Olivia and Brennady had a little performance at their dance studio. We invited Jerry and Carma and Carma's daughter Christy. Christy brought her cute kiddos, Acacia and Kyler with her. They liked the performance so much they are going to sign up for ballroom dancing too! I am excited they are going to dance with us!! We needed some more little dancers.

Getting ready to dance.

Gem State Competition 02/27/2011

Brennady and Olivia looking like they actually like each other. They did awesome. Olivia took 3rd in the Cha Cha and 4th in the Swing. Brennady took 4th in the Cha Cha and the Swing.

In this Tango, Keneisha and Mickey took 1st place. Keneisha is fascinating to watch dance. She has found such passion in ballroom dancing....this from the girl that we bought double reinforced knees on her pants cuz she was always running around on her hands and knees pretending to be a horse. I was stunned when she came to me and asked to take ballroom. My gorgeous tom boy was gonna do something girlie...I couldn't believe it.

Taushi was soooooo nervous for this Tango. This was her first competition. She hasn't had the opportunity to perform much but she has been putting in the practice and the talent is showing. I know that she could be great. She took 6th place in this Tango. Keneisha and her didn't have to compete against each other this time. Keneisha danced up a level from Nataushia. I am so proud of Taushi for her hard work and dedication. She is really turning out to be a good dancer too.

This is Keneisha's dance partner. They have been dancing together for about 2 years now. They put in a ton of work. Keneisha takes regular classes 3 days a week for 1 hour. Then she takes ballet 1 day a week for an hour. She also has private lessons for an hour before her Wednesday class. After her Friday class she stays at the dance studio while Arica teaches adults various dances and practices with her partner until 9 or 10 at night. Her dedication is amazing.

Running Log

Keneisha and I made it 4.1 miles tonight. We ended up walking most of it, but we still made it. Heather, my running partner via distance, said that she and her sisters are planning on running a 10 K. A 10 K...6.2 MILES!!!...HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!! I am a little scared of that but I think I can do it. We have until the end of summer and since we made it 4.1 tonight I think we will hit 6.2 before we know it.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Pride

Pride is a funny thing. We are supposed to be humble, but when it comes to our kids, nothing makes a parent more proud then when we see them doing things they are good at(not to mention it justifies all the hours and money spent on the activity lol). Keneisha had the opportunity to compete this weekend at the Gem State Classic. This was ballroom dancing for kids as young as 4 and 5 up to 18 years old. Her outfit was specific. Black skirt (that goes at least to the knees), white shirt, hair pulled up, comfortable shoes she could dance in. Shirt...check. Hair...easy. Shoes...have them already. Black skirt...not a single modest one is Idaho Falls. There were lots that were pencil skirts, but that isn't really conducive to Ballroom style dancing and the flouncy skirts were barely covering her buns. I know that if I had more time I could have found one, but there wasn't enough time for me to search every store. I decided to just make her one. I found the perfect pattern and the perfect fabric. It was black cotton with embroidered black daisies and sequins to give it a little sparkle on the dance floor. Then my week shaped up and it was so hectic. Monday I close at work, Tuesday I had visiting teaching, Wednesday was Love and Logic class in Pocatello, Thursday Olivia sang at Barnes and Noble, Friday Keneisha sang at Barnes and Noble and I close at work. To say the least it looked like those useless hours between 11 pm and 6 am that I waste sleeping were going to be when I was going to get to sew this skirt. I was up until 2 am Friday night sewing (some of the seam allowances are not perfect, but when you are seeing two of them it is hard to tell if there is a 1/4 inch or 3/4 inch rolled up). It all was worth it though when she stepped on the dance floor with her partner, Mickey, and danced her little heart out. It was fabulous. I can't put into words the amazement I felt watching this girl on the dance floor. It wasn't always perfect, but it was her best. You could see that she had practice hard and was working hard to put on the best perfomance she could. I was moved to tears. This is my baby, my beautiful girl that gives 100% at whatever she decides to do, and my tomboy. The one who hates girly things, (she won't even take the pink camo lunch box to school cuz she hates pink that much) will put on the makeup (grudingly mind you) and do her hair (which is out the second we come home) and this skirt (that she only wears on Sunday cuz she has to) and then she places 4th in the Foxtrot and 6th in the Swing. She also performed in the Cha Cha and the Waltz. They were all wonderful. I loved it!!! I love being a mom....especially when the things that weren't in the brochure are so much better than it could have described it to be.

Coupon Adventure

I just got back from a coupon adventure. I have recently started couponing. I took a class with my amazing sister, Brenda, and learned how to coupon the right way. I have a goal to build my food storage. I am quickly doing that with coupons. Last night I bought Pampers baby wipes at Wal-Mart for 1.97, BUT, I had a $2 off coupon. I got 4 packs of wipes for nothing. In fact Wal-Mart paid me 3 cents to buy them!

Tonight I think I had the most fun. Smith's is doing a promotion right now that any coupon up to $1 is worth $1. 10 cent coupon = $1, 20 cent = $1, you get the picture. So I took my handy dandy coupon binder that I have put together and headed to Smith's. I also had my pinching your pennies list that said what the best deals were and I figured I would see if there was anything else worth my money to get.



I got 6 mens body wash's, 6 girly body washes, 6 hand soaps (for free I might add!) 5 pkgs of gallon ziplock bags, 6 worchestershire sauce, 1 Texas Toast, 6 cookie mixes, 6 containers of wipes, 6 big mustards, 6 honey mustards, and 6 Pam Olive Oil sprays. Before all my coupons I would have paid 166.60! That is outrageous!! I budget about $150 a week for food and household items for our family of 7. So they scanned my fresh values card and took of 55.03...new total 111.57. Then they scanned in my coupons, 27.60 in coupons. They then rounded up all my coupons to make them an even $1 off...30.40 taken off. I had a grand total of $113.03 in coupons and I paid 53.57 for everything. That is about $.89 an item. AND...AND....I have 15 cents off per gallon of gas on my next purchase at the gas station in front of Smith's. Yes ma'am...I have a coupon for GAS!!!

This story gets better. I went to Albertson's next. I didn't used to shop at Alby-land because I figured they were the most expensive store in town. I was a discount shopper and stuck to my favorite W stores: Winco and Wal-mart. Not anymore, I am singing a different tune. Albertsons had a sale on their fruit snacks which I haven't met a kid yet that doesn't absolutely L-O-V-E those. My kids devour them. They had a sale that made them 87 cents a box. That is pretty cheap and I can let my kids eat what they want and not freak out cuz it is so stinking expensive.



In this picture is 20 boxes of fruit snacks, 5 wacky macs, 2 big bags of dibs, 4 Haagendaz ice cream mini tubs, 8 jars of Smuckers ice cream topping, 37 items all together. This all totaled up to $109.41 before my discounts and coupons. $39.36 in preferred savings. $30.50 in coupons. Ending balance: $39.55 or $.94 an item.

This doesn't end there!!! Albertson's gave me catalinas (the coupons that print out with your order) a $2.50 coupon on my next order, $4.00 off my next order, $6 off an order of $60 or more, and $1.50 off 3 bags of Dibs ice cream bites.

If anyone doubts the power of coupons, just come and talk with me. I think this is a ton of fun and can hardly wait until the next great deal!!

Bailey

We got a dog. I finally broke down and did it. I swore to everyone that I didn't want a dog and that we would NOT be getting one. I knew though it was only a matter of time before Keneisha, Ken, Olivia, Brennady,Nataushia, and Asche won the fight. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I found the dog and have claimed her as mine. Yes, MINE. That way I have final say in what happens to the dog.

A girl from work needed to find a home for her dog, and so I figured this was going to be a good fit. Bailey is a cute beagle dog. She isn't too big, but isn't one of those stupid yappy fuzzy football half-a-dog closer to a rat things. Ken and Keneisha had their eyes on a big dog. I dont want a big dog. I didn't want to house train a puppy either or have it chew up my shoes (which are some of my most prized possession hahaha). Bailey doesn't chew on things she shouldn't, doesn't bark, is house trained, doesn't jump up on people, is house trained, does a few tricks, is house trained. Yes, the house trained part was that important. I am glad we have her. She is a welcome addition.

Running

So I have decided that 1. I weigh too much, 2. I am in desparate need of a goal, 3. my older girls have expressed a need to spend more time with their mom, and 4. I need a partner if I am going to work out and be successful. Thankfully, I think I have found a way to accomplish all of those objectives.

I am going to run a 5K by the end of summer. I would like to run it in about 30 minutes making it about a 10 minute mile. Goal number 2...check! You never see fat runners so I think this will help to accomplish goal number 1...check! I am going to work out with my older daughters and team up with my best friend Heather is going to run the 5K with me. Goal number 3 and 4....check...and...check.

I have downloaded on my Blackberry "Bones in Motion" application for free and it tracks my workout with GPS, counts the calories I have burned, and calculates my average speed. Then it stores it on a handy dandy website that lets me track it online and on my phone. Pretty sweet if you ask me. This handy website is able to tell me how fast I do each mile in relation to my average overall speed. It charts my pace, the elevation of my walk, and the miles I went.

Heather has been a heaven sent blessing. I loved walking with her when we both lived in Shelley. She was the one person I could call at 10:30 at night and say "Hey, do ya wanna go for a walk?" and she would not only answer the phone at that crazy hour, but put on her shoes and come walk with me. She moved to Blackfoot and I moved to I.F. and it was really impossible to make that work anymore. So, I asked her to be my partner again and help keep me motivated. I needed accountability and I knew that Heather was the friend for the job. She has been great at emailing or calling and telling me that she has got her workout in. I don't want to let her down and since you can't just run a 5K overnight, it keeps me honest and on track to hit my run every other night.

I also get to work out with my older daughters. Let me tell ya, these are two pretty special girls. They are so much fun to work with. We push each other to make it to the next stop sign, or street lamp, or mailbox. We are not a lot of pressure either tho...if you need to slow down, then say something and we will slow down together. Of course, they run circles around me, but it has been great to get out, be with them without my little ones demanding my attention. I love them and I hope they will know that I really do want to be with them. This is one way I am able to do that right now.

Keneisha's dancing

Keneisha's Jive performance at Civic Auditorium

Keneisha performed at the Civic Auditorium last night. She is the girl 2nd from the left and is the last girl to leave the stage (she pulls her partner from the stage--it is super cute). She is doing so well in dance. I just love to see her all dolled up and curly haired. she is so beautiful. I love how dedicated she is to whatever she decides to do.

So stinkin' frustrating!!

It is so frustrating to be told that you are going to have to wait. ---Did I mention, that patience isn't really a strong virtue for me?? Well, it isn't. SHOCKER!!! I KNOW!!! Asche is still going to have to go to Primary Children's hospital. I don't want to drive all the way to Salt Lake, and get to know my way around there and then have to figure out if we are going to have to go back or if we are going to have to have a procedure done so they can figure out what is wrong with my little boy. It is devastating for me to have to go through this. I hate waiting around for answers from doctors. Why does the medical profession believe they don't have to have customer service? Don't they remember they WANTED people to call them with their problems? They WANTED to be woke up in the middle of the night by a panicked mother who has just now decided that the problem can no longer be ignored? They were the ones who thought that becoming a medical practitioner meant they were serving a greater good--or was it all really because of the fatty paycheck they would get at the end of the night to deposit in their bank account?

I made an appointment for Asche today to take him in for a 2nd opinion from Ken's doctor. I told the receptionist that I needed to get him in and that I was looking for a 2nd opinion. I didn't think about the fact that about 6 months ago Ken had taken him in to see this doc. It came up that he would be a new patient. This woman's tone totally changed. "Let me go and talk with my office manager and SEE IF we can take another NEW patient--click. No can you hold so I can see if we are still accepting new patients, just one moment while I check into something...nothing just the rudeness then silence. Then when this woman came back on the phone she said well, I have a 2:15 available. Ken wasn't going to be off till later, and really I needed him to take in Asche so I don't have to miss work if at all possible. I asked her if she had anything just a little later...No, (she spit out at me) for a NEW patient I have a 2:15. This was in the snottiest tone possible I have ever heard. So, because this is what my husband wanted, I figured that I would just talk to my boss and take in Asche.
The dialogue went a little like this:

Snot: "what is your child's last name?"
Jensen, with and E.
and the first name?
Asche...A-s-c-h-e.
Birthday?
8-11-xxxx
oh, well, I think we might have already seen your son in here before..
That is right, I forgot, I think my husband may have brought him in before. Since he isn't a new patient do you have a later appointment available.

HUUGGGGHHHHHH, well, I suppose we could squeeze you in around 3:45, is that late enuf?

Actually, that would be perfect.
Fine, then I guess we will see you then.
I had a few more questions for this snotty receptionist so I didn't just let her hang up.
I was wondering since I am looking for a second opinion would Dr. need to have me send over what Asche's pediatrician has already done.
Does your son have M e d i c a i d ?? (cuz apparently, according to my sister who has worked at a medical office, you are less of a person if you have Medicaid as your insurance. In the medical world..scum ranks above you here).
No, he doesn't. Same insurance as my husbands, but flopped, my insurance is primary for Asche.
Then NO, he doesn't need anything else from your doctor.

Shouldn't this witch be flattered that I thought to seek the opinion of the doctor she works for as a second before seeing a specialist all the way to Salt Lake City? Doesn't she realize when she is billing both of my insurance companies and then sending me a bill that I am ensuring that in this crappy economy that she is secured a job for another day?

I called Ken fuming. I told him that he had better say something to the Cow at the desk about the way she treated me. Lest she forget, answering the stupid phone is in her job description and courtesy is something that people extend to one another even when you day is crappy. At work, you put on your happy face and fake it for the customers. I decided that I was for sure going with Ken to this appointment. We told the doctor. I don't know if anything will come of it, but I am fed up with being treated like crap. If I did that to my members at my job, I would be out of job.

Thanksgiving Dinner

My Thanksgiving party. Mom was hurrying to sit down.

We extended from the counter all the way out to the middle of the family room.

This is my centerpeice. I can keep it on my table all year since it is in the colors of my kitchen/dining room/living room.

The pre-party look. I was sooo happy with this table. It looked sooo good. I love it.

This year I am thankful for my family, my kids that teach me more and more each day about how to be a better person. I am thankful for my husband who puts up with me even tho I know I am difficult to live with some days (I know, hard to imagine haha). I am thankful that I have a beautiful home that gives us all the space we need without us being so spread out we forget that we need to come together on the important stuff. I am thankful for my job. It is crazy sometimes and sometimes I feel burnt out, but really, most days I don't mind going to work. I like the people I work with and hope that they know I do appreciate their efforts. I am thankful for the church and for Jesus. Without Him none of this matters and without Him none of us will return to live with our Heavenly Father.

Another baby, thank heavens it isn't mine.

I am so excited. My sister is going to have a baby. The baby is due July 6th (we might get a 4th of July baby!!). The crazy thing is that I have been panicked thinking that I was prego. I couldn't get the thoughts out of my head that I was going to have a baby and I couldnt figure out how to break the news to my husband. I just knew that he was going to be upset--we don't want to have another baby. I even took a pregnancy test. Turns out it is Candice, not me. No wonder I was thinking it. She and I so close that we should be in snyc with that sort of stuff. I hope that she has a girl. She needs to have a girl. Kaitlyn needs a sister.

The amazing power of Thank You

My Olivia is one amazing kid. When she was a newborn we had her blessed (like a Christening for those who aren't LDS). Ken was the one to bless her which is another amazing story in itself. One line from that blessing that stands out in my mind is she was promised by her Heavenly Father that she was here to touch the lives around her. She would be enriched in her life by others and that she would enrich the lives of others. All of this promised to one amazing little spirit who choose to come to earth and live with our family.

Now the reason for all this background is that I have seen this promised fulfilled over and over in her life. the most recent time is when we went to parent teacher conferences. Olivia's teacher Mrs. Martineau said that Olivia was a very sweet, kind, loving little girl (which we already knew about her). She said she had a story about Olivia she wanted to share with us. She said that every time she would give Olivia a peice of paper, or a sticker for her homework, or read a story to the class Olivia would say Thank You. every single time, with amazing consistency for a 6 1/2 year old kid. Well, this started having an effect on the other little ones sitting next to her. They would start to say thanks for Mrs. Martineau reading, or handing out homework, etc. Then this started to spread. Now the class says thank you to her all day long. They are working on Rachel's Challenge (you have to google this if you need more info...I don't have room here to talk about it) and working on making little changes and creating a chain of events that create more goodness in the world. Mrs. Matineau said that Olivia has created the chain of event that has led to happiness and harmony in their class. She told us that she has never had a class that did this. She had never recieved so much gratitude from a single child before. Mrs. Martineau was telling the class how much she appreciated their outstanding manners and two little boys raised their hands and said..."Olivia taught us how!"

As her mother I am moved emotionally by this child. I think she is amazing. She is little and has created this big change in the lives of those around . How could you not love this kid? She was sent to our family and she is here to teach others to love and how to be loved. Kindness is a way to do that. Maybe we all need to say thank you more and more and for even the little things that we don't necessarily think we need to (who says thanks for getting another assignment to do or when we get to do another chore??) Gratitude is great!

Asche's one year pics

Isn't he the cutest freaking baby!!!!

Our new house!

This is the house we put an offer on. I had posted earlier that we were going to put an offer on a differnt house, but it worked out that this one was the right one. It is completely finished, 7--that's right S-E-V-E-N bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms, sits on a half of an acre, has the triple car garage. I am totally beside myself excited about moving in. The move in is in just a few weeks (3 actually). We have a ton of work to do to be ready to move. This is the part of this process I have been dreading. There is a big huge garden that has been tended to lovingly and I can't wait to reap the benefits of the garden if they dont till it up, which I don't think they will do, but I am going to do some major canning if I can. I will post more later.

They came too early Mom

The Young Women came this morning to kidnap Nataushia to take her to breakfast and welcome her to Young Women's. She gets to go to Beehives this Sunday. (sob, sob, whimper, whimper). Sending your oldest to Young Women's is a lot like sending her to kindergarten. On one side you are really excited they are moving on to this phase of life and then other side of you says "WAIT JUST A MINUTE...I NEED ANOTHER HUG FROM MY BABY!" It didn't help that Ken was crying too. Taushi was not really all that excited to be woke up. She had been up late tending the kids while we went to Harry Potter and then they came around 8:00 this morning. Taushi ending up crying cuz she was tired and then I got her up and sent her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. I talked to her about the fact that this is supposed to be fun and that this is a new phase in life that she will really love if she just gives herself over to it. She calmed down enough to go and enjoy. She had a ton of fun and after it was over was glad she went. I am so glad they came. I hope they are loving and kind to her on this new journey in life.

The perks of being the 5th kid.

Asche loves marshmallows--especially melted ones that have butter added. Because he is the 5th child I willingly and willfully handed him the spatula and said to him "Enjoy, baby!"and enjoy it he did. He had the spatula licked clean.

He is just loving it...he keeps chanting mmmmm...mmmm...momomomom....nmmmmm

How can you not love that cute little face!!??

The home we are putting an offer on.

We are going to do it. We are going to place an offer on this home. I think it is going to be a great fit for us. We are super excited. We are asking them to finish the fence, put in a sprinkler system, and pay our closing costs. We went over asking price so I hope that in this market it will be a good offer. The house has been on the market for a while, but it will be a great fit for us. Right now it only has 3 bedrooms, but the basement has 3 more sheetrocked and ready for finishing. There is another full bathroom down (2 up) and a HUGE HUGE HUGE storage room. There is also a large family room downstairs. It is on a cul-de-sac, in a great neighborhood, close to our church. Keneisha likes it because it is very close to 4 horses, Ken likes it because it is close to the airport, I like it because of the cul-de-sac. The kitchen has granite counters, tile floors, and a pantry. I hope they just take our offer. We will see.

I yuv dat song.

For those of you who know Brennady know that she has the sweetest personality. She is the cutest kid and is so sincere in all she does. She also has speech issues. She is not intelligable most of the time. Therapy is helping but the progress is slow. I was talking on the phone with Candice and was making the comment that no one had done something (I can't remember what it is, the Not-Me Monster has a room in the back at our house). Anyway, I said it in the sing-song sound of "who stole the cookies from the cookie jar" when Brennady happened to mosey into the room at that time. She sat down and said to me, ohhh, I Yuv (translates to love) dat song! It struck me hilarous. I am still laughing about it.