Breakfast at Chelsa's

So I, Chris, am trying to learn video.  This is my very first, so don't judge too harshly.  Anyway, I had to do an "everyday occurrence" kind of video.  Chelsa was kind enough to help.

Our Fifth Anniversary

I know that I am very far behind on my posts.  It has been a busy couple of months!  Sorry family!

Back in August Chris and I celebrated our fifth anniversary!  We were able to spend some time together (almost 30 whole hours!) thanks to Casey and then Nicole and Josh for watching our girls.  Over the past year or so, Chris and I have talked about hiking Mt. Timpanogos.  Chris has never done it and both of us wanted to do it before we potentially leave Utah.  Since we didn't have the time or money for an anniversary "get-a-way", I suggested that we go on a hike.  Chris agreed, but 5 hours into our hike, I am not sure he was very happy he did.  J/K.  We had a great time together and both the hike and the views were amazing.
 

It was a beautiful day to hike....not too hot, not too cool. A little hazy though.

There were some pretty cool waterfalls along the hike. 

At the top!

The snowfield we slid down instead of hiking down...faster (and more fun)

 

We of course were quite tired after hiking Timp, but it felt so good as well (and dinner never tasted so delicious).  My legs were sore for a few days, but the memory of our anniversary hike will last forever!  :)

Olympic Gymnastics

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love gymnastics.  Yes, I did gymnastics when I was younger and competed all through high school....but nothing compared to what you see the elite gymnasts on TV doing.  Ten plus years later, I still miss being up on the balance beam, springing off the vault and doing back-handsprings on just about any flat surface (including church dances to show up the boys).  I sometimes wish I could do it all again.  We had an amazing, fun, and united team, many of whom I am still friends with.  I think if I had a second chance, I could do even better...but maybe not, since I am much too tall for the sport :)  I can still do a pretty good handstand and can flip around on the trampoline, but I must now live vicariously through those gymnasts on TV.

It has been extremely fun to watch the Olympics this year.  That's what we do most every night (and thanks to DVR, we can watch anything we missed during the day as well).  Without say, the USA women's team has been amazing!  I, of course, was super excited when they won gold and when Gabby won gold in the all-around.  I must admit that I even teared up a couple of times.  I also love the reminiscing the nation is doing about the 1996 Olympic champion team....the Magnificent 7.  Those Olympic Games were very memorable to me, especially as I had watched the gymnasts all year prepare and compete.  I especially remember how fun and crowd-pleasing their floor routines were (no offense to the gymnasts now).  And then there was Kerri Strug's final vault....so courageous, so historic, so memorable. After the Olympics, the gymnasts on both the women's and men's teams did a tour, which was super fun to go see.  Anyway, to complement my trip down memory lane, I have been watching a few of the routines from 1996 on YouTube.  Very enjoyable.

After 16 years, this is the routine that has always stuck in my head...

And there was Shannon Miller's flawless beam routine....  No full-twisting flips in this, but look at her handstand skills!  She won an individual gold with this routine.

 

Jensen Family Reunion at Myrtle Beach

The Jensen Family reunion this year was a blast.  Myrtle beach was super nice and we had it all....good weather, warm ocean water, fun games (along with some healthy competition), and of course lots of aunts, uncles and cousins to play with!

The whole gang

Each day we were at Myrtle Beach was pretty much the same, but definitely not boring!  We would eat breakfast as a whole family and then go swim and play on the beach.  Every once in a while we would hit the pools or lazy river.  Then we would all gather for a late lunch and then go swim and play on the beach again.  (My little girls would squeeze in a nap.)  And then we would hang out together at night, grab something to eat or play games.  

Kylie and Ellie loved playing with my younger cousins.  Kylie would even go out into the ocean with them and "bob" in the water for up to an hour.  She loved the waves and didn't even mind the saltwater or being tossed about.  She would just cry, "More!"  In the pools, Kylie would swim from one cousin or aunt to another.  Ellie really enjoyed it all too, even when she would eat sand along with her snacks. :)  I loved being around and playing with my extended family.  It was fun to play paddle ball on the beach and volley tennis at the park (when Ellie would let me).

 

Our first full day on the beach....the girls didn't want to take a picture though.

 

Ellie loved digging in the sand and sitting in holes others made.  

 

Channing and a living sand dollar.

  

Tahryn, and Alanna, Ashley, Lauren and Paige, 

 

This is where Ellie slept...yep a closet.  (She likes it dark.)  Kylie slept with me in a real bed.

Tuesday was my Dad's birthday.  Kylie wanted him to open presents right away that morning.  We had cake and ice cream at lunch time with the whole fam and then went out for pizza at this delicious brick oven place with the Grovers and Buths.

 

Grandpa and Ellie fetching pails of water.  

 

Ellie enjoyed lying down and having the waves come up on her. 

 

Grandpa and Grandma J

Wednesday morning was a little chilly in the water and it even sprinkled for a little while, so many of us played in the sand.  But the day turned out to be beautiful and the waves were awesome.  I even got to go out for a while while Mom took Ellie up for lunch and a nap. 

 

Ayla, Paige and Ellie

 

Claire, Ashley, Lauren and Tahryn

 

Aunt Andrea showing Ellie how to made dribble castles.

 

Brady, Hunter and Treyson

 

Ellie wanted some boogie board action too!  She enjoyed lying on it while I pulled her along in the shallow water.

 

Riding the waves on Jensen's big tube was fun!

  

Kylie loved swimming and floating in the deep end of the pool....all by herself of course.

  

Cousin time in the hot tub

Thursday morning we had to check out, but still hung around to swim for a couple of hours.  Before breakfast, the girls and I went to the beach with Grandma to find some seashells.  It was hard to keep Ellie out of the water!

 

Kylie collecting some seashells for Daddy. 

  

A crab

 

Ellie picked up anything and everything 

 

Matching suits!

The Abe family.  We missed you Chris, Devin and Lori!

Next post: the historic town of Charleston!

Who You Are - Hilary Weeks

Tonight we had a stake Relief Society dinner and presentation by Hilary Weeks.  I was of course excited to go just for a little time with other women and to hear Hilary sing.  But I did not expect that I would leave so uplifted.  It was something that I desperately needed.  (Thank you Chris for re-arranging your night so I could go!)  Hilary spoke mostly on the power of our thoughts and how identifying our positive thoughts and increasing the number of positive thoughts we have on a daily basis can change us.  Lately, I have felt burdened by the amount of seemingly meaningless tasks that I spend my day doing...dishes, cooking, cleaning, laundry, picking up toys....  I wish I could spend all day teaching and playing with my children and working on projects to beautify our home and our lives.  But often, at the end of the day, I feel that I didn't accomplish much.  Since chores seem to be an inevitable part of motherhood, I have been trying to  find some kind of joy in those tasks I do for my family. 

Anyway, tonight's message was renewing.  It strengthened me.  So, I thought that I would share the last song that she sang for us, "Who You Are".  I thought she had written it for me.  (This is a new song, so she doesn't have a video for it yet.  The video below is just one I found on YouTube.  You don't have to watch it, but definitely listen to it.  Though some of the pictures I could relate to!  I contemplated making my own slide show with pictures, but then I thought, "With what spare time?"  Maybe I will in the future.)

“I know you wonder if you’ll ever have a day where the kids stay calm, the laundry’s done and the dishes are put away.  And sometimes you feel like your days are spent and gone and the question running through your mind is, “What have I gotten done?”

And when you finally have a moment to slow down at the end of your day, I know that Father would say,

‘Believe in what you’re doing.  Believe in who you are.  And hold tight to the truth that you’re a daughter of God.  Believe in who you’re becoming.  Believe in who you are.’ 

It may seem simple all the little things you do, but the lives you touch matter so much.  And there’s no one else like you.   And Father needs you to stand tall and faithful.  To be all you can be.  Oh, if you could see what he sees, you’d believe in what you are doing. And you’d believe in who you are.  So hold tight to the truth that you are a daughter of God.  Believe in who you’re becoming, believe in who you are. 

When it’s hard to believe in yourself and you feel that you are beginning to doubt, remember, He believes in what you’re doing. And He believes in who you are.  So don’t lose sight of the truth that you’re a daughter of God.  That He believes in who you’re becoming.  He believes in who you are.”

Spring Skiing

Skiing with Chris was one of the best days of the year so far!  We headed up to Brighton yesterday with my sisters to get a few hours of skiing in.  This was the second time Chris went skiing with me this season...yes he loves me a lot!  But it also took a lot of convincing. :)  It was so fun to spend some alone time together....  and Chris admitted that he even enjoyed it (the skiing that is...he always enjoys spending alone time with me!)  For spring skiing, it was pretty nice if you kept to the groomed stuff, but by the time we were leaving at 2pm, it was getting pretty slushy.  All in al,l it was a wonderful day.

 

My proof that Chris indeed went skiing.

 

The typical lift ride picture!  I enjoyed the amount of uninterrupted talk time we got. :)

The girls had a fun day as well.  Nicole and Josh watched them in the morning and the Casey in the afternoon.  When we got home, Kylie went on and on about all the fun things they did.  As I was getting things ready to go yesterday, the girls were playing in their room.  They had been quiet for a little while, so I went to check on them, half expecting all the clothes out of the dressers again, but this is what I saw....

 

  

It was so cute to see them both sitting quietly, reading their own books.  Lately, Ellie has started to take a real interest to books.  She likes to pull them off the shelf and then bring one to me to read to her as she sits on my lap.  The only problem now is the whole sharing my lap and taking turns picking the books.  Ellie of course doesn't have the attention span for a whole book and Kylie needs me to read each page.  We are still working on figuring this all out. :)

Happy New Year! (Our Christmas Card)

 

So it is two weeks after Christmas and I finally found some time to sit down and write our Christmas letter….I guess it is more of a New Year’s letter now!  But we wanted to give a little update and let all of you, our family and friends, know how grateful we are for you and how much we love you!  Highlights of this year have been the birth of Ellie Elizabeth, a trip to Florida, visits from family, Chris and Chelsa’s get-a-way to San Fransisco and Christmas with family!

Chris’s classes in BYU’s BFA program keep him busy, as does being the head photographer at BYU’s newspaper, The Daily Universe.  He especially enjoyed shooting the basketball and football games this year.  His family is always amazed at his projects, whether it be a photograph or something made from wood.  Chris enjoys playing basketball each week at the church and is still teaching Sunday school to the 12 year olds.  He loves eating ice cream with Kylie, spending time with family and watching ESPN (or whatever game is on!)  His greatest accomplishment of 2011 was finishing the deck on the Rowe Idaho cabin.

Chelsa stays super busy at home taking care/entertaining two little ones and a husband.  She is now the Primary secretary and enjoys hosting Kylie’s playgroup as well as Psych night (for us adults…best TV show ever!).  She also likes going on walks to the park, playing in the pool with the girls and is grateful to have started exercising again.  She loves spending time all together as a family, crafting and digital scrapbooking (when there is time).  Chelsa’s greatest accomplishment of the year has been adjusting to two kids!

Kylie (3 yrs old this week!) is as active and fun as ever.  Looking back at photos and videos of Christmas last year, we can’t believe how much she has grown/learned.  She continues to be super observant, smart and inquisitive. She enjoys nursery at church, reading books and playing with her grandparents, aunts and uncles.  Kylie is loving, funny, a good helper (when she wants to be) and quite strong-willed and independent.  She loves singing, dancing, gymnastics (at-home with mom), swimming, Little Einsteins, and anything yellow.  Oh, and she can’t do anything without Mommy Bear, her Care Bear. Kylie’s greatest accomplishment has been potty training!

Ellie (10½ months) is both a sweetheart and a high-energy baby.  She is very social, always wanting to be a part of what is going on and never stays in one spot very long.  She can play patty-cake and peek-a-boo, walk with help, say Mama and Dada and just signed her first word…food!  Ellie loves avocados and cheese, bath time, her big sister, being outside, playing with “Kylie’s” toys, and getting attention.  Her greatest accomplishment of the year was teething (and learning to fall back asleep by herself after weeks of night-wakings!)

We have been blessed this year and are thankful that we have been healthy and happy. We are grateful for our loving Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ and for the love and support of wonderful family and friends. We look forward to seeing many of you family members this summer (we have four family reunions planned!)  May you all have a super-duper 2012!

San Francisco!

Chris and I stole away for a long weekend in San Francisco.  It was such a wonderful trip, mostly because we were together.  But we got to do some fun things as well.  We dropped the girls off at Grandma and Grandpa Bunker's and flew out of Las Vegas Thursday morning.  It was my first time in San Fran and it was fun to be in a big city (but reminded me why I don't want to live in one).  We stayed at Hotel Stratford, this older place right on Union Square.  Our room was smaller than our bedroom! but it was fun to be in the middle of everything.  The night we got there, we just walked around a bit, window shopped in China Town and had some dinner at this Chinese restaurant.  Friday we spent most of the day at/around Fisherman's Wharf.  We toured the Jeremiah O'Brien, a WWII liberty ship that was involved in Normandy and had lunch at Boudin's....clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.  For dinner, we had a brownie sundae at Ghirardelli's.  The hot fudge was amazing!  Mmmmmm.

 

Saturday we rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and to the cute town of Sausilito, where we window shopped and had lunch.  There were quite of few hills (or small mountains?) on our ride, but we only walked maybe twice in the 25 miles that we did that day!  So proud! (esp. since we haven't ridden bikes in almost two years).  On our way back, it started to rain (of course).  That night, our legs were a bit tired and our bums sore, but it was an amazing adventure to do with each other.

Crossing the bridge!

Sunday morning we still had the bikes, so we decided to bike to Golden Gate Park and ride around there for a little while.  It was a beautiful area, especially the Japanese Tea Gardens we visited.

 

  

After returning the bikes, we hung out for a little while at Pier 33 watching the sea lions and a little magic show before boarding our boat to Alcatraz.  The audio tour was really done well and the whole island and it's history was very interesting.  I can now say that I have visited the Rock! Pictures of Alcatraz are on Chris's camera, so I will post them later. 

What a trip we had.  We saw lots and did lots.  It was fun to have Chris all to myself!  The girls missed us of course, but they did real well.   Kylie continues to say, "I go there too" when we show her pictures of our trip.  Maybe someday we will make it back to San Fransisco for some more adventures.