Back to the land of technology

Well, my old laptop crashed and died. I never realized how dependent I was on the Internet and my old computer until I didn't have it. Then at the thought of losing all of my data I was really bummed. Fortunately, Helen Adams Realty has a great tech guy who was able to recover all of my old data and pictures.

Now for updates on us. We have been dealing with Jenna having more ear infections and I have a really bad cold. Hopefully I will be better before we travel to Ohio for Christmas. Jenna has also been cutting 6, yes count them...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 teeth at one time. I think her motto is go big or go home, because this is her style. She cut her first tooth and only had that one for a long time. Then she cut 5 teeth and waited a long time before she cut these. Let me just say that it is a testy time for us as she is little miss cranky pants!

Jenna has also become a big helper. She wants to help do everything from making the bed to cleaning up her toys. Her favorite task though is feeding Haley and then giving Haley her cookie. To feed Haley mommy carries the scooper with food to Haley's bowl and pours it in. We learned the hard way to not let Jenna carry it over full as she dumped it early and there was food everywhere. Then Jenna carries the scoop back to the pantry and then closes the door. It is overwhelming sometimes when we look at her and she is no longer a baby, but our little girl.

She also wants to do everything that we do. Here she had to have a section of the newspaper to read just like her daddy. I love how she wouldn't look over at us as if to say, "Please leave me alone. can't you see I am reading the paper!"

Thanksgiving Travels recap

Sorry I am late posting about Thanksgiving but things have been busy. For the holidays we went to New Jersey to see Josh's family. We headed out on Wednesday with the car packed to the brim with Josh, me, Jenna, and Haley. It was a long 10 hour drive but Jenna and Haley did such a great job traveling. Jenna only got fussy when we were 5 minutes away as if she knew that we were almost there. When we arrived Jenna was treated to a bunch of toys and clothes that her grandparents had gotten for her. Thursday we had a great home cooked Thanksgiving meal down in his gram's apartment and then went to see Josh's extended family that night at his aunt and uncle's home. Jenna got to meet her great-gram Barn and great-pop-pop Ron. Friday we went shopping and then hung out with Josh's high school friends that night. Saturday we headed down to Sterling, VA and spent the night with our friends Mick and Melody. They got to meet Jenna and we got to spend time with their daughter Sophie. It was so great seeing them as it had been way to long. All-in-all it was a great trip and it was so special getting to spend time with people we love.


Jenna loves this toy so much. It is the Fisher Price Laugh-and-Learn Home. It double sided with the inside and outside of a home with many things to do and learn about. She loves opening the door and closing it! She has since discovered that she can stand on a little bump and hold onto the top part of it to peak over. She is a little wild one!!!






Here is Jenna modeling her new scarf and hat that her Grandma Deb bought just for her! They now reside at home on her little rocking chair where she can take them off and wear them whenever she wants! I must confess she has used the hat to fill with toys and carry around in addition to wearing it on her head.



This is Jenna eating in the same high chair her Daddy used as a little boy. One night while Pete, Deb, Josh and I were playing Spades, Deb brought out a picture of Josh sitting in it eating yogurt. Way too cute! Plus her grandpa (we call him Big Papi!) made her a special little pancake one morning.







When we first got to NJ it was surprisingly warm for the time of year, but by Friday it was cold. Jenna had to sport her hat and her brand-new mittens.








Jenna got a kick out of feeling her Grandpa Pete's (Big Papi) goattee.







As you can see, both Jenna and Haley were wiped out as we finally headed home from Mick and Mel's on Sunday.

Oh she went there.

Today little Miss Jenna decided she did not want to take an afternoon nap. She had too much fun down at the Llama Farm helping her grandpa and bringing Haley home that she decided to fight it. I let her fuss for about 30 minutes and went up to check on her. She had thrown her blankie and pacifier out of the crib. So I picked them up, gave them back and rocked her for a little bit. Then I laid her down for attempt number 2.

Jenna was not having it at all. She fussed even louder for 20 more minutes. I couldn't let her go any longer so I went up to check on her. She had not only thrown out her blankie and pacifier again, but had pulled her pants off and thrown them out too. She went there. It has entered another playing field when she starts taking her clothes off without permission!!!

