My Sentimental Thoughts

Today, I am supposed to be back home in California.

I have been scouring the internet for plane tickets for the past 2.5 months so that we could be there. When I approached Joe with the idea of this weekend trip, and its importance to me, we set a financial limit/goal, and both agreed that we would go if we could find tickets within our bracket. I didn't think our expectations financially were out of reach. But I was wrong. The cost for airfare never even came close. I finally acknowledged the fact that we wouldn't be able to go just about a week and a half ago. I felt heart broken. Maybe it was good that I was in a very public place (and in a "teacher" role), so I couldn't cry or be emotional. But inside, I felt crushed.

You see, today, my friend Jessica is marrying her sweetheart. I met Jessica when I was 16. I realize now that I have known her for half of my life. She's always been more to me than just a friend; she's the closest thing I have to a little sister.

I have a lot of fun memories of our time together. Somewhere we developed an inside joke about s'mores, supported each other in concerts and performances, played games, made cookies, went swimming and hot tubbing, watched movies, went on walks, danced, talked, cried, laughed, hugged, loved.

When I think about Jess, my heart bursts. In a good way. I wouldn't be who I am today or have many of my incredible blessings, without the relationship and influence of my little sister. For days, I have been thinking of many of the things I have learned and gained from her, and I decided to finally write them down.

Jessica is a ray of sunshine and happiness. Seriously. That girl is just happy! Even tho not everything is going perfectly and she's facing challenges and trials. She makes a choice to be happy.

Jessica is a hard worker. School does not come naturally nor is it easy for her. But she is dedicated and focused. She sets goals and rises to the challenge. She wants to be her best self, and she has always been willing to work and to fight for it.

Jessica is a follower of Christ. For as long as I have known her, her spiritual convictions have been evident and expressed thru the way she lives, the choices she makes, the people she chooses to associate with, and the goals she sets for herself. She is devoted to following God and serving Him. She lives in a way that brings others the blessing of His spirit, and thru her, we know Him better.

Jessica is a friend. She is thoughtful and kind and makes a strong effort for people to know that she cares about them. She includes those that are lonely. She lets you know that you are important to her and that she values you.


And I guess, one of the last things that I love about Jessica, is this: BECAUSE OF JESSICA, I AM A MOTHER.

Motherhood is challenging and definitely not easy. But it is also filled with blessings and joy and a love that I cannot describe nor can I compare it to anything else I have felt or experienced in my life. And because of Jessica, I have found that love and joy. Because of her influence in my life, I have found peace and happiness to fill the void of doubt and despair. Because of Jessica, I know that I am of worth. I know that I matter. I know that I am blessed to be me and to have the life that I have. Because of Jessica, I have a son and I became a Mom.

And because of Jessica, I have been blessed.

I wish more than anything that I could be with her on her special day. My heart is beyond touched that it mattered to her and that she wanted me to be there. And so today, like many days, but especially today, I think of her and Michael, sending them my happiest thoughts and excitement as they begin their adventure together, as husband and wife. 

Soccer

We put Brek in "Biddy Soccer" at the YMCA. He was #4 on Team Marshall.

Week 1:

The boy to the right is Parker, from his Primary class.

Taking a shot:

Each "game day" had about 15-20 minutes of team practice, and then a little match between another team. The first opposing team was rather aggressive.

 Week 2: Lining up with the other team.

He eventually found his own team.

Team huddle

Week 3:

Can't experience Toddler soccer without playing IN the net:

During the "game" of Week 3, Brek and coach's son Behr became really good friends. They spent the majority of the game playing on the bumpers, falling on the ground, and telling each other "to get the ball." (Tho neither one of them actually went to get the ball, even when it passed close to them. They were in their own little world and it was hilarious to watch.) They had fun, so that is what is important.

Running and sliding into the bumpers was also a favorite past time.

