I’ve posted some new pictures, including pictures from our trip to Missouri and Jenna’s first shinner.

Since coming home from Don and Cecilia’s wedding Miss Jenna has been a busy girl:

-Jenna has been TALKING UP A STORM!!! We don’t know if her cousin Erin influenced her or what but Jenna has been babbling and singing (sometimes with microphone) nearly non-stop in July. She is learning more words like cracker, cookie (go figure!), fruit (which she’d eat 24/7 if we’d let her-our little fruit bat!), banana, bike, animal noises like moo & baa, Bradbourne (we thought that was impressive), her friends’ names Chelsea and Alex, and the cutest phrase “Ready…GOOOOOOO!”. More often, Jenna will let out this elaborate string of syllables and intently look at us as if to say, “Don’t you get what I’m saying?” We figure that once we can understand, we’ll never get her to be quiet.

-The next round of teeth are coming in. The incisors or eye teeth are popping through starting with the bottom right followed by all the others. This episode prompted a week of restless/sleepless nights with Advil provideing some relief. Biting made a reappearance as well to include biting her teacher! We’re not happy but hoping that once the teeth are in the biting goes away again.

-Miss Independent continues her quest by eating applesauce and yogurt with a SPOON with 80% success (10% on her and 10% hitting the floor), climbing up chairs to eat from the table (we really have to watch her!!), climbing up into her stroller, and, my favorite, trying to buckle the safety latches in her car seat, stroller, wagon…that’s our Safety Girl!

On a personal note, I’m entering the final stretch of my summer classes. I have to admit, I’m feeling burned out. I’m thankful that I have taken interesting classes with great instructors but I can guareentee that next summer I’m reading brainless books!!
Good news, I was approved for my principal internship project! I’ll be working with my HR Director on creating the Wellness Program guidelines for the district. To fill you in, the Child Nutrition Act of 2004 is a federal school initiative to teach nutrition/fitness/health wellness to kids K-12 and insure more nutritious food is served in schools as a way of combating childhood obesity….finally, the feds are doing something really positive for kids! For example, back in May both Coke and Pepsi agreed to end pop sales during school hours. My thought at the time was there had to be a really good reason they’d give-up these profits…and this Act is the reason because it came into effect in June. SO back to my story, the HRDirector was the committee head that created the Wellness Policy last year but now the committee will be expanded to include more teachers, parents, community and students….and I’ll be the new committee chair! I’m a little nervous about the responsibility but I really believe in the program and look forward to the experience (just not the craziness of balancing family, teaching, interning, and my last grad class). I just keep telling myself…I’m almost done, I’m almost done!!!

A big congratulations to Don and Cecilia on their wedding!! It was a beautiful day and ceremony and we had a great trip and lots of pictures to share (eventually). Jenna had a blast and enjoyed her first plane ride.

Look for a longer update in a couple of days with all the details!

Independent Girl
Miss Jenna is just “stretching her wings” and developing fierce independence. She just run-walks to wherever she wishes so we are following Jenna down the sidewalk, in the backyard, or out of the stroller on our evening walks. Stairs are becoming easier to navigate and we certainly have a “climber” who thinks the world and everything in it (including us) is a jungle gym! Jenna likes to sit by herself in chairs or on the sofa instead of sitting with us but she still gives us some cuddle time. She is talking soooo much more with new words weekly like shoe (we know it’s walking time when she brings over our shoes), quack (as in the sound a duck makes), dog, ball, mommy, daddy, more, down, up, and backpack (we’ve let her watch Dora the Explorer). She has also started playing peek-a-boo with her hands and she says “boo!” when she plays with us. Thanks to Miss Toni at KinderCare, she can identify lots of body parts like hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, chin, neck, elbow, hands, arms, belly button (that’s from the Belly Button Book), knee, leg, and foot. This just amazes us that she knows all this on herself and others so we’re working on colors next.

First Haircut…again!
Wendy, my stylist, couldn’t wait to see Jenna and give her first salon haircut (Miss Toni gave her a shaping trim for her first birthday!). Her hair was constantly in her eyes and, when wet, the hair on her neck was past her shoulders. Jenna was a bit nervous when she first entered the salon but warmed up in time for her haircut. She sat in the booster seat watching everything Wendy did; putting on the cape (Jenna eventually wanted to see her hands to make sure they were still there), water spritzing, combing, and cutting. Jenna kept turning her head to see what was going on with the other customers but was cooperative for the whole process. Once she heard Wendy ask me if she was done (the magic word), Jenna wanted out of the chair and into Daddy’s arms. We kept saying all day that Jenna looked older with her cute bob…our little girl is growing up!!!!

Low-maintenance gardening
ok…one year+ old daughter, grad school, summertime fun, that doesn’t leave lots of time for gardening. So, I resolved in May that I wasn’t going to plant anything. That lasted until this weekend when I discovered the mums planted in front of the freshly painted (that happened Memorial Day weekend when the grandparents could watch Jenna!!!) white picket fence were winter killed and I just couldn’t take the lack of life. So Michaels put all of the silk summer plants on clearance and I scavenged and you can see what I created. I have to admit, the bees didn’t seem to care because they were visiting before I had them hung up…..hopefully I won’t forget to water them!!!!

Zoo Trip
Since Mark purchased a zoo membership; we’ve been going to the zoo on whims and taking people with us since they get in free! We took our neighbor Greg, Sarah, and one year old Alexander. The weather was cool so we had a blast. At one point in the stroller ride, Jenna and Alex decided to hold hands which melted the Moms’ hearts and had the Dads discussing dating rules.

Personal note…
I’m wrapping up two of my three summer grad classes on Wednesday. Lots of work but I just keep telling myself that I’m almost done..the end is in sight! I find out in July what my internship project will be so I can get the research for that done before school starts, finish math curriculum writing, and take my third class. whew…I’m almost done, I’m almost done.

Happy Fourth of July to all!