Five of Mine

different is good...

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

when i sent these 2 munchkins to a charter school

i didn't think it would better

i thought it would be different

different is good

different is working

straight a's for lils

straight m's for ev (meaning he has "mastered" every concept taught so far)

it's ok to be different

because different is oh so good!!

proud of my 2 little munchkins:)

another dance

2011-11-05T20:03:00.001-07:00

cowboys and indians

2011-10-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

halloween 2011

2011-10-28T22:27:00.001-07:00

barbie head won this year for "best costume"

a jensen didn't win last year

so losing this year was not an option.

in training

2011-10-18T08:30:00.001-07:00

i guess we are going down this road again

evan is starting a little earlier

he even has the spitting down

he might just throw as many strikes as his brother

maybe a tad bit slower

but still strikes:)

and we spend hours planning our outfits so we can look this good.

makes me smile

2011-10-06T21:11:00.001-07:00

last but not least

2011-09-08T19:08:00.001-07:00

she has been asking for weeks, "is preschool open yet?"

today it opened.

and she was so happy.

5 hrs a week i get all to myself.

what will i do?
enjoy it:)

9th & 11th

2011-08-26T06:55:00.001-07:00

9th grade~wow.
she wore her pink in honor of her friend gabe.

who was killed this summer in a car accident.
pink nails, pink shirt, pink bracelet and pink shoes.

i hope he LOVES his junior year as much as i did.

and a junior? and then a senior?

ugh.

4 is for fourth & k is for kindergarten

2011-08-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

new school year.

new school.

new friends by lunch time on the first day.

so proud of lily.

she is going to rock the 4th grade!

i know evan i can't believe you are in kindergarten either:(

a day at the lake

2011-07-15T09:28:00.001-07:00

the big 1-6!

2011-07-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

16 presents

what a lucky boy
and it was so fun

to have all of his friends and family

take time out of their day

to bring them

i take this exact picture every year

my dad gets frustrated every year

sorry dad

i wish he would stop growing too.....

favorite

2011-05-31T08:12:00.001-07:00

lily draws me lots of pictures

this is going to go down as my favorite

lily is saying "come on" to jess

telling her to hold hands with brendan

jess says "no"

only one thing wrong with this picture

i am not quite that skinny

i want to keep this picture forever

but my track record is not that great at keeping track of things

thats why i posted it

my lily

seriously the cutest 9 year old i know

and not just because she draws me super skinny:)

graduation day

2011-05-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

he's off to the "big school" now

he actually sang and did all the actions

and made sure i clapped after each song.

congrats evie!

we love you:)

prom

2011-05-10T15:46:00.001-07:00

he looked so handsome even with that "ginger" colored hair he was sporting.

a boy and his dog

2011-05-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

the older 3 begged and begged to get a dog

the little 2 had no idea what was going on

i gave in

guess who takes care of jack jack the best

the little 2

they feed him, they play with him and they hold him

everyday.

thank goodness i have 2 responsible children:)

tis the season

2011-05-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

as rick would say, "it's the most wonderful time of the year." i have to agree with him.
our "B" pitching varsity. yes we are proud. all his hard work is paying off.

~GO VIKINGS~

easter 2011

2011-05-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

what a wonderful easter we had

has to go down as one of the best

the hunts, coloring eggs

spending the day with family

celebrating the one who gave us everything

there is nothing better.

his first date

2011-03-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

MORP 2011

this made me feel very, very, very old..........

my weekend

2011-03-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

watched a baseball game in the freezing cold and even snow

it was worth watching it in the snow

my boy played varsity for the first time

it was awesome

they lost but it was still awesome

took care of my sick, really sick jess

let lily make the biggest fort (mess) in the basement with her friends

rushed to church

rushed to work

rushed to a birthday party

sent my little boy off to disneyland

oh how i wish i went with him

helped clean out b's closet

and laughed when he tried on all the clothes that i was sure would still fit

and of course didn't

watched a great movie with popcorn and LOTS of butter

it was a good weekend

now it's monday

spring break can't come soon enough

eye of the storm

2011-03-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

i taught a lesson on choosing faith on sunday. i prepared my lesson way ahead of time and felt pretty good about the whole thing. except for the fact that i get ridiculously nervous. i hope that part goes away or gets better. anyway i taught about choosing faith over everything else. choose faith over fear, choose faith over doubt, choose faith over the unknown or unseen and choose faith over pessimism. it is time for me to practice what i preach. i write this so that maybe someday my kids or grandkids will read this and learn something from it. something has happened that is unfair and will make life a little challenging for us this year. i am mad about it and frustrated, but that gets me nowhere. i heard that in life we will encounter storms. some storms will be small and some will be big. but during big storms there is the eye of the storm. that is where it is peaceful and calm. i must choose faith to get to the eye of the storm and realize that somethings are out of our control and someone else is in charge. i still will be in the storm but i will not let the storm inside of me.

that was kind of deep but i loved that analogy.

and i cried

2011-03-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

brendan got asked to his first dance

and i cried

i have no idea what that is all about

but when lily brought this stuff into the kitchen

i knew what it was

abby is her name

abby is taking my big boy on his first date, first dance whatever you want to call it

they do grow up way too fast

but this is really kind of fun and exciting

and he tried to down play all of it

but i am his mom and i know him quite well

and he was excited.

