Sharing My Jennarocity

On Kelly's Korner, the post today is Show Us Your Church. I had another blog all ready for today, but I really would like to participate in this one. I attend Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX. I know, I know. A mega church, God's stadium, I've heard it called a millio n things. But really, its a very small church feel once you actually get involved. When Jason and I were looking for places to attend, we tried about 3 and none really seemed to fit. I have tried churches in the past and I have realized that I really like a "traditional" church more than I thought. By that, I mean a choir, singing songs that include the congregation in the worship, having a pastor who knows the Bible and having a church that is not wishy-washy on their beliefs. I have always wanted to be a part of church choir and it's kind of amazing to me how many churches don't have them anymore. I just kind of felt like with a worship team, it was more like a concert I was liste...

This last week has been hard. I have HATED leaving Avery. How could you ever want to leave that beautiful face? I know I would not be happy as a stay at home mom, but I would love at least SOME more time with her. Sigh. Avery, I love you baby girl. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Ok all - I have FINALLY come up with a name that I think is going to stick! I didn't really take blogging too seriously the past years so "The Whitehead Family Journeys" fit for a long time, just because it was mostly about us, as a family. The I changed the name to "Party Of Five" which never seemed to feel right to me. I have kept another blog purely for my opinion posts but will be getting rid of this soon. I have decided that my blog is going to be about other things, aside from just being a mom, stepmom, and wife. It didn't really occur to me until after I completed this blog challenge what purpose I wanted my blog to serve. And so I just wrote and really learned how much I love to write, but about all types of things, not just one or two things specifically. I also love to start conversations among others and hear what other people have to say. I hope you like the new changes to come, of course, I will still post pics of my family and Avery (that's...

God is good, isn't He? Just when I doubt that He knows what he's doing, something happens that proves it all the more. Today is my last challenge of my 7 day challenge. My task is to Write A Story. I was almost completely done with this story today, my life story, to share. When I went to choir rehearsal tonight, we were asked to share our story of how we came to know Christ with the person next to us. After a few minutes, our director said the one thing he hears the most is that most people don't know how to witness or share God with others. He told us the easiest way to do it is "tell your story." Ok, God. I am listening. I have always known Christ. I have been going to church since before I can remember and I accepted Him into my heart when I was around 7. I was a very active member of my youth group as a teen. But around 18, my senior year, I felt like I had lost Him. He completely stopped being the leader of my life and I started questioning a lot of my belie...

I am currently on day 6 of my blog challenge and today posed a challenge that took me a minute to think about. The challenge is to ask my readers a question, so today, I am asking you a question I think you will enjoy answering! If my 18 year old self was to take a peek to the future and see my present day self, I think I would be slightly surprised!! Thinking back to yourself at 18, are you where you thought you would be at your current age? For instance, I thought I would be a high powered executive, getting to travel the world!! What about you? If you want to take it further, what major life events changed your mind about what you thought you wanted in life? For instance, you never thought you wanted to be married until you met your dreamy husband!! If you blog, write your answer on your blog and link it into a comment on this blog so we can all see how you reply!! If not, a comment will be great! Happy Blogging! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Here are just a couple pictures to end the day... My baby girl had her first apple juice today! (Watered down apple juice). I think she liked it! I love that face she makes when she's experienced something new. I think the coolest thing about having a child is watching them experience something for the first time. Her tooth is just coming in and she is taking it like a champ! No real fussing but she is back to waking up at night. I am ok with that, though. I look at it as giving me another chance to see her beautiful face. Good night!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Today's challenge is to Write a Tip post. A "how to" if you will. I had to think about what I knew enough about to actually be somewhat of an expert on it.... One thing I have learned a great deal about in the last couple of years is how to go from a single girl to a wife to a mother without completely losing your identity. It is sometimes a lot harder than one might think! I think these transition periods in a woman's life come several times in her time on this earth. My first real transition period was when I turned 25. I felt older and I had to learn how to feel ok with my body, as it didn't look as it did when I was 21 and it stopped being easy to get back into shape. I had to learn to be more of an adult. It took a little bit of time to adjust to my age and just when I got used to being a single, twenty something woman, three things happened. 1) I became a wife 2 ) I turned 30 3) I became a mother. All in the same 12 month period!! It took me a while to start...

I am de-lurking my blog today!! If you are a person who reads my blog but don't "follow" me or ever comment, I want to know ya, know ya!!! Comment and send me a HOLLA!!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Onto Day 4 of my blog challenge: Write a Link Post! I have actually never done this before so it's a neat challenge for me. I thought that I would discuss something that was a touchy subject at work recently...the case in Florida regarding a girl with a peanut allergy and preventative measures that some were calling too much. I am sure that if you are a parent, my opinion on this might not be a popular one, but here I go. I think that in this country, we often take things to the extreme, especially when it comes to our kids. I know, I know, how can I possibly say that? But you know, people have been having kids for a pretty long time, generations and generations before us, and I think sometimes we are way too careful for our own good. In this particular situation, the parents of a first grade class were not happy about "extreme" measures taken to accomodate a girl in the class with a severe peanut allergy. In fact, this allergy is considered so severe, she is said to ...

