My Loves

Happy Valentine's Day to my three loves.....love my little family!

Stuck in between

It's been a season of stuck in between lately for me. Stuck in between pain and tolerance. Between anger and forgiveness. Between agony and contentment. When your "fat pants" are too big and your next size down are too small. Friends, it's a very frustrating place to be.

After dealing with some pretty intense personal things in early November to rushing through the holidays it seems I was spit out in January absolutely exhausted. January is such a depressing month for me in general. Holiday decorations have been put away. Parties have stopped. The weather gets more severe, and things at work slow to a snail's pace. It gives me a lot of time to contemplate what has been going on in my life. This year I have realized that I am stuck in a quagmire, unable to really make headway in any direction. I've been struggling against myself and against situations that are far out of my control. My energy is depleted and my patience is thin.

February has begun and I hope to have a path to move toward this month. I started reading a book called Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. It's all about teaching yourself to give your situations over to God and allow Him to rule the situations of your life. I am hoping that this book will illuminate that path I so desperately look for, and will provide some spiritual renewal that I believe will help bolster other energies. If you have any extra energy just hanging around your house, could you bottle it up and send it my way?

Happy Birthday Cecelia!

Today our sister-in-law, Cecelia, celebrates her 30th birthday. We want to wish her the very best as she begins a new decade. We love you!

WVU Basketball

Today the Tenneys spent the afternoon with our good friends Josh and Anna Robinson at the WVU Coliseum watching the Mountaineers take on the #8 Purdue Boilermakers. It was Morgan and my first game of 2011, and boy was it a good one. Morgan got her first Zul (frozen sweet lemonade) of the new year, and we all got free Gold Rush t-shirts! It was a sloppy game by both teams, with less than 50 points total at the half. But the second half was much better and the Coliseum got L-O-U-D!

I'm pretty sure that is Greg Gumble of CBS Sports down there.
WVU basketball great, Da'Sean Butler (a member of last year's Final Four team)

Head coach Bob Huggins, yelling at the refs for yet another horrible call.

The 'Eers were able to come out with a 4 point victory today, and we loved singing Country Roads at the end of the game (a WVU tradition after every home football and basketball win). Next week we'll be back at the Coliseum for the next home game. We can't wait!

Nothing says "a 4 year old girl lives here" like naked Barbies in the bathtub.

Nothing says "I am rushed every morning" like getting to work and discovering you have on one brown boot and one black boot.

Nothing says "I hate reading out loud" like asking your preschooler to get out her story reader and sit next to you for a bed time story.

Nothing says "my husband loves me" like watching him clean up dog vomit just so you won't have to.

Nothing says "I don't know, why don't you tell me what's for dinner?" like an empty oven.

Nothing says "Mommy needs to be alone for one blasted second!" like a locked bathroom door.

Nothing says "I love you" like a strawberry on the cheek.

Nothing says "I'm overwhelmed" like noticing that it is awfully quiet but not going to investigate because you are enjoying the peace.

Nothing says "Mommy body" like a roadmap of stretchmarks on your stomach.

Nothing says "You may think I'm trustworthy in the bathroom, but I'm not" like a counter full of hand soap and a floor full of water.

Nothing says "A four year old girl lives here" like naked Barbies in the bathtub.

Dec 25-31 Review

The last week of 2010 was very busy, but very fun for the Tenney family. I plan to post the recap of each day under the actual day it happened, so you will have to look back into 2010 to see what we did. We had lots of fun and took lots of pictures. So stay tuned and scroll down!

New Year, New Directions

Happy New Year from the Tenneys! I will be the first to admit that I am happy to see 2010 go. It was a tough year, especially the last 5 months. I am excited about the freshness we experience with the first day of a new year. We anticipate a few major life events in 2011 (and no, I am not pregnant :) and more than anything look forward to being more active as a family unit.

I've thought a lot about changes for 2011. I've made pointless resolutions in the past, and the "standard" resolutions of leading a healthier life and losing weight are always on the forefront of my mind so are therefore not resolutions.

In 2011 I will have one challenge for myself....to make time to be creative through Morgan's scrapbook, which is nearly entirely incomplete, and cross stitching. I hope to complete Morgan's first year of life in her scrapbook and create/complete 3 cross stitch projects.

So here's praying that all of you have a blessed 2011. I am happy that you are a part of this blog. It is one creative outlet that I truly enjoy.

Champs Sports Bowl: Before the Game

Morgan, talking to her Nannie while waiting on the bus

Patrick and WVU Head Coach Bill Stewart
(we caught him on his way to Mass and he was kind enough to stop for a quick picture)

Champs Sports Bowl: Fan Zone

Just before the game we all bussed over to the stadium and went to Fan Zone. It was part of our travel package, along with lunch at the Alumni Association's barbeque. It was a blast! We got a ton of freebies, had chicken and ribs for lunch, and got to meet a bunch of people. There were trampolines, face painting, DJs, and a walk on astroturf (which feels really weird if you have never walked on it before). The team was announced and walked into the stadium right by us. Mom and Patrick got some great pictures before we headed to the game.

Mutti and WVU basketball great Da'sean Butler

Patrick and WVU President Jim Clements

Coach Stewart arriving for the game

Champs Sports Bowl: It's Game Time!

Finally, after partying with Mountaineer fans from around the US, it was time for the game. We headed into the Citrus Bowl and found our seats. We had awesome seats! 14 rows off the field in the corner of one of the endzones. We were right above where the WVU team came out of the tunnel and we were right next to the Pride of West Virginia (the WVU band). Even though our Mounties didn't win the game, we had a great time.

Game Day: A Visit to Downtown Disney

The day of the game we had some time to spare before getting on the bus and heading to the Citrus Bowl. We decided to go get lunch at Downtown Disney. It was so great to see Morgan's face light up when she saw Mickey, all the princesses, and when we were in the shops she was overwhelmed. I can't wait to see her face on her 6th birthday when we drive into the Magic Kingdom!



We got lunch at the Rainforest Cafe'. It was a really good meal. In order to speed up our meal we opted to sit on the stools at the bar. We laughed the entire time at our "butts".





I could have shopped there all day. I love the magic of Disney. I can't wait to come back and spend more time shopping for souvenirs!

Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure

Morgan was so excited when we got here today. She was smiling from ear to ear. I can't wait to take her to Disney, after seeing how excited she was about Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter today!

Islands of Adventure: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

What an awesome experience this place was! The butterbear was AMAZING, the castle was exactly as I pictured, and Hogsmeade was just great. Other than it being extremely crowded, the entire place was so much fun. If you are any type of Harry Potter fan, even a small one, you have to take a trip to this section of Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. It is worth it, I promise!