The Jensen Family

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve 2011

Sophie's First Cereal

2011-12-31T22:45:00.000-08:00

Bowling with Papa

2011-12-31T22:35:00.001-08:00

Boating

2011-12-31T22:34:00.005-08:00

Picking Oranges

2011-12-31T22:34:00.003-08:00

Todd Family Pictures

2011-12-31T22:34:00.001-08:00

Nativity and Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-31T22:33:00.000-08:00

Acting out the Nativity

We know that angels don't really have wings, but doesn't she look cute!

Decorating Gingerbread (Graham Cracker) Houses

Christmas in Florida 2011

2011-12-31T21:35:00.001-08:00

Christmas Morning

Christmas Dresses for Church

Christmas Eve

2011-12-31T21:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at Gramie and Papa's with the cousins.

Birthday Celebration in Florida

2011-12-31T20:53:00.000-08:00

Family Home Evening: Live Nativity

2011-12-31T20:30:00.000-08:00

So Much For Proof Reading...

2011-12-24T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hello! We regret misspelling Sophie's name on our recently mailed Christmas cards. Thank you for the many messages informing us of this error. One would hope that we would not name our child "Sopie"! Also, in reality Annie is two and a half years old, not three and a half as stated in our letter. Merry Christmas!

Happy 5th Birthday Emily!

2011-12-20T00:46:00.000-08:00

Ahoy Matey! Emily's Pirate Birthday Party

2011-12-20T00:40:00.000-08:00

Temple Square

2011-12-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

BYU Party With Santa 2011

2011-12-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

Look At Sophie Now

2011-12-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

Here's our cute little Sophie now! She's already 4 months old can you believe it? She is growing up so fast. To all those who have been waiting for new pictures... Merry Christmas! (More to come.)

Baby Sophie

2011-08-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lynn Jensen

Our lives have been pretty crazy lately. We left Rhode Island and arrived in Utah on July 2nd. Because we were still trying to close on our house, we stayed in an extended stay hotel for a week and with Chad's cousin for several days after that. Things were lingering with the house and the movers were on the way to deliver our things. Chad worked it out with the owners so that we could move into the house and rent it from the owners until we officially closed on it. It was not a moment too soon! We moved into our house on Monday, the movers delivered our things on Tuesday and baby Sophie surprised us with her early arrival on Wednesday (July 13th- 16 days early). It was a busy week!

We were hoping for another week to unpack and get things settled before the baby's arrival, but babies tend to come when they are ready. I woke up around 3:00 am thinking I might be in labor. We had only had one car (our other still in transit). I wasn't having contractions and due to the early hour, Chad and I decided not to wake the kids until we knew more about the situation. I drove myself to the hospital and was checked in.

Chad now got the job of scrambling to find someone to watch our kids. Luckily, we decided to attend our new ward the previous Sunday and met a few people. Unfortunately, the paper with the names and phone numbers were in the car, parked in the hospital parking lot. I remembered the last name of one of the ladies. Chad looked up her phone number and dropped the kids off at her house (Emily was having a very difficult time.). Chad took a taxi to the hospital and arrived just as they were about to give me an epidural. Baby Sophie was born within the hour. Things went a lot faster than anticipated, but overall it was the best delivery yet!

We decided to name her Sophie Lynn Jensen. Sophie because we liked it and could agree on it and Lynn after my dad. She was born at 9:54am, weighed 6lbs. 12 oz. and was 18 inches long. She's ADORABLE!

NYC Trip: Day 1

2011-05-26T19:44:00.006-07:00

In April we took a last minute trip to New York City. We were only there for two days, but we had a great time. The Statue of Liberty was first on our list. We took the Staten Island Ferry out to see it. Ironically, on our way to Staten Island we ran into Chad's relatives (Barbara, Karen & Stacy), visiting from California. Small world.

Annie's Birthday: Part 2

2011-05-10T12:54:00.001-07:00

We headed to the Boston Children's Museum on Saturday morning for the second half of Annie's birthday celebration. The girls were very excited!

We had seen Arthur sitting on top of the Museum on our first trip to Boston and put the museum on our list of things to do.

The museum is divided up into several theme areas.
This was the school room.

Chad assisted Emily with her slam dunk.

The Toddler Area

The girls had a great time being Daddy's helpers in the Tool Shop.

In the Arts and Crafts Room they got to make finger puppets.

We got to visit Arthur and his friends

and play in the water room.

Then it was off to the Construction Zone.

Emily conquered her fear of heights and climbed across the bridge.

We even took time for haircuts in the barber shop.

Later we returned to the toddler room for some shaving cream exploration.

Annie and Emily got to play the steel drum

and go shopping at the local market place.

We couldn't leave with out trying out the Bubble Room.

You can't see it in the picture, but this contraption makes a huge bubble sheet.

They even got to make their own butter and eat it with some crackers.

