Beach Bums

We met my parents at Half Moon Bay today and had a great time with each other and enjoyed the cooler beach weather (it's been over a hundred degrees this week!) Jenna loved playing with Grandma in the sand and letting the water come up to her feet. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

Jenna picked up on a few new words this week: truck ("dutch") pasta ("passa") medicine ("meh-mehs") glasses ("ba-bahs") lotion ("basha" or "hands?" like she's asking for it on her hands) and horse (haws). She also learned that a bee says bzzzz ("bssss") and a horse says neigh ("Aaaay"). When Jenna was born, Jake's aunt Sandy made her this cool blanket with pink camoflauge on one side and pink polka dots on the other. It's always been in Jenna's crib but she never really noticed it until this week and now she can't live without it. She eats with it, pushes it around in her stroller, and has to have it in the car. She'd probably bathe with it if we let her. She seems to be even more attached to it than her "square" (the other little blanket she's eating with that she can't live without).
One night this week, she woke up around 3 a.m. I went in her room to rock her and when I picked her up, I also picked up her square. We sat down in the rocking chair and instead of immediately laying down like she usually does, she sat up, turned to her bed and said, "Bay?" Not sure what she was talking about, I asked, "Do you want your blanket?" And she said, "Yeah." I got it for her and she was fine. Crazy kid!

Buckethead and bathtime

Umm...????

The newest tooth is the small one, top left

"A-BAY!!!!"

Jenna loves airplanes.

So last weekend we took her to the airfield to watch the R.C. Club fly remote control airplanes. She loved it! Jake was also able to fulfill his childhood dream and fly one of these huge planes.

I see one!

Hi!

Jakeism #15

After receiving a sticker from a park ranger at the beach last night:
"I'm totally gonna put this on my binder."

First day of Nursery!

Jenna went to Nursery for the first time yesterday! She started a few weeks early because Jake teaches Sunday School and I was just called as Primary pianist. We tried to talk it up to her and explain that she's a big girl now and doesn't have to stay with Mommy and Daddy but she gets to go to her very own class! For the past two weeks, we had taken her during the last half hour of church and stayed with her so she could become familiar with the teachers and kids. I think she was pretty overwhelmed at all the action. Yesterday when I left her she cried but the Nursery leader said she was never out of control. After a while she recovered and stayed the whole time! I peeked through the small window in the door and saw her sitting in a little chair, clutching her "square" (the little blanket she can't live without) and focusing intently while the teacher sang "Wheels on the Bus." It was strange to see her in that setting and she seemed like a little girl instead of a baby.
I think my siblings will appreciate the picture above, reminiscent of many a first-day-of-school picture Mom made us take. One hand on the door, the other hand indicating what grade we were starting. P.S. Jenna is not bald. Her hair is in a pony!

Dating my friends.

I hated dating (anyone other than Jake, of course). Quite frankly, it was nice to be married and be rid of all dramatic late-night DTR* episodes. But what I didn't realize is that dating still happens after marriage, too. But I'm not talking about Friday nights out to ice cream with your spouse. I'm talking about with other couples. Sound crazy? Consider this.......

Case Study #1:
You and your husband have just moved into a new ward with several other young couples and families. You are both invited to a Sunday afternoon potluck to which you bring your famous cheeseball with crackers. Several games are played, including Apples to Apples, Two Truths & A Lie and Skipbo. They ask your husband where he works. They ask where you're living. Then, the inevitable question: How long will you be here? The night is fun but it's your baby's bedtime so you say your thank yous and leave.

Analysis: When we tell people that we will probably only live here for a year or so, it's like an attractive 21-year-old female telling a guy that she just turned in her mission papers. He doesn't want to waste his time with someone who's not going to stick around!

Case Study #2:
You are invited to a fun girl's night complete with "Sleepless in Seattle" and brownies. All of the super cool girls there have, or will soon have, children and so the conversation naturally takes a turn toward nursing, epidurals, diapers and nap schedules. You talk about your experience with your newborn and that your baby was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. The night is fun but the brownies are gone so you say your thank yous and leave.

