The Weekend Highlights

*Our family has discovered the fun of dance parties. I think we've had five or six over the last three days. We were desperate for ways to tire them out besides being outside....so we started blasting music through the house. It was such fun to watch them jam (most of these parties involved me laying on the couch watching in a nauseous stupor). We have two pretty good dancers, if I must say so myself. I hope they always feel comfortable dancing around silly.

*We had family movie night with huge bowls of popcorn, which Carlie ate the most of. The movie of choice was Bambie II. It was actually pretty cute! We even have a couple of quotes from it now. Kendyll's favorite is "A prince never woo-hoos".

*We had a dinner picnic at our duck pond. I was a little worried that it would be too hot, but it was pretty nice in the shade. The two best parts of the night were: 1)Kendyll and Carlie running around while holding hands and laughing loud. They have become the best of friends in the last few weeks and it is just precious to me. 2) Kendyll had her first outside peeing experience. Yes, at the duck pond, which is on a major street by our house. Mark took her down by the creek bed, took off her clothes from waist down, and had her just stand straight up. It was the funniest thing to watch her face as she discovered a whole new way to go to the bathroom. :)

*We cleaned out Mark's entire office. That sounds like a normal quick chore to do, but no. It's not. It took us hours and hours, and we still have work to do. Mark has lived in a makeshift office since we moved here three years ago. Since he works from home, it is pretty important that he is organized and "official" looking. We put it off way too long, so we're both excited to get him "moved in". We bought five sets of shelves from Ikea and are still busy filling them up. I'll post a final picture when it looks prettier.

*I am still feeling pretty puny at night, which makes for lots of daddy turns for putting the girls to bed. Last night I forced myself to do the songs and prayertime with Kendyll and was so glad I did. Laying next to your big girl in her bed, having quiet time with her and listening to her talk to God from her heart is priceless, regardless of the nausea. My favorite is how much she prays for this little baby of ours.

*Speaking of nausea, there are not alot of things I can eat for dinner these days. For some reason, my sickness is worse in the evening, so I have to pick and choose random dinners most nights. Tonight, Mark was not scheduled to be home until after dinner time, so I gave Kendyll the choice of what to eat. She chose peanut butter & jelly with mac & cheese. She then proceeded to eat all of that together on one sandwich. Wow, that does alot for a pregnant nauseous woman. BUT, the funniest thing was that I have always hated PB&J...I probably haven't eaten one since I was eight years old. And, I ate one bite of Carlie's and was hooked tonight! I ate one and a half of those suckers for dinner! Who woulda thought?

*We are now on Season 3 of "24". We have finished Seasons 1 & 2, and it is the best show I've seen in a LONG time. I'm not really into many of the shows on TV these days (except for a couple of the reality kind), but this one is AWESOME. Season three, here we come!

*Carlie got to be "the one" yesterday at church. The one kid who gets taken out in the middle of communion, screaming and yelling all the way out the back. She had said "NO!" to me one too many times, and had started grunting at her sister. So, I politely threw her at Mark, and mouthed TAKE HER OUT! She came back with crocodile tears and sat still the rest of the time, so whatever he did worked. :)

*We got to have GranSunday yesterday, our "last Sunday of every month" tradition, and it was great as always. :) Dad and Kay do such a good job of feeding our tummies with delicious food, and making it a comfy afternoon for all. There is nothing better than sitting around talking with family about anything under the sun. Most of all, I love hearing stories from my grandmother and grandfather about their "old days". We always get such great peeks into their lives. Kendyll's favorite thing of the day was a group of peacock feathers my grandfather brought her from my aunt's farm (yes, she has peacocks!). Grandad and Kendyll played outside forever, as usual, and then played "buy a peacock from my feather store". The things that make kids happy! Carlie loved her long nap, the Doritos bowl, and her special container of chopped tomatoes prepared just for her. Braden loved his lemon popsicle and showing off his awesome crawling abilities. It was a great end to a great weekend.

*Last on the list of highlights...Carlie said "JK" today. No, I'm NOT KIDDING ("NK"). It was hillarious. She said some silly bunch of words, starting laughing, and said "JK, Mommy". Even Kendyll was taken off guard by it. (read my last blog if you have no idea what I"m talking about.) Cailee, what have you started?!

