Five Question Friday

Sheesh, it appears I am turning into a blogger that only does the themed blog posts. My bad! Still though, it's a way for me to interact with grown ups and I'll take it. :)

1. Will you run to the store or to pick up a kid looking a mess? Um, if you have ever had an early morning playdate with me (meaning before noon) you know the answer to this question. :) It's funny, on the first day of preschool all the moms and kids were totally put together and stylish. Now at preschool most of us moms have thrown on jeans and a sweatshirt and are doing good just to get our kids dressed and out the door. I will say also that everytime I look my worst while out running errands, I inevitably run into people that I haven't seen in a long time! Or better yet, meet my husband's work colleagues. That's my favorite! ;)

2. Do you finish a book if it's boring or you don't like it? Umm....only if the book has come highly reccomended. If not, I'll ditch it. My reading time is too precious to waste on a boring book!

3. Beach or mountain vacations? Mountain in the winter, beach in the summer. I love Sunriver but that is more of a getaway. Hawaii is my favorite vacation destination and I'd much rather go there then like Whistler or somewhere in the mountains.

4. What thing/event says "winter will end and spring is right around the corner" to you? Easter!

5. Would you prefer couples or family vacation? Oh man, it depends on where we're going! We've never done a real vacation as just a couple....we've gone to the beach, to Seattle, to Vegas a few times...but never like a full on vacation. I dream of going to Hawaii alone with Brett.....I can't really think about it too much though because I black out at the thought of that much time by a pool with no responsibilities. But if we're going to Sunriver, going to the beach, going somewhere that I know my kids will love...I definitely want them to be with me!

Okay, all that vacation talk REALLY makes me want to take a vacation like NOW!

Miscellany Monday

{1} Man, I don't know if it is this weather or being sick a-gain but I have been in a funk for the past week. I think some of it is coming home from a vacation and there's that recuperation time that is needed after traveling (for me anyways) and it just has not happened. I came home and went straight into being sick, taking care of my little ones and Brett basically worked the whole weekend due to him being short staffed. That kind of made him in a bad mood, not really towards me but towards the situation and then that further increases my funk. My friend Catilin forced me into the land of the living by having me over for a playdate this morning and I was grateful for that. I've been bit of a recluse for the past week, not going anywhere due to lack of energy and motivation. Hoping I can shake the funk off SOON. It also could be PMS....hmm, that would actually make a lot of sense. :)

{2} I feel like I have a newborn again. Everett's sleep pattern has totally regressed and it's not cool. About 3-4 times a week he gets up 3 or 4 times a night and it totally ruins my sleep because after I take care of him, I get back into bed and have this pit in my stomach that he is not going to go back to bed and that causes me to lay awake wondering. Geez. He's been a little stopped up lately so I think that could be the cause. I've been feeding him some prunes, the magical fruit for Emersyn's occasional stopped up issues, but they haven't been working their magic on him. Poor bubba.

{3} The other day when I took Everett to the dr I washed my hands in the dr's office and the smell of that hospital grade medicinal soap actually made me wish I was having another baby. What?? It was the strangest thing. I just had such great experiences with both my babies in the hospital (minus the wailing and gnashing of teeth during Everett's brutally painful delivery) and that hospital smell just associates wonderful memories. But then after traveling with two kids, I'm fairly certain that the Jensen household is complete with two children.

{4}

Source: womansday.com via Patti on Pinterest

I actually made something off of Pinterest!!! I was in the mood to make something yummy for dinner the other night so I went to my food board and decided to make the first thing on there, a black bean lasagna. It was SO good....seriously!! Brett ranted and raved about it which made me very happy. The recipe can be found HERE. This would be a great meal to take to someone. The next time I make it I am going to make a double batch so that I can freeze one for the future. My only modifications were that I added some shredded chicken, only used one jalepeno, and I also made it in a bigger pan (2.5 quart corning ware) because I worried it wouldn't fit in the size that it called for. Doesn't food baked in corning ware just taste better? It sure looks better. Let me know if you try this! It's also relatively low calorie for mexican food.

