Random Pics From Grandma's

The kids had fun playing with all of their new toys at Grandma...Fazoodles (making creatures out of craft stuff like big furry pipe cleaners), Presto Magic Dots (like play-dough), cars, dolls, and so on.  Also, Rick took Janika out for her "First Date."  He wanted to do something more dramatic but there wasn't any big shows going on over Christmas Break.  So they went our to lunch at Maddox and then to the mall where he picked out clothes for her to try on and took pictures.  She was supposed to pick out outfits for him too but didn't.  Unfortunately she started coming down with the stomach flu and wasn't feeling well.  That night it hit and she was sick that night and on the way home.  So one had it the way there and one had it the way home.  I hope that is the last of it!

Cousins

Our kids are the youngest grandkids on the Jensen side and for a lot of years our kids didn't have any cousins their age to play with.  But now several of the oldest Jensen grandkids are married with kids of their own and our kids have had more opportunities within the past year or so to get to know them better.  So they finally have some cousins to hang out with!  Jase and Jared slept over at Jamie and Chris's house two nights while we were up north and had a ball hanging out with Justin and Gabe.  Jenna and Josh also had fun playing with Brigham when he and Justin came to Grandma's for the day. 

Justin and Jared

 Jenna and Brigham

Jared and his unicycle

So, it took him a day to learn how to use it but he got it down -- now he is riding all over! Check out that attitude!  

 

Westra Family

Christmas Day

As soon as we arrived at Grandma Jensen's house Christmas Eve we learned the exciting news that Haulee and Shane are expecting a baby!   We are SO excited for them!

Christmas morning the entire Jensen family gathered together for a special sacrament meeting in the Jensen home.  Grandma Jensen had received special permission from their Bishop to do this.  The reason is because Grandpa Jensen has been very sick and recently returned home from the hospital/rehab center.  This is no way he would have been able to attend church.  Also, Gerilyn just had major surgery one week ago and also cannot attend church.  Grandma Jensen cannot attend since she has been taking care of them.  It was a very special and sacred experience.  We had an opening and closing hymn, the sacrament, a special musical number (done by my family), a talk by Grandma Jensen, and some thoughts shared by Grandpa Jensen.  The spirit was definitely present and it was a touching moment that I will treasure.

After church, everyone had a big breakfast of quiche, crepes, and hashbrowns and then the present opening chaos began. Grandma Jensen always has special surprises up her sleeve for Christmas.  This year she gave the older grandkids a baby blanket to save for their hope chest.  Everyone looked at the blanket as a prophecy to see if their first future child would be a boy or girl.  The younger kids all got a special toy to open one at a time.

Grandma gave cans of food storage to each of us kids and also a special quilt made by both her and Aunt Marge.  Aunt Marge passed away just a few months ago and left Grandma with quilt blocks that she had sewn together with a request for her to finish the quilts for each of her kids.  I don't know how Grandma found the time to sew all of those beautiful quilts and blankets -- especially with all of Grandpa's recent health problems.  I am sure it was a sacrifice.  It was a nice Christmas and always fun to spend the day with family!

 

 

Grandma gave the little girls nail kits and so Gerilyn gave them all manicures and pedicures.

 

 

Poor Josh!

Poor Josh is so sick.  The week before school got out he had the croup and was up several times in the night barking that awful croupy cough.  Rick brought him down to the basement so that cool air would help open up his airways.  We even brought him outside for a few minutes to help him breathe.  He missed school Wednesday through Friday.   It made things difficult at home because he and Jenna often fight and I couldn’t have any friends over to entertain either of them with him being sick.  The cough subsided after a couple of nights but then he had tons of thick snot coming out of his nose for days.  Sunday I was planning on keeping him home from church because he still sounded awful but ended up having some obligations for Sacrament meeting and so I dropped the rest of the kids off for the first two meetings and then stayed home with him until Sacrament meeting and then we both went and met the rest of the family for sacrament meeting. 

He managed to go to school Monday through Wednesday but was still fighting congestion and mucous.  He doesn’t blow his nose very well and so he just stays filled up with mucous.  Then Wednesday night he threw up in the middle of the night.  The next day he threw up again.  He seemed okay most of the day and made it through our Christmas Eve party Thursday evening.  Then he woke up in the middle of the night Thursday night with severe ear pain and so we knew that his cold had turned into an ear infection.  Friday morning we celebrated our early Christmas and opened presents.  Josh was excited about his presents – especially his first bike.  I called the doctor as soon as they opened and Rick was able to get him right in.  He did have an ear infection and was prescribed antibiotics and ear drops which we picked up later that day. 

That night he woke up and threw up again.  He slept okay but the next morning threw up again.  We headed up to Salt Lake around 10:30 a.m. with him armed with two bowls and a towel.  He threw up in the car and kept crying that his tummy hurt.  We finally made him a bed lying down on the back seat of the van and he was able to sleep on and off most of the way there.  He seemed to feel a lot better once we got to Grandma’s and had fun running around and playing with his cousins.  The next morning was Christmas.  I tried to get him to take his antibiotics but he complained that he didn’t like it.  I told him he had to take it and he took one tiny sip and threw up.  He made it through his bath and our sacrament meeting and breakfast.  He threw up again during gift giving.  Later on he went and lay down on a bed and slept several hours.  He has thrown up several more times.  So this has continued for almost four days – isn’t the stomach flu supposed to be only 24 hours?  I feel so sorry for him!  Here he is laying down by the presents because he doesn't feel well enough to sit up.

Flat Stanley's Christmas in Ogden

I remembered to take a bunch of pictures of Flat Stanley today so that he will have plenty to choose from when he returns to Josh's kindergarten class...

 

 I think Flat Stanley had a very nice Christmas -- and he didn't even gain any weight with all of the holiday eating!

Christmas Eve at Grandma Westra's

We made pretty good time driving to Salt Lake and the kids were pretty good (except for Josh who was throwing up).  We ended up making a bed on the back seat of the van for him.  We arrived in Salt Lake a half hour before the party started.  After everyone arrived we took a big family picture and then had our traditional meal of soups and snacks.  We enjoyed watching the DVD slide show of pictures that Jeni put together of pictures and events of the past year.  Like my brother, Chris, said, "It's amazing how much "life" gets packed into one year!"  We exchanged gifts and then the kids played the traditional candy bar game.

Watching the slide show...

 Playing the candy bar game...

 

I brought Josh's "Flat Stanley" to participate in our Christmas activities.  Josh needs to bring Flat Stanley back to kindergarten the day school resumes along with a report and pictures from his "vacation."   Luckily I remembered him before we left so that I could catch him in a couple of photos! 

Our Christmas Morning...

We were up in the night with Josh who came down with an ear infection on top of everything else he has going on.   At least Rick was up with him -- thanks, honey!  Everyone slept in until 7:30 -- yeah!  Jenna slept with her new princess doll last night but I insisted on taking off the crown so that it wouldn't poke her in the night.

I always insist that we take the traditional pictures of the kids on the stairs before they go down for presents.  But they never turn out -- never.  Oh well, maybe next year!

  I usually take a ton of pictures Christmas morning and all day long, but I must have taken more video this year because when I went to upload the pictures there were hardly any.  Here is the gift run down -- family gifts:  a new big screen TV (which we got early because Rick couldn't wait to put it up), a new Wii (ours has been broken for months (so the boys -- especially Jase -- are very happy), several Wii games, a new camera, and several games.  Janika got clothes, jewely, and a jewelry tree (and her curling irons were for her birthday and Christmas).  She spent a good part of the day organizing all of her jewelry in her room.  Jase got some new speed stacking cups, wii games, and clothes. He spent the day playing the Wii.   Jared got the Unicycle that he has been requesting for months and spent the majority of the day trying to ride it down our hallway and crashing -- over and over.  I spent the day gasping and cringing whenever he crashed.  Janelle got a bike and several Harry Potter movies.  Jaiden got a bike, a doll, socks, and a few toys.   She was disappointed that she didn't get more presents.  Josh got his first bike and some clothes, books, and toys. Jenna got a Dora doll, Dora packback, magnetic dolls, princes doll, princess dishes, books, and toys.   Jared got really worn out from riding his unicycle all day!

Rick brought Josh in to the doctor and he was prescribed with antibiotics and ear drops for his ear infection.  Then he and Janika went shopping to exchange the socks he bought her for ones she will actually wear.  I spent the day playing with the kids, eating Christmas leftovers, and packing and getting ready for our trip to Grandma's house.