The Jensen Journal: November 2014

Monday, November 24, 2014

Turkey Trot

Jared won first place in his grade and third place? overall. Great job, Jared -- and thanks for the turkey!

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Halloween was fun! It is nice when the kids are all old enough to plan and put together their own costumes! All I had to do was put some strips of red material on some black clothes for Josh to be a Ninja, and put some cat-makeup on Jenna and get some nerd glasses for Jaiden. Everything else they did themselves!

This morning I dropped the kids off to the school and ran to the dollar store and partyland for some glow sticks and Jaiden's nerd glasses. Then I hurried back for the kindergarten parade. Jenna had a fun Halloween party in her kindergarten class and then we ate lunch at home and headed back to the school to help Josh with his costume.

Jenna played on the playground for a while and then we watched the parade of kids in their Halloween Costumes. It was fun to visit with friends while we watched. Then I brought Jenna and Josh over to a Halloween Party over at the Grants. They had a great time!

I brought Jaiden, Josh, and Jenna to the little Trunk-Or-Treat that the Young Men/Women put on. Janelle helped with it since she just started Young Women's a couple of weeks ago. Jase and Jared didn't help with it since Jase had to work tonight and Jared went straight to a friend's house and then to a Halloween Party with friends.

The kids enjoyed the Trunk-Or-Treat and were excited to get cotton candy at it! Then I took them trick-or-treating around that neighborhood even though it was still early. We came home and got the glow sticks and then went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. The weather was beautiful as it usually is for this area!

Jaiden was begging to go trick-or-treating with her friends this year instead of with us. So we moms talked and gave the go-ahead for Emily, Bradley, and Mariposa to go together and told them that they had to have glow-sticks, watch for cars, stay together, and only stay in our neighborhood where we know everyone.

Josh ended up going trick-or-treating with Seth and his parents and so I only had Janelle and Jenna with me and so it was weird only having two kids. I missed having Jaiden and Josh with us! Jenna really wanted to go trick-or-treating with Clarissa and it worked out that we ran into them as they were leaving and so we ended up going around with Clarissa and Audrey and their parents. The kids had fun and got a TON of candy!

Rick offered to take the kids the trick-or-treating but I told him that I enjoy taking them out. I love seeing all of the children in their costumes and visiting with our neighbors and getting exercise in the cool night air. I told him that he was welcome to come too since we don't get many trick-or-treaters on our street anyway, but he opted to stay home and pass out candy (and fold laundry and clean up).

We did want someone home, though, since we knew that Janika was coming home and bringing four of her roommates. They were doing a little road trip this weekend. They arrived tonight and Rick fed them pizza and then they went out on a group date to Laser Mania and then to a Haunted House put on by a dance company.

The little kids were very tired by the time we finished trick-or-treating. The teenagers were all out late. Jared arrived home from his party about 11:15, Jase got home from work about 11:30, and Janika from her group date about 12:30 a.m.

Our first attempt at putting together a Ninja costume for Josh. Just put your head through the opening of a black T-shirt and wrap the sleeves around and there you have a Ninja Hood! (Although I should have wrapped the sleeves in the back, not the front.)

I thought it was neat that Jared went to school dressed as a missionary! He and his friend ended up getting a big group of guys to dress up as missionaries too -- a refreshing switch from all of the blood and gore that is out there on Halloween!

I was glad that Jenna wanted to be a tiger again this year so that I didn't have to search for another costume. She switched to a kitty cat for trick-or-treating tonight though as you will see in the pictures below...

Jenna with her best friend, Clarissa, as Elsa (from Frozen). Elsa was probably the most popular costume among little girls this year! There were also quite a few little girls dressed as "Anna." Clarissa's little sister, Audrey, was Anna and they looked darling!

Josh and his fellow Ninjas! Josh said, "I was worried that their costumes would be cooler than mine, but they weren't! I thought my costume was cooler than theirs!" Funny Josh!

When Jaiden told me that she wanted to be the "Bisque Guy" from Studio C for Halloween I was skeptical to say the least! But it turned out really cute! She came up with this costume completely on her own (and can even mimic his voice). I just pitched in by picking up the glasses. Thumbs up to Jaiden for creativity!

We threw this together the night before Halloween and it actually turned out really well! We were going to go with a black T-shirt on his head (see first picture) but then I happened to see this little ninja mask (which they aren't allowed to wear at school) at the dollar store and so I picked it up for him to wear with his costume tonight.

We had found this dress in our box of dress up clothes (originally made for cave man/woman costume) but we thought it would also work for an Indian girl. Janelle made a cute Pocahantus!

Jenna switching to a kitty costume (which was cute too)!

Poor Jase had to work tonight and miss all of the fun festivities. He didn't seem to mind though. I think he is enjoying bringing in the dough!

Neighborhood Trunk-or-Treat -- with cotton candy!

These pictures were from a couple of weeks ago with Mitch Seely and Peter Pan and Janika as Wendy. Janika had come home and she and her friends had a big Halloween party before their friend, Alex left on his mission.