Little Black Bears

Year in Review 2010

2010-12-16T16:05:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! I am never sure who actually likes Christmas cards or not so I decided to put all the details here for those who want them. I also never know who to send cards to- If you would like your very own '2010 Collectible Jensen Christmas Card' (which is different from this post) please email your address to me asap(audrajjensen at msn dot com)- I would LOVE to send you one!!! Be sure to scroll down to the previous post to see a collection of shots that we didn't use in our card. (Even though they probably show a more accurate description of Porter's personality)

Now on to our year in review, be for warned this is going to be a looong post. For the most part I am going to try and go month by month and hit the highlights.

JANUARY 2010 - We replaced our ugly old siding with lovely new vinyl siding- I must say I am so happy with the results and the fact that we no longer live in a salmon colored house (although we do still have a salmon painted chimney in the back) YEAH!!!! Aaron went Ice Fishing down at the river with friends a couple of times and I would bring Porter down for an hour or so to help- He absolutely loved it!

FEBRUARY 2010 The three months of craziness begins..... First off we welcomed a new nephew/cousin Ollie- He is the cutest thing ever!! Uncle Scott Got engaged. We had a bridal shower for Tessa (who got engaged in Dec)

March 2010 - The CRAZIEST month of all. The very first weekend of March Aaron had a convention in Las Vegas so I, Porter, and Aaron's parents tagged along. We drove down after Aaron got off of work and I was amazed at how fast the drive went. We stayed in Bill's place which is our absolute favorite- It's small but has been fixed up really well, it's right in the center of the strip and best of all it's right on the strip so you don't have to walk forever to get anywhere! We could even watch the dancing waters from our window. My only complaint was the road construction that they decided to do at 2:00 am right below us!

We stopped and checked out the 'Pawn Stars' Shop
It is a lot smaller and far more run down than it looks on the show

Porter got to show his skills to Gene Simmons

And he got to play with Jack Sparrow's sword.

Porter's favorite Las Vegas stop was the dancing waters- which fortunately (since we went numerous times to it) was only kiddy-corner from our hotel. He would have watched it for hours if we had let him. He especially liked the 'Viva Las Vegas' song and would sing along- loudly.
Our next March event was the Mule Deer Foundation Banquet. Aaron was co-chair and I was the ticket chair person and helped with the finance end of things. The banquet is always fun and it is fun to see how it grows from year to year. There is a yummy prime rib dinner and lots of games and raffles to raise funds for local Mule Deer projects. We were even the big prize winner and won a really nice new fireproof gun safe.

Things didn't slow down there... On March 27th my sister Tessa got married in the Logan Temple to Page Wagley. Page is easygoing and a fun addition to the Colgrove Fam. Tessa was so beautiful and everything went so well- we had a lovely open house at my parents the night before the wedding and an open house at my cousin Trina's in Logan after the wedding.

APRIL 2010 Two weeks after Tessa's wedding we were back at the Logan Temple for Scott and Annalyn's wedding (Aaron's brother) It was another lovely wedding with another beautiful bride. They had a reception in Weston that night and one in Firth later in the month. Porter love's Annalyn- she is so good to always play with him and we are glad to have her in our family.

Us at the Wedding

MAY 2010 - Things slowed down a bit (thankfully) We got a great deal on some castle rock on craigslist- except for we had to haul all 300+ blocks from their yard to ours which was a huge project in itself- Luckily Bill, Clint and Grandma J helped and it only took a couple of hours. The landscaping for the beds was another thing all together-

Going into it I had no idea you had to pack and level the ground and fill with sand. It was a lot more work than I had expected just cleaning out the old bed seemed to take forever! We could not have done it with out a ton of help from Aaron's mom. She even came when we were out of town and planted my flowers out front. Thanks again Marilyn you really are the best!

I didn't think to get an after picture- but below is a before picture and a picture of a corner of one of the front beds after a hailstorm.

JUNE & JULY 2010 - We went on several camping trips - On July 15th we celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Later in July we went to the Harker reunion and a great time minus the horrible ear infection I ended up with-

We spent a lot of time outside playing and working the yard and garden. We made our garden bigger this year and I planted way too many squash (need some anyone?) and not enough green beans and peas. I also learned that despite my best efforts I cannot seem to grow decent Tomato's, Peppers or Endame. I also learned that if you don't pick your broccoli before if flowers don't worry because it will attract a ton of butterflies!

Other fun summer events included a short train trip which Porter loved- We even got to ride in a car with and observation bubble thing on top so you could see all around. After that I really want to take him on the Porter on a Polar Express Train next Christmas. Also along for the ride were Pa, Nanna, Grandma, Grandpa and Kamden and Karson.

We went on a hot dog roast up Wolverine with Chelsea and Justin and the boys-
We did a little shooting and Porter thought he needed to climb the mountain
(He's the little dot you can see on the rock slope)

We went with my parents and Chelsea's Family to Justin's Dad's Cabin in I.P.
The water was pretty cold but Porter had no problems jumping right in.

We fed the ducks on the Greenbelt

Porter got to hang out with his Bud's Kam and Kars (Chelsea's Boys)

AUGUST 2010 - Porter turned three years old! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He requested a fish/ocean themed birthday. We had nacho's with all the toppings in sand buckets with sand shovels for serving utensils...

Porter has always loved the water. When we have been at hotels he always wants to spend all his time in the pool. The scary thing is that he has no fear. He loves to jump off the side but he doesn't want you to catch him, he just wants you there to help him back out. It amazes me that he can jump, hold his breath and go under and then swim to you with just those flimsy little arm floaties. Needless to say I am a little nervous when he gets around water- especially with a big canal in the back yard.

At the last minute I found out he could take swimming lessons even though he wasn't three when he started. He as you can imagine loved it, after his initial reluctance to leave mom. He was a year younger than the other kids in the class but he did really good keeping up. The teachers couldn't believe how excited and fearless he was to jump off the diving board.

He had a couple of different teachers but his favorite was McKay

Right before Labor day we went to the Water Park- Porter of course had to do things his own way and loved to go down the slide on the divider rather than on the slide itself.

On Labor Day weekend we went camping again- It was fun to have my family join us this time- they are often busy and we don't get to go on a lot of camping trips with them. We spend some time out on a little reservoir we like to visit and stopped at several geocache's (One of our families favorite hobbies)

We went to the Spud Day Parade- Porter loved running after the candy. It must have made quite the impression because for months when we would drive by the spot we had sat he would ask about the parade.

We also made our annual trip to the Demolition Derby - This is the second year that we took Porter with us but this is the first year that he really got into it. We like to get there extreemly earlier so we can back our truck up to the back of the bleachers and sit in our lawn chairs in the truck bed; It's the best seat in the house! This year was better than ever, if you look closely in the picture below you can see the car that ended up on top of another one.

OCTOBER 2010 - My bother Austin left for Iraq, we really miss him and worry about him but we are proud that he chose to serve our country. Halloween and Mom's Birthday. This fall I and Porter got back into the habit of our weekly trips to the library which had slowed down some during the summer.

Austin in his gear

Porter started Gymnastics class in October. For the first few weeks he was pretty hesitant about things. He would watch the other kids and participate with the teacher one on one but he tended to hang back when they did group things. I debated pulling him out but he would come home and do the things they were teaching so I knew he was at least paying attention and decided to give it a little longer. The past few weeks he has really loosened up and been having a good time in class. It is so fun to watch him interact with other kids and his teachers.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010- Porter loved the snow we got (which is now melting) and is anxiously looking forward to Christmas. He actually sat on Santa's lap this year and told him what he wanted. When one of our friends asked him afterward how it was he shrugged all bumbed out and said "I asked him for a Mickey Mote but all he gave me was this candy"

In October they re-arranged our stake boundaries and we ended up in a different ward. Aaron who had been teaching the 6 year olds in primary was put back in the Elders Quorum Presidency (3rd times a charm!). I was released from my callings (Newsletter, Ward Web page, Bulletin, and Provident Living Specialist ) and put in as the second counselor in Young Women. We were all a little nervous about the change but overall it has been a good experience. We do however miss many wonderful people from our 'old' ward!

The change has been a good growing experience for Porter too. In our 'old' ward he was pretty much the only one in his nursery class, there was another boy that came occasionally but other than that the closest kids in age to him were a year older or a year and a half younger. In nursery he dearly loved his teachers and called them 'my ladies'. When we went to our new ward and he walked into class and there were 12 other kids he was less than impressed. It took him a couple of weeks to get used to the crowd but he has gotten to really enjoy it and is doing great (or so his teachers report). It is really fun to listen to the stories and songs he comes home and tells us.

Porter's other favorite things are playing swords (Styrofoam) and race cars with dad, playing on the piano and singing songs, and reading books with mom. He has learned to spell his name and is working on letters, numbers and adding. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow. We are so blessed to have him in our family he really is the light of our lives.

Other than chasing around Porter I still love to read and design digital scrapbooks which I sell at two stores. This year I had a lot of fun helping with things for the weddings. I got to design both of their announcements and thank you cards which was a lot of fun. In addition this year I also did a birth announcement for baby Ollie, a couple of graduation announcements and Christmas Cards. I am starting a little side business doing this so if you ever are in need of a announcement design let me know and I will be happy to do it (Free of charge for Friends and Family) I have even made some deals with some excellent print shops and can get them professionally printed for a very reasonable cost if your interested.

Aaron is still Sales Manager at Yost (10 years now!) He is a hard worker and takes good care of our family. He was able to get in a couple of short hunting trips this year but didn't see anything they could shoot at- Hopefully next year they will draw on a Tag and can get in a longer hunting trip. He is a member of a local gun club and is able stop a couple of times a week on his way home from work to shoot. Aaron has been an awesome help with my new calling requiring me to be gone some weeknights. Whenever I come home from Mutual porter always has a fun story to tell me about what he did with dad that night.

Well if you made it this far- thanks for reading this whole post and thanks being a part of our lives. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful 2011!!!

The Perfect Christmas Picture

2010-12-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

I always laugh when people tell me how cute Porter looks in his Christmas picture... Rest assured it takes a LOT of photos to get one that looks presentable. Here are just a couple of the outtakes of this years Christmas photo shoot.

Loving The Snow!

2010-11-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

I love all this snow we are getting! It is really making me excited for the Christmas season and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! We have some massive icicles growing off our roof- I will have to try and get a better pic tomorrow... The one in front of the kitchen was huge- I would guess 4.5-5 ft long- I am anxious to see if it keeps growing or if the snow slides off the roof and breaks it off.

Porter is so cute he keeps calling them pointy ice cubes!

Porter's Newest Trick

2010-11-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

I caught Porter doing this in the garage when he thought I wasn't looking. What's a mom to do when her child decides to risk life and limb? I opted to grab a camera but since I was trying to hurry and get him not to notice me I grabbed his play camera off the counter so the photo/video quality isn't spectacular plus I was trying to peak out of the door without opening it all the way so he didn't notice me....

Sometimes....

2010-11-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes your too tired to even eat pizza......

Halloween 2010

2010-11-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Halloween at our house was a bit odd this year... To start with both mom and Port had colds and we missed going to the pumpkin patch and pumpkin walk. Then Halloween was on a Sunday and on top of that we had a Stake Boundary reorganization meeting that night so we knew we wouldn't have time to visit all the family.

Mom who finds Halloween almost as much fun as Porter does took him costume shopping clear back in September- Porter was instantly in love with the Datamation costume and didn't want to look at anything else. It makes me a little sad to think that this is probably one of the last years that he will want to dress up as something cute!

We went to the Ward Trunk or Treat on Saturday where Porter made quite a haul then headed out to visit Uncle Bill and then Uncle Scott. On Sunday Scott and Annalyn took Porter Trick or Treating to Grandma and Grandpas so we could go to the 'big' meeting then we went down after for dinner.

Monday we went to Nanna and Pa's, for dinner with the family and Nanna had a fun Halloween Fish Pond for the Kids- Between everything and going in different directions I only got a couple of pictures from the trunk or treat which was too bad because he was one cute puppy! He kept wanting me to take his picture on the truck toolbox which was so appropriate given his dog costume!

Zoo Trip 2010

2010-08-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun with Tessa while she was here visiting last week. We took the four boys to the zoo. Porter had fun for the most part but he did not want me to take the camera out so I only got a few quick shots.

He insisted on doing everything himself (seems to be his thing lately) including the drinking fountain which didn't want to cooperate.

Quick Get Together and a Family Snapshot

2010-08-17T18:57:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how fast time flies... It seems like just yesterday all 6 of the kids in my family were still living at home and now my parents are just down to one. Even though all of us (except Tess) live within 20 min it is hard to get everyone in one place at the same time. With Austin leaving for Iraq next month and Tess and Page moving to ???? Sunday night was our last chance to all be together for at least the next year.

My mom made us a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner and we snapped a few pictures. With 11 boys who were not into posing and only 4 girls we were lucky to get any decent shots. But we managed to get a few fun ones.

Summer Sunset

2010-08-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

It makes me a little sad to think how much of the summer is gone already... My favorite thing about summer is the warm evenings and sunsets like this one Aaron snapped a picture of last week. Oh how I love living in the country!

Hark-O Familia!

2010-08-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

(Yes Chelsea I stole your blog title hee hee)

Families are a bit crazy and let me tell you my extended family is no exception. To begin with I should explain that my mother is the youngest of 13 kids and who produced 71 grand kids and hundreds (yes you read that right) of great and great-great grand kids). The tally in attendance was just over 200!

It is funny how much it has changed over the years, when I was little I could name everyone there and now its starting to get hard to keep track of everyone. Looking around I couldn't name a lot of the little kids but I could usually figure out what family they belong to.

The reunion had a Mexican theme (thus the post title) with yummy Mexican food, dancing, clothing and even pinatas! And although not Mexican it wouldn't be a Harker reunion without water activities.

Porter liked the water slide although he didn't seem to when he was being tossed down it (Thanks for the help Uncle Justin and Cousin Gary). He kept wanting to go again and again.

It was hard to get a picture of everyone since there was always so much going on in different places but these to pictures give you a small idea.....

Each family made a pinata - ours made this "H" which won first place! The plastic bats
took for ever to break the pinatas, especially with little tykes like Porter helping out but it was a good thing considering the number of kids who wanted a turn taking a swing at them!

Even some of the adults got in on the pinata action.
My mom got a little crazy attacking the pig....

The race to grab candy was crazy- fortunately there was plenty to go around.

Thanks so much Uncle Ferrin and Family for hosting this years event-
Can't wait to see everybody next year!

Porter the Little Biker

2010-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we got Porter a little bike with training wheels to ride this summer but when we got it home his legs were just a tad too short and he couldn't quite get the concept of pedaling. After a growth spurt and some help from dad learning the 'art' of pedaling on his little trike we decided to pull out the bike and give it another shot....

He loves it and with a little more practice on turning I am sure he will be zipping all over the place and begging us to leave the cars parked outside so he can use the nice cement in the driveway.

Congrats Tessa & Page

2010-03-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics of the weekend...

Tessa & Dad - One of my favorite pictures from the weekend.

The three girls..

Pa, Nanna and their four boys

The Whole Group at the Temple

Kisses for the Bride

Thankfully they never actually fell in....

Porter of course managed to get filthy in the first 5 minutes...
In case you were wondering the suit
was black when he arrived not grey!

The Logan temple was very pretty and we were so happy to be with Page and Tessa on their special day. We're excited to go back in two weeks to do it all over again too with Scott and Annalyn.

Busy!

2010-03-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

Things around here are so busy lately and it's only getting busier- Last Saturday I hosted Tessa's Bridal shower. Monday we left for Las Vegas where we had a great time (pictures to follow). We got home Friday afternoon and lucky us we all woke up sick on Saturday morning- between the three of us we still feel varying degree's of yucky but at least we're all on the mend.

This coming Saturday I'm off to UT for Annalyn's bridal shower (my soon to be SIL) The next Saturday (20th) is the Mule Deer foundation which Aaron is co-chairing this year (I'm ticket chair). Then the following Friday is Tessa and Page's reception (26th) followed Saturday by their wedding. Then comes Easter weekend (a small break) then Scott and Annalyn's wedding the next week (April 10th) and then our week at the condo! If I don't go crazy in all this fun I'll post some pictures.

Ice Fishing

2010-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

Brrrrr.... What some people won't do for fun! Saturday Aaron went ice fishing with the guys (Scott, Bill and Clint). After they did all the hard work of making the holes and setting up the poles I and Porter came down to ~~fish~~ er.... watch. Porter loved every minute of it even though the wind made it soooo cold! He was quite upset when we had to go and has told me several times since that he wants to go fishing in the snow.

RESULTS
Fish Caught: 6
Fish Tossed Back: 2
Poles Stolen by Fish: 1
Fish Now in my freezer (Yucko): 3

Porter Dad and their Fish

Porter wiggling the line to call the fish in

5 Very Cold Fishermen

Thanksgiving Shoot Out

2010-01-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Aaron and his family have a tradition that every year rain, snow or shine that they shoot clay pigeons in the back pasture on Thanksgiving. Porter being quite the gun enthusiast himself was happy to join in the fun. I was amazed at how well he managed to keep he earmuffs on. For the most part he watched from the back of the truck but he did get to shoot a couple of times with Dad and Uncle Scott's help as well as getting to pull the string that throws the pigeons.

I love the look on his face in this picture he was totally enthralled watching the big boys. For those of you who aren't so big on guns don't worry the gun he is holding was not loaded and I and or Aaron was standing right with him the whole time he held it.

Porter's first shot. Poor Aaron ended up with a bruise on his leg from the kick.

All the boys in their shooting duds- ready to go

Halloween 2009

2009-12-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

Ok people you can all quit laughing at me now. Yes I realize that these are Halloween pictures and that it is almost January. My goal for the new year is to do a better job of documenting all the fun happenings of our little family so I thought that it was only right that I try and do a little of catching up.....

Porter was the cutest little Lion for Halloween. He would Rrrrrar really loud and say trick or treat until that is we actually went trick or treating.... We went trick or treating at Dad's office, to Grandma and Grandpa Jensens, Grandma Farrar's, Nanna and Pa's, then the trunk or treat at the church not a lot of stops but Porter still managed to make quite the sugar haul!

This last picture cracks me up, I told Porter to show me what a scary lion looks like but I am pretty sure that he heard 'scared' lion instead.

Moo! Moo! Porter is TWO!

2009-08-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's so hard to believe that our little Porter is 2 already! He is growing into such a cute little man and amazes us every day with the things he learns- He is quite the talker lately and its so cute to hear his little sentences.

He started off the party by finding Grandma's bag of Marshmellow's in the Kitchen and carried them around while we set up..

We had a cow theme for his birthday complete with cow cups silverware and tablecloth.. I only remembered to get a picture of the sign.....

He got so many fun things for his Birthday that he had a hard time going to the next present because he kept wanting to play with the one he had just opened.
The cake..... It turned out cute but I was NOT thrilled- I had ordered a cake with the "Little People" toy farm animals on top so that he could add them to his little people collection- They were out of that set and rather than call and tell me so that I could get it somewhere else they went ahead and decided to decorate a different farm cake. Oh well- at least it tasted good!
Porter was to busy having fun to stop and eat the Yummy Navajo taco's we had but he did manage to grab a few bites of cake (sitting on his new toy of course)
Porter is very lucky to have his cousins Kamden and Karson live so close and the three are quite good buds- After dinner they played and played right up until the second it was time to go home.
They played in the pool- I'm not sure that they actually swam.... They mostly jumped in and out.
Followed of course by the inevitable water fight.... Grandma was a great sport to let the kids get her.

Driving around
Climbing on the Jungle Gym
I still have a hard time believing Porter can make
it all the way to the top by himself then he drops
himself down in the middle and does it all over again!

What a fun evening- Thanks so much to everyone who helped and came!

A Day in the Life...

2009-08-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

My SIL just put up a way cute post of what a day in the life of a mom at her house is like. It reminded me of this way cute song by Hillary Weeks that I just had to share.

Enjoying every second

2009-07-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

I love how Porter enjoys every second of things be it watching the dog fetch a stick in the canal, licking the beaters or chasing around the cats. No doubt about it that kid lives life to the fullest!

4 Wheelin' Fanatic

2009-07-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Porter has turned into quite the 4-Wheeler Fan- One Memorial day he kept wanting to go go go. A couple of different times he even fell asleep while riding. Since we came home he often asks to go for "ride" and almost every time I am out with him in the yard he wanders over the the 4-wheeler shed and climbs on and pretends he's driving.

One day out in the yard I was using the 4-wheeler to haul some dead tree branches to the burn pile- In between loading and unloading I was letting him sit and pretend to drive- I'm unloading the limbs (fortunately only an arm's length away) and he proceeds to turn the key, AND push the start button AND try to put it in gear which luckily he didn't manage to. What a little smarty pants- I guess that he had watched us start it enough times that he'd just figured it out. Needless to say he still gets to sit on it but we do NOT leave the keys in the ignition....

Fishing

2009-06-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we hopped in the truck with Uncle Scott and a friend and went down to the river to fish. Well.... They fished Porter walked around checking everything out, threw sticks in the river, and enjoyed snacks. Mom was busy trying to keep Porter from falling in the river and taking pictures of course!

No one caught anything... but we still all had fun.

Family Pictures

2009-06-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Before Austin's graduation we were finally able to get a family picture taken- We ended up having Austin's friend Nicki take them and even though she's not a professional or anything I think she did pretty good.

Us being a little silly......

My Sis' cute little family....

Mom and Dad

Austin the Graduate!?!

2009-06-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Wow- I can't believe it but Austin graduated this year- A few weeks and he's off to basic training! Congrats Aust! We'll miss you this summer!

Goodbye SHS, Hello world!

Whooohoooo!
Personally I thought it was my parents
we should have got a picture of jumping
for joy.... 5 down 1 to go!

Books Books and More Books

2009-06-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

Before he was born I set a goal that I wanted to teach Porter to love books and reading like I do. I am a firm believer that a children who love reading have a head start in their education. We read together almost every day and go to story time at the library a couple of times a month.

Porter's favorite book right now is "I'm the Biggest thing in the Ocean" which is a definite must read. Porter especially loves to read with Pa who even puts up with him when Porter requests the same story over and over again!

Whoop!

2009-06-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Aren't Uncles Fun- And lucky Porter he has 7 AWESOME UNCLES!!!
We love you Chris, Justin R, Scott, Justin C, Colby, Austin, and Eli!

Cream and Bacon

2009-06-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

On mother's day I was whipping some cream to go on a cake. I stepped away from the mixer for just a second and Porter managed to launch his toy pig into the bowl. Fortunately the mixer was turned off when it happened. Bacon and Cream.... Definitely a food combination that I wouldn't have thought to try but Porter seemed to like it just fine!

Makeup Mischief

2009-06-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

For the most part Porter is a really good little boy and sticks pretty much right by me but one day while I fixed lunch he found my makeup and thought that he should try it out- And yes thanks to my handy shout stain remover it did come out of his shirt!

After I cleaned him up I went to clean off his shirt and came back to find him walking around the kitchen in nothing but a diaper and a pair of my high heels.

Happy Birthday Tessa!

2009-06-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Tessa We Love You!!!

Catch Up

2009-06-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

"My Mommy is a BAD BLOGGER!"

Porter is quite into making faces these days- If he's not happy with you, you know it! I have been a very bad blogger lately but bear with me as I try and catch up over the next few days.

Yard Work

2009-04-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

This past week we have been spending a lot of time out in the yard expanding our garden, getting flower beds ready and cleaning up massive piles of "pokies" as the neighbor kids call the unreal amount of fallen pine needles. I love having a big yard (two acres) but it is a lot to take care of- I am very lucky to have such a sweet husband who does most of the yard work.

Porter of course loves has loved every second of being outside and even tries to help. Today I was hauling sod with the four-wheeler and he kept trying to drive for me-

Lately the neighbor kids Miss B who is almost 8 and Mr. T who is 5 come over when they see us out in the yard. Porter loves their visits and is always sad when they go. Even though they are older they do a wonderful job of playing with him-

Today they played with Porter while I was raking and hauling off pine needles. When Miss B found out I was hauling off the pine cones too she couldn't believe that I was getting rid of them then she proceeded to come up with a list of great ideas of how to use them for crafty type things- including my personal favorite a pine cone lamp lol! (She's a creative one) After that they took Porter around the yard and collected "baby pine cones" to take home- it was so cute!

Speaking of Cute here's the little guy helping out

Big Changes......

2009-04-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's hard for mommy to realize it but Porter is really growing up- I love to watch him learn and grow but sometimes I wonder who took my sweet little baby and traded him off for this rambunctious silly little tornado of a toddler?

As of today he has been officially done with nursing for two whole weeks and down to one nap a day- The next big step we are working on is getting him to sleep in his own bed and last Saturday we took a BIG step in that direction.

Bye Bye Crib.....

Hello Big Boy Bed!

It is hard to tell in the picture but his new bed is shaped like a car and Porter loves it! I think his favorite part is that he can climb in and out all on his own and put as many toys as he likes in it. We still haven't gotten him to actually sleep in it although he thinks it's fun to "pretend" sleep in when he is playing. One day at a time!

Easter 2009 Part 2

2009-04-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday Porter got to wear his new Easter outfit to church. He was a bit tired when we got home but mom and dad were anxious to give him his Easter Basket. He loved his automatic bubble gun which took him less than 5 minutes to empty and of course M&M's!!

Mmmmm & Mmmmmm's

Enough Pictures already Mom!

Daddy taught Porter to fold his arms and
Porter is very good at it!

What a handsome little man!

We went to Grandma & Grandpa J's after church for dinner and croquet.
This pic cracks me up he is way into making faces lately

Gardening tools from Grandma and Grandpa
Just in time for our garden!

Bubbles with Aunt Tessa

2009-04-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Porter loves Bubbles and his Aunt Tess What a perfect combination!

Easter 2009 Part 1

2009-04-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had an Easter Egg Hunt at Nanna and Pa's with Kam and Kars. I was really surprised how quickly Porter caught on to picking up the eggs and putting them in his basket.... Until he realized that there was candy in the eggs then he was mostly interested in opening them up!

Porter's Basket from Pa & Nanna
He loooves the Teddy Bear that sings ABC and Counts

Picking Up Eggs

More Eggs.....

Ohhhh Candy!

Things I swore I would never do....

2009-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

BEFORE I had kids there were several things that I swore I would never do...

Let my kids sleep in my bed
Give them candy before they were 1
Give them too many toys
Let them watch TV
Not make them sit in their highchair at dinner
Give them pop

AFTER I had kids reality hit-

Let my kids sleep in my bed- There is just something to be said for this sweet little person snuggled up next to you- and plus if your a paranoid parent like me and sure that the house could burst into flames at any given moment you don't have to worry about getting to their room through the raging inferno.
Give them candy before they were 1- But how can you tell such a cute little face no? Although we ALWAYS do brush teeth!
Give them too many toys- Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and a mom who has trouble avoiding the toy clearance isle need I say more.
Let them watch TV- Nothing will get you an extra 1/2 hour of rest better than propping up you little one in front of an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Not make them sit in their highchair at dinner- It's a nice thought... but easier said than done especially at the restaurant when the child LOUDLY protests- I mean really who wants to fight that in front of dozens of glaring eyes that silently yell - "I don't care what you do but just keep that kid quiet!
Give them pop- We don't drink pop much at our house other than the rare occasion so this one isn't too hard... Well for the most part - but there are times that call for desperate measures and if a pop keeps him still for grandma the world won't end!

Porter's Little Buddy

2009-04-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Porter loves to play with his cousins and it is nice to have Kam and Kars so close by. Earlier this week when the weather was nice the boys came over to play. Porter and Kars have a cute little connection- Every time they see each other they both get all excited and want to hug and kiss hello- although most hugs end up with them wrestling (friendly) on the ground.

They are only 6 weeks apart in age and its fun to see how similar their interests are - they are both at the stage where "Mine" is one of their favorite words so the mom's end up doing a lot of refereeing. Kam plays well with both of them too- and thankfully is better at sharing than the both of them put together-

I love this one- Kars is all happy just getting pushed and the look on Porter's face is like
"Lay off the Oreo's Kar's your getting to heavy too push"

"Boy's Only Clubhouse"

"Blond Buddies"

Spring is Coming....

2009-04-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we decided to put up Porters new playground that he got for Christmas from Mom, Dad, Pa & Nanna- and then last week we woke up to this.....

Fortunately Monday and Tuesday this week were much much nicer and we got to spend time playing in the yard, raking, and getting things in order (more pictures on that later). Today however is back to cold and rainy and poor Porter is stuck inside and not happy about that in the least bit!

Jensen Family Pics

2009-04-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last month the whole Jensen family was able to get together for Layla's baby blessing and we managed to get the first complete family picture in a looong time. It's hard to get good lighting inside but I think that it looks fairly good considering we didn't have a professional photographer or camera... I've been playing with the backgrounds and I'm not sure which I like the best probably #6 What do you think?

#1 Light Background

#2 Medium Background

#3 greyish blue

#4 Medium greyish blue

#5 Light Blue

#6 Medium Tan

#7 Darker Tan
The following are per Aaron and Scott's suggestions

#8 Waterfall
#9 Paul's Resivour
#10 Our favorite lake
#11 Snowy

$20 Giftcard Giveaway

2009-04-01T19:46:00.001-07:00

That's right everyone I am giving away a $20 Gift Card to the store of your choice (as long as I can purchase it locally or online) There is however one little catch.... I entered a contest for the "messiest" craft room and I need your vote to win!! And If I do win I'll even give away two more gift certificate each for $10!!

For details on how to enter my give-oh-way check out my scrapbook blog Audra's Little Scraps

If you just love me and want to vote you can do so Once a Day per Computer until April 22nd at The Original Scrap Box . I am #11 (I have a blue tote in the left hand picture and a stereo speaker and stacked spools of ribbon in the right hand picture) It is really easy - You don't have to register or anything just click on the check mark next to my pictures. (Note the voting site has had a few hiccups so if it doesn't work the first time check back a little later)

So go vote on your computer- your husbands computer- your laptop- anywhere you can!!!

Porter meets baby Layla

2009-02-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Aunt Roxanna, Uncle Justin and the girls made an unexpected visit up this week for his Grandma's funeral (we are sorry for you lost Justin) but it gave us the wonderful opportunity to meet baby Layla two weeks earlier than we would have otherwise!!!!

Porter was very enthralled with Layla (or so I hear- I was off teaching a blogging class but that's another story....) He wanted to hold her- Not just once but pretty much off and on the entire night and he wanted her on his lap not just next to him or with his arm around her. Sorry Porter no baby for you just yet!

She was lots of fun to hold and snuggle for awhile but Mommy's not sure she's quite ready for even more sleepless nights than she already get right now.... at least for a little while. Not to mention the fact that she keeps very busy keeping up with Porter (case in point below) Note the RED permanent marker all over his pants and hands...

Porter also had fun playing with Macy although after the incident with the golf club (plastic thankfully) I am not so sure that Macy liked playing with him. What can I say he is all boy.....

Well except for the fact he wanted to sit at grandma's play make up table and blow dry his hair and put on pretend lipstick........

Learning Tower Giveaway!

2009-02-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

I know.... This is a family non-advertising blog but there is this great product that I really Really ReAlLy REALLY want! It's called a learning tower and for those of you who are not familiar- essentially a really cool adjustable step stool with guards that keep kids safe from falling-

Porter of course wants to be 100% involved in all the action and it would be so much better than a chair. They are holding lots of giveaways this month with the current one at To think is to Create and I am soooo keeping my fingers crossed- Just a warning though if one of you enter and happen to win... I might be sneaking over to your house to swipe it!

M&M's

2009-02-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

M&M's
Yummy to eat...
Fun to Wear..

Porter and the case of the disappearing pen

2009-02-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Porter is such a helper and today while I was working on valentines he decided to help me organize the pen drawer. I saw him grab what I thought was three pens and beeline for the other room. It took me a minute to remove myself from my project to follow him into the front room where I found him playing with two pens (both clicked closed fortunately) but the third pen was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around for awhile but alas no pen- so I decided I must have mistaken how many he had actually taken. Fast forward two hours and I am changing his sopping wet clothing (another story all together) and tucked safely inside his onesie is the missing pen- The little stinker!

