If only I had known from the beginning that there is no need to buy fancy, expensive toys for kids. They can find enjoyment out of simple, everyday items. From storage containers to paper grocery bags to pot and pans to even an empty shoe box. Josh just got a new pair of running shoes and had an empty box that Jenna just thought was the greatest thing ever. She decided that the box was meant to put things into including herself. I don't know how many times I caught her just sitting in this box. Sitting in it playing with a toy. Sitting in it reading a book. Sitting in it watching tv. You name it and she found it necessary to sit in the box to make it happen. If only we as adult could retain the joy in the simple things and not have the need to have more and more. Life would be so much easier and affordable!




We have also entered the world of trying to learn how to do Jenna's hair. At school the teachers will put her hair into a pony tail and Jenna thinks nothing of it. When I try to put her hair into pigtails she has a slight problem with it. When we went to the park on Saturday I was able to get her hair in the back into pigtails. She didn't wear them that long before she started pointing at them and crying. She just looks so cute with them in her hair. Plus the back of her hair doesn't remind me of a mullet when she has some sort of hair pulled up into some type of ponytail/pigtail.
I guess I just need to keep working at it with her.


This year was Jenna's first Easter egg hunt. We had about 2 dozen eggs in the back yard for her to "hunt" for (I use the word hunt loosely since they were just sitting out in plain site for the most part). She just walked around with her basket saying "Oh! oh!" This kind of activity is right up her alley as she loves to sort things and gather things into buckets, baskets, or bags. It was really sweet and just another reminder of how must she is growing up. After our egg hunt, we had a nice Easter lunch with my parents, Clay, Nicole, and Brianna. We ate in our dining room for the first time at a sit-down meal. It was really nice and I think we have started a new tradition...Sunday dinner. After lunch we all went outside and taught everyone how to play corn hole. We received UNC cornhole board from my Nana for Christmas and thought my folks should learn how to play too since they have OSU boards. It was a lot of fun and just nice to be outside.

Time keeps on ticking....

Wow how times flies! I know I have said that before, but it never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes. I have been thinking a lot lately how it was just about a year ago that Josh, Jenna, Haley and I moved from Stephens Grove into our home in Cashion Woods. Jenna was just starting to roll around and eat solid foods. She could barely sit on her own and now look at her!!! She is running, talking, eating with a fork or spoon and expressing her own opinions.


Here she is with bunny ears that we picked up at Target for $1. She is so freakin' cute it hurts some times. This was on our play day last week when she was home with me. We also picked up a dump truck for her that her daddy desperately wanted her to have. I'll show you that later. At first she didn't want to wear them, but once she saw mommy wear them she wanted them all to herself.




As Jenna grows so does her hair. It hasn't come in as much on top, so she looks like she is rocking a mullet. On Saturday I pulled the back section into a pony tail and showed her daddy. This was Josh's response, "She looks like such a little girl....take it out!" I know Josh knows Jenna is a girl, but she is such a wild woman and does sporty things, that I don't think Josh treats her like a girl. So being reminded of her girl status sometimes throws him.




The best part though about Jenna's development lately is her adventurous spirit and being willing to try new things. Jenna now LOVES slides. We took her to the park on Sunday and Jenna played on the slides. She had the best time running up to the steps, finding her way to the slide and going down. We even took her up to the big kids' tube slide. Josh stayed with her at the top, I waited at the bottom, and Jenna had all of the fun sliding down. This kid is fearless as she loved every minute of it and even went down head first a couple of times.


I have to say that part of what I love about living in the South is being able to get outside and play at a park at the beginning of March when some areas are still living in snow. I also love that living where we do sometimes you have to deal with chaos on the roads when the fence breaks and a cow gets loose. This leads to a couple of cars and a couple of cop cars blocking the area so the loose cow doesn't get into the road. GOTTA love it!!!!



Last but not least is Jenna's dump truck. So Josh decided that Jenna needed a big dump truck to play with. She has a small one that she would attempt to push and run behind, yet she always fell down because it was too small. (Plus I think Josh just wanted a truck.) This new one is large enough to haul 5 of Jenna's plush toys, push Jenna in, or let her sit on and ride. Jenna will put her puppy, doggie, Bailey Bear, Elmo (Jenna now also loves Elmo. Not really sure where this love has come form since we didn't really have any elmo toys before her friend Ellie gave her one and we didn't watch Elmo on TV. Who knows, but she loves him), and giraffe in the truck and push them around. It is so cute to watch. Especially when she does it at night and we cover them up with a blanket. The fun part for her is what you will see next...