Jen's MOPs Convention

Last year, MOPs International (Mothers of Preschoolers) invited Gary Chapman to again make a presentation at their annual convention. This time, he declined but kindly suggested that they invite me. I agreed, made my plans to travel to Nashville, lined up the Thomases to hold down the fort (thank you Gamma Beth and Pa!), and made the trip. I enjoyed participating in their conference at Opryland. I gave two talks about The Five Languages of Apology . It was a great experience for me and a nice little breather from changing diapers and wiping up things at home.

Russell From His Ultrasound Pics to Preschool

Russell was my first baby to get the fancy new 3D Ultrasounds (in April 2006). It really looked like him!

And now he's a big Preschooler!

JT's Birthday

The Bishops celebrated with us at the bowling alley off of Wendover Ave.
JT got his favorite kind of cake: German Chocolate (from Maxie B's)

Above: Lydia made a fancy picture frame for JT
Below: Ross made a list of completed marathons for his Dad

Fall 2009

Craft day at Home Depot and Russell is, as usual, the boss.

Above: The first day of Russell's school career.
Below: We had our date night at a new restaurant that overlooks Russell's preschool.

When I dropped Russell off for his 5th day of preschool, he asked me, "why do I keep going there???" He seems to like Ms. Barbara and Ms. Sandra. In the car drop-off line, one lady helped him out of the car and then he stood alone, turning in a circle while waiting for the next hand to walk him inside. A pretty young woman came and he took her hand and they walked away from me. Through the glass of the car window, I saw how he is sturdy and could carry on without me. He's off to succeed at his own things. My statement of gratitude to the Lord this morning is: "Lord, thank you for letting me live this life. Thank you that I get to hold my kids' hands and care for my husband. I love this precious, fragile, wonderful life that you've given me."

I often prompt the kids to pay attention to the traffic while we are crossing the street. I often ask them to decide if it's safe to cross. One day, I forgot to do my job so Russell offered this assurance while we were in the crosswalk: "There's not a car running over me."

Ross's 10th Birthday

Ross had a party at the movie theater that was attended by: Our family, Cousin Anna (age 15), Eric from his class who is wheelchair-bound and full of unbridled joy, Daniel (and his sister, Gracie), Vishnu, Tyler, and Noah (his best buddy from his former school). Noah also slept over- lots of fun! On his actual birthday, we had pizza at Pinetop pool with the Ridgill Family.

Lydia's love language is gifts but her resources are as limited as the size of her heart is unlimited. This year, she gave Ross such a sweet gift: She created several Pokemon cards for him. J.T. pointed out her maturity in having drawn a gift that interests Ross (but not her). Also, I had given her $2 last week for her and her brothers to buy cups of lemonade. I told her that if the stand was closed, she and Ross could just each keep one of the dollars. What was inside Ross's hand-made birthday card from Lydia? Both of the lemonade dollars! Post-note: Aunt Liz kindly helped Lydia create the card and decorate it with a dark ribbon (masculine, for Ross). :)

Above, you'll see a "Birthday Interview" that I had Ross fill out. As usual, Russell scribbled on his big brother's work.

California Trip: Napa Valley

Above, J.T. stands in front of the Berringer Winery. Below, I'm inside those front doors.

I had to snap a picture of this unique cork bulletin board at the Berringer Winery. It's a 'green' way to reuse corks!

Jen inside Napa's Olivier store. Yummy samples of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. :)

California Trip: Oakland

Looking across the bay towards San Francisco from our room in the Oakland Marriott.


Above, J.T.'s wonderful boss (Dennis Stearns), me, J.T., and three Fee-Only business associates. We attended a baseball game in the new Oakland stadium.

During our biking expedition, I just had to get a photo of a fire hydrant. We saw many of these huge hydrants. These people are serious about their fire fighting.