Peaceful Preschool

October 13, 2017 / katiemjenks / 2 Comments

“All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds, & a willingness to take risks with what they think.” -Ken Robinson

I wanted to share about how our homeschool journey is going. This is my second year using the same curriculum & I love it just as much this second time through as I did the first time! If you are interested in finding out more, check out thepeacefulpreschool.com

“There is no school equal to a decent home & no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Here we are in my favorite month of the year- OCTOBER! Hooray! Fall is my favorite season & this is my favorite month. I love the weather & the way the trees change color, I love getting to go on walks with my family & all the leaves that get collected by my littles (& myself!). I love baking again after not really wanting to during the hot summer months, drinking tea, having the windows open, getting to wear slippers & cuddle up under a blanket, decorating with pumpkins & the scent of cinnamon in the air, going for hikes further up the hill to see the colors & getting to finally put my little squish in cute sweaters & hats. Oh & I am very much looking forward to getting back into knitting again. It’s a good month man. I love it. I also love it because with school, we have fully gotten into a rhythm, which is a really great feeling. Especially with the added juggle of a wee one thrown into the mix of everything. But we’ve figured it out! So let me share what it has been like thus far.

We usually have a slow(ish) morning that includes getting Brother fed, myself & the girls fed, dressed, breakfast cleaned up, I pump, we get our dance party on with some worship, open up the windows & get the day going. After that, we head up the stairs, into the school room & then we begin.

Our school day varies day by day, but the focus remains on the same areas of development. We also add a verse for the week that we work on each day with memorization & by the end of the week the girls are rewarded with a chocolate for all of their hard work. It’s a beautiful thing for myself as well, filling our hearts & minds with the living breathing Word of God is SO GOOD.

For example, last week we worked on the letter G & our verse was: “Good & upright is the Lord.” -Psalms 25:8

Besides our weekly verse, our days always include the following:

-Read Aloud

-Phonics

-Counting Skills

-Fine Motor Skills

-Large Motor Skills

-Practical Life Skills

-Art Skills

LOTS of skills to pay the bills. 🙂 Just kidding. But really, I LOVE the way this breaks down each day into focused development in so many areas. I think this is an excellent tool to also stretch myself (as a teacher) out of my comfort zone to remember that ALL areas of development are important especially in this age group (the first 5 years of life).

“America’s future will be determined by the home & the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, & how we live.” -Jane Addams

We also usually start the day with “Circle Time” around our school table where we start with several books that reinforce the letter of the week that we are working on. I love books, so we usually have a handful that work right into the curriculum that we pull off of our shelves at home, as well as using the books we get at the library. When we aren’t able to get the books that our curriculum specifically calls for, we can usually find them on YouTube. After reading, we move to phonics, counting, etc. We are usually able to get through the majority of our daily activities by the time Brother wakes up from his morning nap, & if not he enjoys “joining” us. Sometimes I have to improvise & we pull out the playdough or play money to occupy little hands & spark some imaginative play while I feed Sebastian. After that we end with our art time. Some days I follow the curriculum’s suggested art activity specifically & some other days call for a bit more freedom. Eliana LOVES watercolor, so some days I just let her have at it. Cora loves our paint sticks, which is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE art medium this year. It has become my go-to gift for kiddos of any age because they are the easiest things to use & they don’t.make.a.mess. HALLE! We buy Kwik Stix off of Amazon.com. They are amazing! After art, we usually read more books, play with their kitchen or have free play with puzzles to fill the time until lunch. If it is nice outside we DEFINITELY use that time for getting some energy out with riding bikes, drawing with chalk, taking a walk around the neighborhood, etc. Outside time is good for us all. I’m so grateful we have a swing I can sit on with Sebastian while the girls have their free time. (Thanks Mom & Dad!) That usually concludes our “school day”. Some days after naps we will bake or cook together to continue with school, but that is not everyday. Fridays we try to take a field trip that coordinates with subjects we have studied throughout the course of the week, or we make that our library day. Sometimes it is just our day to drive up the hill & explore outside. Or, we call them fun Fridays & we stay in our jammies until lunchtime & bake in the morning. Each week is different, it all just depends on what we need the most that day.

There you are! That is a brief overview of how our preschool days look with a 4 1/2 year old & almost 2 1/2 year old. It has been a joy! I have loved it & it has been so rewarding watching the growth that has occurred because of using the Peaceful Preschool curriculum. This is the second year we have done it & both Eliana & now Cora are learning & retaining SO much! I learn right along with them & continue to grow in my understanding of what makes them come alive as we learn. It has also taught me the necessity of play & imagination. Our word for this school year is PLAY! I can get too caught up in academics sometimes because I love education. Throughout this year & the years to come I am determined to value & make space for playing, even more so than academics because it is so VITAL for their development & growth! It is stretching for me to find balance but I can honestly say that I am loving it! I never want to stifle my children on this journey of homeschooling. I want to love it & I want them to love it. Playing all day long is good first step, especially in these early years.

I’m sure I will share more as this year goes on about our time in the school room & beyond, but for now, this gives you a good idea of what we are doing. If you have any questions, please let me know! I am still learning about this myself, but I would love to encourage you if you need it!

This has been & will be, a GREAT school year.

“A system of education is not one thing, nor does it have a single definite object, nor is it a mere matter of schools. Education is that whole system of human training within & without the school house walls, which molds & develops men.” -W. E. B. Du Bois

Cheers,

Katie.

