updated statuses

Awhile back, someone asked me if I was recording all of my Facebook status updates as a way to keeping up with all of our memories, so I started keeping some of them here on my blog. All of them start with "Jacinda Shanks....."


appreciates hearing the girls say thank you & that I'm doing a good job. I was surprised to hear it since I'd been a stern drill sergeant for the past 30 minutes. When they said that yes, they had cleaned the playroom, I pretty much believed them, UNTIL I checked it. Some of the first things I saw were an old sippy ...cup (ew!) and piles of trash in corners. Soooo, Mama jumped into gear and started barking orders. (7/18/10)

Is taking Katie for her 1st allergy injection. Prayers for a calm experience & no bad reactions would be appreciated please. (7/19/10)

is thankful that Katie did really well with her first allergy shot! She was understandably nervous. I told her it was alright to cry but she didn't need to scream (those who know Katie know that she can be a bit dramatic at times!) She did great!!!!! Thank you for the prayers! (7/19/10)

is thankful for a day visiting with an 'old' college friend, watching our girls play and then visiting with some 'newer' friends tonight. It's fun to have friends in all different phases of life. So much to learn from all of them. (7/19/10)

how do you know your child has had a lot of sinus infections throughout her short life? when she gives you the plastic, play mustard, and you pretend to eat it but she continues to push it at you and then you realize she is trying to stick it in your nose! Apparently, she thought it would make a good nasal syringe! (7/21/10)

I got this text from my older brother today. Those who know me & my brother will find it very amusing! "I kissed morgan this morning and she said mmmm. I bet ur little sister aunt jacinda loved getting sweet good morning kisses from u when u were a little boy." haha (7/22/10)

taking a nap with the thunder in the background & the smell of Mom's roast made for a pretty good afternoon. Eating the roast later (along with the Strawberry Ooey Gooey Butter Cake) make for a pretty good evening too! (7/22/10)

is thankful for Jennifer Reinsch Schroeder & Karissa Taylor , our wonderful Children's Director and Children's Ministry Intern, who are with many of our children tonight & tomorrow at RoadMaP, helping shape their hearts for service & prayer! We are blessed to have these ladies work with our children in this ministry. (7/23/10)

Loves our Houston Astros, but tonight's game is against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs happen to be my dad's favorite team, so attending tonight's game is his Father's Day present from us......where Katie has decided she'll root for the Cubs, in honor of her Pappy. Next time we come, she'll probably be an Astros fan again! (7/26/10)

Wishes our sweet Gracie Madelyn Shanks a very HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY!!!!! (7/28/10)

ever since our break in, I've been more cautious but also more bold. Today, a man rang the doorbell. I felt he was legitimate but still opted to talk to him through the glass door like Chris has instructed me to do. I could tell he was surprised but was polite as he stated his business. He needed to walk around our... yard, & I turned on the alarm as we both walked away. I was proud of myself for letting him know I was an aware & safe SAHM. However, when we left for dinner later, I felt STUPID when we opened the door & Gracie informed me that my keys had been hanging in the outside of the back door the whole time! hahahaha (7/28/10)

hopes I'm not damaging Ellie too much by using the pacifier to my advantage. She is fine with giving it up. I, however, find myself digging it out & giving it to her sometimes when I just need a bit more quiet time. It works...is that so bad?! (7/29/10)

break.my.heart. Katie lives in such a land of creativity, make believe, and fantasy that when she finds out things aren't quite as magical as she believed, her heart literally breaks in two. SANTA is not being discussed at this time. I don't think either of us could handle that right now. Gracie is such a realist; ...things don't affect her as much. Katie is a WHOLE other story! (7/30/10)

went shopping with the girls this morning. Girly places. Kirkland's, Cobblestone Cottage, Hobby Lobby, etc. They both had money to spend which is a great way for them to learn that $ doesn't grow on trees. They're much more frugal when it's their own. It is a bit uncomfortable when I have to help them count it out.... Thankfully, the lady behind us at was understanding that it was good to help them learn this way. (7/30/10)

the sleepover has just begun, and I've already saved the day by getting "Kirsten's" hair (American Girl doll) out of the zipper where it had gotten stuck! It's a bit frizzy now but unstuck. Now, on to ordering pizza. I ♥ that my daughter's 10 year old friend also has an American Girl doll and was happy to bring it ...with her, and it seems to be as special to her as Molly is to Gracie. (7/30/10)

just asked my daughter to work the dvd player for me because I didn't know how. AND I called it a VCR. I'm old. (7/30/10)

Highlights of today: Ramona & Beezus (loved it!), fabulous babysitter agreeing to watch Ellie at the last minute so we could enjoy the movie easier, Chick Fil A w/friends who also joined us for the movie, did some shopping including finding a backpack & lunchbox at Old Navy that were SO similar to the ones Katie wante...d at Gymboree but were cheaper AND 40% off! That purchase has gotten me more than 1 "thank you!" (7/31/10)

Thinks Gracie & I might apply to be judges on 'Cupcake Wars.' The doctor did indicate her body mass index (bmi) was a bit lower than she'd like for it to be, so I think this might help with that. I would willing to sacrifice my OWN bmi in order to help my daughter! After all, motherhood is all about the sacrifices. (8/1/10)

& the girls are blessed to have Chris home after his weekend away. He is such a blessing to us as the Godly leader of our home, and it's not the same when he's not here. (I wish he hadn't gotten back to the airport to find his car had a dead battery, causing us to drive all the way out there in case he couldn't get it ...started again, but that's just another day in the life of a Shanks!) (8/1/10)

today is go get K's allergy shot, laundry, go through closets to see what the girls have for school day. Aren't they blessed to have ME as a mom?! LOL (8/2/10)

Has completed K's shot, gone to the bank, mailed a package, started some laundry, set pork chops out to thaw for dinner, and taken an antihistamine/decongestant in anticipation of all the dust that we'll stir up while going through the girls' closets....which is what we're doing now. Starting with G trying on Krista's ...hand me downs. :) Thank you, Lisa! (8/2/10)

is anxious for another milestone to occur. While eating her pork chop for dinner and letting us know that it was painful, we discovered that Katie has her 1st loose tooth! She is busy pushing it with her tongue! (8/2/10)

is happy to announce that it's official! Katie Brooklyn Shanks lost her 1st tooth at 6 years, 4 months, 23 days. No screaming, no real tears. I'm very proud of her!
(8/2/10)

I was determined to be a good tooth fairy, so I got out $1 and crept into K's room (VERY creaky floor!) to find her sleeping on her pillow with her hand under it. I carefully lifted the pillow & couldn't find the tooth. I looked & looked and finally left the $ but woke up Chris to tell him it had to be right. He got... up and looked & looked and finally discovered she was holding it! Somehow, he got it out. Early this morning, she came in distraught, in tears, because her tooth was gone! We told her to look to see what was there. She came running back, excited, because she found the money. I'm not sure we'll survive the drama of this one! :) (but I love it!)
(8/3/10)

after organizing their closets, I had more of an idea of what the girls needed for school, so we headed out, completing 'almost' all of what we needed to do. After wading through some ridiculously expensive, not to mention UGLY things, we made our way to the clearance items, finding some cute things. Gotta say, K's th...ings are CUTE. G's are more grown up looking, but I suppose that's what 'age 10' calls for!
(8/3/10)

-"Daddy, comfort me. I'm cold." quote from Katie. How sweet the way a child believes her Daddy can cure all! (8/4/10)

In order to combat the extreme amount of estrogen my sweet husband is around at home, he left this morning to spend time as a 5th grade boys' church camp counselor. He'll come back, telling stories & shaking his head, but I'll detect a hint of a smile & and a gleam in his eye as he recalls the glory days of when HE was a 5th grade boy. (8/5/10)

Dislikes flat tires, especially when husbands are out of town, but is thankful for where it happened, and that Chris' car was readily available, and is super thankful for sweet friends who helped me get it taken care of and for a boss who offered to help, even though he was relieved when AAA became a reality! :) (8/5/10)

Katie loves to play outside, so she spent time in the backyard this morning. She came back in after just a little while, and I said something about how it was probably hot. She said it wasn't that hot, but there were a bunch of bugs that were freaking her out! (8/7/10)

is listening to the snoring of a camp counselor, finished with camp, who isn't as young as he used to be but readily said he would go back next year! :) (8/8/10)

Is sitting in bed with Gracie, eating Pei Wei take-out, watching 'Undercover Boss.' Chris & Katie meanwhile are downstairs, eating Pei Wei takeout, watching the Cowboys. We're all in a happy place! :) (8/8/10)

Thought I'd treat my girls to a super special fun day, so we're starting it out spending an hour or so waiting for 2 new tires to be put on, then we might go get Katie's allergy shot. I'm thinking about rounding out the afternoon with a trip to HEB & Kroger to redeem free coupons I received in the mail. I know they're feeling blessed. (8/9/10)

has read 2 things today that have stuck with me. 1.) A friend wrote to me, "I know we were cut from a different cookie cutter. There is a place for every type of person..." (This was in reference to me kind of apologizing for overanalyzing something and worrying whereas she is NOT a worrier!) I love the idea of bei...ng cut from different cookie cutters! What a cute children's book idea! My wheels are turning.... ‎2.) Someone wrote, "If the grass is always greener on the other side, it just means you need to work harder at tending your own side." I LOVE this! How often do we think "If only _________, I would be happier," when we should just work hard to make where we are a great place to be?! (8/9/10)

was told last night by Katie that I could be on the 'Next Food Network Star' because I'm good at cooking. Well, I suppose I should thank HEB for their 'Meal Deals.' I'll admit it takes quite a bit of talent to open the bag of precooked chicken fajita strips, pour them in the skillet, and stir them around a bit. (8/10/10)
‎"Hey. Mommy bought Daddy tires for our anniversary and we're going to an Astros game, so I think we're good." Real quote from my husband to Katie when she was encouraging him to do something special for our anniversary. I do ♥ this man! Good thing, huh?! :) (8/10/10)

‎& Chris are celebrating our 16th anniversary this week! ♥ Our celebration plans aren't too fancy, but we will be together with our girls. I'm thankful to have such a wonderful, loving husband that I enjoy doing 'non fancy' things with! (& look forward to maybe something a little more 'celebratory' in Sept. because tha...t will be fun, too!) (8/11/10)

is looking forward to meeting for ice cream tonight with a school friend and one of our favorite Katy ISD teachers! Of course, it just thundered, so Katie started worrying that this meant we were going to lose electricity which meant the freezers would go down which meant the ice cream would melt. Seriously?! (8/12/10)

thinks it's neat how God helps us put things into perspective. I was feeling down about school starting soon b/c I will miss my girls. I was even being foolish enough to look a year down the road, feeling really sad & nervous about Gracie starting Junior High. Then I went to Target, relishing a bit of 'alone time' a...s Chris had the girls with him. I ran into a new friend & her family. They were picking up last minute things before they leave tomorrow to take their oldest daughter to ACU. I couldn't help but have a few tears as I walked away from her. BLESSINGS to all those leaving home for college and those mommies & daddies left behind. Suddenly, I was more anxious to get back home to my girls. (8/12/10)

is feeling blessed today as I celebrate the 16th anniversary of being married to Chris Shanks, a wonderful, Christian man I am PROUD to call my husband. ♥ I love you, Chris! (8/13/10)

felt my heart breaking into a million pieces tonight as Gracie sobbed in my arms after finally hearing from her school BFF only to hear that after 2 years together, they won't be in the same class. This is after already hearing of a couple of other friends who aren't in her class either. *sigh* "You will make new fr...iends....." the parental pep talks have already begun as I hide my own tears..... (8/13/10)

is thankful for new days, positive perspectives, and spending the day at the beach having a wonderfully relaxed day. (8/14/10)

in a continuing effort to help my girls have an exciting last few days of summer, we'll all be taking Katie for food allergy testing this morning! Once again, I know they'll feel & appreciate the blessing of such a fun morning. Only to be rivaled by the excitement of last Monday's tire installation. (8/16/10)

After a really long run (for us) of no sickness in the Shanks home, Ellie is feeling a bit puny and running a slight (not much) fever AND Chris came home from work not feeling well. Prayers for this being short lived and no sharing are appreciated!
(8/16/10)

I know little eyes are watching me! Ellie laid down on the couch, stuck her foot up in the air, and said, "Rub-e feet, rub-e feet!" (Rub my feet, rub my feet!) I keep trying to get Gracie & Katie to have 'competitions' to see who can do the best job of rubbing my feet, and I now know that Ellie has picked that up! LOL (8/16/10)