Have a great week, everyone!

Humor of a 4 1/2 year old...

Kendyll has been cracking me up the last few days, since she has come home from time at Gammy's house. Anytime she visits Gammy and Papa Ron, she also has lots of quality time with Aunt Cailee, her sixteen year old aunt, and my littlest sister. She usually learns something fun when she's there, and this time was no exception.

Cailee, who is a product of her generation of IM-ing, text messaging, My Space, and other such fun things that I try to avoid, uses abbreviations that are shortened for longer phrases. Some examples are LOL (something about laughter--I don't even know what), IMO (in my opinion), etc. And, I guess a couple of these she uses in her everyday outloud conversations too. The two that my 4 year old daughter has learned are J/K (just kidding) and N/K (no kidding). My mom had warned me that Kendyll had picked this up, but I really had no idea the EXTENT that she was using it. Well, now, it's her favorite phrase. And, she's pretty good at incorporating into our conversations. The problem is that now she has to say something funny or false just so she can say "JK, Mommy!" Or, when she's wanting something and I'm telling her no she pulls out "I'm NK, Mommy!" Oh my goodness, it's driving me crazy!

Today, during our "school time", we were doing a phonics workbook. The page that we were on was about sounds that words end with. She loves doing these kinds of things, so she did quite a few pages like this. But, she started putting the wrong sounds with the words just to be funny. So, this is an example of how it would go.

The picture is of a goat. You can choose between "p" and "t" for the ending sound.
"Mommy, is this a goap?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha , JK, Mommy!" And she would laugh for five minutes about how funny that was. This continued AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN until I was basically annoyed beyond belief. Finally, after hearing this joke 100 times for made up words like moot (moon), crip (crib), wek (web), liob (lion), and cad (cap), I said loudly in a somewhat agitated voice, "Kendyll, no more JK-ing! Just circle the letter you think it is!!" I felt bad that I couldn't get into this humor, and even though I like to blame some of it on my hormones, it was just not that funny after a while! But she thought she was the MOST hillarious person in the world.

Then, when I layed her down for rest time while ago, she said "I love you too, Mommy. I'll have a good "resp tibe" (rest time)". Ha ha ha ha ha ha....and the laughter started again. Then, I hear "I'm just JK-ing, Mom!" as I close the door on my little comedian.

So, it sounds like we have a new joke to listen to for the next few days. I hope I don't go crazy on her. I guess, if nothing else, it's helping her with phonics?

Eight Weeks...

Eight weeks...and counting!

Yes, that's right. This is the "announcement" blog to let out the news that Baby Jacobs number THREE is on its way!! We are excited about this new addition and have been in constant prayer for this baby's health and safety as it grows. (Why is it that I have been more worried with each pregnancy instead of less worried?! I should know that this sweet little peanut is in God's hands, so worrying is not necessary!)

We are so thankful that God has blessed us with this pregnancy, especially after a few health issues in the last six months or so. So far, everything is going well, and I am feeling quite pregnant!

My "morning sickness" is more like all-day sickness, and I have suddenly become uninspired to get much done at all around the house or check off anything on my summer to-do lists. Something about feeling the need to puke just overrules anything else you need to do! But, as my mom tells me, "You don't need to be doing anything else! You're making a baby!" If it was just that easy.... :)

Mark and I have been keeping a separate "baby blog" since we found out we were pregnant, so you are welcome to read more about our Little Bit there. http://ourbabyblessing.blogspot.com. We will probably continue to keep updates on this little one there.

And, here is an adorable picture of baby Jacobs. I know, I know, isn't he/she cute?

To My Hubby

Although this is a little belated, Mark and I celebrated his 31st birthday this weekend and our 7th anniversary! (which is the reason for the delay in blogging!). We had a great time celebrating our favorite husband and daddy as he turned OLD on Saturday with lots of fun things. Breakfast at Breadwinners, a trip to the Farmers Market, Pei Wei for dinner, and a marathon of at least six episodes of our new addiction, the show "24"...along with a long Saturday nap.

Of course, our real celebration was last weekend, when we got to get away to the Gaylord Texan for the weekend without kids! We had such a good time doing nothing but relaxing and eating. We watched four movies and got to go shopping at the outlets for a while, enjoyed the pool at the resort, and had long pleasant dinners both nights too.

Our anniversary date night out at the Gaylord! We're a little shiny from our afternoon at the pool... :)

For our actual anniversary (yesterday), we had another kid-free day, thanks to Gammy, and Mark took the day off for us to spend it together. It is so much fun to do whatever we want without thinking of routine or children's naptimes or our to-do lists! We had a great day out and just enjoyed hanging out.

I've told Mark already all the wonderful things I am thankful for about him, and I won't get too sappy on the blog, for those who don't really want to hear it. But, I truly am amazed each day by the man I am married to and feel he deserves at least ONE day of bragging on my blog.

In every way, I know that God designed him for me, and I am thankful for the blessing I received when he asked me to the ACU Homecoming musical for our first date in 1997. The last nine years have flown by, but at the same time, I feel like he's been beside me forever. Thank you, Mark, for the steadfast and loving husband you are to me and the energetic, compassionate, and caring husband you are for our sweet girls. We are three of the luckiest girls on the planet.

And, now, in tribute to our seven years of marriage, here are 7 words to describe Mark:

1. Passionate. This is always first on my list...if you know him, you know why. It's him in a nutshell.
2. Selfless. Truly. I can't truly say that about many people, including myself, but Mark is selfless when it comes to his family, especially.
3. Excited, Energetic, and Positive. He's excited about every new day and has shared this trait with his girls. He can find good in anything....trust me, ANYTHING!!
4. Loving. This word just doesn't give his love justice. He loves with everything he has inside him. It amazes me. He is so faithful and steadfast in his love.
6. Tender and Sensitive. He was made to be a daddy to girls and a husband to a girly wife. He wears his heart on his sleeve and has even cried harder at every life event than me. I absolutely love that about him.
7. A Determined and Ambitious Dreamer. He really does aim for the moon in everything he does and works hard to achieve it. It gives me such a confidence to know that he is always reaching for the heights God expects of us in every area of life.

I love you, Mark. Thank you for all you do for us and for the way you follow the Lord as the leader of our family. We are so blessed. Happy Birthdaversary!

Touched By An Angel

Okay, so they weren't really touched by an angel. And, they're not having a seance, although it does look like Kendyll is trying to get in touch with Braden's long lost great aunt or something. Even Carlie looks like she's buying into it. Really, they are just sitting in the ONE spot in my living room where the 105 degree hot summer sun shines right in through an open window. For some reason, Braden liked this spot, and therefore, so did my girls.

We had a great day playing with Braden yesterday and were honored to be some of the first to witness his first CRAWL! YEAH Braden! (Speaking of that, who can show me how to download video clips to my blog? I have them on my digital camera but am not techy enough to know what to do next!)

Kendyll & Hollyn

My last blog update before I'm finally caught up with the last few weeks, is about one of Kendyll's very special friends, Hollyn Elizabeth. Kendyll and Hollyn have been "encouraged" to be friends since their birth, because their mommies share a lifelong friendship, starting long ago at church camp in fifth grade. What was a typical junior high summer acquaintance for me and Sara, has now developed over the years into a truly deep friendship that I am so thankful for and know that God has used in my life in so many ways. She has been my highschool buddy to double date with (why did we date those guys, Sara?), my college roommate for four years, we were bridesmaids in each other's weddings, and have been through all kinds of life "curveballs" together (including being pregnant and having children at the same time twice).

I'm so thankful that Matt, Sara and their precious kids, are finally making their way back to the metroplex, so that we can continue our friendship face-to-face, instead of by two hour phone calls every few weeks! (I'm sure our husbands will be thankful for that too!)

Another blessing of having them back is to let Hollyn and Kendyll get to know each other again. I found pictures of Hollyn and Kendyll as they've grown (although their baby ones aren't on digital cameras, unfortunately!) Although they've never lived close to each other, and have never had a normal childhood friendship where they visit alot, they have always known that their friendship was special, especially to their mommies. They have gone to each other's birthday parties and had a few times to hang out over the years.

