Jamie, Jordan and Jenna Joy

Well, I’ve been a bit busy and had a few computer issues, but I think I’m finally to the place where I can post again. It is a Happy New Year, although I’m sitting at home instead of with friends because the flu has hit our house and Kevin and Hannah have been feeling nasty for the past two days.. Jordan had it first. It’s a quick moving bug, but Jenna and I have seemed to avoid it somehow.. knock on wood. We have my college friends’ Christmas party on Saturday and I’m praying we are well.

Jenna is getting to be quite the grown up kid. She loves her sisters, and ICarly on tv, and asked for skinny jeans and “Congers” (Converses) for Christmas. Oh yeah, and everything else you find “as seen on tv.” She really wants me to have the Perfect Brownie maker and she got both Pixos and Bendaroos for Christmas. Today, she asked if we could get some “Bumpits.” I said no..

Recently, I realized Jenna is really thinking about her China mommy and her story.. she crawled up on the couch with me a week or so ago and asked me if I thought her China mommy loved her, and if I thought her China mommy was really alive and if she was looking for her. She then asked if I thought her China mommy missed her. As I can’t imagine life without her, I told her I thought she probably wasn’t looking for her because she probably knew Jenna was safe somehow and how much I loved her.. and that I couldn’t imagine anyone not loving her so yes, I bet her China mommy did love her. Man, she’s so darn smart! What kind of answers can you give to that? Jenna is full of spirit; too smart for me already; and wants to pick her own clothes out every single day (I’m losing that battle, by the way) and I really, truly, cannot imagine life without her. God really does know what we need all the time and He knew that I needed all three of my girls. I can’t thank Him enough.

Speaking of which, Han and Jord are becoming teenagers and I can’t stop it no matter what I do. Hannah is mostly past the estrogen surge/emotional crazy thing and is becoming a real friend. She’s really so sweet and will do anything for you. She’s quite the artist too.. wow. She won the Park National Bank Calendar contest for 2010. As soon as Kevin picks our copy up, I’ll take a picture of it and post it. Her original picture is hanging at the main branch downtown.

Jordan has not gotten through the estrogen surge thing, although I think she’s on the edge.. please God. She is as she has always been, a bit more introspective, less practical, and very loving. I hated to see her so sick this week, but I did get to hold my baby one more time and that was nice. Those times are few and far between these days. Jord is a bit more social than Hannah.. okay, quite a bit, and she does a lot with her friends. It’s hard to have her home any given Friday night and she’s been busting her bottom the last two days cleaning house for our party so she can be out tomorrow. She’s earned it!

Kevin and I are working like crazy.. I think I’m finally getting to the point where my new career isn’t so new anymore, but private practice is really busy, so I work a lot. Kevin works a lot simply because there is a lot of crime here.. the economy has hurt so much and people who wouldn’t normally be doing stupid stuff are doing it now and the old people are just doing it more. Sometimes I miss that work; I definitely miss carrying my gun, but there doesn’t seem to be an end to it and Kevin is running all the time. There are so many victims..

But I promise to post more with this new year, and if you can’t make a comment, could you email me? Dear brother is working on the bugs I think I brought in when I changed the front page and I’m not sure that’s fixed yet.

Happy New Year, Friends! I’ll try to post more from now on..

Jenna got into school early.. I thought she was a little bored at daycare, so I called to see if the school thought she could get in. She won’t be 5 till October. I wasn’t so sure about the psychological evaluation.. I could hear her most of the time, but when they started asking her questions like “what is a dolphin?” and “what is a train?” I thought, oh no.. they want a genius! I didn’t want Jenna to be a genius, I just wanted her to go to kindergarten!

But, she charmed that psychologist and they let her in! Now if I could just get her to school on time.. oh, and I’m not allowed to walk her in her classroom anymore, she has to go in all by herself (sigh.) But I think she’s doing okay. She seems to really like it and she says she’s made some friends, but.. she also says there are two little girls who play “sisters” who don’t want her to be a sister to them, and she told me today that one of them scoots away from her.. and then she also told me two kids from another class keep making fun of her new cup.. she seems okay, but just kind of sad..

And, you know, that breaks my heart. I want her to be accepted and loved so badly. When she says to me, “I don’t think those girls want to be my friends. When I asked, they said “maybe.” What does “maybe” mean, Mommy? Does it mean NO?” AAARGH! It could break your heart, I’m telling you..

Well, she has to be one of the cutest in that class. That’s all I’m saying.

Pray for my girl..

