A Tribute To Mindy T.

Some of you may not know Mindy T. She is actually my brother's womb buddy. Stacey (her sister) is mine. Now, even more of you probably don't know the definition of a "womb buddy". The phrase was coined by my mother. It defines two friends who knew each other while they were in their mother's wombs. It is a very special relationship if it is able to last through the adult years. There aren't many of us, but those who have a womb buddy know how special they are.

Well, these pictures are a tribute to Mindy, my brother's womb buddy. I don't remember, but have been told the stories often of her eating cottage cheese. From what I have heard, Mindy used to grab hand fulls of cottage cheese and stuff it all into her mouth. Brenna must take after her "Aunt Mindy". She loves her cottage cheese. I normally feed it to her, but I have recently been trying to teach her to eat with a spoon. She ate a few bites with the spoon, but I guess that just wasn't fast enough. The pictures show the end of the story.




So Mindy, this is a glimpse of what you may have looked like. Aunt Peggy, you have a picture to remember your Mindy as a little one. Mom, sorry if this is too gross for you to look at. Stacey, thanks for being my womb buddy. And anyone else who is reading. I hope you are looking forward to your own experiences with children or having fond memories of experiences past.

New Things

Sometimes I wish the world could be all new to me again. I love to see Brenna's amazement as she sees something new again. She has to learn about everything right now. There is so much beauty in the world and as a child she can really appreciate it. I wish that I could always have those child-like eyes that would allow me to see the beauty of everything.

I know you have already seen Brenna at the pool, but this one is different. Nathan and I set up a little pool in our yard. She was very nervous about it at first, but loved it once she got in. Water is so fun for her (even when she drank a little of it on accident).

This is my new favorite gadget. I can't really carry Brenna in the front pack anymore. She is finally too heavy for my shoulders to hold. I bought a back pack and you can see she loves it. I was very pleased by this purchase especially because it only cost me $10. I couldn't go wrong with that one.

I know I should have showed her crayons before now, but I was worried she would only want to put them in her mouth. My worries were not unfounded. She colored a little on the paper, but then they went into her mouth. I guess a little wax won't hurt anyone. I just can't see how that actually tastes good. Anyways, we had fun on the floor. She also wanted to color the floor instead of the paper. It is all a learning process. She will figure it out.

The Wedding

I have officially decided that weddings are not a place for a one year old. My brother in law got married on Saturday. Nathan was in the wedding, so it was Brenna and me. I think the wedding was a success and just what they wanted although I didn't see much. I had high hopes to take some pictures and be a great help, but that is not the case when you have a little one to watch. She had a hard time staying out of everything. So here is her mischiefous little self at the rehearsal. I did take a few pictures there, but none at the wedding. It was too hard for me to watch her and the wedding.

We did all have a fun time, and now Matt and Tasha are happily married. Congratulations you guys. I hope you have a great marriage.

Pig Tails and New Friends

Well, we have been busy this week. With Nathan gone, I have packed the week full so that Brenna and I would survive. We have both had fun, but I think we are both ready for Daddy to get home. Yesterday, we went to visit with a friend of mine who has twins that are 6 months older than Brenna. She had a good time with them even though they are a lot more roudy that she normally is.

Before we left, I was trying to do something with her hair to keep it out of her eyes. She can now wear pig tails. And she is sooo cute if I do say so myself. This first picture is of Brenna and the boys just before we are leaving.

I love this one that my friend took. Brenna was going to find a toy. Look how good she is walking now.

And a close up to see those cute pigtails.

I love this one. I had left to put something in the car. She got so excited when she saw me come back in. I love that smile. I wish you could hear the gleeful squeal that went with the face.

Playin' Dress Up

Every girl has to dress up in their princess dresses sometime. Brenna just got to do it before she knew what was happening. Poor thing. I made her try on so many clothes to see if they would fit yet. They did, yea! She is finally growing some more. Anyways, since we were already trying on clothes, I couldn't resist putting her in her princess dress. It was so cute, I had to do a photo shoot. I actually had Nathan take this first one for my Mom. Her favorite picture of me is very similar to this one. I thought she would enjoy it even if it is a little blurry.

Then after she was inside with so many different outfits on, I had to reward her with a little outside fun time. Bubbles make any situation fabulous. And again, it was a perfect photo opportunity. This was such a big job that it took two people. Nathan was in charge of the bubble making and I was in charge of the photo taking. We think the pictures turned out cute.

Ride 'em Cowgirl

I have decided that Brenna has evenly divided her interests between the two things that Nathan and I love most to do. In the past week she has made several attempts to become a famous horseback rider.
You have already seen that She has taken an interest in the piano, but now she also loves the trombone. Her Daddy took out the instrument the other day and she was thrilled. You can't see the huge smile she had on her face when he played the first note, but trust me, it was there.
Here you see Brenna in her daily practice. She is working on her dressage. This is her new horse we call Noodle. She fell in love with him immediately. Today she has taken him through the obstacles of the house and is really working on keeping him together though each movement. She how she keeps his head in just the right placement for the movement.
"Brenna Jones is coming down the kitchen floor to her last and most difficult jump ever. She needs to soar over the stroller in order to finish first. Not even her mother is sure if she can do it. She how she goes up into her flawless two point and waits for her horse to take the stroller jump. And the crowds go wild as she makes it over almost effortlessly."

So, as you can see Brenna is busily working on all sorts of talents. We will keep you informed about her upcoming performances. Be sure to stay tuned.

Bow or No Bow?

I have wondered for awhile now if I would put bows in Brenna hair or not. I guess I made my decision the other day. Yes, because they are just so cute. Don't you agree? Now the most ironic part of this whole delima is the way I have to place the bow. When I was younger, Mom used to put clips in my hair the exact way I have done Brenna's. I HATED it. Now I see why she did it that way. It was the only way to make it stay. I guess we do eventually turn into our parents (or at least see the wisdom of their ways).

Bubbles

I love to see Brenna discover new things in her world. Mom recently encouraged us to get a bubble wand that give a continuous stream of bubbles. Brenna loved it. She was not happy to go inside when it was time. Anyways, here are a few of the pictures from our evening.

Independence Day

I can't say how thankful I am for my independence. How priviledged are we to live in a country that is free from tyranny? I forget how blessed I am to be an American. I am thankful for all the men and women who fight today for me, my husband, and child. I am also thankful for those who have fought in the past. I am thankful for the ones who gave their lives for my freedom. Many of my family members have fought for me. Many of the family members that I married into have fought for me. I am thankful for their courage and pride. I am thankful that my child gets to grow up in a place of relative safety. She has more options that she can even fathom. She can do or be anything she desires.

I am also thankful for my spiritual independence. So often I forget that a price was paid for my spriritual freedom. I owe more than I could ever pay. I'm so thankful that Christ bought my freedom for me. I am very loved. I pray that Nathan and I will be able to raise Brenna to know the truth about her freedom.

Home from Vacation

It is always hard for me to come back home from vacation. I am very thankful to be back in my own house with Nathan and Brenna, but at the same time, I know I will miss my family in Texas. It is always such a split. I guess it proves to me again that you can't have happiness without the experience of saddness. They do go together.

So, how do I quickly describe our trip. I got to see old friends and meet new ones. Brenna had lots of fun with her grandparents and her cousin. She also enjoyed seeing her aunt and uncle, but that time was only a "small window". Nathan enjoyed his much needed down time. He didn't really do much of anything but rest. He says that is what he needed and wanted. So we all benefited from our break.

The driving was long. As you can imagine, our one year old child was not very happy about it, but she did great anyways. On the way home we stopped at the beach. I wanted to show her what the ocean was like. She loved it. She wanted to play in the sand and walk in the water. It was so fun to see her fase as she discovered something new. I will never tire of her expressions of discovery. I should strive to find joy in each days new discoveries.

We were also able to stop by and see Nathan's grandmother, Nana. She has not had the chance to see Brenna yet. It was good to let them meet. That time was also short, but good.

I have posted a few pictures for your enjoyment as well. I will work on posting more regularly again.