Happy Valentines Day!!

We had a great Valentine's Day and I hope all of you enjoyed the day too! The weather has been pretty cold and rainy the past couple of weeks, so we were thinking we (Josh, me, Jill, and Brian) would go to Outback for a yummy dinner. Well, it was such a beautiful day, that we decided to go to the sand dunes with the kids and dutch oven! The boys had a great time digging in the sand and hiking on the rocks! I wish we would have gotten pictures of them sitting in their "bunker" and digging, but the camera battery died (so typical!) Jill was our AMAZING chef and made us the best dutch oven potatoes, chicken, and homemade baked beans! I ate way too much, but it was too good that I couldn't help myself. Tag only ate a little bit of dirt this time because he was so tired that we were trying to get him to sleep. I was so happy when he finally gave up and fell asleep! We have great friends who just happen to be lots of fun too! Jill is having another boy and is due in April and Josh couldn't help but take pictures of her...she was not happy with him! Of course, there are no pictures of Josh because he was running the camera this time! Isaac and Ty are great friends and played very well together, but we finally had to pack it up when they got tired and started being mean to each other! We smelled like campfire and I still had to go grocery shopping for the upcoming week! I am sure everyone at the store loved the overpowering campfire smell wafting off of me and my dirty jeans, but then again we live in a small town with lots of ranchers, so maybe they are use to it! I got all the groceries we needed and headed home. The kids were exhausted, so they took baths and headed to bed. Josh and I sat down and watched a movie and enjoyed the HEAVENLY Apple Pie I bought at the store! This was the best store bought apple pie I had ever tasted. The cashier wasn' t joking when she told me the "Cow Pies" were the best pies...can you say it only lasted 2 days! YIKES!! We had a wonderful Valentine's Day this year and I want my husband to know how much I love him and appreciate all he does for me and our family! I love you Josh!!

Sunny Days & Rainy Days

I just love this kid! This is when we got back from our Rhino ride

What a crazy week it has been! At the beginning of the week the weather was beautiful and in the 70's and today it is in the 40's. We took advantage of the nice weather and went to the Reservoir to fish and dig in the sand. I have great friends, who I love to hang out with and it just so happens that our kids love to play together too. We soaked up some sun, while the kids played in the sand, dug in the sand, and ate the sand! We didn't catch any fish, but I think Jill enjoyed trying! Lauren and I were trying to keep our little ones from the water, eating the sand, or the trash they found in the sand! It was great fun! I gave up on trying to keep Tag from eating the sand! He must of liked the taste of it because he kept eating it! Don't you just love the sand oozing from his little mouth...so appetizing! Isaac, Ty, Allie, and Estefan all had fun digging in the sand and watching a remote control boat cruising on the water! We had a great time...thanks Jill and Lauren!

Today, Josh and I took the boys for a Rhino ride. It was cold and wet outside, but there was a break in the rain, so we decided to take advantage of it! We had a great time and made it back before it started to rain again. Both of the boys fell asleep on the ride, but I think they still had a good time. When we got back, Ty found this jeep and decided to jump inside and drive! Can you say "Grand Theft Auto"! I am a little worried about him...he likes to break into any and every car he comes near! Thank goodness we know the people who own the jeep! We had a great time getting out of the house and I know the boys were excited to get out too! Now we are back inside enjoying the rain and the dreary weather! I think we will sit down and watch a good movie now!

A Very Sad Day in our Valley

On Wednesday February 4, 2009 one of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints burned down. Many of my friends are from here in the valley and their grandparents help build this chapel. Many were in tears as they watch the church engulfed in flames. The church was a total loss, but they were able to save all the important records and documents they needed and the library was also saved. Every time I drive by the chapel, I am saddened. I know that because we pay our tithing that we can and will rebuild the church, but for many it was a very sentimental church and many memories were made there. My friend and I went to the church after the fire had been put out and these are some of the pictures of what was left. My friends mother was able to capture pictures of when the church was on fire. I wish I could transfer them onto this post, but I haven't been able to figure out how to do that. It was a good thing that most of the church was brick because the fire was so intense. I am grateful for the organization of our church because in times like these instead of chaos, there is organization. All the members that attended church in that building have already been assigned to other chapels and everyone is happy to work together to make this a smooth transition. We truly are blessed to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

My little boy is growing up way to fast!