This week was a special treat for us, because Sara, Hollyn and Noah came to stay with us while both of our husbands were out of town. We had such a good time catching up with each other, running errands, and playing with the kids. And, the best part about it was to watch Kendyll and Hollyn form their own fun friendship together. It really was a natural connection of two very different personalities and it was so fun to watch them play so well together and be inseperable for the time they were here.

They stayed up late laughing and talking in bed, and even though Sara and I knew we should discipline them, the sound was so sweet to us, and took us back to many of our own days of laying in bed talking together as roommates. (Eventually, once the clock struck 10:00, we did go in and get serious with them, but couldn't help smiling at their fun!)

Kendyll is already asking when Hollyn gets to come back and play. And, the best thing in the world is to be able to say "Maybe next week, since they live here now!" Matt and Sara, we are so glad to have you closer and look forward to the developing friendships that our children will share.

Carlie, Noah, Hollyn, & Kendyll all in one big BUBBLE BATH!

The girls pose with their balloon flowers at Crystal's Pizza

Carlie and Noah learned alot about each other and also had fun playing. They're only a month apart so it was fun to watch them be "friends" too. I also learned what it was like to have a boy around here! Noah is so much fun!! And so cuddly too! My favorite thing about this guy is that he is truly like Houdini. I lost him so many times when I was supposed to be "watching him". Oops! Sorry Sara!

Blog Update #2

This last weekend (yes, a week ago!), we spent hanging out at home. In fact, I don't think we left as a family the entire three days. Mark got us dinner and a movie, and he helped some friends move, but I think that might have been the only time our car was even started. It was wonderful. Lots of naps, a few hours of cleaning out closets, but mostly just playtime with the girls.

Then, on Sunday, we got the awesome luxury of losing one of our kids for the day and night. We went to lunch with the Ownby's and they left with three kids and we left with one. I love being "one kid down" for a few reasons. Of course, it's just easier all around. Baths are easier, car rides are easier, home life is easier, bedtime is easier, and the list goes on.

But, the main reason it was great----It made my heart happy to watch Kendyll's excitement level rise and rise as she anticipated her slumber party with one of her favorite friends, Trinity. She and Trinity play so well together and always have fun, without alot of the "girl drama" that can happen when four year old girls play together. In fact, she loves Trinity so much, that we have a "pretend Trinity" who lives at our house most weeks. Pretend Trinity does everything we do. We even buckle her into the car, set her a place at dinner, and have playtime with her. (Should I be embarrassed to admit this about my daughter?)

So, when Kendyll heard the news that she was invited to Trinity's house, she packed right away, got up EARLY on Sunday morning, with her backpack by the door, and counted down the minutes (all the way through church) until it was "after lunch". It's so nice to have family friends like the Ownby's who love my daughter so much, and whose home I know Kendyll loves spending time in.

The other wonderful thing about being "one kid down" is the time Mark and I get to spend with our Carlie. Sunday and Monday were so much fun with her, and it made me realize how different she is when Kendyll's not around. She had time to play with anything she wanted without hearing "No, Carlie, that's mine!" or "That's not how you do that!". There was no screaming or crying! She had her mommy and daddy's uninterrupted attention. She had her fair share of hugs and kisses from us, without having to share us at all. Kendyll already got that time as a baby or toddler, and Carlie should get it too, at least for short periods of time.

We ended up getting out the video camera and getting footage of Carlie singing, dancing, talking, and reading, all four of which we had never videoed before without a larger and more enthusiastic big sister jumping in front of the camera showing us what she could do even better, louder, and more excitedly. It was precious video and a precious time with our sweet two year old.

So, thank you Honey and Mr. Mark, for giving us that time with Carlie. And, for taking on an extra child so that we got a break!

The next day, I met Trinity, Kendyll, Trenton, and Stephanie for lunch and a trip to Libby Lu for the girls. This was such a fun place! It's pure girl, with all shades of pink and purple and lots of sparkle all over the store. Both girls got Princess Makeovers and got some treats to bring home in their new purple Libby Lu backpacks. It was a fun end to their sleepover.

