet to hear you pray for your friends and to ask how they are doing the next day.

I love to watch you playing with your friends. You are such a friendly little thing. You have several "best friends" and love to play with them at their house our ours. You are learning to share your toys better and you are playing with your friends instead of beside them.

I can't believe that I only have one year left before you go to school. It just doesn't seem possible.

I love you with all my heart. You are my little Brenna Bear, my love bug, my sweet pea. I am so thankful God chose you to be my little girl.

Moved in

2010-04-23T14:14:00.005-05:00

Well, sort of moved in. All our worldly possesions are now in the new house. We are so excited to be here. I can't even begin to describe how blessed I feel. We all (including pets) love the new house. We are still living in chaos with boxes everywhere you turn, but it is a cleaner and roomier chaos.

Moving day went well thanks to a lot of help from friends and family. Thank you so much all who came to move the Jones. We really appreciate your help. It was supposed to rain all day Friday and Saturday. Dad and I did a lot of praying and God didn't fail again. He held the rain off until we were done moving everything. I think one load was sprinkled on, but we were able to wipe that furniture off. It was a lot of work, but it is so nice to be here. Now to just get settled and unpacked. I guess it did take me 3 weeks to pack. That probably means I should give myself at least that much time to unpack.

I thought I would post a few pictures before I began to unpack some more today. I am really down to one room. I'm not ready to unpack books because I want to paint the walls soon. It just doesn't make sense to put books on shelves then just take them back down.

This is our house.

When you walk in the front door, this is what you see. The kitchen is straight ahead. Master bed, laundry, and garage are to the right. The living room is to the left.

Turn right and you see our bedroom straight ahead or...

the laundry room and garage going down the hall to the right.

This is the master bedroom with me standing in the bathroom doorway. The door to the hall is on the left.

This is the master bathroom.

If you look left inside the door, you see the living room and dining room.

The kitchen is right beside the dining area.

If you walk down a small hall off the living room, Brenna's room is straight ahead.

The spare bedroom is next to Brenna's room on one side.

And the spare bathroom is on the other side of her room.

This is the view from the back door. There are often cattle grazing behind our house. Guess what Annie does a lot?

Here is what the back of the house looks like.

And that concludes our tour of the new house. Thanks for dropping by. Sorry for the mess you were exposed to, but it will be better organized soon or I may go crazy.

Moving Night

2010-04-19T14:04:00.000-05:00

How strange it seems, that I have book ended my life here on E. Calvert. That first night two and a half years ago, I cried myself to sleep, and left a lamp on through the night. I scarcely sleep that night for fear of bugs crawling all over me. It was a legitimate fear although luckily, unfulfilled.

Tonight, on this last night at this home, sleep evades me. I am awake with excitement, thankfulness, joy, and anticipation. I am ready to complete the move into our new home on Fair Lane Dr. Nathan and I purchased our first home yesterday morning. It is a modest home of about 15000 square feet. It is clean, bug free, and well insulated. It has a very well laid floor plan, and lots of storage space. There is floor space for Brenna and the pets to run in circles, and it is ours. God’s blessings overwhelm me tonight. His care surrounds my every thought and leaves me almost speechless. How can I express my gratitude and love? How can I bottle this grateful heart and display it each day?

Alone, before the chaos of yesterday began, Nathan and I stepped into our new home. We walked through each room and enjoyed our time together. I wish I would have thought to pray for the home: to dedicate it to the work of God, to give it back to Him. Tonight, on our first night there, when all is quiet and everyone has left, I will spend time placing our first little home back into Your hands.

Still Waiting

2010-04-14T13:59:00.002-05:00

Buying a house is sooooooo frustrating. I spend all day trying to decipher diabolical feelings. On one side, I am so excited about our future. I am envisioning us in the new home. I am thinking about wall colors and what it will be like to walk in the front door of our first home. It is all so fun. Then there is the other nasty side of buying a home. I madly pack the house, make plans and arrangements, set up utilities, only to find that other people don't do their jobs very well. I don't like not having a since of control. Right now I am learning to deal with my lack of control, or go crazy. I choose to deal with it, but it isn't easy.

I have the house mostly packed, therefore, I no longer have cooking supplies. I have packed the baking dishes, measuring cups and spoons, and plates. I have had a successful yard sale in which I sold the oven that we don't need. It will probably be leaving us at the end of the week. So, even if I didn't have said baking necessities, I would have no oven to put them in. My solution, use the churches or eat out. The church may be a little inconvenient, but there really isn't a good selection of restaurants here in the large metropolis of Karnes City.

Hopefully I don't have to mail anything. Yes, the envelopes are packed too. No sewing projects for me now. All books are stored away. I didn't pack clothes or Brenna's room so we will be dressed and entertained.

Though I do have list of complaints, I still hold to my thankful heart. I am so grateful for this new home. I am ready to make it ours. I am thankful that God has provided the house and the funds to purchase. I am thankful for family members that are helping us financially, with prayers, and with muscles. I am thankful for lessons learned even though they may not be easy. I am thankful in the midst of this chaos.

So now, we wait. I pray that God will continue to remind me that HE is in control, that I can trust HIM, and that HIS timing is best. I may not understand or see why we must wait, but there is a reason. I pray for patience while I wait. Patience with Brenna when I am stressed. Patience with title companies that won't move fast. Patience with myself as I learn to wait.

We will be moving soon, but for now, we wait.

Frankenpuppy

2010-04-01T21:21:00.005-05:00

(Beware, graphic pictures follow story.)
On Wednesday morning, I was trying to do what is best for my dogs. I got up extra early to walk the dogs after I went for a short run. While all three of us were walking, a big dog came tearing after us. Unfortunately, Annie, my aggressive little dog, stepped up to the challenge. I don't think she really antagonized the fight and it wasn't a territorial issue. We were across the street and on the opposite side of the road. Regardless of why it happened, Annie was attacked. I started screaming for someone to get me a water hose, but no one could help. I thought I was watching my dog die. It was an awful experience I never want to repeat. The little girl who owned the other dog was trying to pull her dog off Annie, but she wasn't strong enough. Finally the girl's mom came out and got the dog off Annie. Sweet Annie Boo earned herself a night at the vet and many stitches. She has a doozie of a scar to brag about.

I am so thankful that Brenna was not with me. I am so thankful that my dog is still alive even though she doesn't feel well tonight. I am thankful the other dog didn't go after Sophie. She would be dead. I am thankful the little girl didn't get hurt badly, and I am thankful that I wasn't hurt. I am also thankful that Annie should heal well.

On parenting a four year old

2010-03-24T07:43:00.005-05:00

Well, almost four year old. I can't believe she is almost four. I know, I know, all parents say that about their children as they approach a birthday. Yet, it is so true. How can my little baby already be a... what? Is she still a toddler, or is she called something else now. The next thing I know we will be looking for clothes in the little girl section instead of the toddler section.

And back to the title, I'm not sure I really have any parenting tips. Most days, I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. I'm not sure if I have ever prayed more diligently for anything. Parenting is hard, exhausting, intimidating, infuriating, irritating, and confusing to name a few adjectives. And yet, it is also fulfilling, joyous, exhilarating, laughable, fun, and purposeful. It is one of those things in life that can be two completely different things at the same time.

As Brenna quickly approaches four, I am amazed by how many choice she has to make. Some are so hard, and it is hard for me, the parent, to teach her how to make good choices without crushing her free spirit. I am trying to teach her an obedient spirit and happy heart, while I learn it myself daily. Isn't that the way parenting goes.

We had a good week for the most part. We have spent a lot of time outside. The weather was beautiful most days. We didn't make it to the park during the week, but she and Daddy went to the this afternoon. She had a great time with Daddy and was glad to go with him. We were also able to go take some bluebonnet pictures yesterday. I'll leave you with the most recent pictures.

Jump rope still needs a little practice.

Brenna making a big mess in the dirt.

She was so excited to wear her princess dress in the flowers.

Half way

2010-03-19T15:40:00.002-05:00

We are half way through March and I have written almost nothing. How sad is that. I used to write almost every day. Now I am down to once or twice a month. Not a good rate there. Hopefully I will start making the time to write again soon. This past week was spring break for Nathan. It may go down in history as the worse spring break for him. He had his wisdom teeth extracted. Although it was easier than some because three of the for teeth were erupted, it still doesn't feel good. He has spent a lot of time lying around, playing video games, and watching movies. At least he did get rest this week.

While Nathan was recovering, Brenna and I went to Austin to visit a friend who was visiting her parents. Brenna and Krissy had a great time together, and Amy and I had a great time too. Each time I get to see Amy, our girls have more fun together. They play well together and enjoy friendship. It is fun for Amy and I to watch. Unfortunately, this time, I forgot to take my camera, so there are no pictures.

I am busily trying to get this house packed. What a chore. It is easier to move across the street than across the country, but moving is moving. I still have to pack most things in the house. So, packing is what I will be doing for the rest of March. Not a fun chore, but it is for a fun reason this time. We are excited about our new house. Speaking of the new house, all the paper work is coming together. We received a letter of acceptance for the loan application. That is exciting. I think this is really going to happen this time. I can't believe Nathan and I are actually going to be home owners in less than a month.

I'll let the pictures tell what Brenna and I have done with the rest of our spring break week.

Good News

2010-03-08T18:12:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a busy month February was. I won't even try to recap what happened all month. I will just say it was the missed blogging month. That happens sometimes.

So what is my good news today? The Texas Jones Family are under contract for our first home. We are very excited even though I am also very anxious. There is so much stress that goes along with buying a home. It is all happening pretty quickly. Our closing date is set for April 16th. Hopefully all the details will fall together and go smoothly. I don't have any pictures yet, but as soon as I do, I will add some here. We have two inspections scheduled for this week, so I should know a little more after that.

Well, that is all my news for now. I will keep everyone informed as we move along.

Westin and Brenna

2010-02-08T10:06:00.003-06:00

I don't normally catch Westin in a cuddly mood with Brenna. Lately he has taken to sleeping in her bed during the day time. One night when I was putting Brenna to bed, he stayed there even when she climbed into bed. The moment was too precious for me to pass up. He stayed there with her through prayers, hugs and kisses, and the last drink of water. It was quite sweet.

Introducing, Du, du, du, dum...

2010-02-05T07:31:00.003-06:00

LADY BRENNA!

She can conquer the world with a wave of her wand.

What mysterious thought lie behind those hidden eyes?

And a face that will turn heads.

Sewing, D-Now, and Pictures

2010-02-03T13:56:00.004-06:00

I have been busily getting ready for this weekends Disciple Now. I am excited about the turnout of kids here in Karnes City. Hopefully all of them will show up on Friday. As the week is coming to an end, I am finishing up the last details and finding I have a little more free time. I am longing to start sewing again during nap times. Christmas break, a new puppy, and a busy schedule have really hindered my sewing. Not to mention that I added the puppies crate in our room. I'm not sure there is room to move my sewing table to the area I need to sew in. We will see soon. I am itching to start some of my new projects. I have several lined up.

On to a completely different subject. We have seen rain, rain, and more rain here. It has rained for days. I am beginning to feel like the old man that bumped his head. Brenna is going crazy being inside all the time. The puppy is going crazy being around crazy Brenna. I am going crazy managing both of them. I know we were praying for rain not too many months ago, but maybe some moderation would be nice.

There was a day or two last week where we were able to go outside for a short time. I'm so glad I took advantage of that time. I got some great pictures of Brenna and the puppy as they started to settle down after some hard running around and playing. I love it when I get a good picture unexpectedly. Enjoy the smiles.

Lessons of parenting

2010-01-31T17:51:00.003-06:00

Parenting has taught me many lessons about myself and my relationship with Christ. Yesterday, I was taking the puppy outside but didn't realize Brenna wanted to come too. Sophie finished outside before Brenna had a chance to get out there with us. As we were coming inside she was screaming at me because she was so frusterated and mad that she wasn't getting her way. I tried to explain that she could go next time and that it was a quick trip, but she wouldn't listen. She screamed at me so loud that I'm sure the neighbors could have heard. She has been told that she can't talk to mom like that so she was disciplined for her actions.

Later we were talking about why she got in trouble. I was sure to explain that it is okay to get mad a Mommy but it is not okay to yell at me like that. She needs to use her words and tell me why she is mad. I gave her an example and we went on to the next subject. I hope she learned that she can be angry when she doesn't get her way, but she can't be disrespectful or disobedient. Big lesson for a little girl.

Big lesson for a big girl. How often do I throw my hands in the air and scream at God with my actions when I am angry and don't get my way? I throw my own adult style temper tantrum. Not the appropriate reaction. It is okay for me to be angry and tell God what I am feeling, but it is not okay for me to disobey or become hard and disrespectful. I wonder if I will ever learn this lesson. Anger has always been an issue with me. I deal with it better today than last year or the years before, but it is still a struggle. I hope that one day I will really know and believe that God is big enough to hold my anger and other emotions. He made me an emotional being and doesn't want me to hide my feelings from him or myself. I cheat both of us when I do that.

The best entertainment... DADDY!

2010-01-31T17:40:00.006-06:00

First notice the devious face of Brenna. What is she planning?

Brenna looks at Sophie

Next Sophie sees Brenna. Brenna gets a kiss.

Everyone jumps ship.

Bath Day

2010-01-25T15:19:00.002-06:00

Today was Sophie's first bath since we have brought her home. Baths tend to freek puppies out a little, but she did okay. It is the noisy dryer that she really doesn't like. Hopefully she will get better as time goes by. What I really enjoyed was Brenna's help. Sometimes having little hands help doesn't really make the chore easier. Today it did. She was so willing to work with me. In the words of my mother, "it made my heart go pitter patter." Brenna helped with shampoo and conditioner. Then when Sophie was trying to run from the blow dryer and I had one hand on Sophie and the other holding the dryer, Brenna brushed. What a treat it was for me to watch her grow up today.

It was a big day of helpful hands. After the bath, we baked some cookies. Brenna does enjoy baking with me. I put my apron on and she put hers on. She gleefully pointed out that we matched. I could just see how proud she was of herself. Although she does like the baking process, what she really likes is getting to lick all the dough. I know some out there say I shouldn't let her eat all those raw ingredients, but what do you remember from your childhood. It was the licking that I lived for. I love to see her huge smile covered in cookie dough. How could I say no to that image?

