Thursday, October 30, 2008

Jen's Kids are so Cute!!




Here's my nephews Jake (4) and Warren (2), and my niece Aubrey (4 months). They're so cute! Can't wait to meet them someday soon!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Carving Pumpkins and Being Silly

Monday night we carved pumpkins together. It was pretty fun, though John was pretty unsure about getting his hands in the pumpkin gook. Isaac carved a pumpkin (the little one) for Jeanine with flowers and hearts on it, and one for John with a cat on one side and a face on the other. According to John, they're both his because Jeanine is too little for pumpkins.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Tagged

OK so my friend Lauren tagged me (and is in big trouble now!), so here's my filled out responses. In turn, I tag Jen (haha, you better do it!), Debbi, Jessica, and Jennifer. I hope to read what you write soon!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:00 to feed Jeanine, back to bed, up at 7:00 with John.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Hello? April is a good month to be born in. Diamonds for sure.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I also think it's really funny that whoever wrote this calls it the "cinema". Hmmm, it's been so long since we've seen a movie that I don't even remember. There's been lots of times we've tried to get to a movie in the last year, but without family close and no one to watch the kids, we're pretty okay with not going anymore. I think it'll be another 2 years before we end up planning well enough to be able to go!

4. What is your favorite TV show? House and '24'.

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Whatever is easy. I was actually drinking Slimfast (Costco brand) for a while but now we think Jeanine is milk sensitive. This morning I finished off some dry Cheerios in John's bowl and shared a banana with him after he ate. Terrible, I know.

6. What is your middle name? Marie, same as my aunt, grandma, and daughter.

7. What food do you dislike? Healthy food, anything that's not convenient to prepare, things with a tomato base (lots of Mexican food choices included in that, but I still LOVE burritos.

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I'm wayyyy behind on the times when it comes to music. I don't even have a working radio/CD player in my car, and we pretty much only play the radio at home. I do really like our Christian station here though, they're very "in" and don't play the same exact song every 10 minutes.

9. What kind of car do you drive? I'm so thankful to have a 1996 Honda Odyssey that my parents got me last December. 1 more kid and we'll need something else though, it doesn't have "captains seats" in the middle so it's very inconvenient to use the back seats. We could make due if we HAD to I guess...

10. Favorite Sandwich? Roast Beef or Pastrami on sourdough with mayo but no mustard.

11. What characteristic do you despise? Slobiness (if that's a word). I can't stand people who don't clean up after themselves, their homes, etc. I even have a hard time making friends with and going over to people's homes that are dirty. It grosses me out.

12. Favorite item of clothing? Comfortable stuff! I love my 'Saturday Pants' from Old Navy; really they're just a slightly less dumpy pair of sweatpants, but they've gotten me through several weeks so far of being too small for maternity pants and still just a little too big for my pre-pregnancy clothes.

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? New Zealand, just to see all the awesome places in Lord of the Rings. Then after that somewhere warm (with not too much sand) for at least a month!

14. Favorite brand of clothing? I HATE shopping. I'm just plain bad at it. I won't go by myself to buy clothes, I have to take Isaac or my mom. I don't care about brands, but I DO love Old Navy and J. Crew.

15. Where would you retire to? Somewhere hot so that I can swim every day.

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Well I just turned 25 and was pregnant at the time...my birthdays aren't very memorable though, we don't do much for birthdays, just for the kids.

17. Favorite sport to watch? I HATE watching sports...period.

18. When is your birthday? April 9. Remember it. Send me a gift. (just kidding...kinda)

19. Are you a morning person or night? I am a total night owl. Which is tough having babies!

20. What is your shoe size? Before children, 7. Now, 7.5.

21. Pets? Mike (28lbs) and Ike (18lbs), they're brothers and we love them dearly. Poor Mike, we put him on an extreme diet for several months and he continued to gain weight. I quit the diet because I'd rather have a fat and happy cat that dies young than a cat who's miserable his whole life.

22. Any new and exciting news you would like to share with us? I'm pregnant again....NOT! Not that it wouldn't be a blessing, but really, I'm not. Hmmm, Isaac just got on the Kent fire department after waiting this whole year, woohoo! We are also moving to Fife (20 minutes closer to everything that's important to us) on November 15th.

23. What did you want to be when you were little? A mom. My teachers were always very concerned for me (and probably more so that my parents had somehow brainwashed me) that I didn't want a career or job in any way, shape, or form. I always just wanted to do what my mom did: stay home and raise a family, take care of my husband, and be a worker at home.

24. How are you today? Laid back. I did a load of laundry, got enough sleep last night, just got back from a walk with the kids, and am now eating a bowl of homemade popcorn. What more could a girl ask for?

25. What is your favorite candy? The kind you eat. I love candy. Candy, candy, candy! If I had to name some, it'd be, in this order, Candy Corn (but not the actual corn, I like the pumpkin shaped ones that are more "marshmellowy", the ORIGINAL jelly beans, Cadbury Cream Eggs, and Mike and Ikes (hence us naming our cats after it, lol!)

