Off We Go!

My Mom arrived last night for her fun week with Abby and we finished packing and prepped for a week of vacation! We explained to Abby what would happen and this morning when she awoke we were in the air and she did great!

We left the house at 6:15 this morning. Quick flight to Houston and then 2.5 hours to Charleston. We arrived mid-afternoon. Both flights were smooth and easy- good books, in flight Wi-Fi, and an iPad made it "fly" by!

We about died when we saw our rental car- a KIA Soul. It is like a mini-SUV. We joked that our car was just past the white box. And then, realized the white box was ours! No joke, after a 2 hour ride to Savannah and running around town, we LOVE it! The Soul rocks!

Our hotel was the perfect "welcome to the South". It has a gracious entrance with hardwood floors, big grand windows, and ferns! I love it all! We are on the top floor in a corner suite with a view of the marsh, golf course, and bridge separating Georgia from South Carolina.

The greenery is everything I expected. The Spanish Oak tress are just dripping with moss and cover the roads. Living on a street with a canopy of trees is a dream of mine- I just love the historical feel it gives.

We arrived at the hotel about 4:30 and after hanging out for a few hours, we went to Uncle Bubba's Oyster House. Uncle Bubba is Paula Deen's brother and his restaurant is on a marsh, super casual, and carries some of her recipes. The specialty is chargrilled oysters. When in Rome... we ordered a half dozen. I was scared to death, but I did it. They tasted fine- I had one. We splurged on dessert. The strawberry shortcake was amazing. Oh, and I had my first glass of sweet tea with lemon and mint. Chick-fil-A has nothing on Uncle Bubba!

I am already in love! Tomorrow's plans include service at First Baptist Church, lunch at Paula Deen's, a private carriage ride in the historic district, and a nice seafood/steak dinner!

Abby had a great day, too! We spoke to her twice and the big news- she wore p*nties out of the house today for the first time. Nana is finishing the job we've stalled with while we are gone. Exciting!

Superhero Abby Can Fly!

We are on a little bit of a superhero kick now!

We love to swing and run in our cape and feel it flying behind us!

We also love for the superhero to fall and try to hide under our handy cape.

Oh what fun imagination can be!

Parent Teacher Conference

This morning Marcus and I had our semi-annual parent teacher conference at Abby's school. You always go into these meetings hopeful you will learn your child is brilliant and fearful your child is rotten. For us, it always turn out to be a mix of both!

She is developmentally age appropriate in each area. She is fine- no real concerns. Marcus and I both laughed that she likes to sort things by similarities, size, color etc. and line them up. Where in the world would she get that from? I haven't a clue!

However, the biggest message I got is that she is determined, strong willed, and sassy. All of these can be amazing traits that will take her far in life. All of these in a toddler can be a challenge! She knows right from wrong and likes to test you. She knows what she wants and will go after it. She likes what she likes and she expects it right now.

Don't we all? Aren't toddlers just unfiltered adults? I think our job is to take her strengths and teach her how to use them- to not give up, to not fall to peer pressure, to be sassy in appropriate situations, to go for what she wants, to test yourself and learn from it. Pray for us :)

Super Abby

Abby Lu was a mild mannered little girl. She went about her day in an ordinary way.

Until one day, Abby Lu discovered a secret cape and mask that gave her incredible powers !

Now, She is...

SUPER HERO ABBY!

She is now able to outrun a speeding tricycle...able to dismantle electronic devices within nanoseconds, she can produce a super scream that shatters glass when angry...she is stronger than any crayon, or James Avery bracelet clasp.

It is with her side kick, DADA...that they keep the streets safe from icky, yuck, or shooey shooey.

Super hero Abby continues the fight against her arch enemies, naptime, broccoli, meow meow's tail.

Funny Faces

I am so very blessed that Abby has Marcus' sense of humor. He is the funniest person I know, right behind her. She can't help but make us smile all the time. Heck, she makes strangers smile. We don't go anywhere without people talking to her, waving, or telling us how funny, cute, nice, etc. that she is. I know God hears prayers, because I prayed for her personality so much when I was pregnant. Give her a voice and draw people to her.

The other morning before school she was watching Yo Gabba Gabba and imitating the dancey dance of the day. Top left- she is going crazy during the freestyle time. Top right- she is miming having opened the fake door and leaning to pull it. Bottom left- is a cat dance, she appears to be pulling her groovy whiskers. Bottom right- her favorite silly face during go crazy time.

The wedding slideshow is going to be a hoot! :)

Abby Said What, Volume 1

Welcome to the first "Abby said what?" post! My friends with older kids have done "stuff heard 'round the house" and it always made me laugh. As we get close to 2 1/2 years old, the comedian around our house is coming out to play! So, watch for more funny antics written down for posterity here! I hope you'll enjoy, Abby said what?

Abby loves Sarah, the childcare worker at Marcus' gym. She sees her once a week for about 30 minutes, but she knows when we tell her it is Saturday that she'll see Sarah. This past weekend, when they arrived Sarah was visibly sad and hugging a few friends. Marcus feared she was leaving the gym and asked her if she was alright. She explained to her that her boyfriend had just left for basic training to be a Navy Seal. Abby was concerned that Sarah was sad, so they told her why. Abby has walked around all week telling us "Sarah lost her seal". She is genuinely sad for her. I don't think she has a clue what a seal is and likely thinks she'll find it soon.

I am working with Abby on having a relationship with Jesus. I am working on that for myself, too! So, each night, she gets to pick two people and we pray for them. We have been doing this for a month and she always picks the same two people. It gets hard to come up with creative things to say each night! Tonight, I was thrilled she picked two friends from her class at school. I always start the prayer and pause after every few words so that Abby can repeat after me. I guess I was so excited to pray for someone new that I said too many words without pausing so Abby's prayer was, "what Mommy said."

Finally, Abby learned about b**bies tonight. (I don't want weirdos googling me!). She kept poking mine or grabbing them and proclaiming what they were. I explained to her about girls having b**bies and showed her where hers were- they are little because Abby is little. Marcus was in the room and DYING! Marcus was thrilled when Abby proclaimed, "Daddy have no b**bies!"

Happy Days

Abby has picked up on the fact that when people are happy, they smile and laugh. If you laugh, she'll bust out into the loudest, deepest belly laughs. I love seeing this girl bring such joy to our family and those around us.

That blue tongue is courtesy of jello at Lubys!

One of our neighbors came over one night when we were in the yard to say hello. She is the neighbor that knows everyone and tells it like it is. She paid us a huge compliment- she said she is around lots of other kids and Abby is a good one. I guarantee you, she'd tell us if Abby was a terror! Thank you Jesus- we work hard on her behavior and it makes you feel good to know it is paying off. Some days you just don't know :)

Birthday Celebrations

We went to County Line on the Lake for dinner Sunday night to celebrate my 35th birthday! I am always 28 in my mind :) Abby was not happy to have someone else in the picture with her. Guess we need to start working on sharing the spotlight!

She sure doesn't mind it when she is flying!

This girl loves her "animals". These finger puppets go anywhere we will let her take them and she'll sit with her hands like this forever!

Dinner was good- I had brisket tacos- yummy! Afterward, we went down on the water for Abby to see the turtles. That green murky water scared me to death! We were holding onto Abby so tight!

Overall, we had a wonderful dinner and I'm just so very happy and grateful to be healthy, have a loving family, and the ability to enjoy time with each other!

On Tuesday, my actual birthday, Marcus let me sleep in and he had Abby wake me up with presents (a new Brighton charm of a birthday cake!) He even bought her a little something! We had lunch together and he showed up with these beautiful tulips. I really should keep fresh flowers on my desk all the time- they just make me happy! We celebrated with dinner at home and ice cream cake!

Our upcoming trip to Savannah is my real birthday present! I can't wait! We have some fun stuff planned- spa appointments, dolphin tour, church service in a historic church, Sunday lunch with Paula Deen, a private carriage ride through the historic district, and more!

Its a birthday in the Jenks house!

Today is Anna's birthday!

We started the day off by trying to explain to Abby that this is Mommy's birthday. The closest we got is that she understands now that today is Mommy and Abby's birthday. Close enough. Maybe I didn't help things out by getting presents for Abby to open too...

Today is a nice moderate celebration.....birthday lunch, evening at home, dinner, and....thanks to my little spy, mommy knows there is a cake treat tonight. (mental note, go pick up cake on the way home tonight).

I have a truly awesome wife that is just the complete package.....she can be a mommy, business woman, football fan, craft aficionado, decorator, Church kids care coordinator, and more!

She gets better, smarter, cooler as we have the years go by. This year should be awesome!

I'm so lucky that we have this time together, and that she and I get begin to get ready to enter our 30s together in the next few years.

Love you!

Marcus

Granpa, and JaJa and Midge

It is that time of year again- time for my Dad and Jacque to load up the RV and head north. It always happens in late March, so we celebrate my birthday and their big goodbye. Thursday, we had them over for dinner and to celebrate.

We met them at our house about 5 (leaving work a little early) to maximize our time before Abby's 7:30 bedtime. We tried to get a picture with Granpa a little late and the meltdown had begun!

Abby wanted Jacque near her most of the night- you can make friends with her real quickly if you'll push her on the backyard swing :)

Jacque's Mom, Midge, joined us. She came in a seperate car and arrived last- Abby immediately asked "Where's Midge?" when Dad and Jacque arrived. ha! Midge brought Abby a sweet teddy bear that she loved on all night.

After dinner and presents, we watched a little basketball and a little Gabba. Abby sat in her favorite TV watching chair :)

Funny story... see the band-aid on her elbow. She scraped it on the back patio at school while riding a tricycle. She loves band-aids. The other night after her bath, we put Neosporin on her elbow and then a band-aid. She was crushed when we covered her band-aid with her pajamas. Marcus ended up putting a second band-aid on her elbow outside her pajamas. She woke up at 4 AM crying which is very unlike her.... Marcus went it to check on her. She was crying because her band-aid on the outside of her jammies had fallen off.

Thanks for visiting us Grandpa, Ja-Ja and Midge! Have a great summer trip! When we see you next, we'll know all our ABCs, be potty trained, and be enrolled in dance class! Exciting changes!

Water Table Wonder

We bought Abby this water table last year and after Marcus scrubbed it from it's winter storage, we brought it out today for the first time. It seems like this is going to be a long summer! We stocked up on her sunscreen this weekend.

She does a much better job pouring this year in comparison. One of the things Marcus and I were amazed at- she can pour equally well with her right and left hand. She still doesn't have a dominate hand- she colors, throws, eats and pours with both. Amazing!

Open letter to Abby from Daddy, please read in 2024.....

Abby Lu,

I am getting ready to run a race this weekend. Its a race I've run several times, and a distance I am familiar with. This race is called the Cap 10K, and is held every year here in Austin. This is the 34^th annual running of the Cap 10. There is about 20K people that will run it. This year I hope to run this race in 55 mins. Last year, I ran it in 55 mins, and carried you crying and screaming across the finish line. Bad…bad idea…..

I’m not going to win any award with this time, and its surely an average, or even below average pace for the average runner. It is however, better than the time I ran when I was 27, and 29, and all through my 30s to now.

You see, the point to this race use to be to prove to myself that I could do it. Now, it’s an investment to be able to keep doing it. I made a pact with God and myself that I would be strong for you, and there for you through your years growing up. I am investing in that now. Doing the same time as last year means I’m not losing ground. It means I’m not getting slow, or old, or on the decline.

When I am 50, and you are 16, I want to be able to still run this race with you. Even though we had you later in life, I want to show that I can be as healthy and as strong as the fathers that are 10 years my junior. I don’t want to be your ‘old man’, and I don’t want to be sitting out of any sports with you when you’re in middle school or even high school. I want to commit to able to make 50, the new 30.

So I invest today, for us tomorrow. I know there are important things to being a parent, and maybe being able to play and be active is a lesser one of these things, but right now, it is something…and its one of the most tangible things I can grasp. We can invest financially for your future, we can invest time in your education, but I want to also invest in my ability to hold you, carry you, and even push you.

So with that said, be ready kiddo. Because the 47^th annual Cap 10 should be coming up soon. You’ll be 16, I’ll be 50….and everything I’ve done for the past 16 years is for this moment, when we can have a race together, and frankly, you better be ready…because I’m hoping to still be chiseling away on my time, down from that 55 mins..

So I’m going off this weekend to create another mile stone in my investment..Running this 34^th annual Cap 10K. I’m going to have some fun with some friends while doing it, and I enjoy it, but when I hit mile 5, and I’m starting to want to ease up, I won’t be kicking in the afterburners just because I want to for me, but because I want to for us.

Now, get your shoes, it’s time to go run.