We had a great time at the Boston Children's Museum! Chad decided that we needed to make the most of what could possibly be our last trip to Boston. We walked across the bridge for a seafood snack.

Annie and I shared some DELICIOUS clam chowder.

Chad ordered the infamous Lobster Roll

and Emily... she opted for Oyster Crackers. Ha!

What a great Boston trip. Happy Birthday Annie!

Happy Second Birthday Annie!

2011-05-09T16:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Second Birthday Annie!

It's hard to believe that she is two years old already! Annie's birthday was on a weekday this year and sadly, Chad had to work. We decided to have a birthday breakfast with him before work and to have a family party that night when he returned home. Then we headed to Boston that Saturday for some more birthday fun.

The birthday girl.
She was so excited for her special day!

Make a wish!

We spent the morning playing around.

Then it was time to bake the cake.
Annie is suited up in Chad's apron.

Emily was ready to get started.

Annie was a little more interested in playing with and eating the cake flour than in actually baking the cake.

She spent most of her time crawling on top of the table and licking the flour up with her tongue! A little strange! (I spent most of my time taking her off the table and trying to have her stop licking the flour off of the table.)

She finally decided to get serious about baking...

and taste testing!

Later, we stopped off at Dunkin' Donuts for a birthday treat. Dunkin' Donuts is EVERYWHERE in New England! When going the short distance from point A to point B we pass several of them. Although we have only been there a few times, Annie recognizes the sign and loudly calls out, "Dunkin' Donuts" each time we pass one.

Next it was off to the "Sandy Park" as my kids call it. (It's just a park that has sand under the playground equipment. Ha!) It was a cool, but sunny day. We thought we ought to take advantage of the sunshine for a little birthday fun.

Annie loves to swing on the swings.
She is also very fond of the "bumpy" slide.

Emily was so excited to push Annie on the swings.
It was very sweet. What a great big sister!

When I asked Annie what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday she said, "A big one. Pink." So that's what we had.

Once Chad returned home from work it was time to celebrate. Annie took it upon herself to get dressed up for the occasion. She ran off to Emily's room and emerged as Sleeping Beauty, "I a princess!". Now decked out in her royal attire, she was ready to party!

Blowing out the candles...

The "big, pink" cake. Not the most beautiful cake ever, but it sure was delicious!

Annie enjoyed it. She didn't waste any time. She dug right in!

Annie was elated that this day was all about her. She was bursting with excitement, modeling in her princess dress and jumping up and down in the chair as she awaited her presents.

Strike a pose!

So sweet.

She got very serious when it was time to open presents.
The paper had a bit of a plastic texture to it and she had a little trouble opening them.

Don't worry. Big sister to the rescue!

Annie loving her new baby from Nana and Grandpa.
She took it to bed that night and went to sleep without a peep. Thanks Nana and Grandpa!

She was so excited to have a doll like Emily's "Baby Jessica".

Opening her very own portable DVD player. Now she won't have to share! Yippee! Ironically, the girls put a movie in right away and both sat there and watched the little screen together rather than watching it on the T.V. Ha! Thanks Gramie and Papa!

Emily being cute.

Annie is obsessed with Emily's princess dress up shoes. She is always going into Emily's room and putting them on. For her birthday she got a pair of shoes to go with each of her favorite princesses. She was delighted (and so was Emily!). The girls have also been very in to dancing. Emily has a few tutus and it is always a struggle when Annie wants to borrow one. We got her a little tutu and she was elated. She and Emily started a performance right away in the front room.

Overall I think she had a great day. We love you Annie!

Third Time's A Charm

2011-05-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that we are having another girl! Emily and Annie can't wait to see their new baby sister and are already planning a "big sister party". Chad is excited too, although he is feeling a little like the odd man out in a house full of girls. As we were leaving the doctor's office after finding out the gender of our new baby, he turned to Emily and Annie and playfully said, "Girls, your going to have to learn to play football!". They happily agreed and have started practicing already. Annie keeps bringing Chad his football and saying, "Play football Daddy." Ha!

There is one complication of having another girl... having to choose a name. Chad and I differ in our preferences for girl names and so for the third time the "great name debate" resumes. Don't worry, she will have a name...eventually. Third time's a charm, right?

Gainfully Employed

2011-02-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Chad! He has accepted a full-time psychology faculty position at Brigham Young University beginning fall 2011. We are excited to be moving back to Utah and look forward to the new adventures we will have there.

Big Sisters

2011-02-28T18:35:00.004-08:00

Coming July 2011...

There will be two BIG SISTERS at our house!

St. Patrick's Day, Spring and General Conference

2011-02-28T18:35:00.003-08:00

On St. Patrick's Day, Emily and Annie woke up to find that some leprechauns had hidden their breakfast. They had to follow some clues to find their breakfast and a St. Patrick's Day treat.

Spring has been a long time in coming this year. We decided to celebrate its arrival by making some "Spring Hats".