I am not one of those mothers who is in a rush for her child to grow up and hit "milestones" as fast as possible. I want her to be a baby and to relish every moment. For the last few weeks, I have noticed some changes in Avery, lots of drool, biting on things, fussiness as times for no reason. I told Jason, "Could she be teething already?" 3 months seemed too fast at the time, so I didn't think about it again, until today. Jason had Avery and she was chewing on his thumb and he said, "Jenna, give me your finger." As I ran my finger across her gums, there is was. The sharp edge of a tooth!!! I pulled her lip down and sure enough, a little white was just poking out. I was so excited but kind of sad....she is growing up too fast. I could get a good picture because she was just not a happy camper today. I figured we would start rice cereal (or introduce it) around 4 months. I have read between 4 and 6 months, but you should let your child tell you when ...

I am trying very hard to keep my blog posts to one a day, so I am going to interupt my blog challenge for today to talk about our weekend. I have been married one year today. Its been great and its been tough! Not tough because we fight or anything, just because of our circumstances. I've already talked about that, so I won't go into more detail. But I can say with all certainty that I picked the right man for me. If Jason and I didn't make such a good team, this year could have easily torn us apart, but it actually made us stronger and better as a couple. We really learned to work together. All I can say is thank goodness for God's timing and for bringing Jason into my life!! So, last night my company had their annual banquet. It was free food, drinks and dancing and it was great fun!! We really enjoyed ourselves. I love it when we get to spend time alone and we had a neat chance to do that this weekend. We slept in today and then went to brunch. I got the small ...

Not to overwhelm everyone with a gazillion posts, but just for memory's sake, I wanted to say that tonight is Avery's first night away from home. Its our one year anniversary tomorrow and my parents offered to keep Avery. We are going to a fancy dinner tonight and brunch tomorrow, but you know what I am looking forward to the MOST? Sleeping in!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I am on day 3 of my blog challenge and I am looking forward to my new challenges everyday! Todays challenge...Write a Review! It can be on anything, a movie, a TV show, a book. I have decided to review a classic show that I have loved and loved for years... I Love Lucy! I have seen every episode of I Love Lucy about 65 times, or maybe even more. This show never seems to get old, even after all of these decades. I sometimes wonder how it has such an ageless, timeless quality to it. Despite the parts about the series that date the series back to the 50's, it still holds its edge as a funny, relevant series of today. First and foremost, Lucy was cutting edge for its time. It was filmed in front of a studio audience on a sound stage, with 3 cameras as opposed to just 1. If you watch The Honeymooners, you will notice it was filmed on a theatrical stage with only one camera and had a very grainy appearance to it. Lucy used technology that only movies were using at the time, giving it its...

My second blog challenge out there is to Answer a Question....this was hard because I had to think of a question that people have asked me in the past and answer it. I thought and thought and finally came up with one... How does it feel to be a stepmom? Being a stepmom is not something I was really prepared for, nor is it something I thought would ever happen. I guess deep down I figured that the older I got, the more the possibility was there, but I just didn't really see it coming. The first year I was with the kids, I was in love. They were so much fun! I wasn't so involved with the day to day discipline, nor was I really involved with the goings on with Jason and their mom (regarding the kids and visitation and stuff). All I had to be was the cool girl who hung out with them, who played with them and took them out places. I thought it was great that I was getting to relive my youth through them by going places I hadn't been since I was a kid. Jordan was doing great in s...

I am taking part in a blog challenge....care to join me? Today's challenge: Write a List! My one year wedding anniversary is coming up in three days. It has been a very eventful year for me and my husband, to say the least! I can't help but think how well we got through it, but how did we do it? I thought you all might be interested in seeing the 16 ways we got through the first year of marriage. 1. We laughed. A lot. At our circumstances, at ourselves, at situations. If we didn't laugh, we would have cried!!! 2. We took each other's faults with a grain of salt. 3. We appreciated each other's contributions on a daily basis. I don't think a single dish would have gotten washed if it wasn't for my husband! 4. We stopped lying and appreciated the other person telling the truth. We also became very truthful with our families. 5. We didn't wish our lives to be what they weren't or wish to have other people's marriages. We were happy with what we had/h...

Tonight, we celebrated Sophia's 6th birthday. When I first met her, she had just turned 4 and now, she is so big!!! Sophia is such a great little girl. I have truly loved getting to be a part of her life and am so looking forward to more to come. She teaches me so many life lessons, the longer I am around her. She has got such a sweet spirit and such a wonderful heart. She loves to share, she is so easy going, and she is so cooperative. She doesn't like stuff, she likes people and being around her loved ones. She would rather have a toy or book that someone can do with her than a great expensive toy to play with by herself. She doesn't dwell; if something doesn't go her way, she might be upset for a minute or two, but then she's over it and on to the next thing. She is incredibly optimistic and always looks at the bright side. She is adventerous and loves to try new things, so its so much fun to take her places. She is beautiful, outside and within. She loves God an...