Faithfulness

September 29, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

“We are not here to be successful, we are here to be faithful.” -Mother Teresa

This has been a theme in my life, especially in my married life. I feel like it consistently comes up in conversations between Noah & I as we think about how our life has been, how it is right now & it comforts us with our future. His faithfulness in our lives is etched in like a marble memorial. It is set in stone, never changing. Without Jesus, we would be a hot mess. Don’t get me wrong, I am a hot mess all on my own some days, but boy… I would be SO much worse without Jesus. Noah & I both would be. In our marriage, these last 8 1/2 years, faithfulness has carried us, washed over us & sealed us with a grounded foundation knowing that we WILL make it. That we are taken care of. Day in, day out, with whatever life throws at us, we know His faithfulness is never failing.

Here’s a laundry list of faithfulness in our life:

-Traveling the world

-Asking for specific jobs & getting them every time

-Asking for specific cars & getting them every time

-Buying our first home

-Being healed from cancer

-Adopting Eliana & having a beautiful relationship with her birth family

-Being able to get pregnant even after cancer treatments

-Traveling to Europe

-Giving birth to Cora

-Selling our first home for more than double

-Buying our second home in our desired neighborhood

-Traveling with our kiddos & my parents internationally

-Giving birth to Sebastian

-Continued health for each member of our tribe

-Food on our table

-Time together as a family every summer & at holidays (Thank you for being a teacher Noah!)

I could go on & on. I actually keep a list in my phone of things that I am grateful for, so in a moment when my heart squeezes with gratitude I can write it down to remember. All of those things remind me of His faithfulness & how blessed I am. It’s a wonderful thing to acknowledge the fact that being alive is a gift & that it is FULL of GOOD things. I am so grateful!

The definition of faithfulness according to the dictionary is as follows: the quality of being faithful; fidelity. As much as I can go on forever about the faithfulness of our God, in the same breath it is a theme for myself as well. I want to have the QUALITY of being faithful, I want to be that way for myself & the people around me. I want to treat ALL of the things that I participate in with faithfulness. I want to do my job as a parent, as a spouse, as a teacher, as a reader, as an athlete, as a cook, as a traveler, as an artist, as a researcher, as a homeowner, as a human being, etc., – faithfully. I want to be faithful in all of those things & more. I want faithfulness to MARK my life. I want to be known by it.

On days when I am worn out (which is a lot lately due to a 3 month old who isn’t sleeping through the night yet), I know that it is beneficial for my spirit to be renewed by the beauty that finds its way into each & every nook & cranny of my life. Part of the way that I do that is to reflect on His faithfulness & how it carries me. It also draws me into a deeper desire to exemplify that for those around me- for my husband, for my kiddos, for myself. I want to be faithful. I want to say something & follow through. I want to manifest faithfulness in a tangible way for my littles, so they know that they are carried in our family as well as carried by our beautiful King. I want them to grow up & have faithfulness be a theme of their lives.

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” -Mother Teresa

It’s a great thing having it be a testament in my own life, in my story. I can’t edit it out without LITERALLY changing the outcome of where we are now. If it weren’t for His faithfulness, I would not be here today, I am confident of that. So faithfulness brings me hope, brings me peace, & pushes me to reach higher, go deeper, be better. Because I know. I know that I know that I know that He is faithful & always will be. And because He has already won, I win. It’s awesome.

“Kindness & faithfulness keep a king safe, through kindness his throne is made secure.” -King Solomon

So I’m speaking to myself- today, as I sit here feeling a bit worn out, I will take some deep restorative breaths & reflect. I will look at today & know that it has already been taken care of & that whatever comes tomorrow or the next day will be fine because He already knows & his faithfulness abounds. His grace is sufficient in my weakness & I will rejoice evermore in my partnership with Him. I am grateful & I will CHOOSE to be faithful.

“Faithfulness lives where love is stronger than instinct.” -Paul Carvel

P.S. All these photos are from a family (my mom + my sister + her 3 girls + me + my 3 kiddos) field trip we took to Columbia State Park earlier this week. 🙂

Cheers,

Katie.

Sebastian William

September 8, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

“The very first moment I beheld him, my heart was irrevocably gone.” -Jane Austen

HE is here! We had a son & his name is Sebastian William. He is such a gift.

I wanted to reflect on his birth & share his story, so here we go.

On Monday, June 19th, I had my 39+ week check up & little one decided to be head up for the 4TH TIME. So my incredible doctor flipped baby right there in the office & sent me over to the birth center to be induced & monitor baby to make sure the flipping (for the 4th time) didn’t cause distress & that baby would stay head down. We sent out a text to our praying friends to pray with us that baby WOULD JUST STAY HEAD DOWN! They wrapped me with 2 different belly braces to “help” baby stay in position & induced me with a low dosage of cytotec. Low & behold, just a few hours later with my labor starting slowly, baby decided to bring head back up towards my ribs. My doctor flipped baby for the 5TH & FINAL time (Praise the Lord!) & baby stayed head down which allowed me to have a natural vaginal delivery! The 5 times of flipping baby was a hospital record & my doctor should have a trophy in his office for his mad baby flipping skills. We are so grateful & appreciate him so much!

