Gift wrapping 101

First, you choose which gift you're going to wrap. 

The stuffed puppy looks like fun.

Then lay it on the wrapping paper Mom spread out.

 Wish it goodbye one last time!

Be very helpful by handing Mama the tape...

...after you've tasted it, of course.

Then get right back to work choosing a label.

When you're all done, kick back and have a snack. That was hard work!

God & the matching M&M's

So tonight Warren made the excellent suggestion that we should make some kind of edible Christmas treat to give to some of our clients and the guy we rent stalls from. Of course, as explained in my previous post, I haven't brought any sugar into my house this season because of treating candida. But, with his suggestion I went to the store and bought supplies to make white chocolate covered pretzels with M&M's. The entire time I was walking up and down the isles I was talking to myself, trying to muster up enough resolve not to eat what I was about to make. 

As I was driving home, I said to God, "Okay, God, I can splurge a little. I'll eat every pretzel that has all three of the M&M's in the same color." Surely I would have at least a few that happened to have all matching M&M's.

Upon arriving at home I proceeded to make my creation. I didn't pay attention to what color of M&M's were going onto the pretzels. When I got done, I searched the two trays.

Can you spot it? That's right: between both trays there was just one pretzel that had all matching M&M's. 

I couldn't believe there was only one! I laughed and could 

hear God chuckling  and saying, "I care about your health too! 

But I want you to have a treat."

Hmmm...you sound very much like my husband. Thanks, God!

Christmas with Candida

Sleet is falling on the windshield of our excessively warm car. Wesley is asleep in his carseat. Warren is doing chores in the freezing cold wind and I can see him blow into his bare hands after moving the water hose to another tank. I'm sitting here waiting on him so we can go into our cozy house and spend the evening together. 

On days like this when a blizzard is coming and its so warm and welcoming inside, I really, really want to bake. I can almost taste banana oatmeal cookies or snickerdoodles or those amazing homemade thin mints I always make with the sisters. I want to make gingerbread houses and cover them in gooey frosting and so much candy you can't see the gingerbread!

This year Christmas baking is different at the Jennings house. I'm aggressively treating candida which means no wheat or sugar. Not just like no desserts...no sugar in any form (bye bye fruit!). I'm kind of having a hard time realizing that Christmas is less than a week away because I haven't allowed a grain of sugar into my house for fear of giving in to one of these terrible cravings for anything but meat and vegetables. I have to admit...Christmas with no Christmas baking is rather un-festive. I've been trying to figure out what I'll be bringing to Christmas get-togethers this year and the first thing that comes to mind is a candida-killing substitute for the Bavarian mint creme cheesecake, pecan pie, peanut squares and decorated sugar cookies: a vegetable tray. That's...colorful, right? Crunchy. Fresh. Full of vitamins. I mean, everyone knows we should choose vegetables instead of sugar, anyway. 

I'm attempting to talk myself into this. It's not really working. 

If I had not been suffering from candida for fifteen years already, I might lose all resolve and call it quits. Instead, as my shivering husband gets into the car and drives us up to the house, I'm thinking up a healthy, sugar-free idea for supper, and I'm going to leave the Christmas recipes in the book til next year. 

Really, though; who in their heart of hearts doesn't wish they could have carrots instead of cheesecake, peppers instead of peanut squares, broccoli instead of Bavarian mints, and squash instead of sugar cookies? 

Yep, still not working...

Five months old!

You may think this is just a picture of Warren and Wesley hanging out on the couch.

Then you'll notice how enthralled Wesley is by the magazine they're looking at.

Then you'll see what's captivating his attention is a horse.

Then you'll realize that this horse is a sorrel.

And Warren is proudly smiling.

I may be losing the battle.

Extravagance, day 5

God could've just given us everything we would need to survive...

Instead, He gave us a relationship.

I'm overwhelmed at that act of extravagance.

Extravagance, day 4

I prayed for years for a husband. God could've just given me my request.

Instead, he gave me the man I admire most on the face of the earth. He gave me a man full of honor, integrity, kindness and strength. He gave me a man who's willing to face life's challenges in order to pursue our dreams. He gave me a man with a fast smile, a heart for God, a sense of adventure and an uncompromising drive to do what's right.

He gave me my best friend, my lover, the man who wakes me up in the morning with a smile. He gave me a man who cherishes me and seeks to make me happy and truly delights in me. He gave me a man who has my best interest in mind and who is overwhelmingly patient with me. He gave me a man I can safely give my whole heart to. He gave me a man who thinks I'm delightful and beautiful and constantly tells me so.

He gave me a daddy to my son who is full of dreams and plans to raise him. He gave me a man who provides for his son and loves him and desires to teach and train him to be the best person he can be. He gave me a man who is extremely capable of taking care of our little guy, and someone I can trust completely with our little Wesley.

You see, God could've just answered my request and given me a husband. 

Instead, in the most amazing act of extravagance

I've ever experienced, God gave me him.

Extravagance, day 3

God could've just given Warren and I a son....

...instead He gave us a tiny little man full of curiosity...

...and smiles...

...and innocence...

...and needs only we can meet...

...and trust in us...

...and a fresh, hopeful perspective on all of life...

...and a reminder that every single moment counts.

He gave us a dream come true...

...and a delight...

...and a heritage.

Yes, God could've just given us a son. Instead, 

in His unmatched extravagance, He chose to give us 

Owen Wesley.

Extravagance, day 2

God could've just given us a job...

...instead He gave us an occupation that centers around the beautiful horse property we live on.

Warren doesn't have to leave 40 hours a week, but instead we get to do all of life together; best friends, business partners, comrades. 

Wesley gets to be with his dad while at work.

Warren is doing the thing he loves most.

Yes, God could've just given us a job. Instead He gave us this.

Extravagance, day 1

The month of November is always full of thankfulness. People's statuses on Facebook are talking about it, businesses have it on their marquees, it's the theme of advertisements. This month, amidst all the thankfulness, my mind has been concentrated on one word: extravagance.

The dictionary defines extravagance as: luxury, treat, indulgence, extra, frill, nonessential, splurge.

Hmmm...I kinda feel like the definition should end with the word GOD in all caps, bold and underlined.

God has been very extravagant with me. When I pay attention to my life and the people and things in it I could describe it as: a luxurious life, filled with extra-special treats, an indulgent amount of frills, completely showered with non-essentials and constant splurges. Sounds pretty extravagant.

It is. 

In fact, my life is so extravagant I decided it would take an entire week of posts just to begin to illustrate. By the end of this week (actually, by the end of this post!) I'm sure you'll agree with me.

This God-guy just really outdoes himself. Really.

You see, God could've just given Warren and I a family...

...instead, He gave us friends, helpers, companions; people who teach us about life, desire for us to have as easy of a time as possible, wrap their arms around us and love us no matter what...

...He gave us support, cheerleaders, people who delight in us and brighten our lives. These people pray for us and celebrate us and give to us and support us and honor us and build our reputation. They believe in us.

Yes, God could've just given us a family. Instead, He gave us them.

Four months old!

Three months old!

This is finally uploading! Our little Wesley at three months, October 6th, 2012

So...

...I have a confession to make:

I have a fetish with office supplies. I know, it's weird, and Warren raised an eyebrow at me when I admitted that to him this morning. But seriously...new notebooks are the best thing ever and I could get addicted to them. The same thing goes with new pens and highlighters. I love binders and folders and journals especially. When people ask me what I want for Christmas I can't quite spit out the words, "A gift certificate to Office Max," but I really want to.

Today I organized our businesses (yes, we have four--both Warren and I are too adventurous to stick to one home business). I had brand new, colorful hanging files, a Sharpie, a filing cabinet, two binders and a large stack of papers. I know my husband thinks I was slaving away as I copied and filed and sorted and labeled and slowly whittled away at the overwhelming amount of paperwork. Secretly, I was having the time of my life. In my opinion that's the best part of running a business anyway.

If my computer were letting me upload pictures I would share a glimpse of my day's accomplishment with my perfectly organized, color-coordinated filing cabinet. As I can't upload pictures right now (hence the lack of three and four-month pictures of Wesley, as well as several other post ideas I have to share), you'll just have to imagine how much of a masterpiece it is...everything labeled with black Sharpie...red files for Jennings Quarter Horses, green for Integrity Bookkeeping, orange for Mobile Mechanic, yellow for the books I've written...legal paperwork all put neatly in the back file...horse contracts freshly printed and ready to sign...business cards waiting to be handed out...  I may be the only person in my family who is totally inept at art, but that filing cabinet might as well have Michelangelo's signature on it.

The most disappointing part of all of this is that I don't have more paperwork to organize tomorrow. It'll likely be the end of the week before my magnum opus gets opened again. If only I could have a job where I got to buy office supplies and use them every day.

Ah, blast it all...I'm starting another business.

You know you're a parent when...

...8:00 is no longer an early bedtime at your house.

...the baby furniture takes up as much space as your living room set.

...you've started to drive like all the old people.

...the baby's bowel movements are a regular topic of conversation.

...you've replaced your best friend with a binky.

...getting out of bed in the morning is the worst part of the day because you have to leave that adorable, smiling little guy behind.

...your day's schedule is planned around nap time.

...for the first time ever you're thankful for the doctor bills because you have a healthy child.

...you're actually considering getting a minivan.

...the best sound on earth is your baby's breathing at night.

...your Facebook wall is as plastered with pictures as your grandma's fridge...only she has 41 grandchildren and you have one baby.

..."alone time" has a relative meaning.

...you sway when you're standing up whether or not you're holding the baby.

...the success of a shopping trip is defined by how few of stores you visited.

...you suddenly realize that your parents are the most selfless people you know. Seriously.

Two months old!

Wesley's Opinion

One of the very first things that attracted me to Warren was our common ground in horses. Before I had even met him in person I had seen pictures of him riding and had been told he was a trainer. Soon after we first met we started riding together. I absolutely loved going to the arena or hitting the trail with Warren and have spent many, many hours riding with him. There has only been one major disagreement we've had in all of our dating, engagement and married life. It seems neither of us can come to a compromise on it.

Warren rides sorrels.

I ride paints.

I'm not sure how to emphasize this conflict enough for you to understand its importance. I mean...have you ever looked at the difference between sorrels and paints? Sorrels are so...........normal. I'm pretty sure there's like five sorrels to every colored horse in the world. Paints, on the other hand, are so unique. None of them are identical and they come in all colors and patterns, from black and whites to bay paints, buckskins, roans...there's tobianos, overos, toveros. The options for beauty are endless. 

This issue was so impressionable in our months of dating that I wrote a poem about sorrels and paints:

THE DEBATE

He rides a sorrel and I ride a paint

We debate at which one is better.

He says his sorrel is quick and athletic

I say my paint has outstanding genetics.

He rides along right beside me

And compares our colts to each other

His eyes are twinkling all the while

He always has a delighted smile.

I'm very proud of my flashy paint mare

Her eye is kind and willing,

Her feet move smoothly as we ride

She has three colors on her hide.

His sorrel is built exactly right

I have to admit he's smart.

He doesn't complain when there's work to do

But gladly follows Warren's cue.

We've gone round in circles for many months,

There's been no compromise.

It seems this is an endless debate:

Which is superior: sorrels or paints?

There's a secret I haven't told him yet

The real truth will soon be known.

I tease and argue without relent

And my opinion shall not be bent

But when it comes to the actual facts

Sorrel or paint doesn’t matter.

The color of my horse is trivial, you see,

Just as long as he's riding right next to me.

When our little Owen Wesley joined the family we knew that he would be decided on this matter. I mean, with something as pivotal as this debate, his opinion would come as naturally as he has my nose and Warren's mouth. Warren has been looking for a pony for him and has found some sorrels he thinks will do. I needed to get Owen's take on it before we spend money on a pony. So, I sat him down the other morning and laid out the debate in order to get his answer. I was careful not to discuss the situation beforehand, or attempt to steer his opinion to agree with mine. I simply asked two questions and he gave two answers:

Me: "Wesley, Daddy and I want to get you a pony. How about a sorrel?"

Wesley: 

Me: "No? We could look for a paint then."

Wesley:

If I had manipulated or persuaded Wesley's decision in any way I may have felt guilty the day we come home with a paint for him. Thank goodness I'm not that devious.  

Four Generations

What a privilege to raise our son with a heritage of grandparents and great-grandparents who know and love God!

Four generations: Warren, Mom Jennings, Owen Wesley and Grandma Larreau

One month old!

Baby Burrito

Wesley is particularly fond of his dad (he gets that from me). When he's fussy or crying I can try to soothe him but if I just give him over to Warren he'll calm right down. One of the reasons for this may be because Warren is so good at burrito-ing him. I know this sounds odd, but burrito-ing a baby is serious business.

You may have heard of baby burrito-ing under a different name: swaddling. Before Wesley was born Warren and I were taught how to swaddle an infant, which is supposed to help if they're fussy. If there would've been a class specifically for swaddling I would've been given an F. Seriously, I just can't get this thing right. Warren says I don't do it tight enough, but I swaddle Wesley until I wonder if his extremities are going to lose circulation and five minutes later he kicks out of it. Warren, on the other hand, has the swaddling thing down like a pro (I think he secretly practices when I'm not watching). He folds the blanket corner a certain way, then wraps from the right, then the bottom, then the left, and the end result is what we think looks like a burrito. Warren is so exceptional at burrito-ing that Wesley will sleep for hours and hours in his cozy blanket. When I've had a short night's rest and bedtime has finally arrived again, I can't describe my depth of thankfulness for my husband's skill of burrito-ing. 

And to think: I've been married to him for fifteen months and still haven't unearthed all of his hidden talents.

What's in a name?

When Warren and I were engaged we liked to talk about what we would someday name our kids. We both love family names and wanted to name each of our children significantly after someone in our family. I knew that Warren had been very close to his grandpa Larreau before he died, but one day when we were talking about him I was surprised and completely thrilled to find out that Grandpa Larreau's name was Wesley! Wesley has always been one of my very favorite names. Before we were even married Warren and I knew someday if we had a son we would name him Wesley.

When we found out we were having a boy we also knew that we wanted our son's first name to start with the letter O. Grandpa Larreau's first name was actually Otis, and his middle name Wesley, although he went by his middle name. When Warren was born, Mom and Dad J. wanted to give him the O.W. initials. Therefore, Warren's name is Onesimus Warren. We were so excited to name our little guy with the O.W. initials after Warren, along with naming him Wesley after Grandpa. We easily decided on Owen Wesley.

The only problem we now have is deciding whether to call our little man by his first name, or the traditional "W" middle name! Warren and I both love the name Owen so much we want it to get used. But, Wesley is one of our favorite names and is after Grandpa, so we don't want it to just be his middle name. Finally, after he was born we came up with a solution to this problem:

Sometimes we call him Owen.

Sometimes we call him Wesley!

 We love how both names fit different aspects of his personality and can't wait to see how he grows into them even more the older he gets. 

A name is one thing that will be with our son forever. I hope he has an incredible impact on someone's life the way his Grandpa Wes had on Warren's. I hope he grows into a man of character, integrity and uncommon kindness like his dad. What a privilege to let our son carry on tradition and family heritage with the name

 Owen Wesley Jennings.

 

He's here!

We're completely thrilled to announce the arrival of

Owen Wesley Jennings
Born on July 6th, 2012
Weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces
and 20 3/4 inches long

He's perfect and we're so very blessed!

Baby Mine

Photos by Lacey Wilkie, In the Blink of an Eye Photography