Flag Football and a Very Merry Christmas

Aunt Lauri and her boyfriend Chad came down here after Christmas and it was fun to hang out with them. We spent one day in Vegas with them and rode the New York New York roller coaster and that was a BLAST!! They stayed at our house for a couple of days and so we had to do a Christmas Tree burning while they were here and the kids just LOVED the huge bonfire! My sister loves to go hiking and anything outside, so our friend was nice enough to let us borrow their Razor and man was that a lot of fun! We took the rhino and the razor and went for a little ride and the weather was just beautiful! We had the loader at our house from doing our backyard and she really wanted to drive it, so Josh showed her how and she thought it was the coolest thing! It was so nice to see my big sister and we really enjoyed getting to know Chad! We stayed up way too late every night playing games or watching movies, but it was worth it!

 Ty was playing against his friend, Mason

 Ty running with the football...it was an awesome play

 Ty was so excited to play football. Josh wasn't too excited about it being flag football, but I had to remind him they are only in kindergarten and 1st grade. Ty had a lot of fun playing and it seemed like the season just flew by. It was fun to watch him play and it really wasn't that cold. By the end of the season, he was really getting the idea behind it and really improved a lot.

 Tag was suppose to be singing at our Ward Christmas Party, but he seems a bit distracted

 Christmas Eve PJ's all the kids LOVED their new PJ's

 Christmas Morning...the madness begins

 Jensen family football game

 The cheering squad

 

Christmas this year was a bit crazy. We moved into our house on December 2nd, so it was hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit. Normally I have all my shopping done by this time, but I didn't want to get anything until after the move...we didn't need anything else to move! I haven't moved since we bought our last house, 7 years ago and Josh and I had only been married 5 months. Needless to say, we didn't have a lot of stuff at that time. 3 kids later and man do you accumulate a lot. Our new house is twice the size of our last one and I really don't know how we fit all that stuff into that tiny house. We did have a big garage outside and I know that is where a lot of things were kept, but still we had a ton of stuff. The first two weeks of December I was busy unpacking and putting everything away and still being a mom too. I stayed up way too late and was exhausted everyday. I finally went shopping on the 15th and felt relieved when I was done. We had a friend that was so kind and brought us a Christmas tree because when would we have time to go cut one down. The kids were dying to decorate for Christmas, so with the tree up and a couple of little decorations, our house was a little festive, but not like it usually is. I felt bad not putting up lights on the house, but knew this year would just be an exception to the norm. With work parties, church parties, head lice, colds, and the move, it was more hectic this year than usual. However, Christmas Eve came and we had a great time. We were happy when Uncle Seth showed up and was able to spend that night and Christmas morning. We haven't seen Uncle Seth since February, so the kids were so excited to see him and he was surprised at how big Tenley had gotten.  We watched a touching video called "The Madera Miracle", read a book called "Jingle Bells" that Ty's teacher had given him, and then got to open their Christmas Eve present. Ty now knows that it is PJ's, but he was still excited. Ty got Mario, Tag got Batman, and Tenley got Dora! We then told the kids it was time for bed and that Santa Claus wouldn't come until they were asleep. Christmas morning came way to early, but it was fun to hear the boys out there looking at what Santa had brought for them. Josh and I finally got out of bed to make sure they weren't opening all their presents and they were excited to show us their new bikes and all the presents that were left under the tree. Our tree was bare because Tenley would open everything, so they were so excited to see all those presents under the tree. They had ravaged through their stockings and were shoving their gumballs in their mouth just as fast as they could. They begged Josh and I to wake up Tenley, but I told them no way. We made our traditional blueberry muffins and by 7am, Tenley had woken up. We let the kids find all the presents that belonged to them and put them in a pile and then we go youngest to oldest on opening presents. One of my favorite things about being a parent is seeing the excitement in their eyes when they open their presents and it is just what they want. Ty wanted a BeyBlade set, Tag the Avengers set, and Tenley a puppy and they each got those things and a few other little things. They each also got a movie to add to our collection. Josh was given a TV for our bedroom and he was proud of me for getting him something I wanted too! He told me I was learning because that is what he did when we were dating and newly married.  Josh got me a little massage kit and a NEW HOUSE!!! The house was all I wanted! Each of the kids loved their new bikes and were riding them throughout the day. It was a very successful Christmas and I really did feel like we focused more on the true meaning of Christmas. We talked a lot about why we celebrate Christmas and that while the presents and treats are fun, the most important thing is our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The boys are really understanding this and as a mother, nothing could make me happier. Later on that afternoon, Josh's family came over and we had dinner, played with our new toys, played games, and had a great family football game in the backyard. Josh has already done so much work on the backyard and all of our neighbors have told us how good it is looking. We cleared all the weeds and trash and started building a fence. There are those horrible thumbtack stickers and I HATE them and yes I mean HATE them! I was so happy when he cleared all the weeds away and even out the backyard as much as he could. It has already been a lot of work, but looks so much better and it is still just a patch of dirt! It made a great football field! When were all exhausted and looked at the clock and it was only 5:30pm! We cleaned up and everyone left and we crashed and were lazy the rest of the evening! It truly was a wonderful Christmas and we were so excited to be here in our new house! 

This is my final post for 2012 and I just wanted to leave a few thoughts about this year. I cannot believe how fast the year has flown by! I have a son in kindergarten, another son in pre-school, and an energetic, fiesty little girl! We have had a wonderful year and have really felt so blessed this year! We have been so lucky to have a GREAT job throughout this terrible time in our country, we have been healthy and kept safe from the craziness of this world, our testimonies are stronger, and we visited Montana and the Caribbean for the first time and made some wonderful memories. We are so grateful that our extended family has also been blessed this year. My parents are serving a mission in Hungary and this has blessed our family so much. It has been so wonderful to hear of their experiences and really be grateful for living in The United States of America and having the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. Josh's parents are healthy and doing great and it is a blessing to have them so close that our children get to see them often! I look back at this year and we been extremely blessed and I pray that we will always show our gratitude and give back as much as we can! I know without Jesus Christ and his teachings in my life, that I would be in a very different place in my life. I have a wonderful husband and am so thankful for his hard work and the support he gives to me as a mother!  My husband and the gospel keep me grounded and make me remember what is really important in life! Everyday I pray that my children will gain their own personal testimonies of the Savior...nothing could bring me greater joy than to know my children walk in truth and righteousness.

Josh's Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt

 Tag and Tenley were so excited for their dad

Josh was super excited when he drew his Desert Big Horn Sheep tag. His twin brother Jacob was not so happy because he didn't draw one too. This tag is a once in a lifetime tag, so he was going to take work off until he got one. My brother Mike came down from West Jordan Utah and the hunt began on Tuesday November 20th. Living in a small town, there were a lot of people who were so excited for Josh and out helping him scout for a monster sheep. He had been out scouting for sheep from the moment he drew the tag and everytime I would go with him, we wouldn't see a thing, so I quit going. Sure enough, he would always find sheep and had found a really big sheep they called, "Chunks!" My brother and Josh both took the week off of work and got up early to hunt and stayed out until dark. The first day they got a couple shot off with Josh's bow, but didn't have an success.  They put a lot of miles on the rhino and went over some crazy passes. My brother, Mike, said he had to get out a few times because he was too scared of what Josh was taking him up. He then realized that a rhino is a climbing machine and Josh knows what he is doing. They were exhausted every night and STARVING! My sister and Mike's wife came down on Wednesday and we knew we wouldn't see them much if they didn't get the sheep. Well, they went out one morning and there were a lot of people out with them and they found a HUGE sheep, but Josh couldn't get to him with his bow, so he called me to bring in the BIG GUN! I took it to him, but they had already moved to the next wash by the time I got there. They tried to track him, but the sheep got smart and headed for the state park, so no luck that day. We had Thanksgiving and we saw Mike and Josh on Thanksgiving day in the evenings, but by Saturday when Mike had to leave, they still hadn't gotten a sheep. I felt bad because he had taken time off work and I really wanted him to be there when Josh got his sheep. With all the people in town for the holiday, the sheep left the area and wouldn't be back to everyone left. Well, Monday morning came and Josh got a call from Lon Dalley that they had found "Chunks" So he left work and he and his bosses went out to where Lon was. They were watching the sheep and there was an even bigger sheep than "Chunks" and once they made the distinction, Josh pulled the trigger and was ecstatic about his sheep. He had it scored and it was a little above the average size of desert big horn sheep killed in Nevada.  We weren't sure if their meat taste good, but after talking to our neighbor, we were excited to hear that it was the best wild game she had ever tasted! Now that we have had steaks and a roast, I too will say that it is soooo good and very lean! Now our freezer is full of meat and my husband had his Desert Big Horn Sheep.

Happy Thanksgiving and Our New House

 Carson diggin for gold

 Miss Hailey is growing up way too fast

 My brother Mike,Brita, and sister Lauri

 Crazy hair...we all had curly hair

 Desert landscaping for the front yard with a tiny patch of grass

 Always wanted a covered porch...just imagine there is green grass...that is what I do

 So excited for a fireplace...heating bill will love this

 Shelves in the garage...hooray and a garage to park my car!!!

 I was sold when I saw the kitchen

 So excited about my office...Finally

 This is Ty's room

 This will be Tenley's room

 Master Bedroom

 This is the backyard...it is going to be A TON of work, but it will be beautiful by the time we are done with it

 The kids are so excited about all the hills to climb right out our back door...mom is excited too

 I love my new pantry

 Kids bathroom

 Master bath...that jetted tub is screaming my name


 
 Tag's bedroom

 

 Racing down the hill...this was fun to watch

 That is one loaded down rhino

 All the kids were still up playing, but Kate was so tired she went to bed

 My little cowboy Tag

 Lauri was pretty special...even Tam (Woody's wife) hasn't rode his prized horse

 Cowboy Ty

 Tenley finally got on the horse with dad

 Tam called me to hurry a snap some pictures while Tenley was on the horse by herself

Life has been so busy these past couple of months, that I have neglected this blog! I think I can get things up to date, but it might a picture overload! This is our family journal, so I try and put those important things we want to remember and put in our blog book. Since 2012 is almost over, I need to get these last few posts in before the end of this year.

Thanksgiving was so wonderful! I was nervous to make my first turkey and to have so many people in our little home, but it worked out GREAT! Yes, we were all very cozy and were happy for nice weather that allowed us to be outside a lot. Let see...we had 8 kids and 5 adults staying in our house for 3 days! We had a blast playing out on the sand hill and the kids absolutely LOVED riding in the rhino ride. Uncle Josh definitely was more crazy and the kids all loved all that! Our good friends, Tam and Woody Woods were so kind and let us come ride their horses. Woody is still feeling bad for the last time my sister, Lauri, rode his horse and was taken on a wild ride...he wanted to redeem himself. We had a great time. Thanksgiving Day was so yummy and the turkey was AWESOME! I am no longer afraid of cooking a turkey and even want to do one to have some yummy lunch meat. In the evenings we were all so tired that we crashed pretty early. One night we all stayed awake and watched a cute little Christmas movie and had some yummy popcorn. When it came time for everyone to leave, I was really sad that they had to go. It is never enough time, but I was just so grateful that they were able to come down! The kids had so much playing with each other and I love it when they all get together! Our favorite little spot was the sand dunes behind our house! The kids had so much fun playing in the sand and having crazy rides in the rhino. The weather was perfect and they were so happy for warmer weather!

The day before they left, we headed up to Moapa to show them our new home. We are soooooo excited and feel so blessed. We have been in our home for 7 years and orginally it was suppose to be a starter home! However, the market crashed and there was no way we could sell it for what we owed and decided to just make due until we could sell. I had looked at homes, but that is all that ever happened. We had decided we were going to just short sale our home because we were tired of driving back and forth everyday, but I just felt terrible about it, so after a couple of weeks, I told Josh I just didn't think it was the right thing for us to do. Shortly after that, this home came on the market and it was exactly what we wanted and where we wanted to be. This time instead of just looking, I called a realtor. We looked at it and made an offer. It was a short sale, so we were ready to wait a long time to even hear anything, but a month later we heard back from the bank. It wasn't the news that we wanted, but we raised our offering price and they excepted and a month later we closed and were moving into our house! It was crazy how fast things happened! It is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, on 3/4 of an acre. I also get my office and Josh has his own hunting room...we are both pretty excited about that! I have a huge pantry and can I just say that I LOVE YOU!! All of our food storage fits in there with plenty of room to spare! I just feel so blessed and now pray we can rent out our other home.