I apparently didn't take any pictures of weeks 4 or 5. Oh well. Brek had a wonderful time playing soccer, and was very sad when he had to give his jersey back. We're glad he had a great time. We really worked to emphasize the importance of being a good friend and having fun, and he did a great job being mindful of those things. Third on the list was only using feet with the ball, and he did better than most. Maybe we have a future soccer star in our house?

January 2014

Two monumental things happened for Brek in the month of January. First, he received his first black eye, apparently courtesy of a friend from day care. It took several hours to show tho, because his daycare provider neither saw the event happen, nor did the bruise appear while he was at her house, and I didn't notice it when I went to pick him up. But by the time Joe got home from work, it had surfaced, and he was the first to notice. We're pretty sure this won't be his last black eye. :)

Second, Brek got to give his very first talk in Primary at church. We practiced several times leading up to it, and even had mommy and daddy demonstrate. When we practiced at home, he had a hard time standing still and speaking clear enough and loud enough. (He is 3.)  

But when we went down for Primary and when it was time for him to give his talk, he went up and stood next to Joe, and then decided he was going to be shy so he stood behind Joe instead. Joe would tell him what to say, and Brek would repeat it loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. And we had him show this picture of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, he held it out from behind Joe for his friends to see. It was pretty cute!

This is his talk:

 This year in primary our theme is “Families are Forever.”

We can be with our families forever because of the temple.

When I was a little baby, I went to this temple and was sealed to my mommy and daddy, so I can be apart of of our eternal family.

When we go to the temple, we make promises with Heavenly Father called covenants.

Making covenants helps us to be more like Jesus, and that makes us happy.

Hair Cut

Back in June, I was feeling like I was ready to cut my hair again. Shortly after we returned back home from our trip out to be with family in California and Utah, our niece Jessica started hair school. It was then that I decided that I wanted her to cut my hair for me. But I would have to wait until our visit at Christmas. During this time, as we realized how long my hair really was, I decided that I wanted to be able to donate it, in honor of my friend Lita Delcamp, whose cancer has recently returned stronger and more vigorously. It is not something I have ever told Lita that I have done, but I am grateful that I was able to do this.

So here are the Before pictures:

 

And the After pictures:

With sweet Jessica. She did an awesome job!

And I took these a few weeks later before I mailed in my hair: 

 

 

 

The tips hit at 10.5 inches

Christmas Vacation 2013

We were really blessed to get to spend Christmas in California with my entire family. It was the first Christmas that all of my siblings and all of our kids, and my parents were together since 2009, and boy has our family changed since then!

We had originally planned to meet up in Utah and spend the holiday there, but after lots of stress (and definitely with the guidance of Heavenly Father) we ended up in California at my parent's home. I am especially grateful for dear family friends that have rented their home to my parents for this past year, which was large enough for us to all be there. My sister-in-law Eliana's parents were also there with us, visiting from Brazil.

Brek and I flew out about a week early, which gave us more time with Grandma, Papa, and Uncle David. Joe flew in over the weekend, which is also when my sister Tracy and her family arrived. Cousins slept over almost every single night, and they all played together really well. It was fun to see the 3 three-year-olds learn to be compliant, but also to be individuals and leaders among each other.

I didn't grab pictures of my visits with friends, but I felt very blessed to be able to see most of them during my visit. I got to see my childhood friend Betsy, catch up with my "twin" Sara, and see my "little sister" Jessica, along with her mom, and my dear friend Kay.

Brek & I got to go up and see Cody and Colby's Christmas band concert and spent the night at their home. We got to eat In N Out a couple times too. :) A few days after Christmas, all 20 of us went and saw the movie Frozen. I LOVED it! We were able to have family pictures taken too, (which I'll post later.) I'm very grateful for all my parents did to make it a wonderful holiday season, and especially for everything they did to get our little family out there.

Now for the pictures:

Colby being silly and "sleeping" with the giraffe.

My mom planned for all the kids to decorate Christmas trees. I thought this was simple, fun, and tasty. The kids seemed to enjoy it too.

And now the finished projects:

Colby

Anna

Cody made a smiley face.

Adelynne

Heather

Brek

Katie

Amy

Aurora

She gets 2 pictures because she's just so darn cute, and was so dang proud of herself!

The mommys made them too.

My beautiful sister Tracy

Christmas Eve was patterned much like the ones of my childhood. My dad, my brother Mark, my brother-in-law Dustin, and Joe all took turns reading portions of the scripture story of the Savior's birth. Cody was Joseph. Adelynne was Mary. Amy and Katie were angels. Colby and Heather were shepherds. Anna, Brek, and Aurora were wise men. We sang Christmas carols. It really was a beautiful experience. I had been having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, but this part of the night brought tears to my eyes and really touched my heart.

We also did a talent show, just like when I was a kid. It was fun to hear my nieces and nephews sing, play instruments, including the piano, and dance. My sister played violin (this is when all our babies danced.) Mark, my eldest brother, sang, and also played trombone with his sons.

Then we did presents, one by one. I'd say Brek takes after the Jensen genes and is a natural "gift appreciator." And that was fun, and kept him busy while older cousins opened their gifts. He got legos from Grandma and Papa, and Uncle David too.

Here's all his Santa presents ready for being opened on Christmas morning.

3

Pretty sure he's ready to be awake.

His most beloved gift was a game from Aunt Tracy's family - Looping Louie. Here he's playing with Adelynne, Colby, and Heather.

 

Playing legos with Daddy with on-looking Katie 

The 3 "babies" watching the ipad

After a wonderful *almost* 2 weeks, we headed to Utah to spend time with Joe's family. We made it in time for the Jensen family holiday dinner/party, tho we were a little late. It was fun to see everyone in one large gathering. The following evening, Brek & I hung out with all the other women in the family for a "tea party." Joe hung out with the guys.

With getting to spend a whole week in Utah, we decided we wanted to spend a few hours with each of his siblings' families, one-on-one. Now that we live far away and only get to visit twice a year, we wanted Brek to get to interact with his cousins and get to know them better, which is hard to do at a huge family gathering (tho we love those too).

The first individual family we spent time with was Peter and Marisa, and their 5 children. While dinner finished making, Brek enlisted Jonathan and James in playing "marching band."

After dinner, we got all of the kids to play "Looping Louie" with us. The older girls didn't think it would be fun, but we ended up all taking turns playing for over 30 minutes.

Playing with James, Sara, and Jonathan

Joe, Peter, and Marisa on the couch

I didn't get any pictures of New Year's Eve at Dan & Michelle's house. Brek had tons of fun playing with Madison and little James, who are his cousins closest to him in age. And since they were all little kids, we could make it an early night.

On New Year's Day, we went up to Dave and Carol's house. These are Brek's oldest cousins, but I loved that they were still willing to play Looping Louie with him.

Andrew, Nick, and Ryan

They had several gingerbread houses on the counter, and were sweet enough to let Brek decorate his own. So this is Brek's:

He is like his mommy, and enjoyed eating it almost as quickly as he ate it. (Daddy is of the opinion that gingerbread houses are not for eating.)

Dave and Joe playing laser chess.

After dinner, we played their African drums. Brek was in heaven

 Mike and Janelle were able to come over to Joe's mom's house one evening, and Brek had fun playing with their 3 girls-Kate, Lizzie, and Sabrina. Once again, we pulled out Looping Louie. (I told you it was his favorite Christmas gift. He played it with EVERYONE!)

Love his "cheesy" face!

We had a wonderful visit in Utah with Joe's family, and loved the time with each person and family. We really appreciate Joe's mom for hosting and all that she did for us. Brek loved his time with her, and even got a few special outings just with Grandma Jensen.

We had a wonderful holiday season, especially with the blessing of being with family!

Hope yours was great too!