Back to Normal Life

2010-01-24T20:30:00.002-06:00

I guess it has taken me awhile to get back to that "normal" life. We did have a wonderful Christmas. We brought back our sweet and very active dog. That is saying a lot since we also own Annie. Today, I was actually wondering which one is dominant. Again, that is saying a lot for those of you who know Annie. Everyone is adjusting, even Westin. Although, Westin does still believe that she is going back to Mimi's house. He will keep hoping. At least until the puppy stage is over. How long does that last? A year or two?

Brenna is really developing her sense of humor now. She is quite cute as she works hard to make us laugh all the time. She dances around the house. She shakes her little tushy as she "widdle, waddles" about. Hopefully we won't still be thinking that is cute and laughing when she is 16. She tells jokes over and over if she got a good laugh the first time. She laughs at herself all the time which cracks Nathan and I up. Again, she repeats for our laughter.

What a precious jewel we have. I wouldn't trade this time with her for anything.

In the Aftermath of Christmas Day

2009-12-29T16:37:00.004-06:00

Well, we had a wonderful Christmas day. I guess I should step back one day. I was actually not feeling well at all on Christmas Eve morning. I spent most of the morning in bed. By the afternoon, I was feeling better, but Nathan couldn't breathe though his nose. That was very unfortunate because he had to sing a solo and lead music at the Christmas Eve service that night. Hello Afrin. He calls it the miracle drug. Clears the nose instantly. I was actually amazed that the voice I heard that night was from the same person I had been hearing all afternoon. The service was wonderful. I do love candlelight Christmas Eve service. It was a little different for me because it was the first time Brenna had to sit with me through a service. She was a little distracting for me, but I still enjoyed the service.

That night we played elves. I love seeing all the presents under the tree late on Christmas Eve. Nathan and I went to bed and anticipated the fun of the morning. Brenna didn't disappoint us. She woke up early and excited about Christmas morning. What a joy it was for us to be at home with with her. I loved being able to watch her open her gifts. She was so excited when she came in first thing and saw her dolphin and her bike. I loved her exclamation. "A bike for me. It's just what I wanted for Christmas!" (Note: She really just likes to sit on it. No luck on the riding yet. Maybe one day she will learn to peddle. I won't even try to imagine no training wheels.)

We left for Mom and Dad's house in the afternoon. Christmas dinner was late but good. Now we are awaiting the arrival of Tanner (and family). We decided to wait to open the rest of the gifts which has been a little hard especially with an almost four year old She knows Christmas Day has passed, but has to look at a tree loaded with gifts everyday. She keeps asking, "Is Tanner coming today?" We tried to explain that we are waiting for Tanner and Avery so that we can all open together. That is a little hard for her, but she is managing well. It will be worth the wait come tomorrow when we can answer Brenna's daily question with "Yes, Tanner is coming today after your nap." I am looking forward to Christmas Day round two with everyone here.

Meanwhile, we have been enjoying our newest addition to the family. Call me crazy, but I just couldn't resist the cute little puppies that Mom's dog had. I love Toy Havanese breed. I may be hating myself next week when Annie and Westin realize that the puppy is coming to stay at our house. I will have to be a constant referee for sure, but she is just too cute to resist. Brenna really loves her and it will be fun to watch them grow together. We have named her Sophie Puchabelle Jones, but will call her Sophie Belle or just Sophie. She is a ball of cuteness.

Oh, one other funny story of the week. Brenna has discovered the joy of "Lip Chomp". (aka Chapstick) She has been so funny asking for her lip chomp every time she puts it down. We have laughed a lot.

I hope your Christmas week has been filled with laughter and joy as well. We have missed everyone we didn't get to see. I'll let you know how round two goes for us in a few days.

I can't believe I almost forgot the exclamation of last night. GO DAWGS! I cheered for a football team for the first time that I can remember last night. It was a lot of fun, but a little too stressful for me. Not sure I will be that committed again, but it was fun. So exciting to watch Georgia win. Sorry my Aggie friends.

Life According to Annie (Boo Bear) Oakley Jones

2009-12-20T16:57:00.005-06:00

1. One's name doesn't always determine one's personality. Sometimes it does.
When Nathan and I picked Annie out of the litter we quickly came up with her name. I left our friends house singing, "I can do anything better than you." We watched our newly picked puppy fight back against her much larger brother. She was determined to win the battle. She was also determined to get out first. It was quite cute to watch her determination.

2. Have a style all your own.
When Annie was a puppy her two big ears didn't look so big because they lay flat against her head. Several months after we got her, I noticed that her ears started to stick up. For months I taped pennies to the ends of them to try and "train" the wayward ears to lay down. All my hard work did no good. She refused to allow her ears to stay down. That should have been a warning to me from the beginning. Annie was not going to be a laid back dog that simply did what she was asked to do. She had her own ideas.

3. You are always the biggest no matter what that other dog says.
Annie has "big dog complex". Maybe we are similar in that aspect. She always sees herself as bigger than she is. She truly believes she is bigger than every dog she meets. I try to explain to her that some dogs can eat her in one bite, but she just doesn't believe me.

4. Enjoy life to the fullest.

5. Always take time to enjoy a belly scratch.

6. Why be quite when you could be very loud?

7. Look for the opportunities in life to bark. They are always there.

8. When there is a "will" there is a "way", and there is always a "will".
This last philosophy brings me to the reason I am writing this post. We came home from Church today to find several chip bags littered across the floor. Annie is amazing in her ability to find and eat hidden foods. From the beginning of her life she has always been able to eat food out of bags, wrappers, and containers without eating the coverings. We don't know how she does it. The first time we saw this amazing ability of hers we came home to find our floor littered with little silver wrappers. I had a bowl of chocolate kisses sitting on our coffee table. Annie found the joys of kisses. Amazingly enough she didn't eat any of the wrappers. She vomited chocolate all night but was not harmed in any other way. Chocolate remains one of her favorite delicacies.

One day when I left for work, I accidental left my lunch bag on a chair. That evening when I came home, there was a small, snout sized tear in the bag. I found all the Ziploc baggies opened, empty, but not torn. I didn't find any of my lunch.

I normally leave my purse sitting on the couch. There have been several incidents of missing food that I didn't discover for awhile. She is a sneaky one. She can dig through my purse without dumping the purse over to find her treasures. She has found M&Ms from a plastic egg, junior mints from their box, fasier mints from a Ziploc bag, and endless snacks for Brenna through her three years. You would think I would learn to stop leaving food in my purse.

As you can see, today's incident is not an isolated one. We aren't sure how she even got the big bag of chips off the counter. It must have fallen down. She opened the big bag with a snout sized hole then continued to rip the perforated opening. She delicately stole three personal size bags of chips opened each back without tearing it at all. Not sure how she did that either. There were no holes in the individual bags. There were no crumbs left over. At least she cleans up after herself and only leaves the bags that are uneatable.

Christmas

2009-12-17T19:47:00.006-06:00

Brenna and I have been baking this week. On the first day, we opened one of the "before Christmas" gifts that Oma and Pepere sent. She pulled out a Christmas apron, chef hat and oven mitts. She soon noticed my apron and oven mitts and asked where my hat was. I had to explain that Mommy didn't have a cute hat like she did. Can you guess her next question? If you guessed "Why not?" you are correct.

She also opened a box set of pre-baked gingerbread men to decorate. That was fun activity that lasted until lunch. Not sure if the cookies or Brenna's tummy got more of the decorations.

Then yesterday, I picked up the tradition that Mom set for our family. I decided to take on the mammoth task of baking five batches of Dilly Bread. I only had one mishaps. Our house is so cold even with the heat that bread won't rise. My solution? Leave the oven on all day and place the covered dough on top of the hot oven. Thank goodness that worked. The bread tasted and smelled as good as I always remembered it tasting. I do love Dilly Bread fresh out of the oven.

And why only bake one type of food when you could bake bread, cupcakes, and cake balls. It was a crazy day. Brenna got to watch TV all morning. Great morning for her. She did help with the cupcakes. Although she had to wash her hands a total of five times. She really had a hard time with not licking her fingers then picking up the sprinkles again. It was very funny, and I'm not sure it has ever taken me so long to ice and sprinkle 24 cupcakes.

As for the week before Christmas, Nathan is done with school on Friday. His break begins Monday with a few dentist appointments. Poor Nathan, but they do need to get done. I plan to spend lots of time with Nathan in the next two weeks. Brenna and I have really missed him in the last few busy months. We are all looking forward to Christmas morning with an almost 4 year old. I still have a few things to finish up, but I am almost done with all my preparations. I am looking forward to the joy of the next few weeks.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-08T13:50:00.005-06:00

We decorated the tree last night. I'm so glad we were finally able to do that. We couldn't really wait much longer or we wouldn't have been able to have it up much time at all. Brenna loved it this year. She was jumping around in circles, laughing, and smiling a lot. Note to self, It is not a good idea to start decorating the Christmas tree 30 minutes before bedtime. Oh well, we had a good time.

Well, most may think that a three year old or a husband with mitten fingers is most likely to be the one to break the first ornament of the year. Most would be wrong. I was the first this year. I don't think I have broken one in my adult life. It was a little sad, but I think I will get over it.

After Brenna went to bed we had to rearrange a few ornaments due to Westin's tree fetish. This is truly his favorite time of the year. He is such a funny little cat. He spends hours laying under the tree, and he loves to drink the tree's water and eat it's needles.

Lastly, look at all that snow in Karnes City!

No, it didn't really snow that much. The elementary school had a winter festival and brought in some snow. Brenna loved playing in it even though it was pretty wet by the time we got there. She really wanted to make snow angels, but was coerced to just make some snowballs. What a great idea the PTO had with that one.

Even in Karnes City

2009-12-04T13:29:00.002-06:00

Miracles do happen. It "snowed" today, if you can call it that. Pretty sure those who live up north would not. But for us, it snowed. This was Brenna's first experience with snow. That too makes me a little sad. Now she will think little spits of white from the sky will qualify as snow. Oh well, we take what we can get. It was magical for her. We played outside for a little while and I got to take a few pictures. If you look very closely, you might see a little white speck in one corner. Yep, that would be the snow. Please don't go blind trying to find it.

Santa Came to KC

2009-11-21T15:38:00.002-06:00

Well, I have been prepping her for days now. "Brenna, are you excited to go see Santa? Do you think you can tell him a secret? Show Mommy how you can tell him a secret. Can you give him a hug? Will you smile so pretty for Santa?" You see, last year she had a "deer in headlights" moment and wouldn't give any expression at all. I was hoping for a better Santa picture this year. I guess I will see the result soon, but I'm not sure it is very promising.

We got into the studio and I could tell she was very excited. Santa just makes her so darn nervous. The writers of "A Christmas Story" really did their research. Our Santa was so sweet, but Brenna had the same reaction terror when she saw him. She is so excited before and after, but during, Santa is just plain scary. I think we may have one picture with a smile and one picture where she could be thinking about hugging Santa. I guess it will just have to do for the year.

Santa did ask her what she wanted for Christmas. Brenna doesn't really have a concept of what Santa does at Christmas. She has watched all the movies, but we haven't really installed the "Santa Concept" into her. So her response when Santa asked her what she wanted? A dolphin. Not sure where she came up with that one, but you know what I am searching for now.

Theology according to Brenna

2009-11-18T20:27:00.002-06:00

Brenna loves her cubbie class at Awanas. Miss Beth is her teacher and Brenna loves her. She talks about Miss Beth all week and gets very excited to see her on Wednesday nights. Last week, Miss Beth was sick and Brenna had a rough Cubbie class. Luckily Miss Beth was back today.

I was informed that Brenna came up with an interesting new theory at their bible lesson time. Miss Beth was telling the kids about when Jesus parents couldn't find him. She was expressing how worried his parents must have been. She asked, "What do you think Jesus was doing then." Brenna confidently raised her hand. "Miss Beth I know. He went to Hobby Lobby."

Do you think we have been to Hobby Lobby too many times this week?

Grown up words and More Napping

2009-11-14T19:17:00.002-06:00

Well the napping saga continues. On Friday, Brenna finally fell asleep. YEA! And yes, she had a book in her hands. That seems to the be best way to fall asleep these days. I happened to look at the monitor about 30 minutes later and notice Brenna pick up the book, turn a few pages, sit up, put the book with the rest of her books, and lay back down. Is there such a thing as sleep reading? Such a funny girl even in her sleep.

Brenna's vocabulary continues to grow. Here are a few example.

"Possibly, Avery stayed at home."
"My dream was marvelous."
"Lunch was scrumptious."

She is truly my little sponge!

Napping

2009-11-08T21:05:00.002-06:00

As many of you know, Brenna has decided that napping isn't really for her anymore. Unfortunately I still need Brenna's nap time. So, we have come to an agreement. Brenna goes for rest time in her bed where she meets a pile of around 20 books that she can peruse at her quiet leisure. Most days, she stays awake talking to herself and "reading" each of her books. But on a few other days, there is no escaping to the sleep monster. It drags her under to that sweet dream land of childhood. It is a sneaky little monster that comes when you least expect and sometimes even before you can finish the book.

Halloween

2009-11-04T13:50:00.005-06:00

Well, we survived our first "trick or treat" halloween. Don't call us bad parents for not taking her out before. It just doesn't seem that important to me. We have always just been busy the other years. This year we decided to pack the car and head to SA to spend the afternoon and evening with Aaron, Liz, Tanner, and Avery. What a fun day it was. Brenna loved this new found reason dress up and knock on doors. The funniest part of the evening was Brenna at each door. First she made sure that every kid there was given their candy. Then when all the other kids left she said, "Do you have a dog?" If the answer was "Yes." She followed with, "Can I see him?" I should have guessed that the status of the neighborhood pets would be more important to her than the candy she was getting.

Fairy Brenna.

