Brown Family Visit

On July 17th we were blessed to have Jaime (Wes' sister) and her new family with us. We were able to meet Jaime's husband, Jessie, and their new baby girl, Maya. The visit was rather short, but it was great to visit with them. Maya was the star in our house. Katherine couldn't wait to see and hold her. It was all about Katherine's cousin Maya! Katherine beamed love for Maya. Sebastian had a different take on Maya. He was fine with having a new baby around as long as his mom had nothing to do with her. I was able to hold and cuddle Maya, but Sebastian was always right there with me. Katherine was usually right there too. As I said earlier, we were blessed to have time with Maya, Jaime, and Jessie!

Jentes Tradition

Being a Jentes means certain things. One of which is you MUST enjoy ice cream. (Eating corn especially corn on the cob is another, but that's also another topic!)

I remember on Saturday mornings my dad letting me eat ice cream for breakfast. Keep in mind by the time I got up for breakfast my dad would have been working outside for several hours, so it wasn't really breakfast time to him. My dad says now he doesn't remember the ice cream for breakfast, but he will tell you I would page him on his work voice pager(remember those?) around 4pm just about every other day to bring home ice cream. It wasn't just any ice cream either...It was Blue Bell ice cream!

One of traditions at the Jentes reunion is to eat ice cream. There was homemade ice cream, but of course, it was devoured quickly. Not a problem, there was more store bought ice cream in the freezer. Both Katherine and Sebastian had eaten some homemade ice cream earlier in the day. After swimming, it was time for a second round of ice cream. This time Sebastian missed out, because he was sound asleep in his stroller. Katherine is pictured above eating her ice cream with her new family friends. (I think they are distant cousins.)

By the way, can you tell which one is Katherine? Those girls looked like twins. It was amazing to see them together. I wish I would have gotten a better picture of them!

Flying

Katherine had a unique experience while visiting in Ohio. My Uncle Charles owns a Moony airplane in which he took Katherine flying. She loved it except for the landing! Now, the actual landing was smooth and not really the problem for Katherine. She didn't like the landing, because she was not ready to get back on the ground. While in the air we flew over my aunt and uncle's house and the farm where the reunion had been held. Katherine was able to see the swimming pool where she had been swimming just days before. She thought that was really pretty cool. I must admit that one of my very first memories is of my uncle taking me up in his plane, so I am thrilled that this will probably be one of Katherine's first memories also! Wes however was really jealous of Katherine! It was a great experience for her and myself as well.

New Cousin

Maya Brown was born on June 22 and shares a birthday with her great grandpa Kenney. Maya's proud parents are Jaime and Jessie. Katherine is already in love with her new cousin. She loves her and can't wait to see her. Sebastian isn't all that interested. However, someday I bet he will be playing with her and his big sister at their grandparents!

Reunion

The kids and I left on Tuesday, June 28th for Little Rock, Arkansas. There we spent the night at Dean and Diane's before heading off to Wooster, Ohio for the Jentes family reunion. The kids and I left our van at Dean and Diane's, and we loaded up with my dad in his truck. After a long ride in the truck, several stops, and a short hotel stay, we arrived in Smithville, OH at my Uncle Charles and Aunt Elaine's. The kids did great traveling! It helped that their grandpa Homer had a DVD player for them to watch movies on too! However, we were very ready to be out of the truck!!!

The kids and I were in Ohio for the Jentes reunion, which was held on July 1st at the Earl Jentes Farm. (This farm is where my dad grew up, so he always enjoyes visiting and seeing all the upgrades to the farm.) The reunion was great! I was able to see family that I hadn't seen in a long time, and meet some that I had only heard about or seen pictures of until then. Katherine and Sebastian had a good time as well. Earl and his family have a large swimming pool on the farm, so the kids were able to swim. This was a big hit with Katherine. However, I had left the kids swim suits back at my aunt and uncle's, so we had to do some improvising. Luckily, I had a change of clothes for both kids, so they swam in their clothes. One of my distant cousins even had "little swimmers" pants for Sebastian. At first, Katherine was really upset that she would have to swim in her clothes, but she soon realized it would be okay! All is well that ends well!

My dad, the kids, myself, and Dean (who had flown up for the reunion), began our travel home Monday, July 3rd around 5pm. Dean and my dad took turns and drove all night arriving in Little Rock around 9am. The kids and I spent several hours at Dean and Diane's before heading to Valliant. The kids and I made it home around 5pm on July 4th. It was great to get home!!!

Two Day Vacation

We took a family trip to Muskogee, Oklahoma where the kids had a wonderful time with their grandparents. On Thursday evening the kids went swimming in the pool after it quit raining. Friday we loaded up the kids, food, and wave runners and went to the lake. It was a wonderful time for all. Wes and I played with the lake toys, while grandparents had the pleasure of being entertained by Katherine and Sebastian! I think the grandparents were tired by the time we left. Katherine and Sebastian kept them very busy!

More pictures of our trip and entertaining stories to come. However, tonight I am going to bed!!!

