A Fancied Frenzy

Pick’n the Right Punk’n

Jenelle — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 15:18:09 +0000

Evelyn, my mom and I arrived back in Jersey on Friday night. Although it rained pretty much the entire week, I still had a great week down in Virginia spending time with my family and some friends. But I’m glad to be back home where the sun is shining and the mornings are a little more crisp. We celebrated our return by going to Evelyn’s first pumpkin patch on Saturday. I don’t think I’ve been to a patch since I was little, so it was sweet to experience it all over again with my daughter. Hopefully next year, she won’t spend as much time trying to put the dried up pumpkin vines in her mouth. We also picked some cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for a salad to go with our chili that was cooking in the crock-pot at home. The apples were of slim pickings, but we found a few that looked juicy. We definitely need to do more “pick your own” when E gets a bit older. Then we can bake some yummy pies! But until then, I’ll keep indulging in the apple cider donuts…..(my guilty pleasure).

Here’s to a new week!

Evelyn has adapted a new skill…blowing spit bubbles. She really is good at it and keeps herself entertained for at least 5 minutes. Evelyn’s bubble definitely beats dad’s.

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A Table For Our Family

Jenelle — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:37:01 +0000

I’ve always loved the idea of having a big, gigantic farmhouse table…the kind the Amish make. They are magnificent pieces of furniture and so well built. But since we aren’t blowing our noses in green dolla’bills, it just wasn’t in the cards for us, until, two weekends ago, that is. We had recently rearranged our furniture and I was loving everything’s new taken position, except our little Ikea dining table. So, two Saturdays ago, I did some early morning internet hunting. Since E usually wakes me up between 5-6AM, by the time Ben got up, I had a table and plan of attack all ready for him! He hadn’t even had his first sip of coffee yet before I told him our weekend plans. What a good man. So it was off to Lowes we went. The rest is woodworking history.

The material cost around $150. We bought some tools (Kreg Jig and sander) that increased our total cost, but I’m sure they will get used again, as we intend to build more. I can’t wait to give this table lots of love. I’m very much looking forward to seeing our kids doing crafts, homework, decorating cookies and enjoying big holiday suppers at this table.

We made a short video to document this little adventure…enjoy!

Happy Tuesday!

That Time We Made A Table from Jenelle Sewell on Vimeo.

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A Good Man

Jenelle — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 16:17:48 +0000

And once again, I’m reminded that God gave me a very good man. It does my heart good to know that he loves our daughter so much.

Below is an email that Ben sent me this morning…

[Subject: First Impressions

This quote reminds me how important we are in E's life, beyond providing love, food, shelter, etc. We have the opportunity to establish how she feels about many things via first impressions. We control her experiences and environment and we decide (for the most part) what she's exposed to. It's a great responsibility.

But the important thing for us to keep in mind is that most of the time, we won't be aware that we are creating first impressions—many of these instances will occur through observation. She'll learn from us when we say mean or nice things about someone. She'll learn from us when we argue or when we're kind and loving to each other. She'll learn from us when we eat and go outside to be active. She's going to learn so much from us and it's something we need to always be thinking about.

This didn't start out as a "serious" email, but I think it turned into one. Just something I wanted to say. Love you!

"Our first impressions are generated by our experiences and our environment, which means that we can change our first impressions...by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions." - Malcolm Gladwell, Blink. ]

Here’s to great first impressions! Happy Friday!

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The 6 Month Race

Jenelle — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 15:00:51 +0000

When Evelyn was born, life told me to put on my running shoes and don’t look back. Just.Keep.Going.Fast. Like any new mom, I wasn’t prepared for so many changes in such a short amount of time, but I think I am finally starting to catch my breath. I’m speaking all this from an emotionally, tearful standpoint. Anytime someone mentions how fast E is growing, Ben warns, “Careful, you’re gonna make Jenelle cry…” And while that was the truth these past 6 months, I feel that I’m starting to embrace the fact that my daughter is growing beautifully, just as God intended. In less than 2 weeks, she will be 7 months. And this thought brings me back to the starting line. As each passing day pushes me a little harder, I’m learning to push back and jog instead of sprint.

Some new and exciting things that have been happening with miss E are foods! I’m loving making all her foods, too. She’s tried lots of fruits and some veggies. The consensus – she loves all fruits and most veggies except peas. And yesterday she tried whole greek yogurt. That was a hit.

We can’t wait to see was month 7 brings! Love you more than I could ever express, my sweet girl.

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Jersey BBQ + The Coney

Jenelle — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 13:59:03 +0000

We had a great weekend. On Saturday, we had Ben’s co-workers over for a BBQ. All of them live in Manhattan or Brooklyn, so we thought we would show them how the Joy-sees do a BBQ (its no different than the rest of America). We indulged in your typical backyard food staples, hamburgers and hotdogs and some yummy treats that friends brought like ribs, mac & cheese and mini key lime pies (to die for). Evelyn got passed around like a hot potato – so glad they like babies. Its always fun to visit with them and I know Ben counts himself lucky to have work buddies like them.

On Sunday morning, Ben and I sat on the patio drinking our coffee and realized that it was our first weekend day that we haven’t been busy in over a few months. Free to do whatever we wanted. We tossed around the idea of going into the city. Thought, nah. What about Sandy Hook beach? Nah. How about a little bit of both? Ben suggested Coney Island. We have never been and figured we better do it when we have the prime opportunity. The day was beautiful so we packed ourselves up for an afternoon in Brooklyn. Coney Island was just as I had imagined, but less crowded because the season is over. Walking along the boardwalk, it smelled like fried food, hotdogs, beach and the faint scent of the subway. Seeing all the rides kinda got me excited for the day that Evelyn will want to ride them. We DID get to go on her first carousel ride, though. It was so cute! She didn’t quite know what to think – she seemed confused, excited and scared all at the same time. Poor girl. It was a fun afternoon and we sure are glad that we ventured out to BK for The Coney. Cross that off the bucket list.

Have a great Monday!

Coney Island….

Let me just say that Ben is the only person I know that would eat something healthy at Coney Island…good for him.

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Gone to the Lake

Jenelle — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 16:29:12 +0000

It always seems to happen. Summer has come and gone. Soon we will have to pack away our flip-flops and bathing suits and switch ‘em for our wool coats and gloves. But I must say, I am looking forward to brisk mornings and autumn holidays. Mmmm, pumpkin flavored coffee! But luckily, before things take a turn for the cozier months, we were able to take one last summer vacation to Virginia. We spent a week at Smith Mountain Lake with my parents. My family has been going to the lake for 10 years – I had just graduated high school when we took our first trip – crazy to think. We’ve created some wonderful memories there and this year was extra special because it was Evelyn’s first trip out of many to come. Actually, Evelyn’s first trip was last year in June when I was just a few days pregnant with her – I didn’t even know it yet. =) Hard to believe.

We spent our week boating like we always do, except this time, my jaw was clenched and my eyes rarely left Evelyn. I’m not sure I truly relaxed while on the boat. I’m sure next year will be more relaxing, hopefully. But I’m glad we got her out to experience something new. We also played a very competitive, smack talk’n game of corn hole. Ben and I were up against my parents and we left the court tied. I guess Ben and I will have to kick some toosh next year. We also visited some local farmer’s markets in downtown Roanoke, enjoyed my dad’s famous BBQ ribs and chicken and dodged a few summer thunderstorms. The dogs were able to get out and run and enjoy the country air. It was a great trip and I’m always sad to say ‘goodbye’ to my family. But I’m happy to take some great memories with me.

Well summer, you’ve been good to us. Thank you for all the fun times you’ve given us. Can’t wait to see you next year.

Happy Thursday!

E Goes To The Lake from Jenelle Sewell on Vimeo.

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Big Things are Happening Around Here

Jenelle — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 11:53:56 +0000

Today, our sweet little girl turns 6 months old. I cannot believe it. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking at her newborn pictures and videos and my heart just cries, mostly from happiness but a touch of sadness. Nobody ever told me how heart wrenching it is to see your child grow. As I sit here and type this, with a fat lump in my throat, I am overwhelmed with so many emotions. I can’t explain them, but all you mamas know what I’m talking about. I am so blessed to have Evelyn as my daughter and I cannot thank God enough for lending her to us for this lifetime. I’ve never loved something so much.

This past week, we celebrated her 6 month birthday early by giving her the first taste of food. Sweet Potato. She loved it. Since then, she has tried avocado and bananas. By the way things are going, we are going to have a well rounded eater on our hands, which makes us very happy. We made a fun little video to capture this big event in her life. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Have a great weekend!

*Music by Jack Johnson “Jungle Gym”

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Sand, Ice Cream and Amigos

Jenelle — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 15:27:17 +0000

This past weekend, we were invited to our good friend’s beach house in South Jersey…Atlantic City to be exact. Ben nor I have been to AC, but we were thrilled to go, especially since it would be Evelyn’s first trip to the beach! We always have a great time with the Aloises and we are highly looking forward to the day when we take our kids to Disney World (Lisa and I have been planning this trip years before the kiddos were born). I made a short video documenting our trip this weekend. I absolutely love small beach towns and I can’t wait to go back and visit again!

Happy Tuesday!

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Celebrating 5 months of life with diamonds & guitars

Jenelle — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 16:46:20 +0000

We are just a skip, hop and a jump away from the big half year mark. A 6-month baby seems like such a big baby and I can’t believe that our little E will be there in just a few short weeks. I think the thing that makes me somewhat excited for this milestone and not drowning in my own tears is the fact that she will be able to try new foods. I just die over the faces babies make when a new taste hits their tongue – so adorable!

BUT, before I get ahead of myself, I must relish in the last few weeks that our sweet girl is a 5-month-old and only enjoys Mama’s milk. I must say, we are truly blessed to have such a easy-going little babe. All the transitions we’ve needed to make from helping our girl turn into a baby from a newborn have been surprisingly seamless – from bassinet to crib, swaddling to unswaddling, and sleeping through the night with no feedings (although last night was a rare occurrence). Thank you, for being amazing Evelyn! We are very blessed to have our baby girl and we can’t wait to see what this next month brings….new kinds of poop and all!

What’s New With E this Month

Rolling Over Like Crazy – It’s the only way she’ll sleep now.
Laughing – It’s amazing how much joy we get out of hearing her laugh. Ben definitely knows how to make his girl giggle.
She tried juice for the first time – prune juice mixed with water. She had been “backed up” for a week and the doctor recommended prune juice. I don’t think she cares for it. I never knew I could be so worried about not seeing her “explosions”. Don’t worry, they are back in action, folks.
Unswaddled – We were dreading this transition, mostly in fear of losing sleep. The woombie made this step phenomenally easy! I can now put her down to sleep in just a onesie and pants. Hallelujah.
Petting the pups – It’s so sweet seeing the dogs pass by E and lick her feet while she’s playing on the floor. We’ll hold her to one of them and she reaches and grabs their fur.
Hugs – she may not actually know what she is doing yet, but sometimes she looks at us while we’re holding her and she will reach both arms toward us and snuggle in tight. Melt.My.Heart.Times.A.Thousand.

Happy 5 months sweet baby! I love you.

Sometimes she sucks her lips and makes “turtle face” (bottom right). We love it!

*The navy blue romper (circa 1985) was mine as a baby. I just love it…my mom had good taste for her girls. =)

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E turns 4 months!

Jenelle — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 17:10:01 +0000

We have been busy bees here in the Cheney household. Seems like when we settle back into our routine, we are up and on to our next adventure. We just got back from Virginia where we shot a beautiful wedding on the Eastern Shore. Evelyn and I stayed and visited my parents for a week while Ben flew back to NYC to work. I love being back home in Virginia. It’s the peaceful mornings that always make me look forward to the day that we will move back. Ben flew back to retrive us for the drive home this past weekend. Lord knows I would not do well on that 8 hour drive with 2 dogs and a baby by myself. We are truly lucky that we have a baby that can easily transition from one environment to another, because in just a week, we will be heading to Nashville to shoot another wedding/taking a mini-vacay. Flying with her and all her gear has my stomach in knots already. Oye!

Well, aside from our busy schedule, our sweet Evelyn turned 4 months yesterday! Yes, the waterworks are still present. This last week, I cried a handful of times when I nursed her to sleep because I look at her sweet hands and feet and I can’t believe how big they are getting. Motherhood is quite the emotional journey and we are only 4 months in! Sheesh. Well, I snapped a few shots of her yesterday to celebrate.

I love you, sweet girl.

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