New Year's Eve!!

We invited the Williams over to celebrate New Year's Eve with us.  We had a yummy dinner of barbequed Salmon (Rick's specialty) and Potato Salad (Janika's specialty) and a divine salad that Allison brought and lots of other food and treats.  We played games (Progressive Rummy) and a new game we got for Christmas called "Imagine If."  Janika invited all of the carolers over for a dance party in the basement and Jared and Jase both had friends over so we had a house full!  It was a lot of fun!!

Thanks Grandma!

It was like Christmas all over again today!  Julie and Scott came to stay in their second home for the weekend and brought Christmas gifts and all of the stocking stuffers from the Jensen family Christmas party.  They also brought down Madee's car that we bought for Janika.  So Janika has a new car -- woo hoo!!  Well, it is really OUR car but it will be hers to drive for the next couple of years. Now we can sell Bertha (the station wagon)! 

Grandma Jensen knitted these GORGEOUS scarves for all of her daughters, daughters-in-law, and grand-daughters.  We love them!

Bow Ties and Dresses

Jase is really into bow-ties right now and got a couple for his Birthday and Christmas.  So today all of the men in the family wore a bow-tie to church -- even Rick!   My I've got handsome men!

 I tried to take a picture of the girls in their matching dresses but they weren't cooperating very well.

Tubing at Pine Valley!!

We have lived in this area for over 15 years and this is the FIRST time we have ever gone to Pine Valley to go tubing!  It was fun!  The sun was out and it was gorgeous.  With that said I have to admit that sledding scares me to death.  I grew up in Salt Lake and we would go at least once a year.  I remember many youth activities that included tubing down the giant hill at Mountain Dell.  I have many memories of getting very hurt at such activities and so I think I am scarred for life for participating in the event myself.

My biggest fear today as I watched sleds zipping down the hill with no control was that kids would get run over -- or run over someone else.  There were plenty of close calls!  Today we went to what appeared to be the main tubing hill but if we go again I want to find a hill that is less crowded -- and maybe a little smaller for the Josh and Jenna.  Jenna only went one time with Rick -- and that was enough for her.  She hated it!  She liked playing in the snow though.

Janika invited all of the carolers to come too.  Tommy's dad drove the teenagers and after sledding we all went to his family's cabin for gourmet hot chocolate!

 

 

 

 

Opening Gifts...

 

 

 

I didn't think to get a picture of the kids' gifts until`most of them were already put away.  I did grab one of Jenna's (forgot the scooter) and Josh's though.  Jenna's scooter is cute because it is has ribbons and a little bell.  One of the most used gifts so far is our old Wii.  Rick took the Wii away from the kids several months ago because they were fighting over it.  We just gave it back to them for Christmas and they have been playing it all day! 

Janika got clothes, jewelry, and hair products.   Jase got roller blades and some guitar pics and strings,  Jared got a unicycle (it is just a tad too big for him) and the new "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book, Janelle got a “snap circuit” game where you make different electronic things work – a light, or fan, or bell, etc.  She and Jase have both had fun with it.  Jaiden, Josh, and Jenna got scooters.  The kids all got toys and clothes.  We put up the ping pong table and got paddles and balls for Christmas, so that has been fun too.  We got a new trampoline since our old one ripped to shreds.  (Jared was so excited and put the whole thing up in the cold only to discover that we are missing one spring and so it will have to be put on hold again until we get one!)   We got a bunch of games.  Jenna got a really cute doll (donated anonymously by someone in the Deaf Branch) and princess shoes, crowns, and books. 

The kids got Church clothes (and regular clothes) from their Grandma Jensen (Thank you SO MUCH Grandma!  Thank you too for the Christmas money that is going towards food storage and our new computer!!)  The kids already opened their gifts from Grandma Westra when they came over Thanksgiving so I already posted about those.  (Thank you!!)

Rick got me a $100.00 gift certificate to the Anniversary Inn!  Thank you honey, I can't wait to go on an over-nighter with you!   He also went through his journals starting from when we were dating and first married and wrote down words of love and affection that he had written about me during those times.  I LOVE it and will treasure it forever!  He also got me a new part to my Vita-Mix and a book that I wanted. 

We also got a new computer!  Yeah!  (It will arrive a couple of days after Christmas).  I have wanted one for a long time because ours is really old and slow and probably about to die!   It will be nice to have a new one!   Well, it was a really good Christmas and fun to relax and spend time together!  I had a big game of Ping Pong with Jase -- and I won!  :)   Rick played our new game "Settlers of Catan" with Jase (he is our game person).  Rick played "Twister Hoopla" with the kids.  The kids watched a movie and then I stayed up with Jenna (since she had slept so much today) and watched a Christmas movie.  

Janika went out with her carolers friends to go see the new "Les Miserables" movie at 10:00 p.m.  She has been SO excited to see it ever since she heard it was coming out.  I am excited to see it too but will wait a few days.   I haven't talked to her yet to see how she liked it.  All in all it was a wonderful Christmas!