who knew

2011-03-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

who knew black electrical tape and the halloween box could be so fun on a lazy sunday afternoon.

at last

2011-02-25T07:53:00.001-08:00

we did it

you would think with potty training 4 other children i would be a pro

nope

she was a stinker and took a while and i took a while

but she did it

and i am so happy

no more diapers

no more babies
ahhhhhhh

i wanna be cool

2011-01-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

so i decided i wanted to be a cool mom when i was entering the world of having teenagers. not so cool that i dress like a teenager or act like a teenager but just a mom thats cool. i won't be cool and take my kids toilet papering. jess thinks these moms are just the coolest but i guess i will never be that cool. probably because i know that the mom and dad are the ones that have to do most of the cleaning up. i know this because rick and i just had to clean up soggy wet toilet paper in our yard. i want the kids to come hang out at our house and feel welcome and comfortable. i also decided that i want to be really nice to the girls that brendan brings around. and really nice to that girl that someday will be his girlfriend. too many moms were not that nice to me and i was always scared to death of them.

the other day he told me he was liking a certain girl. wow. he told me that. a day later i asked him a really silly question like," so are you guys like together?" he told me no, because she wasn't sure she liked him and she was trying to decide between him and another guy. this is what was going through my mind.

WHAT???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? SHE HAS TO DECIDE IF SHE LIKES HIM???? SHE MIGHT LIKE SOMEONE ELSE INSTEAD??? SHE MIGHT NOT LIKE THE MOST HANDSOME, HARD WORKING, ATHLETIC 15 YEAR OLD WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR OUT THERE????? WE ARE GOING TO KICK THIS GIRL TO THE CURB AND FORGET ABOUT HER!!!

that is what i think. so maybe i will be kinda cool but this business about being nice to the girls that are going to come around is going to be a lot harder than i thought. just sayin.

found the answer

2011-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

these 2 have fought all morning
and all week
i found the answer
rented 2 movies, put them in 2 different rooms
2 hours of peace for me
heaven.

saturday night

2010-11-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

b was home on time. even 10 min early. good boy.

kinda funny

2010-11-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

so my last post was about how brendan wouldn't come home 1 minute after his curfew. so i thought. well he was late again. 45 min late. wow. i guess he didn't learn the first time. so we will try again until he gets that we are serious. kinda funny to me, but so not funny to him. i love the excuses and the reasons and all that he comes up with. but i am smarter than he thinks because i tried using them all when i was his age and they didn't work for me either.

*********

so a member of the bishopric came over and rang the doorbell in his suit this weekend. evan had just gotten out of the bath and was in his birthday suit but still wanted to answer the door. i told him he couldn't do that but to peek out the window and see who it was. he exclaimed, "ITS THE PROPHET" now that wasn't kinda funny it was REALLY funny.

you gotta do what you gotta do

2010-11-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

i think our teenagers think we like to punish them. we don't. both of them are home on a saturday night. jess said she is never ever coming out of her room. i have a feeling she will come out of her room. and i have a feeling that she will be a little nicer to her family members and i am pretty sure brendan will not come home 1 minute after his curfew again. because staying home on a saturday night is possibly the worst thing that could ever happen to the two of them.

happy halloween and just because

2010-10-31T17:59:00.001-07:00

halloween 2010

nerd (loved it when the girls were picking out his outfit they said it's not hard to find nerd clothes in dads closet)

punk rock fairy

illegal immigrant

'lil cupcake

grumpy 'ol troll (brendans nickname for me, troll hair??)

astronaut

glamour girl

just because this outfit was way too cute to not take a picture of it.
you gotta love target.

i think her hand is sticky from the 20 pieces of candy she ate.
she really does not cooperate at all when i take her picture.

and evan distracting her doesn't help.

fall

2010-10-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

i am thinking we enjoyed our last warm day of fall today. it was beautiful. why do kids love fall? the leaves. playing in them, riding their bikes through them and of course throwing them. i love living in utah in the fall. soon the leaves will fall off the trees and snow and winter will be right around the corner. i don't love living in utah in the winter. ugh.

freeze

2010-10-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

my sister said she would like to freeze her little boy at 4 years old. i would like to freeze my 4 and 15 year old for another couple of years just so i can enjoy these ages. because they are pretty great. don't get me wrong they both can drive me bonkers. but most of the time i love to be with them. "b" drives me anywhere i want to go, and drops me off right at the door. picks me up right when i come out. except for those couple of times i have come out and he is jamming to the tunes he is listening to way too loud and isn't watching for me. i have a feeling when he turns 16 and doesn't need me in the car anymore he won't take me everywhere i need and want to go. so i am going to enjoy these last 6 months. my little evie watches every move his big brother makes and wants to be just like him. i would be pretty happy if he did turn out just like his big brother. i love them both, feel very blessed to have these boys in my life and am so happy i am their mom.

electrickity

2010-10-04T23:05:00.001-07:00

today we got out the halloween decorations. evan found this pumpkin in the storage room and wanted it in his room. at bedtime right before his story i asked him if he wanted to plug in his pumpkin. he told me no, and that he didn't want to waste the batteries. i told him this pumpkin didn't have batteries and we can just plug it in. he then said well i don't want to waste electrickity. do you think there is someone in my house that is always talking about electrickity, and how we can save money on our electrickity bill???? yep, there is. and it's not me. obviously because i would let him have his pumpkin plugged in all night or until halloween was over. maybe this is why we need to work on our electrickity bill:)

school days

2010-09-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

i am a little late on posting first day of school pictures. but that is the story of my life. a little bit late on everything. all the kiddos are happy at school. and i have to say i am happy at home with a little quiet time. so adorable
my girl that knows how to work the camera.