Fairy Avery

Pirate Tanner. (who, in this picture, looks just like his Daddy did at age 3.5)

Crazy Banana Brother

Kids not sure about Aaron

Love this picture of my niece and Aaron.

Brenna is on a mission.

Brenna's first Trick or Treat house. ( She is probably engaging in the first of many dog conversations here.)

It would be a little scary to open my door to this picture. A whole bunch of candy crazed kids. Aaaa!

We all had a great time and were very tired at the end of the evening. Brenna slept the whole way home, while I Nathan and I fought to stay awake. Next up, Thanksgiving.

Brenna

2009-10-30T20:58:00.002-05:00

How is it that someone so little can have me out of my mind almost daily? My sweet little girl has a will of iron. There are so many days that I wonder how I am supposed to raise her to be well adjusted in this world. I find it humorous that she is so much of me and so much of Nathan put together, although that would make sense. There are so many times during the day when I want to pull my hair out and just start over. Am I using the right discipline techniques? Would something else work better? She brings me to my knees daily asking my heavenly Father to please guide me because I don't want to mess up his precious little gift to Nathan and I. Even with all my mistakes, I pray that she will grow up knowing that she has a Mommy and Daddy that love her dearly and she has a Heavenly Father that never leaves her side.

So here is a funny little story. I put Brenna in time out for something the other day. Don't remember now, but it probably had to do with listening and obeying. Wow that is a hard concept to learn. It's just a little ironic that I am still learning that one while I am also trying to teach it. Anyways, I moved to the kitchen and hear Brenna singing a song about why she is in time out. Talk about some silent laughter. So apparently that was not very effective. She did give me a good little laugh.

Speaking of laughter. While I am pulling out my hair daily, I am also laughing daily. She has such a since of humor. Nathan always said he wanted her to have my looks and his sense of humor. (Not sure what that says about my sense of humor. Maybe we should have a talk about that one.) I love to hear her laugh. Her laughter often brings my own laughter bubbling to the surface. Whether she is "waddle, waddle, waddling" from the bathroom or cracking herself up over a movie, I love to see and hear she humor developing.

I am blessed. I pray that someday God will grant Nathan and I a second special treasure. If not, I will constantly remind myself that I have a precious treasure. When I am saddened by what feels like a dream fading, I can hold my little Brenna bear and know she is an answered prayer. God is faithful. He will always answer my prayers. I will listen and obey.

Wow

2009-10-23T22:47:00.004-05:00

Canyon: Came and Went

Houston Quilt Show: Been there, done that.

We have been very busy girls, but we are home now for a little while. We are all looking forward to our visit with Nonni and G-Daddy here. Brenna has been talking about it for days now. Not sure what we are going to do, but I know it will be great to visit with them.

I have many stories and lots of pictures, but I am too tired to tell it all. I think the recap would be too boring for most. Maybe I will get to some of the stories eventually. I will try to stay on top of things now that I am home for awhile.

Canyon Here We Come

2009-10-07T08:06:00.003-05:00

Nathan made the mistake a few days ago of reminding Brenna that we were going on an airplane this week to see Krissy. As any of you with young children know, that is a big mistake.
Brenna: "Mommy are we going on the plane now." (That was Sunday. The trip is Thrusday.)
Me: "No, we have 4 more days."

Five minutes later.
Brenna: "Is it four days now?"
Repeat a million times.

By Monday, I was ready to kill Nathan. Instead I decided to make Brenna a calendar to help her see when we were going on the plane.

Brenna has a brilliant Mommy. Now every time she asks when we are going on the airplane we look at the calendar and she tells me. Sometimes I am just so smart.

Anyways, we are both very excited about our trip tomorrow. Hopefully the flight will be fine and we will have a wonderful time in the cooler weather. Thank goodness Oma is ahead of me in dressing my child. She has already provided Brenna with the only warmer clothes she owns right now. Thanks Oma and Pepere.

Off Week

2009-10-02T17:16:00.005-05:00

In honor of our football off week, I thought I would post the pictures of Brenna's new Badger shirt. Last Friday, I wore one of my Badger shirts and Brenna again informed me that she wanted on too, "Just like Mommy's." Well, I can only resist that request so many times. I took her to Walmart in Beeville and bought a white T-shirt and some fabric. I decided to make one since I couldn't find one to buy. I made a mighty fine shirt if I do say so myself. She was quite cute in her little shirt and hair bows.

It took me longer than nap time to figure out how to make this shirt, so I decided to play a movie for Brenna while I finished sewing the shirt. Brenna kept looking over at my work and exclaiming, "Is my Badger shirt done yet, Mommy." When I finally said yes, the smile on her face made all the trouble completely worth while. She loved wearing her Badger shirt to the game last week. I guess it is all the little things that count for her.

Before the game, I took her outside to snap some shots of her new Badger look. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I couldn't narrow them down very well, so there are quite a few.

That tongue cracks me up. I used to make fun of Aaron when he was writing or doing anything with a lot of concentration. His little tongue would stick out just like Brenna's. I guess she is a little like her uncle, but I think she is just being funny here.

Not sure what that pose was for, but I thought it was cute.

Such a funny little girl.

Little Dresses for Africa

2009-09-29T08:06:00.003-05:00

I was so privileged to participate in a program called Little Dresses For Africa. I had not previously heard of this Christian based organization, but I love their idea and vision. Little Dresses is a non-profit organization that provides dresses for little girls in Africa. Many times these girls are taking care of their brothers and sisters because their parents have died of AIDS or some other illness.

I have made a pillowcase dress before for Brenna, but I forgot how long they actually took to make. I went to the party expecting to whip out several of these simple but cute little dresses. I was wrong. I only finished one because I wanted to add little things to it so the girl who receives it might feel special and loved. I must say that I had a lot of fun making this little dress and would like to make more for the organization. Maybe I will organize a little party like this in Karnes City in the future. I loved being able to meet people and spend the afternoon sewing, laughing, and chatting with other ladies. How fun!

This is a picture of our final products. Our hostess send me the picture. I love the way the dresses turned out. So cute.

Bathtub Art and Puppy Luvin'

2009-09-28T21:21:00.005-05:00

I was amazed one night last night when I passed the the bathroom door and peeked in to make sure Brenna was doing okay in the bathtub. She loves using the bathtub markers and usually just colors all over. This night was different. This is what I saw.

I thought Nathan had helped her in someway and asked Brenna if Daddy had been in there with her. She turned to me and said, "Look Mommy, there is Daddy, Mommy, and Brenna."She said she did it all by herself and Nathan confirmed her claim. I praised the stew out of her. Maybe some of Dad's artistic ability is finally coming through the genes. I suppose the future will tell.

I love to watch Brenna play with Annie, although many of you know that sometimes that can become too rough. I am not looking forward to paying that vet bill on the credit card. On this day, Brenna was being more gentle. She loves giving Annie hugs and kisses. Annie is so patient and tolerant. She is actually a lot more tolerant than I imagined she would be. I'm not sure if Brenna is telling Annie a secret or if she is just hugging and kissing. Lately she has started to whisper secrets into my ear. Maybe she is taking those to Annie too.

A little later, Brenna had all her stuffed animals on the floor. She was laying in the middle of them and Annie decided that would be great fun for her too. Brenna loved it and blessed me with one of her precious giggles. I love being a mom.

No Title

2009-09-27T14:57:00.002-05:00

I can't think of a title to define this last week. We have been crazy here in the big KC. I'll review the highlights. Last Sunday night, Brenna and I went to SA. We both had Dr appointments on Monday, so we spent the night with A and E. It is always fun to be there. Both appointments went well, although there wasn't much new information. I guess some appointments are just like that. On Wednesday, Brenna and I went to a "See you at the Poll" rally. It was a great time of worship, but Brenna was up late that night. She became progressivly more grumpy and tired as the week moved along. She had many late nights and of course she didn't want to nap. What am I going to do with that girl?

Thursday was my work day and the night of the 33 Miles concert. It was a crazy day for many people here. The concert was awesome. I am still thinking through it and Nathan is still recovering from all the moving of equiptment of several different events. The concert was the first of his events. I loved being a part of something God is doing in KC. I am still hearing people say how amazed they were that the band was so good and they came to KC. Thank you 33 miles, John Waller, and Pocket Full of Rocks for taking your time to minister to the people of KC.

Friday was football day. Brenna didn't nap and was up late again. Poor thing was just so tired by Saturday. The whole Jones Family was grumpy by Saturday night. Sadly the Badgers lost the football game, Brenna still had a great time at the game.

Saturday was a marching contest for Nathan. Brenna and I went to a sewing party in SA. Yes, you read correctly. I went to a party where we all brought our sewing machines and sewed. And yes, It was a lot of fun. We were making dresses for little girls in Africa who have lost their parents and are caring for the rest of thier family. I loved being able to make the little dresses as cute as possible and thinking how much the little girls would love them. I met new people and had a great time talking and laughing with my new friends. Brenna had fun playing with her new friends, although she was very tired by the time we left.

So that is it. I have several posts worth of pictures coming this week. I'll end with one picture from last week. Although Brenna isn't naping most days, she does fall asleep sometimes. It is normally pretty funny too because she has books all around her. I was able to capture one of those times before waking her.

What a day, what a day!

2009-09-18T18:46:00.004-05:00

Well, it has been quite a day for Brenna and I. It started out looking good and has finally ended well. It was just the middle that was a little turbulent. After breakfast, "school", and Sesame Street, I decided to take Brenna to the park. I asked her if she needed to go potty and she emphatically said "no." Can you guess where this is going? Well, I am trying to teach her to make good decisions about going potty before we leave the house, so I said, "Okay, let's go." Five minutes later, at the park, those famous words came from her precious little mouth, "Momma, I need to go potty." We walked to the park restroom, but it was locked. When I told her we had to go home, she decided she didn't need to go anymore. I said, "Okay, but I don't want you to have an accident." Needless to say, she did and we went home with a few tears. We talked about going potty before we leave the house so that we can stay and have fun. Maybe she will remember that lesson next time. I'm sure we will have the opportunity to see.

Later it was nap time. I got her in bed and gave her a pile of books to read. About an hour later she starts frantically screaming. When I looked on her monitor, I noticed that she had another bloody nose. So I went to take care of that problem and told her to rest a little longer. Five minutes before we needed to leave for the "pepper rally", she fell asleep. Now in two weeks, she has only taken one nap. Why in the world did she decided to fall asleep today? I knew that if we missed the "pepper rally" I would be in big trouble. In fact, I believe she might never nap again in fear of missing some fun activity again. So I awakened a very sleepy Brenna. Poor thing. I asked her if she wanted to keep sleeping or go see the badger. Can you guess her answer?

On the way out she went potty. (Score one for Mom.) I grabbed my purse, a snack for Brenna and Nathan, and my sunglasses, locked the door, and shut it. As my hand pulled the locked door shut, my head screamed, "No, you didn't grab your keys!" So, we ended up walking to the school. Luckily it is less than a mile away. "Come on Brenna, we have to hurry." "Yes, I'll pick you up, but you can walk a little more." "You can make it a little farther." "Okay Baby, I'll carry you." We did make it to the "pepper rally" and as a bonus Brenna got to hug Boomer, the Badger.

After getting Nathan's keys and a ride home, we headed to Walmart. That trip landed a few toys in time out, but we made it home alive. We ate our pizza and are now watching Boz. I'm thinking she will fall asleep soon. I'm also thinking tomorrow will be better. Brenna and I have both missed Nathan this week. In Brenna's words, "Daddy will be home all night long."

(The picture has nothing to do with the post, it was just funny. This one was for Pepere and Oma.)

How a Texas Girl becomes a Bulldog

2009-09-05T09:07:00.004-05:00

I think it is official. This Texas born and bred girl has officially moved over to the Georgia bulldog world. I fought the conversion all those years that I lived in Georgia, but now that I have moved back to Texas I'm claiming UGA as my colors. Maybe I just like to go against the flow. There certainly aren't many UGA fans her in South Texas. Although whenever I see a bulldog shirt I have to smile at my comrade. Maybe I just like Red and Black, but if that were the sole reason, I could have been a Raider fan. Maybe I am thinking of all the excitement in Athens today. I did love the game day fun, but that was probably true for most schools. Maybe the conversion happened because I had to dress Brenna in something on Saturdays. I should have know it would happen someday when I became a Jones. I'm just not sure that you can be a part of this family and not root for the Dawgs. I don't really know if there is one single reason, but I know were I stand for now. Go Dawgs!

Friday Night Lights

2009-09-04T21:55:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know, watching the actual game isn't really why you go to a football game. Well, at least that is true in a three year olds world. I guess I can share her sentiment. I never was that big on the game. I remember going to high school football games and waiting eagerly to watch the halftime show. I also insisted that we sit right in front of the cheerleaders. As I expressed last week, Brenna's favorite part of the game is Boomer (the badger mascot). Just so you know she isn't crazy. We were sitting with another little girl who told me her favorite part of the game was Boomer. Brenna is in good company.

This week, I was sporting my bright orange shirt in team spirit when Brenna told me she needed a "Boomer" shirt too. I told her we would try to get one at the game. Unfortunately when we got there, all the shirts left were way too big. I was able to ease the disappointment with a pom pom. I think it was a better than fair trade. Although she still talked about a badger shirt, she loved waiving her pom pom around. Her eyes were glued to the drill team dancers, twirlers, and the cheerleaders. She was quite cute mimicking their moves. I did sustain a few hits from the streamers, but luckily they didn't leave marks.

I was very smart to buy the pom pom. Brenna has informed me that I need to make her a streamer, flag, baton (used by twirlers), and now a badger shirt. At least I am saved from making a pom pom. I think Brenna is learning to pass out projects from my Mom. That does not bode well for my future.

So the humor of the night happened after the halftime show. The football team ran through their "Badger Den" and were getting set on the sidelines. The refs were in the center of the field. I think they were about to call the players to start the second half when the fans noticed two yellow labs on the 20 yard line. They were very funny running across the field and I pointed them out to Brenna. We were talking about how funny they were because "dogs don't play football" when she turned to me and said, "Those dogs can't play football, Mommy. They don't have a helmet." Straight from the mouth of babes. So for all those football playing dogs out there, be sure to wear your helmet or you can't play. Just so you know, the two dogs were safely escorted off the field, but they weren't happy about it. One of the dogs sat down and wouldn't budge until it was carried off. They may have been the stars of halftime even if they didn't get to play in the second half.