My new best workout ever

So I now have a whole new respect for the goofy men on the Wiggles show. I just bought Jenna one of their CDs as she loves dancing to music. Well, today I played the CD and was dancing around with Jenna to the songs. If you have ever seen the show and know the dances (which most involve a lot of jumping around), it is one of the greatest 30+ minute workouts ever!!! Plus it has added benefits as you get to been silly and play with your little one.

Jenna is also a champ at making a mess with all of her toys. Our next task will be teaching her to put everything away...

A reminder of how blessed we are...

So I was going through our digital photos trying to figure out which ones I hadn't had printed yet and I was given a glimpse of my recent past and watched Jenna develop through pictures. She is such a blessing in our lives. Watching her grow and develop is so amazing and her personality is really starting to blossom. She definitely speaks her mind about things in her own little way. She LOVES playing with her Dada when he gets homes from work at night. The picture to the right was from this past week when she didn't feel well and all she wanted to do was cuddle and sleep. It was right before we were going to put her to bed. We laid her on the couch beside Josh for a second and she fell asleep. Very out of her character as she is usually full-throttle until you lay her in her bed at night.

Jenna has discovered that she likes toys that are interactive especially ones that she can open and close. Her new favorite toy is a Little People Barn that has 5 figurines of a farmer, cow, pig, sheep, and horse. She just loves to carry them around and put then into and out of the barn which makes animal noises. She also loves to play with her toy ball that her friend Bennett gave her for her birthday. Jenna will throw it and kick it around the family room. She is blossoming into a little athlete and I think her daddy likes it!

Check him out in this Montclair athletic jacket he was modeling on Sunday. He's bring it back to the old school, 'cause he's an old fool and he's so cool!

Only the kid...Butt Paste...Brussell Sprouts

So this week we have dealt with Jenna having major ear infections, Josh being sick with a cold and traveling and me having a gallbladder attack. Not the best week but things have gotten even more interesting. This would only happen to the kid and when I say that I am referring to Josh. Josh flew home late last night to discover he had lost his keys. He had to take a cab home and wake me up by banging on the outside door leading into our bedroom. (Side note: this is a scary way to be woken up!!!) This morning we called everyone from the hotel, the rental car service, and the airports trying to find his keys and have yet to find them. Here is the real kicker...Josh does not have a spare key to his car and it is parked in the parking deck at the Charlotte Douglas Airport. It is a front wheel drive car and the front end is up against a concrete wall. After numerous calls to AAA, we arranged for a locksmith and tow truck to meet Josh at the airport. The locksmith being needed to unlock the car so it can then be put into neutral to then tow it to the Volvo dealership as it uses a special key that the locksmith could not make on site. Well, the lock smith arrived to discover that he could not open the car or else the alarm would go off and not be able to be turned off until a new key was made. SOOOO a special tow truck was called in to somehow get the car out of the deck. Josh just called and he is waiting at a gas station a couple of miles from the airport for a wrecker to get there because apparently it is against towing protocol to transport his car all the way to the dealership rigged up that way!!! So the saga continues and I will post more about this later.

Next to my shameless plug about Boudreaux's Butt Paste. That stuff is amazing!!! Jenna has been fighting a diaper rash for a week. I was using the other creams that I had and they weren't doing anything. So I went back to the original stuff I used when Jenna was a newborn which was Butt Paste and by-golly her rash is better after one day. I will never use any other product again and if the makers would like to supply me with some free samples for this shameless plug, I would gladly accept.

Now for the Brussel Sprouts. Jenna never ceases to amaze me and today she did again. We were eating lunch today with Jenna having chicken nuggets and green beans and I was eating soup and baby brussel sprouts (I am trying to eat healthier to get my gallbladder back into shape). Jenna kept pointing to the sprouts. So I gave her a little bite and she asked for more. Since I was alone I figured I would document it for evidence because who would believe a baby asking for BRUSSEL SPROUTS! Kinda funny and I cannot wait to hear what her grandpa Pete thinks about this since he tried to tell her asparagus was yucky!

