The Jensens

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-11-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

I've been starting to make Christmas shopping lists and for some reason I am having a hard time figuring out what the heck to get our kids for Christmas.

There is one gift I am super excited about though - this gift I made for Brookie this weekend:

How adorable are these???!!!
I was so excited when I found the idea online and even more excited when they turned out cute, and even MOST excited that they only cost about $5. Triple win.

Now I just want to find a cute box/bag to store them in.
I'm just in love with these two-inch princess dolls.
I hope Brookie loves them too!

The Perfect Snow Ball

2011-11-27T12:38:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

This year we had Thanksgiving dinner at our house with my brother Brian, our cousins Meghan & Cassandra, and Cassandra's friend Scott. It was very nice to have family over to eat and celebrate with us.

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. I love being with family, relaxing, eating yummy food, and being together. One of my favorite things to do is cook food for people I love, so I loved being able to host this year. Plus, it's always good to be able to practice cooking a turkey for a small group of easy-to-please college students. :)

This year, we are thankful for:
Dave:: the temple and that we can be together forever as a family.
Megan:: to be a mom to such awesome kids and wife to an amazing husband. also, thankful for Dave's job and how hard he works to provide for our family.
Katie:: her family, friends, and school.
McKenna:: that we have yummy food.
Brooke:: Mom and Dad and Katie and McKenna and baby brother in Mom's tummy.

McKenna's Thanksgiving Recipes

2011-11-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things that happens at the preschool we go to, is the Thanksgiving Recipe Book the teacher puts together every year. She asks the kids questions about how to prepare a turkey, etc. and shares it with the parents. They are so adorable and so hilarious.

Here's what McKenna said:

If you were in charge of the menu for Thanksgiving dinner, what would you eat?
Turkey, Salami, Crackers and cheese, carrots, and we drink water and milk.

What would you have for dessert?
Treat. All ya want.

If your mother had you cook the turkey, what would your recipe for the perfect turkey be?
First, I would make sure that mom wanted me to do this. Then, get a little salt and pepper, go to Macy's and get some saucing. Get some sweet honey and put it all over the turkey and you need some garlic, we love garlic. And put it in a pan and put in in a oven. Like lots lots hot. For 25 minutes. And then put it on the stove to cool and then you can eat it.

Which store would you buy the turkey at?
Macy's

How much would it cost?
Like 50 dollars.

What's the best thing that your mother cooks for you?
Turkey!

Gymnastics

2011-11-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

We tried gymnastics this year through our city's Park & Rec.
The class was for 4-6 year olds so Katie & McKenna were in the same class. It turned out Katie's good friend was in the class too! That was a bonus.

The girls loved going twice a week for a few weeks. They loved being able to try the balance beams, uneven bars, and other jumping & tumbling they got to do.

McKenna had a little difficulty staying focused. She was more likely found by the drinking fountain or hiding somewhere in the gym then involved in the activity, but that's ok. She still had fun.

Even though the class size was a little bigger than we would prefer, we will most likely be doing this again next year. It was fun to do something other than soccer and swimming. And the girls LOVED wearing leotards and getting a real medal. :)

The Girls

2011-11-17T12:44:00.001-08:00

First Snow

2011-11-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Our first snow of the year came during the first weekend in November.

It was Sunday morning - the day of Daylight Savings.

As soon as the girls woke up they ran downstairs, put on their snow clothes, and headed out in the backyard to play in the snow. The whole 1/2 inch that we got. :) And it was a good thing they did, because all the snow had melted by the time we got home from church.

10 minutes later they were back inside by the fire to warm up, then to the kitchen for hot chocolate and toast.

A perfect way to start a snowy morning.

October 2011: Halloween

2011-11-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

28 week pumpkin:

October 2011: Trip to Boston

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to spend a whole week back in Boston this October.
We kept very busy while we were there!

Saturday:
::After a long day of flying, we arrived in Boston at 11:00 pm. The girls were rockstars on the planes. I think they did better than Mom & Dad.

Sunday:
::Church at the Weston 2 Ward.
::Family dinner at my parents house. It was so fun to be together with everyone! The girls were in heaven playing with so many cousins - two of which they were meeting for the first time. Mom made one of my favorite meals, BBQ brisket. Yum!

Monday:
::Salem. In the 18 years that I lived in MA, I managed to never visit Salem. Not even on a school fieldtrip. I was excited to go. Even though we didn't get much of the witchy-ness of Salem, it was fun being together and the kids had a blast walking around town and playing at the park.

::Monday night was guys' night out. They went to dinner at Five Guys and went to the movies to see Real Steel - the robot boxing movie. They had a great time.

Tuesday:
::Apple picking at Tougos Farm. I loved the scenic drive on the way! The kids loved picking apples, playing on the park, and feeding the goats.

Wednesday:
::Grandma & Grandpa took the girls to see Peter Pan in the city. It was a wonderful production and everyone had a blast!

::Wednesday night we were able to visit with one of my best friends from high school Bridget and her family. She has the most adorable little boy. It was so fun to see them.

Thursday:
::Thursday morning we got to go to Sofia's preschool Halloween parade. It was fun to be there to support her, see all the kids in costume, and Katie got to read all the kids a story. She was pretty excited about that.