Monday afternoon & evening progressed slowly, my mom & sister came to join us & they broke my water that evening hoping to get things to move faster. This didn’t pan out like I had expected, after my delivery of Cora, this was a WHOLE different experience. We had lots of laughs as I scooted across the floor in our room with a towel under my feet as my water continued to take its sweet time “breaking”. This continued all through the night, I was awake walking back & forth trying to get my labor to progress, Noah, my mom & sister were able to sleep off & on. I was tired by the early hours of the morning & by then was having steady contractions two minutes apart. When they checked me, however, I was only at a 2, which is disheartening when you start feeling exhausted & are starting to feel more pain with the steady contractions. At that point, they started me on pitocin & increased the level consistently, which made my pain level increase as my contractions progressively intensified.

At about 10am, my doula arrived & by then I was having back labor. She was INCREDIBLE. My team of people in that room were INCREDIBLE. They prayed, we had worship music playing, the nurses & my doctor were full of kindness & encouragement. I labored in several positions & by 11am I couldn’t stand up during the contractions anymore. I sat on the birthing ball at the bottom corner of my bed & rested my head on the end of the bed. My doula sat behind me for HOURS & applied the perfect amount of pressure to my low back throughout each contraction while my husband & sister took turns squeezing my hands throughout each as well. These two things paired together were beautiful & essential for me.

The REALLY rad thing about my labor occurred during the hours of intensity with those growing contractions. I hadn’t taken any pain meds & didn’t throughout the whole labor & delivery which was my goal & I feel SO great being able to say that I did it. So with that, my pain level was high. I vomited everything in my system I think 12 times & I had a hard time sipping water. BUT THEN- Sitting there on that ball, with my head laying facedown on that bed…In between each contraction I had a moment of rest. TRUE rest. I literally felt like I left my body each time, it was a truly supernatural, amazing, BEAUTIFUL experience. In the midst of that pain, I felt the Lord take me out of the current moment & wrap me in His arms. I even FELL ASLEEP a few times! It felt like I was seeing everything in watercolors, like I was floating through the room. It was an out of body experience as I floated with the sounds of music & intercession in that place. I FELT Him wrap himself around me & it was incredible. I’ve had very few experiences that were that tangible with His presence & oh my goodness, it was beautiful. It was worth every one of those contractions. It was just Him & I. I felt so loved, so worth His attention. It was like nothing else in the whole world mattered & He was just there in that room with me. Gosh guys, I hope you get to experience something like this for yourselves in its own form, just you & Him some day! I am excited to know that every day is new & that I will get to experience His presence like that again sometime! Maybe even today! It is always life changing. There is NOTHING, nothing sweeter than His presence.

By the time I felt the need to push, they got me back up on the bed & checked. I was only dialated to a 7! This was at 2pm. My doctor said to call him in an hour & walked out of the room. At this point, I was laying sideways holding onto my doula’s hands as she helped me breathe rhythmically to help me not push until the right time. Within 10 minutes, I was at a 10 & the nurses ran to call my doctor back! I started pushing & 10 minutes later delivered him at 2:16pm! They held up our SON & with giant smiles told us we had a BOY! He was finally earthside. Noah laid his forehead on mine & cried tears of joy as they laid him on my chest. It was a beautiful moment. Noah was able to cut the cord & baby Sebastian William snuggled up to me & latched on easily within the next 10 minutes or so. He weighed 8lbs .09oz & stretched out at 20in long! We counted his fingers & toes, rubbed his sweet head & kissed him SO many times. There is absolutely nothing on earth that compares with giving birth & holding that baby close to your heart for the first time. Goodness. It takes my breath away just thinking about it.

That was that! We rested & bonded with our new sweet little one for the next two nights & days in the hospital while they monitored my recovery. Sebastian was born on the summer solstice, which is super duper rad because I am born on the winter solstice! He was also born during a heat wave of 106 degree temperatures that whole week, so staying in the hospital was a welcome respite from that heat. We had family come visit & meet the wee one & we slept & ate & just stared at Sebastian’s perfect little face. When we headed home, his first evening was spent being held under our AC blower because it was SO stinkin hot. I won’t ever forget that. He is now about 2 1/2 months old & still isn’t the biggest fan of heat. I can understand why! It has been a blisteringly hot summer.

So here we are now. Seb, SebiCakes, Sebastian, Baby Bastian, Bash, Little Squish, is growing & changing every day! It is crazy how fast they grow! He sleeps & eats well, he loves to smile & coo, he is just starting to laugh. At his 2 month check up, his pediatrician said he is a perfect baby, right on target for height & weight, responsive & adorable. He is our little joy! Our girls are totally smitten with him, as are we. It seriously took almost 2 months for us to switch our vocabulary to include “he” & “him”. It is exciting having a boy! He has already flown on a airplane halfway across the country (which he ROCKED, by the way), dipped his toes in a mountain lake, taken a nap under towering pine trees, road tripped for 12+ hours, has been on lots of family walks & been smothered with countless kisses. I would dare to say, that his life has been pretty rad so far. FULL of love & laughter & life. The way it should be. 🙂

I am one blessed Mama.

“Little boy, you remind me how so much depends on days made of now.” -Alison McGhee

Cheers,

Katie.

Cora Kinsey turns 2!