Two Things

2009-09-02T17:17:00.004-05:00

Many may have already heard this story, but I needed to tell it here too. Brenna and I went to the first football game last Friday night. It is amazing how much difference a year can make in the behavior of a child. She wasn't really bad last year, but I had to chase her up and down the bleachers all night. It was quite exhausting. At this game, she was really noticing all the things around her. She especially loved the mascot. The statement I heard most was, "Mommy, where is the Badger?" She even got to give the badger a hug and was thrilled. I'm sure we will be giving the badger a hug at each game now.

So here is the funny story for the evening. The announcer was saying something while Brenna was standing on the bleachers to get a better look at the badger. When she heard him talking, she turned to look down at me and said, "Mommy, is that God?" I was trying hard not to laugh at her, but it was so cute and funny. I had to giggle a little. I explained to her that it was just the announcer talking. "Where is he?" I pointed up and told her he was in the house at the top of the stands, but we couldn't really see him right then. I guess my answer was sufficient. She didn't question me anymore.

The other thing I wanted to share today was Brenna's precious face when she saw the surprise I brought home for her this weekend. I have been looking at a towel set at Walmart for a few weeks now. Last week it went on sale and I couldn't resist. It was just too cute and I knew she would love it. Besides, I have never decorated her bathroom for her. I bought everything they had. I'm thankful it was all on sale.

I count the surprise a success.

Growing up

2009-08-27T11:34:00.005-05:00

Everyone needs to go to the dentist eventually. Brenna's first appointment was yesterday. She was a superstar and very proud of herself when I called her one. As we left the office, she had a huge smile and a lollipop. I'm so thankful that her first experience wasn't too traumatic for her. She was a little scared when the dentist laid the chair back, but she adjusted pretty quickly. She opened her mouth like an alligator and only bit down once. I don't think Brenna realized the dentist still had her fingers in her mouth. Regardless, she opened her mouth quickly.

She has been making me laugh since the appointment. She keeps talking about kissing at the doctor's office. It is actually very innocent. For some reason Brenna didn't understand how to close her lips around the syringe tube. The dentist told her to pretend she was sucking on a straw, but that didn't work. She then told Brenna to kiss the syringe. That worked and Brenna loved the concept. Funny how her little mind works.

It is still hard for me to believe that we have passed by one more milestone in Brenna's life. She was such a cutie and good girl. I was very proud of my little one.

My life flashing before my eyes

2009-08-24T13:21:00.004-05:00

Sometime in high school, I started collecting Disney movies. I wanted to have them so that my children could watch the movies I grew up watching. I never imagined what fun it would be to watch all those movies with my child one day. For the past few months, I have been introducing some of my favorite Disney movies with Brenna: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Aladin, and Little Mermaid. I don't think it is the princess aspect that she loves so much. Maybe that will come one day. She is loving the music and all the animals. Well, that isn't completely true. She has been known to put on her dress up close and come through the house looking for Nathan. "I'm the princess and your the Prince. Don't be late for the wedding." I wonder how she knows that he has a tendency to be late for things?

Lately her favorite movie has been "The Little Mermaid" and she asks to watch it all the time. I loved that movie. I remember watching it in front of our TV upstairs while studying for finals my Sophomore or Junior year in high school. Nathan laughs at me as I recall almost all the words and can sing them back for Brenna when she asks. Brenna has taken to singing Ariel's song all day. It is most humorous when she is lying in bed. Normally she starts singing when she firsts wakes up in the morning or from her nap. I guess that is one way for her to let me know she's up.

I am glad I saved all those movies for Brenna, but I wish they had already made DVDs back then. Many of my VHS movies simply don't work anymore. The quality on all of them is very poor although Brenna doesn't seem to mind that. I guess I shouldn't have worked so hard to save all those VHS tapes. Now I am on a mission to replace them with DVDs. I hope you enjoy the video. You now have a glimpse from my past.

Look at that hand and eye action. She's ready for broadway, baby.

Unmentionables

2009-08-23T13:58:00.002-05:00

They have more than one purpose. Who knew?

Kitchen Gadgets

2009-08-19T09:20:00.008-05:00

I wouldn't describe myself as a "gadget" person in general, but I have always loved gadgets that pertain to the kitchen. I am gaining even more of a love for them. Unfortunately, I don't have a very big kitchen or much storage space. Luckily my new favorite gadgets don't take up too much space. I thought I would share them with you. If you are crazy about kitchen gadgets too, you should try these. I just love them.

So, coming in at number four is my ricer. At least that is what I think it is called. This little gadget makes perfect mashed potatoes. I also recently learned that it makes perfect guacamole. Anything that needs to be mashed comes out so smooth and even. I love it. The only complaint comes from Nathan. He hates to clean it; although, I believe it could be washed in a dishwasher if we had one. My solution... I just wash it for him when I use it. I love the results too much to begrudge the ricer of it's cleaning.

Number 3: Nathan's new panini grill. Anyone who likes grilled sandwiches should have one of these. They are quick and easy to use. Again, the clean up is not easy, but well worth the trouble. I have used this gadget almost everyday this week. Unfortunately this gadget is a little bigger in size, but I found a storage area on a shelf of our island. I do love a good sandwich. I need to try it with some of my homemade bread. By the way that is another gadget that I love but didn't make this list. A bread maker. Everyone should have one of those too.

Number 2: I love this new little toy for the kitchen. It is a pineapple slicer. It is very easy to use and clean. The hardest part is centering the core into the gadget. All you have to do is turn the slicer around in circles and the result is perfectly sliced, peeled, and cored pineapples. I do love some fresh pineapples. I may have to go buy one soon.

Drum roll please. And now, for the number one gadget of "Kayla's kitchen gadget of the week list"....
The coffee frother. Again, not sure if that is really what it is called.

I love this new toy. It makes the perfect froth for coffee. I have it down to a science. I make at least 2 cups a day now. Not sure if this is a good habit, but at least the coffee is decaf. So here is my recipe. I make a good coffee and add a little cinnamon to the beans, then let the coffee pot do it's job. When the coffee is almost done dripping I put the liquid creamer in a glass measuring cup and microwave it for about 25 seconds. (I use french vanilla cream. Yummy sweetness!) The cream should be very warm. Next I use my little gadget to swirl the cream around very fast making the fluffy froth. (Try saying those two words ten times. Bet you can't.)

When the coffee is done I fill my glass 2/3 full and add sugar or splenda to the coffee. Lastly, I pour the froth and remaining cream into the coffee and stir. Doesn't it look just heavenly!

Now that you have "Kayla's favorite kitchen gadget list of the week" what will you do? May I suggest trying one for yourself. Also, feel free to let me know if there are other gadgets that I "need".

Headaches

2009-08-18T07:08:00.003-05:00

I hate everything about headaches and migraines. I have had my share in my lifetime. I can't even remember a time in my life when I didn't have regular headaches. I seriously hope I haven't passed this dreaded plight on to Brenna. This week has been record breaking. Two immobilizing migraines in a row. Sunday night I thought I would die but felt much better after an Imitrex and Vicaden. I even woke up at midnight hungry. I thought I was free on Monday morning, but the second beast hit around noon. Two Imitrex, one Zomig nasal spray, and a Vicaden later, I still had that monster pounding through my whole head. Finally, blessed sleep washed over me when I was able to relax my body enough through submerging most of my head into a hot bath. I think we should really look for a house with a garden tub next time. The regular bathtubs just don't cut it when an adult body tries to lie completely down.

So here's hoping that today is a pain free one. I did start the day with 3 Advil, but they seem to be kicking the hangover headache that settled as I awoke this morning.

Before this whole thing started yesterday, Brenna and I went to see a new baby. I just love little newborn babies. Jacob wasn't even a week old. So precious. I forget how little they are at first. Although this child my have the longest fingers and toes I have ever seen. I enjoyed taking a few pictures of him. I haven't put them on the computer yet, but hopefully I'll get that done today. Thanks Kelly for sharing your little one. I enjoyed our visit.

I would also like to express how thankful I am for friends. One of mine came and saved me yesterday. I wasn't able to take care of Brenna because I couldn't function, and my wonderful friend Christy came to save me and Brenna. I am so thankful for people in my life who are willing to put aside their convenience to help a friend.

Way behind on life

2009-08-15T13:22:00.004-05:00

Can I be forgiven? I'm not sure if I will ever catch up, but I will at least try. I can't believe that I practically lost all of July. Where did it go you may ask? We were in Georgia for the beginning of July. We came home for a week, then Brenna and I went to Houston to care for Nena. We came home for one day so that I could work, then I went back to Houston again. That brings us to August. Basically I traveled July away. I guess some months are just like that.

We have been busy to say the least, but I do have a few pictures for your enjoyment. First, on our way home from Georgia, we stopped in Alabama to visit Nathan's grandmother. Brenna enjoyed the short time we had with her there. We have several pictures similar to this chronicling Brenna's growth. I thought this was a cute one. Brenna and Nana also practiced smiling with their fingers. That too was a cute picture.

In between trips, we were able to go to a minor league baseball game with some people from church. This was Brenna's first game. I think she enjoyed the mascots more than the game, but at least she had fun. For Nathan's sake, I hope she learns to enjoy baseball games more than I have. She was quite cute running up and down the isle crushing the peanut shells under her feet as she went along. I had to have at least one picture to prove we were there.

At the beginning of the week, Brenna and I spent time in Austin with Amy and Krissy. What fun we had. I'm not sure which kids had more fun: Amy and I at the expense of our girls, or Brenna and Krissy with their developing friendship. Whichever way it was, we all had fun. There were many late nights and I think we were all a little tired at the end. The girls matched hair one day and then Amy and I couldn't resist some BFF tees for both girls. They were just too cute. For those of you who knew Amy and I in high school, we just haven't changed much in some ways.

When Brenna is away from Nathan for very long, she just can't seem to get enough of him when they are back together. She really loves her Daddy. I love to listen in on their play time. Today I overheard Brenna saying, "Daddy, Daddy it's time for the wedding. You be the prince and I'm the princess". So cute. She was all decked out in dress up clothes and shoes. She can be such the princess. (It seems that Krissy, a princess enthusiast, has taught Brenna some new games.) After lunch Brenna asked Nathan to play a game with her. They sat in the chair and played a cute little video game together. Brenna can't do much but she likes to push the X when Nathan tells her it is time.

What else have I missed? Nathan and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. It was a strange celebration. We exchanged gifts on the day of our anniversary, but we didn't go on our date until the end of the week. Let me tell you this will be the year to remember for mishaps. We were supposed to go see Harry Potter and eat dinner, but the movie had left the theater. We still went to eat and ended up spending the rest of the evening in Walmart. Romantic right? What can I say, sometimes it doesn't really matter where you go as long as you are together.

No pictures

2009-07-27T07:28:00.002-05:00

I don't think life has stopped long enough for me to write since we came back from Georgia. We had a week there at home. Now Brenna and I are in Houston taking care of Nena for the week. I don't even have any fun stories to share. Obviously there are no pictures right now either. I guess we have to wait for school to start back up to resume a normal life again.

Georgia Aquarium

2009-07-07T08:23:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we spent the day at the Georgia Aquarium. We all had a great time seeing all the beautiful (and not so beautiful) fish that God created. Brenna loved being able to stand right at the window and look at all the fish. I think she felt like she could touch them.

Some of them she could touch.

All she can talk about now is going back to see the fish "next time". That is her new favorite phrase. Any time someone tells her we can't do something she responds with, "next time we can ________."

We have all loved this time we are able to spend in Georgia with family. We have been able to spend a lot of time with G-Daddy and Nonni. Matt and Tasha were here for the weekend so we saw them a good bit. We had a surprise yesterday when BJ came with us to the aquarium. Brenna loves both her uncles and Aunt Tasha. It was a special treat for her to be able to spend the day with BJ too since he wasn't able to be here this weekend.

I do recommend the Georgia Aquarium if you are ever in Atlanta. Kids of all ages love it. I can't tell you how many people I saw standing with hands on the window looking through the glass in awh. I could have taken a thousand pictures.

Speaking of pictures. This one was an accident. I was experimenting with different settings while we were there. Not sure what the setting was when I took the picture of this jellyfish, but it really turned out good. I was surprised with myself.

In closing. I promise I was at the aquarium with the rest of my family. The hazards of being the photographer is that I am absent from all the pictures. I'll have to remember to hand the camera over to someone else at some point. I just don't love posed pictures, so often forget to capture one with just Nathan, Brenna, and I or any with me and someone else. Well, maybe I don't always dislike posed pictures. Sometimes they just happen, I am just not in them very often.

As all Good July the 4th Should be

2009-07-07T06:29:00.004-05:00

This year Nathan, Brenna, and I were able to spend July 4th with Nathan's family in the Georgia mountains. His grandparents, Oma and Pepere, came down from Virginia, and both his brothers showed up as well. We had a good day. There are many elements that make up a good July 4th celebration. I think we may have hit them all this year. That doesn't happen often and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

1. Family and friends. I think I already hit on this important issue. Family and friends are a must of this celebration. Under this category, I am going to include babies. We had one this year. I do love taking pictures of babies. This is Matt and Tasha's little nephew. Isn't he a doll. You should see his smile that matches those blue eyes.

2. Food and it's preparation. Of course all celebrations should have a little food to bring the day through. I had the opportunity to help Oma prepare her yummy potato salad. I love preparing food with someone else. There is always great conversation and the opportunity to spend quality time together. There is just something about being in a kitchen together with someone you love.

The grilling is a must. Keith was in charge of that.

Then there is the consumption of a large amount of food. We sat around the porch eating, talking, and laughing. Everyone enjoyed the food and there was much laughter to lighten the load in our full tummies.

3. Good stories. Yes, we heard several of these. The stories of the even provoked much laughter. Pepere and Oma are always full of funny stories from the many years of serving our country. There are stories of childhood, and stories of diversity. There was much talking with this group.