::Grandma threw an impromptu Halloween party for the girls after the preschool party. They sang songs, balanced pumpkins on their head, played Hot Potato, made a jack-o-lantern craft, and a ghost craft.
::Thursday afternoon Dave took the girls went over to my sister's house to play with cousins for the evening, while Jen & I went out to Cheesecake Factory for some sister time. It was so fun to be with her, like always. I wish we lived closer and could hang out all the time!

Friday:
::In the morning Staci and her four kids came over to play. It was so nice to have some playtime with them. The kids got along great and had so much fun playing while the moms had fun chatting.
::Grandma took our girls shopping for some Christmas shoes. It was a special treat and they were thrilled about their shiny new shoes.
::Friday afternoon we all went for a walk around Cutler Pond. I absolutely love being outside - especially in New England. Even though it was pretty chilly, it was a beautiful walk. The girls felt like they were in an enchanted forest. We walked around the pond holding hands and sharing memories. It was so much fun.

::Friday night the adults got a date night. We went to dinner at Sweet Basil in Needham Center. It was delicious! I was glad I was able to have some more time with my family before leaving the next day.

Saturday:
::Another long day of flying. Again, the girls were amazing. They have grown to be pretty darn good little travellers.

We had such a wonderful trip. It always feels like there's more to do and more people to see than time available. We loved every second of our vacation and loved being able to see everyone.

October 2011: Cornbelly's

2011-11-15T11:48:00.000-08:00

We spent most of fall break getting ready for our trip to Boston.
The poor girls spent their days off helping me clean & pack. Their reward was a trip to Cornbelly's - a fall carnival-type place at Thanksgiving Point.

I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea for me to take all three girls, without a stroller or leashes, by myself. There were thousand of people, so much to do, plus a cornmaze, and I'm large with child. It was a miracle that no one got lost!

The girls had a great time. There were lots of play structures for them to climb on, lots of hay to play in, a cornmaze, cow train, blow up structure to bounce on, and lots more. I had no idea that there would be so much to do. We easily could have spent an entire day there. We lasted for about two hours :)

October 2011: Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

October 2011: Fall Colors

2011-11-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite fall activities (perhaps my most favorite) is driving up the canyon to see the fall colors. Fall is the time of year that I get the most homesick. Fall just feels like New England to me. Being in the mountains, surrounded by all the trees, makes me feel a little more at home.

We had exceptional fall foliage this year.
I would say it even rivaled a New England fall.

October 2011: Our Mornings

2011-11-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Our mornings have become my favorite part of the day.
We all get up together and go through our morning routine before Dave & Katie take off for work & school.

Everyone wakes up pretty happy.

sometimes there's even dancing!

we feed Baxter (when he's awake)

and Mushu

and head out to the bus stop.

Sometimes it feels like a whirlwind in the morning, but I love it.
I love our little routines - especially when we're doing it together as a family.

September 2011: 23 weeks

2011-11-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

September 2011: Meg's Birthday

2011-11-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friends for making my birthday so special!
I hadn't laughed that hard in a really long time.

September 2011: Raspberry Picking

2011-11-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

We had a day off of school in September and we decided to go raspberry picking.
We found the Raspberry Patch online and decided to head down to Payson to check it out.
It was wonderful!
We picked about 4 lbs of beautiful raspberries.
The girls loved it, and continue to ask to go back.

September 2011: Angels

2011-11-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

September 2011: Brooke

2011-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

September 2011: Katie

2011-11-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

September 2011: McKenna

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Another Backyard Visitor

2011-11-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

We had one more backyard visitor this summer. Well, lots of visitors:

This beehive was in the works all summer until it eventually grew to be the size of a small watermelon. It was built on a tree right outside our kitchen window, and we watched the busy bees working everyday. We didn't want to knock it down because it so very cool! But eventually, it needed to go.

Turns out killer bees are not the safest for children.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Labor Day Weekend we were so lucky to have our good friends The Baileys come visit us.
We spent one of the days at the zoo and had so much fun!

Crazy that between the two of our families we have 8 kids - soon to be 9!

We love getting together with the Baileys!

Finally Updated

2011-11-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

So...I have finally updated the blog. It will only take about 10 days for them all to post. LOL. I was rediculously behind. And to spare you all from a major picture overload (more than you already are) I spread them out to 2-3 posts a day. Do the math - yes, that is 20-30 posts. Holy posts Batman!

It's mostly a picture journal, so I hope you like pictures!

August 2011: Homecoming

2011-11-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

In August I travelled home solo to be there for my little brother's return home from his LDS mission in Argentina.

Once again, another example of when the moment was more important than the camera, but I did manage to snap this one shot of him at the airport.

I am so glad to have my brother home.
I missed him so much.
And I am loving having him out here in Provo while he attends BYU.

August 2011: McKenna's Ears Pierced

2011-11-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

McKenna got her ears pierced.
She was very excited, and very brave - though she admitted that it hurt more than she thought it would.

She smiled through the first piercing, then started crying when she realized it hurt. She tried very hard not to, but couldn't help it. I don't blame her! But she pulled it together and was brave through the second piercing.

