2016

We are getting into the groove this week again...schooling, piano practice, and laundry. Always the laundry. Sometimes it's good to be back to a routine. I am also trying to be more purposeful about working out. The elliptical and I are friends again...as well as the new (to us) stationary bike we picked up Monday night! The sellers were happy to get rid of it, and we were happy to bargain with them...to get it for a better price. Win-win. And it's a Schwinn! (See my little rhyme there?) :)

Hard to believe that this year, 2016, we will finish 4th grade for Mr. P...and Kindergarten for Kenz. Time flies. I never realized how much, until I became a parent. I know what my Dad meant, when he would say, "It seems like just yesterday you girls were little..." We were looking back at old pictures, as Joel works to get our (many zillions of) photos organized. I can't believe how things have changed, since this pic of us leaving our 1st house in 2007!

We celebrated 12 years of marriage in December. We have 2 more kids since this pic. And have 2 precious miscarried babies in Heaven. We currently live in our 3rd house. Time. Flies. I think this is motivation for us to live our days with purpose and find the joy in every thing.

Ephesians 5:16,17 says See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Such a challenge to me! Redeeming the time...which is so fleeting. I want to work in 2016 to find the joy, even in the routine. Especially in the mundane things that sometimes fill my days/weeks. And to be thankful for them. Thankful for these 3 little people that call me, "Mom". And for the man I love, who calls me his wife. These are not things to be taken for granted. 

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. - Philippians 4:14

New Blog...What?!

I have a new blog, devoted to healthy eating, fitness goals, encouraging one another, and just feeling better. The title is Comrade Connection. Go check it out! :)

Fabulous Fall

And we're back. Wow, it's been over a year since my last post. Time to remedy that. This school year has been busy so far. One child is learning multiplication. One is learning her letters/sounds. And the littlest? Hopefully learning how to use the potty on a more frequent basis. ;) Goals!!

And a random pic from this morning, of Fall Fun!

Things I'm Loving

I am horrible at putting together regular blog posts. Just terrible. But, I have come to accept that. ;) Instead of a long written post, I wanted to do a fun post of the things in our lives right now that I am loving! Life moves quickly, and chances are if I don't write things out...I will miss out on the opportunity of being thankful for them.

If anybody reads this post, feel free to comment on what you're loving right now. :)

Here goes, I am loving :

• My coffee station. I printed off a free printable from Pinterest. It says, All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus. AMEN! Every moment. I need Him...

• What's not to love about a good hug? I snapped some pics of this peanut loving on her Daddy! Joel was trying to go to work...but Sophia didn't make it easy. She wouldn't let go of him. So sweet!

• I'm also loving the above pic that I hung in my room. My Sister gave it to me for my Birthday...it's about TRUSTING GOD in the happy moments, SEEKING HIM in the difficult times, TRUSTING HIM in the quiet moments, and THANKING HIM all of the time. Love this reminder. <3

I feel like I should explain, that bottle on the picnic table is rootbeer! ;-)

• I love quality family time. A couple weeks ago we had an outdoor picnic. Nothing fancy...I made some sandwiches and we had lunch outside. Enjoying the weather. And each other. We also had some homemade apple crisp with butter pecan icecream...YUM!

School Days

I can't believe the Summer is over. Time went too quickly. Today we began the 2014-2015 school year! Preston is in 3rd grade and Mckenzie is in Preschool. It seems that one of the biggest challenges this year is going to be keeping Sophia entertained. :) She is 19 months now and loves to climb up to Mckenzie's desk and sit in her little chair or try to get into whatever Mckenzie is doing. Fun times. I am going to take this year "day by day", as my Sister and I were talking about last night. I know I need the Lord's grace to handle the busy-ness of this school year and hopefully become more patient in the process. Excited for things to come!

 The "big kids" this year!

What about me?? :)

The Things Kids Say

Lately my kids have been cracking me up. And amidst the fighting and tantrums that can occur on a daily basis...it is good to sit down and remember some of the "funnies".

Kenzie has a very vivid imagination. We have to be careful about what we allow her to watch, because even a seemingly friendly cartoon can have something that will scare her and cause her to wake up at night, from a bad dream. The other morning she was telling me about a dream she had. She said, "Mom I had a dream last night, but it wasn't a scary dream. But it wasn't good either." When I asked what it was about, she replied with, "Well I got to go outside, so that was good. But then I didn't get a snack, so that wasn't very nice." Of course! I can understand what a concerning dream that could be. Snacks are obviously very important to her. :)

And then there was today, when I told her to stop jumping on the couch. And she replied with, "I'm not jumping. I'm BOUNCING." Of course.