Before the Makeover

During the Makeover

After the Makeover

As you can tell, Kendyll was completely exhausted by the end of Monday, and fell asleep within three minutes of being in the car. That's the best kind of sleeping there is. The kind where you're sleeping so soundly that your head flops around, because you're beyond tired from staying up late giggling, running around playing, and becoming a princess with a "real tiara".

Blog Update #1

Disclaimer before I start this blog series: These updates will cover a week full of events, so I'm sure I'll be long-winded. I might have to do it in parts....so here is the first of a few entries, I guess.Last Thursday, we went to the zoo with my sister, Cortni, her CUTE son, Braden, my youngest sister Cailee, and her boyfriend Orrin. We had a great time hanging out with family, laughing at how hard we all sweat for being girls, and seeing as many stinky animals as we could before we headed for the air conditioning!

Kendyll's zoo favorite is still the "rat cats", as she calls them, also known as meerkats, also known as "Timon" from Lion King. Her second favorite is the White Bengal Tiger, followed by the rhinos. Carlie's favorite is the fish, probably followed by the elephants and the monkeys. She wasn't too sure about the tigers, lions, bears (oh my!), or anything else that looked "real" and was walking too close to her viewing window.

My zoo favorite was the homemade mint chocolate fudge from the candy store, followed closely by the air conditioned burger place for lunch. Oh, and as for the animals, I probably am most amazed by the chimpanzees, the lion, and the cheetahs.

Braden's favorite stop was lunch as well, where he finally got to get out of the darn stroller and chow. He got his first taste of pizza crust from Aunt Chelsea, which he promptly bit into a huge chunk and almost choked. Good thing his mommy thinks fast. Good thing I learned fast that he doesn't "suck gently" on pizza crust like my girls did at that age. :) Won't be trying that again.

My favorite picture from the zoo is the one at the top of the blog. The girls holding hands walking. There is nothing sweeter to see than that. Especially when most of that week didn't include "sister love" very often. They were at a height of sibling fights, so it was nice to have them get along and not yell "MIIIINNNEEE" for a whole day.

We finished our zoo day hanging out at Grandad's house, since it's on the way back home. The kids rested and took naps. And, so did the mommies. :) Thanks, Grandad, for a comfy place to hang and cool off!

I do love the Fort Worth Zoo, even in July. It is the coolest zoo around, and makes for a fun day for all ages. However, I may not be back there until fall. And, if for some reason I go, I'm gonna take your sweat towel, Dad. :)

New Website!

For fellow mommies out there....go to www.starfall.com!!

I was told about this new website this last weekend (thanks Suzanne!). It's for kiddos learning to read, and it is THE BEST website I have seen! It is very interactive and fun for kids, and Kendyll is completely hooked on it!

Starfall has something for every stage of reading, from learning letters and their sounds, all the way to older skilled readers. Lots of games, puzzles, and easy-to-read books online. (plus fun stuff to order for teachers or parents!)

Just thought I would share for those who are in this stage like we are. Kendyll didn't even WANT to watch a TV show today----she just wanted to play word games on Starfall instead!

More Fourth Fun

See blog entry below, since it came first! But, here are the rest of the pictures that Blogger didn't want me showing to you earlier....

Four Days of Celebrating!

Happy 4th of July! We had a great time celebrating with both sides of the family and got lots of cute pictures of the fun. Here are a few from the last four days, as well as the very brief highlights.

We had delicious food...
....great cousin time....

...lots of good grandparent time....
(Gammy, Cassie has CUTE pictures of you with the girls on her camera, which I will add to my blog as soon as she emails them to me! This is the only one I had on mine!)

...and, of course, lots of fun swimming, barbecueing, watching fireworks, lighting sparklers, and even sleeping in a tent! (well, just Kendyll and Gammy did that one.)

And, these pictures will obviously follow in a later post, since blogger just decided that I was done with pictures for this one!

We also had a wonderful day of blessing our children with Grandad and Grankay, which I will dedicate a blog to tomorrow.

Overall, it was a very special weekend, filled with all the things that represent this holiday to me. Family, food, and outside fun! And, now we will spend today recovering from the fun!