Jenkins

Seattle

2010-03-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

We are going to be taking a trip to Seattle in June. Ryan has a business conference there, and Beckett & I are going along. We're staying a few extra days to be tourists. From the researching I've done, these seem to be good ideas:

Pike Place Market

Ferry Ride

Water Front

Seattle Aquarium

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park

Space Needle

Woodland Park Zoo

Does anyone have any ideas? Are these good places/activities or are there better ones out there? I'd appreciate any input!

Update...again!

2010-03-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

We've been busy lately, and have been having fun with Beckett.

Here is Beckett "enjoying" the swings outside our house. :)

We've been enjoying our National Geographic Subscription (thanks Grandma Nelson!), and Beckett enjoys it as much as we do!

Beckett was being goofy one night putting this binky in his mouth. We all had a good laugh.

We went and visited my old room-mate Becca. It was fun, even though it was only for 10 minutes!

Beckett got a valentine in the mail from his friend, Courtney. As you can see, he enjoyed it thoroughly. There is definitely a huge smile under that Valentine.

We had a fun weekend with family, and on Sunday we enjoyed touring the Conference Center. This is in the parking lot. Yes, I need to work on taking my camera out more since this is all we got!
We've been having fun walking Beckett around. He's such a cheerful little baby, even though he's hardly a baby anymore!

His eyes are still blue, even though in the center they're changing to green. Ryan has hazel eyes, and I have hazel green eyes (is there a difference?) so we don't expect him to have the blue eyes forever.

We bought a humidifier. Beckett is absolutely enthralled with it. Ryan and Beckett have fun bonding time enjoying gadgets together.

The Jenkins came and visited us one weekend. Here I am with Emma baking.

That is all the picture updates we have for now!! It's hard to believe Beckett is 8 1/2 months already. We're enjoying life and having fun together as a family.

New Blog

2010-02-22T07:21:00.001-08:00

John and Virginia have a blog now...

http://www.virginiaandjohn.blogspot.com

Go check it out and share some love! :)

Beckett's Teeth

2010-02-20T20:18:00.001-08:00

Beckett cut two teeth within the past few weeks. He's such a stud. Look at those beautiful eyes. :)

January Update

2010-01-20T14:05:00.001-08:00

I have been soooo bad at taking pictures lately. I need to get back in the game and be more diligent.

My mom came for a visit two weekends ago, and Ryan's fam came for a visit this past weekend. We have been spoiled by all the visits and fun.

I took some pictures with my mom's spiffy new camera when she was here. She was kind enough to share them with me. :)

Beckett discovered his toes. He finds them every now and then and enjoys putting them in his mouth to see what those toes are all about.

I just love it when he smiles. Beckett has the biggest smile and is so happy so much of the time. He's such a little (big) blessing in our lives!

We have been trying to start foods with him, but I have not been very good at getting into a routine! Here he is eating rice cereal mixed with juice. The last time I tried feeding him cereal he wouldn't eat it. So far, he's tried sweet potatoes, sweet peas, green beans, bananas, pickles, lemons, oranges, and carrots.

He really didn't like the peas, but I wouldn't like bottled peas either. I don't blame him.

He has become much more mobile lately! He is trying to figure out this whole crawling thing. He can scootch forward with his toes propelling him forward. He's getting better and better at that every day. Pretty soon he'll be crawling all over and then walking! Such exciting times are ahead for us. :)

What happens when we aren't looking...

2010-01-10T20:46:00.001-08:00

Newly mobile infant + New parents who turned around for 5 seconds = Hide and seek

At least he didn't roll all the way under the couch!

New Kitchen Faucet

2010-01-10T15:11:00.001-08:00

It was high time for a new kitchen faucet. So, yesterday Ryan installed a new one for me, and I just love it!

Crusty old thing.

Ryan working on installing the new faucet.

Brand new beautiful faucet. Maybe I'll be excited to do dishes now?

New Year's Eve

2010-01-04T13:01:00.001-08:00

We celebrated New Year's Eve at Ryan's Grandma's house.

