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Ode to McKenna

We really do love McKenna. I know that our blog seems to be filled with Katie, so I thought I would dedicate this post to our own special Bakenna Monita.

McKenna is so much fun! She really has so much personality. She is very affectionate, happy, playful, and interested in the world around her. She LOVES her big sister. We have just discovered that she loves the swings, sitting & riding in a shopping cart without her infant seat, Mommy's hair in her face, and Dad's facial hair. She also enjoys screaming (happily) - that seems to be her way of expressing excitement. That, along with wiggling her entire body, especially her toes. McKenna is such a fun part of our family and we love her very much!

OUR Garden

So...

When we got home from our trip to California (a 5 day trip) Katie & I went in the back to check our cucumber plant. This is how many cucumbers we found on it! We have had a cucumber factory in our backyard all summer. It was great! Katie thought it was fun to line them all up. She got a kick out of the "big huge ones." Needless to say, that was the last day of the life our plant. We couldn't keep up with it anymore so we pulled it out. It was kind of sad - that plant served us well...

Grandpa's Garden

We are so lucky to have Grandma Joy and Grandpa Doug so close. We love to go visit them - Katie especially! She loves to sing songs for Grandma and pick fruits & vegetables out of Grandpa's garden.

She even likes to eat what she picks! She loved the raspberries and was so excited about the zucchini she found.

She also liked that she was tall enough to pick these pears.

Doe A Deer

Now & Then

Summer 2007

Summer 2006

It is fun to see how kids grow up, but it's funny how some things don't really change. Katie still loved the same rides this year at Lagoon and insisted on going on the airplane and boat over and over again. And I love that I was able to capture the same moments two years in a row! My guess is that next year these rides will still be a hit. Katie was more brave this year, and being a little bit taller she was able to go on more rides. She discovered the bumper cars, the "big swings", the Tilt-A-Whirl, and the ladybug ride that went up and fell straight down. It would probably be more appropriate to say that she was very brave. I know some adults that won't even go on those free-fall type rides! Needless to say she had a blast and couldn't get enough of it. Oh, and btw, it is SO fun to watch your kid enjoy being a kid!

The Tradition Continues...

I am happy to say that we are continuing the favorite Hopkin Family birthday tradition here at the Jensen Home! Katie had a kick out of the "first bite" game.

I had a wonderful 24th birthday. Last night Dave & I went out to dinner to Magleby's and sat and talked for 2 hours, even with the end of the BYU game playing in the background! It was amazing! It was really nice to get out, just Dave & I, and do something other than go to a movie (which I love doing, but it is not very conducive for conversation). I was very happy to discover that we still have things to talk about other than our children and relationship problems! Dave is so wonderful and I love those few moments that we get together, just us, when we can enjoy each other, laugh, and remember why we love being together so much.

Then, today (my birthday) after church we went on a drive on the Alpine Loop which I LOVE to do, but haven't done in a very long time. Katie tested out my birthday present (portable DVD player) in the backseat and gave positive reviews. I loved the peaceful, quiet, beautiful drive, and again, more great conversation with Dave.

I also loved getting the birthday wishes from so many of you either by phone, email, or on facebook. I definitely felt special today on my birthday, so thanks! 24 is great so far!

Sitting Sisters

We have ourselves another sitter now!

McKenna is really enjoying being able to sit and play with Katie these days. And Katie seems to like it too! These girls are so fun, especially when they play well together (and Katie isn't trying to stick her finger down McKenna's throat). Katie is really good at making McKenna smile and sometimes laugh. Usually all she has to do is look at McKenna and the smiles start. Hopefully they always love playing together!

Biggest Smile Ever!

I LOVE THIS GIRL!

First Haircut

So Katie had her first real haircut about a week ago. I didn't dare try to do it myself. She's very much in a "leave me alone Mom!" stage, and I didn't want to risk chopping off a chunk of the little hair that she has. But, she has desperately needed a haircut for a while now so we went and did it. Nothing drastic at all (we're still trying to grow it out). The stylist just straightened it out in the back and cleaned in up. It is so nice not to have to do her hair everyday and feel like she still looks cute & clean. She did great and we both were very happy with her new haircut.

(Above are the before, during, and after pictures.)

Makeup Artist

Katie has discovered Mommy's makeup. It is hard to keep her away from it! I've resorted to the occasional (very) supervised makeup sessions. She gets to sit on the counter while I'm doing my own makeup and play with one makeup item of my choice and do whatever she wants with it. It is one of her favorite things to do. At least she getting the general concept - putting eyeshadow close to her eyes and lipstick close to her lips...

I guess girls will be girls, right?

Summer is Here!

The weather has been been warming up and it has been so nice spending time outside with the girls. It is amazing what a difference playing outside makes on a 2 year old! We have been loving going to parks, going on long walks, and playing in the backyard.

More Pictures

Easter

Happy Easter!

We had a fun time celebrating Easter at our house this year. Grandma Hopkin was here visiting. Dan & Mary Kaye's family, my cousin Allison & her husband Quinn and baby Rylee were here as well, and Great-Grandma & -pa Heiner, cousin Anne & boyfriend Brian, and cousin Emily were here for dinner. We had a candy hunt for the kids, which was a blast. It was so fun to have so much family here with us to celebrate.

McKenna Bonita Jensen

McKenna Bonita Jensen

Born: March 15th, 2007 @ 9:12 pm

8 lbs 6 oz

19 1/2 in.

She's finally here! We were so excited when our second little girl came, eight days earlier than expected. She is so beautiful and perfectly healthy. The delivery went smoothly, and the whole family is doing very well. After two weeks, it already feels like McKenna has always been here. It feels very natural to have her as part of our family. Katie is already loving the big sister role, and has so much fun helping Mom take care of the baby. The first thing she asks for in the morning is "Baby Bakenna!" She is very sweet with her sister and it just melts my heart seeing her interact with her baby sister. It is amazing how much love a baby brings into a home. Having McKenna makes me love Dave more, makes me love Katie more, and of course makes me love her more now that she's here!

Long Time...No Blog...

Wow, it has been WAY too long since I have posted anything - almost one year! It has been a combination of moving into our house, getting our camera stolen (as to why there are no updated pictures), and mostly just the exhaustion of running around after a 1 year old. Honestly, the last thing I think I have time for is sitting down and updating our family blog. But I forget how important it is to document and update our family life record and how relaxing it can be to just slow down, sit back, and reflect on what is going on in our lives. It is these moments of reflection when I remember how blessed we are.

Katie is now 19 months and keeping us VERY busy. She is running all over the place keeping herself extremely busy with whatever she can. She is very curious and very explorative. She also is talking a lot (more than she probably should be at this point) which is so much fun. She is constantly making us laugh with the new words and phrases she learns every day. Recently she has been loving watching "The Wizard of Oz," which she calls "Badabadabadabada Boz!" It really is hilarious to hear. Of course Dave is teaching her the important words like "Awesome!" "Nice!" and "Dope!" It is very cute. And we can thank our cousin Nathan for teaching her "aluminum" - a very vital addition to her 1 year old vocabulary.

We are also about 5 1/2 months into expecting our second child now and are so excited that we are having another girl. It will be quite exciting with two little girls running around this place. Katie really loves babies which hopefully means she will be excited when her sister arrives in March.

Katie and I spent Thanksgiving in Needham, MA with my family, and all three of us will be going to San Jose, CA for Christmas. So we've been travelling this holiday season and having fun with family. I really love this time of year (Sept. - Jan.) and am especially loving the holidays in our new house. It was fun to put up our tree and all our decorations, and put lights outside for the first time.

We hope that all of you are enjoying your holiday season as well! Merry Christmas!!!!

She's growing hair!

It's exciting that our girl finally is growing hair!

Even if it is a mohawk....

Home for the Holidays

This was our first time spending the holidays at home by ourselves. We decided to try it out this year, especially since Dave only had one day off of work, and we absolutely loved it. It was nice to spend the time relaxing at home with just our small little family. Katie didn't really know what was going on, but she could tell something exciting was happening. She was so excited to watch us open our presents and try to open her own. She wanted to hold every present that was opened and put it in her mouth, no matter whose it was or what it was. It was really fun to watch her. Her favorite present was her Christmas bear, but the wrapping paper really was the highlight of her Christmas!

Getting Ready for Christmas

Merry (almost) Christmas everyone! We're getting ready to celebrate our first Christmas in Utah with just our family and we're pretty excited. We got our first Christmas tree and we've decorated for the first time, so we're really starting to get in the Christmas spirit early this year. It's so nice to not have to be taking finals days before Christmas break! I feel like I can actually focus on the season and really put some thought into our holiday activities and gifts. Katie's having fun looking at our Christmas tree and helping me wrap presents. I can already tell that wrapping paper is going to be her highlight of her first Christmas! Well, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope that you have a wonderful season full of love and joy.

Boots

Gotta love the no-pants-and-boots look!