The Jensen Family

The loot

2012-01-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Lots of candy!!!! The kids wanted me to take them around this year instead of Darren. I usually stay home and answer the door. We only went up one street and down the other side. Emily ran and fell down twice. That was enough for me. They got a lot of candy for the amount of houses we went to.

Carving Pumpkins

2012-01-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

This is a fun and messy tradition. I had purchased, last year, some Mr. Potato Head kits which was really fun for Rylie and Emily. I just had to drill where they wanted them and They put them in. No messy gutting for the girls which was great!

Ward Halloween Party

2012-01-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the Ward Halloween Party. We had a family dance, food, and trunk or treat. Emily thought it was too hot to wear the hat of this tiger costume.
Rylie enjoying the food.

Joshua only ate this one cake ball on a stick and had an allergic reaction. He did not enjoy the rest of the night until it was time for the trunk or treat.

Alison had a good time hanging out with her best friend, Maggie.

As soon as we got there Jacob disappeared. We are glad he had fun with his friends.

Snapshots

2012-01-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

Emily and Alison looked so cute for church that I had to take a couple of shots.

Emily

Alison

Fall

2012-01-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

October 8th. We only have 3 trees so we do not have a lot of leaves. But the kids still made the most of what we had.

Joshua's 6th Birthday

2012-01-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

October 2nd 2011 Joshua turned 6. He had a fun birthday. He chose McDonald's for his birthday lunch with mom. Mainly to play on the playground. He wanted a dinosaur cake.

These are the presents he got from Grandma and Grandpa Burgess.
This is what he got from mom and dad.
And of course a Wii game!
He got a new bedding set from Grandma and Grandpa Jensen. He was very excited. Alison and gotten new sheets the week before and he was very upset he did not get any.

Fun with Sand

2012-01-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

October 1st the girls are taking advantage of the warm weather and doing their favorite thing outside, playing with sand. They don't just play in the sandbox. They have to move the sand onto the porch and make a whole kitchen adventure. I do not think we have much sand left in the box and we will definitely have to reseal the porch but Rylie and Emily did this all summer long.

Otsego Festival

2012-01-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

On September 17th Darren took the kids to the Otsego Festival and let them play on the playground. The kids always love the petting zoo. Jacob is great to help with the younger kids.
Jacob playing with Emily on the playground.
Emily
Alison petting a baby goat.
Joshua and Rylie combing a goat.

Como Zoo

2011-12-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

We took the younger kids to Como Zoo in September to get one last time in before it was too cold. The Elementary was out of school but Jacob still had to go, so he missed out.
So close you could almost touch him.

The large fish were fun to watch.

Emily
Joshua
Rylie
Emily did not like to monkey building. She wanted to be held the whole time and hid her face.

The kids always enjoy the zoo. This one is small, but you can't beat free!

First Day of School

2011-11-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

The start of a new school year is always exciting. Jacob was not thrilled to start. He is starting 8Th grade. Alison was very excited to start school. She is in 3rd grade this year. She has a wonderful homeroom teacher this year. She is so fun.
Jacob and Alison both started school on September 6Th. Here is a picture of Alison and her friends at the bus stop on the first day.
Joshua started school on September 7Th. He is in kindergarten this year. He was very excited.
He was also very excited to ride the but this year. Here he is getting off the bus on his first day. Looks like he had a fun day.
Rylie stared school on September 13Th. She is in preschool at the elementary school. She has been streamlined into regular preschool. Her special ed teacher attends with her a couple of other kids and observes in case she is needed. Rylie is doing very well. She is very smart.
Rylie bus still picks her up at our house. She loves the bus.
Everyone had a good first week. I have to say, I love when school starts. I think of the commercial with the Christmas song "Its the most wonderful time of the year" and all the parents buying school supplies. Happy school year!

Camping

2011-10-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

We took the kids camping in August. We were going to go for a couple of nights but had to wait because of a dangerous storm. We ended up only going one night. We had a great time. We went on 2 hikes, played games, roasted hot dogs and smores, and let the kids play in the dirt.
Joshua was so excited about sleeping in a tent he hung out in there after we were set up.
Jacob came prepared with his mosquito net. We really didn't have too many mosquitoes.
Emily and Rylie had a good time together. They are enjoying a glass of water.
The campfire was very enjoyable. I was about to say no one got hurt and remembered I did get hurt. Josh wanted help getting his hot dog off the stick and dropped the stick in the crook of my arm. I have a permanent reminder of this fun campout. When it got dark we went around the campfire and each added on to a scary story. All the kids jumped at least once during Darren's part regarding a scary bear (even Jacob).
Josh is kicking back enjoying one of his favorite foods, hot dogs. He follows after Grandpa Burgess.
Rylie and Emily entertained themselves by lining up pine cones on the cement slab.
Our family had a great time. Too bad it is too cold to do it again. There is always next year.

Our Table

2011-10-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

Darren and I have completed our first furniture project. We could only squeeze six around our old kitchen table. When Emily was too big for her highchair, we could no longer sit as a family around out table. We found a large table at a garage sale for $20. Darren fixed the leg and I sanded the table. We both painted it. We can now seat 10, if needed. We learned some things and it turned out just okay. We probably should have put several more protective coats on it, but at least we can now eat together as a family. hurray! I think we will probably paint the chairs to match, but not right now.

Road Trip

2011-10-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

On July 14th we started out on our ward trip to Nauvoo. Several families went. It took us a little longer than most to get there due to Rylie being newly potty trained. We made a few extra stops. The kids love the DVD players. We took three with us. What did our parents do without them?
We stopped at a nice rest stop for a picnic lunch. It had a pond with a walking trail. We stayed a little longer than we had planned but it was a good break to get out and run around.

When we arrived, we checked into the hotel and then met at pioneer past times park with the ward members for a potluck dinner. After dinner we went to one of the shows. We had a long first day. We all slept good and were ready for the next day. Here are the kids playing on the wagon at the park.

Nauvoo Visitor Center

2011-10-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

We started our day at the Visitor Center. I had forgotten something and had to run back to the hotel, so Darren entertained the kids by taking lots of pictures of them.

By the time I got back they were done with this and so I missed out on the visitor center. There's always next time.

Nauvoo sites

2011-10-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

After the Visitor center we went to ride on the wagon pulled by oxen. This was a little more exciting for the younger kids.
This would be a great picture of our family if Rylie was not behind Joshua. The ride was short but about the right length. It sure gives you an idea how uncomfortable it would be to have to ride for long periods of time.
Here we are in the printer shop. The Missionaries would give a little talk about each building. Some were brief and some were not brief enough. As you can tell, it would have been better for us if we could just walk in a look around without the details. The hardest one was the blacksmith shop. I eventually had to take some kids out during the presentation. It was hot and humid that day which added to the impatience.
The animals were always entertaining for the kids.
We had to drag Rylie away from the horses. Alison also likes horses. What is with girls and horses?