Note to self take handle off of pen drawer!

Outside Fun

2009-02-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

No question about it- Porter is an 'outdoor' boy. He loves being outside warm or cold, rain or shine. Yesterday Porter spent a good hour or more outside and probably would have stayed longer if I'd let him.

Porter of course played with Ickles
And was not to thrilled when Ickles
was done playing with him
He had to go down the slide several times
And mom had to have some Photoshop fun
with this cute picture of her little man

Porter and Ickles

2009-02-03T07:58:00.001-08:00

Well it's official (to Porter at least) he has now decided that he is a grown up toddler and too big for his highchair and now wants to eat everything at his little picnic table. I can occasionally manage to wrangle him into the highchair for breakfast (the far messiest meal of the day) but that's about it.....
We have had our share of 'odd' cats in the past and Ickles is right there up with them- He has decided that the nice warm bed of towels that was generously made for him in the garage is not up to his standards and has started sleeping in the dog kennel with Drake in his dog house....

Occasionally we let him inside to play with his buddy Porter. The other day they were a little too quiet and I had to go check- I found them in Porter's room where Porter was throwing crayons at him and the cat loving every second of it attacking them like they were little multi colored wax mice.

Grandpa's Funeral

2009-01-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that the funeral was a week ago today.... It was such a beautiful day; clear and not to cold. The part of the day that really touched me and my family would have to have been the graveside services- The members of the American Legion who did the military tribute did an amazing job especially the three young men who fold the flag. When they presented the flag to my mother (which my grandfather had requested) we all got pretty teary eyed.

If the week before the funeral we went through pictures to put in a slide show and I found this one I had forgotten about....

It almost seems surreal that all my grandparents are gone now.....

I am so grateful to know 'the plan' and that we can be together forever.

Here are some pictures from the funeral that I swiped from my sister Chelsea's blog

This is the flower arrangement that I made for the funeral and one of the one's I made for the pallbearers. I have done some flower arranging before but it's been awhile and I was very happy/relieved with how they turned out.

Porter & Mom's 8 Favorite Things

2009-01-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

PORTER= Red MOMMY = Blue

8 favorite TV shows: Mickey Mouse (Hot Dog!), Backyardagains, That is pretty much all I get to watch but every now and then mommy lets me watch Wonder Pets, Little Einsteins, Go Digeo, Handy Manny, or Charlie and Lola. Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Eureka, Scrapbook Memories, NCIS, CSI Las Vegas, Chuck, Pushing Daisies.

8 things I did yesterday: Got yogurt in my hair and all over the floor, Cleaned Yogurt off the Floor Dumped out mommy's clean laundry on the dirty kitchen floor, Laundry Ate lunch with Daddy at Apple B's where I got to sit in the big boy Booster seat!! Yumm! Took Aunt Chels, Kam and Kars to Sams Club, (Where I stuck to my budget and didn't spend a dime), Visited grandma at work (a garden store) and walked with her in the snow (considered growing my flowers from seed this year but decided I actually wanted them to look nice), took a nice long nap, listened to the second Twilight book while I cleaned, fed the dog with Uncle Ott, cleaned the floor... Again! Gave mom a big goose egg. Managed to not freak out and yell when porter decided to do kungfu and gave me a giant goose egg on my forhead- Gold star for me on patience!

8 things I look forward to: Daddy Coming home, Aaron coming home, Eating, Starting my garden, playing with Ickles, getting the mail, feeding the dog, Porter's Daily Nap!, Milk!, Camping, Playing with Kam & Kars, finishing my massive housewide de-junking/organization project, it getting warm so I can play outside, Remodling our Bathroom, meeting my new cousin Layla, Meeting Layla,

8 Favorite Restaurants: House Salad/Breadsticks at Olive Garden, Idaho Pizza/Cheese Pizza at Craigo's, Salad Bar/Watermellon at Sizzler, French Onion Soup/Mac N' Cheese at Apple B's, Breadsticks/Breadsticks at Little Ceasers, Potato Soup/Mac N' Cheese at Johnny Carinos, CrunchWrap/Cheese Wrap at Taco Bell,

Now we tag You!!!

2009-01-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

"I am the resurrection, and the life" spoke the Master "he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." John 11:25-26

We will miss you Grandpa George!
Jan 15th 1917 - Jan 10th 2009

Christmas 2008 Part 2

2009-01-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pictures from Nanna and Pa's on Christmas Eve

Porter (looking mischievous) & Cousin Kars
note the shirt- boy was it right on!!

My Mom made these adorable stockings-
They were almost bigger than the boys!

The three Amigo's in their matching PJ's from Nanna

Christmas 2008 Part 1

2008-12-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

Both I and Aaron have always loved Christmas- having said that I must say that with Porter around Christmas takes on a whole new meaning of wonderful! It is so fun to see how much he enjoys the little things like getting to turn on the Christmas tree each day. One of my very favorite Christmas moments with him this year was when we went to see the Christmas lights. One of Aaron's clients has a house with 42,000 lights that are all coordinated to music which they broadcast- Porter was fascinated- we let him out of his carseat to sit on my lap while we watched and he couldn't hold still- he kept dancing to the music bopping all over the place and trying to climb on the dash to get a closer view of the light show.

We spent Christmas Eve day at Nanna and Pa's playing games, eating, having a Christmas Program and of course opening presents- Porter was so excited that he skipped his nap(s) and by the time presents came around he was a ~~bit~~ very cranky. I forgot my camera but Aunt Chels got some good pictures which I will have to get from her when her family gets back from their big ski trip.

Christmas Day we planned on sleeping in but the wind was blowing so hard it woke me up early- With that and the snow we decided that if we were going to make it to Grandma and Grandpa J's we better get going- The first road we tried was very drifted and at one point completely blocked and in the process of being cleared by some kind soul out on a tractor. We turned around and decided to try and go North on a different road (It seemed silly because our destination was to the South) fortunately we were able to make it to the Highway and then turned south and things were fairly clear from there.

Then followed more food fun and presents- Porter didn't quite get the whole unwrapping thing but he had a great time helping grandma hand presents out.

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

I am so bad about Christmas Letters that I only got a handful actually mailed..... So for all of our lovely friends and family her is our "online" Christmas greetings:

Merry Christmas 2008

We hope this season finds you all happy and well. May you all have a lovely Christmas and a wonderful year in 2009.

Between camping trips, hunting adventures, the Elders quorum presidency and his job as the Sales Manager at Yost Aaron kept busy this year. Porter adores his dad and loves to wrestle and feed the dog with him every night.

We feel very blessed that Audra has the opportunity to stay home with Porter, a job she absolutely loves! Last year she started designing graphics for digital scrapbooking and was hired this year to design for an online store. That and Porter have kept her busy but she also found time for lots of canning and her church callings doing the ward bulletin, newsletters and ward website.

Porter has grown so much the year & it has been so much fun to watch him learn and all those fun ‘firsts’. He is a very loving child and more than happy to give out kisses and loves. He loves being outside and adores our cat whom he calls “ickles” He loves to cuddle up on a your lap with a book playing fetch with the dog, and hauling his toys around in his ‘CAT’ dump truck. Porter is definitely the light of our lives & always keeps us busy & smiling

Scrambled Eggs

2008-12-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

My little helper loves to sit on the edge of the fridge when I open it- he's usually so good that I didn't even think about it when I was cleaning out the fridge this afternoon and all of the sudden..... I felt really bad because I snapped 'no' at him and his little lip quivered- So I left the eggs for a minute to tell him I was sorry- he calmed right down, walked over to the eggs and kept pointing at them and saying "Uh Oh!" In a very concerned voice-

I guess the lesson to me is don't shout over cracked eggs!

1200 Free Digital Prints & 20pg photobook for $6.99 w/Free Shipping

2008-12-09T08:07:00.001-08:00

Have you heard about Artscow.com yet? It is an AWESOME printing service for not only for photo prints but scrapbooks as well- I have several fun projects for Christmas but I can't tell you the specifics just in case the lucky recipient is reading this.