We worked on this Christmas puzzle

We cheered and toasted at the coming of the New Year!

We had fun with family and great food!

Rounding up 2010

2009-12-30T23:55:00.000-08:00

Cecily finished up her Medical Assisting classes and passed the certification exam
We became parents!!
Ryan had two siblings go on missions (Philippines and Italy)
Cecily had two siblings have babies (boy and girl)
Vacationed in Park City and West Yellowstone
Ryan got a bigger cubicle with a window view. In a small way, that made up for getting a pay cut in this economy!
Beckett learned how to roll over both ways
Found the perfect burger restaurant, The Counter, in SLC

Next year is sure to bring some more exciting times. Thanks for your friendship and love!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! We are so grateful that we can celebrate the birth of Christ. He lived His life on the Earth, and He STILL lives! What a glorious bit of knowledge that is to have. We are so grateful for His life and the atonement that only He could do for us. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.

Tired of Your Christmas Music?

2009-12-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Just a heads up... iTunes is has a free Christmas album available for download right now. Almost all the songs are good (a few are just odd), but it's free so... not a bad deal. Here's the link »

- Ryan

Update: the album is no longer available.

Smart Octopus

2009-12-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

Check out this octopus! It uses a coconut shell as a protective covering. Ingenious.

Ryan's Birthday

2009-11-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Ryan's birthday, and we had a great day!

It started out with apple cinnamon pancakes in bed. Breakfast in bed is the best!

Ryan went to work and went out for lunch with the marketing team at Sundance. They have the best food. He's quite the lucky guy. It wasn't for his birthday, but what a great day to go!

We ate delicious spaghetti with mizithra cheese for dinner. I have to say that I love the Spaghetti Factory and wouldn't even know about mizithra cheese if it wasn't for them. I also made french bread to go with it.

Happy Birthday Ryan.

I love you.

Rambutan

2009-11-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ryan's brother, Brett, is serving an LDS mission in the Philippines. He wrote us one week to tell us he had eaten a rambutan, and that it was surprisingly good.

Ryan and I were at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and we ran into one. We decided it would be fun to try.

The cashier lady rang it up as some exotic mushroom that was $39.99 a lb. Yeah, that didn't last too long. We got it changed, and brought it down to the $9.99 a lb. it should have been in the first place. (We asked Brett how much they cost over in the Philippines. He said $0.50 a lb!)

We cut it open, and found a fruit that looked like a pear, but had more of the consistency/texture of a plum. There was a pit inside that looked like an almond, and was pretty soft. We thought it tasted pretty good, but we probably won't be buying more anytime soon. It was exciting trying something new and out of the ordinary. It was a fun way to make a small connection with Brett when so many miles are between us.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-07T15:21:00.001-08:00

Beckett Loves Kisses

2009-11-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Ryan discovered that when we kiss Beckett's tummy, he just gets so happy. Last night we decided it would be fun to record with our new camcorder. Enjoy!

REALLY Horrible Parking Job

2009-10-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Enjoy -Ryan

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Day

2009-10-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

October 15 is officially "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Day". The purpose of this day is for those who have "suffered a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, a still birth, or the loss of an infant".

Remembering back on my own miscarriage brings feelings of despair, sadness, and loneliness. We lost our baby in August of 2007. Since that day I have learned of so many others who have suffered through similar experiences. I think of our first baby often when I tell Beckett that he "is the best baby in the world" or that he "is the most beautiful baby in the world". I feel a tinge of guilt thinking that I once had another baby, one that is not here with me. The feelings I felt a few years ago can easily be dusted off and resurface. They are still real. However, those feelings are not the center of my life anymore, and I have been blessed with great happiness since that time. I have had to learn that my plan isn't the right plan for me. There is another plan, Heavenly Father's plan, that will bring me the joy this life has to offer.

One of my good friends sent me this quote and I will never forget it:

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." Elder Wirthlin

I know the Lord has blessed me through our loss in many unexpected ways. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Jenkins Family Monster Mash

2009-10-12T21:19:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy Halloween!!

