First Dentist Visit

Jenna went to the dentist for the first time last week. It was quite an experience! We'd been talking her about going to see the "tooth doctor" and tried to prepare her for the event. We bought this book and showed her the special chair she'd get to sit in and the mirror they'd use to look in her mouth.
She and her bear were very happy as she entered the office. She enjoyed playing with the toys and looking around at the scenery.

They then called her back to the chair. They had 4 kid-sized chairs in one big room, which is where they started her out. She was somewhat reluctant but was soon coaxed to sit in the big chair and check out the cool fish scenery throughout the room.


The hygienist was really nice, and tried to be very calming by explaining each step of the process to Jenna before she did anything. Jenna was a very good listener, as you can see.

When the she began showing Jenna the vibrating toothbrush, that's when she freaked out! She started crying and wasn't calming down. So they took her to the "Quiet Room" (so the rest of the office could be quiet, I think!) I was so glad she did. She screamed and screamed throughout the cleaning process. You can't quite get a feel for it in this picture, but, trust me, she was! The sunglasses they gave her were hiding her tears.

But she survived and even told the hygienist and dentist she'd come back to see them. By the way, they said her teeth look great, and she had NO CAVITIES! : )

Naptime

This afternoon, Jenna put all of her "friends" down for naptime in her room earlier today, and I thought I'd share a picture of it. She laid each one down individually, covered them with a blanket, then patted them for a minute to help them fall asleep. So cute!

Our Little Pizza Chef

We've recently been making semi-homemade pizzas, and Jenna's enjoying making her own using tortilla shells. As you can see, she does a great job! She really likes sampling the turkey pepperoni, and she's actually been eating the pizza which she's never done before!

Libble Dit

Jenna has started saying a very cute phrase: "libble dit" instead of "little bit." It's very cute...and timely since that is the name we've given to her soon-to-be sibling. Yes, we're expecting another little one on March 24, 2010. We're very excited!

We've been trying to prepare Jenna for this new arrival well in advance. She knows that Libble Dit lives in mommy's belly. The other morning I told Jenna to say good morning to him/her, so she said, "Good morning, Libble Dit. I love you!" We think she'll make a great big sister--she loves to play with dolls and stuffed animals and she loves to help mommy!

Here are some pictures of the little one at 7 wks, 2 days gestation. Our doctor's office is great in that they do LOTS of ultrasounds, so they'll be many more to come.

CRL=Crown to Rump Length (1.14 cm)

FHR=Fetal Heart Rate (145 bpm)

This isn't the head, but rather the yolk sac.
It will disappear before my next visit in 4 wks.

Scrapbooking with Mommy

Jenna found some glitter flower stickers in my scrapbooking supplies, so she decided to scrap her own page. I'm trying to catch up on my WAY BEHIND scrapbooks, so I definitely appreciated her interest in "helping me." I was able to get a lot done while she was preoccupied with her page. When she finished, she held it up and said, "Look at how cute!" Her expressions these days just crack me up!

Jenna's Move Up

Jenna and her best friend from school moved up to the next class this week. They're exactly 1 month apart in age, and, from what we hear, are inseparable. So cute! They moved up to the 3's class this week (which is really age 2 1/2 to 3 1/2) and were very excited to be able to start going to the BIG playground! The only other differences between the 2's and the 3's are that the 3's no longer get an morning snack (beginning preparations for kindergarten--scary!) and that their curriculum lessons are more in depth. She's really enjoying all of the new areas to explore this week, and especially is excited about still getting to spend each day with her best friend!

Jenna's French Fries

Jenna wanted to help make french fries the other night. I let her do it, and this is how she completed the task:



Needless to say, they were very crispy fries!

That's one way to eat a banana!

Beauty Times Two

We met Uncle Jeffery's cat named Beauty while we were in Louisiana. Jenna was very observant of her characteristics, so she now likes to mimic her. Take a look:

Swimming Lessons

Jenna started swimming lessons last week. She had 4 sessions last week and will finish with 4 sessions this week. She's done very well so far, and we've been very proud of how well she's doing. I asked her what her favorite thing to do in the pool was, and she said jumping. She's not quite jumping yet, but we're working towards it. So that's good to know she likes what she's learned so far. Enjoy these pictures from her first lesson...

Trip to Louisiana

Late last month, we made a trip to Louisiana to visit family. On the way down, we were able to break up the trip and stay in our niece and nephew-in-law's beautiful new home. It was great to get to see them and to have a perfect half-way stop!

