Finally Paid Off

Well, all those days when I was pregnant with Mallory and would eat multiple cans of green beans to satisfy the only craving I had hoping that my love for vegetables would relay over to my little girl have finally paid off. She will now eat an entire can of green beans to herself without hesitation. Hallelujah, she really is my daughter! I have auntie Jamie to thank for her new found love; while we were away in Hawaii, Jamie got her to eat them by telling her they were one of Kaylee's favorites. I'm going to be sad when the day comes that Mallory no longer buys into our little games!

On another note, I decided to take the plunge into paying a very nominal monthly fee to be able to keep the blog up and running. So now I am able to post photos again - time to catch up on some Maui adventures.

Love for Christmas

Hold Please

It figures that once I actually have the time to blog, something else happens that makes me realize I don't have control 100 percent of the time even if I am on vacation. I had planned on sharing each day of our trip in Maui but as I went to post the second day's activities, I received an error message. Apparently I have already reached my free maximum capacity of picture storage which means that if I want to keep going, I'll need to pay a monthly fee. I get it, nothing in life is completely free. There are usually limitations or restrictions or fine print rules that you have to jump through. Either way, it has momentarily stopped me in my tracks from being able to post with pictures, and we all know that posts without pictures is boring - like homework. So hold please while I figure out the best plan to choose for moving forward with The Jenkins Chronicles so we can continue to enjoy the moments that I like to share with you all.

Tales from Paradise, Part I

We woke up really, really early this morning - must still be on California time. But I love being up to see the sun come alive. Early mornings are so peaceful to me, especially when I have the ocean as my view while drinking my cup of coffee. We didn't do too much today but we planned it that way. We drove over to the Sheraton for lunch, ordered way too much food, and enjoyed some delicious cocktails out of bamboo shoots. Afterwards we hit the beach where Jody proceeded to take a nap and I braved the cold water to snorkel around Black Rock. I had heard some rumblings of a sea turtle being in the waters but I wasn't lucky enough to catch a glimpse. I saw lots of fish and even a couple of eels; and yes I did try to touch the ones that got close, though I was never successful. We stayed local for dinner and even hit up a video rental store to grab a movie. Tomorrow we plan on renting some mopeds and exploring a little more. I remember renting them when I went to Oahu for my senior trip and it was a blast so I'm expecting similar adventures tomorrow. Aloha!

Good morning sun

A few afternoon rain drops

Aloha from Maui!

Guess what I'm doing right now? Sitting on a couch in Maui with my feet up while listening to the ocean waves crash along the shore; a shore that is probably only 40 feet away from the couch that my butt is comfortably planted on. And it is so awesome. It's like a real-life version of the sound machine that we turn on in our room at home to fall asleep at night. I love Maui. I miss my little girl like crazy and I can't stop thinking about her, and I cried as soon as we pulled out of the driveway and still tear up when I start thinking about how much I miss her. However, I'm in Maui right now and I am thoroughly going to enjoy myself while we're here; taking advantage of the time that we have to ourselves to do whatever we want, whenever we want - no responsibilities at all. Well, not at all but you know what I mean. So get ready to read about our adventures while we're here because now that I actually have the distraction-free time to blog, I will. Aloha from Maui!

Taken from our condo porch

Thankful For

I am thankful for this blue-eyed little monster. She makes me realize how important family is and helps me keep priorities straight. She likes pretzel chips and is such a goofball, just like me. She makes me feel blessed a lot, and I love her like crazy.

Her First 'Real' Haircut

Hello November

I’m in denial that it’s not only November, but that it’s already almost the middle of November and I am just now getting to a blog post since before Halloween. Shame on me. My excuse is still the same; just not enough time lately. I guess it’s better than having some horrible, made for a movie type of situation preventing me from sharing the happenings of our family life. However, I take full responsibility for my tardiness, promise to keep trying harder, and belatedly say Hello November.

The ironic part of me having some free time right now is that I am on a plane, thousands of feet above civilization and things to keep me too busy to write. Hmmm, maybe I should get on a plane more often… My plane is on its way to San Diego on this beautiful fall afternoon, where I will be assisting a colleague of mine for a three-day event. It’s going to be nice to get a break from being the actual planner in charge of the event and just be the side-kick doing the simpler tasks this time around. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean I get to coast by these next three days without any responsibility to my own events that are in the planning stages – my to-do list will be nagging at me for some attention I’m sure.

While I am down in the San Diego area I will be using any free time I have to visit with my So-Cal BFF Annie who is thisclose to popping out a baby any day. I’m selfishly hoping that it happens while I’m here in town, especially since I was hoping – as I’m sure Annie was as well – that baby would have been here by now. Though if there’s one BIG lesson that I’ve learned thus far about becoming a parent, babies never do what you want when you want them to do it. With that in mind, I won’t be surprised if baby decides not to come until after I’ve left to go back home to Sacramento. Either way, I get to spend quality time with a friend that I hold so dear to my heart. If I’m not able to share some of that time with the baby this time, there will for sure be another time we’ll meet.

I'll miss my favorites at home while I'm gone: Mallory and Jody. Leo and Littles not so much. I'm excited for what November brings, even if I am a little late to the game. Fall weather, holidays, extra family time, MAUI!!!

"Party! Party!"

Last night, Mallory and I headed over to Colleen's house for her Annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party. It was our second year going and just as much fun as I remember. Even monster was pumped up on the drive over chanting, "Party! Party!" from the backseat every few minutes. Have I mentioned how adorable she has been lately; I love hearing her mind speak!

We got a little more creative on the costumes this year than last. Last year I put her in some pajamas that looked like a ladybug and called it good, and didn't even take the time to put myself in anything other than comfortable clothes. This year I at least used some actual costume-type props to make her look more like Minnie Mouse, though I can't take all the credit as the ears were a gift from Nama and the tutu was recycled from her one year birthday party. I'm cheap, what can I say. For myself, I took an idea from a Google search of 'DIY Halloween Costumes' for a Mad Scientist. Most of the items I needed I found around the house, and picked up the rest for less than $10 at Target.

We brought along with us a platter filled with cute, Pinterest-inspired mummy cupcakes to share, of course partaking in some ourselves. Colleen made her famous chili which was even more yummy than I remember. Monster and I didn't do any pumpkin carving - we had our fill last weekend - so we enjoyed watching others get dirty with guts and seeds instead. She was having fun being the little entertainer for those standing around, dancing and jumping on laps and playing hide-and-seek. When the carving was complete and the pumpkins were lit, Mallory broke out in the 'Happy Birthday' song; fitting I guess considering it's that particular pumpkin's first Halloween. Mal was acting like such a rockstar that we ended up closing down the place and were the last ones out the door. We had a lot of fun and look forward to next year's festivities.

 

All Sorts of Smiles

Monster was filled with all sorts of smiles the other evening when we were at the park. It's rewarding to see your child so full of joy, especially when it's because of something so simple. And I love that in watching my daughter play, I am reminded once again that I absolutely love being her mom.