Update: Some of you have reported issues getting the video to load. If you are attempting to view this in AOL or Internet Explorer (the blue "e" icon) it probably won't work (but clearing your cookies and cache might help -- click here for instructions). If you're still having problems, try downloading either Firefox or Google Chrome. Both are free. Sorry about the problems!

Welcome Fall

2009-10-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

It's fall! The leaves are starting to change colors, and all the stores have Halloween decor out. It's a fun time of year but it's sad to see summer go.

My cousin took some family pictures for us. They turned out great! Thanks Jessica!

I made this necktie onesie for Beckett. I had a few minor setbacks and learned from the mistakes. The next ones will turn out better. I love making fun projects like this. I have some more projects I plan to do, and I'll post those when I've finished them.

Beckett is the best little guy. He's so fun to have around. It's getting colder and colder as you can tell by the jacket.

Not much has been happening lately as you can tell from the lack of posts! Hopefully we'll have some fun things to blog about soon.

Testing a New Commenting System

2009-09-29T10:42:00.001-07:00

We're testing a new commenting system. It should add some cool features to comments on new posts. Tell us what you think. -Ryan

Three Peas In a Pod

2009-09-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Well, Beckett has his two immediate cousins here with him now! Alexis was born two weeks ago and Max was born on Saturday, Sep. 19!

Who are these children coming down?

Coming down like gentle rain through darkened skies?

With glory trailing from their feet as they go?

And endless promise in their eyes?

-Saturday's Warrior (and yes I do love Saturday's Warrior)

It is absolutely astonishing to me to ponder how Beckett just came from our Heavenly Father. He's been here such a short time but he is still just as innocent and pure as the day he was born. Max was just born yesterday and to think he is the most recent one from Heaven is a beautiful thought. I love having little Beckett in our family. He is the biggest blessing Heavenly Father has given me since the day I was married. I'm so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge I have that we can be a family forever.

These pictures are of Beckett and his best girl cousin, Alexis, and his best boy cousin, Max. What three beautiful blessings they are!!

Sweet Baby Alexis

2009-09-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

We went to Idaho Falls this past weekend because my brother, Mark, and his wife, Ginger, had a baby girl! She is so beautiful and wonderful. Congratulations!

Sweet Baby Alexis

Uncle Ryan with Alexis

Aunt Cecily with Alexis

Beckett was so happy to have a cousin! My mom bought him this cute little frog costume. He is so adorable. We just love the little guy.

Four Things That Make Me Happy Today

2009-09-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

1. I have officially lost 45 pounds of the weight I gained while being pregnant. I have met one of my weight goals so now for my reward I am going to buy some workout clothes!!! I am SO happy with myself!!

2. Looking at adorable Beckett. Yesterday he just stared at me while I was on the computer. Every time I would look over at him he got this humongous grin on his face. It melted my heart again and again.

3. Era uma vez um homen de neve. (There once was a man of snow). I have learned my first official song in Portuguese! When we went to the DI the other night, we found the Children's hymns in Portuguese. I now know "Once There Was a Snowman". Ryan is a great teacher and the CD is a great supplement. When Beckett starts primary he will wonder why everyone is singing the wrong words to the songs.

4. We have started planning what we will do to celebrate five wonderful years of marriage. I am so happy I married Ryan. I still remember how I felt the day we were married. I felt (and still feel) complete pure joy that I finally got him and could be with him forever and ever.

Hebgen Lake 2009

2009-08-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

We went on our last vacation of the summer this past week. We went up to West Yellowstone and enjoyed Hebgen Lake and Yellowstone Park. It was fun enjoying some family time.

Ryan getting ready to wakeboard. We decided that with his hair so long it looks just like Virginia's hair, haha. I guess it's time for me to cut it!!

Here I am on the tube.

We went out on the jet ski and had some fun together.

We saw a bald eagle circling overhead. It was so beautiful.

We also had some fun on the canoe. It was really nice of our family to watch the baby for us while we went out on the water for some fun!!

Until next year Hebgen Lake!