Okay, so this summer we got through Jordan’s trip to Europe (still have 100 cookbooks to sell and thank you’s to get out), several fundraisers, visits with my aunt who was here from Arizona, running club, the girls’ camping trip with my family (but not me and Kevin), and the beach! We still have a couple more things going on, but school fast approaches (tomorrow is only 10 days!).. and the girls are going through all the school supplies I’ve bought right now. I think our last jaunt to the outlet (on the way home from the beach), will keep the girls in clothes for school (not that anyone really had a question about that, now did they?)..

I’m broke, but aren’t we all, and thankful that we’re employed and have a home and a great family. (Of course, as I write this, Hannah and Jordan are fighting over a maroon mini-stapler.. not the stapler itself, just the fact that it’s maroon..)

We had a lovely beach vacation with my brother and family last week.. that went so fast! We just love being with them.. and what I do for vacation is.. get up early every morning and make some kind of breakfast for the family.. preferably something new every morning. I even do it when I don’t intend to.. it’s what I like to do on vacation. I know that means I’m like one of the most boring people in the world, but I’ve come to accept it. After that, I don’t really care what we do, which is usually go to the beach for a few hours and let the kids get out all their energy. I’m a little worried about Jordan’s camera, which Hannah had the lens open on when she “fell” into the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge.. I got on fixya.com, but the vacuum cleaner to the lens didn’t work so if anyone has any ideas how to get sand out of the lens, please, please tell me!

I did have one of the most horrible things happen last week.. the only bad thing that happened while we were on vacation (minus the camera situation…) I was in a gift shop with Kevin and the girls when I went out on the porch to look at something, and Kevin and the girls left the store. Kevin yells up to me, “Do you have Jenna?” Uh, no.. he had Jenna.. so for a few seconds I freaked, then heard crying and RAN into the store where Jenna was at the front of it screaming hysterically for me. That sweet baby thought I left her. I was just as freaked. It still makes me want to throw up. My baby thought I left her and that is one of the worst mommy feelings ever. For us, and people like us, it is compounded by the fact that Jenna has already been left once, by her China Mommy, and I have to think she understands that on some level (although she still insists her China Mommy is in heaven or she never would have left her..) Anyway, I hugged her and kissed her and told her, again, how I will never leave her and how much I love her.. and I kind of wanted to say, I will never leave you or forsake you, and then I was struck by two things.. 1) how many mommies have to say that in so many other countries, including Jenna’s China Mommy, and how it’s not always the mommy’s first choice, or that sometimes, in countries that are different from ours, there is no choice at all (I watched the movie, Sophie’s Choice, one time 25 years ago and I can never get that out of my head..); and then, 2) how much Jesus sacrificed when he said that.. something I always took for granted before.. I will never leave you, nor forsake you.. something every parent wants to say to their child, and something that some parents can’t say, or won’t. And here is the Master of the Universe telling Me that He will never leave me. My daughter blesses my life even when she doesn’t mean to. I am forever changed because of how Jesus gave her to me, and I think I have learned so much about my relationship with Him because of my relationship with Her. It is quite possible that I’m an idiot and He sent me to China to learn that, but oh! If His lessons always include a benefit like Jenna, I am in some luck!

So here’s a few pictures.. thanks for listening..

Laurie

[caption id="attachment_298" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Love that Smile!"][/caption][caption id="attachment_301" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hope, Me and Jenna"][/caption][caption id="attachment_303" align="alignright" width="225" caption="The Girls on Jord\'s last day.."][/caption][caption id="attachment_304" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Jenna and Hali at Pizza Cottage"][/caption][caption id="attachment_306" align="alignright" width="300" caption="We missed her right away.."][/caption]

Hey, all! My super-smart baby brother fixed me up with a new wordpress, so I’m trying out some new stuff. (of course I’ve already had to email him after about 2 hours of messing around, futilely.. expect more modifications..)

I know I haven’t posted.. and then when you get busy and you don’t for awhile, you figure, well, no one’s reading anyway and stuff.. or maybe it’s like when you start a journal and then you miss about 6 weeks and you figure, my life must not be that exciting anyway, and I can’t go back and recreate it, right? Sooo.. but then, I really was writing this for the Girls in the long run, as I’ll never have a diary or anything, so here I am, back again. If you’re reading, thanks for not giving up on me.

As always, I’m busy.. we’re all busy. Jordan is currently in Europe on her People to People trip. I didn’t sleep for about a week before, but I’m feeling much better now. I think this morning was the first in three weeks that I didn’t get up before the alarm. And, you know, that’s saying a lot for me.

Before Jord left, we did a bunch of stuff in June.. we had a fundraiser at the Pizza Cottage; we had Grace and Faith’s birthday party; and we spent Father’s Day at Dawes (yes, at Kevin’s request). School was out in the beginning of the month and we had our cousin, Emma, at our house for a week or so. I’m including some winning photos of the girls’ photo contest.

The Girls are good otherwise.. Jenna’s so dang smart.. and comes out with the most thoughtful, amazing ideas.. her Quote of the Month was: “Mommy, why did you choose a guy who’s hairy and poots a lot?” This was after a question/answer session in which she asked why Kevin and I love each other and I told her we choose to love each other.. She has her own personality, that’s for sure, but you see all kinds of her sisters’ or our expressions coming through. After Jordan left, and she was WILD at the airport, until Jord was through the gate, she got all sad and just said, “I miss my buddy Jordan..”

We went to Amish Country this last weekend, and visited with one of my college friend’s parents in Ashland… her favorite part was the chickens and the John Deere tractor. Ah, yes.. my daughter the John Deere advocate.. Hannah’s been really good with her since Jord’s been gone. It’s giving them some time to bond, although Han’s more of a big sis than a playmate.. (which is why Jenna knows all the kidz bop words to “So What?” by Pink..)

Okay, so this wasn’t the most outstanding post.. but you get the idea. We’re starting fresh! But first, Jenna’s needs some snuggle time on the couch.. where this laptop currently is located.

Night all..we’ll be back!

I didn’t post on Hannah’s birthday last month. Let me tell you what happened. She is 13. For her birthday, I offered, instead of a party this year, to take her and her best friend shopping.. I told her I’d give them each $50, drop them off at our local mall, pick them up in a couple hours.

Of course, that turned into, take us to Easton Towne Center (where I WON’T drop them off), “shop” with us (in stores which will never again carry my size OR any clothes I can possibly wear in public) and, take us out to Max n Erma’s (but please don’t make us use the aforementioned $50).

Sooo.. we walk into Hollister, where the 12 year old male employee says “Hi” to the girls, and then is shocked into silence when he sees a person of my age and size in the building. We spent way too much money, and then went to Abercrombie & Fitch, a store I remembered as being pretty “Lands End-ish” or at least one that would have my size shirt. Umm.. no. And I have to say, it’s not like God blessed me with a generous upper half. I would expect they wouldn’t have my size butt-covering, but really? I’m a little sick about the size they expect teenagers to wear.

From there, we walk out to the other side of the mall, to Aeropostale.. at some point in between we stopped at Victoria’s Secret, for me, although I don’t remember getting much more than 2 pairs of underwear because Hannah has decided the Hanes “briefs” she’s always worn no longer fit in her low-cut jeans, so she has now entered my very own special Victoria’s Secret bikini underwear world. My life is forever changed. Aeropostale was at least comforting in the fact that I KNOW that I can’t shop there; and.. at least the clerks are of age. (Because if even Jordan wears a size 0 there, no other size will matter for me.)

We may have stopped some places in between. I don’t know.. Forever 21?!? (what a misnomer) Oh, yeah, and Jordan needed one of her BuildABears re-sown, so we stopped there for a minute.. Ahhh… I tried to make myself scarce.. watching from afar, you know, since the girls (and their friends) no longer find me truly “hip.”

So then, I took my sorry wide butt to Max n Ermas and got a huge salad with warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Good news though, the 80s are back in. Problem is, they’ve shrunk.

I’m going to love being the mother of teenagers…

I feel bad that I haven’t posted lately. With Jord’s fundraising for her trip, and Kevin and my work, and then soccer, piano, orchestra, and now, proficiency tests this week (probably you don’t even WANT to know how I feel about that..), we haven’t had a minute. My house is a complete disaster, even though the girls really tried to pick up today, the dishes aren’t always done before I go to bed, and the laundry room is a really, really bad place to go. Today we missed church because we couldn’t find clean underwear for Jenna. I’m not kidding. And with lives like ours, we really, really need to go to Church!

But God is faithful.. the spaghetti dinner we did on Thursday went really well thanks to our good friends and family, and although Jord didn’t earn a bunch of money on Saturday at the car wash, she seemed to really bond with some of the kids she’ll be traveling with (and, of course, Kevin and I made some new mom and dad friends), so it was worth not sleeping for days. My office has been so helpful and good about everything I’m involved in. In addition to the girls’ stuff, I’m involved and committed to the 20th Century Club , which supports Camp O’Bannon, a camp for kids who might not always be able to go, and Zonta International, which supports cancer research.. Jenna and I are modeling in a style show for Zonta on May 1st, to raise money for The James Hospital. (Tickets are $30 if anyone’s around.) We are all planning to walk in the Komen Race again this year (May 16) with our Andrea. (You can still sign up if you want to come!) Oh, yeah, and I just found out the golf outing for Heartbeats, our local pro-life group, is May 19. I’d like to go, although the Pro-Am Golf Outing that I like to work for 20th Century is May 15, so I’m not sure..

And I can’t figure out how in the world Jord gets herself so involved in so many things!

As for Jenna, she’s getting so dang big and smart. I think I’m going to look into requesting she get tested for kindergarten next year.. she’s an October baby and a full month after, but with preschool now, she can sight-read, write all of our names, and knows her numbers, letters and her address. She’s also doing simple math. And her social skills seem to be pretty good. She can stick up for herself (I don’t know where she gets that, either), but she also has some really good little friends with great parents. So I’m not sure if I should bother trying to get her into kindergarten or not.. (Those of you with opinions, please feel free to leave them. I’m not committed one way or the other.) This is kind of silly, but I’d like her to be in the same grade as her cousins, Faith and Grace, although they are a few months older than she is… she just loves them soooo much! It’s bad enough we don’t live near them. I’d hate to make the gap even wider. I’m really blessed that I get to even consider that choice.

And then.. my Hannah. She is such a pre-teen. She turns 13 on Tuesday. Stay tuned for my Tuesday lament. Until then, I have to say, what a good kid.

Do you ever feel like you are just not worthy of God’s gifts?

Andrea and Mel and I judged a speech competition at the Statehouse for an old friend a few weeks ago. Any chance we get to be together, I’ll take. (Thanks, Bethany..)

We did have Easter last week. Lucky for us, they had a Saturday night service. It was a great one, too. Since we didn’t go to church on Easter Sunday though, none of us dressed up except Jenna (of course, she HAD to wear her special dress!); she put it back on on Sunday, just for pictures, but then she wore it outside on the swingset. Shout works! This is Jord and her friend, Brenda, getting ready for the spaghetti dinner.. And then, somehow, it was here.. so fast!
And the car wash on Saturday.. Jord had to do a brochure on France or England (she chose France), and then present it orally on Saturday morning before the car wash. We forgot about the brochure until Friday night about 10 (she was up till 2) and then we forgot about the oral presentation till we got there. We were thinking CAR WASH! Anyway, she did fine.. all improvisation. And the car wash was just fun!
Last night was a birthday/wedding dinner for my good friend, Heidi..

and now, I think I’ll go to sleep! love!! Laur

The last three weekends have been full of friends.. and we are ever grateful. First, we had our college (yes, UNDERGRAD) friends Christmas Party (a little late, I know). Then, we had a birthday party for our friend, Kieren Campbell, who came home from China about a month after Jenna. And this last weekend, we had our Annual Jeffersonville Shopping Trip. I’ll just flood you with the pictures.. they speak louder than my words.

Jenna’s asking me when our next shopping trip is..

Well, finally, Jordan’s cookbooks we made to fundraise for her People to People trip are IN! 300+ books and 9 boxes in the garage. If you’d like one, I can set you up. Uncle Dave is doing a site with a Paypal link and I’ll get that to you if you want, or you can just send a check.. $15.00 plus $2.00/book for shipping if we have to send it.

Thanks in advance. I’m so glad that’s done.. just a little spaghetti dinner and a few other things..

Shew!

You can email us at: jordangoestoeurope@gmail.com for payment and address info..

I have great kids and I’m a very proud mommy, even if I don’t say it very often.. or do I? Really??

Anyway, Jordan placed 9th in the District Spelling Bee this last Friday.. I was working and couldn’t go, but I’m still very proud.

Hannah got a 4.0 GPA last semester (and she was also pretty proud of her perfect attendance, but we kinda screwed that up this last six weeks, so you know..)

Anyway, her grades are awesome.. this weekend, in lieu of the Twilight Series, she has decided to write her own book.. meanwhile, Jord decided to make a movie. I think it’s competition, but I dunno. I had brothers. (But Lily the dog was a convincing monster as she licked the peanut butter off the Littlest Pet Shops in the movie.. if I ever figure out how to do youtube I’ll post it..) We aren’t allowed to read Hannah’s book yet.. I’ll keep you posted on that one.