Dance Hannah, Dance

So today was a very important day at the Sain house. Hannah had her very first dance class. She is taking Ballet and Tap for Preschoolers at the Grapevine Rec. Center. We all know Hannah is the dramatic type, so I figured dance would be right up her alley. She loves it! She said her favorite part was the music. I am amazed that we have made it to this moment. How can she be old enough for dance? This is not the first or the last "big girl" thing she is going to do. Here a few pics from Hannah's dancing debut:

Excited in rain boots on our way to class.

Tap away Hannah!

The Dramatic Pose!

101 in 1001

Ok folks, I did it! I have made my list. I got this idea from a friend and the Internet and I am so excited to get started. This is a list of 101 things I would like to get done in the next 1001 days. This list has taken considerable time and thought to complete. Many of the items are challenging but I believe I will grow and be stretched through this process. So here is too the next 1001 days and to making every one of them count!

Start Date: September 12,2009

End Date: June 9, 2012

Jen's 101 List:

Travel
001. Go on Grand Canyon vacation with the Richards
002. Go on a romantic vacation with Chris
003. Go to Disney World
004. Go hiking in Big Bend
005. Use my passport at least once
006. Visit five Texas cities I have not been to (0/5)
007. Take a road trip
008. Go visit Allan & Becky
009. Go camping
010. Go to a Broadway show
011. Go geocaching at least 3 times (0/3)
012. Go on a hot air balloon ride

Children
013. Attend Love and Logic Seminar
014. Edit and Compose videos for the kids
015. Create chore lists for the kids
016. Teach Hannah to sew
017. Send Hannah to kindergarten
018. Send Caleb to preschool
019. Complete Caleb’s stocking
020. Write letters to the kids on their birthdays
021. Sew a dress for Hannah
022. Complete six service projects with the kids (0/6)
023. Caleb potty-trained

Health
024. Run a 5K
025. Lose 35 pounds
026. Learn to swim properly
027. Workout regularly
028. Increase my flexibility
029. Get a physical yearly (0/3)
030. Work with personal trainer
031. Give blood
032. Visit dentist every 6 months (0/5)

Finance/Work
033. Chris to be self-employed
034. Create a budget and stick to it
035. Save 10% of income
036. Use coupons
037. Pay off Chris’s car
038. Start college savings accounts for the kids

Knowledge
039. Learn to drive a stick shift
040. Go to five museums (0/5)
041. Read the bible in its entirety
042. Read 15 books
043. Be involved in women’s bible study

Friends and Family
044. Get Sain family portrait taken
045. Get Mills family portrait taken
046. Host Thanksgiving for the Allen family
047. Send 30 “Thinking of you” or Birthday cards
048. Make a new friend
049. Have new friend and family over for dinner
050. Have Wes over for dinner
051. Host board game/domino night

Food & Drink
052. Try ten new foods I have not tried before (0/10)
053. Try one new recipe a month (0/33)
054. Go to a wine tasting
055. Go to Grapefest
056. Make homemade ice cream
057. Avoid fast food for an entire month
058. Make homemade muffins
059. Bake a homemade pie from scratch including crust
060. Successfully make Aunt Evie’s chicken & dumplings
061. Shop at farmer’s market

Around the House
062. Paint master bedroom
063. Get new bedding for master bedroom
064. Redo flooring living area
065. Redo flooring in kitchen
066. Paint kitchen
067. Stick to cleaning schedule
068. Keep up to date with the kids photo albums
069. Go back and label Hannah’s albums
070. Install programmable thermostat downstairs
071. Get new kitchen towels
072. Buy one new piece of furniture
073. Make valances for the playroom
074. Put together the kids’ playset
075. Replace blinds in master bath
076. Make shower curtain for master bath
077. Have the outside of the windows cleaned
078. Plant a small garden & eat the produce
079. Clean out master closet and donate unused clothing