Preston also told her today that her breath smelled like sasafrass. That was a new one for me. ;-)

I got to have an afternoon date with my Honey on Sunday. We went through an open house (it was quaint, but not one we loved) and also bought him a suit at Kohl's. We got P a little blazer too, his first! They will be decked out on Easter Sunday. :)

Really pondering this year what it means to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. We were talking at Bible study the other night, about the pain and shame that Jesus endured on the cross, taking our sin upon him. My mind cannot comprehend all that he suffered. And I can't fathom the fact that He paid the penalty for all of my sins, past-present-and future and the sins of everyone that has ever lived (and ever will live.) And the pain of that moment, where God the Father had to turn his back--because He is a Holy God, and can not be in the presence of sin. Jesus cried, Eli Eli lama sabachthani : which means, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?, and in so doing...directs us to Psalm 22. I am so humbled by His willingness to die. And so thankful that He is Risen!

Life in Motion

We are plugging away. P is working on 2nd grade school work. Kenzie is working on her flair. ;-) And Sophia is teething-she is up to 9 teeth now, with another about to pop through. We have battled sickness in our house, for the past few months it seems! Kids all have something now...from hacking coughs to a tummy bug for Sophia. It seems that every virus going around tries to find its way into our lives. Ready for Spring weather to arrive--and stay, so that maybe we can all be healthy for a little while.

Today I was able to go to a luncheon at the Hilton downtown : the Completely Kids Author luncheon. We got to hear an author speak. Her name was Rosalind Wiseman. Her latest book is about relating to boys and the pressures they face today. We're not quite at that stage yet, since P is only 8...but eventually, I will see more of what she talked about, I'm sure. Some of the things that she shared, I could relate well to--boys can still have complex emotions and struggle with how to share them-girls are not the only ones that can have emotional turmoil over how to solve a social conflict, etc. She also mentioned that if your son is telling you about someone that is giving him a hard time, it is probably something that has been on his mind for a while! So if we as parents respond with a, "Get over it" kind of attitude, that is not acceptable. They have been TRYING to get over it! Working at problem solving together is what will hopefully bring about a positive outcome (and perhaps a stronger bond between parent/child). Overall, I'm glad I went and thankful for the invite. It was a tasty meal and I was able to sit at a table with 4 of the ladies I go to Bible study with. What a fun event...even though it was way {way} outside of my comfort zone. ;-)

 Sweet little lady...wearing Kenzie's lady bug antennas. :)

 Math worksheet for today...see how excited he is?!? Haha.

 All ready to go to my luncheon today...{Yes, I know I am way past the age of bathroom selfies...ha!}

I asked P if I looked very "luncheon-y". And he responded with, "I don't know what that is." :)

 Just excited to get dressed up mid-day. I don't usually get to go out to fancy events like this.

 Sweet Sophia and a dolly.

The girls over the weekend at We'll Smoke You BBQ in Gretna. We ate there with family visiting from Iowa...oh my! 

I want to go back. Seriously good barbeque.

My Sister in Law

I love Kelly's blog and am always intrigued by her "Show Us Your Singles Posts". There have been 9 couples get engaged/married that met via the blog, and I just think that is such a fun way to meet someone, for single gals/guys! My husband comes from a big family, and happens to have 6 sisters and 2 brothers. The great girl I have in mind for Kelly's link-up today, is one of Joel's Sisters : my sweet Sister-in-Law, Rachel. She is 26, and lives in Iowa.

 

Rachel is small...but strong. :) She works as a paramedic/EMT. She also enjoys running. She raced in the Color Run this past Spring in our city...so many fun colors--everywhere!

 She loves the Lord and wants to honor Him with her life.
She is also tenderhearted and a good listener.

 She loves to travel, and in the past few years has taken trips to Michigan, Nebraska, and Florida to see family...Her family is important to her! She is very loyal and has a high moral standard which can be hard to find now days. :) Above, she's pictured with her two younger brothers.

She loves babies and kids, especially her amazing nieces and nephews. ;-)

 Stylin' in the gorgeous dress she wore at her Sister's wedding!