We went on a hour wagon ride tour. It was nice to sit down and rest. Emily liked it...
But she only lasted less than five minutes. I was happy that she got her nap in, but my arms were killing my by the time the tour was over.
Alison
Jacob and Josh

More Nauvoo pictures

2011-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

After the wagon ride we headed inside for some air conditioning. It is nice that they have placed for the kids to learn and play at the same time.

Darren was chosen to wind the machine while the missionary was teaching how to make rope. Rylie and Josh ran up to help Darren. Darren pulled Rylie's hand out just in time before she would have lost a finger. We quickly learned that this job was not for children. You wouldn't think making rope was such a dangerous job.

The Nauvoo Pageant

2011-10-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our ward had blocked some good seats for us. While we were waiting for the show to start we decided to get the kids a treat. They chose snow cones. I thought it was good because it was hot...

Then I remembered that snow cones are very messy. All the kids except Jacob stained their shirts. We They had to sit through the whole show with sticky clothes. I was worried that it would attract more mosquitoes, but we didn't see any all night. (weird). The best part of the show was at the end when the temple lit up in the background. It gave me the chills. It was late after the show and we had a long day. We headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

Carthage Jail

2011-10-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

The next morning we met everyone at Carthage Jail for the tour before heading home. I enjoyed the tour. Our kids were good and it was fun to go with a group. We asked a missionary to take a picture of us with the Anderson's and the Langston's in front of the jail. Before we were situated he snapped the picture and was done. Some of us were still moving into position. But this is the only one we got.
On the drive home we stopped in a town to try and find a park to have a picnic at. We found this Mormon Handcart Park. We thought it was ironic. It had a trail and information about the pioneers camping here. What a way to end our trip. We stayed 2 nights and should have stayed at least one more. Unfortunately Jacob said his favorite part was watching Spongebob at the hotel while we ate our dinner one night. This was the first vacation that we packed food for the whole trip. I missed going out to eat, but it was also very convenient (and a lot cheaper).

Good old Blocks

2011-08-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

I found this wagon full of blocks at a garage sale. It is amazing how some toys never go out of style. The kids have really enjoyed them.

Alison and her friend, Maggie, built a whole castle city.

I was trying to take the picture and Emily wasn't looking at me so I asked her to show me her eyes.

The mosquito wins again

2011-08-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Darren took the girls on the father/daughter camp out. We had purchased a new tent and he did not realize that it had a zipper on the top for ventilation and left it open all night. By morning they had been eaten alive! Poor Rylie is allergic and her face always swells up. She looked like this for about 4 days.

4th of July 2011

2011-08-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time of the 4th. We went to see Rio at the movie theatre. We played in water by washing the van. We asked the kids what they wanted to do. They wanted to continue the Jensen tradition of having a talent show. They also wanted to camp out in the back yard. We also did our own fireworks. I had to work at night and missed out on the the night time activities. We had a fun day, but also missed our extended family.

Cooling off

2011-08-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

One afternoon the kids and I just hung out in the back yard. It was hot. We turned the sprinklers on and filled the small pool for the littler ones (although some big ones used it also). We had a fun time just hanging out.

Jacob is so good with Emily. He let her dump water over his head many times. She laughed every time.

Albertville Fire Station

2011-08-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Darren took the kids to the Albertville fire station during Albertville days.

They got to climb into the fire trucks and see all the equipment.

They had demonstrations. They kids got wet with some of those demonstrations. They didn't mind.
It was at least a fun, free activity for the kids to do while I was at work.

Alison's Field trip

2011-08-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

I had the fortune to attend Alison's end of the year field trip to the Nature Reserve at Fish Lake. Out of all the field trips this was the one I would want to attend the least. However, I am glad to have the opportunity to go with her. She was very excited to have me come. We first stopped off at a park and had lunch. This park was a lot of fun. They had lots of net ladders to climb. Here is Alison and her school friend, Anna, at the top of one of the ladders. You cannot tell that she is really up high. I had to zoom to be able to see her.
Then we went to Fish Lake. Alison was given a large net and was instructed to sweep in the long grass and put the net into a jar to see what was found.

I was amazed at all the bugs found in the grass. I will think twice about letting the kids walk through a field again!

Alison was given a small net and scooped the net into the water to see what was in the water.

This is the group looking at the bugs they found. Another reason I hate swimming in the lake.

We had a fun day even though I REALLY HATE BUGS! We went on a long nature walk which was nice. I enjoyed seeing Ali with her class. It was fun to spend the day with her.

Christmas in June

2011-07-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Burgess and Grandma and Grandpa Jensen both sent money for us to buy Christmas presents for the kids last December. Darren and I decided to put the money together and get the kids a trampoline. The kids just got a note on Christmas from the grandparents letting them know about the trampoline and that they would get it in the spring. They were so excited. I was hesitant because of it being so dangerous, but they absolutely love it!
The kids like to put a sprinkler under the tramp and jump on a hot day.
Even Darren and I have gotten on it a few times. Here Darren is in the middle of doing a flip.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Concert Band

2011-07-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Jacob really enjoys band. He plays the trombone. This is his 7Th grade fall band concert. The whole family goes to listen to Jacob play. But they enjoy his Jazz band concert better because they can get up on dance.

Joshua's Final Preschool Program.

2011-07-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

Joshua's preschool had a final program on the last day of preschool. He enjoys preschool and he made several friends in his class. Joshua shows his silly personality and was very entertaining during these two songs. Apparently he went to the restroom just before the performance since his pants are not snapped up and he needed to readjust himself several times. He is the one in the green shirt.

Untitled from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

Rylie's 4th Birthday

2011-07-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Rylie turned 4 on May 16th. We let her decide what she wanted to do. She chose to eat lunch at McDonald's and go to the park. She really enjoyed her day. After dinner she took a bath (which she loves to do), got into pj's, and then we had a little party. She had balloons to play with, opened presents, and of course cake and ice cream. She wanted cupcakes with plastic Dora and Boots rings on them (easy!!!).

Hail storm

2011-07-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

On May 10th we got our first severe storm of the season. We had very large hail and a tornado hit down in the town next to ours (less than 5 minutes away). I was at work when the sirens went off and spent some time in the back of Target with the customers waiting out the storm. Darren was picking up Jacob at the school after a track meet and didn't realize what the sirens meant. He pulled into the garage just as the large hail started to hit. He had Jacob run out and pick up a few pieces (while he should have been in the basement waiting out the storm). If I remember right most pieces were the size of golf balls but the news said there were larger ones that were the size of tennis balls. When these storms happen I sure miss Utah.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-07-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

I had a great mother's day. The kids wanted to bring me breakfast in bed. They were disappointed when I wanted fruit and yogurt instead of a donut so they could have donuts too. Alison was so excited because she made me a gingerbread house at activity days. All the kids couldn't wait for me to open it so they could eat the candy. That house was cleaned off in less than five minutes.

Lots of posts

2011-06-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. I did a lot of posts today. Make sure you see them all.

Track Meets

2011-06-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Jacob joined the spring track team at school. He has enjoyed it. The only this he has not liked is how long the track meets are. Which I am in agreement with him on that one. The whole family went to the first meet. I ended up taking the kids home after 3 hours. We quickly learned to only have one of us go to watch his meet. His favorite event is hurdles. I was very stressed his first time doing the hurdles because they never had him actually jump the hurdles at practice. He also chose not to wear his glasses. I thought he was going to trip and fall, but he did quite well.

Here he is concentrating while waiting for his turn on the first event.

Starting line

This is a short video of him on his last meet doing the hurdles (he is in lane 3):

Untitled from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

Easter

2011-06-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Easter morning was good. Everyone found their basket quickly except Alison. She needed some help. The four younger kids each got a homemade aprons.

Fun with malted eggs.

I cooked a turkey dinner. The kids were very excited to use their new aprons and tools to help me with the rolls.

We had an enjoyable Easter. The only thing that was missing was extended family.

Coloring Easter Eggs

2011-06-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

We colored eggs on the Saturday before Easter. This is a tradition that the kids love, but seems to be a very short activity. This year I had purchased two coloring kits so we had less fighting over colors.

Lost on it's own

2011-06-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Joshua lost his first tooth on April 10th 2011. We were so happy to notice it was loose since that tooth was scheduled to be extracted. His permanent tooth grew in behind the baby tooth and needed to move forward. He worked moving the baby tooth constantly for about a week before it fell out.

It is hard to see the where he lost it due to the permanent tooth a little farther back, but it was the bottom front tooth.

We also like the tooth fairy leaving money.

Otsego Easter Celebration

2011-06-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Our city has a yearly Easter celebration. They provide a Easter egg hunt, face painting, games, and pictures with the Easter Bunny. I had to work so Darren took the kids. Jacob was the photographer.

Here are the kids in the van waiting for Dad so they can go. They are excited!
It was a bit cold, but not bad for April in Minnesota.

Jacob was in charge of following Rylie around. So therefore we only have pictures of Rylie doing the egg hunt.

They each got stamps on their hands.

Their face painted like a bunny.

There was a huge line for pictures with the Easter Bunny. Darren didn't want to wait but at least he had Jacob take a picture with them and the blow up bunny.

They had a good time. I am proud of Darren for taking them without me.

Jacob's Jazz Band Concert

2011-05-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

Jacob had a Jazz Band Concert in March. It just happened to be the Monday after Alison's baptism, so my parents were able to go. He did not tell me he had a solo part. He said he wanted to surprise me. Rylie and Emily had a great time. They wanted to dance, so I pulled them off to the side.

They provided cookies and lemonade. Joshua started feeling funny after eating. By the time we got home he was completely covered in hives and had to have a breathing treatment. We think it was either the nuts in the cookie or the lemonade.

Jacob wanted me to include all three clips I recorded. The first one is the first song they played (it is 2 min. long but I didn't know how to shorten it). They second is of his solo. For some reason I could not get the camera to focus after I started recording. And the third is of the two girls dancing.

Jacob's Jazz Band from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

Untitled from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

Dancing from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

Alison's Baptism

2011-04-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Alison was baptized on March 26th 2011. It was a very special day. It was nice to have only Alison being baptized. She chose the whole program. She chose mom to play the piano, Joshua lead the music, Jacob and Grandma Burgess give the talks, Grandpa Burgess and her close friend Maggie say the prayers and of coarse Darren baptize and confirm her. Alison even sang a solo as a musical number. The spirit was strong and everyone did a great job! Alison got a new dress. She was given several gifts. This is Alison holding her new scriptures and hymn book. Here is Alison practicing her solo before the baptism.

This is Jacob, Joshua, Emily and Rylie waiting for the baptism to start.

Alison and Darren before the baptism. She was so excited.

Joshua practicing leading the music.

Jacob practicing his talk.

We even was able to get a family picture taken. Too bad Emily was not looking at the camera.

Jacob recorded Alison practicing her solo. Joshua was also practicing leading at the same time.

Untitled from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

8 is Great

2011-04-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Alison had a great day on her Birthday. Grandma and Grandpa Burgess were here visiting. Mom and Grandma took her to her doctor check up then went out to lunch, a movie and shopping. This year Alison had her heart set on a ice cream cake from Cold Stone. She went to a friends party a while back, who had one, and she never forgot how good it was. She chose the "Cheesecake named Desire". She then opened presents. She was given this headboard. She also got a game, a hula hoop, clothes, a sleeping bag, and money. What girl could ask for a better birthday.

Alison's Birthday Party

2011-03-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Alison had her two best friends come over for a small "late night" friend party for her birthday. We had dinner, played balloon games and freeze dance, and painted fingernails. They then got in their pajamas and popped popcorn and watched a movie. All the kids had a good time. I liked Alison and Joshua's expressions during freeze dance.
Maggie, Anna and Alison dancing like robots.

Darren's Birthday

2011-03-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Darren's birthday has come and gone. We went to the Red Lobster for dinner, then came home and had cheesecake and he opened presents. This year, because of the circumstances, he didn't get fun presents. He got 2 pairs of jeans. He has lost weight and desperately needed a smaller size. He did get some cash from both parents and is excited at the prospects of what he can buy. I hope next year he will have a better birthday. Happy Birthday Darren!

playtime

2011-03-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

I love how the kids make ordinary items into toys. I had moved the chairs into the family room so I could mop the floor and the kids played trains for the whole time. Sometimes I wonder why we have so many toys!
Joshua wanted me to take his picture showing his robot he made out of Legos. He thought it was cool because it was almost as tall as him.

He continued building until it was as tall as him.

Valentine Traditions

2011-02-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

Every year we start the week before Valentines with our celebrations. Each family member has a valentine box. I put a treat in the box every day and family members put pictures or notes. This year I suggested to the kids that they could also do good deeds for each other and put a note in the box saying what was done. This was really nice for me. Alison was so excited to give me "the best valentine's gift ever" by cleaning my bathroom sink. This is pictures of the first night and everyone got ring pops.

We also always make sugar cookies and decorate them. The kids seam to always add so much stuff the the cookies, but they have fun.

Can you even see the cookie Rylie is frosting? We also take the kids around to neighbors and friends and deliver valentines. The kids really enjoy door bell ditching. No one has ever heard of that here in Minnesota. We still do it and they probably think we are crazy but the kids love it.

