Snow!!

IT SNOWED!!! Right now, we have about 2 inches on the ground. The weatherman said that it may snow more overnight and tomorrow, even though the temperature is suppose to be around 39 degrees tomorrow. The weatherman also said that Ripley (where my dad and Joan live) got about 10 inches of snow with more expected. They are only 1 1/2 hours north of us.

Mike, the kids and I went to Donna and Thad's house today. They have four kids with the last two being Hannah and Will's ages. We were suppose to have a Sunday School Girls Day Out at Donna's and eat. But, due to some extenuating circumstances, only one other lady from our class was able to come besides me. So, since Donna had a lot of food already prepared, she invited my bunch over to share. Mike and Thad had fun watching the Memphis Tigers play Southern Miss and talking. The kids had a blast playing together. Donna, Linda and I had fun talking and eating. Looking out the window a few hours later, we noticed that it was sleeting/snowing. The weather along the route from Germantown to home varied. It was snowing pretty good close to Germantown but Olive Branch was hardly getting anything. As we got closer to the house, our visibility decreased dramatically and the snowflakes were getting bigger and heavier. Once home, the whole family went in the backyard and played. I got the brunt of the snowballs (I had to come inside and change my scarf because of all the snow on it) but I got some good licks in, too. Poor Will's pants were soaked. Andrew did not want to go inside but his little nose was red. Hopefully the snow will stick around a little longer so the kids can get back out again tomorrow and play in it.

Will's basketball season ended on Tuesday. His team did really good, even though the Upward league doesn't keep score. The kids really got out there and hustled during each game. Mike was one of the coaches for Will's team.

We've signed both Hannah and Will up for softball/baseball again this year. Mike has also committed to coaching our church's men's softball team this spring. All it takes is someone to make sure there are enough players on the roster and to make sure they have enough players for each game. His games will be on Monday nights at either 6:30, 7:30 or 8:30. I hope they have quite a few early games, like they did in the fall. Due to the kids' school, we won't be able to make any of Mike's games until the first of June. Will's coach told Mike that they will play their games on either Tuesday or Thursday. They will practice on the Tuesday or Thursday they don't have a game. (Will's coach will be the same one from last year.) We won't hear from Hannah's coach until after evaluations on March 9th. I am going to be busy shuttling kids to practice and games, but I know it will be fun. It was last year.

Happy Birthday LaNell

Today is LaNell's birthday!!! She is Ruth's sister. Happy Birthday Nonna!! We love and miss you!!! Please come visit us soon!!

Happy Birthday Richard Goodin

Today we are celebrating the birthday of Mike's half-brother, Richard. Yes, Mike has two brothers' named Richard. It is interesting when we get together because they both go by Rich. Sometimes we call the oldest Richard (Goodin) and the youngest Rich (Jinnette). We also call them Big Rich and Little Rich because Big Rich is about 6'2 or 3 and quite a bit stockier than Little Rich.

Happy Birthday Richard!!!

Getting the Ankles Out

Yesterday morning before school, Will was making his bed. I was putting something up and had my back to him when I asked if he was almost through. He told me that all he needed to do was get the ankles out of his bed. Ankles? I asked. Yes, ankles. When I turned around, he was trying to get the WRINKLES out of his bed. Isn't that the cutest?!

Happy Birthday Aunt Bonita

Today is my Great-Aunt Bonita's birthday. She turns 90 years old. She has had a long and very interesting life. I hope the next few years are as interesting and as wonderful and the last 90. Happy Birthday!! (For those who are interested, Aunt Bonita is Grandma Loach's sister.)

Dinosaurs, Night and Valentine's

Lately, Andrew has been talking a lot about dinosaurs. What is so funny, and amazing since he just turned two, is this: When he is looking for something and can't find it, he tells me the dinosaur ate it. Where and how he came up with this, I have no idea. The other day we were in the car and he had on his baseball hat. When I went to get him out of his seat, I couldn't find his hat. Andrew told me the dinosaur ate it. (It was in the floor behind his seat.) When we are looking for his blankets or teddy bear, he will tell me the dinosaur ate it. Tonight as I was rocking him, Andrew told me the dinosaur ate his milk cup. I told him that wasn't true because the dinosaur was in bed asleep. He liked that because he kept repeating it.

At night when we lay the kids down, Will and Hannah will ask one of us to lay down with them. Andrew has started asking one of us to lay down with him too. He wants us in the bed with him. Mike and I feel bad when we have to tell him no because we are just too big.

Mike and I really enjoyed Valentine's Day. I bought him a new red shirt and he bought me a watch and some roses. Hannah also got some roses, a $5 gift card from Claire's, and a ceramic heart to hang on her wall. Will got some baseball gloves for the upcoming season. Andrew got a little baseball mit and ball. We dropped the kids off at church so they could enjoy "Kids' Night Out" while we had a date. Mike and I went to Carrabba's. There was about an hour wait when we signed up, so we walked around the mall while we waited. When we went back to the restaurant, Mike and I saw some friends from church, Donna and Thad Thomas, and talked to them until we got a table. We ended up waiting about 1 1/2 hours for a table. As you can tell, it was extremely busy. The kitchen forgot to make the soup and salad that went with our dinner, so the manager gave us a free dessert. He brought out the new mini desserts and gave us all six. (Normally, you just buy one.) The desserts come in shot glasses and are perfect for that little bit of sweet you want after dinner. They were delicious!! We picked the kids up early (all three had a blast) and headed home.

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Also, today is my step-brother Jeff's birthday. We are only two months apart in age but he is already a grandpa. (I say that because he is always teasing me about my being the "older" sister.) Happy birthday Jeff!!

Celebrating One Year of Blogging!!

Can you believe it has been a year since I first started blogging?! So much has happened. I love to look back through the posts to see the pictures of the kids and all the different things that have gone on in our lives. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventures in life and will continue on with us.

Today, Hannah has her "Valentines for Veterans" program at school. The Kindergartners are having "Grandparents Day" also. Mom is picking the kids up after they are finished and is taking them out to lunch. I'll post more about it when I get a chance. It's time to get ready to go!!!

Catching Up

I've fallen behind on acknowledging birthdays and posting our "going ons." Things have been really busy, as usual in the Jinnette household. We have two birthdays today that I need to mention. They are my Aunt Sandy and my friend Wanda's daughter Sienna. Sunday was Christopher Daniel's first birthday. He is Sienna's little brother. Happy birthday everyone!!! You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

The temperatures around here have been really warm, at least for February. The high has been in the mid to high 60s. The weather has great: a few clouds but mostly sunshine. The storm system that hit Oklahoma moved through here Wednesday. We got a little rain and a lot of wind; the gusts were as high as 59 mph in some places. There were tree limbs everywhere. When I left the church after bible study, I had to drive around limbs in the middle of Reynolds Road and some on Center Hill. Some areas in Memphis lost power due to downed power lines because of trees and limbs being blown around.

Today was the end of an era: Hannah flipped a card at school. (Hannah was the only student in her class that had not flipped a card since the start of school this year.) For those who are not familiar with the flipping of cards, it means she got into trouble. Mrs. Herring, the Student Teacher in Hannah's class, was going over the answers to a test. While she was talking, Hannah started flipping through her Science book. Because Hannah's attention was divided between the teacher and the book, she had to flip her card. She was soooo upset when I picked her up today. We discussed it and she understands that she needs to pay attention to the teacher when she is talking and that it could be distracting to the students around her when she is playing with her books.

Saturday night from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., the church is having "Kids' Night Out" to raise money for the family Guatemala Missions trip coming up this summer. All three groups will have dinner and drinks provided. Will and Andrew's groups will be doing crafts, playing, and having loads of fun. Hannah's group of girls will have a "Pamper Parlour" where they can have their nails painted and have some one put make-up on them. The girls part is advertised as being a sleep over without spending the night. Hannah was really excited when I told her what they were going to be doing. Mike and I are going to try to go to Carrabba's for dinner but we will have to see what the wait is like. We are looking forward to having a date night!!

Sad News

Today, I received some sad news. One of my favorite teachers in high school passed away on February 5th. Mr. Winkelmann taught German and American History. He was very creative and made learning fun. While we were in school, I heard one year, he was tired of his students not being familiar with recent history [i.e. Vietnam War, Korean Conflict, Bay of Pigs and the events that occurred between 1950 and present day (around 1985)]. So, Mr. Winkelmann decided to teach his history class backwards. He started with the present day and finished up somewhere past the Civil War. I had him for German at the time but was fascinated with the American History work on the board and the discussions around the lunch table with the students in his classes.

His German classes were interesting, too. He was proud to say he was a first-generation American; his parents came to America during World War II. He said he was the man with all the angles (winkel is German for angle). Quite often he would burst out in song and sing "Danke Schon" and another one (the name and tune escape me for now). We would play Scrabble in German and use his huge German dictionary. A couple of times we took class trips (after school hours). Once we went to Ericka's, a German restaurant in Downtown Memphis. We were suppose to order our food in German and speak nothing but German to each other while there. Of course, we started speaking English after a bit but it was still fun. Another time we went to Trinity Lutheran Church for their Christmas program. It was all in German. The programs they handed out were in German with an English translation in the back. It was absolutely beautiful. At Christmas, I hear "Stille Nacht" ("Silent Night") in the original German in my head.

Mr. Winkelmann also took some of the students on trips to Europe. In 1984, my friend, Jaqi, went with him and a group of students from Southaven High to France, West Germany and Berlin. She even got to go to the Dachau concentration camp. The year I was suppose to go (1986) our trip was cancelled; a few months before we were to leave, there was a bombing in a Spanish train station that killed an American student traveling there.

Mr. Winkelmann made a mark on every one of his students. He was friendly, fun and made learning enjoyable. We will miss you, Mr. Wink. You were the greatest!!! (WINK 105)

Lots to Post

Now, there was the post about the 24 birthdays for December and January. Can you believe I have two more and they are relatives?! Actually they are babies, one born to my niece Jessie and the other born to my cousin Tim's wife Adrianne.

