fight club

Ummmm...did I say I love my boys? Yes. I did. And, truly, I do. But, seriously. I don't really get into this aggresive man crap. Brent is really gentle when he's being rough with the boys. But, somehow, he always gets hurt. And, of course, I have zero sympathy for him, because it happens every-frip-frappin-time. Avery is always laughing through the whole wrestling match. It's like he doesn't feel pain. No. really. He's tough that way. He'll fall off the bed on his head and start laughing...maybe, because his love for slapstick prevails. And Miles is a beast. An absolute beast. Well, without further adieu, here's a short snippet of our family "fight club".

where has the time gone???

She's 10 months old. Ten Months.

perspectives on children

Last night, Brent listened to some excerpts from a speech given by Michelle Obama in the car on the radio. She said something to the affect of, "[Barack's mother] was a single white mother with a black baby, but that didn't stop her from going after her dreams..."

My husband loves children. He loves our children here right now and the idea future children. He's not afraid of having a big family. That said, he doesn't have an agenda to have a big family.

So, when he hears something like the above statement, a red flag goes up. His response? (not verbatim) "Jenna, why do people see children as an obstacle to dreams instead of a dream in and of itself?"

I love this man. He says things to show me that he is happy in this life...with me...with our children. I felt loved just by hearing a bit of his worldview.

sweet

I love this moment. When Avery was a little baby and would enjoy book after book, it never occurred to me that he'd be reading to his siblings when he got older.

unofficial crazy hair day

life with boys...

i spy...

...some things hidden by a boy:

a pen, some popcorn, a tinker toy

a paintbrush, a lego, a battery, a clip

a used kleenex, a gasket and a guitar pick

*these were the contents found in our couch cushions...gross!

who do i thank first?

Seriously. Do I thank Darrin? All we did was get him and his family here. He labored for nine days with Brent to put in a bathroom from scratch (minus the rough-in). Do I thank my sister and brother-in-law who paid for the flight change when they decided to stay longer to get more done? Do I thank Steve T., Mike, Matt, Steve D. (and more) for donating time and tools to get the job done? Do I thank my city for requiring me to get like five stinking permits to do this? Do I thank my Dad who spent much of his vacation here last weekend to labor with and guide the last steps? How about my Uncle Wayne, who, while here ON VACATION last summer, saw that the floor hadn't been grouted and decided to spend the next morning getting it done? Or, how about our friend, Joel, who has five kids and is in law school who noticed that we were in a slump and so came and mudded and taped after class to reenergize us in the project? Do I thank my husband, Brent, who has spent more hours in this bathroom than anyone of us would have liked, and has had to learn as he went (very painful lessons at times!)? I really can't say enough about my dear husband's work. I'm probably forgetting like 10 people who helped us out hugely. But, can you believe it? Can you believe we have been blessed with that much help? We are blessed. It's ridiculous. Thank you, Lord, for friends who came alongside us to put in this second, yes second, bathroom. (Oh, and by the way, when Darrin and his wife and two boys stayed with us?? We were EIGHT people living in a house with only ONE bathroom! It can be done!!!)

our first youtube video

Um. Today, we met a baby squirrel that was just downright freaky. It didn't skitter scatter away. It ran towards us!!! We were mesmerized by this freakish furball. He chased us in our garage and held us captive until we finally got back and scared him into a corner. Brent somehow got it to climb on a two by four and you can see the rest...

Foody Friday...hoppin' on the bandwagon...

My friend Jenny was one of God's good surprises when he moved us from St. Louis to Minneapolis. She is so funny and wonderful and deep and faithful and I can't really say enough about her...maybe I'll say more another time. Oh! One more thing: She loves food. (And I'd love to have her metabolism...oh well!) So, we're doing this Foody Friday thing. This week the theme is desserts. So, now I find it irresistable to join in. I didn't do much prep for this, so I'm going with something out of season. Pumpkin Cake. But, I always love pumpkin. anytime. So. Here goes...

Pumpkin Cake

4 eggs

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 c. oil

1 can pumpkin

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. each: cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

Beat together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir dry ingredients in and mix thoroughly. Spread in 9 X 13 pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 mins. Cool and frost.

Topped perfectly with this frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

4 T. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese together. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until smooth.

What happened next:

she's mischievous