Sweet and Lovable

Jill is definitely having an adjustment to having a baby around. I am the only one Jill will allow to get her out of her crib, change her diaper, get her dressed, make her food, sit by her at church . . . pretty much everything. But, on the other hand, she loves Anna. Her favorite thing to say is "Our baby is sweet and lovable."

pictures by papa

It's always fun to have Papa around because I can guarantee he will get a better photo than I could ever hope to take. So, here are a few pics from an Anna photo shoot.

If only . . .

If only I could make a quick jaunt to Sprinkles to try this temptation.
Brown sugar praline cupcakes, yum.

Sisters

I have two older sisters. Karie and Kat. Yes, the girls in the family are Karie, Kat, and Katie - names with K's after my mom, Karen. We all learned early to answer to any "K" name, or sometimes even a combination, like Karithy. Even now, I know when my dad calls, I may be called Kathi or Karie, but I know he means Katie.
My sisters are a lot older than I am and growing up, I always thought I was lucky. People often asked me if I wished they were closer to my age. But, in reality, I never have wanted it any other way. I can't remember a time when I didn't look up to them. I can't remember ever wishing for it to be different. I can only remember being completely spoiled, loved, encouraged, taught, and, inspired. They are my girl heroes. They always have been, and they always will be. If I ever have needed somewhere to look for strength, I had my older sisters to follow.
I don't have a current picture of us three. In fact, I only have a handful of pictures with all three of us together. We have all lived and gone and done and that has made it to where we are not near each other very often. But, even with the distance, I have watched and learned from my sisters. They have provided me with amazing examples of how to be a mother and how to be a wife. I see them in me as I go through my day. I think about them as I change a mound of diapers, wrestle with a major meltdown, or listen to a pre-teen tantrum because they did it once too. And because of them, I know I will survive it all - because they did. They did, and they did it well.
So, when someone calls me Karie, or Kat, or even Karithy, I smile and think of the two sisters that I love. I think of the two sisters who I am blessed to have. And I hope, one day, I will be just as strong and fabulous as they are.

Monster trucks

Ron and the boys went to the monster truck show at the civic center. None of them enjoyed it much and the boys came home talking about how loud it was. Oh well, we tried.

Creamy Pasta

Here is a great little recipe

Creamed pasta dish
-Michele Wood

1 pk chicken tenderloin

Flour

4 T. butter

½ onion, diced

1 can mushrooms

8 oz Italian diced tomatoes (I do a little more)

½ cup chicken broth

1 cup of heavy cream

Dredge your chicken in flour, salt and pepper. Brown chicken using butter, add onions, and mushrooms; cook until tender. Add tomatoes, and chicken broth. Mix to blend. Simmer until almost pasty , add whipping cream mix to blend. Heat through and serve over noodles.

Green regret

I can't believe I forgot today is St. Patrick's Day. I'm sitting here hoping my people remembered to wear green lest they get pinched.

funny faces

Donkeyball

As I was sitting at Donkey Basketball, Ron leaned over and said, "See, if we had never moved here, you would have missed out on this." I then asked him, "Does Donkey Basketball go on the pro or con side of the moving equation?" For me, it was torture. I was uncomfortable, hot, and not quite finding it humorous. For the kids, it was a great evening. Casey was chosen to ride the donkey in with the flag and Maggie was chosen to participate in the half-time granny shot contest and won. The school earned $2000, but next year, I think I'll just send Ron and the kids.

Spring Break

The kids kicked off spring break by sleeping in the tent. Their limited bravery only allowed for the tent to be set up on the screened porch, I'm not sure they will ever be brave enough to try it out in the yard. Too much wildlife. We woke up to 8 wild turkeys in the yard and some other small animal prowling a little further out. But, the weather has been great. I never knew how much I love spring.

More Anna Jo

Tomorrow, Anna will be one week old. This week has been such a fabulous week. It has been so fun to see how much one small baby can change a house. We are changing a lot of diapers, I can once again bend over to pick up toys, and Jill is completely enamored with her little sister, who she calls, "Anna Jo, Baby Anna, Baby Jo, or even Baby China." Jill gives kiss after kiss to the top of her head and is the best diaper retriever of all of the kids. Casey likes to hold her and rock her in the red chair, Maggie and Zach will hold her for a long time and then pass her off to the other one, and Sam likes to take her in shorter more frequent visits, kind of like a frequent flyer.
Anna is sleeping well and, for now, is the sweetest baby who just seems content to be a . . . baby. I don't know if that makes sense, but I don't take it for granted. A few of my babies have seemed to be itching to grow out of their baby bodies as soon as they are born - like their little spirits can't stand being cooped up in a tiny body. But, as I watch Anna, she just seems so happy to be here among the rest of the crazies. For once, I feel like I am the same way. Just happy to have her as a baby. It seems that it has taken me 6 to learn the lesson to stop, relax, and just enjoy. I'm not anxious for the next stage, just happy to be. Just happy to have a new special spirit in our home, to teach me and for me to love.

Anna Jo Jensen

Well, she is finally here. I was induced Sunday night at 8:00, but not much happened until she was born Monday, March 1st, at 2:15 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces. She absolutely looks like the rest of the family and all of the kids are thrilled with her. The first night home brought back a lot of the sleepless memories, but we'll make it through.
As for the name, Sam won, but not until Ron and I decided to name her after his mom, Johan. We both have such an absolute respect, love, and admiration for the type of woman she was. She loved the gospel of Jesus Christ, she stood firm through many personal physical trials, and she taught her children to be strong individuals. Those are all characteristics I know Anna will need in the life she has to live. She already has brought so much love into our home. With all of us to admire her, she is getting lots of attention and lots of kisses.