New Year's Eve!

For New Year's Eve we had a fantastic meal of barbequed chicken and Salmon, green salad, jello salad, chips and avacodo dip,cocktail sausages, vegies, shrimp (for Rick), and treats.  Then we cleaned up and Rick set up the Disco ball in the basement. Janika was the DJ for our dance party.  The lights were off but you can't tell with the flash.  Then we had a "dance-off" contest.  After treats, a couple of games, and ringing in the new year (at 10:00 for the four youngest) the older boys played the Wii and Janika and I watched a movie.    We stayed up until midnight and then did the countdown with the New Yorkers.

Jase must be really excited for the dance party to begin...

 

Happy New Year!!!

Random Christmas Vacation Pictures

Jenna With Grandma Jensen

                      Fun with the Healeys...

Jensen Family CD

Last year Rick made a CD with some songs he had recorded and with the kids each singing a favorite Primary Song.  It turned out really well and we love to listen to it all of the time.  So we decided to do another CD this year and hope to make this a yearly tradition.  We gave a copy of the CD to each of the grand-parents for Christmas.

We decided to do all hymns for this year's CD and it turned out well.  Josh's song, "Keep The Commandments" makes me laugh every time I hear it.  He has a hard time saying his "S's" and this song has way too many of them!  He is just so dang cute! I asked Rick why he didn't take out Josh's little cough.  He said at first he took it out but then changed his mind because he thought it was just too precious and put it back in!

Janika sounds so mature with her gorgeous alto rendition of "I Stand All Amazed."  She has a beautiful voice!  Janelle sang, "Families Can Be Together Forever," another one of my favorite primary songs.  She has such a sweet little voice.  One of my favorites is Jaiden's duet with her Daddy, "Teach Me to Walk in the Light."  She was so proud of herself for learning that really cool ending. She has a great voice -- especially for being only five years old!   The boys wanted upbeat songs and so they chose, "Called to Serve" (Jase) and "How Firm A Foundation,"  (Jared).  These future missionaries both sing with such gusto!  Here, is the link to the songs if you would like to listen to them:

Jensen Family CD



 

Christmas Newsletter

Here is our Christmas update from this past year:

www.jensenchristmas.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas morning at Grandma and Grandpa Jensens includes a big family breakfast and then presents...

Man these grand-kids are so dang spoiled (and so are we)!  I don't know if all of these kids realize how good they have it!

First the stockings...

(each person has their own sock)

Then the presents...(mostly clothes picked out by the grand-kids (or their parents in our case) with the money from their very generous grandma.  Then the special home-made "Grandma Gifts."  Everyone is always excited about these.  Each year Grandma Jensen makes a special gift for all of the grand-kids.  About six years ago she made adorable pillows for each of them.  Well, that was before our youngest three were born and so Jaiden felt gypped.  Several months ago, this little five year old, called up her Grandma and inquired innocently, "Grandma, how come I never got one of those pillows?"  We tried to explain to her that she wasn't born yet at that time, but she wasn't appeased.  That gave Grandma the idea to make pillows again for all of the younger kids (the older grand-kids got table toppers for their hope chest).  Jaiden was sooo excited to finally get her own pillow!  She got one with a heart on it because Grandma said she had so much love in her heart.  All of the pillows turned out darling and will be greatly treasured.

Each year

 

 

Jenna went absolutely crazy when she opened hers.  She started laughing and hugging it and even tried laying on it.  It was so cute!

 

Janika and the older girl cousins got table toppers for their hope chest instead of the pillows...

 

Grandma Jensen's kids all got a special gift from her.  Here they are reading a poem from her and getting emotional...

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing. Later on Rick's sister, Gerilyn, took our kids back over to her house for some "snow play."  Rick, Jenna, and I went with Grandma Jensen to all of Rick's brothers and sisters'  houses to visit and see what everyone got for Christmas.  We enjoyed snacking on leftovers all day.  I am so grateful for such a wonderful family on both sides.  I love spending time with family.  It means even more since we live several hours away and don't get to see everyone as often as I would like.  I am especially grateful for a Savior who loved us enough to come to earth and give His life for us so that we can become like Him and return and live with Him and be with our families forever!  Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve at the Jensens!

At the Jensens we ate a big dinner of turkey, ham, cheesy potatoes, yams, stuffing, various salads, rolls and so forth. Then Haulee's husband, Shane, gave a very touching Christmas lesson.  Then we sang songs until Santa arrived.  Santa even knows how to play the piano and brought his bells so that all of the kids could dance.  Then each grand-child got to sit on Santa's lap and receive a gift (pajamas).  It was a fun evening!