We think Rachel is pretty terrific, and needs a good Christian man that is equally amazing. :) To find out more, comment on this post and leave your contact info. and I'll pass it on to Rachel or you can email me at jenlschmidt@gmail(dot)com. Thanks for stopping by!

One Already

My baby girl will be ONE in 6 days. Wow, time has flown. She is such a sweet little peanut. :) I weighed her this past week and she finally weighed 17 pounds!! Sophia is by far my smallest baby. And she is also my latest crawler...But she is finally "army-crawling" more and more these days!! We just love her...she is such a sweet baby. :)

Letting Go

Sometimes, I just need to let go. This has been a recurring theme for me lately. Things the Lord has been teaching me. There are 3 areas where I need to let. go. Why is this so hard?

1. Social media. First, I deactivated my Facebook account. But then after a week and a half, I had to reboot my phone. Doing so made my Words With Friends require my login information to play the games I had going. So I tried to sign in, but since I'd first signed in with FB...it was going to lose all 7 games I had going, so I "reactivated" my FB account. Willing to stop using FB, but not really wanting to stop playing WWF at this time. ;-) Now I no longer have the FB app on my phone, and I only use the site on Mondays and Fridays, trying to limit my time to 10 minutes on each of those 2 days. It's just good for me. Facebook had become another thing on my "to do" list in a way. I was spending more time on there than I ever had intended to, logging on with my phone without even thinking about it, really! Minutes here...minutes there...wasted. Now I feel like I've broken the addiction. ;-) I can log on and check updates from friends, but overall I feel like that's a whole world of stuff that I don't have to be involved in anymore. Strange, but true.

2. What people think. This is a biggie for me. Why is it so hard to not be liked? Or feel like you're not liked/accepted? I honestly wish that I just wouldn't care so much. But since that isn't likely to happen, I'm just trying to not let it affect me/my disposition if someone makes a comment that sounds tacky or just plain rude. Overall, my confidence needs to come from the Lord. I know that. And I don't want my mood to alter with the circumstances around me. I've come to realize that the year after I have a baby can be a rough one for me...emotionally. I love the sweet baby snuggles...but the sleep deprivation of that first year does a number on my psyche. The anxiety/depression/exhaustion that can be a part of life seem so much more present and intense for the year or so after giving birth. In some ways, I wish a Mama wouldn't have to be responsible for her own actions towards others in that first year after having a child, ha. Except I know life doesn't work that way. Wow!! I'd hate to think what I'd be if I didn't try to incorporate Trim Healthy Mama principles into my everyday life. I've lost 24 pounds since May (and have 32 left to go!!) but more than the lost weight and feeling healthier...I long to feel more emotionally...stable. And sometimes I think this healthy lifestyle is helping. Maybe. I'll get there! ;-) I'm seeing some rays of sunshine (not literally, today is super gray and rainy, ha) and trying to choose happiness. I'm also trying to start my mornings with my Bible (and coffee) and reading a great book to encourage Moms : Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. 

 The best way to start the day! But so much easier when baby doesn't give me her 4:30 a.m. wakeup call.

3. Forgiveness. There are just sometimes in life where I will be hurt/offended and most of the time, those are things I just need to let. go. of. Hanging on doesn't do anyone ANY good...and especially me. :-) Also in marriage...I need to let go. Not of my husband of course, but of past hurts/etc. Something I thought I'd forgiven from a few years back in our marriage recently came back to me. And there it was again : the hurt...the raw emotion...the wanting to know more about it...and good grief! The Lord had to remind me to let it go. He is so faithful. And it amazes me how He has been working on me in my life in 3 different areas and all with the same theme.

Letting go (or trying to)...and hoping with it I will feel freer, happier, and this smile will be less fake with time! ;-)

Now that I've put it out there...Wondering what things do you need to let go of? Anyone care to share? Message me if you like, so we can encourage each other! :-)

Pumpkin Patch

I think Fall is my favorite. I love pumpkin spiced coffee, pumpkin baked desserts, the sound of a Saturday football game playing in the living room, crisp air with the sound of crunchy falling leaves underfoot, apple cider, hay-rack rides, celebrating Thanksgiving, and the pumpkin patch! We try to hit up our local pumpkin patch every year. This time we went on a Saturday, and wow--it was crazy busy!! Lines for everything--and the parking lots were packed! I'm glad for the chance to go though before the weather got too cold. Here's a few pics of our time there. :)

I love this huge chair there! Sophia is not in the chair with us because she was resting happily in the stroller during these--

and we didn't want to mess with a good thing! ;-)

Posing in the bright sunlight...next to the beautiful mums!

Back to School!

We've officially started school. I was not in a hurry to begin. Since I have a 7-month-old and a VERY busy 3-year-old, I was extremely intimidated to start 2nd grade with P. But we had a really good first few days and even managed to sneak in a trip to the zoo with extended family. :) First field trip? Check!

Before we started back to school, we needed to have one last family fun night to squeeze a bit more out of our summer. We roasted hotdogs in the firepit outside and then Joel set up a little outdoor theater for us, so we could watch the Little Rascals! We have the original 1933 black & white version on DVD...so fun. I think we all had a good time.

The day after Labor Day was our day to begin school. Every year my Mom took pics of my Sister and I outside in front of the house, on our first day of school. I don't see why I can't carry on that tradition, just because we homeschool. ;-)

Big 2nd Grader and 3-year-old in Pre-K
(also known as lots of hands-on activities & playtime
that hopefully help her learn the basics.)

Zoo day!!

Working diligently :)

Stickers!!!

I know this year will not be without trials, but I'm thankful for God's grace to us as we begin our school year. It will be a busy time with challenges & learning so many new things (myself included!) I want to enjoy everyday. Before I know it, my little ones won't be little anymore.

And just because she's cute? Our youngest sunshine. ;-)

I just love her little grin! :)

Anticipated Arrival

Although I've all but abandoned this blog, I have not forgotten it. :) Many things have happened since my last post. The most exciting thing for our family of course, has been the birth of sweet Sophia. She arrived at 1:48 a.m. on January 25th. Labor was quick. And painful (of course!) My water broke at 12:15 a.m...we grabbed the kids out of bed and made a speedy drive to the hospital (which felt like it took FOREVER). My birth with Kenzie was quick...so we anticipated this delivery would be fast also. My Mom came to the hospital to meet Joel (I was already being wheeled upstairs to Labor & Delivery) and took the kids home with her. I was in my room and hooked up to an I.V. for my Strep B infection antibiotic by 12:45 a.m. They normally do 2 bags of antibiotic, but I'm thankful I at least got the 1 bag in me. My midwife kept telling me to "hold her in"...haha. Okay!! Once they got the first bag in, I was ready to push...so almost exactly an HOUR after I was checked into my room, Sophia arrived. I'm so thankful things went well. And very glad Sophia is here. She's a blessing!

Thankful

It's been a long time since I've updated. We had a nice & quiet Thanksgiving this year. My parents came over for lunch on Thanksgiving and we had a delicious Italian meal, followed by caramel apple cheesecake (one of my new favorites!) It was so great to have Joel home with us for 4 days!! We did a little Black Friday shopping, but we're not aggressive about it. We didn't even head out that morning until after 10 a.m.

 Last night, I made Pumpkin Crunch Cake for a treat to take to Bible Study. Yum! Unfortunately, only 1 1/2 pieces were eaten, so I'm left with a 9x13 pan of it. We're studying Romans and last night was Romans 8...as we learn more about the Holy Spirit. It's been a challenge and encouragement to me!

Tonight, we're hoping to decorate for Christmas! I'm excited for the kids to help decorate the tree. I bet Kenzie will be awed by it all...she probably doesn't remember last year's decor since she's only 2. :)

I'm 30 weeks now, and get to see my midwife again on Thursday. I just feel like my belly is HUGE compared to my other 2 babies. Last time I was measuring "right on" though, so we'll see how this time compares. Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Gender Reveal

We had a "gender reveal" party at my parent's house last night. Our ultrasound was yesterday morning. It was great to get a look at baby and see what's going on in there. :) Everything looked good and baby is in the 50-75th percentile for the most part, except the legs...which were in the 95th percentile. That's typical for our kids, but so cool to see the legs all stretched out, and ankles crossed. We got some neat pictures printed...a great one of the profile, and another of the feet. I loved how this ultrasound tech was so patient with us and explained everything, very informative! My good friend from Sweet Indulgence made the cupcakes...they tasted as good as they looked!

Here's a close-up of the frosting inside :

Yes...we're having a GIRL!! P discovered the "pink" inside and said, "It's a girl. Bummer." I'm thinking he'll get over it, haha! But he does randomly mutter, "Sisters!" Too funny.

Ponderings

Life has been busy, lately. Some of our busy-ness the past few weeks stems from : a family trip to Colorado, a garage sale, company coming to stay, a family wedding, home-schooling, trying to teach and train a 2-year-old, and just trying to keep up with household things. I feel worn out, but am sure my kids are tired too. Teaching and training a 6-year-old at home can be a challenge. I love having my son here, but at the same time...there are moments when I want to run away. ;-) Today he has been especially whiny. We were out doing errands earlier, and I had a coupon for an Arby's turkey sandwich (yum.) So, we went through the drive-thru. I decided I'd order both of the kids a kids' meal. And then P started whining about how he didn't want to eat "THAT". So, no kids' meals. And then we were doing math this afternoon, and I assigned him 1 more page to do. It's an easy concept for him...filling in missing numbers, counting to 20. He did a page but apparently one more was just TOO much. He whined and complained and sat there NOT doing his work. So, he got 5 more pages assigned. Yippee. This all lead me to think about things we may miss out on without even knowing it, because of our attitude. Maybe the Lord wished to bless me in some way today but because I was crabby or complaining, I didn't get my "kids' meal" that I didn't even know I had coming. Or maybe I had a bad attitude about the work load I had to do, so instead of just getting things done and enjoying time with my kids, my "punishment" is that the work isn't done and instead weighs heavy on me. Verse I need today : This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Jesus Loves Me!

Joel caught Kenzie on video several weeks ago, singing her heart out. I love it!! This girl adores music. Her favorites are Jesus Love Me and "Twinkle Twinkle" as she calls it.

Expecting

We're expecting a new addition to our family! I'm 14 weeks along, and things seem to be going well. I had an appointment today and got to hear the heartbeat. Last month, my midwife couldn't find the heartbeat, so she did another ultrasound. (I've had 3 ultrasounds so far.)

This pic is from last week. We're excited to meet this new blessing!

Pinteresting...

I've been on Pinterest for a while. I mostly use it to organize the recipes I find online and then I can pull them up on my Kindle when I'm in the kitchen. Technology can be such a wonderful thing. :) I started following my Sister-in-Law on Pinterest and found a yummy recipe for a chicken enchilada casserole with fresh pico de gallo that she'd pinned. So, I made it last night...Joel and I both really liked it!

Here's the recipe.
If you want to follow me on Pinterest, I'm talljen80.

Better Late Than Never

My "baby" is now TWO! Her Birthday was June 11th, so I'm a little late with this post. :) We had a family party and I think everyone had a good time. We were also celebrating Mr. P "graduating" Kindergarten, so we had a combined party for the kids.

We grilled burgers & dogs and had lots of fun sides. I got the idea for the pinwheel cookies and the fruit kabobs from Pinterest. So fun!

We bought a cake for Mr. P that said Congratulations! I'm so proud of him for working hard this past school year. Even though there were challenges and some hard days in the mix, he learned a LOT and is ready to move on to 1st grade. :)

Kenzie usually isn't big into sweets, so we put a candle in a cookie and gave her one of those.

Of course, she barely touched her cookie and wanted cake instead, haha!

Some of Kenzie's gifts included pretty jewelry, a puppy that barks from my In-Laws, a water table, from my parents, and a beach towel. She is one blessed little girl to have so many that love her!

Mr. P also got some fun things, wow!! He was pretty excited to get GIFTS at his graduation party. Not expected!! He got an Angry Bird water bottle, activity books, a Burger King giftcard, and other fun things.

I displayed some of his school projects and the photo book from Shutterfly to show some of what he worked on in Kindergarten. :)

I can't believe I'm needing to order next year's school stuff this week. Summer has been going too fast. And it's been so HOT. Yesterday we were outside (watering the yard) and by 10:30 a.m. I was hot and ready to come in, ha! Our favorite places to be outside these days are in the water...kids playing in the sprinkler, in the inflatable pool, at the water park, or the splash pad. We've also frequented the zoo which is of course toasty until you enter an air-conditioned building-ahh...Guess we need to enjoy it now because soon enough, we'll be back to the grind.