Santa Babies

2005

2010

Ginger Village

Welcome to our edible Gingerbread House Village.

For Grandma and Lica.....

The kids look forward to decorating gingerbread houses every year.   Last year I discovered that Costco sold big gingerbread house kits that came fully furnished with candy and frosting.  No more making little graham cracker houses.  It was great for me!   This year I decided to buy two kits from Costco, one for the boys to decorate and the other for the girls.  I had some complaints last year from lack of ownership so I figured two houses would appease my Jensenites.  Unfortunately for me, yet fortunately for the kids, Costco ran out of the coveted packaged goodies.  I took my skills to the last box of graham crackers from the storage room and made the famous traditional cracker houses.  As I pre-glued the squares together, I realized that these little houses meant more to the kids than the store bought kits.  It was a good feeling.  

It all started 12 years ago.

Time just flies.  

The young get prettier and the old get older.

It's so wonderful to watch our kids grow.  

This year they decorated their own homes without assistance - that is a good feeling.

Rebekah

Kerri

Maybe just a little assistance.

Makayla multi-tasking - phone conversation and decorating - it's easier than texting for this one event.

Jarin thinks he's all that and a bag of chips.

Rail Journey Through Motherhood

President Hinckley was fond of this quote by Jenkin Lloyd Jones.  I too love this quote.  It goes hand in hand with motherhood.

Find the printable here.

The pictures were taken in the Spring of 2007 in Heber Valley on the Heber Creeper Railway.  I printed the three pictures and framed them for my Christmas present.

Merry Christmas to me!

I love it!

Christmas Parties

I've always wanted to host a Christmas party and decorate like this.  

But who am I kidding?

All Jarin and Trevor wanted was hot chocolate and marshmallows for their buddies.

And a good game of ball.

Makayla planned her party.  

Everyone invited brought a treat to share and a white elephant gift.

They don't look disappointed in my lack of hosting.

Games, goodies, LOUD music and lots of laughing is all they need.

Making Merry!

Christmas Stocking Advent

When school started Kerri informed me that she no longer wanted to wear colored socks to school.  This worried me since I buy cutesy socks for the sole purpose of using them for our Christmas stocking advent.  The left over socks from years past (above) have seen better days.  I have ironed them and hung them 'just right' to hide the holes for our December calendar.  This year I found adorable mismatched socks at a shoe store.  Apparently, mismatch socks are in style.  I hung them up and sat down to admire them.  Kerri ran in and squealed in delight, "Oh, I can't wait to wear those socks!"  

The grinch in me cleverly made a decision to simplify my life a bit more, "These cutesy socks will meet no feet, white is what will greet your feet."

Okay, so not the best, but at least these socks are mine to keep. 

So cute!

Each Stocking holds a Christmasy activity to do that day.....

1.      Share a Christmas Memory

2.      Make Snowflakes

3.      FHE with the Barnetts and Gordons

4.      Christmas Movie

5.      Christmas Devotional

6.      Christmas Carols to Jarin’s Ball Game

7.      Spaghetti Dinner without plates

8.      Christmas Movie

9.      Makayla’s Winter Concert

10.    Game Night

11.    Christmas Choir Concert

12.    Go Caroling

13.    FHE and Christmas Goodies

14.    Giving Christmas

15.    Giving Christmas

16.    Christmas School Sing

17.    Hot Chocolate Bar with Friends

18.    Ward Christmas Breakfast

19.    Joy Christmas Movie

20.    Make Gingerbread Houses

21.    Go see Santa

22.    Round Robin Story Telling

23.    Sleep under the tree

24.    Christmas Eve Breakfast Out

As each day passes Trevor  carefully decorates my vase full of fragile branches.

Nice touch!

Turkey Bread

Want an impressive way to impress your guests for Thanksgiving?

Make Turkey bread.

Voila!

I know, sometimes I impress myself - just sometimes.

He's such a cutie!

Just use any dough recipe and create!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Church Shoes

This is what I spied running out the door to get to church on time.

"Jarin!  Where are your church shoes?"

"Oh, they're down stairs."

I just shake my head and push him out the door.  

Family Photos

     Family pictures are always a treat.  I recall old memories of scrubbing my body till it glowed, dressing up in tights and Sunday dresses complete with hair ribbons for many of my childhood family photos.  The setting was in the church Relief Society room (back when photographers could use the rooms) with blue grayish sheets stretched along the walls.  We were prim and proper.  We didn't color coordinate or set a foot outdoors.  However, I do remember a dead rubber chicken the photographer used to make us smile.   The photographer and the chicken were best friends and had great team work ethics.  The chicken's job was to hit the photographer repeatedly as the photographer cried, "Chicken!  Don't hit me!"   In fact, it was the same rubber chicken that was used in all of my school grade pictures.  I cringe to grasp a faded memory of it being used in jr. high school as well.  I don't think it went over well with the young teens.

     A generation later, photography took a flying leap.  It's the latest greatest hobby, family history making,  chicken burying, blog sensation movement out there.  I like to dabble in it myself.  So when I heard that our big Jensen family was due for family photos, I was thrilled.  Thrilled because my kids can dress themselves and comb their own hair, plus they didn't need a shower and nobody would know.  I marked the calendar a good month in advance and waited for the day.  I didn't think about it again until a phone call came 42 hours prior to our appointment that it was decided that everyone should wear a black shirt and jeans.  Black?!  I was a bit rebellious and did not run to the store in search of black shirts. Instead, I combed through closets and pulled the closest outfit resembling the color black.  I found Trevor's brown sweater from last year's photo shoot and successfully fooled myself into thinking it looked black.  It worked too.  I was stumped when I reached the little girl's closet and settled for pink and purple - the furtherest from color coordinating.  Yes, I was color blind that day, at least everyone knows who Rebekah is and who Kerri is.

    Remember?  Rebekah is pink and Kerri is purple.

The Jensen Bunch

All thirty seven of us minus the young pre-adult who got left at the mall.

Pre-adult because she got left at the mall - but that is a different story.

The next best of the Jensens.

I personally like the golfers in the back ground.

Laurie and Mikey and kiddos 

(pre-adult missing)

 Jenny and Jay and kiddos

Jared and Kim and kiddos

 Matt and Vonda and kiddos

 Janelle and Frank and kiddos

Allison and Jeremy and kiddos

Jordan - the last of the kiddos

Grandpa Allen and Grandma Louise Jensen

I am proud to be a part of this awesome family!

Go Utes Jensens!