We were only in Louisiana for two and a half days, but we had a great time visiting with everyone. Jenna always enjoys seeing her cousin who is so close to her age:

We also enjoyed a wonderful crawfish boil at our brother and sister-in-law's house. Don't these just make your mouth water looking at them?
This is before they were cooked, but believe me they were delicious. They had wonderful flavoring, as well as the corn, the sausage and the potatoes. A fabulous Cajun meal! It was typical summer Louisiana weather though...over 100 degrees at 5 pm and a heat index of 110! It was HOT! We did have a great time, and always love the chance to see our family in those whirlwind trips we always seem to make!

Touch-A-Truck Show

Jenna and I happened on to a Touch-A-Truck Show at Chick-Fil-A this afternoon. We couldn't resist all of the big trucks--she is totally into tractors and big machines right now!

Jenna was intimidated by all of the loud horns, so she didn't want to get in any of them but did enjoy looking at them.
She definitely enjoyed sitting in the dune buggy though...

Enjoying some sweet tea in a kid's size cup...

Within about 10 minutes of leaving, she had zonked out...

July 4th Weekend

Mom & Dad (aka Mimi and Poppa) came to visit this weekend, and, as usual, we've enjoyed our time with them. Mimi, Jenna, and I picked blueberries yesterday morning--something we all enjoyed and will have to do again soon.



Then we used my grandmother's recipe for homemade pie crust and my grandfather's blueberry pie recipe. It turned out really yummy, so I'll definitely have to try to make another one again soon.


We have eaten yummy grilled out meals this weekend too: hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbeque chicken. All were fabulous. We've almost finished an entire watermelon--mostly because of me--and also had some especially sweet & flavorful corn on the cob, which Jenna loved.

We then went outside to watch fireworks in our neighborhood--both on the 3rd and 4th of July. We enjoyed great displays of color against the dark sky and also caught some lightning bugs (aka fireflies) for Jenna. She didn't like the noise (even though she's covering her eyes in this picture), but she loved the fireworks.



She even ended up falling asleep on Randy, in the midst of all of the fireworks--a true sign that she's worn herself out with all of the fun.

Randy's Birthday

Here are a few pictures taken while celebrating Randy's birthday a few weeks ago. We went to Red Robin for the first time (it's new to our area). Jenna loved it--it's so loud there, even if she wasn't happy, no one would have been able to hear! She even ordered her own drink, like a big girl. We enjoyed yummy, unique burgers and endless fries; what a fun evening it was!

What Sweet Expressions!

An Afternoon at the Zoo

We spent a few hours at the Knoxville Zoo today, and we all had a great time. We went later in the afternoon, so the weather was cooler and more animals seemed to be out than in the heat of the day. We left quickly when it started raining. Here are a few shots from our time there.

Here's Jenna as we were waiting
to get our season pass today.

Here's Jenna 15 1/2 months ago
waiting to get our season pass then.
She's really changed!

Jenna led the way!
She was so excited to see the animals!

Mommy and Daughter

Daddy, Daughter and Zebras

Just Like Mommy

I thought this was so cute. Jenna took off her shoes tonight and went right into Mommy's closet...

Two and a Half!

Our little cutie just turned two and a half this week--how amazing. Time is just flying by! Since she started school when she was 6 months old, this was also her 2 year anniversary of being there. I took this picture on my phone as she was walking into school (I didn't know her eyes were closed until I uploaded it). It's still a cute picture though:

Jenna's Recent Funny Quotes

Upon my asking if she was ready to take a nap, Jenna said:
"Nope. I want to play. Five minutes, and I'll take a nap."

We bought a van last week, and Jenna's seat is now behind the passenger seat rather than behind mine. I guess she's scared I'll forget her because each time I get out of the car, she reminds me: "Jenna's right here."

Randy told Jenna he was getting ready to take her to a playground the other day, and she responded, "Oh, that'll be fun!"

Jenna looked at Randy the other night and said, "Daddy, your MY daddy!" How sweet!

When driving past Kroger, her favorite store, Jenna said "I need...acidophilus." She remembered that I'd said we needed to get some the next time we went to Kroger! What a great memory--and good pronunciation too!

Our Little Lady

Jenna is quite the little lady! She loves wearing dresses, and even likes wearing jewelry too--notice her ankle. She's also sporting her new haircut too. Can you tell she likes posing for pictures?