Attachment Parenting....

We thought we better start practicing....

Some videos of Joelie...

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

A late night conversation with Paris Hilton...

Everyone who knows me well has had to endure hearing my bizarro dreams throughout the years. I dream weird ones and I remember them in detail and my poor friends and family have to listen and act interested. Now you get to too! Although blogging them is great because you can just skim right through if you'd like. I think pregnancy may be making them even weirder....

Last night I dreamed that I was talking with Paris Hilton(?!?!) because, apperently, we were great childhood friends. So Paris and I were discussing her future and she said that she wanted to go to dental school. Great, says I, a very noble pursuit. I then asked her if she had started to take the prerequisites to get in. "The what?" She asked. "You know, the classes you have to have before you get into the program." "Oh no" was her reply, "It's really like my dad's fault that I haven't started dental school because I'm like waiting for him to just buy a school or something so that I can get in." Right!

The conversation went on but I'll spare you the details. Thankfully the childhood friend that I had been talking to before going to sleep and then got confused in my dreams was Kristi Kinard (Bittle) and not Paris Hilton and she does not want to go to dental school as she is a new mommy of the cutest little baby boy, Hudson.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you guys are having some pleasant dreams. I'm always a willing listener if you want to share:) Jenny

As requested by Jami.....

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

I'll try and update it as the weeks go along...Jen

Interesting Days...

I love having days that break the mold and bring things new and unexpected. This week had a few, so I'll share them with you.

The first day was Tuesday when we had a meeting after work. It was a working lunch and it was held at our director, Valentina's, house. Valentina is from Russia and I would give anything if I had a picture of her for you. She looks like a doll. She has long, red hair that is usually twisted up in an elegant bun and bangs. She has very rosy cheeks. We got to her house and she opened the door dressed in full Russian dress. A long white flowing dress and a Russian hat with a Russian apron. The thing that made the scene so....surreal....was that she acted as if this happened every day. That there was nothing out of the ordinary in her appearance whatsoever.

The theme of the meal was "A White House luncheon" and it was a feast! Every dish represented something about an American President. I can't recall very many of the meanings because I was so taken aback by this whole scene that I had a hard time concentrating on the words being spoken. The whole thing was soooooo Valentina. She is so willing to work for HOURS and HOURS and HOURS for one activity, so willing to throw herself totally into a situation, so over the top:) We had salmon, chicken, roast beef, potatoes, avocado salad, a Russian salad, fruit, and two cakes!!! Amazing.

That evening I had two of my students over for dinner. Um, I didn't dress up and nor did I prepare quite a feast, but we had a great time nonetheless. Here is a picture of Lex, Helen, and I.

Lex was in two of my classes a couple of sessions ago and then I have been tutoring him since then. He is one of those colorful students that I'll never forget. He made us laugh and asked such great questions, he wasn't afraid to fail, he threw himself into American culture and the English language, and he became a good friend. He wanted to get to meet the babies so badly, but alas he had to go back to Korea today. So, I assured him that there will be LOTS of pictures on the blog for him to see. HI LEX! Helen's brother Jason was in my same classes with Lex and they became best of friends. Jason went back to Korea and his sister Helen is now here studying. Helen and Jason are both smart, wonderful students....they must have very proud parents!

Wednesday was great because our students got to "hear" two amazing speakers. One speaker was deaf and one was blind and deaf. Their wives interpreted for them and hearing their stories was inspiring and humbling. Wish you all could have been there.

Anyway, this was my last full week of teaching! Next week we have review days and then two half days of finals, and then friday I give my students their grades and say adios to the English Language Institute. Very bitter sweet.

Guess that's all for now. I'm going to go comb the bookshelves for a good read. The wind is starting to pick up and it's supposed to start raining and snowing before too long...perfect night for a book. Hope that you too have had some interesting days, Jenny

Oh, here is a link to a challenging video I came across on another blog...really made me think. Hopefully it'll make me do more than think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFrmyD6G5qU

A little update...

So, I went to my new midwife's office and had a great visit. She measured my tummy and I am measuring 29 cm....I am 22 weeks pregnant. An average pregnancy with one baby at this point would be measuring about 22 cm. Wowsers! So, here it is in all it's glory...

We stare at it a lot in amazement:) So, all is well in the pregnancy department. I'm feeling better after a week of congestion and yucky cold symptoms and so glad to be over it. I'm not sure my students knew what to think of their rapidly growing, sniffling, coughing, tired teacher. Hopefully I'll dazzle them with my energy these last two weeks of classes:)

Confession: Today I drank my first Starbuck's chai tea since finding out that I was pregnant. I have been thinking about it for a long time and once I decided to go for it today, there was nothing stopping me. I walked down the street to Starbuck's with the snow blowing in my eyes, unyielding in my determination to revel in this caffine ridden beverage. And oh was it good. So creamy and sweet and comforting. It also gave me a burst of energy and I got lots done while Joel was out on an outdoor adventure( I'll post pictures of that soon).

We had a good Valentines celebration. Joel learned this year that I actually DO like Valentines day. I guess I have verbally agreed all these years that the day was "pretty silly, and so commercial, and we should love each other every day..." and yada yada. But this year when Joel said that they were going to have study group that night and I casually said, "Really? The other wives don't mind?" He answered, " No, they agree with us that it's silly." So I said, " You mean they agree with you that it's silly." His mouth dropped open and he said, "What?!" So, the point is that he recovered quickly, and I was greeted with flowers, chocolate strawberries, and a dinner out at "Cowboy's grub" on Valentines evening. Yes, I wanted to go to a place called Cowboy's grub for this romantic dinner out. Joel thought it was hysterical. What can I say? These days I am craving more "substantial" foods. No foo foo foods for me please.

Anyway, this weekend was relaxing too. We walked around the park in the warm (50 degree) sun and watched movies and walked around Target. I've been needing some Joel time, so my love tank was filled.

Hope you all are well and enjoyed this weekend. Jenny

Willow: Our practice baby

She throws up, we rock her(seriously, she'll stay like this forever) and love on her and cry when she gets in fights with the neighborhood cats (okay, Joel didn't cry...but he did let her sleep with us that night:) Yep, she's our little one until June-and then she is going to be in for a major shock. We love you Willow and are thankful God sent you to us to love on and fatten up.

Let's see.....an update....not too much new going on. I went to my new midwive's office and loved it. Everything looked good, both little heartbeats were heard, etc. My next ultrasound and appt. with the high risk docs is Feb 27th. Then mom comes in March on her spring break to help me get organized and just to hang out. I can't wait!!!

In really, really sad news....there was a shooting rampage that went on last night about 3 blocks from our house at an upscale shopping area called Trolley Square. 5 people were killed and 4 more are in serious condition. The shooter was an 18 year old and so far nothing has been said about a motive or anything. Everyone here is in shock as SLC is such a safe place to live, and this was just so random and tragic. If you want to read more, here is a link to a local paper...http://www.sltrib.com/
I have been praying for the families of the victims and those being treated at the hospitals all day, please take a minute to pray for them as well.

Guess that's all for now. Hope you all are doing well, Jenny

"Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Baby.."'

This line has been running through my head all day long.I have no idea how the rest of the song goes, so I just keep recycling the one line over and over again. Because today Joelie is turning 30 and baby was our first lovey name for each other.

When we got married I was 18 and he was 22. We had been friends for so long and were so young that pet names like Honey or Sugar just made us laugh. We just couldn't call each other anything other than our names without cracking up. Then there was Baby. It stuck.

It's hard to believe that we have been married for almost 8 years, and yet it seems that so much life has been lived during that time. Life with Joel is like that. You get a lot done and it is full of adventure. Since he graduated from high school he has...

Worked on a ranch in Arkansas as a cowboy/counselor to juvenile delinquents.

Worked as a trail ride leader in Colorado at a dude ranch.

Worked as a bank teller in Tomball while going to community college.

Spent a year at Texas Christian University getting a Ranch Management certificate.

Spent a summer in Ethiopia living and working with a missionary family. Fell in love with Ethiopia.

Worked at a veterinary clinic in Tomball.

Cowboyed some more.

Joined the military and got engaged.

Moved to Hawaii and worked as an Operating Room tech.

Went to Thailand with a group from our church in Hawaii. Fell in love with Thailand.

Climbed, snorkeled, scubadived, cliff jumped, mountain biked, and camped in Hawaii.

Was deployed to Columbia for 8 months where he was stationed in what is called "The Triangle of Death."

Finished his deployment in Honduras where we got to spend time with our friend Rhonda at her Children's Home. We fell in love with Honduras. Thankfully, we were able to return with my mom about 6 months later to spend even more time with the kids. We fell in love all over again.

Moved back to TX and finished his degree at Texas State. Lived in the river during the summer, scaring people with his amazingly long beard.

Got accepted into PA school in Utah and moved to Salt Lake City.

All this while loving and caring for me, being so interested in those around him, creating deep friendships with some amazing folks, continuing his constant quest for knowledge and growth....do you see why this guy amazes me?

Happy Birthday to my Baby. I'm so thankful to get to be by your side for the next 30 years of this inspiring, wild, joy filled life you live. Jen

Captured Moment...

Mom managed to take this picture at the exact moment we told John Mike and Tara we were having twins....love this. Missing you tonight my brothers and sisters. Jenny

Okay Belly Lovers....

So these are my 20 week pictures taken this morning. I have to say, I love this stage of being pregnant. I love feeling my belly and starting to feel those babies moving around. I would love it even more if I could wear flowey skirts and tank tops instead of layer after layer of shirts and jackets, etc. but we crank up the heater and I wear comfyness around the house. Anyway, I think my stomach is doubling in size each week! I know that in a couple of months the uncomfortableness will begin, so I'm trying to enjoy each day.

Hope you all are having a great weekend. Joel and I went to a bagel place this morning where he studied and I caught up on some cards I needed to write. Now we are home and he is studying some more while I catch up on blogging, calling, cleaning...etc. Normal weekend here at the Hunts:) Hope you have a good one, Jen