A soccer star in training

It would be Josh's dream come true if Jenna one day played soccer for the University of North Carolina women's soccer team. Well, the other day while Jenna and I were playing in the back yard, Jenna took the first kick towards making her daddy's dream come true. It made Josh so happy to see this rough footage I filmed with my regular camera while we were playing.

Enjoy...

Jenna teaches Haley a thing or two

It never ceases to amaze me how much Jenna is learning, growing, and making me laugh. She just loves Haley and it is nice that Haley tolerates her. Whenever we come down stairs from being in her room to get dressed, change a diaper, or play, we usually find Haley on the rug in the foyer waiting for us. Jenna gets to the bottom and runs up to her Haley to love on her. This picture was taken just moments before Haley decides she doesn't want to play.

Then comes the part when Jenna makes me laugh. Since I wanted a picture of the two of them hugging I kept telling Haley to go lay down. Jenna picking up on what I was telling Haley thought she would lead by example and laid down on the rug to show Haley what she should do. It was cracking me up because she would get up, move, and then do it again. It was almost as if she was trying to tell Haley, "see...this is what mommy wants you to do!" It was hilarious to watch. She also will laugh for no reason when she hears me laughing. So we were just giggling. Such a funny little girl.

Finally got the chairs!

So we got a new table for our kitchen back in April. We ordered 2 extra so we would have 6 in total and were told at the time that it would take 6 weeks for them to come in. Well...6 MONTHS later we finally got them in. There were multiple arguments with the store owners and we were told on numerous occasions that they would be in but they weren't. Finally they have arrived and are the correct chairs. As compensation for our trouble we were able to get a chair for Jenna for free. It is just her size and from the pictures we took of her trying it out I think she really likes it. Josh and I couldn't get over how old she looks in it.

Jenna's new (but really old) rocking chair

We brought home a rocking chair from my folks' house that was given to me by my grandma Esther and Jenna loves it!!! I get a little sentimental when I watch Jenna in it as she is the 5th generation to use it. The rocking chair was given to Jenna's great-great-grandma Clara Fry when she was 2 years old back in 1897. Jenna's great-grandma Esther used to rock in it as a child and hung her Christmas Stocking from it. There is even a picture of me in it when I was a little girl. Now Jenna is enjoying it. She climbs up into it now like a pro and rocks really fast sometimes. I think she likes that she now has something to sit in that is her size!

To reprimand or give a high five???

So, I picked Jenna up from daycare today and was told Jenna had her first write up. Apparently, a little boy in her class took her lovey. She went up to him nicely to get it back, he wouldn't...so she bit him in the face! Usually Jenna can just go nicely to get her lovey back from the other kids who take it but this boy didn't play by the rules. So Jenna stood her ground and showed him who is boss.

After learning this, I looked at Jenna and firmly told her that we do not bite. It is not nice and she started crying with tears running down her face. It is amazing what she understands. I really don't want to have the kid who bites, but I have to give her credit for not letting this other boy push her around. Especially when I learned he bit another kid the day before. Also the little boys in her class seem to think it is funny to steal the little girls' pacifiers to make them cry!

My friend Lori Beth said I had better believe that the little boy will never take her lovey and not give it back again.

We want to go...back to the beach!

Here is where we stayed...Dreamsicle. What a dream it was!!!

A week at the beach as a family was just what the doctor ordered! Sunday Josh and Jenna headed down to the beach first since I had to do a final walk through with clients who were closing on their home the next day. Josh and Jenna made a pit stop in Durham at our friends Lori Beth and Rob's house for lunch and to pick up some beach clothes for Jenna to borrow. Then they got to the beach house first and got things set up with me arriving later that night.

Monday we made our first trek to the beach and Jenna had a blast. She laughed and liked how the sand felt running through her fingers. After lunch we stopped by Lori Beth's mom's house to borrow their beach umbrella, chairs, and sand toys. Lori Beth hooked us up with sand items, beach clothes for Jenna and her mom rented us the house. Big thanks to Lori Beth and Judy!!! We played again on the beach that afternoon and then that night Josh and I rocked on the deck listening to the ocean and having a few drinks. It was a great night.

Tuesday we went to the beach again and this time Jenna got to experience the ocean. We sat at the edge where the waves could come up and splash our legs. After a little while we moved farther out to reach the waves and in 2 seconds a HUGE wave came up when we weren't looking and covered poor Jenna. Her hat came off and she got sand in her ears. Needless to say she was done for the day and didn't want to be at the beach any more. So that afternoon we played in the pool while Josh played a round of golf.

Wednesday we took a trip to the NC Aquarium where Jenna was so excited to see all of the fish. She would run up to the tank and say "oooohhh!" That night her grandpa Pete, grandma Deb, and great-grandma Betty arrived to stay with us the rest of the week. We had a great time hanging out at the beach, playing quoites (sp?), and just spending time together. Saturday we went to Swansboro and ate breakfast at a little diner called Yana's and then explored the 53rd Annual Mullet Festival (the fish not the hair style). There were all kinds of crafts, foods, and great music! It was so much fun getting to watch Jenna bond with her grandparents.

While it was sad to leave the beach and we wish we had more time, Jenna was happy to see her Haley! While at the beach we would ask Jenna where Haley was and she would put up her hands as if to say, "I don't know. Where is Haley?!"

We're going to the beach

Josh, Jenna, and I are leaving Sunday for Emerald Isle, NC for a much needed week-long family vacation. WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! It has been way too long since we took a vacation and it is needed so much. Josh's work has been stressful and I have been getting some clients ready to close on their new home on Monday morning. Jenna has just been dealing with growing up and exploring everything around her. The beach sounds like the perfect medicine!

Should be interesting seeing what Jenna thinks of the beach and what kid of mischievous things she can get into. Recently we have named her the bag lady, because she loves to pull all of the brown paper bags out of their storage place and walk around with them.

Jenna in SBPs

So I dressed Jenna this morning and I wanted to laugh. She was dressed they way I used to dress 10 years ago in college. She had on a tshirt, black yoga pants and sneakers. If she had put on a back pack, I would have thought she could walk to campus. Jenna has her first pair of SBP's...Sorority Black Pants!

I was also amazed at how much she looked like a big girl when I picked her up from daycare today because she ran to me on her own when I got there. She is growing by leaps and bounds.

Cheers to good friends!

I got the privilege of talking with a good friend, Melody Gross, tonight for almost an hour! You have to love good, timeless friendships...ones that you might not get to talk to all that often but when you do it feels like no time has passed between you. Mick and Melody are dear friends of Josh and mine from our Durham days. We have seen each other through a lot and we feel blessed to have friends like them. Now we each have little girls and Mick and Mel are expecting a little boy in January. Yeah!!! We can't wait for the time for our little girls get to play together just like our little puppies used to play together. One day hopefully we can even all take a ski trip together like the good old days!

Later I got to email back and forth with a bunch of my college friends about doing New Year's Eve together. I LOVE my friends! I feel blessed to have each and every one of them in my life. They are all amazing women.

First pair of big girl shoes

Now that the little one is practically running around the house, we made our first trip to Stride rite and got Jenna measured for her first pair of shoes. With Josh's input we purchased her first real pair of shoes that are made for cruising and supporting her feet. Her first pair of shoes are not your average white shoes. They are little sneakers that are silver and pink. They are too cute, but even cuter is watching Jenna adjust to running in shoes.

It is amazing that not only do you need to get kid's feet remeasured every 3 months, but that to buy good shoes you have to buck up and spend over $40 for a pair of shoes that might only be worn for 3 months!!! It's a hard pill to swallow, but as parents we only have one chance to give her a solid foundation. Gotta protect her little feet and toes!

Colds and Pink Eye and Ear Infections, Oh My!

This has been one of the toughest weeks for the Carolina Cowleys in a long time! A week ago Thursday I picked Jenna up from daycare and KNEW that she was going to get a cold. They had just moved a couple of kids up into her room and the one little girl who kept following Jenna had a snotty nose. Tell-tale sign that a cold was coming our way due to exposure. So the cold started on Friday and by Sunday Jenna's eye started getting mucus in it too!

Monday we called the doctor and explained our symptoms and since the whites of her eyes were still white, it had to be related to her cold. Tuesday Jenna went to school so I could go be present at a home inspection for clients. Right after it got done, I received a call from Jenna's daycare that her eyes were really bad and that she definitely had pink eye, this was confirmed by the fact that her room had been exposed to it. So we got the doctor to give us a prescription for eye drops and we started those. By Thursday her eyes were looking better, but the cold and fever got worse! Thursday night she had a fever of 102, so she was going to the doctor on Friday. At the doctor's office her lungs sounded great but her left ear had fluid in it. The start of an ear infection if the fever continued. On Saturday Jenna's fever stuck between 102 and 103, and the age-old Amoxicillin was started. OUR FIRST EAR INFECTION. To make things even tougher, mommy got sick too and daddy doesn't feel well either. We are one pathetic bunch.

The only exciting thing for me was last night at Jenna's bedtime she was playing with daddy and decided that she was ready for bed. I was up in her room getting things ready for her and Josh asked if I could hear her. For the first time Jenna was crying Mama and looking for me. Once she saw me she came wobbling over to me. It warmed my heart!

Blues, Brews, and BBQ

Yesterday, Josh, Jenna, and I went on a tour of uptown condos that are on the market so we could get a look at what our competion will be in the next few months as we gear up for our first investment. After touring 5 units, we decided to check out an event that was going on in uptown Charlotte called Blues, Brews, and BBQ. They had blocked off a couple of blocks for vendors, musicians and BBQ. You had your choice of either buying from professional BBQ vendors or trying samples from the Backyard BBQer's which were locals competing for best BBQ. Completely random that Josh and I were going up to random folks to try food that we had no idea what it would taste like or how it was prepared, but man was some of it good!!! Then we watched a couple of blues groups playing some good music. Our little Jenna was such a trooper especially since she didn't get an afternoon nap.

What a smart girl!

I keep being amazed at what our little girl can do. This evening I needed to change Jenna's diaper. So I said, "Jenna we need to go change your diaper." She started walking towards the stairs and then started climbing up the stairs with me behind her. She climbed all the way to the top and then crawled into her room so I could change her. What an amazing little girl!!!

Jenna Shea turns 1!

It is so hard to believe that our little girl is now a 1 year old!!! What a difference a year makes. The little girl is just walking independently everywhere now and even dances when music is played. It is amazing to watch. Josh and I just bought her a UNC Ramsey doll that plays the fight song. She is starting to dance especially at the end when mommy sings, "Go to bed State!" (this song has been made PG just for her listening pleasure).






Saturday we planned to have friends over to mark her 1 year and it was a great day! My good friend Lori Beth, her husband Rob, and their daughter Bennett came in from Durham for the night. Bennett is about 17 months old and running all over the place. It was so cute watching them play together. Then even more friends came that night, Kathy and her baby Ellie, Cameron and Paul, The Yates, some of Josh's coworkers and their kids, Clay Nicole and Brianna, and even our neighbors came over. The guys played quiotes, we ate food and the kids played together. Then it was cake time for Jenna and it was so cute to watch. We got her down to her diaper for easier cleaning and she was ready! When everyone sang she danced in her high chair. Then when she went to eat the cake she grab one dot of icing at a time. Someone commented that she was very dainty about her method. She never officially mashed into the cake but had a great time!

Thank you to everyone who made the day special. It was fun spending time with friends! Here a short clip of Jenna dancing while everyone sang. I didn't start filming in time to capture everything, but you get the idea of what she did the whole time folks were singing...

Whole new world

So something clicked in Jenna yesterday and she realized that she can not only walk on her own, but she can decide which room she wants to be in. After getting home from daycare, Jenna decided she didn't want to be in the family room and walked all the way into the kitchen! Then when I was making dinner, she left the kitchen and I could hear her playing with something. When I walked out of the kitchen I could see that she had found one of the toys we might give her for her birthday, had pulled it over, and was standing on the box playing!!! She is too much and getting more fun by the day.