4. A faithful Dog. People often talk about "a boy and his dog". Brenna could be included in that statement. If there is an animal around she will find it. She loves all animals. I love to watch her talk to the animals and play with them. "Patty Puppy" is no exception. Brenna loves her, and what a sweet puppy she is. Brenna really enjoyed having Patty out of the fence for the evening.

5. Swimming at the Lake. Okay, so I didn't take any pictures there, but it happened. Our little fish loved the lake, but didn't want to go under. She splashed around and laughed with those around her. Just so you know. If you don't like people, don't go to the lake on July 4th. There were so many people around, it was hard to move without bumping into someone.

6. Fireworks. Well of course you need those on July 4th. I'm glad we weren't in KC this year. I'm pretty sure they were banned because of the lack of water. I haven't ever really tried to take pictures of fireworks and was very excited about this new challenge. I checked out several sights that gave helpful pointers and set out that evening with my camera and tripod. I knew we were going to the local hotel to watch them, but it never occurred that the fireworks were going to be set off so far away. I also didn't factor the fence into my plans. When we got to the hotel, I realized that the pictures wouldn't turn out well with a fence in the way. Keith suggested that I climb on top of the van. Let me just say that I became the pre-show entertainment. Who knows how many pictures are now floating around that show my "graceful" climb to the top of the van. Luckily I did get up and down safely. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the pictures proved the effort worthwhile. We were just too far away for good pictures. We did all enjoy the show with all the "pretty colors", "booms", and "pop, pops" as Brenna describes the show.

7. Sparklers. This was Brenna's first experience with sparklers. She loved looking at the lights right there in her hand. I think we went through 3 boxes. It was late and she cried when we were all out of the sparklers. Once Daddy showed her what to do. Brenna wanted to do it "all by myself".

Welcome to Georgia

2009-07-03T13:18:00.004-05:00

After many hours of driving we finally arrived in Georgia. Nathan promptly said, "Ahh, we are now in God's country." Not sure if I agree with that statement, but it sure is nice to see green again. I also went for a run this morning and didn't come back needing to replenish a gallon of water that I had lost. I was actually a little chilly when I walked out. I only brought the running clothes that I wear in Texas now. It was right around 60 degrees here. That is basically winter for us. It was a great run. I felt like I could go forever. My lungs weren't breathing water and the air was cooler than my body temp.

Yesterday I had a chance to take some pictures of Brenna outside G-Daddy and Nonni's house. She has a good time playing in their yard. We took a blanket out and sat on the lawn reading and playing with some stickers. I loved these pictures of her in their swing.

As some may know, I had been trying to win a toy from ebay as a surprise for Brenna. I did finally win it a few weeks back and it came right as we were walking out the door on Monday. I wanted to wait until Brenna needed something fun to occupy her time here at the house. This morning I brought out the "Little Einsteins Rocket" toy. I think it is safe for me to say that this has been her favorite toy ever in her short three years on this earth. I wish I had the video camera or my digital camera ready to take a picture of her face when I brought it out. She had the biggest eyes and smile. She breathed in a huge gulp of air and exhaled an amazed "Ohhh". How sweet is her excitement? She played with rocket for an hour before lunch. Then she was barely willing to eat lunch because she wanted to play with rocket again. Score a point for Mommy on this one. May it bring us hours of fun play.

Cuzins Camp

2009-06-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

Brenna has been at "Cuzins Camp" this week. That consists of she and Tanner spending a week with Mimi and Poppi. By the sound of it, the week has been crazy busy and fun. Mom had all sorts of activities planned for them. I am sure the kids will be exhausted by the end of the week. Well technically, I think the week has officially ended. Aaron picked up Tanner yesterday, but we decided to leave Brenna with Mom and Dad until we come on Monday. Anyways, I have no pictures of the week to share, but it sounds like they had fun. They went to the Children's Museum, the pool, shopping for a special toy, the library, the beach, water time outside, and they did lots of crafts at home. I hope my poor parents recover sometime in then next few weeks.

Not sure if that recovery will actually happen. We are trading Brenna with Annie and Westin and heading to Georgia on Tuesday. Hopefully the pets well will be a little better than Brenna. Not that she was a bad girl, but she did have a few issues with being away from us. She also likes the push the limits as most 3 year olds do. I will be interested to see what limits she pushes with us when she is back in our care. It should be loads of fun.

Nathan and I have had a good and uneventful week. We have eaten out several times, seen a movie at the theater and watched several movies here at home. It has been nice to just be together with no other obligations. The week has gone by quickly, but I am ready to see our little girl again.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T07:17:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to wish all Fathers a Happy day. I especially wanted to thank Nathan, Dad, and Keith who are the specific fathers in my life. I hope your day is very special.

Nathan, I love you so much. Thank you for working hard to provide a home for Brenna and I. Thank you for putting up with me when I am grumpy, tired, or not feeling well. Thank you for loving me though all and for being patient with me. Thank you for loving Brenna and being patient with her. She is requiring a lot of patience from you right now. I'm sure that too will change in as the months pass. It seems like all she does is change. I hope you day is filled with the knowledge that you are appreciated. I love you dearly.

All Good Things Come to an End

2009-06-20T13:24:00.004-05:00

This year Brenna had a wonderful experience with swimming lessons. Abby and Kelsey did a great job teaching her even though she was significantly younger than most of the other kids. She was introduced to the basics of swimming and loved her time in the pool. Her teachers were able to teach her to float on her back with help,

jump from the wall without holding Kelsey's hand (She was doing that before she started lessons, but somewhere along the way she decided she needed help. Now she will jump on her own.),

"swim" with scoops, kicks, and bubbles,

and jump of the diving board with help.

It has been fun to watch her expand her love of swimming. I look forward to the years ahead when she will learn even more.

Kelsey and Abby had "prizes" for all the kids at the end of the lesson. Brenna was quiet excited about hers, but she didn't really have enough hands to hold them all. She posed with them when we got home. You know I had to document the day with a final picture.

Swimming continues

2009-06-18T20:35:00.004-05:00

What a funny girl we have. She was resting after the lesson was over. I could only laugh as I took the picture. She really is growing up now.

Brenna had another great day at swimming lessons. Although we talked about "froggy jumping" all day Wednesday and on Thursday morning, she wouldn't do the dive for any coxing from Kelsey.

It did give her another chance to actually jump without help. She did a great job doing that, but no Froggy Jump. Well, maybe tomorrow will be better.

She is doing a good job kicking, blowing bubbles, and scooping with her arms. She does sort of look like she is drowning, but she has a great time doing it. She is getting much better at kicking to me from the stairs too. She won't be ready for the olympics at the end of tomorrow, but she has had a good introduction to swimming lessons. Hopefully she will look forward to them next year.

She also "jumped" off the diving board again today. She is loving that even though her head doesn't even go under water. Just look at her smile as she kicks to the ladder after she just jumped.

Summer Continues

2009-06-16T06:50:00.003-05:00

Well, VBS went well. We were all exhausted, but the outcome was completely worth the exhaustion. This was Brenna's fist year to be in a VBS class. She couldn't stop talking about going to class each night. She also talked about Peter all day long. She is still asking to learn about Peter. I am amazed at what a little sponge she is. I really should be talking to her more about the bible. I should look for some material that might be fun and spiritually educational for her. Any ideas?

This is week two of swimming lessons. Brenna is doing great at those too. I'm not sure what she will have learned by the end, but she is having a great time doing it. My hope is that she will be able to kick effectively by the end of the week, but not sure if that will happen. We aren't really practicing outside of lessons right now. I will probably be working on that all summer. She has also mysteriously stopped jumping off the side of the pool. Not sure what that is about. Before lessons, she would do that over and over until my arms were too tired to catch her.

On friday Brenna "jumped" off the diving board. I was so proud of her and mad at myself for not bringing my camera. We talked about it all weekend. I kept talking about doing it again on Monday so that Mommy could get a picture. Well, yesterday rolled around and she wouldn't go off. That would figure. See if I'm ill prepared again. I guess my camera will now be a permanent attachment to my body.

I did however get a few cute pictures yesterday. And since I will have my camera now for the rest of the week, I'm sure there will be more to follow.

"Froggy Jump"

"Splash"

One more funny swimming lesson story. There are many spots of down time for the kids as they are waiting for their turn. Brenna deals with the down time a little differently than the rest of the kids. She brings her "puppy" with her to swimming lessons. While all the other kids quietly wait for their turn, Brenna has a great time playing with her puppy. She talks to it, feeds it, and laughs with it. When it is her turn to jump she hands the puppy to one of the other kids. They open their hand and give her a very confused and quizzical look. It is quiet funny to watch. I think the other kids think she is crazy. Most of them are several years older than her. I don't think they really understand what she is telling them or doing. While she was waiting to do the froggy jump, the lifeguards caught her laughing and telling the puppy to stop licking her because it tickled. She is a very creative and imaginative little girl.

Ode to Mr. and Mrs. Bird

2009-06-12T22:02:00.004-05:00

Oh, my little friends, how glad I am that you have returned to my porch this year. You flew south for the winter, but are back now. Oh wait, we are south. Where did you go? No matter. You are back now.

I love to see you sitting on the phone wire close to the porch. You guard your home so faithfully. You are hard workers and you work together to build the "Best Nest". And it is a lovely nest. I can't believe that a week ago it was only a shadow of what it is today.

I am so happy to share my porch especially since you don't dive bomb me when I come outside. You only soar off to high branch of the tree in our yard. I am sorry that Annie barks at you. She really would love to come out and get you. You have my permission to dive bomb her if she ever gets out. Only, try to just scare her. I wouldn't want her to get hurt. She too is just trying to protect her territory.

I love to hear you sing through the day. You both have lovely voices. I would love to know what you are saying. Your tweets remind me to enjoy the simplicity in life.

Most of all I love to see you at night. The two of you must love spending time together. You settle in to watch over all of us as we sleep. You cuddle in your small space and look so "nice and cozy" (borrowing one of Brenna's favorite phrases). This calm time of the day is the only time you allow me to come close enough to capture a picture. I can't wait to see the little babies that can call my front porch home. I'm sure you will both make great parents.

I hope you don't leave too soon. And when you do leave. Please come back and make me smile again next summer.

Summer Craze

2009-06-12T07:51:00.002-05:00

I feel the need to update everyone. We are still here and kicking in Karnes City, Texas. This week has been crazy busy. Brenna is in swimming lessons in the morning, then we are off to VBS in the evening. We barely have time to catch our breath. I will post more about VBS and swimming soon. It has been fun watching her do both of those things. She is having a great time being a "big girl" now. What a great summer for her. She is talking about the upcoming highlights of her summer all the time. Unfortunately, she wants to know if we are doing all the events "tomorrow" or "after my nap". She can't wait for camp with Tanner at Mimi and Poppi's house. Multiple times a day we talk about the animals we will see with Nonni and G-daddy. Then yesterday she added going to Billy and Stephanie's house and seeing baby "Lisha". July will be a good month for her.

Pictures coming soon.

Musical Days

2009-06-05T16:30:00.005-05:00

We have always said that Brenna has music in her blood, but she has proved that for the past few days. She has been singing and dancing her little heart out as Nathan and I learn the VBS music. I love to watch her. This year she will be in a VBS class and not just the nursery. I think she is going to love it. I am a little worried about her doing well in our class, but hopefully it will go well. She has a little head start over the other kids with the music. I will be sure to update our progress through VBS next week.

Amy sent me some songs that Krissy (her daughter) really likes a little while ago. Brenna loves these songs too. She is really cute when she asked for that CD. She calls it, "the music that Amy and Krissy sent me." It is basically adult praise and worship music sung by kids. One of the songs is "Awesome God". I think she is combining her favorite TV show with this song. She loves to watch Little Einstein's. The show uses music all through it. One of the little characters sings in a microphone which Brenna loves to mimic. (Thanks Amy and Krissy for the microphone.)

She also has practice with a real microphone. There have been several days that Nathan needs to practice something on the piano at church. Brenna loves to stand on the stage and pretend to sing into the microphone there. I was lucky enough to have my camera handy for that moment. Sorry for the bad coloring. I'm not sure what she was singing this time.

Here is one more unrelated event I wanted to share. We had corn on the cob the other night and I decided to see if Brenna would eat the corn straight off the cob. It was a hit. She ate every bit of that corn. She hasn't ever really eaten can or frozen corn, but apparently it is so much more fun off the cob.

Cookies for Daddy

2009-05-30T20:29:00.003-05:00

I am testing to see if this works. You know how these new computers are. There is always so much to learn when you get a new computer. I am playing with the iMovie. Brenna helped me make cookies today. I thought I would share if I could.

On a completely different subject. I have a child that is asleep in bed. A cat beside me, asleep too. And Annie is laying on the back of the couch snoring in my ear. I guess everyone is happy now.

Okay, now I am just sitting here waiting for the video to upload. Maybe this isn't the best way to publish something. It sure takes a long time. I'll keep writing.

Brenna and I had a good day today. Nathan had his last obligation of the year at Fiesta Texas with his 7th and 8th grade band students. Hopefully they had a good day, but that left Brenna and I to our own devises. I took her to the pool. Today was the first day it was open for the summer. She had a great time until she bumped her head on the side of the pool. Then she was all about coming back home. I convinced her to keep playing for a little while though. She ended up having fun again too.

After lunch she took a good nap. You know how that swimming saps a Toddler of all energy. And then we made the cookies. I hope you get to see that video. It is still processing. Anyways, that was our day. We had fun and now it is almost time for bed. Hopefully the next post won't be so random, but I guess a random post now and again won't kill anyone.

Where to start

2009-05-29T14:30:00.005-05:00

It has been so long, I don't even know where to start. I take that back. My hiatus started by the death of my dearly beloved computer. I am now the owner of a brand new MacBook, which I dearly love. I can't even begin to tell you how much faster this one is than the last one. (Although I don't want to speak ill of the departed. That computer worked it's tail off and served me well for over a year. Thanks Aaron.)

So, now the Texas Jones are back in the land of technology. I know some may argue that a Mac isn't the best option to call technology, but I will argue back. I love my new computer. I might even share it some with Nathan since it is our only computer.

Summer is here now. The pool opens tomorrow and Brenna is excited. Nathan finished his last day of school today, although he still has graduation tonight and a 7th/8th grade band trip tomorrow. We are all excited about a break.

I have spent a lot of time on the road the past few weeks. I have made two trips to SA and one to Austin. Nathan gave me a much needed break last Friday. He watch Brenna and let me visit with a friend over night. It was wonderful. I had a great time visiting and came back at least a little refreshed.

Here are some pictures of Tanner and Brenna playing last Monday.

Here is one other picture of Brenna in the "Big Sand Box" aka the sand volley ball court at the park.

Stay tuned. With the addition of a new computer to our family, I hope to post some video of Brenna soon. Wish me luck.

We are here

2009-05-28T06:28:00.002-05:00

I don't really have time to be posting this morning, but I feel the need to say something. It has been such a long time. Life got a little crazy again as it usually does. We are at the end of the year. Our computer died. I have been reading as a way of great escape. VBS is quickly approaching. I could give several more excuses, but I must get ready for work. More to follow soon...

She cracks me up

2009-05-09T15:32:00.003-05:00

Daddy and Brenna sharing a recliner.

Brenna: "Daddy, uhh, please scoot over."

Daddy repositions his arm and looks at Brenna to see if she is better.
Brenna wiggles with a scowl on her face.

Brenna: "Daddy, it's not better! My tushy."
Daddy: "Oh, sorry. (Daddy scoots his tushy over.) Is that better."

Brenna smiles her response and they begin reading their book.

The Wonderful World of Butterfly Farms

2009-05-09T08:43:00.003-05:00

For Easter, Mom gave Tanner and Brenna Butterfly Farms. They were very excited even though they didn't really know what the farms were for. We sent off for the caterpillars and waited several weeks for them to arrive. They finally came in a little box. There were five caterpillars that were crawling around in a tub of nasty looking food. Brenna could not have been more excited. They stayed in their caterpillar form for several days. Brenna loved looking at them, talking to them, and also reading to them. It was so funny to watch her drag her stool over to the dresser and pick up book after book. She showed them the pictures and "read" the stories as she remembered them to go. The favored book was "Bug Stew". Ironically it was a book were Timon and Pumba teach Simba how to gather all kinds of bugs to make a delicious stew. Not sure the caterpillars really appreciated that story.

Well, they finally turned into cocoons and I have been watching them to see the change into butterflies happen. Yesterday morning, I noticed that they were shaking and thought it would happen soon. I passed by the farm in the afternoon and saw four beautiful butterflies flying around in their home. Brenna was so excited. She laughed and giggled as the "played" together. She helped me feed them sugar water and oranges. She talked to them and counted them all evening and as soon as she got up this morning. This has been a great present. I think we will order more caterpillars again sometime.

I am a little concerned how Brenna will manage letting her new friends go. I will have to do some fancy talking to convince her that they will be so happy free.

Party and Killer Ants

2009-05-07T13:03:00.007-05:00

No, the party didn't have any killer ants. It went off without a hitch. Well, mostly. I did forget to take any video. I was so busy running the show and trying to take pictures that I forgot to shoot any video. I have now designated Nathan to be the official video taper for all the parties hence-forth. Did I use that word correctly? It really just sounded good.

Why "killer ants" in the title, you ask? As many of you have been reading for awhile, you are aware that we have the huge ants on our front porch. They have huge pincers for a nose and they are basically indestructible. I was sitting in the rocking chair, minding my own business, when out of the corner of my eye, I see one making it's way up the couch towards Brenna. "What are you doing in my house big mutant of an ant?" Since Nathan was not at home (my official bug killer), I rushed to the bathroom to retrieve a huge wad of toilet paper. I grabbed the ant and squeezed will all my might. Would you believe that ant was still alive when he landed in the toilet water? These ants must be the super heros in the ant world. Hopefully that one is gone in his watery grave.

I just thought you would all like to know what my day looks like. Now, back to the main interest of the day. Yes, I am finally going to post pictures of the party. It was a great party as far as a three year olds birthday party goes. Everything went well and the kids all seemed to have a great time. I loved watching Brenna play with all her friends. That is really why I wanted a party. I wanted Brenna to really enjoy having fun on her special day.

I had planned several games and activities for the kids entertainment. First I had them color a barnyard placemat. Some colored more diligently than others, but they all had fun for a short time at least. My plan was to put contact paper over the paper so that the kids could all take them home and use the placemats. I didn't really think that one through. Luckily Aunt Peggy and Uncle Roger were patient enough to endure the trials of contact paper. I hear it wasn't fun especially since they had a perfectly good laminating machine sitting on their office desk. Oh, well. I know for next time now. Thanks for your endurance.

Once everyone got there, we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate cake. It was fun to watch Brenna's face when all the kids sang to her. She really understood that it was for her this year. She was all smiles and loved blowing the candles out. Unfortunately I missed the blowing part, but I did get the smile before.

I made a chocolate lamb cake and butter cake cupcakes. Brenna requested yellow cake and I wanted chocolate. I was up quite late finishing them all on Friday night. That would be one reason to avoid a morning party. It seems to be a theme in my life. I wanted our wedding in the morning. Brenna's party in was in the morning. I must just be a morning person, but sometimes it would be nice to have a little extra time. Anyways, at about 10:30pm on Friday, I was decorating the cake. My icing kept getting too hot and as you can see it melted some on the lamb. I just said the lamb decided to roll a little. Despite the melting icing I was pleased with the result, and Brenna loved her cake and cupcakes.

I had dad draw a sheep on a piece of poster board. The kids got to put fleece on the lamb. (They glued cotton balls on the poster.) I had no idea how much fun that could be. I took the basic idea of "pin the tail on the donkey" and made if for 3 year olds. They loved it. They all wanted to glue lots of fleece. I think that game took the longest of anything.

My original idea for the party was to have a stuffed animal parade, but I never really got that together. I was going to have them all parade around the yard. Instead they all got their animals and stood by the "barn" for a picture. Not sure if that really meets the qualifications of the invitation, but it made for a very cute picture.

And all good birthday parties have presents. Ours did although one of the other kids had to ask when we were opening presents. You see, Brenna is most interested in the cake aspect of a party. Sure she likes the presents, but because we ate cake first, the order of anything else didn't really matter. We did open presents and it was a little chaotic. I hope all the other parents don't hate me now. I let the kids help Brenna open. They were all around her anyway and she didn't mind. She actually told several of them they could help. Like I said, the cake was the most important part. It is a good thing Brenna and I aren't claustrophobic because we would have been in big trouble.

The last organized game was a stick horse race. The parents were wondering aloud how I was going to organize that one. The answer, not very well. I gave two kids a stick and said, "ready, set go". They went. It was so funny to watch them all run through the yard with huge smiles. They loved it and everyone got a prize at the end. So much fun.

At the end, all the kids got to pick "apple" party favors. They had all been asking about the "apples" hanging from the tree in the middle of our yard. I kept telling the kids that the apples were for later. Thanks to the internet for that idea. It was a hit too.

The day was great. I loved being able to do this for Brenna. I was exhausted when it was all over. I'm glad that birthdays only come once a year. I guess I must start thinking about what to do next year. It is going to be hard to keep being so creative. Stay tuned for year 4.

Happy Birthday Brenna

2009-04-30T21:37:00.005-05:00

I can't believe my little girl is three now. Where did my baby go? We had a wonderful day today. It was so fun to celebrate with a child that really understood what her birthday was all about. We started the day when I went inside to get her up. I asked her what today was, and she smiled saying, "It's my birthday!" I decided to get donuts for everyone this morning. She got a chocolate cake donut with sprinkles. In her typical crazy eating style, she ate all the chocolate and sprinkle first then part of the cake part.

Brenna and I spent the day in SA. I had a doctor's appointment and I know she would enjoy a special day today. We went to "Build-a-Bear" for the first time today. She loved picking out an animal and then watching it being stuffed.

The employees there do a great job getting the kids to interact. They help stuff the bear and then they put a little heart into the bear before sewing it up. How sweet is Brenna making a wish and kissing the heart for her bunny?

Then she took her bunny to be washed and brushed.

Later we picked out clothes and left with a birth certificate stating the "Trina" has the same birthday as Brenna. So sweet.

We ate lunch with Avery and Poppi then picked up Tanner from school. Dad and I had the joy of watching 3 kids run all over the park. They were very cute playing together and having so much fun.

When we came home we ate a dinner of pizza. Brenna got to pick and that is what she wanted. She does love her pizza. Then after dinner, we opened gifts and cards. She did love her special day. It was fun to sit around and just spend time together.

Thanks for all the cards. She loved opening all them and looking at the pictures.

Thanks for the clothes Oma and Pepere, and Aunt Cyndi and Uncle Carlos. She loved all her new clothes. This was the first time she has really loved taking them all out and looking at each piece of clothing. We talked about the colors and what was on each outfit. Wish you could have been here with us.

I loved watching Brenna and Nathan play together. She loves her Daddy so much. From the words that belong to Mom, "It makes my heart go pitter pat."

We had a great day. Happy Birthday my little girl. You are truly a blessing. I am more aware of how special you are with each passing day. You are my little miracle baby. I love watching you grow and learn. I look forward to seeing what 3 brings us.

Next up is the birthday party. I'm sure there will be all sorts of pictures of that too. Look for a coming post.

Beware! There are a lot of Pictures. Enter at own Risk!

2009-04-21T19:43:00.005-05:00

There are so many pictures here, I hope that I can even organize them for you. First let me say that my surgery went well. Thanks for any prayers. I am doing better now. I still have a little discomfort and I am tired, but I was able to take care of Brenna all day alone. Yea me!

I haven't really been able to get much done this week. I guess that is what happens when your body has to heal. I have been working on Brenna's birthday invitations. I was thinking they were quite cute and then got a little worried that they didn't look like barns, but rather like churches. I brought one out for Brenna to see and asked what it was. She smiled big and said, "It's a barn, Mommy." I guess I am safe. They will be sent out shortly. I seem to be running a little late this year.

So, let me start with the pictures. They are all from Easter weekend. I'll try to document for everyone.

Mom had bought many toys for all the kids to play with outside. Of course they all wanted what another child had. Avery loved playing with the big kids even if her feet won't reach the peddles yet.

There were several arguments over the piano, but they were peaceful here. Someone should tell them they don't have to play naked. I see a picture in a future wedding rehearsal.

I guess you could say we had a day of nudity.

Well, at least for the kids. You can see that Liz is fully clothed. The rest of the adults were too.

Although, apparently Mom should have thought about her choice. Now you see why the kids had no clothes. Please excuse the blurry picture. There was a lot of movement.

The Houston Easter bunny came on Saturday due to the predicted rain on Sunday. I wanted cute pictures so we dressed the kids in their easter clothes and went out.

This being Avery's first time to hunt eggs, Tanner had to help a little.

She got the hang of it.

Brenna and Tanner knew what they were doing.

Everyone had to show Poppi what they found.

Then back for a few more pictures of all the kids together.

I love their facial expressions. Each with their own personality.

Sunday after church we took a few family pictures.

Not sure what Poppi said that was so funny.

Someone should tell my child that she is sitting in a very unladylike position.

At this point all of the kids were done with pictures. Avery was the most vocal but look at the other two kids faces. Again the expressions crack me up.

Long time, no words

2009-04-15T17:13:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been awhile. I think I have been waiting for God to miraculously add some more hours to my day. I keep putting off writing because I want to post some pictures, but I haven't had time to download my pictures or edit them. You see my need for a few more hours. Today I have given up and decided to write without pictures. Hopefully they will come soon.

Life with the Jones is going okay. We had a nice Easter in Houston and came back late on Monday due to a killer migraine. This week has been rolling by ever since. Tomorrow I work and then Friday, I am having a minor outpatient surgery that will hopefully improve our chances of getting pregnant. Maybe then I will have the time to write a little more and post some pictures. I am supposed to be resting then. Posting pictures is resting, right?

Anyways, I hope everyone had a nice Easter. Those are some of the pictures I want to post. Hopefully you will get to the see them before next year.

Ironic

2009-03-31T07:54:00.002-05:00

Most Sunday's when I do the talk for youth group, I spend a good amount of time during the week preparing a talk. Well, two Sunday's ago, I found out last minute that I needed to have something ready. I managed to slip by. Unfortunately, we had a lot of kids that week (well, actually, I'm glad they were there just sad it was on a less prepared week), and the lesson didn't go exactly like I had planned. This week I have been thinking about a lesson, but knew that someone else was in charge again. There were only two kids and he had prepared a lot for this lesson and wanted to wait to do it for more kids. Again I stepped in with my non prepared, just thought about lesson. It went over great. Go figure. The week I do no prep work, the lesson just works. Isn't God funny like that? Always reminding me that it isn't me talking, but him though me. If only I could get it through my head.

So much to do... so little time

2009-03-28T15:52:00.004-05:00

We have been very busy this month. Brenna and I spent most of this week in Austin with Amy and Krissy. We had a great time, but it didn't leave much time to write about all the fun we were having. I always love visiting with Amy, and we both loved watching our two girls play together. They played very different with each other than they did the last time. They are about a year apart so they are still on a different development level, but one day it won't be so different. The gap was definitely smaller this time. I do have some pictures, but I haven't downloaded them onto the computer yet. That is what happens when the week just flies by. Amy actually took the best picture with her iphone. I wish I could post it here too. Both girls were smiling and looking at the camera as they were sitting together in their car shopping cart. So cute.

Nathan has been busy with school. Summer can't get here soon enough for either one of us. He has been gone almost every Saturday this month. That makes long weeks for all of us. Brenna and I really miss him when he isn't home on the weekends. Hopefully the end of the year will slow down a little, or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

I have decided that baking should have been my calling. I know that sounds weird since food isn't my favorite thing in the world, but I do love to bake. I found a recipe to duplicate on The Pioneer Woman website. It was Bakerella's cupcake lollipops. They were so cute I could barely stand it. They also tasted very good. I can't wait to make them again. I just have to find another occasion. I don't want all of those treats at our house. We would all gain way too much weight eating them. I did get a picture of them, but the picture on Pioneer Woman's website is better. You get the gist though. Aren't they just precious?