Once she saw her pretty blue studs in the mirror, she was all smiles and couldn't wait to go home and show dad.

I didn't even get pictures of the finished product. :(
Once those tears started coming I put the camera away and held my baby's hand.
But she sure looks cute.

August 2011: Back to School - McKenna

2011-11-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

McKenna - 4 years old
First day of Preschool.

Brooke's still figuring out why she didn't have a first day of school too...

August 2011: Back to School - Katie

2011-11-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

Katie - 6 years old
First day of First Grade

walking down to the bus stop:

still can't believe I send my baby off on one of these everyday:

I couldn't tell if Brooke was more sad about Katie being gone all day or about not riding the bus. I'm sure it was a little of both.

August 2011: Cascade Springs

2011-11-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite summer outtings is to Cascade Springs.
The girls love walking on the boardwalk, exploring the paths, searching for frogs and fish in the water, and catching bugs.

Brookie was reading me the signs:

There's something wrong with this next picture:

Katie caught a butterfly with her bare hands!

McKenna caught one too :)

September 2011: 20 weeks

2011-11-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

In September I turned 20 weeks pregnant.

I got a sneak peek at 17 weeks at the gender of the baby.
It's a BOY!

We are thrilled to have this little dude come to our family in January of 2012.

Portaits of the Girls

2011-11-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Cousin Andrea also took portraits of our girls back in the springtime.
They turned out gorgeous.

I absolutely love how they turned out.
Check out more of Andrea's work on her blog.

August 2011: Family Portraits

2011-11-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

When we were in West Yellowstone, our cousin Andrea was so generous to take portraits of our family. I love how they turned out!

When you get this picture in the mail with our Christmas card, just pretend like you haven't seen it before :)

August 2011: West Yellowstone

2011-11-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

In August we attended the Busath Family reunion in West Yellowstone.
It was so much fun being together with everyone and being together in such a beautiful place.

West Yellowstone is breathtaking.
If you haven't been there - you must.

waiting for Old Faithful:

We spent one day swimming in the Madison River with everyone.
The kids had a blast playing with the rocks, catching minnows, and floating down the river.

July 2011: Cinderella

2011-11-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

One of the outtings Grandma took the big girls on was to see Cinderella at the Alpine Community Theater. Grandma treated us to the Princess Party that took place right before the show. It was a treat!

They dressed up for the occasion and were greeted at the door by the Queen:

Next they were glitterized - makeup and hair:

They made a craft - a personalized crown magnet:

Then it was time for their VIP tour of the castle.
Katie was put right to work helping Cinderella with her chores:

And they even got to meet the mice:

Then they were presented before the royal court.
They got to visit with Cinderella in her pumpkin carriage, dance with the Prince, and try on the glass slipper to see if they were true princesses. The girls ate it all up.

Presenting - Princess McKenna:

Presenting - Princess Katie:

And what Princess Party is complete without tea and cakes?

These were two very happy princesses!

Thank you Grandma for a wonderfully unforgettable princessy afternoon!

July 2011

2011-11-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Wow - am I way behind on blogging.
I'm sad that I'm behind on posting family pictures, mostly for the Grandparents' sake. My mom has mentioned a few times in the past months that she wanted to see pictures of the girls and that she would check the blog. Uhhh....there was nothing there for her to see. So, I'm going to do my best to get this blog updated - at least with pictures.

This summer my mom spent June & July in Utah.
It was so fun to have a Grandma live close by! The girls looked forward to seeing her whenever they wanted, going over to her apartment, going on fun outtings with her, going shopping, and having her babysit. They LOVED having her all to themselves. We all did.

My Dad came and joined her for a couple weeks in July.
It's always a treat to have grandparents here to visit.

We also spent most of July playing in the water.
(when I say "we" I really mean "they")

Katie lost a few of her front teeth.

And we spent a lot of time hanging out on the front porch.
This summer it was my favorite "room" of our house :)

It was a wonderful July.
I love that living in Utah we get to be patriotic all month with two holidays - Independence Day and Pioneer Day. Lots of fireworks, ice cream, parades, popcicles, and all things All-American.

Balloonfest

2011-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Second Half

2011-08-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

In June I ran my second half marathon with my good friend Casey.
We ran the American Fork Half Marathon. What a beautiful course!
The race went very well. I even shaved 6 minutes off my last race time!

My biggest fans.
I'm one lucky mama!

Backyard Visitor

2011-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

One afternoon back in July, I looked out the window and saw this:

I took a double-take.
Is that an animal up in my tree???

At first I thought it was a cat.
No...that's too big to be a cat.

Then I thought it was a koala bear.
Then I remembered I live in Utah.

Then I thought it looked kind of like a sloth.

Again, I live in Utah.
Sloths don't live in Utah.
I don't think.

Could it be a racoon?
I know racoons live in Utah, even though I have never seen one.
But can racoon climb trees?

Yes, yes they can.

I called animal control about this "little" visitor.
He was awake and out during the day, and twitching a little bit, which made me very nervous. Especially being outside with our dogs - one of whom does not have a rabies vaccine {{i know, i know. my head is hanging with shame}}.