For those of you who are interested, Avery is 25 inches long and weighs 14.14 pounds, which are both in the 75th percentile. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Today, Avery turns 4 months! We are getting ready to take her for her shots today (breaks my heart) and so I will have some measurements later. She is such a cutie!! I just love the scowl on her face!!!! I love you Avery Grace! You've turned your momma into a picture-blog addicted momma and I don't even care cause I love going back and looking at you!!!

One thing I told myself I would do this year would be to follow what God wants me to do. One of those things would be writing more and another is joining church choir. One of the reasons we joined Prestonwood is because of their amazing choir. I wanted to join last year, but with me being pregnant, it was a hard time to start something new. So 5 weeks ago, I joined and this last Sunday was my first Sunday to sing! It was great. You can't see me, but I am on the left side on the backrow. I look forward to more Wednesdays and Sundays!!

My baby is turning 4 months tomorrow. Its going too fast!! I came across one of her diapers in Sophia's doll stuff (we used one of her newborn diapers for her Cabbage Patch!) I can't believe how little she was!! Here is an old picture of Avery. Tear. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

So, I don't normally go into detail about things such as finances on my blog, because personally, I don't think its anyone else's business (no offense everyone!) But, in an effort to get real, I thought I would go into it, just a little bit. Mu husband and I, as a friend recently put it, have gone through about 5 years worth of life changes in the last 14 months. Needless to say, it has not always been easy to handle. My husband has lost his job twice in the last 12 months, we've been married, and had a baby. Being a young married couple is hard, but throw in having two older step kids, having to find childcare, and having their mom move about 35 miles away from where you live makes it harder, especially when you are making that trip 4-8 times per week. Jason and I often wonder how we've managed to get through the last year without losing our home or a car, managing to keep the kids clothed, managed to keep food on the table, two cell phones, etc etc. I realize many...

I had to leave this sweet, beautiful, smiley girl at the sitter today - today was a hard day for me to leave her. But at least I get to stare at her beautiful face all day on my computer. :-) Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

There is a rec center about 10 minutes from our house that has the most amazing indoor pool. There are two areas, one for lap swimmers and one for kids. There are also two slides. It really is awesome!!! We decided to take the kids today so we could get in some swimming before summer. Jordan won't ride the slides, but he spends most of his time in the lazy river and whirlpool. Sophia, on the other hand, would ride the slides if she was tall enough, so she settled for the diving board instead. She is such a daredevil! It was funny watching her in line, she was the smallest kid there by far!!! Avery swam just a little bit, as much as she could take. She didn't get a great nap before we went, so she swam for about 10 minutes before she took a nap! She didn't know what to make of it, there was so much going on! I held her and she kicked her feet a lot. I think when she really does know what is going on, she is going to really love it!!! My dad got to come and we got som...

Jason and I get tired of watching kids movies all the time. I think of my grandparents that were like, "No, we are not watching Labrynth again!!!" So every once in a while, we will just have game night. Tonight we played four games. Each of us got to pick a game, Go Fish, Dominoes, Candy Land, and Slap Jack. Its really nice to play games with Sophie now that she is big enough to 1) understand the rules and 2) keep her cards to herself!! She used to spread the cards out face up and we would have to help her play while pretending not to knpw what she had. And its fun to play games with Jordan because he can actually stragetise. I think Jason is also teaching him chess, but I am not a chess fan, so that is between them. We had a good game night, no one whine or pouted when they were losing or lost, and I won a lot (which is cool because I usually don't). Here are all of our pics, deep in thought! Have a good Saturday!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Aunt Leslie loves Avery...I mean LOVES Avery. Its so sweet watching them together. Leslie just talks to her and Avery just smiles and smiles. It makes my heart happy to see this picture. :-) Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I really got lucky with Sophia...she really loves Avery. I mean, really really. She talks to her, hugs on her, plays with her. All the time. I am so blessed!!! When she comes over, I always know Avery will never be bored because Sophia will be showing her one thing another. Last weekend, she wanted to show her to color. It was very sweet watching Soph put her colors in her hand (or try to!) and then color lines on her blank page. Tonight, before bed, Sophia said, "can I hold Avery?" Of course, I said yes. Then she said, "why don't you take a picture??" Little model, she is. I had braided her hair so it would be wavy tomorrow, so here they are. Of course, its late and I could only get Avery to look at me once. But aren't they little cuties?? Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I think we tired them out sufficiently!!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Aren't my sisters beautiful? I can't wait for Avery to get to the know them as she gets older. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Good morning!! Happy St Patrick's Day!! I remember last year at this time I had about a week to go till the wedding....wow, how fast this year and gone. And how things have changed!! I am finally getting better at getting my daughter to smile for pictures, yeah!! Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile