Amazement and Wonder

I had to take this picture as proof that these two brothers can get along. I didn't even make them sit down together. Yeah!!!

Sledding

I try not to brag, I really do, but we have got the funnest sledding hill here on the Jensen farm. We get to host the funnest sledding and chili parties and to share our hill with others. Some days I pick up the boys at the bus stop and we go for an hour. We even get the skidoo stuck and spend hours getting it unstuck. We laugh together and pose for pictures together. It almost makes me wish the snow never melted. Just kidding Mindy, I even get tired after a while. While the snow is here though, we make the most of it.

A Scream with Buttercream

I was asked to teach some ladies in my ward some tips on cake decorating. It was a fun night with lots of good company and some very studious pupils. Good job girls.

An Unbirthday Party

ouch!!!!

Ouch #2!!!!!

The little boys on hearing that this party is only for the

big boys.

In the Jensen family we celebrate birthday's #8, 12 and 16 with lots of friends and meriment. I am the lazy/practical kind of Mom that doesn't celebrate every birthday in a huge way, just the important ones. In June (yes 2008) Mckay turned 12. We were slow at the party thing and just got around to celebrating a couple weeks ago. He invited lots of friends from school and his football team. We took them downhill sledding, tubing behind the snowmobile and then inside for cocoa, chili, chips, and cookies. They had fun. For the first time, of the 20 kids invited half were girls and this has Mckay's Mom nigh to tears. We even sent some kids home slightly wounded, it's never fun until someone loses an eye or as the case may be, scrapes their hip and bloodies their ear. Happy unbirthday Mckay. I can't believe he is so big and what a great young man he has become.

Science Fair 2009

I question, are Science Projects designed to teach children the wonder of science and the world around them or are they intended to send every mother into a fit of insanity. This year "we" did two projects. After pouring over options we settled on "Candy Confusion" (Caleb) and " A Kinetic Kuestion" (Mckay). The boys tested to see if children ages 4-6 confused candy with similar looking medicines and which type of sled travels most quickly down a hill. Both very pertinent projects to our household. While complaining to my Mom about the boys' lack of urgency and how I swear if I didn't get on their cases , nothing would be done until panic set in the night before the projects were due, she reminded me that one year as Korlyn was carrying in his completed project another young man in his class opened the door to the school for Korlyn and asked, " Hey Korlyn, do you want to be my science partner." Now there's a Mom who saved herself some agony. Poor kid. Grandma Gulbranson was an honorary judge this year but we have yet to see how the boys did. I admit, I and the boys came to a consensus that I we all wanted them to do well, get an A and have fun but under no circumstances did we want to win the Science competition because this years winner gets the honor of taking their projects to the District Level held in Vancouver this year. Yikes, Vancouver a 10 hour drive. Maybe I am a little more like the above mother than I care to admit. Anyway, they were fun, they are in and we are all pleased with Mckay and Caleb's efforts. Good Job boys.

My Man Russ

I've written quite a bit about some really good things in my life, today I'm going to tell you about one really GREAT!!! thing, my husband. I can hear the groans and gags from my less than sappy siblings but hey, I like the guy and this happens to be my blog.

Russell, also known as Russ, Rusty, Honey, The Warden, Rusky, Coach, J-Bird, Babe, Hot stuff, President Jensen, Rusky and Dad, grew up in Roosevelt Utah. I could say a lot of things about Roosevelt and the characters who live there but I grew up in Vanderhoof so I will keep certain things about Roosevelt to myself.

Russell has no sisters, few female cousins, and aunts only because they married his uncles. Russ is not at all feminine. He is a man's man. He fixes things, builds me stuff, loves football, adores fire and grunts a lot. The grunting I may have made up but he is manly.

Russ can also be very sweet and "ungrunty", is that a word, ungrunty? When he's not being manly he watches chick flicks with me just because I want to see them. He brings me flowers. Every May my favorite wild flower (Solomon Seal) grows like crazy and every year he picks arms full and puts a huge bouquet in every room of the house. He rubs my feet and visits with me. He takes care of me when I am sick or in the hospital. Russ goes clothes shopping with me and likes it, except on one occassion when he drove up to the door of the store my sister and I were shopping in and honked the horn. He also wakes up in the middle of the night to help me move indoors from the tent when I am scared, this has happened several times. And he is teaching his boys all of these sweet things.

Russell loves meatloaf, Fords, hunting, camping, 80's rock, Pepsi and The Philadelphia Eagles.

Russ hates ....... well nothing I can think of., he's pretty easy going. Anyone who meets Russ likes him because he is so much fun to be with. He is kind to everyone and can make you laugh and laugh and laugh. (may I refer back to Roosevelt Utah)

Following are some things Russ has made for me...

Hall table

Hall shelf

Bedroom fireplace and mantle

Basement fireplace and mantle

Mudroom Organizer and Bench

Barn doors for the basement

Beds for older boys

Beds for little boys

At the risk of sounding too sappy I love Russell. He is my best friend and I love being with him, playing with him and working with him. He's the guy of my dreams and he makes me happy everyday. He treats me like he loves me and like I am the only important thing in his life. Did I already mention I loved him?

A Russell, everyone should have one

I love you.

Personal Protraits

Last week my sister posted a great blog in which she took a
picture of herself and wrote and all her likes and dislikes. It was
the picture that I paid particular attention to. I have been on facebook
for well over a year now and all my friends still tease that my profile picture is a
silhouette of a man. So I asked Kara how does one do a self portrait of herself so that I can update my facebook page and finally post a picture of myself on my own blog. Following are the tips she gave me and the pictures I took using all her wisdom. Thanks Kara


"Take the picture from down low." she said


" A little from the side." she said. Is that a hair in my mole?


"Show a nice toothy grin, people like to see teeth."


"Pout a little, all the hot models do it." she said

Wait, I might be getting it.

Finally, Bridger took this one of me. Maybe I should leave

the picture taking up to others, even if it is my five year old.