Analysis: The same thing happens at the end of a date with a guy you like and at the end of the "dates" above. You lay in bed, torturing yourself as you analyze every conversation, how you acted, how you looked, etc. "What do they think of me? Are they going to ask me out again? Did they think I was bragging when I said my baby slept through the night? Did they think my shirt was ugly? Did my cheeseball taste funny?"

Case Study #3:
You have lived in your ward for several years and have many good friends. You babysit for these friends, listen patiently when they need to vent and bring dinner for their family when they are sick. One day, you decide to have a party and invite your friend to come. The party is fun but your friend doesn't show up. When you inquire she responds with, "I wasn't sure if you wanted me there."

Analysis: This is exactly the same game girls play with the boys they want to date. They want you to gush over them and say, "Of course I wanted you to be there! You are terrific! You are fabulous! You are the best person ever!" It's as if a girl asked her boyfriend of several years, "Do you like me?"

I guess my point is that the dating process is very similar to making and having friends even after your married. You want to make a good impression and you want people to like you and want to be your friend for a long time. I might be the only who feels this way and in that case, I'll stay up late thinking about how ridiculous everyone must think I am.

Disclaimer: Case Studies #1 and #3 are fictional events made up to illustrate a point. Case Study #2 was a real event minus "Sleepless in Seattle."
*Define the Relationship: A conversation with a significant other most likely to begin with "So.... what are we?"

Hi Baby!

This video was taken in the car and should not be viewed by those who get motion sick!

Talking on the calculator and making a grocery list?

I'm breaking one my personal blogging rules (don't promote yourself) but I thought these pictures turned out pretty cool. The top one was taken on the bathroom counter, the others in the backyard. She spotted an "ah pay!" (airplane) in the last one. I can't get enough of her!

A Blogging Analysis

Today I was browsing a hilarious blog called "Seriously, so blessed." The Salt Lake Tribune called it "An astutely sharp" and "wickedly dead-on spoof of the suddenly trendy married Mormon blog phenomenon." The author basically pokes fun at how the majority of married LDS women who have blogs paint their lives to be pictures of perfection. I wondered if I fit into that category. But then I got to thinking: there are people I don't know who read my blog (yes, Denver, Bermuda and New Jersey, sitmeter gave you away) and I don't want the whole world knowing anything other than the superficial happenings of my life. And quite frankly, I don't want to know about any arguments you have with your spouse or about your irregular bowel movements or about the exact moment you knew you were pregnant. I feel those things are too personal to be shared with the entire blogging community. In my opinion, the only place to write about those things would be on a private blog (or Secret Public Journal, whichever you prefer) where only your spouse, your mom, your sisters and your BFF are invited to read. But, I also don't think people should try to be someone they're not and of this, I'm guilty. I find myself trying to write to a certain audience and have deleted an entire post because I'm worried someone will think it's dumb. This post, in fact, should probably be deleted. I've also not posted a certain video of Jenna because I was afraid someone would notice the grapes she was eating were not cut in quarters and think I was a bad mother. Come on. That's just ridiculous. And yet, it's true. So on that note:
Jenna ate chalk yesterday. And I didn't stop her. Because I wanted this picture. I don't even know if it was non-toxic. I guess the bottom line for my blogging purposes is this: be myself, without sharing my whole self. What are your thoughts? P.S. Who is reading our blog? Let us know!

Last week, Jenna and I met up with some of my old college buddies at a very awesome park in Dublin. It was so exciting to see my friends! However, it was not exciting when Jenna did a face plant on the cement as soon as I set her down to go play. Her poor lip, cut by her two front teeth, swelled up immediately and blood filled her mouth.
I was secretly flipping out and hope I did a good job of pretending to be cool! But, when Jenna didn't calm down right away, I turned to Rachel, the all-knowing mother I believe her to be, and helplessly said, "I don't know what to do!" It wasn't much long after that when Jenna recovered and I knew she was totally fine when she headed over to the sand box and started playing in the water from a moat some kids had dug for their extravagant castle.

Another good use for a shoe!

The afternoon was very fun but cut short because of the unexpected chilly weather. Jenna had to ride home in just a diaper because her clothes were wet and sandy but she didn't seem to mind. I loved hanging out with Rachel and Sarah and remembering people we used to know. I'm excited to get together with Sarah again and take our kids to the San Francisco Zoo. Tomorrow is free admission! Oh yeah!