Sebastian story

This was the scene on Monday night when I checked in on Sebastian before I headed to bed. Isn't he cute and precious? And yes, I know!

I must share a funny story about Sebastian and yesterday. When Raeli and Ryan arrived Sebastian was still sleeping. Just after they came inside Sebastian woke up. As he came out of his room he saw me, Raeli, Ryan, Katherine, and Cyndi all standing in the kitchen. Sebastian turned right around and headed back into his room onto his bed. It was almost as if he thought "I don't think so...maybe I should go back to bed!" Cyndi and I laughed at his facial expression and reaction. This is probably one of those moments where you need to have been there to really experience the humor of the situation, but I couldn't help but share it anyway.

Best Friends

Katherine and Sebastian had their friends from church over today, Raeli Jo and Ryan Frunk. Raeli and Katherine think of themselves as best friends most of the time. They are two months apart in age. Raeli turned four last week, and Katherine will be four in August. They are both 'big' sisters, and the age difference between them and their younger brothers is just about the same too. Ryan and Sebastian are three months apart.

I had the four of them today! It was an interesting afternoon. The girls played together in the girls room, while the boys basicly played independently. However, with the girls there was drama all afternoon. One minute they were best friends and the next they didn't want to play together at all. Honestly, Katherine was being rather bossy, so I don't blame Raeli for not wanting to play with her. However, later it was Raeli's turn to return the orders!

All in all the four kids got along rather well, and I think Raeli and Katherine parted as friends. Tomorrow is another day!

Home!!!!

Wes has made it home! Katherine, Sebastian, and I are thrilled that Wes has made it safety back to us. He arrived Friday night around 9 PM, later than we all wanted, but home no less! Katherine and Sebastian had made welcome home signs with my help. We had planned to have them outside in the yard, but since it was rainning they remained inside on the wall. Either way Katherine was proud of her signs for her dad. Katherine kept telling me she wanted to hide and surprise her dad when he came home. However, all Wes had to do was say Katherine's name and she came running! Sebastian was right behind her too! It is wonderful to have us all home!

On the way HOME!

Katherine, Sebastian, and I survived the week without Wes! He will be home today! Katherine, Sebastian, and I are so thrilled that Wes is on his way home. Yesterday he drove from Greensboro, NC to Franklin, TN where he spent the night with family. He took Glen and Katie, his cousin and cousin's girlfreind, out to dinner last night. When the kids and I spoke to him last, he was headed back to go to bed. He should be driving home as I write.

Wes said he had a good week, and seems to be recharged spiritually. I am looking forward to getting all the details of the convention from him and hearing what God has shown him this past week.

The Sleeping Prince & Princess

The sleeping prince and princess above managed to kick their favorite mom out of her king size bed! This was the scene two nights ago. Katherine had fallen asleep in my bed while I was finishing up something in another room. My back had been a little sore, so I decided not to move her. I crawled in on the other side and went to sleep. Several hours later, I woke up to hear Sebastian crying in his room. I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't want to sit with him in his room until he fell back asleep. I elected to let him lay next to me and fall asleep. He went right to sleep, and I got up because I still wasn't feeling well. When I came back to bed I discovered that two little children can take up most of a king size bed. I guess they thought I wouldn't mind sleeping in an "L" shaped position at the bottom of the bed. I managed to squeeze myself back into bed. However, I was so tired when Sebastian woke up around 6:15 AM. The next night my two beautiful children were in their own beds, and I slept so much better!!!

Kids Pool

Katherine and Sebastian got a pool last weekend to keep cool. As you can see from the picture they have a great time playing in the water. Sebastian's main goal is to have every toy out of the water or in the smaller section of the pool. He doesn't like to sit down in the water much and does NOT like to have the palm tree spray water! Katherine loves to have me splash water on the slide, so she can slide down it easier. Sebastian thinks the slide is for climing up and out! Both concepts keep me very busy!

This picture was taken last week when Wes was around to help. I learned how to get the water emptied out and the pool put back into the storage building, which was a bigger job than I realized. Normally, Wes takes care of emptying the pool while I take care of the kids. After trying to pick the pool up, still being mostly full of water, I called Wes for help! He then explained a rather simple concept to me of standing on one of the corners while the water runs over my feet untill I can pick it up and turn the pool over. What a concept huh?

Now that I have discovered how to empty the pool, the kids I find it a great way to end our afternoons.

Wes' Venture

Katherine, Sebastian, and I have been on our own since about noon on Thursday. Wes is traveling to the Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina. He has done a little family visiting while on the road too. Wes stopped in Little Rock Thursday night to spend some time with my brother and sister, Dean and Diane. It was Diane's 26th birthday, so they all went out to celebrate. Wes was then onto Franklin, Tennessee to spend the night with his aunt and her family. Today is traveling again, but tonight will be in a hotel before heading onto Greensboro Sunday afternoon. Wes is truly looking forward to his week ahead. The kids and I look forward to his safe return home!

