Happy Birthday to my sweet sister! May your birthday month be filled with joy!
Texas Bluebonnets
We enjoyed the beautiful weather and took some time to smell the flowers :)
To see our bluebonnet pictures, click here.
Ballet & Tap
Jenni continues to enjoy her dance classes. She loves ballet. Such a little ballerina. She is in a tap class with children ranging from 4-7 years old. Tap is a bit more of a challenge keeping up with the older ones, but she is getting the hang of the recital dance and is excited to be able to keep up with the fast pace.
BSF
Bible Study Fellowship is by far the best Bible study we have ever been a part of! I am so thankful for not only a great Bible study for myself, but an amazing study for the children! Sweet J loves discussing what she is learning about Paul and explaining his work to Joshua. Sweet Joshua loves Bible story time and praying.
Soccer
J kicking the ball away from the goal.
Beginning of the next quarter
Kicking the ball in
Jenni enjoys soccer practices because they are much more lighthearted than games - she can joke around with her teammates and play in non-competitive scrimmages with her team divided between "team butterflies" and "team bumblebees." :) Soccer games are taken to a different level of competitive...which really isn't Jenni. She'd rather be dancing or picking wildflowers... So Jenni J will finish up this soccer season and is looking forward to trying a new activity next.
Easter
Sweet Snapshots
Eric was out of town when we were having all of the bad storms and tornadoes. I put our little man on the sofa, turned on the TV, and explained to Joshua that he was now acting as the man of the house while daddy was gone and needed to keep an eye on the weather. :) Little man enjoyed his new responsibility for a few minutes...and then was ready for a nap. :)
Sweet J :)
How little man stays busy during Jenni's tap class
Joshua runs up and down hills during soccer
Joshie sleeping in 'till 10:30. Super duper rested and cheerful.
Relaxing during J's ballet class
We found a new park!
Joshua holding his strawberry jam while waiting for his toast :)
Joshua runs up and down hills during soccer
Joshie sleeping in 'till 10:30. Super duper rested and cheerful.
Relaxing during J's ballet class
Joshua is really looking forward to when his baby brother is born and having a real babe in the house.
My sweet girl loves the spring flowers.
Joshua holding his strawberry jam while waiting for his toast :)
Jenni in the gazebo: "Wouldn't it be amazin' to dance on this for my wedding?" :)
Overheard
Jenni's Love...
Jenni: "Mommy and Daddy, I love you like even if we're 100,000 miles apart from each other.
Turning to Joshua...
Jenni: "Joshie, I'd love you even if you were 80 miles away. In both directions. That's a lot, Joshua."
Sweet J is still figuring out the difference between a "big number" and a "really big number" :)
Making lunch for Eric on one of his "office days"...
Jenni: "I'm going to write daddy a love note and put it in his lunchbox as a surprise so he doesn't forget that I love him at lunch time."
Jenni's "love notes" typically consist of "I love you daddy. Love, Jenni" with a dozen hearts around her writing :)
I called Andrea to chat, but she didn't answer her phone...
Jenni: "Did Aunt Andrea not answer her phone?"
Me: "No, I think she might be busy."
Jenni: "Oh, Mommy...I bet she's laying Gavin down for his morning nap!" :)
Jenni's future...
Jenni: "I really think I want to be a doctor, Mommy."
Me: "That sounds wonderful. What kind of doctor?"
Jenni: "You know the kind of doctor that can be a mommy, too...but also help sick children." :)
Jenni: "Even, when your hair is in a messy ponytail I still think you're beautiful." :)
Eric had been traveling for quite some time and we all missed him dearly...
Joshua: "Dada?"
Jenni: "Daddy's gone for several more days, Joshua."
Joshua: "Why?"
Me: "He's out of the state working."
Joshua: "Oh."
Jenni: "I sure do miss daddy's smile when he's home. He really has a nice smile."
Me: "He does have a nice smile."
Jenni: "I think daddy loves being home with us. Do you think when he comes home, he'll want to play with my new tea set?" :)
Sweet J...
Jenni: "Would you like to hold me for a few hours tonight since I won't be this little for long?"
So of course I held my baby girl in my arms until she fell asleep!
Jenni's excitement about having two little brothers...
Jenni: "In my heart I always wanted another baby brother." :)
Joshie eating dinner...
Joshua: "Woah. Big bite."