{5} Brett finished reading "The Hunger Games" book one and he loved it. It was so fun talking to him about it. Now I feel kinda bad that I am going to a girls night to watch the movie in the theater because he really wants to see it too. I don't feel bad enough that I'm not going......I just might sneak him in with me after the lights are out. ;) The girls I'm going with wouldn't care if he came to the movie part....but I don't think he'd be cool with crashing a girl's night unless other guys came. We'll see how that works out, I just might have to see it twice!

Sacramento Trip!

Everett chillin' on his first flight!

This past weekend we had a wonderful time in Sacramento visiting with family. It was so much fun to introduce Everett to everyone and seeing Emersyn interact.

We stayed with my Uncle John and Auntie Marti. They had a room for us to stay in and for Emersyn to stay in, which worked out great. All of us sleeping in one room is a bit of a challenge at her age. They were so hospitable and welcoming; I felt totally comfortable and at home. Emersyn was comfortable right away too, despite not knowing them very well and would wake up in the mornings and enjoy juice and donut holes with John and Marti. So cute. My uncle is a great cook too so we scored in that regard, ha! Ems favorite thing to do there was play outside and color with Auntie Marti.

Can't beat playing in the sunshine in your jammies first thing in the morning!

There's lots of family for us to see in Sacramento since my dad's entire side of the family lives there. We got to see my favorite cousin and her two kids. I remember when she came to visit my family when she had just had her son Jordan. I think he was 3 or 4 weeks old at the time. Now he's a senior in high school and almost 18. Wow. Joslyn, her daughter, is a freshman and Ems just loved playing with her. She's great with kids.

We took pictures with my cousins outside of "The Fountain's" in Roseville. I kid you not, I felt seriously under dressed. There were women there that could have stepped out of the Real Housewives series....shopping on a Sunday afternoon with their kids and stilettos, skin tight jeans and diamond rings the size of golf balls. It was a cultural experience for us Oregonians. ;)

Seriously, how adorable is my bare footed son????

Ems looked pretty fab in her jean skirt and fake Uggs. :) We were SO grateful for the warm weather! When we arrived in Sacramento we had In'N'Out for lunch and ate outside!!!! We were in heaven!

Last winter before I announced that I was pregnant my Auntie Marti totally saw this baby boy golf outfit and thought she needed to get it for me. She brushed the thought aside and then a week later, I called to tell her I was pregnant and sure enough, it was a boy. Isn't this golf outfit adorable???

Everett meeting his Great Grandma Inglis

Emersyn, Everett and Great Auntie Debbie having fun in Grandma Inglis' yard

I have many fond memories of frolicking in my grandparents yard when I was a kid and I couldn't wait to see Emersyn have the same fun. Their yard isn't nearly as magical as it once was since my grandparents have slowed down a bit due to my grandpa's recent illness. It's still an amazing place to be though and I loved seeing my daughter running around it.

Emersyn was a little camera shy. Hard to imagine, right?

On Monday we headed into San Francisco for a little family getaway, just the four of us. I had never been across the Golden Gate bridge so we decided that we must make that a destination. We stopped at an old military base on the North end of the bridge to get some pictures and take in the incredible views.

One of the highlights of the entire trip was watching Brett wear my sweater wrap out of frozen desperation. He only wore a tshirt, not thinking of how much colder it is in San Fran versus inland. It was HILARIOUS watching him put it on. It didn't look near as funny when he had Everett on the front of him but without the Baby Bjorn it was ridiculous looking, ha ha.

Having fun in the old military quarters.

The kids fell asleep right as we crossed the Golden Gate bridge so we got to drive around the crazy San Francisco metropolitan area and see the sights.

The kids across the street from the "Full House" houses. We froze our hineys off played at the park across the street from these houses!

My kiddos got spoiled by my aunts and uncle, just like I used to be when I was a kid! So sweet and so fun.

This was a cute town that my dad used to go to when he was a kid. It's kind of like Enchanted Forest in Oregon, only flat and was cuter.

I found an E for Emersyn!

Emersyn and Everett with Uncle John and Auntie Marti, our gracious hosts for the week.