Until I have some new pictures I life, I will go ahead and sign off. Next week is Avery's party. I am looking forward to that and will hopefully have some pictures then.

For Aaron

2009-03-17T10:47:00.001-05:00

Is that better?

Spring Break?

2009-03-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

Well, Nathan had two days off for "Spring Break". There wasn't really time for us to do anything fun, but we did promise Brenna a fun day on Friday. At the beginning of the week, Brenna had excitedly asked Daddy to go to gymnastics with her on Friday. She wanted to show him all the things she did, especially jumping. All week she asked if we were going that day. I kept telling her it wasn't open and we were going on Friday after she ate breakfast. Friday morning rolled around and we got going a little late, but she would still have an hour at the gym. Well, when we got there, it was closed for spring break. Her little face just fell. It was so sad. I had to come up with something else quickly.

We managed to find a place in San Antonio with inflatable jumps. She was happy and she got to have fun with Tanner. The day was saved. I guess I learned my lesson too. I should have called the gym first, but they have always said they were open every Friday. I guess they meant most every Friday. I couldn't really get any good pictures, but here is one showcasing that wonderful smile.

She was eating lunch one day and just posed for us. I couldn't resist the picture.

Brenna and Daddy were being silly today. They were playing with Daddy's hat. I guess she really does have bulldog blood running through her veins.

Conversation

2009-03-14T21:11:00.003-05:00

Hello Cat!

Let me tell you a secret...

You are dirty. Don't you ever clean yourself?

She's Crackin' Me Up

2009-03-06T13:49:00.004-06:00

Brenna and I have had a good day today. I decided we needed to go ride Pretty Boy this morning. That is always a good start for both of us. I am amazed at how much Brenna is learning about horses. She does better every time we go. Today she didn't run up to Pretty Boy, and she only walked behind him once. (No, Pretty Boy didn't reminder her about his backside. I did.) I rode with her in one of the pastures today. It is a little comical watching me try to maneuver a horse with a small rider through a hot wire tape fence by myself, but I did manage. I have to say that it was much easier before I had Brenna to worry about to.

So we finished our ride in the pasture and I had to work with the fence again. I had already decided not to get back on but to walk the short distance back to the house. I hooked the tape and turned around to see a UPS truck coming up the road. At this point I have a small child on top of a horse I trust, but we are all standing in a small area beside the road. The only thing I knew to do was turn Pretty Boy to see the truck and hope that he did what I was expecting. He didn't even notice the truck passing, but when it was already passed, Pretty boy spooked at something and did a little gig around. Now this wasn't a spook that would have bothered me at all. In fact, I might not have even noticed it if I was the rider, but for a almost three year old, I'm sure it felt big. I grabbed Brenna leg, calmed the already calm again Pretty Boy, and looked up to see Brenna's reaction. Her eyes were huge and I could tell her lip was deciding whether or not to come out. The only thing I could think to do was exclaim, "YEA BRENNA!" It worked. I saw the moment pass as her face broke into a huge smile. I'm sure she was wondering what she did that was so great. Isn't it amazing how well praise works. I really should use it more often.

When all was said and done, we had a great time. Hopefully she will take a good nap now and I can get lots done.

That picture was for you G-Daddy. She was too cute carrying her little box. She is such a big girl with her own grooming box.

The last picture is what she did after her nap. I was laughing so hard that I'm surprised I could hold the camera still.

Funny Brenna

2009-02-28T08:05:00.005-06:00

I worked all day on Thursday and came home with a bad headache. Brenna is very used to those and knows the proper medicinal procedure. After we ate dinner she promptly said, "Mommy, go lay down." When I got her out of her chair, she proceeded to push me toward the bedroom. She is a funny little girl. After I laid down, she came to snuggle with me and make sure all was well. It was quite sweet despite my pounding head.

Yesterday I decided to take her the the gymnastics gym again for free play. When I went into her room when she woke up, she asked, "Mommy where you going?"

"Well, I thought we would go to gymnastics. Does that sound fun?"

A huge grin spread across her face. "I can jump and get a stamp here (pointing to her hand)?"

I guess those are the important parts of gymnastics in her head. I was actually surprised that she remembered what it was so well. She surprises me often.

I didn't mention Nathan's and my birthday, but they were both good. Of course, I didn't take any pictures of my own birthday, but here is one from Nathan's. Brenna helped make the cake. She especially liked decorating with the sprinkles and eating it.

Lastly I will leave you with a pose from our beloved dog. She has been doing this since we moved here, but we found her on the other side of the fence yesterday. I have now fixed the problem. Poor Annie. I just ruined her fun.

A much needed change

2009-02-24T12:54:00.001-06:00

Yes, I have branched out into the decorative mode of blogging. Thank you Kelly for your help. I have wanted to do this for awhile, but didn't know how to do it. I don't really like the way it hard to read my writing on this background, but I will figure it out as I go. I hope you enjoy the new looks. I am sure I will.

The deal of the Century

2009-02-16T19:20:00.003-06:00

I went to Walmart today and found the above flowers for a great deal. They were selling all their flowers for one dollar. Yes, you read right. I bought 3 packages of flowers for one dollar each. I was so excited that I couldn't pass the deal. I even bought a package for my neighbor. It was such a good deal.

There is another story behind this. Nathan has never bought me flowers on Valentine's Day. (Thank goodness.) They are just so expensive. I love that he won't waste money on me. He almost always waits until the next day and buys those same flowers for half price. He really does know me well. This year it was his plan to go out on Sunday to pick up some half price flowers, but we ran out of time. Sundays are really busy for us. So today, I bought my own. I brought them home and thanked him for working hard enough to buy me some flowers. I guess I stole some of his thunder, but I just couldn't pass on the deal.

Brenna got paint for Valentine's day. She has had a great time with them. If only I can keep most of the paint on the paper.

Did you know...

2009-02-09T18:20:00.002-06:00

... that it is Christmas time?
Brenna believes it is. She has been singing Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer and Frosty the Snowman all day. I guess those made a big influence in her little world.

My question- Where is Away in a Manger.

It has been forever

2009-02-07T20:08:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I have taken so long to post anything here. I have had a busy couple of weeks. Let's see...
Brenna got better then Nathan got sick.
I stayed well but tired.
More laundry.
4 doctor appointments (none of which were in Karnes City)
A birthday party
4 great books
Did I say more laundry?
At least that gives you an overview.

I do have one funny story to share. Brenna and I went to SA for a doctor's appointment. It happened to be Tanner's birthday that day and Liz said he could choose were we went to eat. McDonald's it was. Yuck!

If you know me at all, you know that my sense of direction is severely lacking in accuracy. In fact I tell most people that I am great at u-turns and stopping to ask for directions. I remember driving to Houston from Austin one time when I was in high school. My parents must have thought I needed a companion and so Amy came with me. I'm not sure she was the wisest choice if they wanted a companion to pick up where my sense of direction fell away. Needless to say, we missed a turn and ended up driving through Lockhart to get to I-10. I think we made a 5 hour drive out of what should have been 3 hours. (I did stop to ask for direction, but it was a little too late. We were almost to 10 at that point.)

So, back to Mickey D's. There is a huge indoor playground at the MD's on DeZavala in SA. Brenna and Tanner went running up to go through all the curves and slides. They came down another side several times before we made them sit down to eat. They were both having a great time playing together. After they ate, they went through one more time and then Tanner had to take a break to go potty. Brenna went up alone. That was her first mistake. Shortly after she went up, I heard her calling for me. I looked up at the maze of tubes trying to see where she might be, but to no avail. I tried talking to her at the end of one of the slides, but she couldn't make any progress. Finally another man asked his son to go help the poor, pitiful child find her way down. I was giggling to myself all the while. I could hear the boy saying, "Hey little girl, come this way." She wouldn't budge and just kept crying. I guess she took the "don't talk to strangers" lesson to heart. I eventually had to go rescue my child from the labyrinth. I must admit that it was crowded in that little tube and I could see how she would get lost. I only hope that she will learn from me and ask for directions in the future. If not, I can see Nathan and I on many rescue missions.

Marley, Sicky and a Tired Mommy

2009-01-21T11:11:00.002-06:00

The Jones household has had a day. Last night, Nathan and I made the mistake of leaving the rest of Brenna's dinner on the table while we all went to watch Obama's inauguration speech. Brenna didn't each much and her plate had a hotdog, ketchup, grapes, and tater tots. We were hearing a little clinking in the kitchen and I sent Nathan in to tell tell the cat to get off the table. Little did we know that our sweet little Annie was hosting the spirit of Marley. Nathan found her licking Brenna's plate completely clean. Now before you feel sorry for Annie (aka. Marley) know that she had just eaten a full dinner of her own. She has never climbed on the table completely, so I guess we now how to watch out for Annie and Westin on our kitchen table. Now, who wants to come eat dinner with us?

Then at about 10:30 last night, Brenna started throwing up and continued for 5 more times. I have been dreading this day for 2.5 years now. I have heard the stories from other parents. How they awoke to a crying child who had a gross stench covering them. The child sat in bed with arms outreached wanting to be held and comforted. I have heard speakers compare it to how Christ sees us when we have sinned. I now completely understand the analogy. I walked into Brenna's room last night and was accosted by the stench and her cries of distress. After a bath to get all the vomit out of her hair and off her body, I ended up sleeping at the foot of Brenna's bed so that I could be with her to catch her puke each time she needed me. A mother's love is never ending. She didn't want me to leave. I think this illness really scared her. We didn't get much sleep last night. I am hoping for a very good nap and a sick little girl to feel better. Luckily she hasn't vomited since 4 am. Hopefully that part is over and now we just have to get rid of the fever.

So we have Marley, the Sicky. Can you guess who I am? That's right! I'm a tired Mommy in need of a nap today. I'm hoping the rest of the week ends well.

Our Week

2009-01-16T20:14:00.004-06:00

Can you guess what I did on this day? That was quiet a load of laundry.

We played dress up for the first time. Brenna got a box of princess clothes for Christmas. Thanks G-daddy and Nonni! Brenna doesn't know how to dress herself very well yet, but if she keeps on playing with these clothes, she will have it in no time. I guess I will keep helping her until then.

There was one evening when Brenna and I went outside to play with bubbles while Daddy finished his nap. We haven't played with bubbles in a long time, and she had a great time chasing them again. Then our neighbors dogs came outside and she kept trying to talk to them through the fence. I think she learned this technique from Annie.

And can you say eyelashes?

On Thursday, I had to work, but I came home to a package. Mimi ordered Brenna a replacement Christmas present earlier this week and it came in already. After she went to bed, I took it out to make sure it didn't need to be assembled. Brenna was so excited when she saw it this morning. She has been playing with it all day today.

Nappy Nap time Horsey.

Nappy Nap time Mommy. (Nathan actually thought it was quite appropriate that the "Mommy" was sleeping above the barn. Luckily I never had to sleep in a hay loft.)

Texan Travelers

2009-01-12T15:10:00.002-06:00

Brenna and I have done a lot of driving this past week. There were no pictures taken because I was bum. We were in SA on Tuesday for doctor's appointments. Then Nathan was out of town on Friday, I decided to visit Stacey and Chris in Austin. Thanks for having us. It was fun to spend some time with them again. Brenna was a trouper with all the car time. She loved watching her movies and listening to music. Thank goodness for modern conveniences. On the way home on Saturday we even stopped to shop a little at the outlet mall. I thoroughly spent the rest of our Christmas money, but I found lots of good deals.

Today was a day of grocery shopping and getting the house back together. You know, normal stuff. Hopefully I will have new pictures to share soon.

Narnia

2009-01-04T17:05:00.002-06:00

Nathan and I watched "Prince Caspian" last night. It was good like the first movie. I have read all the books years ago, but I haven't read them lately. I didn't remember much from "Prince Caspian", and was surprised by many things in the movie. I was amazed by how well CS Lewis wrote the books. He wrote the gospel into the books so well that secular movie makers could make a movie portraying the message of the gospel solely by the picture Lewis painted with his words.

There was one scene in particular that has had me thinking. (If you haven't read or seen the movie yet, I might spoil a little in this paragraph, but the last paragraph is safe.) It was the scene where Caspian and Peter are fighting the image of the White Witch. They are both drawn her lies by the power of her words. They both falter without help. Edmond sneaks behind the wall entangling the witch. Remember in the previous movie, Edmond already fell prey to her lies. He wasn't willing to go there again. He stabbed the wall with his sword and the wall with the witch fell. We are left with Peter's view of the crumbled wall with empty promises and an image of Aslan, the king of all.

I was stunned by this simple image of the gospel. How often do I allow lies to build a wall blocking my view of my God? Jesus has torn down the ultimate wall for me so that I can clearly see God, but when I believe new lies, often it is my close friends that God uses to help me shatter the walls. I serve a great God who allows me to see Him. He sent his son to die for me so that I can live, and He continues to guide me through each day. He has given me Godly friends and family who uplift me and help me more often than I thank them. I am truly blessed.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2009-01-01T20:54:00.007-06:00

Well, Christmas is over for this year. In fact, this past year is over too. Can you believe it is already 2009? I had to sign my first paper today and forgot it was January before I could even get to the year.

Let me give you a disclaimer on this post before I start. THIS IS A LONG POST! I have tons of pictures that I took over the past two weeks and I wanted to share so many of them. Let it be known that you have been warned.

We were at my Mom and Dad's house for the first week of the holiday. I can't believe how crazy three little kids can be in one house. I don't know how my grandparents did it when my Dad was growing up. At one point they had 5 kids under 5. This Christmas was fun because Tanner and Brenna really understood what was going on. They loved opening the gifts and passing them out. As adults, all we could do was help where we were needed and try to keep up.

Mom wanted us to all match on Christmas morning. I think the picture ended up pretty cute. We had fun with it.