I was watching her last night as she sat in her high chair eating green beans and fish sticks and couldn't believe what a big girl she has become. When we first sat her in her high chair, her head barely was above the tray. Now she has grown to where her head is near the top of the chair and she feeds herself. So much progression in a year that it is amazing and such a blessing. I feel honored to have been part of creating this child and helping to mold her into the sweet little girl that she is.

Baby Natalie is here!!!

My dear friend, Jackie Bizzell, gave birth to Natalie Marie Bizzell Wednesday morning at 9:15 am. YEAH!!! We are so excited that Natalie is here and healthy. Although she came 2 1/2 weeks early she still weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long. That was longer than Jenna who was 4 days late!!! Another play friend for Jenna.

Growing by leaps and bounds

What a fun age Jenna is right now, but I think every few months I keep saying that. We have been busy. Last week was Josh and my 5 year wedding anniversary. It is so hard to believe that it has been five years. Man... time flies! Friday night we watched our wedding video together and it was so much fun to relive the memories. Pete, we gave you "some grand kids" or at least one so far! Saturday, Josh and I drove to Chapel Hill and stayed at the Carolina Inn where it all took place. Ironically our room was next door to the suite we had that weekend. We walked the town, ate at one of our favorite restaurants 411 and went to a few bars. It was fun getting to spend time together while Jenna stayed with my folks.

Jenna can take a few steps at a time on her own and stand on her own. She is still trying to be able to go from the ground to standing without having to pull up on anything. She hasn't quite figured it out yet, but is almost there. I took this cute picture of her on the first day I made her wear sandals since she has learned to walk and stand. She couldn't decide if she liked them on or not. At first she was all smiles with her new shoes on. Then by the end of the day she wanted them off. I think it was just different for her to have shoes on or maybe she likes to be bare footed like her mommy!

It is also amazing how much she understands. She knows when we say "no" she shouldn't be doing something. I guess because we are always so sweet and fun, when our tone changes and we tell her no it upsets her, because she starts crying and tears roll down her cheeks. I just hope this continues that she listens to us. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I want to thank my Aunt Barbara who sent Jenna some adorable clothes she found. They are so cute. Jenna wore this Strawberry Shortcake outfit the other day. Notice by the end of the day how the look changed!

Before:

After:

What a fun day!!!

So the most exciting part of the day was when I picked Jenna up from daycare today. Jenna was standing up next to a bookcase in her classroom. I walked up to her and held out my hands. Jenna took 3 solid steps and 2 steps in a lunge towards me. It doesn't matter how they were taken...Jenna took 5 steps!!! All I can say is, GAME ON! She will be running in no time.


Then when we got home, we had dinner and then it was play time. I caught this really cute picture of Jenna giving Haley a hug! She just LOVES Haley. She kept going up to Haley to give her "wet kisses". Haley would just give her kisses back. It was so sweet to watch. Then Jenna was playing get-the-baby with me and was walking down the couches away from me. So I crawled around the opposite side of the couch to surprise her. Little did I know that I would be surprised. When I got around the couch, Haley was in her "play position" with her hiney in the air ready to play with Jenna too. I guess she thought that since I was playing on all fours so could she. So Haley pounced near Jenna and then took her nose and nudged it in and around Jenna's chin. That brought on all kinds of giggles from Jenna and Haley just started to run around excited. That lead into a game of get-the-puppy. It was the funniest thing and I am not doing it justice trying to explain it. All I can say is that I had the best time playing with my two girls, Jenna and Haley!

Yes, folks...Jenna is playing with a doll!

Jenna for the first time yesterday picked up the little, plush, pink baby doll that her Grandma Deb got her when she was first born and was playing with it! She would hold it, hug it, and say "awe". It was absolutely adorable, but I don't think Josh knew how to handle it...it was a doll and it was pink. I pray that whenever we have our next child it is a boy. I think he needs that male bond.

I also took this hilarious picture of Jenna yesterday which shows her growing teeth. She was cracking me up with the faces she was making, and this picture only captures part of the action. She definitely cannot be one of the Clampets now, but she has some chompers growing! Enjoy...

Jenna's favorite game now is destroying whatever I build with her new mega blocks. I build it up and she breaks it down, but boy does it help make the time pass by! She also now likes to play another game of putting small items into her bucket. It is very cute to watch as she is very meticulous about it. I must admit that she is a smart cookie, because she has 3 little duckies and will say a "duh" sound and then go right towards them. Such a little cutie.

Josh made it back home from his business trip to Connecticut where he has been all week. We went from having the house filled with over 20 people last week to it being empty with just Jenna and me this week. Now I know what my Nana goes through every Christmas when we all go back to her house and then leave. I must say I like having people around. It makes things fun!

Sprouting teeth

So little Jenna has been quite fussy the past few days and has been running a temperature of about 101. I was getting really concerned until I looked in her mouth this morning. She has teeth sprouting everywhere. For the longest time she only had one little tooth and a friend called her one of the Clampets. Now she has her 2 top teeth showing and growing, her 2 bottom teeth showing and growing and then 2 more teeth on top are cutting. The one on the left has broken through the gums and the one on the right is bulging ready to break free. Poor little girl...when it rains it pours. I can't wait to see what her smile looks like when all of the teeth are fully grown.

Hosting a family Reunion

So much has been going on lately, and I apologize for just now doing another post. Jenna and I made it back from Oregon after having a great week. We had a little scare when we got back, because my Grandma who we had just seen had some heart problems and was admitted to the hospital after we left. I believe she has had a heart stint put in and is doing better.

After getting back, we spent time getting our house ready to host a family reunion here. We had over 20 people, but it was a great time. Everyone pitched in with food, cooking and cleaning. Jenna had the greatest time playing with her cousins or should I say watching her cousins as they were all running around her. We kept telling her "Wait until next year and you'll be running with them!" She is so ready to walk and I know it won't be long now.

We made it to Oregon!

My mom, niece Brianna, Jenna and I flew Wednesday evening out here. The girls did great with the flights, sleeping while we were flying yet wide awake while we had our layover in Vegas. We got into Medford, Oregon at about 1:45 in the morning their time which was like 4:45 our time. That first day was exhausting, but fun. We went sight seeing around Grants Pass with my mom's sister Barb during the day and then went to her and Keith's house for dinner. Let me just say how amazing their home is!! Keith designed & built it and I have never seen anything like it. Every aspect is artistic and creative and the views from their 10 acre mountain top property are breath-taking! We enjoyed a great meal of homemade hummus and shrimp cocktail appetizers, grilled salmon, salad and corn for dinner and ice cream for dessert. It was so nice just all being together.

Jenna has gotten a kick out of my grandparents' dog, Coda, just as much as we all have. He is such a cute little dog who is a Dotson and Chihuahua mix. For a while now I have been asking Jenna, "What does the dogie say?" My response has always been, "woof woof (panting noise)". Jenna now makes the panting noise every time she sees Coda and it is just hilarious!!!



Friday we went into town with my Grandparents and walked the streets looking at shops and saw more of the bears that line the streets during the summer months. Each one is completely different with a completely different theme. We then went to the park so Brianna could play on the slides and swings. She had so much fun!!! That night we went to a potluck dinner at my grandparents community club house. We had some fun entertainment of two women playing the button box. For those of you not familiar with the button box...it is like an accordion, but if you push a button it plays one note as you pull the box out and another as you push it back in. Jenna got a kick out of watching this.


Saturday we went on what has been my favorite part of the trip. We drove through the Red Wood Forest and walked through a neat trail that had educational signs throughout it. What an amazing thing to see in person.

Then we drove over to the Pacific coast where we had a nice picnic and then played on the beach. I can now say I have been coast to coast!!! Jenna got so excited seeing the ocean and kept doing her happy pant! It was a great day but one that I wish Josh could have been with us to be a part of.

That night we had a fun dinner of homemade zucchini fritters and kielbasa or Oregon hot dogs as Brianna called them. The fritters were really tasty and reminded me of my childhood as my grandma used to make them for me then too. It was hilarious watching Jenna try them, but she ate some like a champ!