2004 Jensen Christmas Newsletter

 When we were expecting our fifth child we decided that we were growing out of our home in Ivins and needed a bigger home. We found one we loved in Santa Clara, just ten minutes away from our previous home and moved the end of February. The new home was two and a half times bigger than our former home and we loved it!! We had a wonderful ward with lots of great neighbors – including friends for the kids and baby-sitters – all within walking distance. We bought tons of new furniture and put in a cement slab in the backyard for the pool.

Rick’s sister Julie came down from Ogden to help us decorate and we painted the entire house. When I say “we” I mean Rick and Julie.  I, in my pregnant condition, just watched. We loved the way it turned out! Rick transformed the basement into a studio for the Carolers with mirrors all the way across the wall and he put in an entire theater system with a projector so that the Carolers could critique themselves (and so that we could watch movies on the big screen.) We also had the bathroom in the basement finished and planned to rip out the carpeting in the front room and hall-ways to put in tile. 

On May 31st (Memorial Day) we welcomed another beautiful baby girl into the family. Jaiden Wendy Jensen was born at 10:16 p.m. and weighed 7 lbs 7 oz and was 19 1/2" long. I had a few different doctors in the past and every single one of them missed the birth of my babies (either they were gone that day, or left temporarily, or the baby just came too quickly and they didn't make it into the room in time). But this doctor (Dr. Lunt) was there (barely in time) to deliver Jaiden! We really liked this doctor and decided to keep him for my future deliveries! Jaiden was a cutie and looked much like her siblings! 

 

 
July pictures...


July was a big month filled with family affairs. We went to Jake and Mikalyn's wedding in the Jensen's yard in Farr West on July 16th and Jaiden was blessed on July 18th in the Jensen's ward in Farr West. She received a beautiful blessing and we enjoyed time together with our family!

We then spent time with the Westra family in Salt Lake and visited with friends. July 22 and 23 we went to Lagoon with the Healeys and had a great time! We then stayed in a condo at Powder Ridge and went boating at Pineview Reservoir. 

Rick taught EFY again this year in Provo, Las Vegas, and San Diego. The Provo session included the Deaf group and so he and I also interpreted for several of the meetings and classes. Rick and I also celebrated our ten year anniversary this month! 

Jaiden is now almost seven months old. She is chubby and cheerful with big beautiful bright blue eyes and long eye-lashes.  She is such a doll and we are all enjoying her very much! 

Janelle turned two years old in October.  She mostly communicates with sign language but she is finally starting to talk as well!  She is a favorite of all our baby-sitters who love to come over and baby-sit cute little Bellie! She has dark brown hair and dark blue eyes and looks just like her mom when she was a baby.  Her favorite things are her silky blanket and her thumb!!  She also loves Barney, toy farm animals, dollies, story-books, hats, necklaces, shoes and going on outings with her Daddy. 

Jared is 4 ½ and loves attending pre-school with all of his friends.  He continues to hoard treasures (everything from rocks to screws to mom’s earrings) everywhere he can – in bags, boxes, bowls, egg-cartons – you name it!!  He loves to color and has a great imagination.  We can hear him carrying on complete conversations with several different people when he is the only one in the room! 

Jase just turned seven years old and is in the first grade.  He is also a great reader and very good at math.  He LOVES to play computer games!  He is a good singer and is excited to start soccer again this year.  We started a ticket system this year where the kids earn tickets for doing chores and for good behavior and Jase is the one that always has the most tickets by far!! 

Janika just turned nine years old.  She is the splitting image of her dad when he was her age.  She is in the third grade and is the smartest one in her class (okay so I’m a little biased, but it is still true!!)   Janika loves to read and loves to have her mom read to her.  Most nights after the other kids have gone to bed I read to Janika from my childhood journal.  She loves the time we spend together and to hear all the quirky things I did when I was a kid!! Janika has been taking piano lessons (with a little arm twisting) and it is her first year being one of the Hands in Harmony Carolers. She wasn’t too sure she had made the right decision with all of the long practices for four months, but as soon as performances started she blossomed into a little performing star, charming all her audiences! She is the youngest one in the group – four years younger than the next ages in the group.

Rick is teaching Seminary at Snow Canyon High School which is just right up the street now that we live in Santa Clara. He is in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency and is the ward choir director and I teach primary.

I have been very busy being the mother of five children and trying to keep the house in order.   I love being able to stay at home but I also love to get out and take a break by keeping up with my sign language. This year I taught an ASL class at the college as well as a community education class and did lots of freelance interpreting.  I also worked as a mentor for interpreters working to become certified here in the Southern Utah area.  A couple of months ago I joined “Curves” and I rush out the door every morning at 6:00 a.m. before Rick leaves for work to go “work-out.”  I can finally work out without kids jumping on top of me!    

Christmas at the Jensens means Caroling season. As you all know, we have a caroling group called the Hands in Harmony Carolers. This year they had over 70 performances!! They have done a great job and have become very popular here in St. George. I am very proud of the great job Rick does putting all of this together…and now he gets to take me to the Anniversary Inn and LOTS of dates to make up for being gone the entire month of December!

We are filled with gratitude as we reflect upon all our many blessings, including the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the gospel, our family, our health, new home, our friends, and the many opportunities we have had to spread cheer throughout this holiday season! 

2004 Jensen Family History

Here is an update from our past year.  On May 31st (Memorial Day) we welcomed another beautiful baby girl into the family.  Jaiden is now almost seven months old. She is chubby and cheerful with big beautiful bright blue eyes and long eye-lashes.  She is such a doll and we are all enjoying her very much! 

Janelle turned two years old in October.  She mostly communicates with sign language but she is finally starting to talk as well!  She is a favorite of all our baby-sitters who love to come over and baby-sit cute little Bellie!   She has dark brown hair and dark blue eyes and looks just like her mom when she was a baby.  Her favorite things are her silky blanket and her thumb!!  She also loves Barney, toy farm animals, dollies, story-books, hats, necklaces, shoes and going on outings with her Daddy. 

Jared is 4 ½ and loves attending pre-school with all of his friends.  He continues to hoard treasures (everything from rocks to screws to mom’s earrings) everywhere he can – in bags, boxes, bowls, egg-cartons – you name it!!  He loves to color and has a great imagination.  We can hear him carrying on complete conversations with several different people when he is the only one in the room! 

Jase just turned seven years old and is in the first grade.  He is also a great reader and very good at math.  He LOVES to play computer games!  He is a good singer and is excited to start soccer again this year.  We started a ticket system this year where the kids earn tickets for doing chores and for good behavior and Jase is the one that always has the most tickets by far!! 

Janika just turned nine years old.  She is the splitting image of her dad when he was her age.  She is in the third grade and is the smartest one in her class (okay so I’m a little biased, but it is still true!!)   Janika loves to read and loves to have her mom read to her.  Most nights after the other kids have gone to bed I read to Janika from my childhood journal.  She loves the time we spend together and to hear all the quirky things I did when I was a kid!!   Janika has been taking piano lessons (with a little arm twisting) and it is her first year being one of the Hands in Harmony Carolers.  She wasn’t too sure she had made the right decision with all of the long practices for four months, but as soon as performances started she blossomed into a little performing star, charming all her audiences!  She is the youngest one in the group – four years younger than the next ages in the group.

The end of February we moved from our home in Ivins to a home in Santa Clara.  It is two and a half times bigger than our former home and we just love it!!  We have a wonderful ward with lots of great neighbors – including friends for the kids and baby-sitters – all within walking distance. We bought tons of new furniture and put in a cement slab in the backyard for the pool.

Rick’s sister Julie came down from Ogden to help us decorate and we painted the entire house.  When I say “we” I mean Rick and Julie.  I, in my pregnant condition, just watched.  We love the way it turned out.  Rick also transformed the basement into a studio for the Carolers with mirrors all the way across the wall and he put in an entire theater system with a projector so the Carolers can critique themselves (and we can watch movies on the big screen.)  We also had the bathroom in the basement finished and plan to rip out the carpeting in the front room and hall-ways to put in tile. 

We didn’t go on a half a dozen vacations like we usually do since we were so busy (and broke) with all of the house purchases but we did squeeze a trip up North to take the kids to stay in a condo for a few days and take the kids to Lagoon. Rick taught EFY again this year in Provo, Las Vegas, and San Diego.  This next year he will be the session director for the ASL group in Provo.   Rick is teaching Seminary at Snow Canyon High School which is just right up the street now that we live in Santa Clara.   He is in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency and is the ward choir director and I teach primary.

I have been very busy being the mother of five children and trying to keep the house in order.   I love being able to stay at home but I also love to get out and take a break by keeping up with my sign language.  This year I taught an ASL class at the college as well as a community education class and did lots of freelance interpreting.  I also worked as a mentor for interpreters working to become certified here in the Southern Utah area.  A couple of months ago I joined “Curves” and I rush out the door every morning at 6:00 a.m. before Rick leaves for work to go “work-out.”  I can finally work out without kids jumping on top of me!   

Christmas at the Jensens means Caroling season. As you all know, we have a caroling group called the Hands in Harmony Carolers.   This year they had over 70 performances!!   They have done a great job and have become very popular here in St. George.  I am very proud of the great job Rick does putting all of this together…and now he gets to take me to the Anniversary Inn and LOTS of dates to make up for being gone the entire month of December!

What is Zion?

Yesterday in church the speaker was posing the question, “What is Zion?”  Janika leaned over and whispered in my ear, “It’s a bank!”  

Today Jared was pointing to the pictures on the computer and said, “That’s Janika, that’s Jase, that’s Jared – that’s definitely Jared!”  It is cute to hear three year olds say words like “definitely!”

Janelle TLC

Jared Funnies

Jared (age 3) is starting to play the computer a little bit but he gets frustrated when he doesn't click in just the right place and it doesn't work.  The other day he was playing and then he threw his arms in the air and walked off proclaiming, "I've had enough!"

This morning Jared asked me to open my mouth so that he could see the baby in my tummy!  Funny huh!

Jase's Sacrament Meeting Talk (Age 6)

                                         

I like to serve my family

There always kind to me.

And so I’ve made serving them

Somewhat my specialty.

 

I served my Daddy by shoveling snow,

When we got stuck in a storm.

And because of my tremendous help,

We were able to leave the next morn.

 

I serve my Mommy by cleaning up,

My games and clothes and toys.

She tells us all quite often

She’s happy to have such good boys.

 

I serve Janika on our computer game

She seems to get stuck quite a lot.

But with my help, she can succeed

And make it all the way to the top!

 

I like to serve Jared, with little treats

That I always earn from school.

I save them in order to give them away,

He thinks I’m pretty cool.

 

Janelle is really easy to serve.

I just smile at her and she giggles.

Sometimes I like to tickle her,

And watch her laugh and wiggle.

 

So that’s how I serve my family,

I love them all quite a lot.

I want to be with them forever,

Tied in one eternal knot!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun. February 8: 

Well we are all done with our talks and they went well. Janika and Jase both gave talks and they both did a great job. Rick and I also spoke. We sang Rick's arrangement of "Because I Have Been Given Much." Jani and Jase sang the first verse and did a good job. I sang the second verse and Rick sang the third verse and then we did the last part in Harmony. We got a lot of compliments on the program. Rick made up Jase’s talk on our way home from swimming at the condo pool while I wrote it down on a scratch paper. Rick held up a family picture and then pictures of each family member while he gave the part about them. Everybody laughed when Jase said the "shoveling snow" part, but I clarified that he really did help do that in Salt Lake over Christmas vacation! 

    

Embarrassing Moments

I went to help in Jase’s kindergarten classroom and Jared (age 3) was playing in the playhouse. I guess he left to go to the bathroom by himself (which is across the hall) and I didn’t notice since I was busy with the students. Well apparently after he finished he needed help wiping and just sat on the toilet screaming and screaming. Then some girls heard him and went all the way down the hall to tell their teacher who informed the principal who went down to the restroom and got Jared’s name and then called me down to the office. 

I heard the call but figured the “Mrs. Jensen” must be some other teacher or something. In the meantime I needed to use the restroom and I went in and heard a child saying “Mommy?” I ignored the voice thinking it must be a student or something. Well how surprised I was to find out it WAS my child and he was just sitting there on the toilet. The principal came in and told me what had happened.  How embarrassing! I guess I’ll have to keep a closer eye on him next time!   

Book of Mormon: Keystone...or Trapezoid!

Janika (age 8) is really growing up and sometimes she says things that just sound so mature (of course we still have periodic temper tantrums from her too though!)  The other day our home teachers were over and explaining about how the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.  He was explaining what a keystone was and Janika asked, “…kind of like a trapezoid?”  Rick paused for a minute and then said, “What’s a trapezoid?” 

A little later Janika was getting out a treat and Janelle was watching from her high chair seat.  Janika said, “Janelle is looking at this like….there’s my destiny!!”

Funnies!!

I was packing up books in the kids’ room and made a big mess with books all over the place.  Whenever any of the kids went into the room, they were quick to blame the mess on one of their siblings.  Jase said, "Look at this big mess that Jared made!" Jared later said, "Look what Janelle did!" I then confessed to the kids that I made the mess. Well, when Dad got home from work Jase marched up to him and exclaimed, "Dad! YOUR WIFE made this big mess!!"

 January 2004 (Jase, age 6)