July 2, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

Dearest Cora,

OH sweet girl! I can’t believe that you are TWO! I also can’t believe how much I love you more & more each day. You are such a treasure my little one. Dada & I keep saying to each other how beautiful & BIG your personality is becoming, how funny you are, how excited you are, how sweet you are. You are full of tenderness & fierceness. I love watching you grow! This past year of life with you has been full of JOY. You bring so much color to the world, my little rainbow! Every single day you make me feel so many ways, I laugh & smile, my heart wants to explode, I am in awe of who you are, you challenge me & help me grow as a Mama, you calm my stressful moments with your sweet embraces. You speak new words & seemingly out of nowhere know new things, your development & brain are incredible! You are smart, silly, kind & tough. I love how you love the moon & stars, the way you sing & dance, your affection for all animals, the way you show compassion. I love your spunkiness & incredible laughter. I love watching you read & spend time in your own world as well as watch you play with Eliana & so many others. I love that you absolutely love baby Jesus & can’t get enough of Him, I know you are going to spend your life loving Him. I love how you nurture & take care of babies & that you always want to dress yourself in blue dresses. I love your independence & determination. I love that you potty trained in a week! You are becoming such a big girl. I am so proud of you, Cora. I am reminded each day how blessed I am to be your Mama, that Dada & I have been entrusted with the privilege of raising you on this earth. I love watching you & Sissy be one another’s companions, you are a perfect picture of sisters! You love each other so much, even in the moments when you need some space apart, it is evident that there is no one else in the world you would rather have as a big sister. You are each other’s champions & greatest friends. Dada, Eliana & I adore you, sweet girl. Thank you for being you! There is no one else in the whole wide world just like you & I am so happy that you are ours. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” Cheers to you, Peanut! Happiest 2nd Birthday!

With all my love,

Mama.

To celebrate this sweet girl’s 2nd birthday, we decided that the perfect “theme” would be the moon & stars. She LOVES the moon. She points it out every single evening & wants to go outside to see the stars. A little lover of the night sky, a little golden child who can find the moon wherever it may be. I love this about her. So, following suit with what we did to celebrate her 1st birthday alongside her twin cousin, Riah Joy, we did a combo party again. It has been a delight to get to continue the celebration of these two littles, the way we have celebrated them from the day my sister & I both found out we were pregnant together. We invited our family & some dear friends & I had the joy of hosting another party (Noah’s 30th was the first.) at our new abode.

We decorated simply, with LOTS of glitter covered stars & moons. My island still has glitter in the grains of wood. Good times. We bought each girl a giant #2 balloon & I made crowns with moons for all of the kiddos who came. We sang, opened gifts, took cute pictures, ate chocolate cupcakes, the kiddos ran around with their crowns blowing bubbles & playing inside & outside, we ate watermelon cut in star shapes, cheese cut into moon shapes, had star cookies, popcorn, & iced tea for the warm May day. It was a perfectly wonderful celebration with lots of kids. The girls loved it. Especially the cupcakes.

I’ve said it before, but celebrating the gift of life is not to be taken lightly for me. I KNOW that my children are true gifts & I never want to “skip” celebrating them with intention, showering them with love & affection, attention & praise. Birthdays are an essential part of that for me. They are a perfect opportunity to make a big deal that my little ones are treasures. I spend the rest of the year doing the same thing, but for that one day each year, I think it is a beautiful thing to show intentionality & make it extra special, even with glitter. This doesn’t mean that I go out & spend an arm & a leg to do so, it simply means that TIME slows down for that day to shower love, affection, attention & praise. It is also an opportunity to pray over our children with others as they embark into a new year of life. That is the best part of the whole day. Bathing them in prayer. So with that, I wanted to share one of Cora’s life verses.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, the cheerful heart is a continual feast.” -Proverbs 17:22, 15:15

We love you sweet girl! To the moon & back. Truly.

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Cheers,

Katie.

Eliana turns 4!

April 17, 2017 / katiemjenks / 1 Comment

“Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.” -Jean Paul

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It is amazing each & every day to me, what a GIFT being a parent is. It is so stretching, so rewarding, SO much more than anything I could have ever imagined. I dreamed my whole childhood about being a mama, about having little ones to care for & squish with hugs. It is WAY more than anything I daydreamed about all those years.

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My oldest, Eliana Marie, just celebrated her 4th birthday! This past year has been incredible with her, watching her take the world in & grow with such strength & understanding. She is inspiring. As per tradition, I love writing my kiddos little love notes on their birthdays to share with them how much they are loved & valued & to highlight what is amazing about them at this particular time in their young lives. So with that, I love you Honey.

Dearest Eliana,

Oh my heart! I love you from the tippy top of your curly head right down to the bottom of your beautiful strong feet. This last year of life with you has been a joy for me, it has taught me more about motherhood & how I can be a better Mama to you & Sister. It has been a year of you showing up daily with determination, newfound knowledge, incredible laughter, an explosive imagination, deep tenderness & an insatiable curiosity for all things. I watched you out the window yesterday riding your little scooter with a puffy dandelion in your hand, riding around the driveway in your rainboots, singing & in a world all of your own. It was beautiful. It was a perfect picture of what you being 4 looks like so far. You are the best! I enjoy so many things about you, watching your personality grow & develop, your heart deepen, your knowledge about the world around you expand. I love that I get to spend each & every day with you, teaching you, snuggling with you, reading with you, laughing with you, imagining with you, learning from you. It has been a delight for me having you truly understand this pregnancy & feel the baby kick & move in my womb, talking to the wee one. I know that they will love you right from the start once they are earthside! It is also one of my deepest joys watching you & your relationship with Sister. The way you play with her, love her fiercely, want to spend each second of the day with her, take her on imaginary trips, read with her, sing & dance with her. She adores you & it is clear why. You are your Dada’s girl! As much as I claim you as mine, I know you are his too. The way you jump into his arms when he gets home from school each day, the love in your eyes as you give him hug after hug, the way you just want to BE with him as much as possible. It is so beautiful to behold. You bless your Dada’s heart. Bug, you are a dream come true. You are treasured! You are ours! I am grateful for the gift of being your Mama & for the gift of getting to love you. Happiest 4th Birthday to you, sweet girl. I love you forever.