Fun & Games
080. Complete 5000 piece puzzle
081. Take a dance class
082. Take a cooking class
083. Fly a kite
084. Go to a UT football game
085. Watch Bollywood film
086. Ride on a motorcycle
087. Host Memorial Day cookout
088. Ride the Grapevine Vintage RR
089. Take the kids on the Polar Express train
090. Post on my blog at least 2 times a month (0/66)
091. Start my Christmas stocking
092. Shoot a gun
093. Watch a sunrise and sunset on the same day
094. Go to the Stock show

Just for ME!
095. Get 3 massages (0/3)
096. Get a facial
097. Get 10 pedicures (0/10)
098. Get laser hair removal
099. Buy a new purse
100. Take pictures and blog about completed goals (0/101)
101. Complete 101 in 1001

Thank you Peter or Matthew

This morning I awoke to the pitter patter of SILENCE in the house. Since the kids had spent the night at my dad's house I could actually lay there in my bed for a moment and "be" instead of "do." There I began to think about the blessing of days off and breaks that are so desperately needed sometimes. Today, being Labor Day, gave my dad and stepmom the opportunity to be off work so they could spend time with their grandkids. I then realized I really didn't know much about this holiday at all.

So, for all you trivia buffs out there, here is what I learned:
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, by the Central Labor Union. They encouraged other groups in other cities to join in the celebration of laborers and workmen of the country. In 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. Since then we have celebrated Labor Day annually.

Thank you, Peter McGuire or Matthew Maguire (the history books are in disagreement about the true founder) for founding Labor Day. Without your pride in your "workingman" status this holiday may never have come to pass and consequently I may never have woken to a silent house this morning. THANK YOU!

A Productive Day!

What a productive day it has been! I have spent most of the day adding to and completing items off of my new TO DO list. With this new direction I have it has made my day much more focused and as a result I have been way more productive than days past. I am happy to report that I completed the item at the top of my to-do list today: Make a cleaning schedule.

What a task, first I had to analyze my needs around the house and then determine when and how often I wanted to get these things done. It is not rocket science, but I feel I have made one small leap for the sanity and cleanliness of my home today! So, in its first published edition, The Sain Family Cleaning Schedule:

Daily
Make the beds
Wipe kitchen counters
Dishes
Pick up clutter

Monday DOWNSTAIRS
Dust downstairs
Vacuum
Swiffer/mop kitchen, bathroom, laundry room & playroom
Clean kitchen counters, appliances & table
Take out trash

Tuesday UPSTAIRS
Dust upstairs
Vacuum
Swiffer/mop bathrooms
Clean desk

Wednesday
Change sheets
Laundry
Vacuum stairs

Thursday
Clean bathrooms – up and down
Disinfect phones and remotes
Disinfect toys
Take out trash

Friday
Cut Annabelle’s nails
Water plants

Monthly
o Dust baseboards and stairs
o Spot clean walls and doors
o Dust blinds
o Dust ceiling fans
o Take the pillows off couches and chairs and vacuum them
o Move and clean under and behind big pieces of furniture
o Wash mattress pads and blankets
o Clean the oven (as needed)
o Wipe out refrigerator
o Sanitize trash cans
o Clean out mail baskets
o Wash rugs

I know no one really cares but it makes it much more real when it is in writing and someone else knows it exists!

All growing-up!

Tonight Hannah and I sat down to go through the rest of her birthday toys from this weekend. I have been pacing her so that there was no huge influx of toys in my house. We need time for these new things to overtake our home gradually!

Hannah loves all her toys but her favorite of the night is a Disney Princess Purse complete with pretend make-up, car keys, cell phone, and various other princess necessities. With three boys at our house all week long (the Richards are here from Tucson and we have loved their visit!) Hannah has not really had a lot of "girlie time" to play with everything she wants to play with in peace. Since all the boys went to bed early she has had free reign tonight!

Her favorite game of the night has been to walk around the house with her shopping bag (a birthday sack), her purse, and an old pocket planner that she calls her "shopping list" and purchase things from us. "I need to give you my moneys," she says as she has you swipe her credit card. She has now successfully re-acquired all of her new birthday presents by "purchasing" them from us. She cracks me up!

