the sisters I hope they are.

I truly hope with my whole heart that I give these girls a relationship as sisters that will be timeless and cherished forever. If anything and in everything that I could possibly teach them - I truly pray for this one relationship to be the strongest in their lives. 

I have hope for the strongest future for them because they have each other.

And I get to watch it happen.

"My question was the attention I gave to them,

and their response was their beauty."

my sentimental mom

My mom is a sentimental kind of women.

She loves researching our family tree and tracking it back generations to generations.

She loves flowers and little trinkets and things that make you think of her.

She loves to remember precisely what the one thing was that you said you wanted a whole year before your birthday even comes. You forgot you even wanted it.

She loves to take walks with her grandkids, and read them books, and show them pictures of herself at their age, and tell them all about her childhood.

She loves to run marathons through all of the major cities in our country and put her medals in a special place where she can always see where she has been.

She loves to bike through Italy and see the beautiful landscapes and to make friendships that are life-long.

She loves learning more about her history and her family's history and see all of the sites they may have seen.

I'm nearly the opposite of all of that. But I appreciate and love her for these things all the more.

I get the opportunity to be an innocent bystander in her love parade with history and facts and lovely stories of her grandmother's kitchen and of Puerto Rico.

I get to learn from her hands that have been so many places and done so many things and worked so damn hard.

I get to learn from the wisdom that only comes with time and hard work and dedication to family and friends and work and play.

I get to witness her as a wife. And what an inspiration it is to see her love and affection within their marriage. And they get to show my children and be an inspiration to them.

Four generations of amazing women.

I am so grateful.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~Maya Angelou

we headed for the 'frisco bay

My brother is probably one of the sweetest guys I know, and not just because he's my brother (I swear). So for his beautiful wifey's birthday this year, he decided to surprise her with a girl's trip to San Francisco with me! It was such an incredible treat for me to have my first weekend away from both girls with such an amazing women as my sister-in-law Susie. I always wanted a sister, so having her in my life and be as close as she is to me is an immense blessing. I decided to document our journey so we could remember it always :)

Susie decided to pack her bags for a stay in Africa for a few months, compared to my measly little bag that looked like a midget next to hers. 

I hate flying more than most, so this was my attempt to be cheerful when I really feel like throwing up :)

We, of course, had to shop our little hearts away. We did the Union Square thing (huge H&M, huge Forever 21, huge Macy's, huge mall, etc etc), but we also wanted to head over to Fillmore street shops. There were some awesome boutiques there that are really rare and have awesome vibes and awesome people. We walked our little tushies off there - the hills were ginormous and killer on my feet and butt. Overall, it was incredible.

I've deduced that every person in San Francisco is a model.

Also, you have to be 120 lbs or less to hang out there.

Also, you have to love scarfs and yoga pants.

Susie looking gorgeous!

Breakfast is my all-time favorite meal, so we had to find a yummy place to eat. Pretty much every where we ate was within 0.6 miles of our hotel. It was so awesome that my bro did some great research to put us in the center of the city! The best places we ate in were the hole-in-the-wall mom and pop shops. It was the greatest.

This was the coolest shot I got, as well as the coolest book ever. It is a notepad with all of this incredible quotes on them... and I plan on writing letters to the girls, tearing out the pages and making them their own little books of letters from me.

Overall, this was one vacation for the record books. Loved every moment.

roller coasters and all

I know, I know. It's been forever.

I've been busy. I guess? Kind of busy. Not too busy, not too sitting still. Just the right kind of busy.

Right this minute I have one child on top of me eating Pirate's Booty and the other child is taking pictures of my nostrils with my iPhone.

'tis the life.

My heart has been going through a roller coaster of emotions. We have close friends that just lost their sweet baby girl after three hours of her life. We have celebrated birthdays, we have seen Michael's niece win the state championship at St. Mary's high school, we have watched Lia in her very first dance class, we have had friends losing and getting jobs, we have celebrated births and joys with families and friends.

We have danced, we have cried, we have laughed, we have struggled, we have begged for the grace to make it. We somehow make it when it seems impossible.

It's a constant - the consistency of inconsistency. I'm grateful for incredible family and community that I can call and say "you've experienced this before, right?? I'll make it, right??"

I am beyond blessed. I've been given support beyond measure. I've been given a family that unconditionally listens to my complaints and gripes and tells me it's all good, it'll be okay, we will not only survive, we will be stronger for having the hard times, and the good times are oh so much sweeter.

I'm rambling. But life is sweet. I'm so filled with joy that far surpasses my look of happiness. I know His joy is in my soul, and that truth is the most golden truth I could have.

But I got to pick up my camera today and shoot some photos of my fun and amazing girls. Lia was cracking up out there. And her joy is beyond beautiful.

"I was here. I lived, I loved."

best friends forever

We have been having such a great time together, we three. Lia will often come up to Siena and me and hug us, yelling "BEST FRIENDS FOREVER, YEAH!"

It is the sweetest thing ever. I truly live for the moments when these two interact with each other, whether it be Siena's face lighting up with Lia comes into the room, or Lia yelling "BABY SIENA!" when she spots her. Whenever I need to do my makeup or hair, I just set them on my bed and the two of them just hang out and play, well, more like Lia plays pillow fights with herself and Siena just stares at her and laughs.

It makes me wish I had a sister so badlly! It is so awesome to see their friendship making roots to really bloom and grow as they get older. Such a blessing to see where true, everlasting friendship begins.

weekend reads: March 24th

the power of one day ---> Steady Mom
what I love about this: "Though night seems long and growth doesn't seem evident, night becomes sunrise in an instant."

Nothing is Ever as Easy as It Seems, Especially Not That ---> The Gypsy Mama
what I love about this: "Let’s not compare. Especially not our beginnings to someone else’s middle. No, let’s not compare. Let’s cheer instead."

Everyone's Frozen ---> The Handwritten

what I love about this: "All the while, we could unfreeze."

On Friendship: 3 Proverbial Thoughts ---> (in)courage

what I love about this: "But I’ve learned to see a beautiful aspect to my void and pain, important not to overlook: It serves a purpose."

I Would Take Her Thorn ---> The Better Mom

what I love about this: "But I know – That He knows her. He made her. He loves her. Best."

these days

Some days you have a toddler at your feet, you have a cranky 9 month old, food cooking on the stove, a husband who goes to work hard every day, vacuuming to be done.... and pounds and pounds of laundry waiting for you.

Yes, it was one of those days. So, you do what you gotta do. Up my cranky girl Siena went on the laundry table, to help me fold and stuff and organize.

These days are the days where I try as hard as I can to not huff-and-puff. To take my time, to look my girls in their eyes, to let them know I am present to them. I physically have to remind myself that they are angels given to me, and that their cries for me or for dad are not going to be around forever. At some point, they will grow up, they won't want kisses, they won't want to lay in our arms for hours on end, they will leave us.

Those days will kill me so much more than the days where I feel like I don't have enough time, enough arms, enough patience to get through. Those days will be quiet in a way that I haven't heard quiet in years. Those days I will long for these days, these glorious days that teach me more about myself than ever before.


Love,
Jenna

filling you in

Just to catch you up, in case you didn't follow me on my quick stint to tumblr, I blogged about toxins in plastics (especially toys), my struggle with finding a job and where I feel like the Lord wants me, and Siena's monthly photos... along with many other photos/quotes/videos/etc.

Feel free to join me on our continued adventure we call life :)

lots of haps

So, life has been sweet to us lately. Here's a quick recap:

• Lia turned two and is becoming a crazy/fun toddler.
• Siena is six months old and getting sweeter by the day.
• The girls are really interacting more - Siena smiles every time Lia is around her.
• Michael is working at Educational Sales Co. and also is the booking manager for Ike.
• I just graduated with an Associate Degree in Respiratory Therapy and am currently looking for a job!

Woohoo! While in the in between period of school and looking for a job, I get to be home with my two special girls. It's so fun being the three girls - 

we go on walks...

we play outside...

we play with our new kitchen from Nina Tiffy...

we go to the park...

siena loves to be worn while I'm cleaning around the house...

we love on baby siena...

then we try to vacuum her...

we celebrate Jesus' birthday...

we give the sweetest smiles in the universe...

i love you my big girl...

and you too my littlest girl :)

"Life is wonderful... life is meaningful... life is full of... life is so full of love." ~Jason Mraz

Siena Clare

It's so much harder than I could have imagined to be away from you half of the week. I don't see your face for three whole days in a row, and the only moments we have together are in the middle of the night when I go to feed you. You are such a beautiful and precious sight that this fact breaks my heart to pieces.

You are the sweetest little baby girl in the world.

You love your sister more than words, I can tell in the way you look at her. She loves to hold your hands and dance with you.

You and Pablo are the sweetest. He wants to eat you up whenever he sees you.

Ez holds a special place for you in his heart.

You and Ez with your big sissies :)

And last but the least of all, your dad loves you more than anything. You are the most beautiful Siena in the whole world, and I can see it when he looks at you that he is struck by your peace and smile. You certainly warm his heart.

I love you, baby girl, and I miss you. I can't wait to see you at 2am. Greatest moments of my days.

island girl

Thanks to Nina Tiffy teaching Lia how to pick out outfits, I've begun to ask Lia what she would like to wear for the day. One day we were heading over to Siena's Nina's house (Lori, Michael's sister), a few weeks after Siena was born. I asked Lia what she would like to wear, and she was obviously in the mood to be an Island Princess for the day, because this is what she chose to wear:

68/365

It's crazy to me how much of an islander she looks like - it's so adorable I can't handle it! (In case you don't know, Mike's family is from Guam.)

She also got a lesson in hunting from Uncle Gas... I mean, gotta learn from the best, right?!

many faces

Okay so I have entirely too many photos to make separate posts for, so I figured I would try to put a bunch of old pictures together in one post and get them out there!

For your viewing pleasure...

"contemplative"

Siena at three weeks old, photo taken by Christina Lafferty Photography.

"distracted"

55/365

"creative"

56/365

"aggressive"

57/365

"joyful"

58/365

"content"

59/365

"adorable"

Siena at six weeks old.

"crooked"

60/365

"comforted"

61/365

"disdainful"

62/365

"surprised"

63/365

"gangsta"

the lovers, Ezra and Siena forever ;)

"explorative"

64/365

"frightened"

65/365

"Everybody wake up, if you're living with your eyes closed." ~dmb