All my heart,

Mama.

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On Eliana’s actual birthday, we were blessed with having our new home filled with family! Sister got to wake up & get donuts with Dada, blow out a candle on her donut cake, go the park & pick out a giant balloon & birthday cereal with her Uncle RyRy & Auntie Dace visiting from LA. She got to have her Auntie Mimi & cousin Riah Joy visit from Kansas City, her Grammy & Grampy Jenks visit from Oregon & the rest of us here too. She picked out cheese pizza as her birthday dinner of choice & Dada made a delicious lead cake for dessert. We surrounded her with love & multiple rounds of Happy Birthday & just enjoyed our day together as family. It was a good day.

The following Saturday we had a small friends & family celebration for her at Twain Harte park on an absolutely PERFECT spring day. We had balloons & fresh wildflowers, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting & strawberries. There were yummy snacks: popcorn, cuties, chips, strawberries, veggies & more. Eliana loved playing with her friends & the bubbles we gave all of the littles was a hit! They spend probably an hour blowing & chasing bubbles across the grass. She opened her gifts, we sang to her & all of the kiddos had incredible chocolate covered faces after devouring the cupcakes. It was a great celebration & I know that Eliana’s wish for her birthday came true: a party with friends at the park with chocolate cupcakes & strawberries. Win! Park birthdays are seriously the best for this age group! We have already done two & I know we have plenty more in store for the future with our wee ones.

“The more you praise & celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” -Oprah Winfrey

I am happy to celebrate many things. I think that each year, each birthday is absolutely worthy of celebrating, whether it is big or small. LIFE IS A GIFT! I am grateful that I get to celebrate our beautiful daughter & that this is just the 4th year of many to come. She is worth celebrating! Her life is a gift to us & to the world. We were able to visit with Eliana’s incredible birth mom just days before her birthday. It was SUCH a delight to see her! She is amazing. We also got to visit with Eliana’s half sister, her cousin & we got to meet her birth grandma! It was a treat! We love open adoption & all of the wonderful things it gives Eliana, us & her birth family. It is a beautiful thing to have as part of our story & I am so grateful that we get to have relationship with each other! We are family! That was the icing on the cake for me this year with celebrating our daughter. It felt FULL. I know I keep repeating myself, but I promise it is in complete sincerity. I am grateful! I love Eliana Marie to the moon & back. Happy Birthday daughter!

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“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility & the wings of independence.” -Denis Waitley

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Now I’m off to make a plan for how to show her with actions & words how loved she is, every day of the year. And to hug her. Because it is the best.

Cheers,

Katie.

On days that feel like a thousand years

March 24, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

“God already knows what we are made of, but perhaps He wants us to learn what we’re made of. I think that we would all agree that we learn more from our tough times than from our easy times.” -John Bytheway

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Wow.

Today has been another one of those days. This week has been weird. Two days ago was one that qualified as all sorts of bad stuff hitting the fan. The first part of the day was great & in the afternoon everything just broke loose. Including the skies. I was subbing a class at the end of the school day during which a supersized storm hit. We had to make sure we didn’t let students leave the room because of lightning strikes not far from campus & the torrential rain & hail that fell in a matter of 30 minutes was INSANITY. Further up the hill we had a tornado (A TORNADO!!) which is not something that happens in the sierra foothills, touch down & rip trees apart. It was just crazy & that was just the beginning of a nerve-fried rest of the day. On my way home I passed an accident that I could have been part of if I’d left the school 5 minutes earlier & then I passed a tow truck pulling a car up from a cliff that it had apparently gone over in the rain. Once I got home we found out that our house had FLOODED. Not throughout the entire downstairs, but all the way through the living room, entry way, closet & den. Basically across the whole front of the house we had a stream of water pouring in, soaking multiple rugs, my record collection, shoes, all the stuff in the closet, etc., etc., etc. There was a lovely 6 inch long earthworm that had managed to get swept into the house waiting to greet us along with the rest of the chaos. After that, it was just little thing after little thing, but when you are that fried from all of the “bigger” things, those things feel gargantuan. We hung up rugs in front of our brand new wood burning stove with industrial fans blowing on them & Cora almost stuck her fingers inside but Noah saw & stopped her right in the knick of time. No pun intended. After lots of other little things including our ear-piercing smoke alarm going off while I took our burned brussel sprouts out of the oven, we decided to just go outside. In doing so we let the girls puddle jump & play in the mud & piles of hail & in the process they became wet & cold & more upset. So we went inside in tears & headed up to read & go to bed. After everything, Noah & I both said it felt like we had just lived through a whole week, not just a few hours. Oh my goodness, if only it could have been a Friday.