Joshua prefers to eat "baby bites" because he loves everything baby. Ex - if we are driving and see cows on the side of the road, he makes sure to find a baby cow and call it a "baby moo."
At dinner...
Jenni: "This food certainly is good. Can you write this recipe down for me?" :)
Jenni & I were playing card games. Jenni was winning...
Jenni: "It's not about winning. It's about enjoying the fun of the game."
An Update on the Littles
Jenni and Joshua are the best of friends and love each other dearly. They enjoy building "tents" together with tables and blankets. They like to take their favorite things inside the tent - blankets, pillows, books, barbies, tea sets, cars, etc. and play together throughout the day. Lately, Joshua has been super affectionate to Jenni, giving her big hugs and kisses. When it is bedtime, Joshua makes sure that Jenni tucks him into bed, too and makes sure that she gives him a hug and kiss before leaving the room.
Whenever I compliment Jenni on her good handwriting, Joshua likes to be complimented on his drawing too. Whenever one helps me out with something (Joshua reminding everyone to put their seat belt on), then the other feels the need to help out, too (Jenni reminding me to turn left at the light). They also like to compete on the most ridiculous things - who can get their shoes on the fastest, who can run to the garage door first, who can pick up the fastest, who can put their seat belt on first, etc. The "line leader" position (Jenni's idea) used to be a competition, too - but the littles soon figured out that it's best if they both "lead the line" together, like teamwork. (The line leader's job includes unlocking the garage door, opening the door, turning the light on, and leading the way to the car - important stuff.) With all the silly competition going on, we have been sure to make the kids encourage one another in the process. Jenni's form of encouragement is slowing down to "let" Joshua win and then praising him for his efforts. Joshua's form of encouragement is "letting" Jenni win and clapping for her. Funny, funny ages and stages the little ones are in.
An Update on Jenni
Sweet Jenni J is a sweet, precious girl. She likes to make sure that everyone knows they are loved. She also likes to think of the largest number she can think of to describe how much she loves someone and has recently told us, "I would still love you just as much if I lived 100,000 miles away from you. But don't worry...I plan on living across the street from you guys when I'm an adult." :) Jenni is loving the spring weather and all the beautiful flowers that are blooming. Jenni is also very serious about being truthful. If she does something she knows she shouldn't do, she comes to tell us about it and to apologize. She has a sweet heart. Jenni often thinks of cousin Gavin and what he is up to at that moment during the day (if he's sitting up playing with a toy or if he is taking his morning nap, etc.) and at the end of our "Gavin conversation" she usually ends with, "Baby Gavin is the best cousin ever!" And I couldn't agree more!
An Update on Joshua
Joshua is a sweet, mischievous boy, who likes to do whatever he can to not have to go to bed on time. Several minutes after we tuck him into bed, we can hear him rearrange his toys to block his door so that we cannot come inside his room to put him back in bed. He's a smart boy. Other times at night, we hear him chanting "big boy bed!", "big boy bed!". Joshie is proud of himself for being able to stay in bed at night - and we're pretty proud of him too. And even other times at bedtime, he sweetly shouts out, "One more!" which always means the little man wants one more (dozen or so) hugs or kisses. Joshua loves to go along with whatever plans we have, always making sure to bring a couple of cars to play with. In the evening he takes off his clothes before bed, not because he's hot - but because he wants to be cold. He enjoys "reading" Curious George books and he really likes talking on the phone with Grandma and Grandpa. He also loves looking at pictures of cousin Gavin on the refrigerator, as well as sonogram pictures of his little brother. Joshua is combining his words (hooray!), enjoys saying his colors, and has the cutest little voice. He enjoys the praise he receives from everyone (especially Jenni's praise) when he says new words. And the latest Joshie news includes his potty training! Joshua has literally been asking to use his big boy potty for months but I have tried to delay it until this summer. However, the adventures of potty training a boy begin now!
An Update on Baby J
Baby J is a sweet, baby boy growing at just the right rate! Jenni came along with me for my latest sonogram and enjoyed seeing her sweet littlest brother moving around in my tummy. She was most interested in seeing the size of the babe's tummy and his sweet little face. Both little ones enjoy feeling the babe move and giving their brother kisses. Jenni is looking forward to all things baby - as well as planning for when the babe is older (ex. - she wants to play trains with him and she wants to get him a train sippy cup for his 2nd birthday). Joshua is looking forward to the baby crying and rocking the baby in his arms. :)
