Lots of love on Valentines Day from Maddie, Jennifer & David!

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I want to so badly, but I can’t quite get it yet.

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When Jennifer was very little, her mom & dad gave her a Fisher-Price doll named Jenny doll. It scared the ever-living bejeezus out of her. Jenny doll when to live in the dresser. About a year or two later, Michele re-introduced Jen to Jenny doll and the bond was set. Few have been the days in the 30+ years since then that Jen hasn’t had her Jenny doll in her bed with her at night. To say that Jenny doll has been loved is an understatement.

Interestingly, when they were adults, Jen discovered that her best friend Jen B. (wow there a lot of Jennifers in this post) also had a Jenny doll though hers was named “Mandy” and had blonde hair. You can read much more about the Fisher-Price “my friends” dolls here.

In 30+ years of being loved, Jenny doll has been through at least two complete body replacements as the fabric of her body wore out. Each time, the old body was used as a template for the new one. Unfortunately, much like copying a copy of a videotape, this scenario means that over time Jenny doll becomes more and more distorted due to duplication errors. These days, Jenny doll has a coal-miner’s face filth, a remarkably long torso, no shoulders, very short legs, and a badonkadonk straight out of a Sir Mix A Lot video. Jenny’s Jenny doll also sports a very sassy scarf-belt which is the fabric edging from her dad Bernie’s baby blanket. The edging is all that’s left of the blanket since it was so loved by Bernie and then Jenny. Pretty sentimental stuff.

Through the wonders of the Interwebs, grandma Kinney managed to get Maddie her very own original 1977 Jenny doll for Christmas!

Madeline’s Jenny Doll with Jenny’s Jenny Doll

Madeline got to have Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Kinney in January as they were enjoying a Caribbean cruise in late December (ooh-la-lah, dahrling).

Here Madeline is channelling her great-grandmother Blondie Hart and her propensity for Christmas bows as hair accessories.

Blondie in 2006

Unlike Nebraska, its quite nice outside in January in Texas so Maddie got to spend some time outside with Grandma & Grandpa. Note the hee-haws – now in blue and Carhartt brown.

Madeline has finally met all of the wonderful people who were our groomsmen & bridesmaids in our wedding party.

Ridiculous

The last of the group was our friend Steve, who came through Dallas and Austin on business in January and was able to stop by.

Steve and Madeline

This photo shows an interesting phenomenon: hair growth between Madeline & Steve can be plotted and is apparently inversely exponentially related. As she gets more, he gets less:

Economists, climatologists, and scientologists are already referencing this data correlation in a number of publications. Truly remarkable research indeed.

If you’re reading this post in your email, click “The Wedding Party is Complete” above to view this video in your browser.

Video of Steve & Maddie

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Soon after we returned from Nebraska, our friends Norma, Mandee, and Beth came by to meet Madeline.

Our relationship to Norma and Mandee is somewhat convoluted, but here goes: Jen’s friend Heather (her Maid of Honor; Beth’s sister) went to college at Southwestern University where she met Mandee. Later in life, Heather and Mandy were roommates in Kansas City. They convinced Jen to move there as well. In Kansas City, Jen met the entire clan: Mandee, her twin sister Katee, their mom Norma, her sister Cindy, as well as a gaggle of other folks. Jen eventually ended up working at Cindy’s Lebanese restaurant where she learned some incredible recipes. Heather (now married to Chris) as well as Mandee now live in Rochester. Norma & Katee still live in KC. Though not related by blood and spread out across the country, this clan is incredibly special to our family!

Mandee, Jen & Katee at our wedding in 2006

Madeline with Norma

Madeline with Mandee

Beth with Madeline

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As we were leaving Nebraska just after New Years, we spent the night with Jen’s cousin Stephanie in Omaha.

Jen, Stephanie, Maddie, and great-aunt Susan

Thankfully, our travel back from Nebraska was uneventful compared to the day-and-a-half it took to get there due to weather and travel delays.

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Lots of fun stuff to post from the last month! Catching up today!

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We took the opportunity to shoot some formal family portraits while we’re in Nebraska. They turned out pretty cute!

Aunt Taylor with Baby Madeline

“The Hart Girls” for Bernie’s desk at work

The Hart Clan – David, Jennifer, Madeline, Bernie, Taylor & Cheryl

Sisters

Cheryl & Taylor

Madeline in her great-grandmother Laue’s high-chair

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Maddie got to see snow falling for the first time today. She was intrigued and thankfully didn’t eat the yellow snow!

Madeline in the snow with Grandpa

Great-Aunt Shirley and Great-Uncle Bun came back to visit again on New Year’s Day!

Madeline with Great-Aunt Shirley

Madeline with Great-Uncle Bun

Maddie is starting to get her 2nd tooth and somewhat crabby these days

Madeline with Aunt Shirley

Madeline with Jan Foster on New Years Eve — teething is no fun!

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