In pictures

Spring is Here!

Time for parks and climbing.

Ready to ride Dumbo, I guess!

Enjoying green grass and dirt.

Loves putting these guys "upside down".

Lots of time with Mom, hard to get a good picture of the two of us.

I love this picture because we are working together. I roll the eggs, she puts them in the nest. And you can see my potter's thumbs too!

This is her 'surprise' expression

Rides with Daddy.

Daily playtime with the neighborhood cats (this is Dwight).

Summer's coming!

I really am enjoying the imagination my girl has. She remembers so much about day to day life, it amazes me! She likes to pretend that she is an animal that needs to be rescued (thanks, Diego!). Brent was pretty worried this week when he took her to the mall play area and she was in a tunnel saying, "HELP, AYUDA!", He didn't know the game she was trying to play yet. Chloe really has a sweet spirit. We give our share of time outs and have tantrums around here for sure, but she is so willing to tell us what the 'no, no' is and say she is sorry. She has even given herself time outs (not sure she TOTALLY gets it yet). She has also banged her head against the wall when we have given a time out. A normal toddler, trying to figure out who she is and what independence feels like. Taking pictures of her is a joy and I can't believe how LONG her hair is!

Embracing the waves

For as long as I can remember I have LOVED my hair. I loved the ease of it: pin-straight, not having to wash it for days. It was the thing I most consistently got complimented on. "You have beautiful hair", "You should be a hair model", "Can I touch/play with your hair". I Loved it: long, short and in between. It was straight and thick, like a smooth blanket. That was until about 2 years ago. I noticed a slight wave when I turned 30, but it was easily blown out with a hair dryer. Then the pregnancy hormones came and along with a beautiful little girl came wavy hair. I kept my hair short for the first year and just dried it and straightened it. It worked okay. I loved my long hair and the ease of it, so I decided to grow it longer. The waves took over. I have had to learn how to do my hair all over again. I am still not sure how to do it, how to have it cut, etc... Last night I had some free time and decided to straighten it and I realized that for the last 1 1/2 or more years I haven't quite felt like 'myself' with wavy hair. My self confidence has even gone down b/c people rarely compliment me anymore. Brent said he has really liked the wavy hair and it was strange to see me with straight hair (so sweet). I want to embrace the changes that come with seasons in life (even physical ones). Heck, pregnancy cured me of my IBS! I also want to feel comfortable in my own skin. I want to be able to be comfortable with both wavy and straight haired Jenni. It may seem trivial but this revelation has helped me understand a lot about why I don't feel pretty most days. I want my feelings of beauty to come from the inside more than anything. This is what I am wrestling with now.

Omaha Zoo

Omaha Zoo 2011

The Penguins

Chloe's cousins LOVED showing her around!
Looking at the 'icky fish' with Hillary

Gorillas were eating apples, luckily I had one too!Whitney, Zach, Hil and her 2 friends were great about making sure Chloe had a good time.
Zach is REALLY great with little kids.

We had a great time! Chloe loved the day and spending it with Papa, Gra (grandma) and her cousins!

Heart-sick

Today I am lonely. Lonely for heart friends. I really miss being able to talk (uninterrupted) with my closest friends. I am enjoying getting to know those here in town now, but it takes time. I understand that, I don't feel the pressure to make relationships happen. The reality is that my heart is in need. I have been thinking about the blessing of all my years of being single. How I could just go sit on a girlfriends couch and pour out my heart and stay there for hours. It was such a sweet, sweet time. I love sharing my life like that with my husband, who is an amazing listener and encourager. But, there is something about a girlfriend, you know? I KNOW I am not alone in this. I am just praying that God would sustain me, give me moments of connection with those I am able to call and talk to, or those God has put around my life. I feel such gratitude that I even am feeling this heart-sickness. That means that God has allowed my heart to go deep with people. I want to TRUST that He is at work in all of this. I just want to say to all of those of you that I can't call everyday, that I long to come sit on your couch, talk and listen. I miss you, a lot.