A Good God

I am rejoicing for the Lord is good. we just got the hospital bill and it was $1600 less than what we were expecting. He is a good God and takes care of all the little things.

A Year In Review

Wow it's almost 2010. I can't believe it. What an eventful year we had. For some reason I just realized our family didn't take a family vacation this past year. We did lots of little one or two night excursions but nothing really big. Well 2010 will make up for it with our trip to California in June.
-Last January I was still getting used to having a little boy in my life.

-February is always a good month with Daddy having a birthday and our special little Brecken at the end of the month. She turned five this year and I see her spreading her wings and getting a voice.(Not to sure if that is a good thing or not)

-March began with Levi getting very sick very fast. I took him in and he had RSV. He seemed to heal very quickly, and then him and I were off for a five day trip to Phoenix. I got to see my best friend and many other friends during that trip. Levi got to meet his Aunt Lisa and cousins Blane and Dusty. It was a great trip but mommy and boy were ready to get home and see all the girls, and daddy.

-April is always a warm welcome because we know that warm days will be coming soon, and that our April baby will be adding another year. Reaghan turned the big 9, watch out she will be moving into the double digits.

-May Nana and Papa came to visit, and celebrate Kharis Ann's 3rd birthday. I will never forget that birthday she requested PBJ sandwiches, Cheetos, and veggies and dip, YUMMM.

-June was a very cool month and not much swimming got done but lots of outside time in the cool summer nights. It was great I wish every summer was that refreshing.

-July was nice and warm so we were able to get lots and lots of swimming in. We went to Seward Nebraska for the 4th of July and had a wonderful time. It was so chilly watching the fireworks that we had blankets and jackets on. Pretty crazy. Marc and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary with a picnic at Viking Lake. It was very romantic. Creighton turned 7 on the 17th. We Spent a weekend in Des monies at a Fathers of Vision conference which was wonderful. July 23rd I found out i was pregnant with baby number 8. Boy that was an exciting month.

-August was pretty hot and I was pretty sick.

-September Marc's parents came to visit and celebrate Levi's first birthday. Maclae turned 11 just 4 days later. We had a wonderful visit with Gram and Grandpa,on our three day trip to South Dakota with them. Mommy heard babies heartbeat for the first and last time.

-October was interesting. I was getting big and starting to feel better. I had felt the baby move a couple of times and really getting excited about the next few months. Then on Oct. 21st I woke up and looked at my self in the mirror and thought to myself , "I don't feel pregnant anymore." About and hour later I started spotting. About two hours later we had been given the news no one ever wants to hear "There is no heartbeat." I will never ever forget that day I can still see myself lying on the ultrasound table feeling like I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. We came home and told the children and began to walk down a very dark and lonely road. On October 23rd at 6:21 I gave birth to Elias Arthur Lee who had already gone home to be with the Lord. My saving grace through all of this has been that my baby boy will never have pain or sorrow or grief, because he is already sitting with the King. The road we were about to travel would not be easy but with God all things are possible.

-November was pretty much a blur to me. My mom came to stay with us and I pretty much went on with life and the daily happenings at night and when I needed a minute I would sneak away and cry like a baby. Thanksgiving was a pretty good day for me.

-December started out with my oldest turning 13 on the 8th. We had a great time Emily and i spending the day shopping in the city and then going out ot dinner with Dad. Her and I stayed in a hotel that night and just hung out. I was really excited about Christmas but then a couple of days before I got really depressed. We got 12 inches of snow for Christmas which was nice to have. The kids have really enjoyed sledding. I turned 36 on the 29th and am looking forward to a new year. Praying that the Lord will guide me through this time I am in. Not really feeling much Joy right now just kind of going through the motions.

To everyone have a great New Year's and may we all seek Christ in the coming year.

Christmas 2009

Here is little Levi opening his gift from the Grants and Gruncles. This was on Christmas Eve and he was up way past his bedtime so he really didn't know what was going on. The kids draw names at Thanksgiving to see who they will buy a gift for on Christmas. This seems to be one of their favorite things to do. Chreighton drew Brecken's name this year.

The girls bought me an electric griddle and as you can see I was pretty excited.

Levi loves Big bird. We thought he would be so excited about this gift but he was not that impressed. he kept calling big bird Momo(Elmo).

Christmas morning. Look at my major bed head.

Christmas Eve we sang carols after our Advent story.

The girls received tickets for the Little House on the Prairie play and Emily was the first one to figure out what the tickets were for. She was just a little bit excited.

Here is Levi on Christmas eve waiting for dinner. He found something to snack on while we were all looking the other way.

Brecken always plays the shepherd boy for the Nativity play. Here she is practicing.I found the girls upstairs watching the snow from their bedroom window. Memories I hope to hold dear to my heart for many years.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

We Are Rejoicing!!!

Daddy took his final tonight for his last class of this semester as a Junior. Next semester he will be starting his Senior year! Praise the Lord he only has 3 more semesters left. This has been a difficult season on all of us having Daddy work full time while going back to school. We have seen the Lord bless us many times in different ways and Daddy has remained diligent to all his duties. We are all very proud of him and are looking forward to the day I can write and say he has taken his last final of his Senior year. I can't believe we have gotten this far. I remember when he first started I thought it would take a life time for this to get accomplished. Well I was wrong and over exaggerated just a little. So if you can't tell I am very excited and very proud of my hubby. Way to go hunny your on the homestretch.

Cookie Monster

Thought this was kind of cute. The older children are outside with Daddy right now shoveling the 14 inches of snow that accumulated in the last day and a half. (By the way this is no exaggeration.) I am inside baking cookies with the younger children while the little man takes a nap. Well little man decided to wake up and all of a sudden my nice little round balls of cookie dough started to disappear. We found the little Cookie Monster looking oh so innocent. Except for the fact that the proof he was holding in his hand and the ring of sugar around his mouth.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.

It finally SNOWED!!!!!

I can't believe I am excited about snow but we have not had any this season and I was really getting worried that we might not get any before Christmas. I know this sounds crazy but it just doesn't seem like Christmas if there isn't any snow. I grew up in Southern California my whole life and then lived in Phoenix Arizona for the first 10 years of our marriage. This is why for some friends and family they probably are saying you always had Christmas without snow.Yes this is true, but once you have experienced Christmas with snow it is a whole new world. Kind of like when you experience Christmas with Christ, a whole new world.

So needless to say I am a little excited. We only got about 2 inches but tomorrow night we are supposed to get 10!!! Yeah!! Sledding here we come.

Levi's First Haircut

A couple of weeks ago daddy was giving himself a haircut and decided that the little man could use one too. So we sat the boy down gave him some fruit snacks and away daddy went with the clippers. Levi loved it and could care less what we were doing to him as long as he had his food.

Here he is with a mouth full of fruit snacks.

This is how much hair there was. I really don't think he needed a haircut. I think daddy has been waiting for this day for a long time and he just couldn't resist.

This is the final product doesn't look any different to me but it sure did to Dad.

Little Bit of This , Little Bit of That

I cannot believe it is December 1st. Where has this year gone. In one week I will be able to officially say that i am the mother of a teenager. Can't believe it. I look forward to watching her grow through these next years into a beautiful young woman.

We had a great Thanksgiving. Got all of our Christmas stuff out and up and we are now ready to enjoy the month of December.

Grandpa should be getting here this weekend which both the kids and Nana are counting the days.

I looked at the calendar and realized I would be 22 weeks along a little sad but understand that for some reason I was not supposed to see Elias at this time. Believing the Lord knows what is best in all circumstances. These past 6 weeks have been hard but have also been joyful as I
learn to see life differently than I ever have before.

Hope you all had a great Turkey Day.

Oh and wanted to say Thank you to my friend Lori for taking care of my blog again. I love it.

They Did It

They did it.
The chickens finally laid their first egg.
The girls and I were so excited you would have thought it was Christmas at our house. The funny thing is that we have not been checking the nesting box so it had been there for a while. Needless to say the chickens got sick of waiting for us to come and get it so they cracked it and our first egg we didn't even get to eat. That's o.k. there will be others.

The BILL

O.k. yesterday was a really bad day. I realized it was exactly four weeks yesterday that we learned that I had lost the baby. Might explain why I was having a bad day.