jess smiling super big because she had just gotten her braces off;)

my high schooler. he asked what is he going to do next year when he doesn't have 11 fingers to hold up. i told him i don't even want to think about that. he was just evans age yesterday.

summer jobs

2010-06-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

they had no idea that one of their summer jobs would be painting. that is because their crazy mother woke up one morning and decided she didn't like the color of her house anymore. they work together pretty well. and they paint pretty good too. lucky for me.

lifes ups and downs

2010-04-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

jessi tried out for cheerleader

she tried really really hard

but she didn't make it

she was sad and cried

i was sad for her

i told her if they picked the squad on cuteness

she would have made it for sure

but they picked girls with the best skills

and her skills just weren't good enough

but she has a whole year

to work on those skills

so she can try again

and she said she will try again

and that makes me so so happy

that she will try again

and cheerleader or not

i love her just the same.

f-o-u-r

2010-03-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

four

those four years went fast

loves woody and buzz

loves to cuddle

still takes a nap

loves me more than anybody

was very very sick on his real birthday

happy birthday

even, ecken, evie, evster

oh how we love you

a two wheeler

2010-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

i knew it was the perfect time to teach him

in st. george

on a flat street

pretty good for 3 yrs old

he loved it

so did i.

a little vacay

2010-02-16T10:27:00.001-08:00

love how ruby is chillin in the lounge chair with her bag of chips

with 5 kids and a husband who works retail we don't take too many vacations. so when a baseball tournament is out of town it turns into a family vacation. we were lucky to head down to st. george this weekend for a little fun in the sun. and that sun sure felt wonderful.

here are some highlights

"b" hitting a homerun

evan learning to ride a 2 wheeler (more to come on that one)

a playground at the baseball field- always a big plus

pedicures for me and jessie

ruby loving the swimming pool-not loving the arm floaties or life jacket

rick cooking dinner

60 degree weather

just hangin as a family

we did miss lily, she chose to stay with grandma so she didn't miss fun things going on at school.

it's great to be 8

2010-02-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

picture taking in the freezing cold

how she felt about taking her picture in the freezing cold
a birthday at the lion house
so much fun

birthday wishes

lily and her cute friends waiting to pull taffy

listening to the wonderful stories

all who came to her baptism

the four little darlings who sang so beautiful

lily and her daddy

we love you lily and are so proud of you

everyday

2010-01-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

we play this game everyday

because it is too frigid to go out

i am always yellow

he is always red

i am always first

because i am the biggest

he is getting better at losing

i am getting better at not cheating

like when he is almost to the candy castle

and the next card will send him all

the way down to the gingerbread man

i don't let that happen

even though i know in life he will get

knocked down to the gingerbread man

and have to work his way back up to the top

but he is only 3

and i can teach him that lesson later in life.

coloring and a tutu

2009-12-31T16:55:00.001-08:00

her 2 favorite things at the moment

christmas recap 2009

2009-12-30T20:55:00.001-08:00

the tree was picked (on the coldest night of the year)

cookies were made

presents were wrapped

santa claus came

bells were played

presents were opened

5 happy children

time with family

happy birthday to me

a very happy christmas

at the jensen home

hold on just one minute

2009-12-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

i just walked into the garage and he was 3. he was taking apart his power wheels jeep just so he could put it back together. so imagine my surprise the other day when i was getting ready in the bathroom and he comes in to comb his hair and i looked at him in the mirror and thought is he really that big? and he is. he is growing and he just won't stop. it is kind of crazy to have to reach my arms up to give my little boy a hug. and it seems like i have to keep tipping my head farther and farther back just to look up at his face. it is true what they say that the days can be long but the years just fly by. i am sure before i know it i will be looking up at evan. sigh...

toddlers and teenagers

2009-11-13T18:37:00.001-08:00

toddlers and teenagers. having both at the same time is kind of crazy. i can't decide which is harder. the toddlers are easier to make happy. peanut butter sandwiches, making up songs and dancing to them and sitting in a triangle rolling the ball to each other made these 2 very happy today. the teenagers always have to be taken somewhere or have someone over to be happy. they don't want to hang out with me anymore. soon my toddlers will be teenagers (ugh) so i am going to enjoy the simple things that make them so happy. i will be more grateful for them, even when they have their "moments" because toddlers have their "moments" just like my teenagers do. i do love all of them the same and i love the one smack dab in the middle. i am so lucky to be a mom.

happy halloween

2009-10-31T20:35:00.001-07:00

a flapper

michael jackson

pirate

me(age 17)

lightning mcqueen

chick magnet

yo dawg...whas up?

2009-10-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

"you kinda have a big butt, you should get a smaller one"

and

"you can snuggle me, i just don't want to smell your breath"

never a dull moment in this house, with this 3 year old

i don't take anything he says too personal

although i really wish i could get a smaller butt.

picking the perfect pumpkin

2009-10-23T22:09:00.001-07:00

looking for the perfect one
found it

the perfect seat

hot diggity dog, i am drivin the tractor

fun, fun, fun

a good night

2009-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

last night was a good night. no one had anywhere to go and everyone was home. i wanted to take a picture of our night but of course my camera battery was dead. we had just finished dinner. i was in the kitchen with all 5 kiddos. i was making a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich for rick because the leftover soup we had just didn't "fill him up", normally i would have been annoyed to make something else but for some reason i didn't mind. so there we were in the kitchen. jess was making chocolate chip cookies and for some reason it was taking her a really long time to make the dough, evan was standing on the bar stool waiting patiently for jess to finish the dough so he could lick the beater, ruby was playing peek-a-boo with herself and the aprons hanging up, brendan was practicing his oral presentation on a supernova remnant cassiopeia A for science and lily was trying to eat all of the bacon for my sandwich. basicallly all 5 children were making some kind of noise. this usually drives me crazy but it didn't. brendan finished his report by saying, "this concludes my presentation." and then says in a very enthused peppy voice (which is so not usual)"vote for summer!" which is a line from the one and only napoleon dynamite. it was so funny it made me laugh out loud. i know it was a moment that you had to be there, but it made me laugh, a good belly laugh and when all those kids saw their mom laugh it made them all laugh, just as hard as me. it was a good night. and that oral presentation was ridiculously boring.

his first day

2009-09-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

he thought the day would never come. i thought the day would never come. it finally came. his first day of school. and seriously, look at him work the camera. placement of the feet? the hands on the backpack? the smile? dang he's good.
lets hope he doesn't end up in the "time out" chair as much as his big brother did

why can't all my children be this excited about going to school?

miracle

2009-09-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

it was a miracle yesterday. he didn't ask me to pitch him any balls until 4pm. it could have had something to do with me hiding his bat. oops.

how was the first day?

2009-08-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

okay, i guess
"amazing"

fine.

good-bye summer

2009-08-21T21:14:00.001-07:00

we will miss you

a lot.

camp out

2009-08-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

i was watching jon and kate +8 and she had a little camp out in her backyard. what a great idea. i got evan all excited to sleep in a tent, even though i don't think he even knew what a tent was until we set it up. he loved every minute of getting ready for the big night. we even had smores. we got all settled in our sleeping bags and then someone forgot to turn off the sprinklers. it scared evan right out of his sleeping bag and right into the house. that was it for him. i really wanted to go inside and get into my big comfy bed but jess was already sound asleep and i couldn't leave her all alone all night. lily was too scared of the wind, brendan didn't think there was room for him and rick said he would sleep inside in case ruby woke up in the night. what a guy. anyhoo i stayed out in the tent and it was just like sleeping in the great outdoors. i was hot, it was noisy i tossed and turned all night and couldn't wait for morning to come so i could get up. maybe next year i will have a few more takers on my big camp out!

pig tails

2009-08-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

oh how excited i am. ruby will sit and let me do her hair. so i was able to comb all 20 strands of hair she has into pig tails. there really is nothing cuter than piggy tails- especially on my little 1 year old! and that dimple....

bedtime snack

2009-07-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

mommy, could i get some corn on the pops?

(corn pops)

lake powell 2009

2009-07-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

lake powell. it had been way too many years since i have been. it was just as i remembered it. beautiful. i was so glad to be back. the best part about lake powell? everyone loves it. big kids, little kids and those kids right in the middle. we would pick lake powell over disneyland. crazy but true. of course the best day of our trip my battery in my camera died. this was the day i jumped off a cliff. really i did and i have no proof. only a couple of mishaps happened. we had a sinking wave runner, evan almost got swallowed up by the tour boat waves (but was saved by papa craig ) and i lost the key to my luggage carrier. not bad at all. so thanks mom and dad. we had a great time. same time. same place. next year? we'll be there! the crazy group
brendan

jessi

those two

ruby girl with pink eye

lily and "sambo"

sparklers

2009-07-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

sparklers

the best part of the 4th of july.

i loved watching lily dance

around and around.

spell her name with her sparklers

just like i did

when i was little.

the big one four

2009-06-24T21:04:00.001-07:00

my all american boy

turns 14 this week

baseball

wakeboarding

training table

golfing

riding his green kawasaki

oreos

lake powell

hangin with his best buddy

these are his favorites

happy birthday

i love you

opam update

2009-05-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

the room is finished

i know it was supposed to be one project a month

but it took us several months

she loves her new room

i even love the paint color she picked

at first it kind of scared me

but it is so her

no more OPAMs for a while

unless they are a lot easier

livin the dream

2009-05-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

is there anything more "american" than enjoying a baseball game with friends and family on a beautiful spring evening?he's removing his hat-are they getting ready to pray for a win?
what a face

the bike- goes to every game

those chocolate cookies were yummy
could i get another one?

#7 the one we cheer really loud for

have a happy memorial day weekend

enjoy your american dream

2009-05-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

have a wonderful sunny day!

getting ready

2009-05-16T20:32:00.001-07:00

the pots have been planted

the flowers are in the ground

little hands helping

i know. i know.

one day i will miss all the little hands helping

now if daddy will just hang that tire swing

in the big tree

our yard will officially be ready for summer

yipee!

photo session

2009-04-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

with the first baby he got his picture taken every 3 months without fail sometimes even early. the second baby was a girl she had her picture taken every 3 months also. the third wasn't quite as lucky but i was pretty good at getting her picture taken. number 4 and 5 have barely had their pictures taken at all. today was the day. the setting was beautiful . the tulips, amazing. quite a few pictures taken and a few good ones. you know the celebrity look, it just doesn't work for me. i wish she would leave something in her hair, even if it is only for picture taking purposes. but no. maybe i will try again. but i doubt it. these will have to do. and if i do say so myself i think they are pretty darn cute.

celebrity baby

2009-04-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

is it just me or does it seem like celebrity kids always look like a mess. their hair is never done, their clothes are goofy and never match-what exactly do those nannies do? i like to think of my ruby as a celebrity baby. although i always do her hair, she always pulls it out and it looks like this everyday. at least she has a REALLY cute face and doesn't wear goofy clothes. and her mom is not a celebrity.

strike 3

2009-04-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

what a busy day. we finished off the day with brendans baseball games. 2 games back to back. he got up to bat and struck out. no big deal. got up to bat again and struck out again. well 1 game over and he struck out every time. all i can think is the next game will be better. struck out again, and again, and again. the last time he got up to bat there were runners on 2nd and 3rd. we REALLY needed those 2 runs to come in, but i would have been happy with just 1 run in, oh heck i would have been happy if he just hit the dang ball. now evan is at the park crying and i need to go and help him and i decide maybe it is better if i just walk away anyway. i walk over to evan and hug him and kiss him and tell him he is ok, he will be fine and then i hear it again....strike 3. it was at that moment i wanted to take my big boy in my arms and love him and kiss him and tell him everything is ok and he will be fine. because i could tell even at 14 years old he wanted to cry, cry just like his little brother. so he had a bad day. and he never hit the ball. he came home and showered and told me he wanted to quit baseball. but an hour later he came upstairs with batting gloves on and said he was going to the batting cages. he isn't going to quit. he just had a bad day, and we all have them. they are no fun, but they happen. and thank goodness we learn to pick ourselves up and try again. because tomorrow is always a new day.

two little boys

2009-04-13T16:12:00.001-07:00

two little boys

cousins

both 3 years old

don't always like each other

don't always like to share

will share this man

grandpa cwaig

they love him

adore him

think he is the greatest

and from what i can tell

grandpa cwaig

loves

adores

and thinks these two little boys

are the greatest

spring break

2009-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

spring break

no school

playing outside

enjoying the warm weather

movies

bowling

train museum

easter egg hunts

coloring eggs

fun with cousins

all things that should be done

during spring break

easter sunday

2009-04-12T18:11:00.001-07:00

the older 2 were acting too cool for pictures

the middle 2 are always ready to pose

the baby fell

mom got angry

this was the only picture i got

we will pretend next sunday is easter

so we can get all 5 in the photo

and hope no one is crying

or too cool

wish us luck

40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

the party throwers

our favorite 40 year old

cute invitations made by our talented little jamie

opening gifts in the fab wheelchair

the group

i can't even imagine what it must feel like being 40-but today my sister knows exactly how it feels! it was her big day of turning 40! it was so fun. we pulled off a surprise little lunch with her closest friends and family. she wasn't even mad at us, not even when we made her sit in a wheelchair! a couple hours with friends, family and great food- what could be better? i hope she enjoyed her day as much as we did. i just hope i look as good as her when i turn 40, and i just might want to start imagining what it will feel like, being 40 since it is only 3 short years away for me. ugh..happy birthday niki, i love you!

start of the season

2009-03-23T21:23:00.001-07:00

the beginning of the season. we headed down south for the weekend. our first tournament of the year. our weekend consisted of baseball, eating, swimming, more baseball and the best part sleeping in! we left the two little ones with grandma and grandpa. rick only jumped out of his shoes once or twice in pure excitement. i am not sure if it was because brendan did something out of this world fabulous(i don't think so) or because he was able to spend some quality time with his one true love-a baseball game. lily was back to making instant friends with those who spend a lot of time at baseball parks also. she enjoyed games of hands-up stands-up, red-rover and tag. that old school kind of fun. the best kind of fun. and when mom says, "absolutely not, you can't sit on top of the dug-out" don't let that stop you, just go ask dad.

photos courtesy of jessica jensen. she's quite the little photographer.

nothing says spring..

2009-03-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

nothing says spring like tulips. i love tulips. but these tulips i bought a couple weeks ago are as white as the snow that has fallen the last couple of days. ugh. so i will keep buying tulips at costco for inside my house until i can see my tulips outside my window.

OPAM

2009-03-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

first of all what a terrible blurry picture. i don't know how to fix that. i read on someones blog about OPAM. one project a month. what a fabulous idea. my project for the month is to finally move jessi into her new room-the old playroom. we cleaned out the room today, we meaning me and 2 very helpful toddlers. this weekend will be painting (done by the hubby, i am a terrible painter) and a new light fixture will be hung. bad news is that everything in this room is now in the family room. i did make a path to get to the couches for tv watching. do you love my model? pants are overrated. he thoroughly enjoyed dancing to the high school musical 3 cd in an empty room. me too. i will post pictures of our progress. wish us luck!

14 months and 17 days

2009-02-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

it is official. she is walking.

not very good.

but she is walking.

why won't she listen to me when i tell her to bend her

knees just a tiny bit more.

it will be so much easier.

why won't she do what i tell her.

because she wants to do it her way.

not my way.

and i am just the mom.

not "just" the mom.

i am the mom that will always pick

her up when she falls.

and tell her to keep going and to keep trying.

because that is my job.

and i must tell her how much i love her.

everyday.

february

2009-02-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

february. i love the this month. it means we have survived january, the longest month of the year and now we enjoy the shortest month of the year. next thing we know it is march, baseball season starts, warmer weather and no more bundling up of little children with all their many layers. i also love valentines day. i remember growing up my mom always gave us the "coolest" presents. one year i got a peach colored telephone that matched my peach and aqua room perfectly. another year i got an acid-washed guess mini skirt-oh how i loved that mini skirt. so here is to a month dedicated to love and here is to finding some really "cool" gifts for my five. six if ricky poo is lucky...

happy seven!

2009-01-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

today she turned 7

7? already?

breakfast in bed

a party with her friends

her favorite dinner

dessert of her choice

what made her smile the biggest?

the fake nails her aunt gave her, the ones santa forgot to bring

love you lils!

happy birthday

lots of "news"

2009-01-22T11:07:00.001-08:00

only one new years resolution-to be in front of the camera more this year instead of behind it

ruby has new bangs

random news

new body-ah! i wish. why is it so easy, fast and fun to gain weight and so miserable, hard and sloooooow to lose it?!

new bedtime so i can get up bright and early to work on this new lean and toned body i am looking for

new look of the blog-very simple- very me

a new year

2009

i am healthy, the hubby is healthy and all 5 children are healthy and happy as can be

life really is beautiful

celebrate the season-celebrate a birthday!

2008-12-01T21:25:00.001-08:00

rode polar express

in jammies

good times

decorated for the season

bought tree

smells sooo good

need to decorate tree

happy holidays

ruby's first birthday

decorations

presents

cake

family

balloon wishes

one tired little girl

Happy Day Jamie!

2008-11-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

I still remember timing my mothers contractions with my snoopy watch the night she was born. My dad and sister went and got us some take-out from Long John Silvers and there was no way I was going to leave my mothers side for a minute. I was so excited for the new baby brother or sister that was coming. It was a baby sister. I remember the day she came home from the hospital and I wasn't the one (Niki) who wanted to go outside and play 4-square or ride my ten speed, I wanted to hold the baby and just be with her. My dad really wanted a boy, and he even bought boy clothes for her. He also wanted to name her Jamie Craig, his name being James Craig but my mom won that battle thank goodness and she was named Jamie C. My dad put those boy clothes on her hoping it might turn her into a boy. And I have to say it might have worked a little bit, she was the only one out of the three of us that played sports. All kidding aside we all know my dad loved her every bit as much as he would have loved a son. So Happy Birthday to my baby sister today, who is all grown up with two babies of her own. She is such a beautiful person, and I am so thankful she is my sister. Have a wonderful day and we all wish we could spend it with you! love you..

surprise

2008-11-03T08:40:00.001-08:00

she may have been our surprise baby-but the only surprise to us now is how much we love and adore our little ruby.

fiona flies in for the night..

2008-10-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

every year fiona the witch (aka grandma) flies in for a fun halloween party. the kids look so forward to this every year. games, crafts, freaky food, pumpkin carving with awards, bobbing for apples and the favorite of the evening ghost pie. lots of people came this year, angelina jolie, brad pitt, indiana jones, a hippie and many more. a great time was had by all who came. fiona sure does a great job with the help of her partner mildred (grandpa) evan was a tire, yes a tire. he loves all tires, and will check every SUV to make sure they have a spare tire underneath. crazy i know. i wasn't sure how i was going to make a tire costume, but we were at walmart and i saw a wheelbarrow tire and it just happened to fit perfectly around his waist!

"medium"

2008-10-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

this is a funny story that i have always wanted to write down. and tonight i thought i would. when lily was about 3 she was my little shadow. she loved going with me everywhere. she especially loved going to the dry cleaners. she loved the high school girls that worked there and thought they were so pretty. she was also fascinated by the little lever they got to push to one side to make all those clothes go round and round. she was so surprised that they would stop right in the exact spot where our clothes were hanging. every time we would go she would always ask me what the girls name was. i told her i had no idea because they didn't wear name tags. a couple times a week we would visit the dry cleaners, the girls knew who we were, so when we would drive up they would type in our last name and then holler at me what kind of starch do you like and i would holler back "medium" the pretty girl would walk our ticket to our window and off we went. one day after several visits to the cleaners, lily asked me the usual question, what is the pretty girls name? again i would say, "lily i have no idea what her name is." this time lily kind of chuckled in the back seat and said, "mom I know her name" i replied "you do? what is it?" she then told me," mom, her name is medium."

HB Mom

2008-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

happy birthday mom! today she is in colorado with my little sis, jamie and her cute family celebrating her birthday. we were able to celebrate a little before she left and we will celebrate a little more when she gets home. i hope she has a fabulous day!

my mom has a very special gift, she knows exactly what her family needs and how we go about getting what we need. my sisters know this too, without any doubt. this summer i was getting over being sick and pretty much couldn't get back on track. i felt like i was in the deep end of a swimming pool and my chin was barely above the water. my house looked like a bomb went off, i had laundry that was so overwhelming that i didn't even know where to begin. one day my mom said to me, "tomorrow i am coming over to help you with anything you need help with." how did she know? she hadn't been to my house or seen the laundry room. did i have written on my forehead "HELP ME I AM DROWNING!!" that only she could see? of course not. she just KNEW. she always just KNOWS. she saved me. she is saving all of us all the time. this is just one example of the many times. i love this special gift she has.

she is probably wondering where this picture was taken. i was a senior and we were in florida for one of those silly cheerleading competitions. of course they were not silly at the time. we went to florida my junior and senior year just ME and HER. It was so much fun.

i hope you have a wonderful day mom! thank you again for always saving me. love you. i know kind of a long post- but my mom is worth it.

my very special lunch date

2008-09-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

we went and had lunch with our favorite 1st grader today. our little 1st grader who really had a hard time with school this year and didn't want to go for the first 2 weeks. so today when she was getting a little teary eyed before school, i said, "how about i come to lunch with you today?" she threw her arms around me and said i was the best mom in the whole world. i wish it was always that simple. if you can't tell by the picture, evan really wasn't enjoying himself there. love ya lils!

welcome

2008-09-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

last weekend jessica went to a "new" friends house. whenever she goes to a "new" house she knows the drill. i take her to the door and meet the mom or dad and make sure everything is ok. we were invited in. the house was so inviting and warm. when i got home i went to my front door and opened it. did my home feel the same way? not so much. there are new rules at our house. no more shoes in the entry, no more backpacks in the entry, no more jackets in the entry, no more junk mail on the cabinet or whatever else anyone decides to throw on it in the entry. no more nothing. i want visitors to come to my door and feel invited, warm and welcome as soon as they walk in. this is my goal. i know this is kind of a silly goal and you might think how hard could it be, but with 5 kids even the entry can look disastrous at times.

9/11

2008-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I looked out my front window today and saw the flags. At first I didn't know why they were up, and then I realized what day it was. 9/11. I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was pregnant with Lily and turned on the tv first thing in the morning and saw the 2nd plane fly into one of the Twin Towers. So many awful things happened on that day, but so many good things happened in the following weeks. I think about those families today who lost loved ones, and I think about those who were heroes on this day 7 years ago. I am so thankful to be an American. God Bless the USA!

bath time

2008-09-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

there is nothing better than a baby who has just gotten out of the bath and has been lathered up with baby lotion. one of my favorites. i also love the orange tint she is sporting lately because of all the yummy fruits and veggies she loves that happen to be orange in color.

life is good

2008-08-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

life is good when those big kids are at school. ruby is in bed. my mom is doing the dishes. i can play my sisters ds and she can't get mad because she doesn't even know i have it in my hot little hands. no one is bugging me. life is good.

Back to School

2008-08-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

We ended our summer with a Back to School Dinner with the whole family. It was so much fun. Each "student" got to pick their favorite dish. With 7 kids going back to school we had quite a bit of food. We ended the evening with a fashion show (which by the way was the kids favorite part of the evening) with the kids modeling their "first day" outfits, and grandma even had balloons for each student, their school colors of course. Thanks Tiffany for the great idea!

when i leave the room

2008-08-21T07:39:00.001-07:00

when i leave the room for only a second, i come back to this. he saw the 4 or 5 puffed fruit snacks and just thought that wasn't enough for her..and he was dressed when i left the room also.

LOVE

2008-08-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

i LOVE your cute little face.

i LOVE how every time i pull into the garage you say, "thank you so much" for the ride i just gave you.

i LOVE how you say your full name, Evan Ricky Jensen with such enthusiasm.

i LOVE how you sometimes call me Mommy Ricky Jensen.

i LOVE how you love to read the same books over and over and over.

i LOVE to watch you play.

i LOVE how you sing with me before bed each night.

i LOVE that you will still let me rock you to sleep.

i LOVE you.

Happy 11th Jessica Kate!

2008-08-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jess! I am a little sad she is not here on her birthday, but I know she is having a ball in Lake Powell with her grandparents and cousins. Jess is the most caring, thoughtful, easy going, loving daughter I could ever ask for. She is just the best! I tried to think of 5 things she enjoys the most at this point in her life, we will see how close I come.

1. wakeboarding (we never thought her skinny arms would ever pull her up, well they did and she is amazing now)

2. a hamburger with mustard and pickles only and fries

3. shopping

4. Camp Rock

5. Taylor Swift

This is what Jess will be coming home to find, she is going to look so cute on this thing zipping around to all of her babysitting jobs! Wish I had one of these when I was 11, instead I had a bike I had to pedal! Happy Birthday Sweetie-we love you!!!

I LOVE these colors!!

2008-08-01T20:40:00.001-07:00

I would love to redo Jess's bedroom just like this! She is wanting a more "grown up" room. I am loving the apple green, black and splash of pink! Don't think I can do it right now, but I am thinking a bathroom would be pretty cute done in these 2 colors and cost quite a bit less. Fall is right around the corner and a project is calling my name!

Winning isn't everything...but it sure is fun!

2008-07-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Brendan got invited to play ball with his old team this last weekend up in Idaho. So my mom and I took him with no other kiddies. It was quite fun. I call it a vacation if I only have 1 child to take. I know I said a couple posts back, that I don't care if Brendan wins or loses as long as he has fun. Well we happened to have an excellent time since they won all 5 games and then won the championship game! It was great, I got to sit in my chair and watch all of the games without even having to get out of my chair, unless it was to go to the concession stand for a drink and treat! Thanks Brendan and mom for a great weekend!

things that make me smile

2008-07-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

this picture

when evan says, "hello shunshine" to ruby

when lily walks the diving board like it is the catwalk

staying up late with jess and watching chick flicks

having my boys home

these are just a few things that have made me smile lately...

Baseball....it's just a game

2008-07-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is our family vacation this summer and sadly the entire family did not go. I admit I was a little bitter about the whole thing. Maybe it was because the day Rick and Brendan left for Cooperstown I had the flu. Yes, it was the 4th of July and I was sick in bed all day and my 2 big boys were off for a wonderful, exciting, baseball filled week in beautiful New York. I admit it I was jealous. I wanted to go with them, but it just wasn't possible for me to go. My jealousy is now fading as the week goes on. Rick calls everyday a couple times a day and tells me how much fun they are having and what a great experience it is. Brendan is having the time of his life, Rick said he might be enjoying just hanging out with his baseball buddies more than actually playing ball. This is what I wanted more than going with them, for the 2 of them to have a great time and make wonderful memories that they will remember forever. I was able to watch some of Brendan's games on the Internet. I could see Brendan and hear Rick in the stands yell, "nothing gets by you boy" when Bren was playing catcher, so it was like I was right there with them. Ten years down the road I will be off for a wonderful, exciting, baseball filled week in beautiful New York with Evan. I am a little sad I didn't get to go and experience it with Brendan, but am so happy he got to go with his biggest fan, his Dad. As far as how the team did, they won some, they lost some. I have never really cared, if Brendan hits homeruns, if he strikes out or if he pitches a no hitter, as long as he has fun that is all that matters to me. Afterall it is just a game..

awwwwwww

2008-07-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

HB Brendan!

2008-06-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my Brendan! Crazy that this picture was 11 years ago! And I now am the mother of a teenager! Let the fun times begin! Brendan was quite a handful when he was this age. He could start a car and was always locking himself in the car. One time when I was about 9 months pregnant with Jess I could not find him anywhere. I started to really panic, I had the whole neighborhood looking for him. I finally found him in the neighbors car in their garage, he was just pretending to drive the car without a worry in the world. He loved anything with a motor and could make all the different motor sounds, like a car, grandpa's boat, a wave runner and a motorcycle! Each motor sound was quite different! He also was an escape artist- I remember we had to put special locks at the very top of all of our doors and gates outside. He loved being outside and still does. He is a little more mellow now and is usually a delight to have around. He is the man of the house when Rick is not around and is always willing to help me out when I need it. I love him and have had 13 beautiful and exciting years with him..he is a great son, and I am so lucky to have him! Happy Birthday Bren! I love ya..

Tag I am it!!

2008-06-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

I got tagged. This is a fun one, thanks Holly. You are supposed to list 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions and 3 Random Surprises about yourself. You are supposed to tag 5 people, but I only have 2 to tag. I don't have many friends in the blogging world, but I really do have friends in the real world!!

3 Joys

1. My kids
2. Kissables (candy)
3. Summertime

3 Fears
1. Flying
2. One of my kids getting hurt
3. mice

3 Goals

1. Eat healthier
2. To raise good kids, not necessarily perfect (duh), just good kids who are loving, polite, friendly
hardworking and most importantly always willing to serve
3. To keep a cleaner car

3 obsessions

1. Bags, any kind of bag, purse, diaper bag, church bag I love bags! Always have!
2. Cafe Rio-pork salad
3. Baby girl clothes, headbands and shoes mostly right now!!!

3 Random Surprises about me

1. Worked at McDonalds for a day at Crossroads Mall
2. Had hair below my shoulders and cut it all off , like way short- still can't believe I did that!
3. Won a coloring contest when I was young at Chick-fil-A and met Dean Butler I know you are all wondering
who Dean Butler is, he was on Little House on the Prairie . Don't be jealous!! he he

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Rick!! Here is why your kids think you are the best dad in the whole world!!

Brendan said-he's the best because he makes it to every one of my baseball games, and I have quite a few!

Jessica said- he's the best because he surprised me with Hannah Montana tickets and took me to the concert, and he will always take me to Olive Garden whenever I ask him.

Lily said-he's the best because he takes me on dates!

Evan thinks he is the best because he will share his sandwich, chips and drink with him!

Ruby (not pictured- she was asleep) just loves him!

I think he is the best because he is a great dad and husband. He will pretty much do anything I ask him. A funny thing about Rick is whenever people ask him how many kids he has, he always looks at me like I need to help him answer the question! We don't have that many!!! Love ya Rick! Happy Father's Day!

Cousin Day

2008-06-12T20:24:00.001-07:00

We dedicate our Thursdays to "Cousin Day" where we do fun stuff with cousins. My kids love their cousins more than anything and they would spend everyday together if we could. We went to Fat Cats today for some bowling and Pizza! It was so much fun! My mom comes along and so does my aunt and cousin with her kids, it is a blast!!! I didn't grow up with any cousins and wasn't really close to my grandparents, so my kids are very lucky to have their cousins be their best friends and have the most amazing grandparents!! The only thing we are missing is our little sis Jamie, we miss her so much and wish she could share in making these fun memories, we all just hope she can move back someday, we love her and miss her and her sweet little boy Will, and can't wait for the arrival of our newest cousin, Baby Ivy-due any day!