Jenna...

Just had to post these videos of Jenna.  Click and enjoy!
 

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Celebration!

If you have kids under the age of 12 you are familiar with the entity known as Chuck E. Cheese.  If you're in my age bracket you may remember it as ShowBiz Pizza way back in the day with its animatronic characters that freaked you out far more than they entertained you.  Well, today was Ryan's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese and it has changed a lot.  We thoroughly enjoyed our experience from beginning to end.  They stamp you when you enter and check you when you leave to make sure you have your child and not anyone else's.  There is an entire section devoted to toddlers and a separate section for older kids.  You can play any game or ride for only one token.  The pizza was actually pretty good and with the coupon we used it kept the cost down. 
We were there to celebrate Ryan's potty training accomplishments - he has gone an entire week without a single accident, goes to the potty without being reminded, and let me tell you, as reigning queen of laundry duty I am ecstatic!!!!  We're looking forward to going back, hopefully soon and with our cousin Daniel!

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Discovery...

Since we moved to Murfreesboro we've been gradually exploring our new town and finding out what it has to offer our family.  With the weather being as frigid as it has been we have been limited to indoor fun but there's still a lot we can do.  The library is one of our favorite places.  We don't stay long but Ryan knows exactly where to find the Thomas the Train books and DVDs!  Recently we found an amazing museum called the Discovery Center.  It's a hands-on science museum for kids and has so many things to do that even after being there for almost three hours we didn't expore it all!

Ryan had absolutely no fear about going down the slide - which amazed me seeing as how he used to freak out about the little ones at Chic-Fil-A!  He also found a display where you had to turn a wheel and move levers to maneuver a ball through the course.  Here's a video showing how he could do it "all by myself!".

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We will definitely be returning soon!

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Ahh... Perspective.

This is in response to my sister-in-law's post earlier today.  After reading it I couldn't help but be reminded of a poem I've cherished in one of my devotional books.  Credit for the original version goes to poet Sally Meyer but the version I'm posting is slightly different.

To My Child

Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning, I will let you wake up softly, all rumpled in your sheets and I will hold you until you are ready for the day.  Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take you to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.  Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening, when I run my fingers through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.  I will think about the mothers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore, and when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day.

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It's a hard knock life!

So... we were at my brother's house watching the Titan's playoff game (yeah, I know, but we're not here to talk about that sad, sad game) and the kids were running around like kids usually do when there was an unfortunate incident.  While none of us actually witnessed the event we know there was a slip/trip/crash/collision and well, here's the result:

I don't blame Thomas and Summer for being freaked out, it was a pretty sizable bump.  Luckily my husband (who was a PE teacher in a previous life and saw his fair share of knocked noggins) assured them that it was not as bad as it looked and Daniel would be just fine.  Sure enough, within five minutes he was jumping on the bed and running around as if it never happened.  It just goes to show that the whole "kids are resilient" rumor is actually true!

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So this is Christmas...

Our first Christmas in Murfreesboro was a wonderful one.  We had our family Christmas on Christmas Eve morning and headed out that night for a run of FIVE more Christmas events in Clarksville with our families spread over three days.  Ryan's big hits were his remote controlled car, his roundhouse, and his Thomas the Train legos (his Uncle Thomas would be proud!).  Jenna got a whole new wardrobe of clothes and loves her new dollhouse, talking purse, and all her various and sundry stuffed dolls.  It was wonderful to see all our immediate family and distant relatives and catch up on everything with them.  Seeing all the cousins I marvel at how much a child can change in just one year.  Overall, a great and glorious time was had by all and my only regret is that is was over too quickly.

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Meet the Family...

For those that don't already know us here's a rundown on what each of us is all about:

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Elizabeth - I'm the mom, 30 years old (really), I was a high school and middle school band director for seven years before taking time off after Jenna was born to stay at home with my two beautiful urchins, I'm currently working on my masters in instructional technology and will return to work one of these days, I love to shop (even though I can't afford it so I've become the coupon/sales queen), I love to eat (even though I can't afford to do that either, baby weight is supposed to just fall off right?), and I love to relax and spend time with my family as often as I can.

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Jon - He's the dad, 31 years old, recently took at job at Fellowship UMC as the technical director and LOVES IT, can build and repair just about anything, has a mildly unhealthy jacket addiction, won't eat anything green (or orange, or remotely vegetable-like, or raw, or "weird" in any way, he's my meat and cheese man!), LOVES his new job, is the honorary make-the-kids-laugh and wrestle-on-the-floor parent, misses being close to his family, is a phenomenal singer and musician (guitar, piano, and trumpet to name a few), and did I mention he LOVES his new job?

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Ryan - our little man, just a few months shy of his fourth birthday, loves his little sister (he's working on the sharing part), is obsessed with Thomas the Train, a big fan of Cars, really enjoys preschool at Fellowship (he's building a rep as the class flirt!), gets excited about going to the library, his fave snack is "berries" (code for gummi snacks) and his fave foods are shrimp and chicken, gets his singing voice and his craziness from his father, gets his stubbornness and smartypantsness from his mother, and is growing up way too fast.

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Jenna - our little princess, just turned a year old two days after Christmas, has the longest eyelashes EVER, has taken a few steps unassisted just this week (she'll be running circles around us before we know it), loves Ryan and chases him around and wants to do whatever he's doing, absolutely adores animals of all kinds, puts everything in her mouth, doesn't have a single tooth to decorate her gorgeous smile, wishes she could eat more table food, doesn't like to drink juice (crazy, right?) and laughs ALL the time.

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