26. What is your favorite flower? Don't have one

27. What is a day on your calendar you are looking forward to? Oct. 31, my parents come to visit. November 15th, we move. December 1st, Isaac starts being a fireman!

28. What is your full name? Jessica Marie

29. What are you listening to right now? Finding Nemo in the other room, me crunching on popcorn

30. What was the last thing you ate? There's popcorn in my mouth right now, but before that I had some chicken and rice soup that I made late last night because I was bored.

31. Do you wish on stars? No, I pray to their Creator instead. Much more efficient if you ask me!

32. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Depends what I'm going to be coloring. If I'm coloring a peice of clothing, green. If I'm decorating the house, red.

33. How is the weather right now? Nice! One last ditch effort on the State of Washington's part to try to make me happy living here...it's working. It's about 65 and sunny, with a very light not-too-chilly breeze.

34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Isaac. He was waiting outside the building to start his psychological evaluation for the fire dept. I told him to take his meds, lol. Just kidding hon, you're not that crazy...plus I like crazy!

35. Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke, hands down.

36. Favorite Restaurant? Dine-inn, Applebee's or Chevy's. Fast food, Burger King or Chipotle.

37. Real Hair Color? Dark Blonde. I've never ever dyed or highlighted my hair, I'm afraid to.

38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Hmm, I really don't remember. I do remember having those silly little "Quints" dolls that came with a 5 seater stroller and 5 bottles. It was cute. Stop laughing at me!

39. Summer or winter? SUMMER

40. Hugs or kisses? Hugs. Lots of them.

41. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla.

42. Coffee or tea? Depends. If I'm out and about, McDonald's vanilla iced coffee. If I'm home in the morning, hot coffee with vanilla creamer. If I'm home in the afternoons/evenings, tea. NEVER SWEET TEA, that's just gross. I really did try to like it in GA too, but I just couldn't stomach the stuff!

43. When was the last time you cried? About 10 days ago while spending time with Jeanine. I got her laughing and giggling for the first time and it was so cute and I was so happy, I cried. Don't make fun of me, I'm still hormonal.

44. What is under your bed? Probably Ike. He's not a scaredy cat, it's just cozy under there.

45. What did you do last night? Watched 4 episodes of '24' season 6, went for a walk with the fam, and vegged on the couch. Made soup reallly late because I was bored and not tired.

46. What are you afraid of? Not being able to have any more kids (I know, weird fear, but I always get scared that for some odd reason this "Fertile-Myrtle" won't be able to have any more kids.)

47. Salty or sweet? Mmmm, salty AND sweet. I love "Sweet and Salty Nut Granola bars," kettle corn (which I also put salt on to add to the sweetness).

48. How many keys on your key ring? 4- Car key, house key, shed key, and some random lock key that we probably don't even own anymore.

49. How many years at your current job? 2 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, 2 days...

50. Favorite day of the week? Sunday. I get to go to church and see people and learn.

51. How many places have you lived in? I really don't think I can count, but I'll try..............................................still counting.......................ok probably about 10 different cities, in 4 different states (WA, CA, GA, TX), with numerous living arrangements (including moving from room to room, building to building, apartment to apartment, buying a house, etc) in each place. That's what happens when dad goes where the work is (wherever they're building hospitals and schools) and when you join the military.

52. Do you make friends easy? Not at all. I don't have many friends, I have lots of acquaintances though. I have one best friend though, and she's priceless!

53. What is a pet peeve? When people are late. I hate being late for anything, and I hate when other people are late on my time. To me, being late means that the person doesn't care enough about other people or their schedules to be on time.

54. We all waste time. What do you do that wastes the most time? Read other people's blogs. And this. And this. And this. (I know that's the same exact response as Lauren...but it's true, I waste my time a lot on the computer. I think lately, I've "wasted" countless hours watching '24'...well worth it if you ask me!

55. Are you a nerd? Aren't we all?

56. Fiction of nonfiction? Nonfiction.

57. What is something that you miss? My family. Every day.

58. Have any hobbies? No but I need one. Any suggestions?

59. What is something you're passionate about? Jesus. My husband. Parenting. Natural childbirth. Cleanliness.

60. What is something you've learned from your current job? More patience. When I first became a mom I remember being so impatient with John. I mean, he was just an infant and I wanted to yell sometimes!! This time I'm either more patient or Jeanine is a perfect baby (hopefully the former).

OK, hopefully some of you learned something new about me!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Our New Backyard


Just a picture I took last week of the new backyard. It was a little messy since they were still moving out at the time, but isn't it so cool?! I can't wait to be able to say "Go play outside!" and not have to worry about where he's going or what he's doing. Right now I always have to go with him since we have no yard.

Ginormous Cat

Here's Mike...need I say more?

Fall Fun Day


This morning we went to the University Place Fall Fun Day at the fire department and boy was it fun! We also went last year and I think we'll make a tradition out of it for the kids from now on, only at a closer department (probably Kent, duh!) once we move. Here's some pictures from all the action. Boy did John love riding the horses and petting the goats and llama! He also got lots of candy, picked a pumpkin from the patch, and got to go inside the fire trucks and explore. What a neat morning we had!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

We're Moving!

Hi everyone, just a heads up to let you know we're moving! Some people from church have an amazing rental home in Fife, WA and we've decided to take it since Isaac has the firefighter job now! It's only 3 years old in a new neighborhood, 2 stories, 3BR, 2.5BA, BIG backyard (for us), and it has a garage (HUGE deal for me, now I won't get wet all winter long putting 2 kids in the car, woohoo!). We'll be moving in sometime between November 15th-30th. Here's the floorplan!


I can't wait to move in and take lots of pictures for everyone of our new place.

Friday, October 17, 2008

All Smiles!!!


Why so many smiles, you might ask? Well......
Isaac got hired!!!
Yep, we're so so so excited! He has been given a tentative job offer from the Kent fire department, to start in December! Thanks to everyone who has been praying that God would make the chiefs favorably disposed toward Isaac, clearly it was in God's plan that Isaac should get hired there and we are just thrilled! This month, in order to be able to start the job, he has to pass a full medical exam on the 23rd, a 5 hour long psychological evaluation on the 27th, and then he's off to his uniform fitting and issue on the 28th.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Jeanine is sick. It's gross, she's puking up mucous after eating, and eating really awfully. I'm missing Bible study at church this morning and I'm sad. It's only every other week, so by the time I go back it'll have been a month!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What I Want For My Daughter(s)

A woman's heart should be so lost in God, that a man must be seeking the Lord to find it. ---Author Unknown---

SuperBaby!

Jeanine is already so strong! She's pushing herself up with her arms at only 8.5 weeks old...I think it's a Hansen trait, right mom? (Again, not great pictures but you get the gist) She was looking at a book that I stood upright and was very interested; maybe she'll be a bookworm like her daddy!

3 Crazy Boys

Monday John, Jeanine, and I went over to our friends' house to play. Debbi has 2 boys, Noah (2) and Gage (5), and the 3 boys had a great time playing together! We brought over some swords which were a hit (literally!), and they have some awesome toys too, including a great train table and lots and lots of cars. We played, did a fun coloring craft, and had some lunch. Here's some fun pictures, they didn't turn out great but you get the idea!

Monday, October 13, 2008

So Cute!



"I'm not sure about this..."

"OK, I guess it's alright!"

Going for a walk

Finally Someone Who Needs It!

I recently met some new friends online at MilkShare who will be the recipients of my extra breastmilk. For those who haven't read the old post about donating, go back and do so! It's something that I love to do for the health of another. The relationship with the particular family in that previous post fell through, as they only wanted to use glass bottles (which is out of the question if I have to ship the milk across the country). What a wonderful new family this is! I'm so excited to have come across Kim, her husband, and their 9 children (yes, 9 children under 9 years old, these people have an amazing heart for the Lord and His gifts!). Anyway, Baby I (whose name will be withheld for safety reasons) is now 3 months old but was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. He will be going in for surgery very soon (probably within the next couple weeks) to repair the lip and palate, and get tubes in his ears, so he'll need all the immune support he can get from his diet. That is why I've decided to donate to this family, and I very much encourage anyone who is breastfeeding to consider doing the same; not necessarily to this family, but to any family who is in need of breastmilk. Here's some pictures of Kim, her family, and Baby I. I can't even begin to imagine how different he'll look after the surgery is complete, what a sweet boy!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Silly Kidlets

So this morning Isaac went in to cover John up at 3:30am and he was soaked. Isaac started to take his clothes off and change him and put a towel down until morning and John got so upset at him he started sobbing "You woke me up!" over and over again. It was so sad...and hilarious...I guess John values his sleep just like his mommy!
When he woke up he wanted to wear his new Lightning McQueen boots over his jammies, his belt, and a diaper on his head. This was the end result...

Here's my chubby little girl!

Jeanine has lost so much hair that gluestick won't hold bows in anymore...today I resorted to plain old Elmer's glue and it did the trick! (She HAD to wear a bow in her hair...with the yellow shirt and overalls she looked too boyish, but SO cute!)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Painting Pumpkins

Yesterday my friend Jennifer and I took the kids to the Tacoma Fall Home and Garden Show. It was lots of fun wandering around looking at all the awesome stuff we could only wish to be able to afford for our homes (if we owned homes, lol!). We saw so much other cool stuff, including (but not limited to) a purse with a magnetic outside layer and interchangeable covers (and handles!), a shower head that increases your water pressure and rotates 360 degrees so you can clean your shower walls, a sushi making kit, an instant teeth whitening booth, and so much more! We ate lunch near Isaac's Cutco booth and then painted pumpkins with the kids. It was so much fun, I love that Isaac gets us into those events for free! Sage and John painting pumpkins! Jennifer and Molly Jeanine knocked out in the stroller

And here's some random cute pictures from the last couple days...

"Look at my cute new sweater everyone, don't I look like a cold-weather-Washingtonian now?"

"Look Auntie Jen, mom hot glued the pretty bow you made me onto a piece of lace and made me a headband! She says the gluestick stopped holding it on my head since all my hair fell out and I just have fuzz now, bummer huh?"

Sitting up on the couch, gosh she's growing fast!

This girl is so hard to keep awake!