Naptime

Katherine and Sebastian take afternoon naps. The schedule usually is right after lunch they take a nap. Sebastian is almost always ready to go right to sleep. Katherine however is never tired or at least that is what she thinks. Anyway, on Wednesday I took Sebastian into his room and did the normal nap time routine. After I walked out of the room, I heard him get up. I decided to head into the bathroom before going back into Sebastian's room. (Now, you need to know I keep the baby monitor on the counter in my bathroom.) Before I knew it Katherine comes into the bathroom turns the monitor on and says "Mom, Sebastian is up and I turned the monitor on so you could hear!" I decided to thank her for her help and let her know I would take care of Sebastian in just a couple minutes. It was really very funny!

It did take several times of me putting Sebastian back into his bed that afternoon, but he and Katherine did get their naps!

The Princess Room

Katherine loves her new room. She loves being able to keep Sebastian out of her closet where her toys are, and yet she loves having Sebastian play in her room with her. Sebastian likes Katherine's bed, as it is lower than the one previously in that room. Katherine is slowly getting use to Sebastian having his own room. She still thinks she has as much control over things in his room as hers. She wasn't real happy with me when I moved the furniture around in his room.

As I stated in the last post, Katherine's princess style bedroom will be a work in progress over the summer. I did drape some pink, purple, and off white thule across the headboard of her bed, which has made her very happy. Katherine told me today she wants her daddy and I to paint her room. I am guessing...Pink! I'm not sure on that project just yet. However, I do have several painting projects to keep me busy. I want to paint her dresser, which was my mom's built for her by her dad. I think I will paint it white to match the bed. I also have a couple of shelves that I want to paint. I have come up with a cute idea for a lamp too, if I can find all the items to decorate it. Plus, I am on the lookout for bedding for Katherine's queen size bed.

I will keep udating our progress and any other interesting stories provided by Katherine or Sebastian.

Growing Up

Wes and I have been busy working on Katherine's new bedroom. She has been sleeping in our guest room during the afternoon nap, and she has gotten used to sleeping in the 'big' bed. Wes and I decided that it was time to let her have her own room. When we moved into our current house Katherine specifically asked to share a room with Sebastian. She still likes the idea, but it makes sense for her to have her own room. We had a black four post metal frame bed in our storage building that Wes painted white for Katherine. We are planning on making her bed a princess style bed between now and her birthday. It will be a work in progress until then. Today we did get the bed set up, and she is thrilled. Tomorrow comes the task of moving her clothes and toys to her new room.

Sebastian is also growing into a new room. Wes and I put the baby bed in which Sebastian was sleeping into the storage building. Sebastian is now sleeping in Katherine's old toddler bed. (Katherine thinks this is cool, but she reserves the right to take it back when visitors come!) I have placed his crib mattress on the floor beside the toddler bed in case he fell out. However, last night he stayed next to the wall! Sebastian is looking forward to getting the pink toys out of his room. (At least that is what his dad is looking forward to)

Wes and I hope to have both rooms finished by Katherine's birthday in August. If you wish to donate to this project feel free to contact Wes or I anytime.

Will post a picture of bedroom at a later time.

Katherine & Sebastian

Last night Wes, the kids, and I went out to dinner at a local mexican restaurant. A friend from church, Arline Williams, went with us. Towards the end of dinner I was talking to Wes about something that happened last week on my vacation to Tennessee. I look over at Sebastian and he has his hands over his ears, as to say "who cares mom...I'm not listening!" We laughed at him and, Wes commented on how he understood Sebastian's feeling. It was really funny. Later, we had stopped to buy new windshield wipers for the van and get some gas. Wes had bought some great dark chocolate that we were all sharing. We look back at Katherine and she had chocolate all over her face. She had asked for a wipe to clean her hands, but she didn't realize how bad her face looked. We all got another good laugh thanks to Katherine. Sebastian and Katherine bring so much joy into our lives. Wes and I do love them so!!!!

Tennesse Trip

The kids and I spent a week in Franklin, TN visiting the Posthuma's. Wes' cousin, Glen, graduated from Franklin High School on Sunday evening. The kids and I made the trip with Ruby Lee, Wes' grandmother. We had a wonderful week celebrating Glen's graduation and being with family. Both the kids were spoiled by their great Aunt and Uncle! Katherine was still a little unsure about Glen, but Lee was another story. Katherine was in the middle of Lee and her friends most of the week. Personally, I think Lee really loved it too! It was a long drive, but the fun we shared made it all worth it!

Family Photos

Our extended family (mainly grandparents) has been after me to have a family photo taken. About three weeks ago, I finally managed to make an appointment and get a our picture taken. The proofs were great, and of course I had to order a few extra. The photographs are now in, and I am working to get a photo in the mail to all family members.

Your New Source

It's the new age of information and now you can get caught up in the activities of Wes, Katherine, Sebastian, and myself. I will be posting stories and updates as soon as I can. At the moment, I am going to sleep. More news to follow later...