Tape anyone?

2011-02-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Joshua is in the phase of drawing constantly and taping them to everything (walls, toys, furniture, and even himself). Last week I told him he couldn't play the Wii and I turn around and find this. He has taped a sad face over his own to tell me he was not happy. We both had a good laugh. Joshua has a good sense of humor and is learning how to express himself. I just wish it wasn't with so much tape.

Potty Training!!

2011-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

We started potty training Rylie on January 21st. I was going to wait for Emily to be ready, but I had to take the small window of time that Rylie was actually showing interest. Unfortunately, she has not improved at all. She is just not getting it. I will keep trying as long as she will cooperate but it is very stressful and very time consuming. Hopefully one day it will just click. She insisted on getting a pink potty that sings and also getting polk-a-dot underwear (not easy to find) because of a Mercer Meyer book I gave her for Christmas. Emily sits on her potty when Rylie does, but doesn't like me to take off her diaper. The first day they sat and drank and had snacks and watch a lot of movies. They thought it was fun.
This picture was cute of Rylie I had to include it (not so cute of Emily).

Here is a video of Rylie spending some time on her potty.

Untitled from Stacie Jensen on Vimeo.

Jacob's a Teenager!

2011-01-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am still in denial that I am old enough to have a teenager. Jacob turned 13 on Tuesday. Darren took him out to dinner and to see the current Harry Potter movie last week. Jacob has been sick and I ended up taking him to a clinic on his birthday. He has a double ear infection. Poor kid. He did feel well enough to blow out candles and open presents.

For several years, Jacob has chosen to have donuts instead of cake for his birthday. We put all 13 candles into his apple fritter.
He got Kirby Yarn for the Wii.
He also got a case for his DS lite system that he received on Christmas.

And of course, cards and money from both grandparents. Jacob rarely spends money, so this money will be added to last years, which is still sitting on his dresser.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

New Years Eve 2010

2011-01-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

I got a new camera for Christmas! My old one finally died. This is the first picture I took. I was playing with the zoom. I love this picture of Josh.
The kids are waiting for our traditional Appetizer feast for New Years Eve dinner. I have been watching what I eat and I love appetizers. Most of them are not healthy, but delicious.

After the younger kids went to bed, we had a game fest. Last year we let Alison stay up until 11pm. This year she gets to stay up until Midnight. She is very excited.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

The awaited day has finally arrived. Before the kids see the tree.
We started a tradition while living in Utah to have the kids eat donuts and milk upstairs before going down and opening presents. We did this to keep them occupied while we waited for Grandpa and Grandma Burgess to arrive. They make us still do this tradition even though there is no purpose to it anymore.

Emily would not pose in her picture of loot.

Rylie wouldn't either, but at least I took it before she escaped.

This year was great. We got the kids lots of similar things so they would play together. Santa brought all, but Jacob, Pillow Pets. Rylie and Emily both got slumber bags. Alison, Josh, and Rylie got playdoh sets, Ali and Josh got paint by numbers, Ali and Rylie got Kittens that walk and purr, etc. It was really nice. We had such a fun day.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we took the kids to Prairie Park. It has a huge hill perfect for sledding with a jump and everything. Rylie would just slide down on her bottom. The snow was so deep it went up to her waste.
Jacob is hitting the jump.

We had the park to ourselves.

Darren borrowed some snow shoes from a guy at work. Jacob went on the trails around the park. He thought is was lots of fun.

Can you say wipe out?

Alison also took her turn on the snow shoes.

Alison hit the jump better than Jacob did. She always got good air.

Josh like sledding, but also liked to play on the playground. I would never have thought to take the kids to the park in the winter until this year. They has just as much or even more fun than during the summer.

After a very long afternoon of sledding, we came home to prepare dinner. We started a tradition last year to have a "favorites dinner" on Christmas Eve. Each person gets to choose one favorite food item to have on our dinner buffet. It can be any food item (it does not have to be a dinner item). This year Darren made spatzle, Jacob chose shrimp cocktail, Alison chose cheese Ravioli, Josh chose quesadillas, Rylie chose Jello, and Emily chose chips and cheese sauce. Since I am a mom and I would have chosen the shrimp, I added the broccoli. Jacob took a picture of his plate. Looking at the picture, it doesn't look that appetizing. It wasn't bad and it is fun for everyone. At least there is one thing each person would eat. Rylie only at Jello (and a lot of it).
After dinner we frosted sugar cookies. The kids love to decorate cookies.
We had planned to act out the nativity scene but ran out of time. Santa was coming soon. We had the kids open their one present (pj's or slippers) and head off to bed. What a fun and exhausting day.

Emily's 2nd Birthday

2011-01-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

The night before Emily's birthday she was up all night with the flu. The next day we decided we were going to wait to celebrate it until she felt better. By dinner time she was feeling better so we went ahead with the party.

This is the worst looking cake I have ever made. I saw this cake in a book and thought it looked cute and easy. The problem was, I had never made a cake in a bundt pan before. I made it after dinner and had to hurry so we could start the party. Only half came out of the pan. The cake was still warm when I frosted it. I thought it might be okay because the frosting was suppose to just drip over the sides. All I can say is that it didn't work.

The cake completely fell apart when we cut into it. We all had a good laugh as we ate it.
I didn't matter to Emily. She thought the cake was great and loved it. I guess that's all that matters. It did taste pretty good.
Happy Birthday Emily.

Snow Fun

2011-01-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

The kids beg to go outside and play in the snow. I have to admit, I hate going outside in the cold to stand and watch them. I actually have to force myself to do it. I let Josh and Rylie stay outside while waiting for Rylie's bus to come. When Rylie came a few minutes later, she wanted to stay outside also. Since part of the work is to get all the gear on, I gave them to their wish.
Rylie spent most of the time eating snow off of their mittens.
Josh enjoyed every minute of it.

Emily liked it at first.

But within a short amount of time, became very unhappy. She did not feel secure walking on the snow and wanted me to hold her hand the whole time. She was happy when I told her we were going in.
Here is Josh's attempts of making snow angels. The snow is crispy frozen and not that soft powder. He did his best, but ended up just laying there.

No more pudding for you!

2011-01-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Emily and I went grocery shopping. While I unloaded the car she wanted to have a snack of the chocolate pudding I just bought. I thought that was a great way for her to stay out of my way. She also thought it was a great idea, but in a different way. No more pudding for you, Emily!

Bitter Cold

2011-01-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving weekend, We took the kids to Otsego Park. It is located on the Mississippi River. We took another picture of Alison with Flat Stanley for Lexi. It was really cold, but the kids had a blast. They said it was the funnest time at the park they ever had. The slides were frozen and the kids slid down so fast and landed in piles of snow that would fly into the air.
Rylie

Joshua

Jacob and Emily

Alison

When we got home the kids didn't want to come in. We took a picture of them out in the back yard from our (apparently dirty) sliding glass door. The back yard was a sheet of ice. They didn't need sleds. they would run and slide on their bellies or knees all the way across the yard. It did look fun, but I wasn't going back out in that cold.

Thanksgiving

2011-01-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

We had a yummy Thanksgiving this year. It is our second one away from family. I purchased a roaster this year. It was nice to have a oven free to cook everything else while the Turkey was cooking. I was too nervous to stuff the turkey on my first time using the roaster. It was a mistake because the stuffing was not the same (and stuffing is my favorite). We really miss family but we made the best of it and enjoyed a nice day at home.
Ali had Lexi's Flat Stanley join us. We took a picture and sent a letter to her school.

We need a new table. Now that Emily is not in the high chair we cannot fit us all at the table. We brought the playroom table in for Rylie and Emily. They didn't seem to mind.

Snow anyone?

2011-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

The first snow is always the funnest. Darren took the kids out while Emily took her nap. Everyone had a good time and helped with building a snowman.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-01-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

Carving pumpkins is work. It makes a mess and the kids sometimes get tired of it before it is done. But it is a tradition. Because Halloween was on Sunday, we decided to spend the afternoon carving pumpkins. The kids also had a blast handing out candy to the neighbor kids and didn't complain once about them not going, since we had the trunk or treat the night before. Darren and I went back and forth about what was acceptable to do on Sunday. I am not sure there is a correct answer on that one. But we had a great holiday.

Trunk or Treat

2011-01-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

Halloween was different this year because of it being on Sunday. On Saturday, I had a Ward Trunk or Treat. Jacob sat at our trunk and handed out candy while Darren and I took the kids around the parking lot. Jacob was very surprised, and happy, that I had carried a bag for him too. He ended up with some unexpected candy.

While the parents parked and decorated their trunks, the kids played games and watched a movie.

Even the missionaries got into the action. I think their trunk fit them well.
It was a warmer evening (for Minnesota) and we had hot chocolate with yummy toppings. The activity was a success.

Joshua's 5th Birthday

2011-01-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

Josh chose a ghost cake this year. It was super easy and it was okay since his birthday is in October.

"I can't wait another second for my cake and ice cream!"

He is really into Star Wars right now. He has not seen the movies so I have no idea why. His favorite gift was the Lego Star Wars Wii game. He is in heaven.

He was also excited to get a Star Wars shirt.

He got some other gifts but these were his favorites. Happy Birthday Josh.

Otsego Festival

2011-01-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

We went to the Otsego Festival again this year. It is a carnival our city hosts and is always in the fall. They have booths and food and clowns and rides. This year the favorite was the petting zoo. Jacob didn't enjoy most of it but he was a good sport. The kids got to pick something for the clown to make out of balloons to take home. Josh was very excited that he found a turkey feather in the petting zoo. It was very cold so we only stayed about an hour (but it was long enough).

Silly hair

2011-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

It has been nice to have one on one time with Emily two days a week. She really enjoyed having me do her hair silly. I can't believe how fast she is growing up.

Fun with Chalk

2011-01-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

We were enjoying having warm weather still. Josh had a good time with chalk. I think he got more on him than on the driveway.

No more sippy cups

2011-01-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

Emily has always thought she could do everything the older kids want so here in September she decided no more sippy cups. This is her first day with an open cup and straw. Once she makes up her mind there is no changing it.

First day of school

2010-11-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

It is always a hectic morning on the first day of school. Not knowing exactly when the bus will come or how long it will take to get everyone ready. Usually the bus is really late on the first day so the kids are just standing around. I did get a good picture of Jacob smiling (which is rare for him on the first day of school).
Joshua was really excited to start preschool at the elementary school.
Alison was stressed as always about missing the bus because kids go out to the stop 30 minutes before it will come. Every year she is crying because she thinks she is late.

I took another picture of her on her second day when she wasn't so stressed.

Rylie went a few weeks to summer school so she was more prepared to start her preschool at the elementary school.

Rylie's bus picks her up at our house. I was very tentative about sending her on a bus at her age. On the first day of summer school she threw a huge fit when everyone else was getting on the bus and she wasn't. She loves riding the bus.
There is an assistant that rides and seat belts her in.

Doesn't she look so small in that big bus?

Emily wants to go to school also. She gets her backpack on too. She insisted I take her picture also. She thinks she can do anything Rylie can do (which she usually can).

Swim lessons

2010-11-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Ali has wanted to take swim lessons for a long time. We finally made the time for her to take them through community ed. She loves it. She really likes the water.

Summer chores

2010-11-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

This summer I implemented a new chore schedule. The kids knew what needed to be done and as long as they did was was expected they had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. It worked great! We rarely had the t.v. on this summer which was also wonderful. We worked hard as a family.

We landscaped our front yard. The kids had fun with the dirt. Emily didn't like climbing on it as much as the others.

They all helped moving the dirt. Jacob was lucky enough to be gone the week we had the dirt delivered.

The kids always enjoy washing the van.

Maybe because they usually get to play water games afterwards.
They worked really hard this summer. It was sure hard for me to see them go back to school. My load was lifted, more than I realized, while they were home.

Emily's glasses

2010-11-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

Emily is wearing Mr. Potato Head glasses. I think Emily saw one of the kids try to do this and thought it was funny. She wears these frequently. It is funny, but I do get tired of putting them back on her when they come off.

Winter Quarters

2010-11-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

On the drive home, we stopped at Winter Quarters. We had never been there before. We thought we would be there for about 30 minutes and ended up staying there around 2 hours. We watched a short movie about Winter Quarters (which was still too long for the kids). Then, they let the kids dress up in pioneer clothes. That made the whole stay worth it for the kids (and I'm including Darren along with the kids).

Jacob was going to pretend to push the handcart and didn't expect it to actually move.

The kids were actually pretty good going through the museum part. They seemed to be interested. It made our trip home a little longer than expected, but we were glad we stopped. We had such a fun month long vacation. It was hard to come back to regular life. Darren had a hard time going back to work after being off so long.

Roadtrip home

2010-10-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

We stopped at some interesting rest stops on the way home from Utah. This one in Wyoming between Laramie and Cheyenne was fun. They had a little museum and a big Lincoln head to run around.

This was another one of the rest stops in Wyoming. Jacob decided to climb this tall mountain. This is the farthest my camera would let me do a close up. He was quite a ways up there.

Jacob says he never sleeps in a vehicle. Here is proof, Jacob!

I learned my kids eat crackers and cheese better than sandwiches and it was a lot easier.

Copperton Park

2010-10-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Utah we ate lunch at Copperton Park. It is a special park to both Darren and me. My parents used to take us there for special trips to the park, usually on a holiday. Darren's grandma lived down the street from the park. It has such a different playground. What kid wouldn't have a good time at a park?

4th of July

2010-10-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

My kids were so excited to spend the Fourth of July with the Jensen family. They remembered all the traditions and were so happy when the dates worked out that we could be there. We went to the Murray parade. The kids favorite thing is getting the thrown candy.

After the parade we picked up Wendy's for the kids and Cafe Rio for the adults. The park we eat it at has a stream with fish in it and also water fountains that spray for the kids to play in. My kids spent most of the time in the stream. I had to look the other way because it grosses me out but the kids love it. Here Alison is hanging out with her cousin, Chloe Toyn. She is the closest girl cousin in age to Ali. Ali always enjoys spending time with her.

After the park we go back to the house and rest while the kids play. In the evening we have a barbecue for dinner then a talent show. Joshua surprised us this year by jumping up at the beginning and MC'd the show. He welcomed and thanked everyone for coming and announced each act. I was so glad he felt comfortable to be himself. Ali and Josh did a disappearing act, Rylie got up and danced, and I showed my wonderful talent of picking up things with my toes. (I consider it a great talent I have perfected while having my hands full holding someone.) After the show we get ready for the fireworks. We sit in the front yard, Darren's parents live really close to Murray park, and watch. I ended up inside with Emily. Next year she might be ready for all the loud noise. It was a long day, but so much fun.

A day with water

2010-10-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

One of the days at the Jensens the kids spent the whole day playing in water. They put a sprinkler under the tramp, washed the van and Rylie helped Grandpa water the garden. I spent the day with a friend. Darren and the kids had a great day just hanging out.

Temple Square

2010-10-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Alison had requested we go to Temple Square while on vacation. She couldn't remember it anymore. That makes me sad since we went atleast once a year when we lived in Utah.
We liked the new exhibit of the mini Salt Lake Temple. It was cool to see all the rooms of the temple. We also watched the movie at Legacy Theatre and had lunch. The visit was good as what we expected with 5 children. I think Grandma and Grandpa Jensen might say differently.

Ogden's Dinosaur Park

2010-10-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

After staying a little over a week with my family we then moved over to the Jensen's house for the next week. We first went to the Dinosaur Park. We had never been there before. It was fun to see how big the dinosaurs might have been.

I think Rylie wanted to see if it was real.
After a while the adults took a break while the kids dug for dinosaur bones. Whoever designed the park was very smart to have this right in the middle.

This is Jacob's favorite picture. It looks so real.

At the end they have a playground for the kids. We only let them play for a short time because it was so hot.

We were all tired and hot by the end. Grandma and Grandpa were not the only ones hot and ready to go.

Litza Pizza

2010-10-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is also a tradition in my family. No one has better garlic bread than Litza's. We went here after the zoo since it is located so close. We enjoyed our day with Grandma and Grandpa Burgess,Ryan, Heather, Sarah and Becca.

Can't you just see how good this food was?

Hogle Zoo

2010-10-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

We used to have a membership to the zoo when we lived in Utah. Jacob was extremely interested in animals when he was younger. We know this zoo well and we will always try to go here when we come to visit. We rarely get an opportunity to have our whole family in a picture. This one actually is not too bad.
Don't you always have to get a picture of at least on of the kids drinking out of the lions mouth? This is one thing that has not changed since I was a kid. Darren thinks he is out of the picture (ha ha).

Another thing you have to do is ride the train. This is a tradition we did when I was young. The ride seems so much shorter now that I am an adult. It doesn't seem worth the money they charge, but it is a tradition and the kids love it.

We all were so excited the the tiger got up and came right up to the glass and stared Rylie down. He then licked the glass. Rylie didn't even look startled at all. It is not every day you see a tiger that close up.

Jacob is growing taller but not that tall.

Just me and my Grandpa. I think of the Mercer Meyer books when I see this picture of Josh and my Dad.

Water Fun

2010-09-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

The kids wanted to run the the sprinkler and do the slip n slide. Jacob thought the water was cold. Josh doesn't like sprinklers. He needed some persuading.

Darren is just a kid himself.

Joshua warming up.

Jacob and Josh showing their new towels that Grandma and Grandpa bought them.

Sarah and Alison modeling their swimming suits.
Rylie loves water and also loves Grandma.

They had a great time.

Hangin' out at Grandma and Grandpa's

2010-09-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

We stayed over a week at Grandma and Grandpa Burgess' house. We enjoyed every minute of it. Grandma made cookies with the kids. They all enjoyed that.

The kids didn't sleep good. Emily often ended up in bed with us. Darren was trying to sleep in.

The playroom has different toys than at home. The kids enjoy these large foam puzzle mats. They made forts, houses, dog houses, and tons of over inventions.

Alison and Jacob really enjoyed the sattelite tv. It's okay to let them watch for hours when on vacation, right?

Grandma and Grandpa went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and welcome. They even purchased a Wii so Jacob would not be bored. With 5 kids, we did take over their house. It was a lot of fun.

Fun with Friends

2010-09-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Not only were we able to have fun with family, but we also spent some time with friends. We spent some time with my friend Mandy and her kids. We went to the park then went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. Here Alison is with Natalie and Olivia. Ali played with Natalie often when we lived in Utah. They were our next door neighbors.
Heres one of my best friends Mandy. She is always trying to make me laugh.

Here is Jacob hanging out with Spencer and Tate. We let them have their own table so they could have their "guy talk".

Emily just enjoyed drinking out of a straw instead of a sippy cup.

And I didn't get a picture of Rylie because she ate little and spent most of the time playing on the playset. Good times, Good times.

A day in the mountains

2010-09-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved to Minnesota, I have realized how much I love the mountains. While spending the week with my parents, we spent the day in the mountains. I want my kids to know what mountains are. All the way here, anytime we passed a large hill, Josh asked if it was a mountain. How sad is that?
We went to one of our favorite picnic sites. It had a large tree that had fallen down and was placed there just for us to bounce on. How nice was that. We were glad that Heather was able to come with us and bring Sarah and Becca. We really enjoyed their company.

We went on a hike before lunch. Unfortunately we ended up carrying Emily because she kept tripping on things. That just gave me and Darren a better work out.

We decided to stop our hike at this little stream. Of course, the kids spent some time throwing rocks into the water. Joshua seemed to always find the largest rock so it would splash and get us all wet.
Jacob was really thirsty after our hike. I guess he was either too tired to hold the water bottle. Now I have proof that he has as big mouth!
We roasted hot dogs and did smores. Yes, we went against Grandpa's rules of "no marshmallows". Sorry Grandpa.
Alison enjoys roasting on the fire.

We also just got to sit back and enjoy nature.
We had a great time. This was one of my favorite days of the whole vacation.

Fathers Day in Utah

2010-09-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

It was fun to be back with family for Fathers Day. My kids loved playing with Grandpa Burgess. He always teases them and they eat it up!

We also got to spend time with the Jensens. We did get a picture taken of most of the cousins. This is the best one I got. If anyone got a better one, send it to me.

Rest stops are ALWAYS fun

2010-09-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

In Wyoming, on the way to Utah, we stopped at this rest stop for lunch. We packed a lunch. With 5 kids I found it much easier to pack a lunch than try to find a fast food place at the right time. It has to be when no one is sleeping (because we are not wasting any precious quiet,not griping time). But also before Rylie or Emily get too upset. It was a fine line.
When getting out of the van, we noticed Rylie had leaked through her diaper which then added more time that we would be spending at this rest stop. It had one large rock by our picnic table that entertained the kids most of the time. It is amazing the little things it takes to entertain them.

computer problems

2010-09-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

We have had computer problems and have ended up just getting a new computer. Our old was was very old and also a emachine (do I need to say more?). It has taken a long time trying to move everything over to the new computer so I can blog. This is why I have not blogged for a while. Hopefully, I can catch up. Here are a few postings from our vacation this summer. More to follow.

At the Farr's

2010-09-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

The kids (mainly Joshua) did not sleep very well on our vacation so this is rare to see them actually asleep. While there Joshua had an allergic reaction and ended having to go to the hospital for a breathing treatment.
We had a talent show one of the nights. Everyone did something. Rylie sang and hit the keys on the piano.

Kristi and I did our talent of picking up things with our toes. Hey, I think it is a talent!
Jacob and Jordan practices several times for their number. They came out looking like this and Jacob burped the ABC's while Jordan made rapping noises. They were very entertaining and as you can see they had a blast doing it. They really showed their personality.
After the acts we turned on music and danced. Emily really enjoyed that.
The kids also played in water. Here Ali and Lexi are trying to dry off.

Joshua, Rylie and Mason are enjoying the pool.
They also had a sprinkler under the tramp. Here Jacob, Jordan and Kaylee are cooling off.
We had a theme for everyday we were there. We tried to match the menu and activities with that days theme. On creative day we gave the kids a whole bunch of item to make anything they wanted.

Here are some of their inventions.
This one Jacob and Darren worked on together. They took turns adding something to the page and this is how it turned out. Very creative. Like Father like Son.
We also went to the park. Here Lexi, Josh and Ali pose for a picture.

There was a lot of small gravel for the kids to play in. I don't know why this little table was in the center. Only thing we could think of is for the kids to pour rocks all over it (which did entertain them and also Darren).

Of course, if there is a tree, Jacob is in it.

We really enjoyed spending time with the Farr family.

Windsor Beach

2010-09-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

We went to Windsor Beach while in Colorado. We had lunch and played. Emily doesn't like sand so the only way I could put her down was to give her food. She then fell asleep in the stroller for the rest of the time.
All the kids enjoyed the sand. Here Jacob, Nathaniel and Jordan and starting the large hole. By the end they were all sitting in it and it was deep enough water was filling up in it.
My sister Marilee and nephew Nathaniel. Aren't they cute?
Rylie and Mason had a great time together. They would sit in this exact spot, then get up and run across the beach to the grass area, then run back to this spot and sit a spell. This entertained them for a while.
My little nephew Noah.
Alison, Joshua and Mason are all very serious about bringing up water to fill the hole.
Darren and Rylie enjoying the cool water.

We all enjoyed ourselves. We didn't realize that the new sunscreen I had purchase did not work until later that evening. Everyone was sunburned quite badly. We now know not to buy that brand.

For the Birds

2010-08-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Last year we had some birds make a nest above our garage door. We knocked it down every day for a week. I cannot believe these birds could build a nest in one day. After that first week we figured we were not going to persuade these birds to choose a different location. It was not fun to clean up their droppings off of our driveway but it didn't bother us too much. This year while on vacation in Utah for a month those same birds came back and built in the same place. But not only that, a second nest was built by our front door under our porch! I think it was their babies from last year. Now anytime someone comes to our door these birds swoop down and try to attack them. Our kids can't play in the front yard without these birds trying to scare them away. They had babies which was fun for us to watch but now next year will we have 3 nests? I heard that if we put foil along our house next year they won't stay. We will see. Here is the nest on our porch.

Ward Campout

2010-08-15T13:26:00.001-07:00

I am so glad the ward campout is over. We had a good time but I hate being responsible for everyone having a good time. Here is Rylie. For some reason she was very ornery when we first arrived.

Here is Emily being a copycat. She is pretending to be mad. She is really into doing EVERYTHING the other kids are doing. Unfortunately, even if they are being bad!

We of course roasted hot dogs for dinner.

The kids took golf cart rides. They all loved it.

One member went home and came back in the morning. They brought this “magic carpet”. Every loved it. I guess it was a little bit dangerous. But we all enjoyed it. Here is Alison, Josh, Rylie with some ward boys.

Darren and Jacob jumped on for a turn.

Okay, even I had a little fun on it as well. Here is me with my friend Alanna. (I am not the only adult woman that thought it was fun!)

It was great weather on Friday night but rained all morning long. It did not stop us. We had a great breakfast and now all our sleeping bags, chairs and the tent are soaked. To top it off our van wouldn’t work when we tried to leave. After having it towed, the mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong and magically the van worked again. Hopefully we won’t have a problem anytime soon. That’s how it always works out for us.

Mystery Swelling

2010-08-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

One minute Rylie looks normal, then next her eye is all swollen. It stayed this way for 48 hours. Now it is back to normal. Nothing seemed to help her. Who knows what caused it.

Metal Mouth, Aka Jacob has Braces!

2010-07-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, whoever got braces was teased. Metal mouth was the most common. Now days it is the norm for children to have braces. I am hoping Jacob will not have the same experience. He was not excited to get them and I was not excited to pay for them but he will hopefully thank us later. I think he looks good with them on.

Chuck-E-Cheese

2010-07-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

We went to Chuck-E-Cheese to celebrate Jordan Farr's birthday. We had a lot of fun. It was expensive but very enjoyable. I think there was only one or two other families there. It felt like we had reserved the place just for our party. The kids loved the games and the pizza. Emily was scared to death of Chuck-E-Cheese who would move and sing to the music. We had to have her sit as far as we could from the stage. She would not get close enough to have this picture taken.
from left to right: Jacob, Jordan, Alison, Lexi, Kaylee, Rylie, Joshua and Mason
Emily did enjoy the rides though. Some of them she would get mad if we took her off. Good thing no one else wanted to get on or we would have had a big problem.
Alison and Lexi waiting for the pizza. Kaylee is in the back dancing to in front of the blue screen. All the kids liked to see themselves on the t.v., but Kaylee seemed to enjoy it the most.
Emily enjoying the pizza.
Jacob watching Jordan play a game.
Joshua liked this dinosaur game. He was a dinosaur that jumped over objects. He played this several times.
My sister, Kristi Farr, and her new baby Noah (aren't they cute?).
Rylie liked all the rides including this horse. She rode them all at least once then played on the slide the rest of the time.

Arriving in Greeley, Colorado

2010-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

We stopped at my Kristi's house for 6 nights, 5 days. I don't even know where to start with all the things we did in Colorado. I guess I will do a posting for each activity we did.
Everyone loved playing on the piano. Here is Rylie.
Darren and Emily
Emily loved Noah. We had to hide him whenever possible because she would not leave him alone.

Fun at the Hotel

2010-07-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Our First night we stayed in Lincoln, Nebraska. The kids were so excited to be out of the van. They had to try out the beds immediately.

We enjoyed Wendys for dinner in the room.

Then checked out the pool. The water was a little too cool. But that didn't stop us.

Emily did not want to get into the pool at all! I was not too upset about that. If you didn't know, I don't like to swim. She had a good time watching and playing on the chairs. Joshua woke up all night long. Who knows why. But he woke up Emily and Rylie a couple of times. We didn't get good sleep, but we had a good breakfast in the morning and was on our way to Colorado.

Road Trip!

2010-07-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, we went on a month long road trip. This is the beginning of several posts from our trip. We began our trip on Saturday, June 12. Our first stop was at rest stop that looked like a barn. I think it was in Mason, Iowa. The kids were happy to get out of the van. We had packed a lunch and let the kids wonder the visitor center. We learned that this is near "River City" from the play Music Man.

We filled up and the kids were already back into their movies! So far the trip is still Fun.

Ward Picnic

2010-06-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I am over the ward activities. Today we had our ward picnic. Even though it was a rainy day a lot of people came. The picnic was at Orono park. It had a lake, a playground (which was so bad that no one went to it), a baseball field, a volley ball court, and best of all a pavilion. We had lunch then played many relay games which included water and water balloons. The kids had a great time. Everyone was soaked either from the rain or the water fights by the time it was over.
Jacob got caught by one of the girls for carrying Joshua during the 3 legged race.
Also, Rylie wanted to do the 3 legged race by herself. She insisted on having the tie around her leg and she just ran up and down the field. Even then, she did not win.

Jacob just happened to "fall into the lake" during a water fight. Others followed him in. I am glad this activity is over so I can focus on our vacation to Colorado and Utah!

Annual cleaning out the garage day

2010-06-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day means cleaning out the garage day for us. This year the older kids actually helped and the younger ones let both me and Darren work at the same time.

It didn't take us as long as it usual does. The kids were great. It was a good way to start our day. This is our finished product.

Memorial Day Events

2010-06-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

We were almost done with the garage when the kids wanted lunch. While inside, our neighbor hit our car that was parked in front of our house. It pushed the door in. Just one more thing to have to deal with before we leave on vacation!
After lunch we let the kids play in the water while Darren adjusted the sprinklers.
Alison and Rylie love the water the most. They played in the water the rest of the afternoon.
Joshua likes to play in the pool, but does not like the sprinklers.

I decided it would be funny to get Darren. I told Jacob to take of picture of Darren. While Darren was posing for the picture, I snuck up behind him and poured a bucket of water on his head. He was very surprised! This started a huge water fight. The kids thought it was so much fun. They continued pouring water on me and Darren longer than we both wanted them to. Even Jacob enjoyed himself while trying to get me soaked.

Darren and I are completely drenched. I have about two inches on my one sleeve that didn't get wet for some reason.
Jacob is becoming a teenager. He stayed inside watching tv most of the time. He did come out for the water fight and then went back in. He didn't change his wet clothes, but at least he put a towel on the couch.

Hot dog Roast and Smores

2010-06-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

For dinner we had our first fire of the year. We roasted hot dogs and made smores. Every time we roast marshmallows I remind my kids how Grandpa Burgess forbids this when we are camping due to the mess the marshmallows make. They get a kick out of it every time.

After I had thrown everything away, Jacob wanted another drink. Jokingly I told him to lay down and I would pour the water into his mouth. Of course he wanted to do it.
Joshua thought it looked fun and wanted to try it.
Of course then Alison has to do it.
And the funniest one was Emily. She wanted to do it too. By that time, I only had a drop of water left. But she did do it. She thinks she can do everything the other kids do. Which I guess most of the time she shows me that she can.

We had a great Memorial Day! We got work done and also had a lot of fun!

More presents for Rylie

2010-05-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today Rylie got to open more presents. This time from Grandma and Grandpa Jensen. She was so excited. She got some new church sandals and a Disney Princess camp chair. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa.

Also thank you to Aunt Sherry and Uncle Mark. She got a new DVD to watch on the drive to Utah. Hurray!

Spring Band Concert

2010-05-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Jacob had his Spring Band Concert. Band is the only class Jacob says he enjoys. Darren took Alison and Joshua. I stayed home with Rylie and Emily. I figure I wouldn't have seen or heard any of it if I went. Jacob is the one on the far left. I asked Darren to get a good picture of Jacob. This is the only picture he took. Its better than what I got at the Fall concert. We need a better camera. Oh well.

Exhausted

2010-05-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Joshua and Rylie played hard the other day. They both crashed on the couch close to the same time. They were on different sides of the couch. Josh must have woke up, because he moved and went back to sleep next to Rylie. At least he loves her in his sleep! And yes, he is still in his pajamas.

Rylie's 3rd Birthday

2010-05-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Rylie's birthday. We celebrated on Saturday along with Sunday. Since the we couldn't think of a single meal that Rylie likes we decided to buy pizza on Saturday and eat outside on Sunday. We played games and opened presents outside also. She really likes being outside.
All she ate was the chips. That was no surprise.
I went to buy all the candies to make a cake and realized it was cheaper to buy cupcakes from the bakery. Rylie didn't mind and I didn't have to spend hours making the cake. Bonus!
It was too windy for the candles to be lit but Rylie didn't really notice. She still blew and thought she had blown out the candles.
The frosting is her favorite part.
Grandma and Grandpa Burgess sent a card with money.
They also gave her a Rainbow fish video. Our machine ate our last one. She was very excited to see this. We did watch it that night.
Darren and I got her this Disney princess scooter. (Which Ali likes and wants to ride more than Rylie.)
And also this coupe. She was very excited about this. She has been eyeing the neighbor's car for quite a while. Happy Birthday Rylie!