For the past few years, we have had a special Family Home Evening before General Conference about King Benjamin talking to his people. Before Saturday sessions begin, we build a tent that they kids can sit in to watch conference. This year we decided put up Emily's play tent rather than build one ourselves. This is Emily and Chad getting ready for conference to begin.

Utah Trip

2011-02-28T18:35:00.001-08:00

In March we took a trip out to Utah to look for houses. Emily spent a few days at Nana's while while we were there. We drove to Idaho for the weekend to pick her up and spend some time with Chad's family. Grandpa Jensen had some new calves on his ranch. We took the girls to go and see them.

Given that we currently live in the land of Dunkin' Donuts, our kids have never been to Krispy Creme. We thought they'd like seeing how they make the doughnuts so we took them for a little snack.

It was a fast trip, but we at least narrowed down the areas we'd like to live and the types of houses that are available in those areas.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T18:42:00.011-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! We started off the day with heart shaped pancakes for breakfast before Chad had to leave for work. Emily had been up for a while and was wide awake and ready to go for the day.

We woke Annie up just before breakfast was ready. She was still a bit sleepy and was trying to wake up for the day when we took this picture. Thanks for being a good sport Annie!

After breakfast it was time to open some Valentine packages.

Emily and Annie got a surprise package from their cousins, Patrick, Kennedy and Maren. They love the homemade crayons! Thanks.

Next, they opened a package from Nana and Grandpa Jensen. Thanks for the Target gift card and other goodies. They loved the little balloons that inflate when you smack them!

Then it was time for a card from Gramie and Papa.
Thanks for the Valentine money!

"The Loot"

Later we made some special Valentine play dough.
The girls played with it for most of the morning.

Emily performed a special Valentine ballet.

Emily had a heart shaped sandwich for lunch.

Annie chose a bean burrito with a heart cut-out.

That evening it was back to playing with the play dough.
Emily set up a cookie shop and made some special Valentine cookies before we had dinner.

After dinner, the girls finally got to open their Valentine gifts from us.

They loved their new sticker books and candy.
We had a great Valentine's Day!

Baking Valentine Cookies

2011-02-14T18:42:00.009-08:00

It's that time again...time to bake Valentine cookies! Emily and Annie were excited and ready to help make lots of heart shaped sugar cookies.

Annie and I made some "Annie-sized" heart cookies.

She loved making the hear shapes in the dough.

Emily was in charge of making some larger heart shaped cookies for decorating. She's so cute!

They were very patient at first, but then...

Things got a little messy!

We had a great time!

Making Valentines

2011-02-14T18:42:00.007-08:00

We had a Valentine party with our music class friends. The girls made some Valentines to pass out to their friends at the party. Emily signed her name to each one and did a great job. Annie loved her Valentines too!

Sledding

2011-02-14T18:40:00.002-08:00

While at Nana and Grandpa's house Emily and Annie got to go sledding. They hooked up a large plastic bin to the electric golf cart and they were off. The kids loved it. Aunt Kearis even joined the fun!

Kearis, Annie and Emily in the sled.

They decided that covering up with a blanket
blocked the wind and made the ride a lot warmer.

Apparently Emily liked the blanket idea.

We took a ride across the street
to say hi to Great Grandpa Jensen.

Then it was back to Nana and Grandpa's house.

Fun in the Snow

2011-02-14T18:40:00.001-08:00

Our girls LOVE the snow! It was freezing in Idaho, but Emily kept insisting that she needed to go out and play in the snow. So we all bundled up and went out and tried not to turn into snowmen. The girls had a great time!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-18T16:19:00.009-08:00

Since Chad had to use some several of his vacation days for interviews, we ended up leaving for Idaho on Christmas Eve. This was not my preference, but unavoidable. I was worried that we would get stuck having Christmas in the airport due to bad weather cancellations. Luckily, everything went according to plan with no complications.

Our friend was nice enough to drop us off at the airport for an early morning departure. Chad decided that we have now reached a point where paying for a cart to carry luggage is essential (but he was only willing to splurge for one cart). He very skillfully arranged the luggage so that everything would fit. Ha! Good work Chad.

It was a long day of traveling but the girls really did an amazing job. Thanks for being good sports.

Hooray! We made it to Utah.
Now all we have left is a 3 hour car ride.

Annie made herself right at home. She looked so content watching her DVD with her shoes and socks off. I had a hard time getting a good picture from the front seat.

The roads were great and we made good time.
The scenery was beautiful!

We had to travel over the country and through the woods, but we finally made it to Nana and Grandpa's house...just in time for Christmas Eve dinner. Yummy!

Pigtails for Annie

2010-12-18T16:19:00.007-08:00

Annie is growing up so fast. It's already time for pigtails! This was our first attempt. So...they didn't turn out at neatly as I'd like (okay, the part is not even close to straight or symmetrical), but cute none the less. It turns out it's hard to make pigtails on an active 1 year old! She loved them though! It made her look like such a "big girl"!

The After Party

2010-12-18T16:19:00.005-08:00

We were all so exhausted after a fun filled day that we decided to order pizza for dinner.

Emily modeling the new Strawberry Shortcake pajamas that Nana made for her. She couldn't wait to try them on. Thanks Nana. Emily LOVES them!

Then it was time for more presents! Emily got to talk with Gramie and Papa on Skype and open their presents for her.

It's tough when you are one and you're not the birthday girl. Luckily for Annie, both sets of grandparents sent a little something for the birthday girl's sister to enjoy too!

Emily was so surprised! She has wanted a Silvermist costume since her Tinkerbell party last year.

Surprise! More princesses for our princess.

Emily had a great 4th birthday.
Thanks to everyone for making it so wonderful!

The Princess Party

2010-12-18T16:19:00.003-08:00

Emily decided that she wanted a princess party for her 4th birthday the minute her Tinkerbell party ended last year. She has been planning and counting down the days ever since. She decided that she would wear the blue Cinderella dress for the occasion. She really wanted to invite some of her friends that were boys, so it ended up being a princess/knight party. She was so excited!

Princess Emily awaiting her royal guests.

As the queen, I ran the royal festivities. Our first game was:
Don't Let the Princess Fall Asleep
The kids had to try to keep the balloon (aka princess) in the air.
If the balloon touched the floor, the "princess" would fall asleep.

Then I read the short story of Princess and the Pea.

Then it was time to play
Are You A True Princess/Knight
I asked them if they were ready to find out if they were a "true" princess/ knight. I showed them a real frozen pea and pretended to put it under the "Princess and the Pea bed". Then they each got a turn to lay down on the bed to see if they could feel the "pea" (a large bouncy ball hidden under the pillow cover). It was fun to see the surprise on each child's face as they actually felt the pea when they laid on the bed!

After they were tested and proven to be a true princess the girls sat on the "throne" and were crowned a true princess.

The boys were asked to kneel before King Chad as they were knighted a true knight and then crowned.

Next we played
Pin the Star on the Fairy Godmother's Wand
Unfortunately, my printer ran out of ink just in time for the party. Our fairy godmother was a little hard to see, but the kids still had a great time joining in the fun. We used Emily's pink Sleeping Beauty sleeping mask for the blindfold. (The boys were good sports about it.)

Then it was time to
Save the Princess
All the knights lined up on one end of the room while the princesses stood on the other end locked in the tower. Each knight got to ride the royal steed to save the princess and bring her back safely.

Now it was time to receive their wands and swords. We played
Pass the Fairy Godmother's Wand
The princesses and knights passed the fairy godmother's wand to the tune of Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo. When the music stopped, the princesses received a wand and the knights received a sword. (The knights couldn't have been happier!)

The knights were having a great time trying out their new swords on each other, but as queen, I felt it my duty to inform them that just as I gave them their swords (and wands), I could take them away. :-) They all quickly gave me their full attention. Ha! Then everyone got a chance to
Decorate Wands and Swords
They used decorative foam stickers to personalize their wands and swords.

While we were decorating wands/swords the royal court was notified that the dragon had stolen the king's treasure. They had to follow the clues to defeat the dragon and bring back the king's treasure.

Treasure Hunt

Princess Emily got to show them the last clue and help them recover the treasure.

To show his gratitude, King Chad shared his treasure with all the knights and princesses. They each got a necklace, bracelet/ chocolate gold coin and a ring.

The Princess Cake
Okay, so the princess cake wasn't the cutest cake ever, but Emily thought it was BEAUTIFUL!
(I guess that's all that matters right?)
I tried to talk her out of the idea, but she was sure she needed one.

Princess Emily getting ready to blow out the candles.

Cupcakes...yummy!

Group Picture of all the noble knights and fair princesses!

Even royalty gets silly...

Princess Emily with all her royal friends...

Sir Christian

Sir Kasey

Sir Nathan

Sir Michael

Princess Zuleika

Princess Caroline

Sir Samuel

Princess Maryn

Princess Peyton

Princess Annie

Time for presents...

A few after party shots...

Princess Annie had a great time at Princess Emily's party.
After the party she climbed up into Emily's bed and was pretending to sleep like sleeping beauty.

Below: Emily being silly while I was trying to get a full body shot of her in her beautiful dress.
Well, the party was a lot of work but I think it was a huge success. It made all the time and effort worth it when Emily came up to me after the party beaming saying that it was the
BEST PARTY EVER!

Happy 4th birthday Princess Emily! We love you!

Emily's Birthday Morning...

2010-12-18T16:19:00.001-08:00

We started off the day with a birthday wish for breakfast.

So cute!

Then Emily helped me make the butter cream
frosting for her cake and cupcakes. Yummy!

Chad had to leave for a haircut, but returned with
a holiday Duncan Donut surprise for the girls.

Then it was time to open some
presents with Nana on Skype.

Nana made her some Strawberry Shortcake PJ's.
They looked "berry" cute on Emily.

She also got a tea set. She and Chad had a tea party
while I put Annie down for a nap.

Nana was nice enough to send a birthday
surprise for Annie. She loves books!

Happy 4th Birthday Emily!

2010-12-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Happy 4th birthday Emily! We love you!

Chad's Return from Job Interviews

2010-11-30T19:46:00.005-08:00

We were all happy to be reunited with Chad after a week long absence. Chad interviewed with University of Wyoming and Brigham Young University (Provo). He was happy with how the interviews went, but unfortunately we won't know the results for several months.

Chad surprised us all with a few gifts.

Emily and Annie were very excited to open their presents.

Nutcracker Christmas ornaments!

A beautiful princess for Emily.

A pink ballerina for Annie.

I got some Merry Christmas blocks. Thanks Chad.

We sure missed you! We're glad you're home!

Girl's Night

2010-11-30T19:46:00.003-08:00

The night before Chad was to return home from his week long trip we decided to have a "girl's night". We decorated our gingerbread house, made pink popcorn, and had a pajama party. We had a great time and it helped us survive the remaining hours until Chad returned home.

Annie and Emily wearing their "Mrs. Clause" aprons.

We had a division of labor: Emily tried to put the decorations on the house and Annie enjoyed eating them.

So cute!!!!

Emily's latest picture pose...
Adorable!

Our cute gingerbread house.

Polar Express Party

2010-11-30T19:46:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a day of parties. We had the ward party in the morning and in the afternoon we headed to the library for a Polar Express party. They gave each of the kids a Polar Express ticket when they arrived. Then they read the story of the Polar Express to all of the children.

Later, we had a surprise visitor.
Here comes Santa Claus...

All the children got a chance to sit on Santa's lap. Annie was very nervous about the whole thing but was a good sport about it. She only cried a little bit. This was the best picture I could get.

Santa gave each child a bag with a bell and a candy cane.

Then it was time for cookies and hot chocolate.

(Annie is teething. Can you tell?)
We had a great time!

Puppet Fun

2010-11-30T19:45:00.009-08:00

The kids got to decorate finger puppets for music class this week. Emily decided that we needed a puppet theater. It made for lots of fun.

We're Counting Down...

2010-11-30T19:45:00.007-08:00

When there is a special event or holiday, Emily asks me every day, "How much longer until...". I learned long ago that a visual representation works wonders for this girl! We made our countdown to Christmas chain the other day. We marked her birthday (the blue link) and other special days along the way. She had a great time waking up in the morning and removing a link from her chain each day. We can't wait until Christmas!

Shopping

2010-11-30T19:45:00.005-08:00

Sisters...oh so cute!

Did you know that Santa shops at Wal-mart? Neither did we, but we ran into him while we were shopping. He was nice enough to take a picture with us and give the girls a candy cane.

Coming Halloween 2011...Snow White

2010-10-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Coming Halloween 2011...Snow White!

Emily already has big plans for next year's Halloween! (She always has a plan, so I would expect nothing less. HA!) She does make a BEAUTIFUL princess!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:36:00.007-07:00

Happy Halloween! We all woke up sick this morning, sneezing and runny noses. We called a family sick day. We still managed to have a little Halloween fun along the way. Snow White and the Prince made an appearance. Later, Cinderella even joined in the fun (Although she was hard to photograph. She kept running away, hiding behind her rocker or in her castle)! We all ended the day feeling a little better. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help speed up our recovery.

Trunk-or-Treat

2010-10-31T18:36:00.005-07:00

Emily has been talking about being Cinderella for Halloween since getting a Cinderella dress from Santa for Christmas last year. We've been counting down the days until Halloween for the past month.

Around the same time we made the chain, she was talking with me about her Halloween plans as I was putting on my make-up. Her face lit up as she looked at me hopefully and asked if she could wear real make-up with her costume on Halloween. I told her that she could. She has looked forward to it ever since. She woke up on the morning of the trunk-or-treat and said excitedly to me and Chad, "Today's the day I get to wear real make-up!". Here's Cinderella getting ready at the royal beauty salon. :-)

Our ward had a trunk-or-treat last night. They had a chili/ "chowda" cook-off and games for the kids followed by the trunk-or-treat. We had a great time! We had a busy day. We were over scheduled our day and going busily from one activity to the next. We didn't get a chance to have the traditional "pre-party" photo shoot of the kids at home. I tried to get a few at the church, but the kids were more interested in all the excitement around them. I still managed to catch a few cute ones.

Little Miss Annie LOVES Emily's tutu! She puts it on every chance she gets and twirls around in it. She loves to dance! We decided to have her be a ballerina for Halloween this year. She was so excited! She liked wearing her tutu and was excited to have her very own pair of ballet slippers. She looks so PRETTY in pink!

We brought aprons for the girls to wear while they ate their chili. Too bad they were both so distracted that neither of them ate any. They promptly found a cake walk game to play and won some cupcakes. (We took them home and saved them for later.)

The Cake Walk

The Fishing Pond

This was Emily's favorite game.
She was so proud of herself for winning these bracelets.

Chad is currently serving in the Young Men's presidency. The young men and young women were in charge of the games. Chad made the boards for the bean bag toss. The kids seemed to really like it!

We had some friends join us for the trunk-or-treat, so Chad handed out the treats while I walked around with the kids and our friends. I ended up having to hold Annie most of the time so I didn't get many pictures of them actually trick-or-treating. She must have been starving because she kept trying to grab all the candy from her bucket. She kept trying to eat the candy she received, wrapper and all! Luckily, I caught on fast and helped her out! :-) There's nothing like candy for dinner. Yum!

Some of our friends decided to rent a cotton candy machine and hand out cotton candy for their treat. Emily was VERY excited about this and could hardly wait to get one of her own! (Side note: Their daughter's birthday is on Halloween and they used it at her party as well. Emily went to her party and already received a bag of cotton candy earlier that afternoon! I guess you can't have too much of a good thing. Ha!)

Annie enjoyed her cotton candy too!

Emily with her Sunbeam teacher, Sister Milne

Annie, Chad and Emily

Family Photos

Ready to Go Home

The Loot

This was Emily's first real experience with exploring the "loot" after trick-or-treating. She initiated it and Annie joined right in, eating the candy with the wrappers still on!

Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-Treating at the Zoo

2010-10-31T18:36:00.003-07:00

Some of our friends invited us to join them for trick-or-treating at the zoo Saturday morning. We surprised the kids and left after breakfast. We had a great time!

Emily couldn't believe that there were fairies at the zoo!

Annie loved seeing the chickens in the farmyard.

It was close to nap time for Annie.
She was such a good sport!

Our little ballerina.

I think this picture is so sweet.

My girls love their Daddy!

No More Monkeys Jumping Out of the Crib!

2010-09-27T08:03:00.010-07:00

This morning I (and apparently our neighbors below us) awoke to a loud scream and a thud. My fear of Annie (our little monkey...she's such a climber!) falling out of her crib came to pass. I ran into her room and found her face down on the floor crying. I scooped her up and held her. She is such a tough little girl. She barely cried. In fact the excitement was too much for her and she kept trying to fall back to sleep (this never happens). Luckily, no major damage, just a fat lip and a slightly bruised noise. She's just shy of turning 18 months old...sigh.... Toddler bed here we come!

Happy Birthday Chad!

2010-08-16T17:27:00.005-07:00

Happy 30th birthday Chad! Poor guy, he had to work all day, but we didn't let that stop us from celebrating. We started off the morning with Chad's favorite buttermilk pancakes with Nana's yummy syrup!

Later that evening, we surprised the birthday boy with a trail of notes (up the 3 flights of stairs to our front door) telling him many of the reasons why we love him. He said it made for some good reading! Then he got to break through the door to our birthday celebration.

Here's Emily's ode to Daddy. I thought it was really cute!

We had a delicious dinner: shrimp and pasta

Only one guess what was for dessert...

That's right, Chad's favorite German Chocolate Cake!

Make a wish!

Everyone really enjoyed the cake and ice cream.
Emily gave a two-thumbs-up and said very excitedly,
"Good Job MAMA!" We all had a good laugh!

Annie liked it too!

Party time!

My parents bought some party horns for Annie's birthday.
Emily decided we needed to get some for Chad's birthday too.

Chad let his eager "helpers" join him in unwrapping his presents.

We ended the night with the girl's favorite game...Hot Dog!
(Chad wraps them up in a blanket like a hot dog and tickles them.)

Happy birthday Chad. Hope you had a fun day.
We love you!

Providence Water Park

2010-08-16T17:27:00.001-07:00

Providence has several water parks. At the beginning of the summer, it was our goal to try out all of them. We only made it to a couple, but decided to fit one more in before the parks were closed for the summer. This one was really fun. Unfortunately, it was a cooler day and the water was cold. It took a while for the girls to get warmed up. But before long they were running around having a great time! We'll have to hit up a few more next summer if we are still in the area.

Princess Pajamas

2010-08-16T17:26:00.012-07:00

This is Emily modeling her new Pink Polka-dotted Princess Pajamas. She saw this night gown at the store and just HAD to have it. She looks lovely, just like a princess should!

Dress-up Fun

2010-08-16T17:26:00.011-07:00

Our girls have a lot of dress-up fun at our house. Emily decided that she needed to dress up like Daddy and Annie needed to dress like the big sister. She put on Chad's clothes and put Annie in one of her shirts. This is their fashion show on the catwalk. Strike a pose!

Emily is wearing a blue striped button down shirt,
kangaroo tie and brown leather shoes.

Annie is wearing a sunny yellow
team sunbeam t-shirt.

Yahoo!

Annie's "Shoe-Shoes"

2010-08-16T17:26:00.009-07:00

Annie loves to play dress up with her big sister, Emily. Annie is very much in to accessories. Her favorite thing to do is to raid Emily's closet for her high heel shoes or as she calls them, "shoe-shoes". Annie gets around in them amazingly well. She is very proud of herself for being such a "big girl".

Annie's Escape Tactic

2010-08-16T17:26:00.007-07:00

Do you see Annie's foot on the highchair tray? This is Annie's new escape tactic. She does this every time she gets in the highchair. As long as she can get her leg out from under the tray and put her foot on top of it, she can push her way out. Is it an ingenious escape tactic or just bad table manners? :-)

Montpelier

2010-08-16T17:26:00.005-07:00

On the return trip we couldn't pass up making a stop in Montpelier. Unfortunately, there was no Nana and Grandpa there. We did get to see the State House and drive through the lovely downtown area.

Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

2010-08-16T17:26:00.003-07:00

After a wonderful morning at Joseph Smith's birthplace, we headed a little out of our way to the factory tour at Ben & Jerry's. A friend had mentioned it to me and we thought...sounds like fun!

The place was packed and we had an hour wait before our tour began. We decided to get some ice cream and let Annie get a quick nap.

I ordered my all time favorite, Cookies and Cream...YUMMY!

Chad and Emily opted for the exclusive flavors found only at Ben & Jerry's factories. Emily choice: Chocowlate (or something like that), vanilla ice cream with large chocolate cows. Chad's choice: Triple Chocolate Fudge...

After our delicious ice cream, Chad and Emily left to explore the large children's playground and other attractions on the factory grounds while I stayed with Annie, who was sleeping.

Grandpa Jensen these pictures are for you!

Time for our tour. Annie woke up minutes before this picture was taken. You're a good sport Annie!

You can't take pictures during the tour. It was interesting to learn about how the ice cream is made, packaged and shipped. But our favorite part of the tour was the tasting room. They hand out free samples of the ice cream being packaged on that day. For us...Chocolate Chip Mint. Yum!

We took a few pictures on our way out. The girls were a little tired and not really into taking pictures by then. Still, we had a fun day and lots of great ice cream!

Joseph Smith's Birthplace

2010-08-16T17:26:00.001-07:00

We left the campsite early the next morning and drove next door to the birthplace of Joseph Smith. There's not a lot to see there, but we felt the Spirit and had a wonderful experience as a family.

The missionary giving the tour took our picture sitting on the hearthstone that Joseph sat on as a boy.

This is a chair that Joseph made.

Part of the tour was driving in a golf cart to see the foundation for the Solomon Mack and Daniel Mack homes. Emily liked it because the missionary giving the tour told her it was like a roller coaster ride.

old stone bridge

It was very peaceful and beautiful.
What a wonderful experience for our family!

Camp Joseph

2010-08-09T19:43:00.001-07:00

Chad realized that he had a long weekend the first week in August. We made a last minute decision to load the kids in the car in head to Sharon, Vermont to see the birthplace of Joseph Smith.

We stopped in New Hampshire at a rest area along the way because Annie needed a diaper change and a change of clothes. It turns out the the rest area was code for the State Liquor Store. Actually when you get off the ramp their are two buildings, the State Liquor Store and the restrooms. We opted for the restrooms.

Emily had seen us pack graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows for s'mores for our trip. She decided that she couldn't wait for the campfire and need to sample some at our stop. So here we are in the parking lot of the State Liquor Store/ rest area with Emily eating graham crackers and marshmallows in the driver's seat with legs up on the wheel saying all the while, "This is the best rest area ever!"

Annie promptly requested a graham cracker of her own.
Dad, notice the pinkie in the air?

We had been looking to take the girls camping. Some of our friends told us about this little campsite that is owned by the church. Camp Joseph is conveniently located right next to the birthplace of Joseph Smith. We rented one of their little cabins for a night and had a great time.

When we arrived we were very impressed with the campsite. Emily saw the little cabins and said, "This is the best campsite ever! This is going to be so much fun!" We got our keys, unloaded our things and walked up to a little wooded area to find our first cabin. Emily stopped in her tracks nervous of the slightly dark (the sun was beginning to go down) and wooded area.

They had originally offered us the cabin right next to this one that was right by the bathrooms. They said that sometimes the light from the bathroom bothered people, so we decided to take the one a little further from the bathroom. Emily kept saying that it was too dark and she didn't think she want to go into the woods.

Chad went back down to the office and changed out our cabin for the one by the bathroom, hoping there would be a little more light. We brought a flashlight but neglected to bring a lantern, not realizing that the cabins did not have electricity. A very kind fellow camper let us borrow one for the night. Emily was comforted by this and said, "This is the best campsite ever! This is going to be so much fun!"

We unpacked, got dinner ready and set down to eat. Emily saw a chipmunk and that was the end of that. She nagged us constantly, in only a way that Emily can, for the next little while saying she was afraid of the animals and the woods. Chad decided we would not get any sleep that night if we stayed in the cabin. He promptly went and changed out the key for yet another cabin.

The third cabin was in a little clearing, not "in the woods" as Emily said. I guess the third time was a charm. Finally Emily felt okay about camping and said "This is the best cabin ever! This is going to be so much fun!"

The Mansion House (office)

Nice and clean restrooms!

Covered pavilion with tables and cabin used for large group events.

Some of the cabins

This was our SECOND cabin. It was very cute and up in a slightly
wooded area conveniently located right next to a bathroom.

This is our THIRD and final cabin!
All of the cabins had Book of Mormon names. We stayed in Abinadi. Chad was a good sport through the whole thing. He stared a fire for us, then went up and packed up all of our stuff and unloaded it all again. What a guy!

Finally, it was time for roasting marshmallows! Yummy!

Annie loves marshmallows!

Emily's first s'more.

DELICIOUS!

Annie decided to just stick with the untoasted marshmallows.

Cheese!

Anyone remember the game, Chubby Bunny?
Annie figured it out on her own! Ha!

Luckily there was no choking involved.

Relaxing by the campfire.

We survived the night. Emily was so excited about camping that she wanted to talk all of our ears off all night long. We eventually got a couple of hours sleep...I think.

Scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast.

The girls were all smiles the next morning
and had a lot of fun "camping out".

Emily made Chad and I promise to take her to the playground right after breakfast. There wasn't much to it, but the girls had fun.

Overall our camping adventure was a success. It was a really nice campsite. Maybe we will try it again sometime. :-)

Ward Party at the Beach

2010-08-09T19:42:00.002-07:00

In July we had a ward party at the beach . Once again, it rained, but stopped in time for us to have a party. The ward put on a great cook out and the girls had fun playing in the sand.

Emily FINALLY got to build a sandcastle!
She has been talking about it all summer.

Annie loved the sand!
She kept running her hand under the sand
and then lifting up it up to watch it fall off.
It entertained her for a VERY long time! Ha!

Emily was determined to be a mermaid princess! Just call her Ariel! Chad and some of our little ward friends helped make her a mermaid tail.

Presenting Emily, the mermaid princess...

Like I said, Annie really enjoyed the sand.
She sampled it all night long!

We had a fun time at the beach with out ward!

The Clean-up

Beach Adventures

2010-08-09T19:42:00.001-07:00

We were invited to go to the beach with some friends shortly after moving to Rhode Island. We were excited to go but it took us a little longer than planned to find the things we needed for the beach. By the time we made it to our friend's house, loaded up four kids, two adults and all of our beach stuff, we were over an hour late. No matter, we were excited for some beach fun. Unfortunately, the dark clouds were looming over us looking like rain. We unloaded the car, and started up the sandy walk towards the beach just in time for lightning and a mass exodus from the beach. We never even made it to the water. We promptly turned around and headed back to the car, loading up, once again, four kids, two adults and all of our beach stuff. By this time it was pouring rain and our car was packed!

Our friend, Andrea, apparently has a knack for finding things on the side of the road to put to good use. She has long had a desire to have an outdoor shower. On the way into the beach, we saw an outdoor shower sitting a little off from the curbside. Could it be for the taking? After loading everyone and everything in the pouring rain, she stopped off at the house that had the shower. She ran to the door and asked if the shower was up for grabs. The man that answered the door told her it worked and it was hers if she wanted it. SCORE! She was elated to say it mildly. She artfully loaded it in the car, amongst the children and all of our beach stuff. We made it back to her house and tried out the "new" outdoor shower. It worked beautifully. Success!

Before leaving the girls found a large mud puddle in the yard and commenced making "mud cookies". It was definitely the highlight of Emily's day. Luckily, Andrea had an outdoor shower to rinse the girls clean! Ha! Emily keeps asking me, "Can we go to Maryn's house to make mud cookies?" Thanks for an action packed day!

Birthday Party Fun

2010-07-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Emily has been missing all her friends in Kansas, has started to make some new friends here in Rhode Island. She went to her first birthday party here the other day and had a blast. The whole family was invited to attend. It was a Princess Party. They had a Princess jumping castle, pinata, and other fun crafts. She had a wonderful time, but mostly enjoyed the company of her new friend, Zuleika. It was a fun day!

Annie especially loved the jumping castle!

Annie pointing at Emily swinging at the pinata.

Swing Emily!

Sweet success...the loot!