One of her newly reclaimed birthday presents is a set of clip-on earrings and a princess crown. After clipping her earrings on, my baby girl looked about 8 years old. It just about broke my heart. She cannot be growing up this fast. I sent her over to Chris to show Daddy her earrings. He, of course, said that the earrings made his little girl looked so grown up. Hannah responded by saying, "Daddy, I'm still growing up!"

I never thought that it would take my growing-up child to remind me that she still has growing-up to do and is not as big as she seems sometimes. When things do get stressful or irritating around the house it gets very easy to wish my life away; hoping for a day that things will go better or everyone will behave properly. It is my goal to stop and take mental pictures and to make the memories. After all, the memories will be all I have to hold onto after my baby is all grown-up.

Mini-Me turns Three!

Boy, how time flies. It seems so long ago and yet it seems like yesterday that Chris and I found out we were pregnant with a baby girl. I have to admit, I was a little scared and nervous about having a little girl. I had grown up with all brothers and I knew I could handle a little boy, but the thought of raising a girl just made my head spin. After the notion of having a girl sank-in I really did get excited about it. Who wouldn't? Dresses, bows, pink, purple, little frilly socks, ... hormones, puberty, boyfriends, weddings... Wow, exciting and overwhelming all at the same time!

I remember driving home from the doctor the day we found out our firstborn would be a girl and Chris looking over at me and saying, "Boy, you get ready, you are about to get a dose of your own medicine!" What? No! Surely, this wonderful creature will be a perfect combination of both Chris's and my best traits! Right?!?


Hannah's birth came with a bang and she surprised us by coming into the world three days before she was due. This should have been my first indication that she was so much like me... Jen need always to be on time but early is preferable!

Hannah has definitely been a daddy's girl from the beginning but for the first few months she was not only pro-Daddy she was anti-Mommy. Chris and Hannah have that bond that will never be broken that I so wanted. At about 15 months Hannah finally came around and decided she would keep me around. It was so beautiful to get to grow closer to my daughter who would finally crawl up on the couch and cuddle with her Momma!


It is very clear from the confrontations that do come up at this house on occasion that Hannah has my "strong-willed spirit" as Chris so lovingly puts it. She and I are so similar. We both like order, things must be cleaned up and have a place to belong. She enjoys cleaning the house with me. She can have a mean streak in her on occasion and can reason her way through ANY situation. Though there are times that Hannah and I do clash the good times far outweigh the rest. How can you stay upset with someone who looks just like you anyway?!?

I look forward to the challenge of raising a young lady. I look forward to seeing her grow into a beautiful woman of God. I cannot wait to see what is in her future. I just want to take one day at a time, soak-up as much as I can and find the joy in every moment with her.

So what have we done today to celebrate Hannah Grace?

Diana, Christopher and, most importantly, Zachary have come into town for a long visit!

Cupcakes for Breakfast!

Train ride with Zachary, Petyon, Lucas, Caleb & Christopher!

McDonald's for lunch! YUM!
On to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

My Precious

I just returned from a wonderful outing with my beautiful Hannah! Her birthday is on Friday and I figured three would be a good age to go with her to have our first Mommy/Daughter pedicure. So, in true "Jen-fashion" we started celebrating her birthday several days before (and we will continue to celebrate for many days after her birthday)!

"I want my feets in the water just like Momma."

"I love getting pedicure with you Momma"

"Pink with pink flowers!"

The entire drive home and as I write Hannah is saying "I love my pedicure," "I had fun at my pedicure," "Thank you for my pedicure Momma."

This is absolutely a night I will never forget. My baby is one step closer to becoming a young woman. (in the far off future... er... right?)

To My Precious: Thank you for the wonderful "girls-only" pedicure tonight. I cannot wait for all the things we will get to share together. You fit perfectly into the Hannah shaped hole in my heart! I LOVE YOU!