Here is the picture of the quilt I made for Dad. He was very excited about it. I had a lot of fun making it for him. I also had fun teasing my brother over giving the best gift. If any of you know Aaron, he had always been very competitive. Many of you have heard the wisdom teeth story. I always love bringing that side of him out. I enjoy watching how it plays out. We both had a good laugh.

I posted pictures of Brenna and Bella while were in Houston. I tried to get a cute picture with Avery and Bella, but Avery wasn't in the mood. The picture is pretty cute anyways. Don't worry, Avery isn't scared of Bella, she is just not happy with the world as all 8 month olds become from time to time.

Tanner couldn't wait to share his reindeer food with Brenna. He had apparently been waiting all night for them to go out. He reminded Aaron as soon as he got up on the first morning they were in Houston. It was quite fun to watch the three of them.

One morning before Christmas, Aaron, Liz, and I took Tanner and Brenna to the park. It was wet, but the kids had a great time together. They especially loved jumping in the puddles. If only I had known to bring Brenna's rain boots.

Once Brenna realized how wet she was, she was ready to be home.

Then there was Nena's birthday. It was presents all over again. Although the kids just watched. But they did love helping her blow out the candles and they helped make the birthday cake.

After that celebration, it was time for the Jones' round two. Keith, Debbie and BJ came into Houston late on Friday, and we all left on Saturday morning. I am so glad they were able to come. We had a great time with all of them. Brenna got to open more presents when we got home. Again she had lots of fun. If you look closely, you can see her lips saying, "oooh".

We all went to San Antonio one day. BJ wanted to see the Alamo and the river walk. What fun to be there with them. Brenna especially loved the boat ride. What child would prefer the Alamo to a boat ride? Not Brenna, although she tolerated our time at the Alamo quite well.

Everyone had a great time. I was sad to say goodbye to family and face normal life again. I look forward to seeing what this new year brings us. So, fair-well 2008. You were a good year. May we all find joy in the next one as well.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T16:52:00.003-06:00

What a morning we had with our crew. It is so fun to have little ones at Christmas. We had a great time opening presents and just being with each other. I treasure each moment.

I will add some pictures tomorrow or sometime soon. I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Lots going on. Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T21:08:00.003-06:00

Well, let me start by saying my new job last Friday was good. It wasn't too hard leaving Brenna with a friend and she had a great day. Hopefully she will nap the next time she goes. I don't want to work everyday, but working 3 days a month won't be too bad. It was a long day since the orthodontist is only in town three days a month. He is a very nice man and seems to really care for his patients and his employees. It seems like God really provided for us in a way I wasn't expecting.

We are now in Houston until Saturday morning. So far we have had a great time. Mom and I went to College Station on Saturday and picked up a new puppy for them. Bella is a Havanese like Riley, and she is so cute. Brenna loves her and Bella is great with Brenna. She loves to play hard then curl up on someones lap to take a good nap. If only she to potty outside, Mom will be thrilled.

I don't think Riley loves his new live-in girl friend yet, but one day he will.

With the an addition of the new puppy, Christmas will be even more crazy. How fun. I can't wait. We will have 2 dogs, 1 puppy, 2 cats, 2 toddlers, 1 crawler, 4 adults, 2 grandparents, and 1 great grandparent. Then on Friday night 2 more grandparents and 1 more adult will be added. Anyone else want to come. It should be loads of fun. I hope everyone sleeps.

We went to Cypress Bible Church on Sunday. It was fun for me to see the church where I spent my child hood growing up. I saw some people I haven't seen in years and I got to see how the church has grown. Before we left for church we were able to talk a family picture. I wish we could have made Brenna smile, but it just didn't happen. Maybe next year.

I hope everyone else has a great Christmas. I don't know what else I will be adding in the craziness of the next few days. I'm sure I will have a lot of pictures after Thursday.

"Christmasisms"

2008-12-16T20:39:00.003-06:00

Each year so far, Brenna has learned something new about Christmas. Last year, she learned to say "Santa", only she said, "Nanta". This year she has the real word down but has learned of a new Christmas pop band. Frosty and the Snowman. Have you heard of them? She loves to watch the movie and play their hit song over and over.

We have also been talking about Baby Jesus and that Christmas is celebrating his birthday. I was helping her role play with her little people nativity set when I got called away. I came back to this.

Apparently everyone needed to crowd in closely to see baby Jesus.

I also heard the old familiar tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" wafting from the bathroom one afternoon. Nathan slyly asked me if I knew why she was singing that song.

I responded, "Well, I saw her take the lamb into the bathroom with her. Ohhh, she also had Mary. Now that makes sense doesn't it."

Do you think she knew how true her words were?

Lastly, I have been baking like a mad woman last night and all day today. I think I am finished. I burned one batch of my Ginger Molasses Cookies, and my sugar cookies, though tasty, turned out to be a sticky mess. Hopefully everyone will eat them with a napkin handy. Maybe I should serve them with a warning label. At the end of the night, this is what I had to show for all my hard work.

Luckily I have a husband who is great enough to do all those dishes. I kept telling him he should be glad I had already done them several times today. Yea for Nathan. I didn't have to cook everything and clean it all up too.

So, now I am feeling a bit tired. I think I will retire to bed with a good book for the evening.

An overwhelming amount of information

2008-12-12T13:27:00.004-06:00

Well, maybe it won't be too much information, but I am a little scattered in my thoughts and pictures today. First just let me say that Brenna slept okay last night. She isn't feeling wonderful today, but is sleeping now for her nap.

We finally got everything decorated and are enjoying all our decorations. Brenna's favorite decorations are the singing stuffed toys from Hallmark. She wants to play them repeatedly every day.

Here is your annual pose if front of the tree. Can you guess what she is saying?

And one with her cute little smile.

I have a funny story that took place when we were getting the tree ready to bring into the house. Nathan was outside our bedroom window cutting the end of the tree off. Brenna and I joined him and basically just watched while he did all the work. Then there was a movement in the window and I pointed out to Nathan that Westin was standing with his paws rested on the sill. Nathan broke out in, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." If any of you know my cat, he loves to eat the tree, drink its water and get sick all through the Christmas season. He thinks he is hiding, but we know better.

Thanks Oma and Pepere for the gingerbread house. It has been a big hit. Yesterday we invited one of Brenna's friends over to decorate. They both had a good time and most of the candy was put on the house.

Brenna wasn't done yesterday, so we finished it up ourselves today. I think she ate almost as much as she put on the house today. I guess one day of solid decorating with candy is more than a mom can ask for.

You can tell in the next picture that she just tried to lick some of icing of her finished product. The temptation was just too great.

Finally, I never posted pictures from last weekend when Mom and Dad brought Tanner and Avery to our house. We had a great time. Santa was at the park taking pictures with kids. As you can see, Brenna and Tanner didn't really want anything to do with him. Mimi had to be in that picture. I guess I was lucky to be back at home with Avery. I was the one in Brenna's picture last year.

I eventually made it to the park with Avery. She really enjoyed the backpack. Maybe I should let Aaron and Liz borrow it.

At the end of the day, Mimi was very brave and wanted to rub a dub, dub with all three babes in the tub. I don't think any of them were happy about that. Brenna horded all the toys, Avery was crying to get out, and Tanner just wanted more room. I'm glad I was making dinner.

I think I am all caught up on pictures and stories for now. Although, I'm sure I will have more to share very soon.

I feel like a really mean Mommy!

2008-12-11T13:07:00.002-06:00

This morning, Brenna woke up again early looking for her paci. This has been going on for about two weeks now. Many mornings she woke up as early as 5am. This is very early for my child. Anyways, when I went in to help her find her paci this morning, I couldn't find it. Nathan and I both looked forever and finally gave up. I started explaining that paci was lost and Brenna is a big girl now. She doesn't need her paci when she has Bear and Be-Be. She didn't seem to take it too hard and eventually got out of bed. When she did, I looked down and there was that paci. I made a quick stash and decided to leave things be and end the paci now.

Well nap time came as it always does. Of course she wanted the paci, but it was lost remember. Now she is in bed crying for all kinds of things, and I am praying that she will just fall asleep. Will someone out there help me to be strong? I can't give in. I just can't give in, but I don't want her to stay awake for the rest of her life. Tell me it will get better than right now.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-12-05T14:47:00.004-06:00

First let me say that I am completely procrastinating on what I really need to be doing right now. I still don't have a talk written for Sunday night, but I did figure out what my topic will be. So, I decided to reward myself with a little blogging. I was also smelling the wonderful scent of our Christmas tree mixed with the scent of a newly baked loaf of bread and couldn't resist sharing them both with everyone. I did bake a wonderful loaf of bread. Did you notice all the grainy texture in it. Grainy textured bread is one of my favorite things. I even waited on lunch just so I could have fresh piece. Mmm.

I do love Christmas time. This year I am constantly being reminded the real meaning of Christmas. Maybe it is because I am teaching Brenna more this year than she has learned in past ones or maybe I am just more reflective this year than past ones. Either way, I am thinking a lot about Jesus and his birth. Oh, you will still hear your fair share of Santa Clause in our house, but we are also talking a lot about Jesus' birthday.

Nathan, Brenna, and I haven't really formed any formal traditions yet because this is really the first year Brenna has actively participated in Christmas. On Tuesday night, we went to Walmart and Brenna helped pick out the tree. Then last night we all decorated it together. Decorating was even more fun as I watched the amazement and wonder surface on my daughter's face.

Pepere and Oma, you might recognize these some of the next few ornaments. The beads were part of the decoration on the bag that they used to wrap this years ornament. Brenna wanted to put them on the tree. They were the first she ever hung.

Here are a few more of our favorites. They all have special memories.

This one looks ordinary, but is from our honeymoon.

Brenna was particularly fond of this one. Thanks Nena.

We all got ornaments at the Christmas concert this year. Nathan had all the singers and band members sign ours. It is a new favorite.

This is a representative of many that Oma and Pepere have given us. This was in box full of ornaments that we got the first Christmas we were married. Each year they send us a new beautiful ornament. This years said "Let it Snow". I couldn't help but see the irony of that one.

Mom has been making us ornaments every year since we were married. They are beautiful and treasured, but none of the picture I took of those turned out very good. I'll have to try again on those.

Now you have had a glimpse of our tree. Here is one last of Brenna admiring our work last night before she went to bed.

Welcome to the Christmas Season

2008-12-03T20:16:00.005-06:00

What a great way to enter this season. The Casting Crowns concert was so much fun. I loved how I was reminded about what this season is really all about. I was reminded how Christmas songs are worshipful. I was reminded of how blessed I am. I was reminded of all the jobs God has saved for me. I love that he chooses to use me when he could really do it much better on his own. It was a good night.

There were several groups that were a part of this concert, but I enjoyed Casting Crowns the most. I think my favorite part was being able to meet everyone and have a chance to talk with the groups. We were able to shake their hands and ask them questions. I loved being able to tell everyone how much I appreciated their music.

It seems as if the craze of Christmas has hit me early this year. I can't seem to get it together enough to just enjoy December. Hopefully this weekend will help. I am hoping to get all the decorations up this weekend, but it will be busy. Nathan has two concerts, Mom and Dad are bringing Tanner and Avery here on Saturday, and Sunday is Youth Group without Nathan. It should be crazy. Hopefully we will all survive.

So here is the rest of our week last week after Thanksgiving. Mom and I shopped all day Friday and a good portion on Saturday. I am happy to say that I am exhausted but almost done with all our shopping. It was fun to be out with the crazies on Friday, but I wouldn't want to do that every day.

On Saturday, Nena wanted to take Brenna to feed the ducks. She loved it, but those ducks were a little aggressive for a two and a half year old to manage alone. Mom had to hold her and Nena kept getting pecked. I was lucky enough to be the photographer and therefore had no bread in my hands.

This picture makes me laugh because it looks like Brenna is running from the ducks, but actually we had just arrived. She was running to the table behind me and all the ducks were following to see what kind of luck they would have that day.

Dad and Brenna had a little time to catch up on their morning newspaper.

We all had a great week, but I think we all left a little more tired than we began. The animals tell it all.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T19:27:00.005-06:00

The Jones/Collins festivities began last night after dinner. Brenna had to help Mimi make the cornbread. She is so cute helping. I can't resist taking pictures of her cooking.

Apparently it takes 4 to make good dressing.

Brenna went to bed shortly after that and we spent the rest of the night baking cookies and getting ready for the big day.

Thanksgiving day came. We didn't eat until 3:30 so there was a lot of time for important activities before the food.

Brenna is saving the world one fire at a time.

Brenna missed Thanksgiving dinner. Those darn naps. (I actually hope she misses the late afternoon dinners for a few more years.) However she did wake up in time to help blow the candles out.
Step one: Take a big breath

Step 2: Blow hard

Step 3: Register your shocked look

I guess everyone needs to catch up on computer skills with full tummies.

And of course you have to take a bath at the end of the day.

All in all we had a good day. We missed family that wasn't with us. Unfortunately everyone doesn't live in the same state. I hope your families all had a good day and enjoyed each other's company. I hope you were able to thank God for the your blessings and His care in your lives.

Now for tomorrow. Mom and I are joining the crazy people early in the morning. We have never done this before and we will probably know why tomorrow. Then there is the big concert tomorrow night. It should be a great day too.

Thus begins the Christmas holiday's of 2008.

Another fun Saturday

2008-11-22T19:29:00.002-06:00

We had a great day today. Aaron brought the kids down to our house for the day. Brenna and Tanner played together all day and Avery tried to play with them. Liz was at a retreat and was not able to be a part of our day. It was fun to be able to spend this time with Aaron and the kids.

Aaron and I took the kids to the park down the street. He chased them while Avery and I laughed at how funny they were. For the most part, Brenna and Tanner play well together.

But there is the occasional argument. I'm not sure what this one was over, but they worked it out between themselves.

Brenna, Nathan, and I also went to have Brenna's picture taken with Santa today. It was really quite a busy day. Brenna did better this year than she did last year. She actually sat on Santa's lap. It took a little coercing from Nathan and I, but she did finally smile. She didn't say a word when we were in the room with Santa, but wouldn't stop talking him all the way home. What a silly girl.