The guys from animal control showed up later that night.
He said there was nothing he could do.
Isn't that what you do Mr. Animal Control Guy????

In the words of Luis -
"Thank you for nothing"

Where's Tim Riggins when you need him?!

Katie's Piano Recital

2011-08-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Katie continued taking group piano lessons this spring.
She loved it!

She also performed a solo piece - "London Bridges"

She did so great and we were so proud!

And of course, our girls thoroughly enjoyed the refreshments.

Those are my girls :)

Memorial Weekend in San Jose: Butterfly Nets

2011-07-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Memorial Weekend in San Jose: Flea Market

2011-07-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

I wish I had pictures of the Flea Market we went to. It was intense! But my battery was dying and I didn't have a charger on the trip, so I had to be very selective on my picture taking. I decided to stick with documenting the treasures the girlies found.

lenless glasses:

headband & bracelet (pink and sparkly of course):

peacock ring:

Memorial Weekend in San Jose: FUN

2011-07-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Nature walk/hike at Oak Park:

McKenna's favorite "ride" at the park:

Swimming in the hot spa!:

Memorial Weekend in San Jose: Cousins

2011-07-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

With the Jensen boy cousins sporting their new bathing suits and sunglasses from Gran.

So big!

Katie in Kindergarten

2011-07-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Looking at pictures from Katie's Kindergarten graduation, I'm sad that I don't have more written from those months while she was in school.

This year was a wonderful year of learning for all of us. Having a child in school is a whole new world of parenthood, and so fun! I've always known this, but Katie was made for school. She's been asking to ride on that school bus since she was 2. "When you're 5..." I would always say. She has been waiting to be 5 ever since. I admit, I was a bit teary for a few days (maybe more) watching my baby take off on the bus every morning, but so happy to see her so excited about her own little life and world she was creating for herself with her friends at school. And having her run off the school bus and into my arms at the end of each school day was the best.

Katie was in a huge class, (and when I say huge, I mean huge) which was a great opportunity for her to meet lots of new friends and gain more confidence in her independence. Sure, there were tears some days and some struggles with friends, but there were lots of opportunities for amazing conversations between the two of us and opportunities for both of us to grow through these new experiences. I found myself being needed as Mom in a different kind of way.

Katie had a great year academically. She excelled in all subjects without getting bored (thank goodness). She for sure has a love for learning (which we always knew) and it was incredible seeing it in action. She is now reading chapter books on her own - in her head, not out loud! She can finish a book in a day and then tell me what it was all about. This blows me away! She is writing sentences and sounding out every word she can think of. She has started her own journal which is beyond awesome in my mind, and is such a treasure to me. Her own thoughts written by her own hand. Priceless.

Katie loved everyday of Kindergarten, but we sure were ready for summer when it came. Kindergarten is busy! Now we're gearing up for first grade, and I'm trying to be comfortable with the idea of Katie being gone for a full day this year. I am sure glad we had a year of half days to help us transition into full days. I'm sure going to miss her! And I know her sisters will too.

May 2011: Kindergarten Graduation

2011-07-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Back on the Saddle

2011-07-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I obviously haven't been doing much blogging (at all) here or over at So Buttons. I was really bummed and discouraged about losing all our pictures and all my writing, so I took a break from the computer. A big break. I'm still not sure if and when (if ever) I will get back into blogging full swing. It just doesn't seem as important as it once did. But I thought I would at least start with sharing pictures from our summer - since our summer is almost over - and since I have finally uploaded pictures off my camera and onto the computer.

So...the next few posts will be a recap - mostly pictures - of what we've been up to this summer.

Bummer

2011-05-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

So...sad news.
We have lost all our pictures from 2011.
Of course we still have the ones on blogger, the ones on photobucket, and the few that we printed - thank goodness.

But it is true.
Our pictures are gone.

And so...
There will be no pictures from Katie's birthday, our new house, or Easter to post as I listed earlier. Bummer.

Between blogger having issues and our server {and backup} having issues, this was not a good week for family documentation.

But it is ok.
Thank goodness it was only 5 months, not all of our pictures.
And thank goodness it was only pictures.
Our family is happy and healthy and together creating memories.

The Many Faces of McKenna

2011-05-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Four days after Brooke turned two, McKenna turned four.It was quite the week of cake and celebration.We just love McKenna. She makes us laugh everyday with her sense of humor, silly personality, drama, and her goofy expressions.See for yourself what I mean...

Happy Birthday Little Middle!

Brooke and the Cupcake

2011-05-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Mmm. That cupcake looks good.What's that bright, hot, firey-looking thing on top?
Oh! It's a candle! I guess I'm supposed to blow it out.I wish...I wish...I wish for more cupcakes...
Let's see if this thing is any good...
Mmm...that's actually a pretty good cupcake!
Katie, you should really try these cupcakes. They are soooo good.
Oops, sorry for spitting crumbs at you while I talked with my mouth full.I just can't get over how good these cupcakes are!
Don't mind if I do...

Guess What?!

2011-05-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Brookie's two!!

We started the day with a trip to Build-A-Bear.

It was a hit! I love watching Brooke drag her kitty's house around the mall. It was very cute.

At night we had our family celebration.

We had dinner, cake, and presents.

She was one happy girl!

Happy Birthday Brookie Cookie!

Apologies

2011-05-06T15:14:00.001-07:00

I know I know...
You're probably all so sick of Jean Valjean by now.
So sorry for how behind I've been over here.

I use this blog primary for family pictures, videos, funny stories, and the goings-on of our family. I am so far behind with my pictures - that's why there hasn't been much action over here. I hope to get through them soon.

Posts on deck include:
- Brooke's birthday
- McKenna's birthday
- Easter
- pictures of our new house
- Katie's birthday
- Mother's Day

and probably more...

I promise one of these days I'll get my act together and get caught up.
Beware - it will probably happen all at once.

We love all of you!
Thanks for loving us back :)

Jean Valjean

2011-03-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

{{While watching Les Miserables in concert on PBS on a Sunday afternoon}}

McKenna: Mom, why are they calling Jesus "Jean Valjean?"

Our Valentine's Birthday

2011-02-17T14:53:00.000-08:00

We celebrated another birthday for Dave this week.

Read about it here.

Can't even express how much we love this guy.

Katie's First Piano Recital

2011-02-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

In January, Katie had her first piano recital.
She takes group lessons from a friend of mine and she loves it.

The group played a few pieces together.
Then Katie performed a solo of "Go Tell Aunt Rhody."
She was awesome! We were so proud of her!

It's A Free Country!

2011-02-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Katie cracks me up. She is five going on thirteen. I'm already seeing a little pre-teeny bopper coming out of her and I'm not sure what to think. For now, I just laugh. To myself, of course.

Today, in the car, she says:

Katie: Mom! I couldn't believe it! Yesterday, JJ was like, 'Emma, this is for someone else.' It was soooooo mean.

Mom: Oh no.

Katie: I mean, ya, it's a free county!

Toothless

2011-02-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Katie surprised us tonight by popping her tooth out by herself in the bath.
She's been wiggling it like crazy, desperate for another visit from the Tooth Fairy. I have to admit, I didn't think she had it in her to pull it out. Every time we offered, she would give us a nervous, "No!"

But she did it!
And now she has a new smile fit for an almost six-year-old.

Meeting the GG Busaths

2011-02-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Classic example of why I'm loving this photography class.
The prompt today, "Generations," stretched my creativity and led me to take this shot. Otherwise, I'm sure I wouldn't have taken it.
Now I have a photo of Katie with her Great-Grandma & pa Busath.

Katie has not yet met them, but she knows that she is named after her Great-Grandma Joys. I also have not yet met Grandma Joy Busath, but I know that she is a very special lady. I hope Katie looks to her throughout her life. I see her example and legacy lasting in the family and am so thankful for her and her faithfulness.

Rhyme Time

2011-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

{{to keep us busy on our way to Home Depot}}

Meg: What rhymes with car?
McKenna: Guitar. Jafar.

Meg: What rhymes with tire?
McKenna: Choir.

Meg: What rhymes with ladder?
McKenna: Mad hatter.

:0)

She's a clever girl, that one.

Our Fashionista

2011-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Katie went to a diva birthday part today.
She was quite the fashionista. Or Madonna.

We have packed all our dressups, so Katie got to raid my closet and jewelry box. Lucky girl. She was in heaven. We had a fun photoshoot after she was all dolled up.

Dainties

2011-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

This might be my most favorite picture of Brooke.
Since she was born she has always had her blankie in hand and two fingers in her mouth. In her days of pacifiers, she would still shove her fingers in her mouth along with the binkie. This blankie is her best bud and has been named "Dainties." I love it. And oh do I love her!

I'm flexing and stretching my photography skills (or lack there of) in a free online photography class (Thanks Liz!) through the month of February. The class is called "the joy of LOVE" and we're supposed to take pictures of those we love while practicing skills and tips from each class.

I'll be posting most of my pictures over at So Buttons, but some may find their way over here, since my subjects are our sweet little girls. Naturally.

D.E.A.R.

2011-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we've updated our D.E.A.R. list, so excuse the catching up.
In fact, I'm going to continue D.E.A.R. over on So Buttons, so if you are interested in what we're reading and our simple reviews, check it out over there.

Here are a few of the chapter books that we've read in the past year:

Pollyana is a story loved by many, but this was actually my first time reading the story. I had never ever seen the movie. I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. Katie & I read this around the time Brooke was born. If I remember correctly, Grandma Jensen read a few of the middle chapters with Katie.

This was a great story, very well written, and full of humor. I loved it. I think Katie was too young at the time to follow the story or to understand the humor. I'm not even sure that after watching the movie she understood the story any better. We will definitely try this one again now that she's older.

Pinnochio is also a classic that I had never read. My only experience was the Disney movie - which is very different from the book. This, in my opinion, in not appropriate for little kids. Pinnochio is very naughty! In the movie Pinnochio seems more innocent to me - as if he finds himself in trouble or in sticky situations. In the book, Pinnochio gets himself into mischief and is not a very good boy. How he ever turns into a real boy? I don't know. He definitely doesn't do anything to deserve it!