Tag, Tagaroo, Taggy, Tag-along, we love you so much! You are such a joy to have in our home and family! You always have a big ol' smile on your face and bright eyes that are full of life! I cannot believe that you are already 8 months old! Where has the time gone? Your big brother, Ty, loves to play with you and I know that you love playing with him. Whenever we come in your bedroom to get you out of your crib, your eyes light up when you see your big brother! It is so much fun to watch the two of you together and I know that you will be great friends and playmates! You love to crawl and chase each other down the hall, play in Ty's room with all his toys, or wrestle each other! I keep telling big brother that one day you will be big enough to fight back, but I don't think he gets it quite yet...I guess he will the first time you take him down!

You love to eat! Anytime anyone has food, you make a "B" line over to them and don't leave until you get something out of the deal! Most of the time you choke on it, so we don't like to let you try many things! You still only have 2 teeth, but I think you are working on getting some more in! I sure wish you would get some more teeth so that you could eat more food, but for now we will stick to yogurt and lots of milk!

You are starting to be more daring! You walk between one piece of furniture to the next and you take it like a champ when you tumble over! You love to explore things all around the house and get into anything you can! When your big brother opens the fridge, you are always there helping him get all the food out...mommy just loves it when you do that!

One more funny thing about you...you love music and you love to dance to it! You keep us entertained when we are driving in the car!

We love you Tag and we look forward to many more fun memories with you! Thanks for all the laughs!

I got Lasik, Ty got Strep, & Tag can Stand Up!

I had to throw this picture in! I was exercising and when I was done he put my shoes on and was going to go exercise! I wish I would of got the picture of him like this on the treadmill!

Ty with his swollen face...all he wanted was his momma!

Tag standing up and big brother there to catch him if he fell

All by myself!

No more glasses!! I'm so EXCITED and I just can't hide it!!

It has been a crazy week in the Jensen household! I was so excited to finally get Lasik and was able to do so on Friday January 2, 2009! Everything went great and I could see the next morning. It was really crazy because I have worn glasses since I was in the 3rd grade and now I can wake up each morning and see clearly! I keep going to push up my glasses and realize they are no longer there! It is like you want to try and read every sign you see or every clock you see from a distance to make sure it is really real! I LOVE IT!!! I recommend it to anyone who has to wear glasses or contacts! If I could wear contacts I might not have been in such a hurry to get the surgery done, but after I had my first child, I could no longer wear contacts and it has been torture to wear glasses! Anyhow, I am doing great and today was the first day I could wear make-up! Here's to the new and improved (I think) ME!!

The next adventure is Tag standing up on everything he possibly can and holding on for dear life! It is so fun to watch him! He loves to try and walk along the furniture and is getting better at it! When he first stood up he didn't know what he was suppose to do next and he would start to get frustrated, make this face of confusion, and then cry! It was the cutest and sadest thing all at the same time! The best is when he tries to stand up on the little truck Ty has and it starts to move and he doesn't know how it is happening! Then it topples over on him and he doesn't like that much! He is getting so big and I can't believe he is almost 8 months! We weighed and measured him today and he weighs 23lbs and is 29" tall! What a big boy you are, Tag!

The last adventure for the week was making a trip to Vegas to see the doctor! Ty woke up on Friday morning and wasn't his usual self! He wasn't feeling well at all, so we called the doctor and headed out the door (literally that fast)! We were there for almost 2 hours and he cried or moaned the entire time. Daddy stayed behind to watch Tag and it was a good thing. I had to hold Ty down while the doctor tried to open Ty's mouth and swab his throat for a strep test. Once again he had strep! The left side of his face was also really swollen, but the doctor didn't know why and couldn't see any puss draining from his cheek. She was a little concerned, so we are on a different antibiotic than the normal penicillin! This medicine covers more bacteria, so hopefully it will help his swollen face too! Poor kid had a really rough 2 days, but is almost back to his normal self today! I was very concerned and felt so bad, so I had Josh and Uncle Jacob give him a blessing! I don't know if he understood what was going on, but he sat there so revently and said "Amen" when it was over! Thank goodness for the blessing he was given and Tylenol because that is the only thing that saved us during those rough 2 days! It lowered the fever and made the pain go away, but we knew when the 4 hours were up because he would start to cry and say "owee, owee!" What a week it has been and I am hoping this next one will be better!

Christmas 2008

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Christmas this year was such a busy and crazy time for our family. We headed to grandma and grandpa Jensen's home in Alamo on Tuesday the 23rd. We had a wonderful time with the family. We stayed up really late on Tuesday playing games...I love playing games, so I had a great time. The kids were really tired, so we finally headed to the hotel. On Wednesday the 24th, we headed to the mountain to take the kids for a ride through the snow on an old car hood! They had a blast and Ty even loved it. It was the funniest thing because he started to fall asleep (you can see it in one of the pictures) and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. Jared took the older kids on a really crazy and fast ride...grandpa went too slow for the older kids! I think grandpa was nervous the entire time and wanted to make sure his grandkids were safe. We were all worn out by the time we got home and a little hungry too. We started our Christmas Eve program a little later than planned, so we shortened it a little bit. My sister in law (Karen) and I were in charge of the program because of our music abilities. She played the guitar and I led the music. We did a little program that incorporates the scripture story of Jesus' birth along with Christmas songs. Then I read a story, "The White Stocking" and then gave each family a white stocking to put up for the Savior. We each wrote on a piece of paper what gift we wanted to give the Savior for the next year and when Christmas comes next year, we will go over our gift in our families and see how we did. Then to end the program my brother in law found this story, "A Soldiers Silent Night" and played it for us. Let me just say that a lot of us were in tears by the end of the story. I felt so grateful to the soldiers throughout history who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. I thought of all they sacrifice to keep us free. I cannot even imagine being away from my family and especially during the holidays and knowing that I may never see them again. It was a touching story and I think I will make it a tradition to play it each Christmas Eve as a tribute to all the men and women who have fought to keep my country free. On Christmas morning it was so fun to watch the excitement and anticipation in all of the children. It was especially fun for Josh and I this year because Ty understood what was going on and was so excited to see what Santa brought. Josh was downstairs recording so we could get the expression on Ty's face when he saw all the presents under the tree. He was so excited about the little red wagon that Santa brought and his classic car too. In fact, he didn't want to open anymore gifts after he got his classic car. He cried when we made him open up the rest of his gifts. The same thing happened after he opened the truck and trailer that he got from Grandma and Grandpa Jensen. I swear that kid will never have enough trucks, cars, trailers, or anything else with wheels! He LOVES them! As Uncle Seth was getting the classic car out of the box, Ty did this little dance like he had ants in his pants...it was too fun to watch. Tag was alseep for all the festivities, but he woke up towards the end and we let him open his presents. He got a few toys and he has enjoyed having them around. He likes his new toy that spins, lights up, and plays music. He also enjoys the new toys he can chew on! He had fun, but I think he was confused as to why all the kids around were a little "crazy!" Josh was excited about the new shooting head phones I got him. He has been wanting some for awhile, so it was a perfect gift. I was happy because I was getting Lasik for my Christmas this year and he built me shelves in all the closets. We are running out of places to store our food storeage, so I decided we should use all the wasted space at the top of the closets! We all had a great Christmas! I think the kids were a little tired because Christmas day was hard on them. They didn't want to share their new toys and didn't play very well together! The next day we had a good time just chatting, playing games, eating, and watching the kids play! Everyone got ready to go home that day and were on their way home by that evening. Our family wasn't leaving until Saturday evening, so we had a blast staying up and playing Scum with Josh's parents and Ticia and Mike! We stayed up until after a 11:30...if you know the Jensen family at all that is incredibly late! It was a great time and I have learned that they all cheat and to never believe a word they say while playing cards! On Saturday we helped clean up the house, made jerky, and I helped Karla fix her laptop. It was a good day and Ty had a blast with his dad and Grandpa! It was freezing outside, but he didn't care! All he wanted to do was ride in the backhoe, the truck, motorcycle, or 4 wheeler! He loves Grandpa and Grandma's house. He even got to help brand one of Grandpa's calves. It's hard to see the picture because of the smoke from when they brand the calf! We left about 5:00pm and were exhausted when we got home. The kids left with runny green noses and bad coughs, so the week ahead of us was lots of fun. They still have the cough, but the bright green running from their nose is finally gone! I love Christmas, but I am always happy to put away all the decorations and get my life and home back to normal. Ty still talks about going to Christmas parties and Santa Clause bringing toys and I tell him, "When you are 3 Christmas will come again, but we have to wait a whole year!" I don't if he really understands what that means, but he now says, "I be 3 at Christmas." I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I am sorry this post is so late, but it's here now!