With all that being said, I slept GREAT that night. Ha. I was so exhausted from the stress of those few hours. It gives you perspective on people who undergo stress like that as part of their jobs each & everyday. I applaud you, if that is your situation, because I could not handle it. I was NOT designed for high intensity.

Anyway, the next afternoon was WONDERFUL. It was a complete opposite experience of the day before. All of us were full of peace, tired, but full of peace. The girls both took extra long naps after doing really well during our school time in the morning. I was able to do a great workout, read my Bible, sip tea & watch Andy Griffith with Noah. We had a delicious & easy dinner & I even managed to make a few loaves of zucchini bread. The girls had their baths & we got to enjoy our nightly worship time as a family. It was a true gift after the day before.

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Today has been a bit more like Tuesday, but my nerves don’t feel raw yet. What I have realized as the last few days have unfolded is that life is nuts sometimes. It’s not always predictable or easy. But ultimately, it’s still our decision to pick which pair of glasses we are going to look through at the world around us & see it how it is, either with all the bad, or with the good thrown in too. What is wonderful in getting to look back & see the good things that come out of flooded houses & almost chopped off fingers. It makes you laugh (a little) & makes you grateful. I am grateful to know that the rest of our house didn’t flood, that Cora still has all of her fingers intact, that our smoke alarm works INCREDIBLY well, that we had food to eat & even burned brussel sprouts can taste good. I am grateful that we can go outside whenever we choose & that our girls can laugh & get soaking wet while puddle jumping & that we can walk down our lovely street with neighbors & chat about life. We REALLY are blessed friends. Truly.

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“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -Confucius

As for today, I am claiming that I WILL see the good. I will not let circumstances rob me of my joy. I will smile; I will laugh; I will rejoice. Because life is quite the ride & today I want to remember as one that I chose to conquer with hope & peace.

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If you are having one of those days or weeks, take heart. I’m right here too friend. And when in doubt, bake some zucchini bread & watch Andy Griffith. It DOES MAGIC. Remember it’s your choice which glasses you put on to see today with. Here’s to today!

“If we could all just laugh at ourselves, in hard times or good times, it would be an incredible world.” -Jena Malone

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Cheers,

Katie.

5 Years Cancer Free

March 15, 2017 / katiemjenks / 2 Comments

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

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Highest praises!

There are endless words of gratitude that pour off of my lips straight from the deepest wells of my heart after each & every 6 month check up. But THIS one. 5 YEARS! You guys. 5 YEARS! That means so much. The recurrence rate drops significantly, my check ups go from twice a year to just once a year & it means I am halfway to a “full” recovery from my cancer journey. HOW RAD IS THAT?! HOW GOOD IS OUR GOD?! I am FILLED with thanks. Filled with praise. Thank you Lord.

So much has happened in our lives in the last 5 years. We have LIVED. We have chosen to be intentional & make our lives valuable for the world around us & well as rewarding for our own joy. There is something weird to be said about going through a very near death experience & the way it highlights the extreme beauty of all areas in life. With that, it is easy (most mornings) to wake up & smell the roses, to notice the birds singing in the trees. 5 years in & I still feel BRAND NEW because I am healed! I am alive! As much as I don’t want a single person in the world to go through cancer, there is so much beauty that comes out of it. I AM GLAD it is part of my story, part of my journey. It has helped shape my outlook on life, given me scars to rejoice about as my little ones trace over them with their fingers, given me a testimony of healing & of the King’s hand in my adventure. It has reminded me again & again how fragile & therefore how special, how significant the gift of health & life really is.

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Not every day has been peachy, that’s for sure. We have continued to go through suffering & sadness as the years unfold, but who doesn’t? Suffering is a guaranteed part of being on earth. Even with that, our FOUNDATION is made up of joy. It is solid because of the Rock we stand on, the hope we have for this earth & for heaven & the peace we carry gets us through even the toughest of times. After shipwrecks we still end up on land guys. We brush ourselves off & get up with breath in our lungs!

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For today, I am choosing to focus on the beauty of being healed. Of having a healthy body & a happy heart. I am grateful to my Jesus, to my incredible team of doctors at Stanford Medical Center, to my mom & dad, to my husband. To everyone else in our family & community who walked through the fires with us for 6 months of chemotherapy treatments & homeopathic care leading up to that moment in time 5 years ago when I was declared cancer free. THAT, my friends, was a sweet sweet day. I couldn’t have done it without everyone who fought alongside me, without the prayers of people from across the globe, without strength from the Holy Spirit, without my own stubbornness & positive attitude. So thank you friends, thank you for being a part of my story! Today is a celebration for you as well! Go fist pump & jump around, go tell the world that there is GOODNESS on this earth, that HEALING still happens. That we are not forgotten, or insignificant, or just one of many. Each of our stories matters & I am so glad to say that today I am shouting my healing from the rooftops because it is GOOD TO REJOICE.

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Hooray for today, Hooray for 5 years ago, Hooray for 5 years from now.

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I am healed! I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.

Thank you for joining in my celebration.

Cheers,

Katie.

A letter to my daughters

March 10, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

My sweet girls. I love you.

I woke up today & all I could think about is how grateful I am to be your Mama. My world is wonderful because you two make it so bright & bring me so much joy! I am grateful for the way I get to live my life because of you two. I get to be a Mama to two incredible human beings & even on the hard days I wouldn’t change a thing. We are meant to be!