This was another story that was a bit too mature for Katie (we read it when she was barely 4). I found myself substituting a lot of words and skipping parts while reading it to her because I thought some of it was inappropriate for her.

Peter Pan I loved! Again, I was only familiar with the Disney movie and the stage production - never had read the book. But I loved it! And I think Katie & McKenna loved it too. They were also fairly familiar with the story which I think helped them follow along with the storyline. The pictures in our copy also helped. I'm pretty sure McKenna was more interested in the pictures than the story, but that's ok.

We love the fantasy, adventure, and imagery of Peter Pan. Reading it made us want to fly away to Neverland and play with the Lost Boys and Princess Tigerlily. We had a lot of fun reading this one.

The girls favorite part: the word "nincompoop." They couldn't get over how funny that word is and kept asking for me to "read the part that says nincompoop" over and over again. What can I say, it is a hilarious word!

Alice in Wonderland is a strange book. It is just strange. There is a lot of fantasy, strange characters, confusing conversation and riddles, and definitely a lot of intrigue. Did my 3 & 5 year follow the storyline? I'm pretty sure they didn't. Most of the time I don't think they had any idea what we were reading about. Not to mention the book hardly resembles the Disney movie that they are familiar with.

The biggest upside for the girls? This book also used the word nincompoop. :0)

Speaking of Disney's Alice in Wonderland...we just barely saw the latest version with Johnny Depp. I have to admit, I didn't think I would like it at all, but I loved it!

So what are we reading these days?
We have fallen in love with the Magic Tree House series. Fun, quick reads that are perfect for our little ones to follow. Brookie even likes listening and looking at the pictures.

Snow Storm of 2010

2011-01-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sad I didn't get pictures of all the kiddos and cousins out playing in the snow, but happy I at least documented Brooke's first official snow play.

Ok snow, now that Christmas is over, I'm ready for you to go back to where you came from. Ok fine, I'll settle for you melting and making the flowers bloom. :)

Christmas 2010: O Christmas Tree!

2011-01-18T12:28:00.001-08:00

Picking out our tree at our favorite local tree lot is always a fun tradition. We added Krispy Kreme donuts into the mix this year. Donuts + hot cocoa + decorating the tree = a favorite family activity. This year it was especially freezing when we went tree hunting and luckily we found our tree right away. I think this year we made record time in picking the perfect tree. And it actually did turn out to be our favorite tree we've had.

Christmas 2010: Christmas Eve

2011-01-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

We had Christmas Eve dinner all together. Clint was a sport and sat at the kids' table. Couldn't pass up taking a picture of that! We had just enough seats (I think) for everyone. There's nothing better than having a house full of people you love!

After dinner the kiddos decorated cookies for Santa. There was lots of licking of frosting and mountains of sprinkles. So fun! Santa sure got a treat this year.

The kiddos all got coordinating pajammies from Grandma & Grandpa Jensen. I'm so glad we got some pictures of all of them together, happy, and cozy.

We were especially excited to meet our newest Jensen cousin, Garrett, and share in his first Christmas!

After all the kiddos were tucked in bed, the grown ups played a few rounds of Bananagram (another gift from G&G/Mom&Dad).

My favorite Christmas picture is all of these stockings hung together. Great-Grandma Jensen has knit all of these herself over the years for each one of us. They are precious to us and I absolutely loved seeing them all hung and stuffed side by side.

Christmas Eve was the slumber party of the year for us. Mom & Dad slept in our bed, Maya in the closet (it's a big closet), all the other cousins stuffed in our girls' room, Clint & Mari & Garrett in the playroom, and the rest of us camped out on the floor in the family room. It was perfect.

It still makes me happy thinking about Christmas 2010. I'm sure it always will. It was so wonderful have everyone stuffed in our house and so perfect to wake up Christmas morning all together. Christmas 2010 will be among our most favorite memories. I'm sure of it.

Christmas 2010: Happy Kids

2011-01-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was a hit. The woke not too early (around 7:30) and they were all patient enough to wait for the parents to clean up their beds from the family room floor. Each kids took their turn trying to sneak a peak as to whether Santa came. There was much discussion as to who Santa left the tricylce for under the tree. Maya was the lucky winner!

Everyone was happy (with the exception of a small accusation of someone being naughty...) with their loot from Santa. McKenna got her trumpet, Katie got her pillow pet, and Brooke was just happy to have anything. Jensen boys got legos and nurf guns, and Maya got the coveted tricycle.

Grandma & Grandpa Jensen got all the cousins coordinating pajammies that were opened on Christmas Eve along with personalized mini-clipboards & family journal pages. Each Christmas we get a page from her with family pictures from the previous year to collect. We look forward to this every year.

The excitment and anticipation of Christmas morning sure is fun with little ones around, and with eight cousins all together this year, it was more fun than ever.

It was fun to have [almost] everyone together this Christmas. We know it's not easy to travel around the holidays - especially when transporting Christmas presents for the family. We are so incredibly thankful that our family was willing and able to make the trek. This definitely will be a Christmas to remember!