Daddy

Nose Spray

Every new Mom is recommended or purchased at showers "Little Noses". It is saline spray and recommended by pediatricians when you child is congested. You put the small bottle just inside the nostril and squeeze. It then sprays saline up their nasal cavity which helps to open up their nose. You can imagine, most kids hate nose spray. You have to hold them down.

Abby on the other hand (due to some comedy from her father) loves nose spray and asks to be all done with bath to get her nose spray. I caught the hilarity on video the other night. I plan to watch this video anytime I am having a bad day- it just makes me smile!

Our New Flowers

This is Abby's cute watering can. Marcus and I had lunch one day and ran into Carter's to pick up some tees for Abby for Spring. We had discussed her needing a watering can- Marcus saw this one, thought it was cute, and added it to our pile. When we got out to the car, we saw it was $18! For a plastic watering can! Goodness- she needs to use it and love it!

On Sunday afternoon, we took Abby to Lowe's to pick out flowers to put that gold watering can to good use. She told us she wanted white, yellow, pink and purple flowers. She had to sit in the basket among the flowers. Then, they cramped her style and got a little itchy!

While I planted her new flowers (since she suddenly wanted nothing to do with them!), she helped Marcus make piles of leaves and pick them up.

She loved making piles of leaves and weeds for Marcus to pick up. I don't see how this was more appealing than planting her beloved flowers!

Here they are- our little pretties.

Everything really is more fun with a child- I love being outside with her!

Push Ups

The weather has been so great the past few weeks that we rush home to swing in the backyard. While one of us pushes Abby and plays, the other makes dinner with the back door open. Then, we eat dinner on our tiny back patio. I have eaten dinner outside more this Spring than I have in all my life.

Since we are doing so much outdoor dining, we let Abby have a pre-bath post-dinner outdoor Popsicle for the first time. She ate her orange push up in her swing. Life can't get much better in the mind of a 2 year old! Honestly, it can't get much better for her parents either.

Grumpy Girl

Why or why when she looks this cute does she refuse to smile for the camera?

I seriously love this Target dress and leggings and the color combination on her.

I even promised her a marshmallow and she wouldn't smile!

No fear- Spring has just started and we will capture her smiling in this dress!

Weekend with Mimi

Abby's Mimi (Marcus' Mom) came to visit this weekend. After Abby's nap on Saturday, we went to Chick-fil-A to play and have ice cream.

Abby is really starting to master eating with a spoon. She did so much better with the dip, scoop and balance this time around. A small cup of ice cream at CFA, is a small drinking cup filled with ice cream. It is a LOT!

We spent a good 30 minutes inside the playground and had the place to ourselves. It is a Chick-fil-A miracle. We were there about 4 PM on a Saturday and we'll be back! Since no one was around, we took a couple of balls from Abby's bag and would roll them up the slide and watch them roll back down. Very entertaining!

Thanks for visiting us Mimi! See you later!

I See the Moon...

and the moon sees me!

Thanks to Facebook, I heard the moon would be extra big and bright on Saturday night. Right before going to bed, Marcus and I snuck outside to take a peek. With a little editing from Picnik, I captured it beautifully!

New Kind of Happy Hour

We went to "happy hour" on Thursday night with some friends at our favorite neighborhood restaurant/bar. We sat outside on the newly renovated patio and Abby loved visiting with new friends and running around outside. It was St. Patrick's Day and March Madness so there was a fun mix of people, families, and green beer. We stayed longer than we normally do at a restaurant with a 2 year old, so we captured Abby as the sun was setting.

We met our friend Katy and her fiancée Ike. We hadn't met Ike before, but loved him and look forward to seeing them both at their wedding this Fall. Both of them were so wonderful with Abby. She went inside the restaurant with Katy without hesitation, even waving goodbye to us. We'll work on stranger danger real soon!

Oddly enough, two of Marcus' co-workers were also in attendance, so we had a party of 4 people with kids, one with grown kids, and our family with Abby. So grateful to have an easy kid who entertained everyone and behaved!

We keep telling her good girls have all the fun!

Getting Green

Like most people in Texas, we are in the season of trying to get your grass green before your neighbors! We live in a neighborhood with numerous retired people around us and they all have the most beautiful yards year round.

Marcus spent most of last Saturday in our yard trying to undo winter and wake it up! Abby got a new watering can, so she is helping patch by patch!

I am off this afternoon and her and I are going to Lowe's to buy some pretty flowers she can drown, ahem, water each night.