Eliana Marie. I am SO proud of the girl you are growing up into! I can’t believe that you will be 4 soon. It is going by way too fast. I am honored to be your Mama & your name still rings true each & every day. YOU, sister, are the dream of my heart. You are the answer to my prayers. You are a literal dream come true for me! The way you love people, the zest you have for life, your incredible ability to learn, thrive & go beyond what I expect for an almost 4 year old never ceases to amaze me. The heart within you, your capacity to love with such sincerity & tenderness, your loyalty, honesty & determination in so many areas of life are all such a gift. I love you, Bug. Thank you for being such a joy, such a delight. Thank you for being an amazing big sister & wonderful daughter. I love you immensely.

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Cora Kinsey. My littlest that will not be so for that much longer. You, darling, are a gift! You are my miracle! You represent life & the testimony of God’s grace in our lives each & every day. I am so grateful for you! The little girl you are turning into is astounding! The new things you are learning each day, the new words that come out of your mouth, the brain that is clearly engaged & learning at such a high rate is so beautiful to behold. I remember your sister in this same stage in life & you two are both so smart it is wonderful! I love watching you use your imagination with Eliana, I love hearing your play by yourself, read, imagine & talk. You are tender, fierce, driven & such a good helper. You love so well! You are sweet & so full of life! Dada & I love watching you grow. The joy you bring to all of us is immeasurable. I am excited to see you not only as a little sister, but also as a big sissy come June. You are nurturing & I know that you will love being a sister to a new baby. I love who you are, all of the different facets of your personality & giftings, I love you Peanut, to the moon & back & over & over again.

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You are my girls. I have loved this season of life with you & I am looking forward to a new season right around the corner with another little one in our lives, but I am grateful for this special time with just you two. The companionship, the sisterhood you two share is beautiful. I have felt often in this past year that we are a wee bit like the 3 musketeers; getting to adventure, imagine, play, learn & be together each & every day. I am thankful for all of the vibrance you bring into my days, the way you make my heart explode over & over again. Getting to “do” life with you is a gift. I just love you both, so much, sweet girls. I hope today & always you know deep down how incredible you are & how much you are loved.

With all my heart,

Your Mama.

Loving Well

February 15, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

“After you are gone, people may forget most of what you have said & done. But they will remember that you loved them.” -Steve Goodier

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February is often known as the month of “love”. I think it is really beautiful to celebrate love, both during this month as well as year round. It really does make the world go round, if it were not for LOVE, life would be bitterly devoid of color & vibrancy & emotion & basically all the things that make living worthwhile. I thought I’d share some ideas on how to love others well today, as we look beyond ourselves into the world around us. We ALL could use a little more love (& kindness & hope & joy) in our lives.

“Love is donating a chunk of your life to patch up holes in the life of another.” -Richelle E. Goodrich

Smile at the people you pass by in the car, in the grocery store, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, with your own kiddos. MAKE EYE CONTACT & SMILE. Make it evident that you are intentionally choosing to acknowledge others & that they are worthy of that smile.
Have a day of saying YES. I know that this might sound odd, but being a mama bear of a 3 year old & a 1 year old, saying YES is not nearly as frequent in my vocabulary as “no” is, sadly. There are definitely days where I feel as if “no” has been the only thing I have communicated with my girls, which is not the way I want to do this parenting thing. There is a time & place, yes, but saying yes is so much better. Just take one day & say YES to everything (within reason & safety, obviously), but push yourself to have a bit of freedom & fun for your littles & for yourself. Giving yourself a day of YES is also a good idea if you tend to deprive yourself (again, within reason) but allowing yourself to take a nap, or read an extra chapter of your favorite book, or eat some chocolate, or go on that hike you’ve been putting off, pulling out your art supplies while the dishes wait in the sink, or whatever, just allow yourself some freedom. Love yourself.
Donate your time. VOLUNTEER at your local homeless shelter, food closet, high school fundraiser committee, wildlife organization, church nursery, etc. Babysit for free for a young family so the parents can go out on a date, sign up to drive for an elderly group home, go visit folks in group homes, pick up trash with a local community aid organization, etc. Do something. The options are endless.
Bring your neighbor or someone who is ill a bouquet of flowers or some home baked bread. Get to know them & share your kindness with them.
Read extra books to your little ones. Put your phone down, get down on the carpet & read until they are satisfied. Then act out the stories together. It will be a kick in the pants & that laughter will be SO worth it.
Go support local artists. Go to their shows, invite your friends, have a great time, invest in your community & local talent.
Skip a coffee a week & instead sponsor a child through a program like World Vision or Compassion International. Not only will it provide medical care, education & support for a child somewhere in the world who needs it, it will benefit yourself as you grow in your global outreach & understanding. It will be sweeter than that cup of coffee, for sure.
Super simple, but essential for life: TELL THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU LOVE THEM. Tell them verbally & SHOW IT. Be intentional, be honest. Be true.