Today I wake up and I am determined it is going to be a better day. Things were going pretty well. Kids had finished school before lunch which makes it nice for all of us. We were just kind of hanging out when the mail came. Low and behold lurking in the mailbox was the BILL. The hospital bill. After looking at it and seeing what the insurance paid not really sure why we even have insurance. But then again I should be thankful we don't have to pay the full amount. I remember my dear friend Allison telling me that when we received the hospital bill it could be a difficult time. Not really sure if it makes me sad or mad. I'm mad about paying a bill and having nothing to show for it and sad that I am still dealing with anger. All I can say is the good Lord knows all and he will get us through this.

Not a Good Day

Wow lately I have been feeling great and have really had some good days. Then today I wake up and just feel really out of sorts. So many thoughts and emotions running through my head right now. Lately I have been surrounded by new babies and pregnant mommies, for the most part I do o.k. There are times when I just look away and cry hoping no one sees the tears.

this afternoon I took a bath and thought many different things. Mainly thoughts that I know are not from Christ but surely from the enemy.

I am old and no good anymore.

I wasn't worthy of a baby.

I will probably never hold a live baby again.

Then my mind went to thoughts of why:

Why couldn't I hold this baby.

What did I do wrong.

Did I not pray hard enough.

I had to stop myself with all this torture because I was beginning to feel like I would explode. Maybe I need to explode. I try to be so strong for the kids and everyone else. I don't want people to know that I can't get past this. It really stinks!!! I will get through this I just want it all to be over. I want the Lord to fast forward my life to the season of when I am on a mountain top again. I know there are probably many people who are thinking to themselves get over it, that was a month ago, move on, be happy with what you have, all the things people say that don't help a grieving soul. I read a woman's blog and she said, "She wanted to stay in bed and pull the covers over her head because she hurt so bad." That is me right now I just want to go to bed and not get out until all the hurt is gone. But I won't I will keep walking through this mud and gunk until I get through it. One minute at a time, with the good Lord by my side. I am finally able to talk to God more on a relational basis . This really is an improvement. Before I was just crying out to Him begging Him to carry me. So thankful that he never walks away and is waiting for me with open arms and no condemnation.

Finding Joy

Just the past couple of weeks I have had some wonderful experiences with my children. I will be talking with them or just sitting at the dinner table and they will say something or do something and it will make me laugh. Not just a little laugh but laughing so hard that your belly hurts. Last night we were doing devotions and something happened where I couldn't quit laughing. I felt like I was a different person. I couldn't understand what was happening. I can't remember ever being so happy. I can't even say happy more just filled with joy. I still can be a little snappy and grouchy sometimes but lately I feel like I enjoy being around my children. I know for some of you moms that is hard to believe not wanting to be around your children, but sometimes life gets mundane. As I was talking to a friend tonight she said," You are learning to count it all JOY." just like my blog says. It feels really good. I am sad that it took something like the death of our baby for me to see how blessed I am. So all of you take a little time out and just laugh it does wonders for everyone.

Reaghan Mae

My beautiful Reaghan who is now 9. Keeps all of us on our toes.
A dear friend of mine commented that I had forgotten to put her picture up. I didn't forget I was just saving the best for last. Thanks Lori. Now my little Reaghan gets a post all to herself. Love you Ray Ray.

More Pictures

This picture pretty much shows you how Levi acted the whole day. TERRIBLE!! He would not cooperate at all and wanted to be running around playing in leaves. I think I might use this as our Christmas card because it shows the kids being themselves. Not sure yet.

Here they are actually looking like civilized children.

Levi playing in the leaves again.

Kharis is now 3 and I can't believe how big she is getting. What happened to my baby?

Brecken is five and getting bigger and bigger everyday. She is very independent.

Creighton well not much to say about her. She is our free spirit.

Maclae looks more and more like Momma every day.

My oldest child will be thirteen in less than a month. I can't believe I will have a teenager in the house. We look forward to watching her grow into a young lady during this time. Thanking God for all of our blessings.

Family Pictures

Just a couple of pictures that we took today of the kids. This is all we have of the little man. He decided he didn't want to cooperate today. I love this picture of the girls, just wish the boy would have been in it.
More pictures to come later.

My Young Lady

This morning at the breakfast table the children seemed to be lashing out at each other. I told them I didn't like it and that we were really going to have to work on being kind to each other. My oldest daughter seemed to be really quiet and I saw her starting to tear up. I brought her into the kitchen and said,"Emily it's o.k. to cry." She is my child who very rarely shows her emotions. I just hugged her and let her cry which is a first for her. After a while I asked her if she wanted to talk. She just looked at me with tears running down her face and said," I would have had another baby brother." Nothing else was said we just held each other and cried. I think we both needed that. It is amazing to me how she is no longer my little girl but now my young lady. What a beautiful young lady she has become. I am proud to call her my daughter and look forward to the years ahead as she continues to blossom.

Two Weeks

I have sat here in a really weird mood these past couple of days. I have had many encouraging comments. Today I got a comment from a wonderful young lady whom I go to church with. When I read her comment all I could do was cry. I do not feel very strong today and I feel like I am just in a fog. I was encouraged because she could see my strength through this even though I can't. It made me realize that the Lord is carrying me through this and I don't have to do it alone. Two weeks ago tonight we found out that our baby had died. At that point I didn't know how I would get through one day let alone two weeks. But look we have made it and it has been up and down but we are getting better. I am still for some reason physically tired but I know that too will end.

Daddy has gone back to work and I think that was harder on him than he thought. Last night we talked and shared some of our thoughts about what has been going on. It made me realize that sometimes we forget that the Dad is grieving also. So prayers for daddy would be greatly appreciated right now. Thank you all of you who have been with us through this. I am really going to try to write a post that is just about life and the kids next time. Until then have a blessed day.

New Adjustments

Wow! I can't believe it, we actually got some school done today. I decided I should have the kids start getting back in to some sort of schedule and what day could be better than today. The kids did Math, History, and they read to mommy. Pretty good for getting back into the swing of things. Not only has our life changed with the loss of the baby, but daddies first day back after this ordeal was not a very fun one. You ask why? Well they put him on nights. He has never worked nights in the all of our years of marriage so we all are adjusting to that new schedule. We are just thankful he has a job as I know there are many of you out there who are not as fortunate right now. It helps keep me from complaining when I know I should be thankful. So I hope I am not whining just adjusting to our life changing again. I guess God has a purpose for this too. Not sure what it is but then that is why He is in charge and not me. I am sure I would mess everything up. Hope everyone is having a great week so far.

O.k. my last post was a time for me to reflect on having hope in the Lord. Then some creep comes and posts a disgusting comment and can't even use their name. what a coward. I am sorry that this blog that I am creating for my family to some day read and laugh and cry together has to be corrupted by the evil of this world. If anyone knows how I can delete that comment please let me know.
Thank you

Hope in the Lord

I have been receiving many cards and notes of encouragement. Today the mail came and as I opened the cards one spoke directly to my heart. I am having a difficult day as it has been two years since we had our first miscarriage. I just felt down. Then I read this card "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31. The first word that caught my attention was hope. Who or what do I hope in. I hope in the Lord. He will renew me no one or nothing else can do that but Him. It was so profound for m e to read that scripture. My Hope is in the Lord and he will renew me. Not sure when but what a great time for me to have Hope again.

A long Week

What a week we have had. Yesterday we drove to South Dakota to bury our son. He is buried in a little cemetery along with many other Jensen's. The first one's to come to the United States are buried there. It is neat how there are many generations all together. We do not know where we will settle so the Lord provided a resting place among other family members. Makes my heart feel good to know He is in Heaven with the lord but he is also in a place where I can go and visit him. Know it sounds weird but I really wanted some form of memorial for him. The days are long and I know they will get easier. Wanted to also say thank you to all of you who have been praying for us. We have felt the hand of God upon us many times through these past days.

Update

Just wanted to post a little update to let you know how we are all doing. My mom flew in on Sunday so the girls are very excited to have Nana here. They really needed that. I have good days and bad days which is to be expected. Marc has been my rock and has taken care of any arrangement s that have needed to be made. He sits with me when I need to cry and gives me my space when I need to be alone. This is something I wish we didn't have to go through. I don't know how long the healing will take but I know we will make it the mountain top again. I really am trying to embrace God as we walk through this valley. Not sure if I am holding onto the Lord or if i am trying to do it by myself.

Also wanted to share with all of you that we had a baby boy on Friday evening. He had already gone to be with the Lord so I know he is in a better place. Not sure why we never got to hold him here on earth. Those are things like Daddy says, "We won't understand on this side of Heaven. He was perfect he had ten fingers and ten toes. I noticed his little ears and he looked so peaceful. We named him Elias Arthur Lee. Elias I Know we will meet you in Heaven someday.

Not much to say

Not a lot to say right now. Just wanted to ask everyone to be praying for us. I started spotting yesterday and we went to have an ultrasound to see what was going on. The doctor found no heartbeat. He is pretty sure this just happened a few days ago. Baby looked really good so we don't really know what happened. Right now we are just trying get through the sting of hearing the news. I will be taking a break from blogging but I will probably be back sometime. Don't know how long or how little.

A Change

The past two and a half year have been a roller coaster for us with my husbands job. I have not been a very encouraging wife and the Lord has shown me that in the past week. His schedule is not a typical 9 to 5 which can be difficult if the family doesn't try to accommodate him. I have fought his schedule and have made these last couple of years not the easiest. Last week I started thinking maybe I need to adjust our schedule to work better with daddy's schedule. I didn't know if it would work but I thought I could at least give it a try. Then at church yesterday I sought counsel from an older lady in the church who I have talked with about many issues. She is a Godly woman and loves to minister to us younger women. I shared with her my husbands schedule and the first thing she said was, " Why don't you move your schedule back so you can all have dinner as a family." I thought how hard is it that I have to fight my hubby instead of working with him and encouraging him. She also said," It is our job to help and encourage our husbands and if that means changing our old habit then we do it." Life can be so simple and peaceful if we just listen to our Mighty Lord. I really believe this weekend was conformation of what I need to do in our house. So today we begin our first day of moving everything back about an hour and a half. I know the Lord will bless our family during this transition. Please pray for us as it will be a change for all of us. I was starting my day at 6:30 a.m. and now we are starting at 8:00 a.m. The children will be staying up later and we will be having dinner later. No one said, " we have to have a typical schedule." And is there such a thing?

Dan Ran

My five year old read her second book today and I think mommy is more excited then she is. Every child is different and I am learning this very quickly. When we first started with our phonics program this year both of us seemed to be struggling. I was worried that she might be one that would be hard to teach. I have continued working with her and giving her lots and lots of PRAISE. She is a child that thrives on praise, but I am pretty sure most children are that way. So today she read her second book to me and I am so proud of her. I cover the pictures when they are this age so they don't look at the pictures and get confused.
Here is the book she read.
DAN RAN
Dan.
Bat.
Dan at bat.
Dan ran.
Pat.
Pat at bat.
Pat ran. Dan ran.
Pat! Dan!
Pretty basic but she's got it. Thanks Hooked on Phonics. It has worked for us.

A Typical Monday

Today was most definitely a typical Monday. I don't know what it is about Mondays in this house but it is by far our worst day of the week. It does not matter what I do we can not stay on schedule. The chores seem to always be the last thing getting done, right at the same time that I am trying to get dinner done. School gets done but at a snail's pace. Mommy seems to always be grouchy and has a hard time displaying any fruits of the Spirit. I can say that on Mondays my kids learn a lot about repentance, because I think I am repenting every five minutes for my quick tongue that doesn't know how to say anything nice. So I have decided next week we will get up and give Monday a new name. I haven't decided what to call it but it will not be called Monday.

It Snowed!

Well I woke up this morning just a few minutes ago and looked out my window and to my surprise I saw a little blanket of white snow covering my yard. I can't believe it snowed. As I type this I am watching the little white flurries float down to the ground. It is SNOWING, in October. Get ready Nana and Papa for your first Winter in IOWA.

Chance for snow

O.k. it's not even the middle of Oct. yet and the weather is progressively getting cooler and cooler. Sunday they are calling for a chance of snow. Now it is only a 30% chance but come on give us some time to adjust before we beginning seeing snow flurries. I am beginning to wonder if this is going to be a LONGGGG winter.

No Complaining

Well we finished our week of life skills and for the most part things went pretty well. The weather changed and it has been in the 50's and 60's so I decided we would do our dreaded changing the clothes for the season. This is something I despise. There was one exception this year. I had been talking with my children about us having a cheerful heart at all times, so I knew I would have to have a cheerful heart while going through clothes. The girls immediately started to complain when I told them what are big task for the week was going to be. I stopped them and said, "We will not murmur and complain this year we will just put our hand to it and get it done." Remember we are going to be cheerful when we are serving Him and others. Before we knew it we were finished. It took a day and half, this task normally takes us a good week. I told the girls isn't it much easier when we just set our hand to it and get the task done instead of complaining. I was pretty impressed, no yelling, no fits, and clean and organized rooms. Praise the Lord he does bless those who are diligent.

Life Skills Week

Saturday night I was awakened at about 2:30 a.m. and was up until 6:00 a.m. During this time it was laid very heavy on my heart that I needed to focus on some character training and help the children learn some more tasks of maintaining a home. Sunday morning after home church we all had a little family meeting about what this week would be all about. The girls seemed excited because they didn't have to do school and that is when I told them we have focused too much on school and have left the everyday life skills out of the mixture. Monday morning we were up bright and early at 6:30 to spend time with the Lord, we continued on with morning routine, breakfast and then breakfast clean up. After all of this was accomplished we all sat down and worked on our new chore schedule. One area that I realized I had been neglecting was teaching my children how to cook. My oldest daughter can cook and bake and make basically whatever I need. I now am back in the kitchen for dinner teaching the 11 year old with a rotation of little ones to be our helpers. Emily is learning how to make the menu for breakfast and lunches and stay in her budget. We are also working on how we speak to each other and serving everyone with a cheerful heart. I do believe my children need to have an education but I think sometimes we let the important things slip away. I believe that we can read them the Bible and teach them about the Lord but are we being the Lord to them. Being cheerful when we have a mess to clean up, Giving God the Glory when we can't pay all the bills, just being Jesus when we are tired and worn out. That is what I am working on with the girls this week. My hope is that this will benefit them one day when they have a home of their own and they are tired and worn out, they can hopefully say,"I just need to be Jesus right now to my little ones."

Fall

Fall has arrived here in Southwest Iowa. The trees are beginning to change and the weather definitely has a chill in the air. I forget how much I love this time of year. The children play outside in the afternoon everyday screaming and giggling together. What a fun time of year. Before to long the weather will turn cold and we will spend a season inside again. During this season we will rediscover board games we haven't played for a while, books that need to be read, and creativity that sometimes get pushed to the wayside. The Lord is getting ready to give the earth a time of rest and also His children a time of rest. For now we will enjoy the cool crisp air and build memories that will last for a lifetime.

That Season Again

The past 7 or 8 weeks have been pretty long and drawn out for me lately. My oldest daughter has really stepped up to the plate and taken over with running the house which I am very thankful for. The Lord is showing me again to not worry about the little things for he takes care of everything. I sometimes think how will I school everyone, get all the chores done, do the laundry, etc... Then I feel a gentle tap on the shoulder and He tells me I am in control trust me and let me guide you through this season of your life. You ask, "What season?" Pregnancy season. Yes we are expecting again and excited to bring another child in this world to glorify and honour God. I saw the midwife on Saturday and heard the little one's heartbeat and looked up at her, and said," Well it's official I guess we really are going to have a baby." I think that is the day it really sunk in that I was carrying a child. It is so amazing to hear the beating of the heart of your unborn child. As I write this I look at my oldest daughter as she makes breakfast for everyone and I am amazed at who she has become in her short 12 years. It gives me great excitement to know that I will be given the opportunity to raise up another child to love the Lord.

Look Who's One!!

I can't believe my little man is a year old. In some ways it feels like the time has flown by and in other ways I can't believe it has only been a year. He is such a blessing to our family and he brings us much joy. Here he is admiring his cake and wondering what that burning thing is in the middle of it.
This is a picture of him after he had realized we weren't taking the cake away and it was his to pig out on. Let me tell you that was the highlight of his day.
His new lawn mower.
"HOTWHEELS my favorite!"
" Wow look at all the neat stuff I got. And you girls can't touch it."

Mommy and Daughter Day

This afternoon was a special time for just me and Emily. She has been helping mommy for the past couple of weeks and I wanted to do something with just her. So I scheduled a hair appointment for both of us to get our hair cut and styled. She has never had that done and when we were finished she said it felt really weird. I normally don't reward them with anything tangible for helping around the house. Lately this child has been doing more that just helping she has been practically running the house for the past month. It was nice and much needed time for just her and I. She is getting older and when her and I get one on one time it is so enjoyable to see who she is becoming. She is still my very quiet one and doesn't always have a lot to say but the time with her is what matters. Thanks Emily for a fun afternoon.

Praising Him

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn- shout for joy before the Lord,
the King. Psalm 98:4-6

Just a quick little Praise to the Lord. Our oldest daughter Emily has been taking guitar for about a year now and has really blessed the family by playing praise and worship for us during our devotions. With the new semester beginning I knew that we would have to take a break due to unexpected vehicle expenses over the summer. I fought in my mind about it but knew that the lord wanted us to be good stewards with our money and this was an area that we needed to let go. I talked with Emily and she was very mature and said she understood. I told her that if she continued to work at home then next semester we could put her back in. Well she went to guitar and told her teacher she would not coming for the next semester. She told him that she would return in the winter. I am sure he knew it was for financial reasons. He gave her a letter and told her to fill it out and bring it back. This letter was for a scholarship that they give to help with tuition. I was a little reluctant at first. We filled out the paper work and expressed to them that either way we would be back next semester. I had just told her today that I had not heard any news and to not be disappointed. She said, " Mom I know I will be alright." Well later today we got an e-mail that stated she would be receiving the scholarship. PRAISE THE LORD! I never see excitement in Emily and when I told her the news today she couldn't contain herself. I love how the Lord has blessed this faithful servant of His. This was a blessing for Emily not for Momma. Thank you Lord for showing me how much you care about my children. ( Well really YOUR children)

Back to School

It is back to school for the Jensen household. We officially started back to school yesterday. The girls were excited and stayed focused most of the time. Mommy did o.k. too. I always forget how much work it is to teach a little one how to read. I enjoy seeing them sound out their first words and see how excited they are when they read their first book but until they get to that point there is a lot of patience that is required. I am beginning to teach the five year old her vowels right now and she is learning very quickly but she thinks she should be able to read right now. Patience and perseverance that is what the Lord is showing me right now. Well today is another beautiful day and I pray we have as good of a day today as we did yesterday. I am off now to school the children.

Wise Words

O.k. it is official I am getting older. Today while I was in the bathroom combing my hair guess what I found? Yep you guessed it a big ugly GREY hair. I couldn't believe it. I stood there for about five minutes with my face jammed in the mirror to make sure I wasn't just seeing a glare because of the lighting. nope there was no glare there was just one lone grey hair sticking out of my head.

So on my way to the grocery store I called my husband to tell him what I had found. He didn't have much to say as i don't think it affects men the way it does us women. My oldest daughter was with me and she just simply said, " Just remember what you always tell me it is just your next season in life." Such WISE words Emily.

End of Summer

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I try to keep my children busy at home and with each other and not a mom who is always running from here to there. Well these last two weeks I have been the mom that is running all the time. I really am only doing one activity but with three children involved it seems to take up a big part of my day. This activity that we are doing is swim lessons which all of my children are enjoying because this means they get to be at the pool everyday. We have two days left and I am burnt out. I am also trying to get all of my schooling figured out for this year. I am doing a new History this year called Truth Quest History. I love it and am really enjoying doing the research on what books the kids will be reading. So far I have all my books for early exploration through Columbus this I will be doing with the younger children. The older children will be studying Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. I have only gotten through the life of the Ancient Egyptians and mummies and pyramids so far. This is very interesting material that the girls will be studying this year. We are all really excited. The main focus the girls will be looking for is "Who is God? " and "Who, then, is mankind?" They will then look at the Egyptians life style and belief and try to figure out how the Egyptians would have answered these two main questions. This will help them as they study History how different civilizations viewed these two important questions in life. I think it will be a pretty interesting and thought provoking school year for all of us.

Well I thought I would clean up my camera and download some pictures today and was surprised at how I have some great pictures of the kids but have not posted them. So here they are. Enjoy Family and Friends who are far away. Fourth of July at a FREE airshow. Who can pass up on something that is free.

The girls being Silly.

Oldest and Youngest!!!

Watching the Fireworks!!!

Fourth of July Picninc

Watching fireworks in the van becuase

it was raining outside. (What's up with mom's eyes)

Watching fireworks with coats and blankets.

We really don't miss the Arizona heat.

Bible study with Big Sis

Fun with the little man.

Planting for Nana and Papa.

Birhtdays.

Easter!!!

Birthdays....

Hope you all enjoy a look at what we have been up to and I hope to get better at posting.

Mommy's Going to Plant Some Ribs

The girls have been going to vacation Bible school the last couple of nights and have really been having a great time. Last night our 5 year old came home with a little flower pot that she had painted. I asked her if she would like to plant something in the pot. She was so excited she said," Mommy can we plant some weeds."

Being the mommy who thinks everything has to be in order I told her lets plant some flowers or maybe some herbs that we can use when we cook. She thought that was a great idea. I told her we could maybe plant Basil, or Rosemary or something that would make our food taste really good. She got so excited she ran downstairs and said, " Creighton mommy said we can plant some ribs like we had at that place the other night." When I heard that all I could do was laugh. The only reasoning I could come up with for this was that the other night we had ribs and she just thought since I said we would cook with them it would be something she could eat. I am still pondering how planting herbs could lead to her thinking we would plant ribs. I guess they kind of sound alike. Thanks Brecky for making us all laugh. You are truly a joy to our family.

Long Time no Post

Wow time sure flies. I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. Really can't figure out a reason why. We have had a pretty lazy summer. Gone to the pool a few times. Had some bar-b-ques nothing real special. Just enjoying the weather and letting the kids play.

Levi is now 9 months old and has 4 teeth. I can't believe these months have gone by so fast. I am beginning to look at school curriculum for this fall and am still in shock that my oldest will be in 7th grade this year. And my 5th born will be starting kindergarten. It should be an interesting school year as I again teach another little one how to read. I so enjoy those first achievements and I really enjoy it when I am the one who gets to hear it first. the Lord has been so gracious in blessing us to be able to home school these children and I know He will continue.

Well everyone out there have a great 4th of July and I hope to not be away from blogging so long this next time.

The Sweet Smell Of Summer

The days here are getting longer and warmer which is a blessing to all of us. The children are spending more hours of the day outside rather than inside. Laughter and tears seem to be heard in the distance around this place. Laughter of many fond memories that the children are making and tears of many scraped knees. All of these are sounds that I try to record into my memory because I know that someday it will be quiet. We as mother's are so busy and sometimes forget to stop and lavish in the Joy of our children. I am guilty of this many times over. But each night when I lay in bed and reflect over the day's events I smile and can seem to only remember the joyful times of the day. I thank the Lord for blessing me with those moments and taking the bad moments away. What a great God we serve. I will end this post with a quote from my ten year old, "I don't know what it would be like without Jesus."

Papa Gary's post

Here are some pictures to kind of bring you up on what had happened so far this spring in R.O. Iowa.

The kids wanted some chickens...... so grandpa was asked to help build a chicken coop. these are some pictures to show how things went....... bear in mind that there were other projects that just had to be started while building the coop.









I had lots of help with building........
















Trying to get it right........















Accuracy counts........















More measuring ..... we will get it right...




















We keep going, and measuring......













I had to keep talking to my 5 year old to convince her not to run......









Working to get it right..........

Get the nails started............

Go in dog gone nail...........

Well I got the other one in, I won't give up on this one.............

There is suppose to be 6........ looks like they are all here......

HEY..... I was suppose to pet you...... you pecked me...........

See we have 6 baby chicks..............

They are all eating...........

Hey..... unhand me........ I am not happy with you holding me....

Nice new home...... but the kids make me nervous............