December 16th

Sunday

We woke up to snow and Mike had to speak at Portage, so we decided to ride up with him and listen to him speak.  It was good to hear him again and see the people in Portage.  After our church we had Chris and fmily over for dinner and visiting.  Little Zander is growing so much.

Monday

I went to Chris' to help out with all that surrounds a new baby.  I remember with my first ones and having my mother come and help.  I thought there was so much to do to take care of a new baby.  It didn't take too many kids before I realized you really don't need help with the new baby, it's help with all the rest that happens within the family.  Their schedule reminds me so much of days gone by. It makes me tired.  And I still have yet to hold Zander while Colleen has a nap.  She just keeps on going with everything.  Mallory and Caleb have both been sick and needed things/testing at Dr./hospital. Dad took Cierra to a couple of final car testings and Chris took her to get her license at the end of the week. She now has a driver's license and a date the day after Christmas.  Sweet 16.

In the afternoon we, Dad, I, Mike, and Chris went to clean the Brigham City Temple.  Again, it is such a privilege to clean the house of the Lord.

Mallory & Caleb wearing masks if they go near Zander

Tuesday

Today I made the gingerbread houses we were going to do yesterday, but spent time with the sick instead.  It was fun to do and spend more time holding little Zander.  Cierra and Josh had orchestra and choir concerts.  Mike was working.  Dad and Ellen were supposed to be there to come to the concert with us, but the heater at the bookstore was not working and she had Carbon Monoxide  poisoning, so she was being tested for it at the hospital.  She had such an exciting time because she even spent some time in the ambulance and has a souvenir oxygen mask to remember it by.  It wasn't bad, but we wanted to make sure the levels were ok.  It was worth it for the mask.

Mallory

 Caleb

Noelle thinking, "What should I do next?"

Tuesday night was also Cierra's Orchestra concert and Josh's choir concert.  I loved candid pictures because they are so real.  I love this picture of both of them.  By the way, the orchestra at the high school is completely different than before.  There must have been at least 40 in just the high school and they sounded wonderful!  It's such a good experience for her.

Mandy and Melonie.  Mandy is in Madrigals and Melonie told me they just found out that day that Mandy is the Sterling Scholar in Music from our school.  My mother would be so proud of her.

Highlight and end of a very big day: We finally got to see the Hobbit!  Chris, Cierra, Josh, and Noelle, on her first outing with the 'big' kids, all went to the 9:30 showing of the Hobbit.  We had to wait for Mike to be off work.  We didn't get home until 1:00 a.m. but it is was soooo worth it.  We all loved it.  I got a quick picture of Chris and Noelle in the the lobby after the movie.

Wednesday

It was Josh's band concert tonight.  Yes, two nights in a row of concerts.  Colleen and Zander came tonight.

Thursday

Silvia was up from Arizona, so we went to see her at Val's in Clearfield.  It was so good to see her and to renew visiting with Val.  They are close now and we need to remember to invite them to gatherings or go and see them.  They are expecting number 5 next Spring.  We picked up the vanilla from her, so it was fresh from Mexico!  We'll bring vanilla down when we go to Kirsten's baptism and over to Colorado when we go and see Tom.  We had dinner with Marion that night with the coupon they gave us last Christmas at the Mandarin in Bountiful.  Mmmmmmm it was a wonderful evening.  We made a few stops coming home to do some last minute Christmas shopping and got back to Logan to pick up Mike at 9:00 from work.

Friday

Final preparations for Saturday and making a big pot of chili for those sleeping Friday night.  Dad made the cornbread as I was doing some last minute running around for final Christmas presents. It was good to have Marion, Rob, & Joe come to sleep.    Rob's family came to see the play tonight because they have a Warburton party Saturday afternoon.  I won't say when Dad had to get up and tell Spencer and Josh to go to bed.  Late cousin bonding time, and Josh made it through the two play performances and clean-up the next day.
Let the games begin!

Saturday

It doesn't seem like there has even been time to worry about how things would go on Saturday.  I did make an extra breakfast casserole after just barely having enough chili the night before.  Teenage grandkids, what more can I say except I love them so much and want them to get full, if that is ever possible.  I don't know about everyone else, but to me the day was just about perfect.  It was so wonderful to have everyone here. (Yes, I did think about Peter, Paul, John, and Tom and families who weren't here and I missed you very much).  Everything fell into place.  It was so fun to play the 'Jensen Family Tree Game' while waiting for breakfast to cook.  It will be fun and even more fun as we all come up with new questions and variations to the game.  It come with a lot of love from both Dad and I.  It took us both to produce it and I just want everyone to have fun and get to know their cousins better.  There was enough food for everyone, so that was a relief.  The Christmas pageant went so good.  I think this is a new tradition.  I like it put on by the adults and have the children sing the songs.  Zander made a wonderful baby Jesus and Caleb was a great 'young child' Jesus for the Wise Men.  I didn't know at the time that Colleen wrote the words to the song she & Chris sang and Amanda did the music.  I was glad later to hear it sung again and the tears of joy and gratitude for my family could more easily flow.  The opening of gifts is always fun and I like doing it family to family.  With such a large family, it is fun to focus on one family each year to get gifts for.  Next year it will be the sixth down.  I hope you enjoy all the pictures.

Chris and Colleen as Joseph & Mary, Zander as baby Jesus singing the song that Colleen wrote the words and Amanda did the music.

The Angels visiting the shepherds

The shepherds come.

Caleb as the 'young child' Jesus

Wise Men come and talk to Herod the King

Joe's family opening gifts from Rob's family

The scarves that I thought would be a wonderful gift for my daughter-in-laws and Cierra made all of them but two.

Pecan rolls made by Joe & Tesha for Dad that really did taste like Grandma Jensen's!

David's family opening gifts from Paul's family.

Ellen opening from John's family.  She is loving her iTunes gift card.

Mike opening from Ryan's family.  He can't wait to play the game!

Marion's family opening from David's family.

More playing of the 'Jensen Family Tree Game'

Rob's family opening from Mike

Ryan's family opening from Marion's family.  Way cute bags, Sue!

Shaking hands after "A Christmas Carol"

Last picture of Ellen as the Ghost of Christmas Past

I loved being in the play this year, but as usual, I'm glad it has come to an end.  I love being with the family, and I loved wishing everyone a Merry Christmas this year.  Especially the older people because I think they got more from the play.  I don't know if it's because we have lived longer and understand even more the power of redemption that we all need in this life.  We all have some of the characteristics of Scrooge to some degree.  We all need to: "I will live in the past, the present, and the future.  The spirits of all three shall strive within me. And I shall not shut out the lessons they teach."  Also loved: "Men's courses may foreshadow certain ends, but if those courses be departed from, the ends will change."  So powerful and full of hope.  I gave my other favorite quote in last week's blog.

P.S. Latest picture of Zander: