house of jansen

we've moved!

2011-03-03T13:54:00.001-08:00

please go to www.houseofjansen.tumblr.com for all your jansen related content

Otto is 2

2009-08-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

I had a few ideas for a birthday party for Otto but I just couldn't settle on any of them. I was trying to decide what he would like best and all I could think of was ho's (at the house of jansen donut holes are just called ho's). So I decided to have a Donut Party...unofficially the Ho's & Milk party. We cleared out all the living furniture and replaced it with slides and other outdoor toys. Kid parties are chaos so we just orchestrated the chaos.
I think the kiddos had fun, everyone likes donuts, right? We had mimosas and bloody mary's for the adults to ease the stress of birthday party chaos...everyone likes to drink on Saturday mornings, right?

Otto is 2! We are so proud of our middle child, he brings so much joy and life to our family. Each kid has their own personality and he definitely has his own thing going on. I love spending my day with this kid and watching him grow and learn. His favorite movie is Cars and he loves to play with thomas the train, geotrax and cars (from the Cars movie). He is also full of surprises, not too long ago he was refusing to take a nap, so to distract Gigi he said I count and proceeded to count to 13...I've never heard him count past 3. At 2 years old he can count to 13, say his ABC's, sing Twinkle Twinkle, play hard with his brothers and attempt to do and say everything Ollie's does. I'm looking forward to all the wonderful surprises Otto has ahead.

new pics

2009-07-20T11:36:00.001-07:00

JJ 1: Half Marathon 0

2009-03-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

2:58...remarkably slow...many thanks to ty harris who came back after finishing and finished my last couple miles with me...it was hard...i puked...but i finished...

A Prayer for August

2009-02-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

May you be filled with Peace, Patience, Power, & Purpose; a Pleasure to all.

for Jesus said:
"Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the Children of God" Matthew 5:9

This is the prayer my MIL has for August. She has a special prayer and scripture for each of the boys. Each prayer is unique and I anticipated her prayer the moment I knew I was pregnant. If you know my MIL you know she is a sweet, Godly woman...I often joke she is God's favorite.

I'm thankful Ollie, Otto & August have Godly grandparents and great-grandparents who pray for them daily.

The Season of Lent

2009-02-25T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'll be following the daily readings for lent here. I'm looking forward to the time of the preparation to celebrate God’s redemption at Easter.

we're home!

2009-02-19T12:31:00.001-08:00

everyone is great...otto is a little confused about who this new baby is, but he did give him a little kiss on the head...more pictures later

-jj

Helloooo Babay

2009-02-18T14:58:00.001-08:00

The House of Jansen is pleased to annouce it's newest member, August Pete Jansen, born 2/17/09 at 10:46am. Ollie and Otto's brother weighed in at a massive 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long. We praise God for giving us this bundle of happy! Mom and baby are doing well and are both getting plenty of sleep. Here are a few highlights from the day (fyi...i have some really good c-section shots if anybody wants them):

candi about to pop

the boys were excited

give me boobies!

big brother already breaking the rules

qt

findings

2009-02-07T08:24:00.001-08:00

this is from the "lego a day" blog...great macro photos of lego guys engaged in various activities...click here

this extremely harsh and overly generalized theory is pure gold genius...shaun groves penned this greatness...i might have tried to work in the correlation between high school hotness and current affinty for nickelback...but the simplicity of the graph is pretty hard to argue with

this is my old friend kevin rankin on his last day of filming "friday night lights" after a 22 episode stint as herc, wheelchair rugby bada$$...it happens to be my sweet wife's favorite show...kevin will be appearing on a episode of "lost" in march

thanks internets

-jj

Donate

2009-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

never asked for donations over a blog before...but i would like to now...

brian seay and his family are in africa with their large family and are unable to get home because of some paperwork...they have been there for 3 weeks already...you can read about it here and here...candi and i are going to donate some money to help them cover the costs of having to stay in ethiopia another week and would like you to consider doing the same...

CLICK HERE TO DONATE via paypal

Update, Funny Stuff and a Beautiful Act

2009-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

first off...sorry for the long delay since our last post...we have been gearing up for baby boy #3 (and no, we will not be telling his name until he gets here)...ollie and otto are both excited about the new arrival...we are anxious about the transition to 3 kids, but candi is ready to have her body back from our little parasite so here we go...we are planning on having the baby on feb. 17th and are hoping to have plenty of gigi and mimi love, but if you have time and have a knack for entertaining toddlers, you are more than welcome to come stay with us for a while...

ollie has said a bunch of funny things the last couple of weeks, here are some highlights:

1. he and anna, the little girl who lives next door, play together pretty much every afternoon...they play very well together as they are both very expressive and vivid imaginations...sometime over christmas, anna and her family watched "the grinch"...shortly after that, anna apparently described the grinch to ollie, and he got scared...i mean "too scared to go to bathroom during the day by himself" kind of scared...he didn't want to encounter the yellow-eyed, pointy teethed fellow that his playmate had innocently planted a vision of in his little mind...anyway, the other night, about an hour after he gone to bed...ollie comes walking into the living room where candi and i were enjoying the best the networks can offer, and quietly says "somefing in my head tells me that the grinch is not pretend."...love it

2. the night of the inauguration i was watching "the neighborhood ball"...let me just say, i have tons of respect for our new president, politics aside, but the one glimpse that the public got to see of the party introducing the nation to the leader of the free world kind of left me with a bad taste in my mouth...it just wasn't very "presidential"...it looked really fun though!...anyway...the great hip-hop artist "jay-z" was on stage (i really like him btw) when ollie came in and looked at the screen...he studied the performance for a minute and then started to giggle...he said "that guy is so crazy...he's just talking."...i guess our 4 year old is not a hip-hop fan

3. every week at ollie's preschool the kids study a different letter...i'm sure this practice is isolated to the fine academic community here in texarkana...this week the letter "o" takes center stage...they study the letter on monday and tuesday, and then on wednesday comes the highlight of our preschooler's life...show and tell...he gets pumped about finding something around the house that he can show off to his buddies...candi picked him up a few minutes ago and started the weekly quiz...candi: "buddy, what letter are you learning this week?" olllie: "o" candi: "what words start with o?" ollie: "octopus, octagon, and you know what else??? me!...oh...i can bring myself to show and tell...won't that be crazy?!"

also...if you have time, head over to my old friend brian seay's blog and twitter updates to read about his family's international adoption...brian and amy adopted 2 older siblings from ethiopia...they packed up their 4 other kids and went to africa to bring home their newest family members...i'm not sure how much longer they are going to be there, but i love reading the twitter updates and blog posts...i have always been fascinated by adoption...just a beautiful picture of redemption...

one more thing...kap and wendy mcwhorter had their little baby about six weeks early and he has been in icu...he is doing better, but is still in the hospital...say a little prayer for baby max when you get a chance!

thanks for reading this insanely long post...and putting up with my crazy punctuation...

-jj

Full of Love: Like his prayer

2008-12-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today while shopping at a children's store Otto met this lady. She was a stranger and in less than five minutes he made a friend. She had a little girl his age and he was loving them.

When I sent my MIL the picture of her darling she reminded me he is full of love like his prayer.
"Full of Light, Love and Laughter, and Lead by the Lord".

Polar Express

2008-12-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

My parents took Ollie to the Polar Express before Thanksgiving. He had the BEST time and was so excited when we told him where he was going. Seriously, I've never seen the kid more happy...maybe even happier than when Otto came home from the hospital. They had a great time and Paw did an excellent job documenting the entire trip for mom.

santa giving the mister a bell

he was pumped to talk to the conductor

he punched an "O"

thanks gigi

I Do

2008-12-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate five years of marriage. We've had fun reflecting on how we met, our first conversations, our first dates and our first year of marriage. I hope to get around to posting our story mainly because I like our story ;)
We also managed to squeeze in a date our friends ,Cory & Kelly, babysat for us after we left their son's birthday party. What great friends, thanks guys.

Entertain Me

2008-12-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law has some crazy nice and crazy rich friends in Houston that throw an amazing Christmas party. She has been to every party with video camera in tow to document the event. It continues to get bigger and bigger every year and this year I think Mark & Becky have out done themselves. This year the entertainer is wait for it Miley Cyrus. Seriously people Miley Cyrus! **I would like to note that every time I type Miley Cyrus I'm saying Hannah Botana in my head cuz that is what Ollie calls her** She is coming to their house for their Christmas party...she is performing in their backyard. How crazy is that and by the way I'm super excited.
When I heard her song See You Again I thought to self I wonder who this is and I think I like it. When I found out it was Hannah Botana I was surprised. I'd never watched her show and only knew of her dad. Sister is a secret fan and has confessed her love for Miley which was a good thing and I felt more comfortable and relaxed to know another adult liked her.
I just read/watched Twilight and now I'm admitting to liking Hannah Botana...I think I will have to post my more serious thoughts that I've only emailed to best friend Melissa.

Here is an article about the party. Did I mention I'm so so excited. I'm not a true fan but I do like her and anticipate an entertaining show. I've been listening to her songs because I'm afraid some tween is going to take me down at the concert for not singing every word along with them. Y'all know I'll try to get as close to the front as possible dragging my child with me. I watched the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both World Concert Tour this summer I know how serious these girls are and I am scared.

If you aren't familiar here she is folks.

trotted

2008-11-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

i ran/walked my first 10K on thanksgiving morning and i'm officially hooked. texarkana half-marathon here i come on 3/1/2009.

trotted across the finish line in 1:32:55...14:58 pace...for those of you who don't know, that's fast...for a grandmother...i am not a grandmother

-JJ

Turkey Trot

2008-11-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and Amber will be running the Turkey Trot in the morning. Prego here will not be running a 10K this year.

Tonight my cousin and I are putting our boys to bed & then we'll be trotting off to watch Twilight. I'm just hoping its as good as the book.

We are so excited to be home and we'll be packing in as much fun with family and friends as possible.

Come on!

2008-11-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Have you heard they may be getting closer to a movie.

If you aren't a fan give it a try. Please be patient its an acquired taste and the characters will grow on you. The show gets funnier as you get all the jokes and know the people. I guess that is why it was canceled...it was too funny.

All Aboard

2008-11-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hey East Texas bloggers what do you know about the the The Polar Express Ride? Let me know your thoughts. Ollie LOVES this movie and my mom & I plan on taking him this year.

Entertainment

2008-11-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

While my sister was reading the Twilight series she told me I had to read it. She said she couldn't put it down & she loved them...blah, blah, blah. She's always reading something and I didn't think much about it. But everywhere I turn I hear about this book. After a visit to our local library I found out there was a waiting list for the book and I'd be the 11th person on the list. More curious than ever we went straight to Target to purchase the book and I'm pleased to say I'm on the bandwagon. Have you read it? What are you reading?

Jeremy is reading The New Kings of Nonfiction. He loves This American Life and I mean loves it...maybe even obsessed.

Rock the Vote

2008-11-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

I didn't rock the vote today. I've was very confident (okay just a little confident) we completed all the paper work needed to be registered voters of our new county, Bowie, and didn't think much about it during this long election. Well, last week I thought I should check into it just in case I wanted to vote early. Apparently we are still registered in Harris County. At this point, I know my sweet mother-in-law is sighing in disappointment...sorry. I just couldn't drive from Texarkana to Houston to vote today. Maybe subconsciously I let this all happen because I have still not accepted that we actually live in Texarkana ;)

I didn't rock today BUT Compassion rocks. Our friend Brian and his brother-in-law are leading a a team of bloggers in the Dominican Republic. I love hearing from the compassion bloggers and their unique experiences. Read about it here. My mom will be glad to know Malboro Man and some of his kids are on the trip.

Hey Y'all

2008-10-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, we're pregnant again and expecting boy #3 in February. I'm 23 weeks along and we'll likely schedule our c-section the second week of February.

We're super duper excited, as Ollie would say. Although, Ollie had his heart set on a little sister. After watching the movie Enchanted he said he said his sister was going to be his true love...honestly, melt your heart with sweetness. We had a very difficult day or two trying to explain to him that God wants us to have another brother. You see this sweet lil man has been praying for a sister since Otto was an infant. His heart has been set on this for quite some time. Our sonogram appointment was a very tearful day for him, we thought he was prepped enough and we weren't prepared for his reaction. Thankfully, he's come around to idea of having a brother and has decided we'll have a sister next! Jeremy & Ollie will have to talk that one out.

Pregnancy may have that glowing, wonderful affect on you ***cough Stacy*** but for me its pretty much miserable all nine months. Ollie's pregnancy was the most difficult, I had severe and persistent nausea and vomiting known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum. I was admitted to the hospital on four different occasions. After a week at Texas Women's and still vomiting, I was sent home on home health care with my own IV & nurse via phone so we could do iv therapy when needed. I also found relief by wearing the zofran pump which pumps the zofran 24/7. I have been very thankful that Otto's pregnancy and this pregnancy have not been HG. Although its still been miserable I've had more severe and persistent nausea and less vomiting.

I've figured out what works for me with each pregnancy and I have my own survival guide. Never start the vomit cycle(once it begins I can't end it) and stay hydrated. I can not drink water but Gatorade has been my friend. Something about a regular coke work wonders. Just a month or so ago, I know my only calories for three or four days was from coke alone. As soon as I eat something or if Jeremy is cooking for him and the kids and the smell is to much I jump in shower. I have no idea why this works but I can take half a dozen showers a day. Oh and phenegran. I can take half doses throughout the day and remain functional.

I know some of you know exactly what this is like. I remember talking to Jenn right after I had Ollie and feeling such relief that someone else understood.

Jeremy, my mom & b/f Melissa have been supportive as I've cried to them on many occasions over the last 23 weeks. I've told myself, Jeremy & my mom, "Please remind me how miserable and depressed I am right now. I will forget and as soon as this lil guy is here I will want to be pregnant again! Please don't let me do this again!" There is a wide range of emotions when you are nauseated everyday. Is it fitting that my Bible study memory verse this week is Phil 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing.

We were in Savannah this past weekend for Melissa & Ryan's wedding. Will post more later. Here's ring bearer Ollie:

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

2008-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Here is my new favorite blog.

Seriously, I love this chick. We speak a language only her & I understand...I get her. I read this blog and miss her.

I love that my sister loves my kiddos and thinks they are as wonderful as I do. I also love that she loves my husband like a real brother. Once someone asked her how many brothers and sisters she had, she quickly replied one brother and one sister, they're married. Eh, I mean its my brother-in-law married to my sister. She just thinks of Jeremy as a brother and its very cool they get along so well. I must apologize in advance if you're ever in a movie theater with Amber and Jeremy, because they will be loud - very loud. The laughter level will be through the roof even when the scene isn't funny to you.

I'm very sad we will not be at ACL next weekend. Who else will help sister tell Lyle to slow it down - Texas is a big state.

Monday Menu

2008-08-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

I made Paula Dean's Hurry Up Chicken Pot yesterday after church. Jeremy LOVED it. He said it may have been the best thing I ever cooked. However, I just think its b/c he's been eating super healthy and hasn't had anything with butter much less a stick of butter melted over it. It was delicious and its so easy. We couldn't resist singing this while we ate. I'm sure Ollie thinks his parents are silly.

Ingredients:
2 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
Salt and pepper, optional
1 1/2 cup instant biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake at 350 until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Inspired by my friend Shannon here is my weekly menu.

Monday: Gumbo

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday-Friday: no cooking we're going out of town.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

2008-08-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Jeremy's 32nd birthday. I hope he has a special day....his last birthday was spent moving into our new house (we had movers and unpackers so it wasn't as bad as it sounds). He had a massage this morning, he is golfing this afternoon and tonight we're going to dinner without the kiddos. I'd like to send a special thanks to Jessica for babysitting.

Send him a text or call and wish him a happy birthday 903.908.0815.

Happy birthday babe, the house of jansens loves you.

ATX for the Ark-La-Tex

2008-07-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Aunt Ambo is leaving the ATX and visitng us in the Ark-La-Tex. We are so excited to have her come and hang with us for a week (or 2)...the benefits of teaching ;) She is bringing GiGi too...we'll be celebrating my mom's recent decision to be a full-time grandma! Woo-hoo.

Ambo has taught Ollie countless funny things...who knows what they'll come up in their time together this week. Sometimes we call Amber just leave her a Hot Pocket voicemail. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zewDAa99Ns8

Country Fun

2008-07-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Melissa, and her fiance, Ryan, are coming to Texarkana for the weekend. We are so excited to have friends come to our part of the world. Mel lives in Midtown where there are great places to eat and great hangouts around every corner. Lets just say Texarkana is different than that. We're gonna have some good ole country fun...I hope they are ready for it!

watch this

2008-05-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

have you seen this? candi and i watched it last night...words can't describe my feelings on this documentary...up there with spellbound and the devil and daniel johnston...and if you haven't seen those either, then...well...it's time.

establishing the hoj

2008-05-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

You have probably never wondered why this blog is called "House of Jansen." Believe it or not there is more to it than a lack of creativity. (about as creative as the Dave Matthews Band amirite?) There is actually a backstory to our little slice of the internets.

Candi and I got married in the winter of 2003. After enjoying our free honeymoon at the El Dorado Royale in the sunny Riveria Maya, we quickly settled in to new life as a married couple. OK, "settled in" might be pushing it a little bit. We didn't quite kill each other, but came pretty close a couple of times in those first couple of months. I think the false expectations set by a couple in that first little while after they say "I do" sort of creates this hyper-sensitive reality. Every little thing wrongly said or done leads the offended spouse with the fear that "this is how my marriage is going to be!" At least that's how it seemed to us. You might be thinking to yourself, "wait a minute, did he say, 'free honeymoon?'" Long story, but there are definitely perks to being on staff at a church.

Because the wedding was so close to Christmas, I think was important to get each other gifts that would be meaningful and memorable. For instance, I got Candi a box set of the Chronic-what-cles of Narnia because it was so important to me as a child and she had never read it. Candi wanted to get me something special also. She thought long and hard about it, and came up with a great idea. In an attempt to celebrate her new name, she would get a metal plaque that we could hang on the outside wall. You know, "The Jansen's Live Here" or "Welcome to the Jansen's." The end result wound up being much more comical. Apparently someone got the order wrong, and we ended up with a plaque that says "House of Jansen." I'm not exactly sure why it's so funny to me, but it could be that everytime I read it in my head I am speaking with my best Sean Connery as King Arthur accent. "Welcome to the House of Jansen, may I interest you in a chalice of mead and a boar's leg?"

I'm pretty sure it hurt Candi's feelings on that first Christmas morning when I laughed out loud as I opened her present, but she's probably over it. Probably.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful to have a great mom AND a great mother-in-law too. Happy Mother's Day! We love you both.

mind = blown

2008-05-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

holy crap...do you watch lost? here are my questions from last nights episode:

what is the connection between abaddon (creepy black orderly/oceanic lawyer guy) and widmore?
how is locke supposed to move the island?
is claire dead?
why doesn't richard age?
why didn't locke pass "the test" that richard gave him?
is widmore dharma? (keamy got that dharma book from the safe)

thoughts?

enriching the hoj

2008-05-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

this summer is all about enrichment...the house of jansen will be taking lessons...lots of lessons...we're all learning new stuff at the same time...should be fun...

ollie: swimming lessons at our local gym/waterpark/babysitting facility.

candi: sewing lessons from a lady at hancocks fabrics.

jeremy: guitar lessons from this guy and golf lessons at this place.

otto: pouting lessons from this big brother.

is your family taking lessons?

tonight

2008-05-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

candi made this for dinner...we watched this guy get the axe...fed otto out of one these...watched ollie play with these in the bathtub and listened to him sweetly do this...candi watched this in our room to get ready for this...i watched this in the living room and then went here to read about the scientific accuracy of the plot with all the other dorks...it was a good night

-jj

Funny, Heartbreaking & Sweet

2008-04-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

I saw this movie last fall with Jeremy & my sister and I recommended it to serveral friends after watching it. I was thinking it could've been one my favorite movies of '07 so I rewatched this weekend.

I realize a lot of good movies came out last year and I didn't see any of the "big ones" (atonement, there will be blood, no country, etc.) I did see Juno. Being a huge Arrested Development fan I was so happy to see Michael Cera and Jason Bateman together again. Any Arrested Development fans out there?

Lars and the Real Girl is funny, sweet and heartbreaking...I hope you like it too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1XxILVnt1w

Spring Fashion Fiesta!

2008-04-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Spring Fashion Fiesta! Hosted by Big Mama.

I definitely have a daily "uniform" and a few favorite things. Its good to see other SAHM with "uniforms". Once a neighbor commented, "Oh, look you're wearing your favorite shirt again". Hmm...I guess people other than my husband have noticed I wear the same thing over and over.

If you were to stop by house unannounced or see me running errands I'm certain I'd be wearing something pictured below.

This is the uniform: I had to pull the shirt out of the dryer and remove the pants and shoes from my body to take this picture. Shirt and pants were purchased at American Apparel. I also have black yoga pants from Banana Republic I bought in 2002 and a couple from Target I will wear if the American Apparel pants are dirty.

This black shirt from America Apparel is a favorite and also worn weekly. I also have a black maternity shirt from Target I wear if this one is dirty. These are always paired with one of the above mentioned black pants. The hat is commonly thrown on if I'm going to see anyone and I don't have time to brush my hair :)

I'll throw on these Gap jeans and this pullover when I get Ollie from school or go to the grocery if I don't want to look like I've been lounging all day. I have dozens of different designer jeans (my sister worked at diesel while in college and i got 50% off clothes) but Gap is still a favorite. I wish I had the pullover in every color.

This is my favorite shirt! Its the American Apparel tri-blend deep v-neck . I have a couple of these shirts and I wear them everywhere. I add a scarf to shirt b/c it is a very deep v-neck.

Here is a cute sweater I got at American Apparel after I saw my sister wearing it. Noticing an American Apparel theme...I didn't realize so many things I wore came from this store. I wear this outfit if I'm dressing up for week night dinner at a restaurant ;)

My go to shoes: I love my Lucchese boots, chucks and Toms. The Toms are about to be retired as they are absolutely gross. I've had each of the flip flops for 5 + years.

I just got these skirts at, you guessed it, American Apparel. I'll wear any clean t-shirt with them.

Oh, and an all time fav are the victoria secret pjs. I have them in 3 different colors and they are so comfy. (the left leg is completely stretched out at the bottom...the original size should look more like the right)

Just thought I'd share my SAHM clothes. I do own some cute stuff and can "clean up nicely" for a date, drinks with friends, or church. Oh, and I have lots of high heels :)

--cj

otto is home

2008-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

we got out of the hospital today...otto's white blood cell count has returned to normal levels, and the doc let him out...anybody who knows anything about medicine might be interested to know that his white blood cellcount was 27,800 yesterday morning...this morning it was back down to 12,200
(which is still a touch high I think)...they are pretty sure it was/is a bacterial infection, but we don't know the source of it...candi seems to think it was because she caught him eating ollie's shoe the other day :)

all that to say, thanks for the prayers, everything seems to be fine...

-jj

Praying for Otto tonight

2008-04-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Otto woke up happy & well today and by 2:30 pm he was admitted to the hospital! He was great and then at 11:40 am the vomitting began. He wasn't himself so I took him to the doctor and he had gone to worse. His white blood count came back really high and admitting him overnight to the hospital was precautionary. He's been on antibiotics for week due to a sinus infection and we're hoping he can continue to fight off whatever is attacking him.
Our poor baby was so very dehydrated today. They poked and prodded for a vein to get the IV started...5 veins collapsed and 3 nurses tried and after 45 minutes they got it going. He was such a trooper and I did okay too.
Jeremy is staying with Otto tonight and he'll be able to talk with our doctor when he does his 6am rounds. I don't "do doctor talk " well that early, so I'm home with Ollie. Ollie was not interested in coming home with me and was very disappointed he was not spending the night with Max. My friend, Kelly, picked Ollie up from preschool and took care of him this afternoon and evening. I'm so thankful for good friends that we can depend on like family. Thanks McGahas.

Here is Otto with his nurses before the IV ordeal.

What Do You Love?

2008-04-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

While eating lunch last week, Ollie told me his heart was in his stomach. I asked him if he had love in his heart and told him I had love in my heart. I was thinking I could talk about how I love Jesus. First, you must undestand talking about Jesus this Easter season was a little much for our 3 year old. Jesus dying on a cross, being buried and rising after 3 days was pretty mind blowing and to top it all off he now lives in heaven with God our Father. WOW. A few weeks before Easter Sunday he decided he did NOT like Jesus.
Somehow our conversation at the table didn't end up being about loving Jesus; however, it went a little more like this:

Me: what do you love buddy?

O: (quick response) watching movies

Me: what else?

O: tee teeing outside. (we live in the country and that is just what you do when your backyard is the woods)

Me: (i now realize he is so cute i think i'm gonna go with this and we'll talk about Jesus later)
really?! what else do you love?

O: playing golf with my daddy (enthusiastic response)

Me: awesome. what else buddy?

O: i love you watching me play golf (so sweet)

Me: oh me too. what else do you love ollie?

O: sleeping in baby otto's room with my friend, gigi (my mom)

Me: is there anything else you love?

O: i just love watching movies!

Most days (and definitely not everyday) I love staying at home with my boys and just being a mom. I love moments like these and glimpses of my child's heart and his world.

What do you love?

oh yeah...i love Jesus...

2008-04-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

you may or may not know this about me, but i am a district manager for an insurance company...i used to be a youth pastor...since my career change, i have often have to remind myself that you don't end meetings in the business world with the words "let's pray."

we had a huge hail storm in texarkana this week, and it has been a pretty stressful time...honestly i feel like it is wednesday afternoon at youth camp...meaning that i am wiped out and still have a couple days to go...here is what i am i am trying to say...who am i chosing to be in middle of my stress? i feel like i need a flashing button that says, "oh yeah...i love Jesus"

-JJ

unsanitized, unpasteurized music

2008-04-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Dan Zanes Rocks.

Our family loves his music. Has your family discovered a love for him too?

Dan Zanes and Friends’ “Catch That Train!” the 2007 Grammy Award winner for Best Musical Album for Children. Buy it today and have a good ole fashion dance party in your living room (or if you're a super cool art teacher, like my sister, you can have a dance party with your students).

time to slow down (now with pics)

2008-03-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

here's what we've been up to:

- drove to houston (5 hours + 2 kids = long night)
- gave our dog away
- shopping at american apparel
- cool houston hair cut
- wilco show (wow)
- refreshments with melissa and ryan
- candi drove the car off the driveway
- jeremy golf (won $21)
- baby grace's bday party (jared and jennifer's little one)
- pawpaw's birthday lunch at nene's
- drove back to the arklatex (what a weekend)
- candi bootcamp
- max came over to play
- candi bootcamp
- big meeting with company folks
- jeremy golf with company folks (won $20)
- candi bootcamp
- jeremy golf with ollie after work
- dinner with cassy and fred
- candi bootcamp
- fence building with fred (still sore)
- candi stalking the tennessee seays at chick-fil-a
- grilled out with the cult-de-sac
- church
- jeremy golf (lost $7)
- fight about jeremy playing too much golf
- baker brother's salads (could be the highlight of the week)

pictures we took (before the battery died)

Cool Cat

2008-03-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

So the idea for this blog started when we moved to Texarkana. Ollie had said a few things, you know write this down in his baby book kind of things. The problem is I don't have a baby book and chose a blog as a forum for documenting our growing family. Pretty much my parents and sister, mother-in-law and best friend, Melissa (& Ryan), seem to enjoy my Ollie (& Otto) stories the most. So this post is for you guys and anyone else who wants to hear me go on and on about my kid.

A few things Ollie came up this week:
#1
Lil man has a hard time remembering to stop what he playing and run to the bathroom when he needs to go. Saturday when we were playing outside he made a habit of "relieving himself" in the grass when he needed to go. I would praise him for going b/c thankfully he remembered to stop playing and pee but he didn't have time to make it inside to a bathroom. When we got home and were showering I explained to him that his wee wee was private. His best playmate is our 5 year old neighbor girl and obviously Ollie doesn't understand boundaries older kids get. So, I told him he should tee-tee in private and no one needs to see him do that especially girls. He was quick to tell me "NO, my wee wee is a Cool Cat!" It was hard to hold back my grin...I really couldn't argue with the dude. I'll leave the rest up to dad to handle.
*I'd like to note that I have never referred to anything as a cool cat to my son. I have no clue where he heard this.
#2
Ollie's been talking about some kid in his class that has a fish. I'm not sure if this fish is at school or if this something they are talking about. My understanding of the 3 year old language varies day to day. I completely forgot about our fish "conversation" yesterday at the grocery store when I told him we were eating fish tonight. He completely freaked out "NO! Mommy NOT FISH". I instantly recalled our talk about the fish he's so fond of. He ended up being okay with fish and requested fish steaks(sticks). I felt like this issue was over until I played Nemo this morning and they said fish are friends, not food. Dang! I hope he didn't hear that :)
#3
Not that funny but still worth sharing. Jeremy has been known to give Ollie a dollar here and there for something random. Like Saturday, he held a the swinging "contest" on the duel tree swings in our neighbor's yard and paid the winners a dollar. Of course Ollie lost but he still got money. I didn't realize he gave the money back to his dad. As we were leaving the grocery store yesterday, he asked to get the candy "egg" out of those little red machines they put at eye-level for kids (gotta start that consumerism early). I told him to save his coins and dollars and he could use them at the store. He is obsessed with pockets and he thinks its fun to put stuff in there...so I'll put money in pocket for him give to his teacher for pizza on pizza day. Again, I forgot about the pizza money in the pocket thing...suddenly he began crying "But, Ms. Mandy has ALL my money". So so so sad he thinks the teacher is taking his money. I think I'm gonna need to hand deliver the pizza money I'm afraid Ollie will start keeping it all!

We're headed to Houston for a weekend of fun. We've got lots of plans and hopefully we'll take some pics and post. I may even come back with shorter hair.

Here are some pictures I snapped of them today.

we don't beat our kids (that much)

2008-02-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

It seems like so many kids we know have gotten sick in the past couple of months. I've caught myself thinking wow Ollie hasn't been sick in a long time. Its inevitable the moment I think or dare say it out loud we'll all get it. This weekend we discovered Ollie has a case of Fifth Disease. I tried to ignore it for a couple of days and dismiss it as allergies, but Saturday morning it was clear that something was definitely abnormal. Perfect, a sick kid on the weekend. Luckily our neighbor is Abe is a doctor, who Misty refers to as "doc on the block," and was kind enough to diagnose our child. All that to say, I didn't slap Ollie on the face to make him smile for the camera, he just has a crazy rash.

bonus: baby otto looking cute and eating his shoe!

NeNe Update

2008-02-22T13:11:00.001-08:00

Thanks for your prayers people. NeNe is doing great and recovering at home. She only spent a few days in the hosital...I'm very delayed on the update.

I love my NeNe...isn't she a cutie?! She is one stylish and hip grandma. I also think its cute that she has an iPod. Last summer she floated the Guadalupe River with her grandchildren (or was it the Comal, Leah). I was not one of the grandchildren floating the river, I was 7 months pregnant and not up for an adventure.

I must admit I've not taken advantage of learning from her. She cooks great food from scratch...Jeremy is always impressed with her. She paints, does all the needle arts and crafts, sews & quilts. I love her quilts the most. They are handmade and even hand stitched (some machine stitched). Everyone in the family gets a quilt. Babies always get a baby quilt. I got a quilt in high-school made out old denim she even used jeans that were once worn by my dad. After I graduated college I was given a quilt and again as a wedding gift. NeNe has stacks and stacks and stacks of quilts she's made just sitting her house. Over the years, we've talked about them, admired them and on occasion laid them out on the floor to get a better look. Last Christmas, after all the presents were opened, she let everyone pick out a quilt. It was quite a surprise, there were more quilts than people and choosing the right one was a task. Talk about hard decisions, each special in their own way and all special because she made them.

Anyway, just wanted to give a shout out to the cool lady I call NeNe.

Angel Baby

2008-02-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

Otto is so cute these days. He is 6 months old and I can't believe how much he has grown. I have been enjoying every second of him. I really don't want him to hit anymore milestones...its going by too fast for me. I was just telling my best friend, Melissa, how laid back I am with Otto. With Ollie everything was so new...I anticipated every stage of his development. I'm so different with Otto. I don't read any emails about development, I don't wonder about what's next, I'm not concerned that we have no schedule and I don't follow the "rules". Otto just started sleeping in his bed. I've been nursing him so its so easy to keep him bed with us :) He is sleeping in his bed now and sleeps from 9ish to 7ish. Last night from 9ish to 6:4oish. He is pretty much a rock star. He's truly a good baby...he's been so easy from day 1.
I'm so thankful for him and often refer to him as "angel baby" (sometimes "that baby" but more frequently "angel baby").
Otto is also my firecracker, he'll let you know if he doesn't like something. He's already a social butterfly...he can be ready to sleep and then I take him out to see people and he beams. It seems like he may have more personality than Ollie, is that even possible? Ollie is like his dad, give him the stage and he'll put on a show for you.

Otto's big milestones these days: sitting up and moving up a class at sunday school! I was so sad when I found out he was no longer in the baby, baby class(that is my official name for it). He also decided to sit up early. Like I mentioned, I don't read the books but my doctor was very surprised that he was sitting up and commented he was early doing that. I'm pretty sure the old guy didn't believe me, so he sat Otto up on the table and gave him something to play with. Otto performs well under pressure and was up for impressing the doctor. I'm glad he is wanting to sit up but I'd rather him just need his mommy. for a little while longer.
Here is a picture of my sweet angel baby.

Not quite a cult-de-sac.

2008-02-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't say we're a cult-de-sac like the Tennesse Seays , but we really like hanging out with our neighbors. Saturday afternoon Jeremy decided to grill out...amazing weather this weekend don't you Texans agree? Anyway, we invited everyone over from our street to come eat with us. Jeremy set up his laptop and projector and we played Ratatouille on our garage. We had steaks, sides, some amazing bread (Thanks Jennifer), beer and lots of fun. Here are some of our sweet neighbors below: Robin (holding Cannon), Siby, Misty, Cassy, Kelly (not a neighbor just my good friend) & me holding my precious angel.

Sunday after church everyone was back outside in the cul-de-sac doing some sidewalk chalk art and riding Cassy's old Spree scooter (remember those)? Oh and I got a iPhone this weekend. What a great weekend! Here are the pics:

Sweet baby Otto.

Fred driving Mady around...he was a little crazy on the spree so I wouldn't let Ollie ride.

Ollie upset b/c he can't ride the Spree.

NeNe

2008-02-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

We are in Houston for the weekend. Candi's grandma (Roy's mom) went in for a heart cath on Friday that turned into to triple bypass. She is doing fine, and is expected to be out of ICU in the next couple of days. We love NeNe and are praying for a speedy and full recovery. We know she will be quilting and making her famous rolls (from scratch) before we know it. Please remember to say a prayer for her!

--JJ

aaron can't find his pants

2008-01-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

this is funny...real funny...read about it here.

woweeweewa

2008-01-25T08:08:00.001-08:00

Ok...I cancelled my appointments today...pretty much over my stomach condition, but still not quite myself...it's icing up outside, and I-30 will probably be a circus...i'm moving my office next week (nightmare)...leaving for scottsdale for a work trip on sunday (don't feel sorry for me, it's a golfing trip in a town basically known as golfing mecca, and the hotel we are staying at happens to also be hosting the afc champion new england patriots for the week as the superbowl happens to be in the same town, so i'll be hanging with tom brady and mike vrabel )...i'm trying to get my tax info tidied up before i leave town...not that any of those are excuses, but all of that added up to me needing to be in the office.

all that to say, i have my door shut, my headphones in, and my itunes a-shufflin'...a radiohead track just came up that i hadn't listened to in a long time (rediscovering songs you forgot about is one of the best things about setting itunes to shuffle)...so i changed the itunes mode to play continously, and i have been so very enjoying "ok computer"...this is one of the best albums ever made...seriously...if you like any sort of indie-rock/adult alternative/brit-pop, you can thank the beatles...then very quickly turn your gratitude toward these musical giants...thom yorke's voice is...well...it's good...really good...just wow...and i forgot...shame on me

very serious

--JJ

aka naked lady party

2008-01-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

my sister went to "clothes swap 2008," aka naked lady party, this past weekend. i'm so jealous of her cool austin life. i mean she is a sxsw volunteer and is able to see cool shows and meet cool people for one solid week every year. seriously nothing remotely cool happens in the ark-la-tex.

back to the party, this is where 20 or so girls (with great clothes) bring their old clothing, shoes, purses, & other accessories and obviously they swap items. one of the cool things about this particular clothes swap is that some or all (i have no idea) of the austin craft mafia girls are a part of it and they bring hand-made, unique pieces :) i'm hoping i can steal (i mean swap) a few of my sisters new clothes.

i have a link with instructions (written and video) on how to host a clothes swap. http://naughtysecretaryclub.blogspot.com/

oh and if your aren't familiar with austin craft mafia here ya go and happy shopping.
http://www.austincraftmafia.com/companyinfo.html

-cj

boo

2008-01-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

i have a stomach bug...and am working on my taxes...go ahead...kick me in the teeth...it would have to be better than today :)

--JJ

Ollie is 3

2008-01-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

just three years ago i was having panic attacks in the hospital b/c i knew very soon they'd be seding me home with a baby to be responsible for. my mom reminded me of that this weekend. it was not so funny at the time but so funny now.

i had no idea oliver mccall jansen would be so amazing and my best buddy. i've had the best time being ollie's mom and enjoy watching him learn and grow.

this week we celebrated ollie. thursday we had a chuck-e-cheese party with a few other 3 year old kids. saturday aunt ambo, gigi, paw and our neighborhood friends came over for a lil birthday party.

in action blowing out the candles.

grrr...he got this lion costume from our neighbors

3 years old and riding a bike like a big boy

he goes to preschool and wears a backpack

OLLIE IS:

clever

courageous (we've seen the emergency room occasionally in his 3 short years of life)

adventurous (hence the er visits)

exciting

witty

funny (he like to make up knock knock jokes...like our friend, jackson smith)

encouraging (he is always quick to praise his dad for a good swing of the golf club)

atheletic (the kid is a golfer he's got his golf clubs and practices daily)

kind hearted

loved

my sweet mother-in-law has a prayer and verse for each of her grandchildren. this is the prayer she prayed for ollie from day 1.

"may you always be healthy, happy, holy, wise, kind and capable."

"he is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it's fruit in due season and whose leaf does not wither. whatever he does prospers."
psalm 1:3

--cj

i'm losing it...

2008-01-16T12:16:00.001-08:00

238 this morning...25 lbs down

--jj

Crazy Craving

2008-01-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

It is possible that I haven't been getting enough fat in my diet. Those who know me well will find this hard to believe. But I have been really trying to lose weight since October, and it starting to pay-off. Believe it or not, I am down 23 lbs. The morning of 10/13 I weighed in at an embarrassing 263. It really is humiliating to write that. I am down to 240 with an end goal of 193. As a side note, my college roommate Dave Sartain (affectionately known as "Swole" to those in the loop) has just gone from 285 to 199. Pretty impressive.

All that to say, one of my main focuses is calorie restriction. Most days I log everything I eat on http://www.thedailyplate.com/ and I highly recommend this to anyone on a quest to shed a few. Something strange happened to me on Tuesday though. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the office to pick something up for Candice and from the moment I walked in the door, all I wanted was cheese. Not just any cheese; I wanted expensive, full-fat, gourmet cheese. Mind you, I have never purchased gourmet cheese in my life. I headed straight to the deli and was confronted with a shockingly enormous amount of options. Texarkana, TX is definitely not the place that you would expect to find brie or roquefort (sp?), but it was all there. I knew I wanted something creamy that I could spread on my "everything" bagel crisps, and here is what I ended up with.

(fancy photshop montage)

Kaukauna Pepper Jack Cheese Ball, Alouette Elegante Spreadable Gourmet Cheese with Olive and Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade (sounds fancy eh?) and Denmark's Finest Creamy Havarti with Dill...it was all good...very good.

--JJ

wow

2008-01-09T18:54:00.002-08:00

my friend from college aaron ivey and his wife jamie are in the process of adopting 2 kids from haiti...pretty amazing/stressful/challenging stuff...keep the sweet ivey family in your prayers as they go through the process...jamie is in haiti with the kids right now...you can read about it at:

http://dreamingbigdreams.wordpress.com/

jj

Daddy got a new camera

2007-12-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

ottomatic for the people

cassy and fred's party...good times

ollie on his "bike"...it has a bell

cute kid...cute mama

champ

Four Years.

2007-12-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Candice & Jeremy 12.6.03

Nov Pics

2007-11-30T11:34:00.001-08:00

We had a great time visiting Amber and her friend Cory took our pictures. Thanks Cory. coryryan.com

Thanksgiving at NeNe's house with Leah and Clark. Clark was born 2 days after Otto. He was born a lil early and such a cutie...well he was crying about the pictures but trust me he is cute.

Ollie wanted to go fishing so he could catch a whopper. Holidays at the Jansens is about outdoor boy fun. We did have to visit the ER Thanksgiving evening b/c Ollie fell (that is another blog).

Sweet baby Otto...what can say about this little angel. He is beautiful.

I love Ollie's lil pose here...I think he is pretending to be Skarlo, a puppy. He slips in and out of character throughout the day. Check out the sweet Daniel Johnston shirt I picked up at Waterloo.

Am I Crazy

2007-11-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

I can NOT bring myself to leave my baby with a sitter. My parents always babysat Ollie and when we moved to Texarkana Ollie was almost 2 and we found a great babysitter, Brooke. Unfortunately, she left for college this fall and we haven't found local babysitter. I'm more than willing to leave my baby with my parents anytime. I even left 7 week old Otto and Ollie with my parents while Jeremy & I took a weekend trip.
Last night our sweet neighbors, Cassy & Fred, wanted to go watch the Cowboys at a bar...sounds like fun right. Cassy's sister was willing and available to babysit but the idea of going out without Otto made me cry. I spend ALL day in this house with 2 small children you'd think I'd jump on the chance to spend a night with adults and adult drinks! I continue to pass on opportunities to wear real clothes, engage in adult conversation and use words other than yummy, stinky, and various cooing sounds.
I'm making some effort to find a sitter though. I called my friend Kristen to see if she'd pass along a babysitter. We've got boys the same age and b/c of her husband's job they spend football season in NY...I wouldn't feel as bad stealing her babysitter considering she is gone half the year.
Wish me luck...we've got a work Christmas party in 2 weeks and I plan to leave the boys with a sitter that night. Can I do this without crying?!

life here in the ark-la-tex

2007-11-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

life in the ark-la-tex is good. yup, thats right the ark-la-tex...arkansas, texas & louisiana. there is also an awesome song on a news station that talks about life here in the ark-la-tex...it's so freakin awesomely BAD. really the news stations & commercials here are awful...after a year i'm still not adjusted.
anyway, life here in the ark-la-tex is going well...we really enjoy our neighborhood. we've got some great neighbors with small kids that ollie enjoys trying to keep up with. *note his face in the pirate picture below* we got some new newlyweds neighbors that we enjoy hanging out with as well. if we could only find a babysitter we could hang out with them more.

our dear friends, melissa & ryan, continue to ask for a blog update on the boys. here you go guys...
i love the rock star poster of otto...i want to print it poster size and hang it in his nursery.

otto is smiling for ollie in both these pictures...he is crazy about his brother. otto is smiling, talking(cooing) and laughing these days. he is growing too fast....i think he is trying to cut a tooth. crazy i know.
pirate ollie & his friend, diego, at his preschool halloween party. ollie's face isn't dirty from candy...he actually fell off his tricycle and ate concrete...he is one tough kid.

i LOVE this picture...here is ollie & future wife. thanks to amber for his tattoo.

the family is heading to austin this weekend to visit aunt ambo. amber's friend cory will be taking our family pictures. she rocks...check her out coryryan.com we hope to have some fabulous family pictures to post soon.

peace, cj

baby grace

2007-09-23T19:57:00.001-07:00

ollie and otto's cousin grace anne came to visit this weekend (along with uncle jared and aunt jenn) it was really fun for all...

cute cousins

a very happy little girl

what?

ollie really wanted to help

Funny

2007-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ollie said some funny stuff this weekend...

Candice and Ollie went to Target. When walking by the lingerie aisle Ollie pointed at the bras and asked, "what are those?" Candice replied, "what do you think they are?" Ollie said, "booby traps!"

I was wiping his nose, and he looked at me and said, "I have hamburgers in my nose daddy!"

Candice was getting ready to go somewhere...She asked Ollie if she looked good, and he said, "yeah, that jacket doesn't work so much."

funny kid

pitchers

2007-09-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

a little photo update to keep the everyone off my back...hey...i've been busy

5 day old lil' fella

ollie looks like a giant

otto: i know kung fu

daddy: show me

big boy fell asleep on the job

(you can keep the fat comments to yourself...i'm packing it on to go on next season's The Biggest Loser)

this IS my happy face!

Boys will be...

2007-09-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

ollie had a friend over sunday after church...they found a muddle puddle...

we are so glad max's parents are as laid back as us about their kid getting dirty (isn't max so cute...we love max's parents...they were some of our first friends in texarkana)

what's that on ollie's face? ever heard of a milk mustache? well this is a mud beard...we caught him drinking muddy water...never too early to build that immune system

ollie's favorite drinking hole

thanks seth

2007-08-27T20:00:00.001-07:00

the first time my long lost friend seth woods put a wilco album in the cd player, i boldly proclaimed, "i'm not ready for that dude." well a solid 5 years and 3 albums later, i tell you seth, wilco could very well be my favorite band of all time. i have survived coldplay, rose and fell with u2, embraced radiohead, and even kicked the shins (ok, the last one was a stretch). but wilco...they are a part of me.

the funny thing about it is that seth prolly hates the latest release from wilco. it is way too accessible and clean. but that is the beauty of the album that my hirsute-austinite-hipster-even-though-you-would-die-if-someone-ever-called-you-that-to-your-face friend is likely missing . the songs have a lack of complexity and noise that the band has buried themselves in, over the last couple of albums (although it is hard to argue with yhf). all you get is pure songwriting from the greatest american band of our generation.

it is quite possible that not everyone reading this post is "ready for wilco ." but trust me, when you "get it" you'll wonder how you could ever go back to life before. if you think you are ready rush out and pick up easily my favorite album of 2007, sky blue sky.

did you know?

2007-08-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

my sister janica has been painting professionally for the last couple of years... she is on this circle kick right now (she's doing some for otto's nursery)... most of her stuff is modern/abstract with bright colors... she has sold everything she has ever painted (thanks ebay)... check her out at http://www.artformodernhomes.com/

poo poo party

2007-08-24T18:56:00.001-07:00

ollie went poo poo in the potty like a big boy...so we had a party...what did we have?? you guessed it...brownies

it will be a good day when candice doesn't have to change 2 sets of diapers...

4 things i like to do

2007-08-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

1. golf...if i was without my family for a whole afternoon, prolly the best way i could think to spend it would be playing golf...we actually joined a local country club here in texarkana (trust me, it's not what you think)

2. football...8 days until the first texas longhorns game...my mom's dad (joseph schwarting) was captain of the team in 1942

3. tv...lost, heroes, old episodes of arrested development

4. teh internetz...gizmodo.com, yahoo.com, cbssportsline.com (by far the best sports site)

football

2007-08-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

football season is right around the corner and I am fired up...horns on saturdays...fantasy football on sundays...the best time of year

let me know if you need to join a fantasy league...I know a good one...

Ollie likes Colt McCoy and the horns

more pics of the boys

2007-08-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

my mom sent me these pictures she took, and I thought I should add them...great shots mom!

that's a cool kid...not afraid to kiss his mama

brothas

ollie wanted to be wrapped up like a baby too

home and happy

Harvey Karp

2007-08-21T20:39:00.001-07:00

Is he a quack?

Is he a revolutionary?

Who is he?

Dr. Harvey Karp...my best friend...seriously, this guy's stuff really seems to work with lil' Otto just like it worked with Ollie...I spread the word of Karp to all parents with infants.

www.thehappiestbaby.com

Sushing Loudly,

Infallibilty of the Papacy

2007-08-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

This guy's name is Otto Jansen too...he was a 17th century French theologian who challenged the infalliblity of the Papacy...say that 3 times...my son has roots baby!!

Although it would be cool to be named after a French Theolgian somewhat responsible for shaping modern protestant thought, we actually named our son Otto after Otto Eugene Jansen (born in 1898). He was my great-grandfather. O.E., as he was known around the town of Dayton, TX, was married to a sweet little number named Virginia Brunson. They had a son named Eugene who had a son named Ralph, who had a son named Jeremy who had a son named Otto. Whoa...circular...

Lee (Otto's middle name) was my dad's and is Candice's dad's middle name...Our other son Oliver shares Candice's maiden name as his first name, and has the same middle name as guess who>>??...that's right me!! Oliver McCall or Ollie Mac as he is known in the ArkLaTex (that's not made up...the locals really call the area by that lovely moniker) is very proud of the new addition. When he met Otto, he jumped off the bed, looked me in the eyes, and said..."Can Otto come play trains with me?" Doesn't get much cuter than that.

Ottomatic

2007-08-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

What a great day...The House of Jansen just got full...Otto Lee Jansen...6 lbs 15 oz...born at 12:21pm on 8/17/07...Big Brother Ollie is excited about having a playmate...Candice and the baby are doing great...I'll let the pictures tell the story...

Nothing hotter than a woman doing laundry at 40 weeks pregnant

Ollie is helping mommy not fall over...

Hospitals rule!

Lightweight C-Section pic#1 (anyone who wants to see the gross stuff is gonna have to come visit)

mmm...The creamy miracle of life

Meet the Parents

Crowd Pleaser

"Now, what is it that you want me to eat?" -Otto

Look at those little Jansen men

Praise and Honor be to God for the wonderful little man he has given us!!