Day 21: 0n Fingerpainting

Last week we tried out fingerpainting. It was a big hit! I was a little (ok, a lot) afraid of the mess, but it wasn't too bad, and it cleaned up really well once we were done. I love watching Javi try out new things, and this was no exception. :) He was a little hesitant at first, but with a little encouragement he dove right in.



I figured finger painting would be a good activity to start out with (as opposed to say, watercolors or stamping) precisely because it's messy. Javi doesn't like to have stuff on his hands, so I thought an activity where you're supposed to get messy would be good for him. He did really well.



This past February I took Ashley Ann's SnapShop course and I highly, highly recommend it. It was the perfect pace for me, and I learned tons. While I knew most of the technical stuff, it was great to practice and get feedback on all my pictures, and I specifically learned a lot about capturing every day moments like this in an artistic way. I loved it. If you have the opportunity, definitely check it out!

Day 19: 0n Feeling Tired

I constantly forget that is not just about how many hours of sleep I get at night, or whether or not I had a chance for a nap. There's the whole nursing thing, and the energy it takes to sustain another life (even a tiny one!) from my body. There's the whole toddler thing too, with his boundless energy. Then there's the whole adjusting to a new normal thing that is both physically and mentally challenging, all of which is tiring!

And then the million and one other things that a girl needs to get done. Personal hygiene! Dinner for the family! Clean clothes! Etc!

It got better after three or four months with Javi. I think overall I am handling the lack of sleep better than I did the first time. Less crying, more cat naps. I'm reminding myself that this too shall pass, and someday I'll sleep thru the night again :-)  For as many hours as I want. Without interruption. :-). And it will be awesome.

Day 18: 0n Fall In NY

My awesome sisters in law showed up last Thursday, shooed me out the house and told me to get lost for a couple of hours. I hemmed and hawed about what to do, (does anyone else think of a million things they need to do sans kids but then when the opportunity arises, draws a complete blank? Anyways, I digress.) But ultimately decided to grab my camera and go for a walk along the river.

Fall is really coming into its own here in New York, and I relished the opportunity to capture some of the beauty that surrounds me. I learned with Javi that what recharges me most when I have time to myself is a simple combination of: being alone, being outside, preferably, and doing something creative. So off to the river walk I went.

Here's where you might expect me to say something profound about what God taught me during my time communing with nature, but I don't have anything like that for you today. I simply drank in the sunshine, find solace in the silence, and attempted to capture the beauty around me through my lens.

I will say though, every time autumn rolls around, and I watch the trees become living art before they drop their dead leaves, I am awestruck by the creativity of God. Who else would think to create such amazing beauty in death? God is awesome.

Day 17: 0n My Lover

God sure knew what he was doing when he brought two families together twenty five years ago. As our parents became fast friends, Lover and I became close friends as well. Our story from that point is long, (and awesome!) but let me sum it up quickly for you: Lover's family moved to Spain to be missionaries, and then 6 years later so did my family. We overlapped for a year, and then Lover's family returned to America. Five years later I moved back to NY to go to college, and Lover was there at every turn for me. It didn't take long for me to fall head over heels for him, and I've never recovered. :) We dated for two and a half years, and got married in a light filled little church in a wedding ceremony that was wholly and purely "us".


Lover asked me "out" on May 17th. On the 17th 17 since we started dating, he asked me to marry him and we've had the tradition ever since of celebrating on the 17th. So today for date night we are dropping the kids off at my aunt and uncle's, and heading out for a special night together. I can't wait!


When we got married, we determined to be newlyweds for the rest of our lives. That's a little harder to do with munchkins under foot, but we're figuring it out. Some days, like today, we get hours to ourselves to reconnect. Other days we share tired smiles as he walks out the door for work, Javi chirping "bye daddy!", me standing behind him bleary eyed holding Kay Kay.


Lover is constantly spoiling me. He won my heart, bought me a castle, and now we have two beautiful babies together. It's a fairytale I tell ya, the very best kind where we get to live out the "happily ever after" instead of ending with a kiss in the sunset when the love story has barely begun.


Lover is a wonderful father. He delights in teaching Javi all about the world around him. He snuggles KayKay close and is sad when he has to give her over to me to nurse. I love watching them interact - it melts my heart to see them all together.


In a couple of decades we''ll find ourselves alone again in this big castle. And while I know that we'll miss our kiddos, I can't wait to enjoy that time with my best friend!

Day 15: On a New Addition to the Family

I wrote this back in January, right after we found out we were expecting number 2. I thought it would be fun to share! 

Yesterday we found out that we are expecting our second little munchkin. I’d had my suspicions for a while, but wanted to wait to take a pregnancy test until we were pretty sure so as to avoid disappointment. Sure enough, those two pink lines appeared right away! Yay!

We want our kids to be close together age wise (and relationship wise, obviously!) so we were hoping to get pregnant as soon as possible. But as the months dragged on with no beebee in my tummy, I really struggled. Seemed like everyone  else was getting pregnant, again! for the first time! even if they hadn’t planned to! and boy did I want to be a part of the “trend!”

Javi made us a family in my mind. We were deliriously happy as a couple, and so excited when we were pregnant. But it wasn’t until he was born, and as each month passed, that we began to realize how much he added to our duo. I can't picture life without him now. And the more we loved Javi, the more we wanted to add more little munchkins to the mix!

To be honest, I’ve got some fears. I’m afraid of the adjustment from a mom of one to a mom of two. I’m afraid this little baby won’t feel as loved or special. I’m afraid of how Javi will react.  I'm afraid that this baby and pregnancy won’t be healthy.

But I have learned so much in the last year about fear. And I refuse to let it rule my life! I don’t have the time or the energy to waste on being afraid anymore. So I’m referring back to the verses I’ve taken to heart over the last year, and reminding myself to place my trust in the Almighty. To hide under the shadow of his wings.

Day 12: The Week in Review

Favorite Moment of the Week: Our first really, truly date night without either kiddo. We enjoyed some sub par food and excellent conversation and had a great time reconnecting with each other!



What Javi is Doing:  Adding even more words like sticker! my chair! medicine! Being a wonderful big brother by holding Kaykay's hand, giving her kisses, and bringing her a tissue when she sneezes.



What Keilana is doing: Holding her head up like a champ, avoiding tummy time by rolling over, giving big smiles and having little conversations with us.

What I'm doing: Working to have the right perspective on getting things done throughout our days. The newborn phase is difficult for me, and the lack of sleep got to me this week. Next week I'll be doing my best to remember that I need to take it one day at a time!

Day 11: On Stupid Things

I hit a wall this week. A tired wall. I had been carrying along, managing our days pretty well, but right around Tuesday afternoon I started to lose it. Keilana had a couple of bad nights, and while I knew I was tired during the day, I didn't think I was THAT tired, so I didn't make it a priority to get some sleep when they slept. By Wednesday night I was a mess.

A long talk with Lover last night, and some extra sleep this morning and afternoon, and things are looking brighter. I'm resolved to take it a little easier on myself next week, and not try to save the whole world in five days! :)

But anyways, some things fell to the backburner this week, like blogging. I missed Wednesday entirely, and yesterday and today's posts have been late. So I thought I would just briefly log in today to share some funny stories of things people have said to me over the last couple of years.

Situation: At church, the week we're telling everyone we're pregnant with Javi. 

• Lady: Jenny, have you lost some weight?


• Me: well, yes, I have, because I am pregnant! (joyful smile)


• Lady: Well, fantastic! And isn't it great that you had some extra that you needed to lose?

Situation: To Lover, on noticing that I wasn't with him that particular day. 

• Person: Where's Jenny? Is she in labor?


• Lover: sarcastically. Yes. But I told her she was being a wuss and to work it out on her own while I carried on with my social calendar.

Situation: Standing in the nursery hall, two weeks postpartum, with the baby in the carseat.

• Person: Is this the new baby?


• Us: No, this is the one we rented. We're giving this one back though, as it poops an awful lot.

Situation: At a barbecue, pregnant with Javi, sitting together and holding hands.

• Man: Just you wait, you guys won't have time for each other any more after the kids. They ruin everything


• Us: We're awfully tired of people threatening us. We'll be just fine.

Situation: Waiting in the doctor's office, 34 weeks pregnant with Keilana.

• Old Woman: I can't remember ever being that huge with any of my six children.


• Me: jaw drops. I have no response to that.

Situation: Multiple people, multiple times, on learning that we were expecting a girl this time.

Person: Oh, perfect! So you guys will be all set!

Us: Yes, we'll have a matching set. And we won't be adding any more kids unless they are collector's editions.

What are some dumb things that people have said to you? :)