Conversation with McKenna

2010-12-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

McKenna: Mom, is your tummy a girl or a boy?

Mom: {confused} Uh...a girl?

McKenna: What's her name?

Mom: {still confused} I'm not sure...

McKenna: Mine's a girl too. Her name is Abigail.

Mom: ?????

Precious Moment in Katie's Prayer

2010-12-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Katie: ...I'm thankful for Jesus and that He can take away our sins... Mom, can Jesus really take away our sins?

Mom: Yes, He can.

Katie: How?

Mom: Well, He can take away our sins through His Atonement when we are sorry for what we did and we repent and have faith in Him.

Katie: I have faith in Him.

Me: Me too.

{{she goes on to finish her prayer...}}

Conversation with Katie

2010-12-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

Katie: Mom! McKenna far-ted!

Me: Oh honey, can you think of a better way to say that?

Katie: Why?

Me: Because saying "farted" isn't very lady-like.

Katie: It's boy-like?

Me: Yes, because boys are gross.

Katie: Why?

Me: They fart and burp and pick their noses.

Katie: {{thinking}} Well, I'm kinda like a boy.

{{LOTS of laughs and giggles from both of us}}

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

7 Years

2010-10-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

7 years ago today, I married my best friend.
And boy was he quite a catch.
I look at this picture and remember how I felt that day - how excited and happy I was to marry Dave, and how relieved I was that the day I thought would never come, finally came.

What I didn't know that day is how much more I would love, admire, respect, and adore him 7 years later. Dave truly amazes me every day and I feel so lucky to be his. I feel even luckier that he is mine. Forever!

Happy Annivesary Babe!

I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU!

Our Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Never quite got my act together this year in our garden. Mostly because I don't trust our crazy dog Bowser to not dig + chew it all up, partially because we had too many rainy weekends this spring to work in the garden, but probably because I just never got around to it.

I did, however, plant one pumpkin plant.
We love growing pumpkin and I figured no harm done if Crazy Dog ate them.
It would just be an excuse to go on a fun family date to the pumpkin patch.

So...
here is our pumpkin plant:

I have two things to say about this.

1.) Doesn't that seem like abnormally large to be just one plant? Just one little seedling?

2.) Does this look like pumpkin to you?

I think not.

That's Gonna Leave A Mark

2010-10-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last week Brookie had an unfortunate encounter with the leg of her crib. :(

Always Having Fun

2010-10-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

Katie waving to BYU students on our way to her soccer game :)

Climbing a Tree

2010-09-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Snackrament

2010-09-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

McKenna: Hey! The sacrament is like a snack!

Meg: No, the sacrament is not a snack. It's the sacrament.

McKenna: {{thinking}} It's like a snack-rament.

:)

Checkers

2010-09-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Dave & the girls made a checkerboard. Dave cut out the pieces, measured and drew the squares on the board, and then Katie & McKenna painted each square and each piece. Katie & Dave then played game after game until Katie learned the rules and fell in love with checkers. It was so fun to watch them create this project and it has been even more fun to watch Katie show her friends her checkboard she made and teach them all how to play. What a fun memory they created that day!

27

2010-09-26T08:37:00.001-07:00

Meg's 27th Birthday @ the Creamery on 9th
September 9, 2010

Hopkin Reunion: Last Night Together

2010-09-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Obviously this was a very large family reunion. The picture above is my Dad's sister's family only! There were three other families there. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of everyone together, and the Dow family was actually the only family to get a family picture, but I tried to get as many pictures as I could. I was sad MK wasn't there to take real pictures :) And, unfortunately I didn't get great shots of everyone. I'm still trying to figure this new camera out, and even though I took over 1000 pictures of our Disneyland/Reunion trip, so many of them were blurry or bad. So sorry if anyone was left out. I really did try. I'm just glad that I got a few posts worth of some good ones.

But more important than the pictures...
I am so glad we were able to all be together this August, both with the Jensen Family and the Hopkin/Dow Family. We really are blessed to be connected to such amazing people! We love you all.

Hopkin Reunion: La Jolla Beach

2010-09-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hopkin Reunion: BBQ at the McMaster's

2010-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hopkin Reunion: Old Town, San Diego

2010-09-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

?????

We Love the Baileys

2010-09-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

On our way to CA, we stopped to visit our good friends, the Bailey's. We always love visiting them and always wish we had more time to play. As you can see, the kids had a blast! We were sad Zach missed out on the waterslide fun.

And we were so glad not too lose any kids this time :)

We can't wait 'til we see you guys again!

First Day of School

2010-09-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

First Day of School
August 31, 2010

Katie - Kindergarten

McKenna - Preschool

I only cried a little as my baby rode away on this big yellow school bus.

They both had great first days and are already loving school.
But we miss them a lot while they are away having fun without us.

Disneyland: Day 3

2010-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Backed Up Posts

2010-09-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

On-deck blog posts:

- visiting the Bailey's
- Day 3 of Disneyland
- Hopkin/Dow Family reunion
- First Days of School
- Katie's playing soccer again
- back in Grandpa's garden

Disneyland: Day 2 - California Adventure

2010-08-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Disneyland: Day 1

2010-08-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

Jensen Reunion: Family Picture & Ice Cream at GG's

2010-08-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Jensen Reunion: The Beach

2010-08-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Jensen Reunion: Uncle Don

2010-08-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

The most fun surprise of the whole reunion, was Uncle Don showing up early Monday morning. Nobody knew he would make it! Maybe Steve knew, but he didn't tell anyone. So we were all thrilled Monday morning to wake up with Uncle Don there.

When Don showed up, the entire Jensen Family was officially together and the reunion was complete. It was perfect!

Jensen Reunion: Crystal Catherdral

2010-08-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon (in between puppet making and puppet show) some of us headed over to the Crystal Cathedral which was pretty close to our hotel. I think it is a Protestant version of Temple Square. I think.

In-Car Worship Center, huh?
All in favor?...

Silly Brooke... :)

Jensen Reunion: The Little Red Hen

2010-08-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Grandma Jensen had such a fun activity planned for the cousins on Sunday of our reunion to help teach our reunion theme - work. She gave each family their own copy of "The Little Red Hen," Cameron read it to us, and then we made wooden spoon puppets for a puppet show.

The crafting of the puppets:

The puppet show:

The kids were doing great, until McKenna said, "Not I said the Quack!" (instead of Duck) and then all silliness broke loose. They sure were having a blast putting on the puppet show.

And Maya was cracking up the whole time!

Parker: the pig & the mill
Katie: the cat & the goose
Cameron: the little red hen
McKenna: the duck
Grandma: the narrator

Jensen Reunion: Swimming

2010-08-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

Brooke + pool = heaven

McKenna preferred relaxing in the hot tub :)

Katie learned how to swim this summer!

Cousin Jace.

I just can't get enough of that smile!

D.E.A.R.

2010-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile, but we finally finished another chapter book - Stuart Little - this time McKenna joined Katie & I for the read.

This book is no doubt a classic in children's literature. It has been on my list of books to read for a long time. It is always nice to check one off the list! Stuart is an unforgettable character and his adventures living as a mouse in a human world is captivating. Katie definitely loved this book. She never wanted me to stop reading. McKenna on the other hand, was perhaps a bit too young for this book. The language was a little too mature for her to follow. Katie often asked what words meants as we were reading. It was not rare that McKenna was singing to herself instead of listening.

Regardless, it is always fun to sit or lie down together, snuggle up and read a good book. I know these moments will be cherished memories. At least, they will be for me.

This Is The Place

2010-07-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to This Is the Place Heritage Park in SLC and had a blast! I had no idea what we were missing out on. There is so much to do there, we didn't even get to half of it in the 2 1/2 hours we were there. We definitely will be going back for another visit. The girls loved it.

Their favorite was doing all the pioneer chores - washing + hanging the laundry, beating the rug, using the hand plow, watering the garden. We probably spent 30 minutes just doing laundry. That was their favorite. We may need to invest in some washboards and clothes lines. Perhaps then I could get some help doing our laundry ;)

McKenna learning how to beat the rug:

When I told her that this is how the pioneers cleaned their rugs because they didn't have vacuums, McKenna just said, "But Mom, they have a broom in their house. They could just use that." That girl's a thinker.

After all the chores, we headed up the street for the candy cannon. It's exactly what it sounds like. They shoot a cannon full of candy (taffy) into the street and the kids collect it all.

Brooke slept through the whole thing.

We then hopped on the train to head over to the other side of the park.

We searched for gold in the river.

Brooke just sat in the river and played with rocks. Clearly, she was as happy as can be.

Hot, muddy, wet, and worn out, we hopped back on the train to head home.

We had such a fun day. There was so much more we didn't get to do. Next time we go we will go on pony rides, do some crafts, get some ice cream, ride the little train a whole lot more (that was Brooke's favorite), and do a lot more laundry, I'm sure. We are big fans of This Is the Place Heritage Park.

All in all, it was the perfect way to celebrate Pioneer Day.

Katelyn Joy

2010-07-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

McKenna Bonita

2010-07-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Dawn

2010-07-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Our Middle Child

2010-07-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

McKenna: Dad, Dad, Dad! Do you want to play house?! You can be the Dad, and I'll be your pet.

Conversation with Katie

2010-07-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Katie: Mom, did you know that Grandma Joy is Grandma Hopkin's mom?

Meg: {{nod + smile}}

Katie: And Grandma Hopkin is your mom. And you are my mom. And someday I am going to have a daughter and then I'll be a mom. And you'll be a grandma!

Meg: {{larger smile}} You're right!

Katie: And then you'll die. And then my daughter will have a baby, and she'll be a mom, and I'll be a Grandma! And then I'll die.

Meg: You're right, but you don't have to worry about dying for a long time.

Katie: {{with excitement in her voice + eyes}} And then my daughter's daughter will have a baby and then SHE'LL be a grandma! It just keeps going!

I'm telling you...that five-year-old is well beyond her years.

Grandpa's Garden

2010-07-16T14:36:00.001-07:00

But, no matter how much he loves that garden, this woman is (and always will be) the true love of his life:

And this is what keeps us coming back for more: