We are almost ready to ring in 2011! 2010 is slipping away fast and feverishly. I hope your 2010 was better than expected. We had an action packed year. Month to month update… When I was writing this letter last year, we were anticipating Christmas 2009. The Jensen crew must have been well behaved because Santa was good to us all. My mom arrived home from Florida just after Christmas last year. She stayed in our new “suite” in the basement. Eric finished our basement bathroom and spare room (craft room when not occupied by a guest) just in time for mom’s arrival. We are happy with the outcome and it serves a definite need. Mom stayed through early January, and then headed back to sunny FL. We enjoyed her here and missed her when she was gone. Later in January, Eric and I headed to our first adult vacation since I was pregnant with Greer. It was overdue but the wait was worth it. Mexico was fabulous and WARM! Boy did we need that. THANKS to Lowie and Papa Dave and Mamu Deb and Papa Jim for caring for the Jensen trio while we were away on vacation.
February is always busy because both girls have birthdays in February. As promised, we had a combined Chucky Cheese birthday party. They partied down with the mouse. March and April always seem to slow down for us. Eric celebrated #39 so he is closing in on the big 40 this March!
Jenny was able to slip away from her base in Japan for some schooling in California this last April. She wanted to come a little later, but the military dictates when you come and go. I was thankful because she was able to make a Michigan pit-stop! We got to spend some quality time together here and then again in Chicago. I drove down to Chicago the day before she flew out and we got to wander around the Windy City together. We both vowed to do it again-only longer!
April and May brought spring and with it, spring soccer for Allie and spring softball for Emme. This was Emme’s first time playing softball and she seemed to like it. She will probably play again this spring. Allie continues to play on Team Tryska for soccer. She does well and seems to really like it. (She likes the trophy that she gets at the end of the season best of all.) Another home improvement project came in May. Eric got a deal on some hardwood flooring. We earmarked the wood for the master suite, but before that could be installed, Eric completed floor to ceiling built-in shelves complete with a window seat. He does beautiful work.
I don’t care what anybody says about this last summer. It was wonderful for a working parent. Almost every single weekend was picturesque and super busy (as it is for most families). Why is it that we try to pack every fun event into three short months? As tradition we went to the Bramer cottage the first weekend of August and had the best year ever! Now that the kids are a little bigger, they can really dig in and have fun swimming, ladder balling, tubing, kayaking, playing at the beach, riding quads, shopping in Pentwater and riding on the pontoon boat (yes, these are all things that Todd has for them to do at the cottage)! We are so thankful that they open the cottage to the Jensen families for this weekend every year.
Our family took a “staycation” to Petoskey during the 4th of July week this year. We stayed at a co-worker’s cottage in Alanson, MI. They had a giant pool (that is all the kids cared about). I went on my annual summer concert kick to D-town with my girlfriends. Kid Rock is our annual summer destination for the last 3 years and we will continue to try to go every year as long as he is touring. We get a little crazy, but noting that they can send us to lock-up for!
September means back to school and fall soccer. All 3 kids played fall soccer this year. Greer hadn’t played for a few seasons, but found that the absence didn’t harm him at all. He played on the U8 (under 8 but older than 6) league this year and played well. Allie played on her regular team and Emme joined the ranks of all girl soccer. She liked this much better than U8 (last year). Greer entered first grade this fall, he loves school and continues to excel. He is a great reader although his favorite past time continues to be his Nintendo DSi XL. When you ask him, he says the whole thing, just like I typed. What a ham! Emme entered third grade this year. She got Mr. B which she feels a connection to because he is related to Papa Pat (Papa Pat’s brother’s son-in-law). She also loves school and is a good student who is getting good grades. Allie sadly bid ado to Jodi’s this year to enter the ranks of a full-time preschooler. She is all day, every day at WinterSun Schoolhouse. Many of her friends from Jodi’s are there with her so it is even more fun. At school, she is a mixture of a shy showgirl. She likes to be the center of attention, only when she commands it. Eric started APICS classes for work this fall. He passed the first module and has four to go! I started my masters’ courses through University of Nebraska late this summer. I am officially a cornhusker!
Fall brought cooler weather, leaves with color, a work trip to beautiful Boise Idaho for me and Halloween for all. I welcome the change of scenery, but wish fall was longer and winter was a little shorter. We are looking forward to the big family vacation to Disney in 2011. We are planning to go to see mom and Pat’s place in Sebring then head North to Orlando to visit with Mickey Mouse and his friends. This is happening in February, so the girls will be spoiled for their birthdays. Greer won’t be left out in the cold… what kid wouldn’t want to go to Disney?

Allie proclaims

As she tucks a napkin into her collar,  Allie announces "this is what Spanish people do, and sometimes English too, we are English you know!" 
I made Spanish rice for dinner and it must have outted her old world Spanish culture.

The Great Hail Storm

 
Day off with the kids today. We had rented movies and were mid "Toy Story 3" and we could hear thunder and lightning. Only minutes later, the sky opened up and we were in the middle of a hail storm. We didn't make it off the porch (for fear of being pelted with hail), but it was a cool sight. By the time I got my camera, it was almost over. Here is a clip of the great storm of 11/17/2010!

Project Complete!

This was a work in progress for a while. The idea was always in the back of our minds, since we moved in back in 2002. We wanted a window seat with built-in shelves on either side of it. We never painted the window wall in anticipation of our project. We got a deal on the floor and I thought it would be a good time to also do the built ins (since we were ripping out our carpet and putting in the new floor). Eric fashioned this up in his mind and built it from scratch. Big shelves to accommodate all of our trinkets with three drawers below for all of our unmentionables :) He finished it out with some crown molding and here you have it! I was going to make the cushion and curtains myself, but started to feel overwhelmed. I passed the buck and brought the material, pattern and cushion to the Amish store in Holton. She did a beautiful job with the curtains. I am happy with my choice to delegate it out because it is DONE. If it were in my hands, it would still be waiting to be touched (sitting in my basement craft room). I am super happy with the outcome! I am blogging while sitting on right now!

Fortbuilding

I am supposed to be studying. This is what I am doing instead.
I went out to the livingroom to check on the kids and this is what I walked into. I wasn't completely blindsided. I "helped" to build its predecessor (small fort), so it wasn't a total shocker. I was impressed with their mad skills and creativity. They each have a "room" and they can all talk to each other when in the fort. Love it and remember building forts myself as a kid.

My cute little fall face! Last week, I needed a break from the indoors. I used the excuse that I needed to pick up leaves.
It is great that 4 year olds are helpful by nature. Allie's helpfulness allowed me to snap this pic of my smallest child. I absolutely love this kid!

He is Six!

He is six?

I cannot believe he is six. This pic was taken courtesy of Jen Klairter. She is a friend with a great talent and eye for photos. We set out on an evening after work and the rest is captured in photos! I just keep looking at these pics and think how far he has come. It seems like just last year that we were trying everything to keep this fussy baby happy. Such a character, I love you Greer!

Where did the time go

Just an update...
Life is so busy. When I started this blog, I thought it wouldn't be so difficult to keep up with. Spoken like a truly naive individual. Either way, life is busy and work and so forth...no excuses.

Tonight I have my first conversation on Skype. I have heard of this for years and knew may people who have used this but never experienced it for myself. I typed while my sister talked. She is set up and enabled in Japan and I typed. No mic, no camera. I intend to change that so I can speak with her more regularly. It will be nice.

My baby turned 4 this week! I can hardly believe that Allie D is now 4! Where did that time go anyway. She is so big. Eric and I just mentioned to each other, when did she grow up? All of the sudden, she is big. She says big kid things, takes care of her needs like a big kid and she certainly dances like a big kid; oh yea, she has some serious moves! Fav band: probably the Black Eyed Peas right now. Like I said, she is so big!

Eric and I just got back from a grown-up vacation to Mexico. WOW. Kids stayed back in MI. The vacation was long overdue, and quite an experience. It was 7 days in an all inclusive resort and was truly a paradise. We never cooked, cleaned or worried about work, it was bliss. It could have rained every day and the time away would have been nice, but the weather was warm, about 85-89 degrees most of the time- mid day and sunny. We did have one rainy day, but I am not complaining. It gave us a chance to get off the beach and do something different.

We are having a family dinner tomorrow for the girls February birthdays and then to Chuck E Cheese for the bigger party on Wednesday. They are very excited and I am excited to see them live it up at the party.

Who knows when the next post comes... and so goes life, especially the life of a busy mom of three.