New Yard!! (Phase 1)

We got a new yard!! I have been wanted to do an overhaul our yard for years now and we were FINALLY able to get the north front and side yard finished!! It looks so great! We love it! We knew we needed a complete reset, but went back and forth on what to do -- rip out our failing grass and start over with new sod? Go with complete Zeriscaping? I had been taking pictures of yards that I liked that had desert landscaping and playing around with an AI program that gave landscaping ideas from an uploaded picture.  

We weren't really considering turf because I generally don't like the look and feel of it. But then we went to a home show at the Dixie Convention Center in September and a company called Total Turf Supply had the entire bottom of their large booth covered in a thick, soft, green turf. We felt it and walked on it and I thought, "I actually like this!" They were offering $8.00 a square foot for the turf and installation. We set up an time for the owner, Kris, to come to our house and give us a bid. Then we walked around and saw all of the other booths. There were several more who also had turf, but none of them matched the look and feel of that first one. Plus all of the others were quite a bit more expensive -- some were $12.00 a square foot for turf and installation. 

He came over and talked through ideas with us and took measurements and gave us a bid. I had already had a couple of other landscapers come over to give us ideas and bids as well. In the end we decided to go with Total Turf. It was expensive, but less than the other bids. Even though it was expensive, we were working hard and saving money and felt like we could manage it. We paid a down payment of half the amount in October and hoped they would get started right away, but it ended up being pushed out for months. They originally planned to come in November, but due to some poor weather, they were behind schedule. 

We were hoping to be finished by Thanksgiving, and then by Christmas. But I didn't worry too much about the delay. We weren't in a huge hurry and it gave us more time to work and earn money towards the yard. They finally made it over in February and knocked it out in a week. Our yard looks complete different! But now that part of the yard looks great, it makes the other part of our yard look terrible in comparison, ha ha! So hopefully we can move forward on phase two of the yard quickly! Click HERE for an album of pictures!! I will also include a few below! (Total price for this phase was $22,325.00)

A few weeks later with the tree blossoms! 

Jenna's Room

Jenna covered the entire walls of her window seat with photos of her and her friends! I think it was about 200 photos! It turned out really cute! 

Red Robin

After visiting Jase and Ellen's place we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Westra's house for a little visit and I found a bunch of photos on my phone afterwards and so apparently Jenna was doing a little photoshoot, ha ha, making memories of their home before they move. We were able to see all of the changes that Scott and Amy did fixing up the basement into a living space, and then we met up with some of the others for dinner at Red Robin! 

Jase, Ellen, and Evan

Friday, October 15: After doing baptisms at the Draper Temple we went to Chick-Fil-A with the Williams and then Josh, Jenna, Rella, and I went to go visit Jase and Evan and see their new place. We weren't able to see Ellen because she was still in the Murray hospital. She and Jase had gone to the Murray hospital last Monday (at 31 weeks) because she was having contractions. The next morning she was dilated to a six and they had given her an epidural, expecting imminent delivery. We were all very nervous about this and praying hard for her. Then a few hours the contractions slowed way down and then dilation did not continue, and so they ended up taking out the epidural and eventually moved her out of labor and delivery. So she was still in the hospital, but it was Jase's day off and so he was taking care of Evan. 

Jase gave us a tour of their new place in Herriman. Below is a picture of the house (they are in the basement apartment). It definitely has some quirks (notice the picture of the outlet -- they are all like that, ha ha), but is spacious and roomy -- 2000 square feet! They seem to like the area and ward, and the  landlords who own the house and live upstairs have a couple of young boys and so they get along well with them and have been able to trade babysitting. Jase and Ellen have enjoyed living there and are exciting to finish furnishing it when they can. They have a lot on their plate right now! 

New Granite Counters!!

We love our new granite counters!! Now we are going to work on painting! Jaiden's room (pictured) is already painted and so is Janelle and Jenna's (not pictured). The kitchen is not painted yet and so right now the walls don't go with the counter-tops, but they will once we paint them!

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!