Our last activity before we left on Wednesday was taking a little tour of houses that my family has lived in. I saw a house that my great great grandma lived in, saw the house my grandma was born in, the house my dad was born in....all within a pretty close vicinity of each other! It was so special seeing those houses.

We got a crazy good deal on airfare this past Thanksgiving weekend...we're going to try to make that an annual tradition. So thankful for loving family to spend time with and enjoy sharing my kiddos with. We miss you all already!!!!

Crafty

I've blogged about crafting before here. Silly Patti had an 18 month old and just noooo time to be crafty. Well, fast forward two years and now I have two children and still not a lot of time to be crafty. However, people I know that have far crazier lives then I do are able to manage a project here and there so I've decided to participate in "National Craft Month". Did you know March is National Craft Month?? I didn't either until my friend Dara enlightened me. She made a DARLING spring wreath that totally inspired me, however I won't be making the same one as her because when any craft project calls for 500 of anything, I'm out.

An Easter miracle has occurred and I know what our plans are going to be FIVE weeks before the actual day of Easter. (Not everyone in our families shares my passion for planning). And the plans are that Easter is going to be at my house, yay! I love entertaining and love having a reason to decorate. So I'm going to march fingers over to Pinterest and find some inspiration for my tablescape and for dinner. And I imagine that along the way, I'll get a little crafty. :)

Of course the Easter season is so much more then arts and crafts. Still though, I think Jesus appreciates a beautiful tablescape. :)

Are you going to get crafty this month?

A Trip and Trusting

For the past month I have had something looming over my head. Back in November we bought airfare to go see my extended family in Sacramento. We got a killer deal on Cyber Monday and even though Brett hadn't officially requested the time off, we knew that it wouldn't be a problem. We bought tickets for the first of March. Last year we went to Hawaii during the same week so again, it didn't seem like getting the time off would be a problem. Also, Brett's manager had never denied a vacation request....why should she?

Well, when Brett went to officially ask for the time off after the first of the year his manager said no. I could go into a lot more ugly details but basically she had decided to deny his request for vacation for no good reason. (I'm hesitant to share more in case somehow she finds my blog!!) Brett was extremely upset and then through a series of other conflicts at work, he found himself feeling discouraged and defeated. Ever been there?

Brett called me back in early January to tell me that he wasn't going to be able to go on this vacation and I was sick to my stomach. This vacation was very important to me because this side of my family hasn't met Everett yet and my grandpa is having kidney problems and you just never know how long our loved ones have left on this earth. I didn't want to go by myself at all. Traveling alone with kids is stressful. I told Brett that he should just let his manager cool off, keep doing a good job and honoring God at work, and then he could ask her to reconsider. We decided that he would ask her to reconsider in February.

If you know me, you know I am a planner. I was day dreaming about my kids first birthday parties long before they were ever even in my womb. In my perfect world, all holidays would already be planned out as to where they will be spent and with whom, what is going to be served, what special touches to celebrate the holidays will be done, etc. My calender on my iPhone is my trusty side kick and it failed me once, causing me to fah-reak out. The thought of not knowing whether or not my Sacramento trip was going to happen for a MONTH was enough to drive me crazy with worry and anxiety. It seems silly I know, but it meant a lot to me. Our airfare was non-refundable and to change the ticket would cost more then the ticket itself did.

During this season of not knowing (and other stresses that related to Brett's job), Brett and I have been really pressing into the Lord. And not because we wanted this trip to happen so bad, but because this whole situation was obviously the Lord's way of trying to get my attention and Brett's too. I have learned during this season that my husband needs my encouragement, needs me to spur him on to walk closer with the Lord, and needs me to be strong for him when he is feeling weak and defeated. I've been doing the 30 Day Shred again and one of the things that Jillian Michaels said really struck me. She said that in order for change to occur, you have to inflict stress on your body which is why the Shred is so stinkin' hard. But I got to thinking about our lives lately and realized that this stress is the Lord's way of stirring up some change in our lives and I'm grateful for that. We've gone through far more stressful times in life and I'm always grateful for the lessons that have come out of them. I know that I am truly a better person for the truths that I have learned as a result of trials.

I have a prayer journal that I have been writing in for the past couple of years. I go through phases of being more consistent then others. As I've been writing in it again for this past month I realize that it is more of a crisis journal. I have tended to only write in it when I'm stressed or praying for something. The pages of this journal read, "Lord, please give Brett that promotion"..."Lord, please allow me to stay home with my kids"...."Lord, restore my friends marriage"..."Lord, heal my friends mom with cancer".."Lord please don't let me be pregnant when I just had a baby two months ago" (ha ha).....and while those prayers aren't bad by any means, there needs to be more written in there then just specific requests....there should be praises, thought of gratitude and thankfulness.

Out of my desperation for this trip to happen (I feel like I'm sounding crazier and crazier but this trip just meant a lot to me and I wanted Brett to have the time off), I found myself taking time of out my mornings to write in my journal and have truly enjoyed the refreshment that is found in God's presence. I've been so challenged by this stress in my life to seek God more on my behalf and on the behalf of friends who are going through challenges.

After a short time, I was able to have a peace about this whole thing and even kind of mentally gave up hope regarding Brett's manager reconsidering. I had decided that I would just take Everett and we would just forsake the other two airline tickets. I contemplated taking Emersyn too but decided it would be just too much. She's in this delightfully whinychallenging age and I just didn't think I had the energy to deal with the two kids on my own. Then Emersyn got a sweet Valentine's Day card from my Grandma that said "we're looking forward to lots of hugs and kisses in March" and I had this pit in my stomach and felt TERRIBLE. I started to get all worked up again but instead, channeled those fears into prayers. I also found myself on my best behavior. You know, like when you were a kid and really wanted to go to your friends house so you made sure your room was clean and took the extra time to do an additional chore or two so that your mom would say yes? I feel like I have subconsciously been doing that, making more dinners at home, not going to Starbucks as much *sniff sniff*, working out, etc.

I had to come to the realization though that despite my best intentions for this trip, sometimes God says no. I have a friend whose husband left her and her two small children and she and hundreds of people including myself were in prayer to God for weeks and months about his heart changing but now the divorce proceedings are underway. Surely if my friend can stand tall despite the verdict in this situation, so can I if I can't do something as insignificant as take a trip with my husband.

The end of the story is that Brett does get to go to California. His manager reconsidered and now we can breathe easier. The weather is supposed to be nice and I cannot wait to introduce Everett to our extended family who already love him so much. I cannot wait to see Emersyn run around the paradise that is my grandparents back yard, that is a dream come true for me. I have such fond memories of exploring my grandparents backyard and playing at their house. It is going to be a great family trip.

Still though, I'm grateful for the growth that occurred in this past month and believe that God is calling us to a new season of trusting Him in our lives.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Cor. 12:9

Valentines Day

This post is a little after the fact but I wanted to document it anyways! :)

For Valentines Day this year I was sick, boo. I was sick last year too (and pregnant). I had planned a Valentine's Playdate lunch after preschool and had to cancel because I was sick and Everett was under the weather as well. Bummer. Still though I wanted to make the day special for my family. I made Ems a heart shaped sandwich for lunch and bought her strawberries as a special treat. I also decided to start a new tradition of getting her a personalized cookie from Beaverton Bakery. I got the idea from my friend Dara; I've seen her do it year after year and loved it!

We also decided to get crafty with something I saw on Pinterest and give it to Daddy for his present. Him and I normally don't do VDay presents, probably because it's so close to my bday which is a total drag....my anniversary is near Mother's Day too...I try to insist that these holidays be celebrated entirely on their own but it usually doesn't work out that way. ;) Anyways though, gifts aren't a huge love language of ours but celebrating in a fun way is!

On the top are Emersyn's foot and hand prints and then Everett's footprints. This will be a cute VDay decoration for years to come.

Emersyn got a cute card from her Grandma Inglis!

Everett got a fun turtle toy from Mimi and Grandpa!

Personalized cookie from Beaverton Bakery.

Cute shirt from MiMi.

We had a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphys and then had red velvet cupcakes and sang "Happy Valentines Day". Ems got to blow a candle out, which is essential for any and all holidays around our house.

In the past I've always assumed that Valentines Day is all about love and ooh la la romance but this year we really enjoyed celebrating with our kids. We got to go on a date the weekend before and that was a fun way to celebrate our own love but on the actual day it was fun to beat the crowds and stay home to enjoy our family.

6 months

Everett David, you are 6 months old!! Despite my daily pleas to quick growing up so quickly you continue to grow grow grow. I am so thankful for your joyful demeanor. The Lord truly blessed my soul when He gave you to me. You are the light of my life and I love you in a way I didn't know was possible!

Here are your stats:

*You're holding steady at about 16.5 pounds. You had a stomach bug this past week that caused you to lose a little weight (lucky, ha!). When I took you into the dr. your weight seemed to have stayed the same since I took you in for your 4 month appointment (which was when you were about 5 months).

*You wear a 6-9 months size in clothes and a size three diaper.

*No teeth yet, though you are teething like crazy!!

*You enjoy rice cereal and we'll be introducing some solids this week.

Here is a picture of you and your big sister at the same age, do you think you look alike?

I don't really see it as much as I did when you were younger. You guys definitely have the same nose and mouth but very different eyes. One thing is for sure, you're both so darn cute!!

This past month of your life has been an exciting one! You experienced your first Superbowl, the NE Patriots (Daddy's favorite team) against the NY Giants. Sadly, the Giants won.

I bought this Patriot's onesie for your Daddy's first Father's Day when you sister was in my tummy. It was fun to see you wear it again, just like Emersyn did for her first Superbowl. Only for her first Superbowl, the Patriots weren't even playing! I like your tough guy face in the picture above you. It looks so silly on your normally jubilant face.

I loved your little football socks.

You are quite the ladies man, almost always surrounded by beautiful girls. We had some friends over for dinner a couple weeks ago and took some cute pictures of you and Emma. Emma is only 6 days older then you are!

You two are sure to be good friends.

Your favorite person in the world (other then mommy of course) is your sister. Whenever I even say her name your eyes light up. We usually call her "sister". I wonder if you'll call her by a nickname the way my brother did when I was growing up. To this day when David calls me Patti it gives me the creeps....he has called me Sis for nearly 25 years, why change it up now??

You and Emersyn have such a special bond. I love watching you both become better friends and playmates.

Here you are looking darling as ever in the bathtub. You got a LOT of baths this past week with your stomach bug.

You celebrated your first Valentine's Day! Your great grandma Inglis sent you this cute card.

You still love being swaddled and have started falling asleep to your special lullaby CD that says your name in the songs. You like personal space when falling asleep and prefer just to be laid down to fall asleep instead of cuddled. Emersyn was the same way. I miss the days of you snoozing in my arms.

You are so unbelievably handsome.

Mommy nearly blacked out when she saw how darling you were in this hat at "Crazy 8" at the mall. I just had to get it for you and you will wear it for Easter. You haven't had any hats really other then your cute beanies. I need to not try hats on you because I'm pretty sure I will have to buy whatever you try on due to your cuteness!!!

Here you are hanging out with Daddy and laughing at your sister.

I took you to the Dr. this past week for your stomach bug. We had to wait an hour to see the dr. since they were running behond. The dr. was so apologetic, especially since once he finally saw you and determined there was nothing they could do for you since this is a virus. I told him that I didn't mind waiting since I got some cute pictures of you checking yourself out in the mirror. Sometimes you smile SO big that I think your face is going to explode from joy!

I booked the park for your first birthday this past week. I can't believe in 6 months that big day will arrive, wow. I am excited to plan a special celebration for your party. The theme will coordinate with your nursery, just like Emersyn's first birthday party will. I wonder if Miss Rachelle will help me design custom birthday invitations like she did so cutely for your baby shower (just putting that out there early Rachelle!!). :)

I am so excited to introduce you to some of your extended family in California next month. I am sure you will bring them the same joy that you do to your daddy and I. This will be your first trip on an airplane!

I thank God for you every single day and pray that He uses me to be the best mommy I can be for you and your sister. I love you sweet boy!!!

Love, Mama