“You can never be poor by giving & showing love to others.” -Kemi Sogunle

There have been times in my life where other people, whether stranger or friend, have shown kindness & loved me well. When I was doing my cancer treatment at Stanford, there were different people who came through the cancer ward & played the harp, guitar, taught painting classes, did group crafts, etc. We had a family make a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner & spend their Thanksgiving in the hospital with us, eating their turkey. I received countless hats, blankets, cards & well wishes. It was a season where I was loved well, by all of the people around me, stranger or friend. That is just one example from my own story where LOVING WELL was evident & SO needed. Even just recently, we have moved into our new home & it has been a season of chaos, exhaustion & stress but that has been alleviated a bit be some of the most beautiful souls we have had the privilege of knowing. They have come to our aid in the form of cookies, art, salt & pepper shakers, wine, cards of congrats, & groceries on our shelves in the pantry that I am still trying to figure out. You all know who you are, so THANK YOU. You, have loved our family well & we are grateful.

“Our joy in life is inexorably determined by the degree to which we love.” -Seth Adam Smith

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A few weeks ago in our preschool routine, Eliana learned the “golden rule”. It is always a good reminder, so I thought I’d share it here as well. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” With that being said, it’s never a great idea (in my opinion) to ever do anything with the sole purpose of than receiving like treatment. If your heart is not in a giving place, simply to BE giving, with no strings attached, it has the potential to cause bitterness within yourself which is just not great. BUT- treating others with kindness, LOVING WELL, with open arms & a heart of joy is such a great foundational way to exist. It makes life more than existing, it moves it into THRIVING. I want to thrive, I don’t want to just exist. I want my life, my love, my response to the people around me to be of GOODNESS, to be noble, to be pure, to be praiseworthy. I want people to feel valued, seen, heard. I want to LOVE PEOPLE WELL.

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Will you join me? Beyond just this season of the year where love is celebrated with chocolate, flowers & cards? Will you choose to make your life a celebration of LOVE everyday, being intentional to love the people around you? Will you not just choose love, but will you choose to LOVE WELL? To give of yourself & say YES? I hope you will. This is a rally cry for myself as well as others, so know that I am preaching to myself. I am simply choosing to share my heart’s desire to GO BEYOND myself & LOVE better. Let’s do it friends. I know we can.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -Lao Tzu

Cheers,

Katie.

River of Life

February 3, 2017 / katiemjenks / Leave a comment

“Your success & happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, & your joy & you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” -Helen Keller

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Here we are at the beginning of February & my heart is light. DESPITE the very reality of being exhausted because of x, y & z. Those include being pregnant, moving into our new home (which is chaotic & overwhelming), doing preschool each day with my littles, keeping a house running, cooking, cleaning, trying to remember to eat/shower/sleep. Oh & also subbing 1-2 days a week, doctor’s appointments & all the other “things”. Like buying doorknob covers & child safety gates & conquering Walmart with both my children literally covered up with heaps of toilet paper rolls & towel bars. It has been INSANE. But, all I know is this:

I’VE GOT A RIVER OF LIFE FLOWING OUT OF ME. SPRING UP OH WELL!

There is nothing sweeter than surrender, true surrender. Surrendering to the fact that being in control is not the best answer & letting go, letting yourself breathe & laugh & play really is the better option. We get to choose each day what our attitude is going to be, how FREE we are going to live. Somehow, in this crazy crazy season, I have been able to surrender & it has been life changing, life-breathing! Don’t get me wrong, I have had several REALLY hard days complete with tears, necessary hot cocoa consumption & Andy Griffith in order to recover. I’ve been a mess. BUT overall, somehow, (thank you Holy Spirit) I have been able to not only survive this season, but I have had WAY more joy & peace in the daily process of life than I should be able to manage. Let me tell you, I can FEEL that river of life within. That fountain of unrestrained hope & laughter. Those waves of refreshing within my soul that wash over me, over & over again. I could not do this without it. Without Jesus. Straight up.

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Two nights ago, Noah & I stayed at our new house for the second time. It was weird, but way less weird than the first time. It is slowly starting to feel like ours. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the pounding rain, which is one of my favorite things. Not waking up in the middle of the night to it, but getting to hear that beautiful sound while resting from the world, that is wonderful. I laid awake after that because the wee one in my womb decided to have a little dance routine for quite awhile, blissfully unaware that it was the middle of the night. It was such a wonderful feeling. After a while, the tiny bebe decided it was time to go back to sleep & in turn allow me the same opportunity, but it was well worth a bit of lost sleep. The miracle of life within, this time of a secret that only little one & myself are privy to, is just bliss. There is nothing like it. The moments like that, are what keep me full of joy no matter what my daily chaos may look like. I am so so blessed.

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“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food & for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” -Tecumseh

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“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” -Buddha

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If you are in a season of chaos, or maybe just in a bit of a funk, remember the river of life within! Remember that letting go is a better option, allowing yourself to float along the top of waves & just roll with them, to wherever they are headed. It has worked out better for me. Those days I sink are not the best. I guess Dory said it best with her famous, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!” That & her undaunted positive outlook. If you are in a place today where you could use a bit more joy, do a little dance in the kitchen with your kiddos. I’m not kidding! Shake it up & get loose. ENJOY YOURSELF. ENJOY TODAY.

Today is your day, friend.

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“We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” -Ellen DeGeneres

Cheers,

Katie.

the jenks tribe

celebrating the goodness in our every day living

Life

Peaceful Preschool

Faithfulness

Sebastian William

Cora Kinsey turns 2!

Eliana turns 4!

On days that feel like a thousand years

5 Years Cancer Free

A letter to my daughters

Loving Well

River of Life