My niece Jessie had her son, James Riley, on Tuesday, January 27. He was born at 8:02 p.m., weighed 8 lbs 2 ozs and was 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great. It was a God-thing Riley was born when he was. The next day, Wednesday, it snowed and the roads were Jessie and Bryan live were pretty icy. Jessie got to spend the worst of it in the hospital getting waited on. (For those who don't know, Jessie is Jeff's daughter. Jeff is my step-brother.) Joan took a bunch of pictures and is going to have Daddy send me some. When I get them, I will try to post them here on my blog. I am hoping to drive to Jackson one day this week or next to see them.

Tim's wife, Adrianne, had her baby, Connor Seaway Jackson, on Friday, January 30th. Connor was over 9 lbs. Aunt Carol said the baby was huge. Momma and baby are doing great. Tim is beside himself to have a son.

As I mentioned before, we got about an inch of snow here on Wednesday. The schools were closed because the roads were a little icy that morning. By the time Mike left for work (around 8:30 or 9) the road were clearing up. I even took the kids to Chick-fil-a and met Mike for lunch. The kids enjoyed getting to play in the snow and having a day out of school.

Thursday, I took Andrew in for his 2 year check-up. He weighs 30.4 lbs and is 36 1/4 inches tall. The doctor said he was in the 90-95 percentile range for both his head circumference and his height. His weight was in the 75 percentile range. I knew he was a big boy and now I have the evidence to prove it. :-) After his appointment, I took him to school. They were learning the letter P and everything revolved around it. They had pretzels for snack; painted pigs with pudding (to make them look like they had rolled in the mud); they got to wear their pajamas; and had pizza bagels for lunch. When we got to school, his class was playing in the inside play area. Andrew went running in and found his friend Seth. They both ran across the play area to the "tree," climbed up the shallow steps and slid down the other side. Then, Andrew and Seth ran over to one of the flowers and climbed up. They were so cute!!! Andrew had on his red Thomas the Train two piece pajamas while Seth had on his red Superman sleeper. They have gotten to be such good friends and I am glad. Tracy and I were hoping they would be friends as their birthdays are four days apart.

On a sad note, Tracy's father-in-law passed away suddenly in the night Friday night. Mr. Gallagher lived around Anniston, AL. Joel, Tracy and the kids drove down that weekend for the funeral.

Will was picked to be the Star Student this week in his class. There is a list of things the parents can do to make it special. On Monday, we send in a poster that has pictures of Will, his family and things he likes to do. Tuesday, Mike and I are suppose to turn in a letter and say how special our "Star Student" is. The teacher will read the letter to the class. On Wednesday, we send in an "Estimation Jar" with healthy treats. The kids in class will estimate how many items are in the jar then they get to enjoy the snack. On Thursday, Will gets to bring home "Traveling Bear" named Bernie. We are suppose to write about our adventures with Bernie Thursday night and bring him back Friday to share his adventure with the class. (We also did this for Hannah when she was in Kindergarten. I found the letter on my computer. It was really cute.) Friday, the Star Student gets to have their parent(s) come in and read the child's favorite book. If we can't come, we can send in a book for the teacher to read. I won't be able to make it because the story time is right in the middle of Andrew's nap time but I plan to send in a special book.

This weekend, Hannah had her birthday party: a sleepover. She only wanted to invite three friends, so I didn't object. [The last time we had a sleepover, there were about seven or nine girls, two boys (Will and Jonas) and Andrew. The last of the girls were still up at 2 a.m. It was rough because Andrew was only seven months old and still getting up in the night to eat.] Brittney wasn't able to come this time because she was sick. Gracie came, along with Layne and her brother Jonas. Will was excited because he and Jonas are friends and love to play together. The kids played, ate pizza and cake, decorated door hangers, watched a movie and ate popcorn and then tried to get settled into bed. Gracie ended up going home about 9:45 p.m. but Layne and Jonas stayed. The kids finally settled down about 10 p.m. (after I separated the boys) and were up around 7 a.m. The next morning all seven of us went to church and actually got there about 9:45 a.m. I was amazed.

Well, it is late and I am tired. I think I am going to bed. Tomorrow I am thinking about going back to the Spin class at the Y so I need to get my rest. I went last week and my thighs killed me up until Thursday or Friday. I've been working out on the Elliptical for about 35 minutes and thought it was time to add something extra. We will see how it goes. Check back later for pictures. I am too tired to post them now but have LOTS!!

WHEW!!

Can you believe it? I commented on 24 birthdays and anniversaries in the posts on this blog for just the months of December and January. Wow!! There are still a few birthdays to go next month but the next few months aren't nearly as busy, thank goodness.

Like I mentioned before, if I have forgotten a birthday or anniversary, please let me know. I will make a note of it on my calendar and, of course, mention it here on my blog.

Thank you for bearing with me as I tried to remember everyone. It is nice to have people let you know you are loved and I just wanted to show that here.