Right now they are offering 1200 free prints and a $6.99 20 pg photobook with FREE shipping and some other fun FREE ITEMS just for signing up with them- Their photobooks are so easy to do you just upload pictures from your computer drag and drop them on the pages and tada- an AWESOME gift or memory book to keep!

Plus they give you additional freebies for every $15 you spend (including your shipping costs) you can sign up at artscow.com and start ordering great Christmas presents!

Also if anyone is interested I have a couple of coupons from them for an 8x8, 20 pg photo book for just 11.99 with FREE SHIPPING- I don't have many so if your interested (and serious about using it) just e-mail me at audrajjensen@msn.com

Hunting Season

2008-12-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hunting Season is over..... We (I should say Aaron) didn't get anything this year and I am kind of relieved. Although extra meat in the freezer is always nice I have nightmares about Bambi hanging in my garage. Aaron got to go a couple of different times with his friends - I think out of the group they came away with 4 or 5 deer but no elk this year.

I and Porter always miss him when he's gone but we're glad he gets to go have fun with the guys- So on behalf of Aaron- Thanks for all the fun to Scott, Bill, Eli, Clint, Clint, Colby, Kelly, Jacob, Trevor and anyone else I missed (Oh and thanks for getting him home safe too!)

Here's a few pictures

A few more tags...

2008-11-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

HUSBAND TAG
1. Where did you meet?
It's a long story basically we met at the singles ward

2. How long did you date before you got married?
Almost 4 months- We both just knew!

3. How long have you been married?
We celebrated our 8th Anniversary in July!!!

4. What is your favorite feature of his?
I love his blue eyes and how they change colors depending on what he wears.

5. What is your favorite quality of his?
He is very thoughtful and is always helping me out with Porter and around the house.

6. Does he have a nickname for you?
Maybe......

7. What is his favorite color?
Definitely RED!

8. What is his favorite food?
Shrimp or Steak

9. What is his favorite sport?
Hunting and Fishing!!!

10. When and where was your first kiss?
It's a secret....

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Go Camping.

12. Do you have any kids?
Porter

13. Does he have a hidden talent?
He has lots of talents- Some might argue it's not a talent per se' but he is very determined

14. How old is he?
10 months older than me!

15. Who said "I love you" first?
Him

16. What is his favorite type of music?
Talk Radio...

17. What do you admire most about him?
He is very kind and a hard worker- He takes such good care of our little family.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAME 6 QUIRKS

1. I could practically live on Orange juice and lemonade

2. I'm very particular about how my clothes hang in my closet.

3. I use to read tons but since having Porter I've got hooked on books on tape, I almost always have one going when I clean the house, drive anywhere, and even take one camping to listen to while I'm hanging out in the camper.

4. I loooove Taco Bell (I think your right Kathy about it getting in your blood and I only worked there a week!!!)

5. My major in college for the first two years was International Studies with an Emphasis in the Middle East (Like I would ever actually use that!) It's a really good thing that I switched to Business.

6. I love to get the mail. I guess it started in college and even though now its mostly boring stuff I love sorting through the envelopes and the occasional package.

Porter & Ickles

2008-11-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

I've always thought that fall leaves make such a great backdrop for photo's so the other day I and Chels took the boys out in the yard to catch a few pictures.

I love this one she got of Porter & his cat Ickles- Porter loves his cat (which the rest of us tolerate) The poor cat never actually had a name until one day Porter started calling him Ickle and it just stuck.

I can't believe how attached to the cat he is we can't go outside without him instantly saying ickle ickle and looking around until he finds him. Ickle is also pretty attached to Porter. He follows him around the yard like a puppy and even lets Porter drag him around by the head, tail or even sometimes upside down.

The Little Dragon

2008-11-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

We started off our Halloween Celebrations on Thursday the 30th with a visit to the Pumkin Walk with Porter, Mom, Dad, Aunt Chels, Cousin Karson and Nanna- The boys especially loved the Sesame Street display

Friday afternoon Mom and Porter went over to Chelsea's and made Halloween sugar cookies with her, Nanna and the boys- After a quick nap we went to the ward trick or treat. Porter didn't quite get the whole trick or treat think- he was more interested in walking around and looking at everyone until he figured out there was candy in his bucket then that became all he was interested in.

Next we went to see Grandma Farrar and then to Grandma J to see her and Uncle Scott. We tried to go see Nanna, Pa, Papa George, Uncle Aust and Uncle Eli but they had several sickies so we just said a quick hi at the door. Hopefully we'll get to make a late trick or treat trip there later in the week. In the mean time here's some pictures and a cute video.

Picture Tag

2008-10-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

It was supposed to be my 6th picture in my 6th folder right? Well it's of the little man (surprise surprise) when he was about 6 months old- I tag Roxanna, Chelsea, and Genessa

Look-a-like Meter

2008-10-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we took Porter in to the Dr. when I walked in the receptionist and billing clerk commented on how cute Porter was and that he looked just like me (yes that means I must be cute too!!) A minute or two later his dad walks in and the receptionist tells says "Wow- now I think he looks just like his dad"

So.... Either Porter has strong features from each of us and thus looks like both of us
Or.... Me and his dad look the same (are you kidding?)

Well today I tried out the look-a-like meter and they confirmed that he looks equally like both of us- Of course I had to try it again with different pictures and got the same results.... Poor Kid!!!

Porter's Birthday

2008-10-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

OK so this is ~~a little~~ really late... over a month but I just had to share a couple of pictures from Porter's B-day party/barbecue.

Porter is not really into TV but the one show he will watch is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so we picked that for the theme. It is so cute he picked up the song at the end of the show, he doesn't really sing it but he walks around saying "Hot Dog" especially when he hears similar sounding music.

Redneck Fun

2008-09-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

In August Aaron's brother Chirs his wife Laura and their boys Zack and Garrett came for a visit. As it is a common summer occurrence it wasn't too surprising when someone pulled out the tomato paste cans and some 'special' fireworks. . . . Don't try this at home folks! Uncle Reid who is literally an aerospace engineer (or something like that) calculated based on timing that they manage to shoot the tomato paste can between 150 and 210 feet in the air on average. . .

Clever Clever Boys.
Entertaining? Strangely enough.....
A little Redneck? Most definitely!

Toddler Tornado and the Yogurt Cup

2008-09-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Where did this little Toddler Tornado come form and what happened to the sweet little baby who used to snuggle in my lap?

A few weeks ago (right before labor day) I ran in to town to run a few quick errands. Porter wasn't trilled with getting in and out of his carseat and after a struggle to get him buckled in after the grocery store I was relieved that he was being relatively good... He had managed to get his hands on a cup of yogurt in the bag next to him... I figured it would entertain him at least long enough to let me do a quick drop off at the library and make it home....

Little did I know he actually could figure out how to open the yogurt container- and proceeded to give everything from his face to his toes a yogurt Spa treatment. He was quite pleased with himself and got this big grin on his face when I went to get him out of his seat at home. He thought it was great fun but let me tell you speaking from my new found experience, while yogurt may be fun to mush into a carseat-it is NOT fun to clean out of a carseat!

Porter Slides

2008-09-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Porter loves slides- Big or small it doesn't matter and he wants to do it himself... We have a little slide in our back yard that he looooves to go down again and again. He does really good getting up the stairs and going down by himself but recently he has decided that backwards is the way to go. Here's a quick little clip of him on his slide- make sure to turn on your sound to hear the cute little yell he does right before he goes down.

I am REALLY BEHIND on this blog so hopefully I can get in some more posts this week!

Jensen Family Trip

2008-09-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have been so bad at posting lately- we've had a busy few weeks as a family. Faithsisters Scrapbooking picked me up as a digital products designer (YEAH!) so I have been busy getting things ready for that and learning the ins and outs of their site.

In the end of August we took a trip with Grandma and Grandpa J, Uncle Scott, Aunt Roxanna, Uncle Justin and Cousin Macy. We had a lot of fun- Porter was sooo good with all the traveling and slept most of the time we were in the car. He was especially excited to see cousin Macy. Here's a few pictures from our vacation.

Chocolate Milk- YUMM!

So Tired...

Port & Grandma

In the Pilot's Seat

Wow What a Big Airplane!

Unseen Blessings

2008-08-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting experience this morning that really got me to thinking about how many times in our lives we are blessed and directed by the spirit without even realizing it.

Porter has been sick the past couple of days (yuck yuck yuck) anyways- He had just made a sick mess and of course gotten yuckiness all over himself in the process. I bathed him off and dressed him- and he seemed in a fairly good mood, yet pretty mellow so rather than haul him and an armful (both our clothes, two towels, a changing pad, and a blanket covered in yuck) to the laundry room I left him in his room to play.

I was in the laundry room less than a minute when I had the thought that I really should go check on him which was kind of strange because I'd barely left him and he wasn't crying or anything.

When I walked back towards his room I was surprised to see him in the bathroom right next to the tub- which of course I hadn't yet drained from his bath. I can't figure out what drew him to go in there- he hadn't been thrilled about the bath so I don't think he was trying to go back for more and the lights in the bathroom were off, and it was pretty dark in there (windowless)...

There wasn't much water in the tub to begin with and the laundry room is within good earshot of the bathroom so I don't know that anything would have happened, but you never know.... I truly think that the spirit whispered in my ear to check on him and maybe not so much to keep him safe as for the lesson that it taught me to appreciate all the unseen blessings in my life.

Temple Open House

2008-08-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I and PJ got to go the the TF Temple Open house with Grandma C, Aunt Niecie and Auntie Em. It was so beautiful (as they all are) If you want to read about it click HERE. It was a long drive and a long day but lots of fun. It is a lot like the R Temple but about 1/2 the size. We stopped while we where there and saw S Falls.

Tagged...

2008-08-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am sooo bad at taking care of tags- both of these are at least a week or two old- If you tagged me and I haven't done it yet I am sooooo sorry it must have got lost in the shuffle. The first tag came from my blog buddy over at Be It Ever So Humble. "Take three pictures of the view from your desk" Well.... my desk location varies from day to day- today it happens to be at the kitchen table- I took a picture of the outside of my fridge which currently has 8 wedding invitations on it (all from the past 6 weeks) but then I worried that some of them wouldn't their pic posted on my blog so I left that one off. Here are the three that made the cut:

Part of a picture on my wall by Greg Olsen

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

PJ's Toy's

The next tag was from Shel's Scraps- Name 7 Random things about yourself:

1. My associates degree was in International Studies with an emphasis in the Middle East (I totally use that one everyday as a SAHM out here in rural America)

2. We just celebrated our 8 year anniversary!! XOXOXOXO

3. A few tears ago coming home from a camping trip we saw Dick Cheney Fly Fishing the river- in my excitement to take a picture as 'proof' I dropped and ruined the camera.

4. I am a garage sale addict - We go almost every weekend were home and in the winter I feel like I'm going through withdrawals.

5. My # 1 Favorite candy is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

6. I am 15 years older than my youngest brother who is 15 years older than my little guy.

7. I Loooove reading and have probably easily read over a thousand books in my life.

NOW I TAG YOU!

What princess are you?

2008-08-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

One of my blog buddies told me about this fun quiz I just had try- I almost couldn't believe the results because out of all the Disney movies Sleeping Beauty is my all time favorite (followed closly behind by the Fox and the Hound) So what princess are you?

You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Porter & Oakley Play Fetch

2008-08-05T07:36:00.001-07:00

Porter has really gotten to like animals- We have two kittens (actually they are almost cats now). Porter gets so excited when we go outside, his little feet start kicking and he starts talking to them in this cute little language he reserves just for them. We're mot sure where he picked it up but he calls the "ickles".

Our little black one especially loves Porter and lets him tug on his ear or tail and drag him around. It's not surprising that one of Porters favorite toys is a little stuffed black cat. It has been nice for me too because if I want to do something in the yard I can just put Porter in his stroller and he happily watches the cats play in the yard/trees for quite awhile.

Porter is really interested in our black lab, Drake, who although he is four years old, still thinks he's a puppy and jumps on and licks everything... needless to say Porter doesn't really get to play with Drake.

Grandma & Grandpa Jensen have a Sheep dog, Oakley, who Porter loves and gets to pet. Oakley is so good with Porter and the other day Uncle Ott taught Porter how to play fetch with him. It was soooo cute, Oakley didn't even mind that Porter could only throw it a foot or two.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Strengthening the Family; Part 2 Quality Time

2008-07-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

"The most important of the Lord's work you and I will ever do will

be within the walls of our own homes. Effective family leadership,

brethren, requires both quantity and quality time" Harold B Lee

Quantity Time-I must admit I wasn't too surprised when I read that the American family spends 40% less time together now than they did 20 years ago. When you start to turn that into actual hours over a child's lifetime the numbers are staggering.

Lets say families used to spend 20 hours a week together (just over 3hrs/day), based on this study they now spend only 12 so that's turns into

8 less hours/week

34.6 less hours/month

416 less hours/year

7,488 less hours/(18 years)

312 LESS DAYS

That is like missing almost a full year out of your child's life! Watching Porter grow this past year I have begun to realize how short our time with our children at home really is- What can we do to take advantage of every moment of it

Quality Time- As a stay at home mom I am lucky that I do get a lot of "Quantity" time with Porter- what really got me to thinking is the issue of "Quality" time- When I started looking at a typical day in our lives I began to see lots of what I call "missed moments" little snatches of time here and there where I was to busy involved in what I was doing that I missed an opportunity with Porter- to teach, to play, to laugh or even just to be right there.

A few days ago as I was feeding Porter I noticed that when I feed him he stares off into space and it is somewhat hard to get his attention- which for him, my social little guy, is pretty uncommon. After giving it a little thought I realized that almost every time I fed him since he was born I was either reading a book or watching TV- no wonder he was ignoring me! It made me sad to think of all those little "missed moments" that I could have talked to him, sang him primary songs, or even just gazed into those sweet little baby eyes- now that our "feeding" days are quickly drawing to and end I wish I had taken the opportunity to develop that as "Quality" time for us rather than plodding through it as just another task to do.

My goal now is to make the effort to be there on his level interacting with him- not just letting him play at my feet while I type away or work on other projects.... Which may mean a few less blog posts or saving my scrapbooking till he's asleep but in the end I know I will be giving the most to what matters most- my priceless little guy.

That is my challenge to you this week to find at least one little way that you can improve the quality of the time you spend with those you love

The little tooth that wouldn't- and a mess

2008-07-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Poor Porter his tooth is being stubborn and still hasn't quite come in- I feel so bad for the poor little guy! He hasn't been eating much due I am guessing to the tooth pain so last night, in an effort to get some kind of food down and also to give him something cool to sooth his mouth him I gave him a Popsicle. Of course true to character he wanted to do it himself- he needed a bath anyway so I figured what the heck...... Needless to say it was a bit of a mess and he ended up getting put in the tub fully clothed- which hopefully was enough pre-soaking to get the stains out of his shirt. =)

YUMMM!

A mess only a mother could love

Sorry little guy it's all gone!

Our 4th of July Weekend

2008-07-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fourth of July weekend- very busy! Aaron's Aunt Bev her husband Tony and their son Mike along with his wife Trish and their daughter Makayla were visiting- it was fun to see them and to watch Porter play with Makayla.

We were very lucky to have great seats for the parade and fireworks; one of Aaron's friends from work lives on the parade route and let us set up a canopy on his lawn- Uncle Scott works really close to where they set off the fireworks and we were able to sit in their parking lot with a great view and we didn't even have to show up early to fight the crowds. I love the picture of me and Porter at the parade- he was so tired that he went right to his sleepy pose- two fingers in the mouth and a handful of mom's hair- We always joke that we need to get Aaron a wig so that Porter has something to hold on to when dad puts him to sleep.

On Saturday we had a big party for Aaron's grandmother's 90 birthday and got to visit with more family who were there for that. In all it was a great weekend!

Porter & Mommy at the Parade

Porter & Makayla

Happy Birthday Grandma

(the watch was the only way we could get him to hold still for the picture)

Porter & Grandma J. at the Fireworks

Porter & Mommy having fun

New tooth, So Tired

2008-07-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

Porter was a bear at church- he was getting a new tooth and not very happy. Aaron had to take him out to the foyer, Porter however still wasn't trilled and we could still hear him from the chapel. I ended up bringing him home after sacrament meeting. Once home I put him in his highchair to feed him some lunch before his nap but the poor little guy didn't make it very long....

Later that afternoon we thought we'd go for a drive to check out the reservoir (It's almost full!) at our favorite campground which is just over an hour away. The ride started o.k. but about a half hour into it Porter decided he wasn't interested. Uncle Scott who was with us was a real trooper and tried very hard to keep Porter occupied.

The mountains and reservoir were beautiful and despite the tears it was a fun mini-trip. Porter got to dip his toes in the lake for the first time! - The water was cold and there was a lot of driftwood but he really seemed to like splashing his toes in the water.

Strengthening the Family- #1 Home Environment

2008-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

"No other success in life can compensate for failure in the home"
David O. McKay

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my little family lately and what steps we can take to strengthen it. Shortly after Porter was born we purchased the book "25 mistakes LDS Parents Make and How to Avoid Them" by Randal A. Wright, but only last week did I pick it up and start reading it. It is an excellent book with so many good insights that are applicable not only to LDS parents but all parents looking to strengthen and protect their families.

Not to spoil the book (because I think it is a must read) I am going to give my take on each of the principles taught- The first principle

HOME ENVIRONMENT

A persons home is a reflection of who they are and what matters to them-

Several years ago we had a neighbor in a serious accident- He had been the only one home and his family who had been out of time was headed straight to the hospital. We stopped by their home shortly after the accident to check on their pets and make sure everything was ok. One thing in particular stood out to me- a set of scriptures open on the dining room table, with a marking pencil beside them. They were out- being used- showing that they were important to him.

I thought of my own scriptures tucked away neatly in a drawer- all to often pulled out only when I remembered to grab them on my way to church.... What did that say about the value I placed upon them? Our Book of Mormon now sits on our kitchen table- it still doesn't get read every day but we are much more likely to remember to read when it is out and available

What is important to your family?

The things that are most important to me- the things I want to teach my child(ren) to value are

1) Our Family 2) The Gospel 3) Freedom/Our Nation 4) Outdoors 5)Literature/Reading

How does your home reflect what's important to you?

The choice of pictures and artwork in your home reflects much of our values and whats important to you- Just as a member of Peta wouldn't display a gun rack in their back window- we should display that which reflects our values.

Pictures in our home include of our family, Christ, the Sacred Grove, George Washington and other historical leaders, The Proclamation on the Family. We also have pictures of the outdoors, animals, and of course lots of little black bears as well as bookshelves full of good books. Like most things of course there is always room to improve.

Porter's room for example is decorated top to bottom in cute little black bears and pine trees- which is both cute and fits what we value- but does it communicate what we value the most? I am sure that adding a picture of the Savior and/or temple in his room would even further communicate the values that we want him to strive for.

Children seem to readily value that which their parents do- Almost without fail if you find parents who are very involved in sports- or music- their children are too. We learn what we live with. I think that if we start with our children when they are young not only teaching them our values but surrounding them with little reminders they will be much more likely to value those same things in their lives.

Porter Self Feeding

2008-06-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Porter has decided that he needs to feed himself- If I am not really quick pulling the spoon back out he bites down and will not let go. Once he has control of the spoon he wants to dip it in the babyfood just like mom... I let him try it once and although he managed to get some in his mouth most ended up on him- the highchair- the floor- me.....

He has also decided that cheerios and other such foods are blah- he want's stuff with substance. Last night we were putting away groceries so I cut up some pizza and put it on his tray- not long later dad walked by and noticed he had no food and not knowing I had already given him some, gave him some more. When I came back a few minutes later I gave him more- We figure that he must have eaten at least a whole slice!

Another of his favorites is steamed green beans- which really surprises me because they are pretty chewy. It amazes me how well he chews them with those 8 tiny little teeth. Which, YES TESSA, we are brushing with the toothbrush you gave him!

Food Storage

2008-06-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have a list of blogs in my google reader that I enjoy reading one of my very favorite is Be It Ever So Humble. Mrs. Mordecai has great ideas on so many homemaking related things. Her post today was on food storage- which is one of the few homemaking areas that I feel like I have a really good handle on (I should say WE my husband is a big helper).

When we got married we were fortunate to have family give us some food storage as wedding presents- in the eight years since then we have added a little here and a little there and have finally got to a point where we can work on maintaining and rotating. We are very fortunate to have a large storage room in our basement that stays nice and cool to keep stuff well preserved.

I know when we started it seemed overwhelming but speaking from experience starting was the hardest part- I truly believe with a little planning, some time, and a little faith anyone can follow the wise council to build their food storage up. That is my challenge to all my family and friends this week. Take a mental inventory of where you are with your food storage and take action- even a little step towards getting it to where you want it to be. You can do it!!!

Memorial Day

2008-05-31T20:25:00.001-07:00

Mom and Porter went with Grandma and Grandpa C, Gandpa George, and Uncle Eli to take flowers to the cemetaries on Memorial Day. Porter was quite interested in all the flowers.

Porter checking out Grandma H's lilacs

Porter and Grandpa C

Memorial Day Camping Trip

2008-05-31T20:04:00.001-07:00

Every year we go camping to the same spot- This year we weren't so sure that the weather was going to allow us- We had a friend who was snowmobiling over the same campground less than a month ago. Fortunatly thanks to some nice sunny days the snow had melted- although it was colder and rained more than usual.

Porter loved being outdoors- I think his favorite part was getting to sleep in the big bed in the camper with mom all night- poor dad had to sleep on the couch bed. It was a little hard for him not to be able to be down on the floor crawling around- Grandma J has a bigger camp trailer and had brought a big brand new rug that was clean so when we went to visit their campsite he was able to get some of his wiggles out.

We spent one evening at Uncle Reid's camper (the Hunting Hilton) and watched National Treasure two.

We had one really big surprise at camp- Aunt Tessa and Cousin Karson, his dad had flown out for a job interview and Karson got to come with him (Aunt Chels, Aust, and Kamden stayed home), aunt Tessa met them at the airport and came along too to help watch him.

Porter and Karson played well together- they even (much to my amazement) gave each other a hug without being prompted. Everything was great... At Grandma C's camper that is... when Karsie came to visit Porter at our trailer, Porter suddenly got VERY possessive of his toys- It didn't matter what Karson picked up, Porter had it out of his hands in seconds- hummm we'll have to work on the sharing thing I guess.

Porter playing with Karson (and sharing at this point) Karsie has the sweetest little curls!

Porter and Aunt Tess

A Cheesy Smile

Nanna and her boys

Duck Hunting

2008-05-31T17:55:00.001-07:00

Porter & Dad were playing in the living room the other day and I heard some quaking noises- I went in to see what was going on and found Dad taking Porter on his first duck hunting trip.

Going, Going, Gone

2008-05-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

I just was going through my pictures from our little trip to the condo and found these really cute ones from the car ride.... Yes that is his 'natural' hair-do when mom dosn't try to brush it down.

What Color?

2008-05-12T13:41:00.001-07:00

We still can't decide what color Porter's eyes are- Sometimes they look brown, other times they look blue- but mostly they are a dark greyish- Like the pic.

Creepin' and Crawlin'

2008-05-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Goodbye unlocked cupboards,

And things close to the floor.

The uncovered outlets,

and things in lower drawers.

Porter's started creeping,

Just a little here and there

But I know any day now,

He'll be crawling everywhere.

Move everything up high,

Cause nothings safe down low-

Watch out everybody,

Porter's on the go...

Make a Smilebox postcard

Happy Birthday!

2008-04-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

The card is a little late in the mail (it's still not mailed) but we wanted you to know that we love you and are thinking of you on your special day!

Kind of fun to try

2008-04-13T07:20:00.001-07:00

I saw this on another website and was curious to try it out- I always wondered how fast I typed- Pretty average I guess- I wish they had ten key tests now that I could do- After 4 years at a bank I could ten key in my sleep!

61 words

Speedtest

Napping Strike

2008-04-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

I thought that babies took naps, I also thought that if you were 8 months old you were still considered a baby. However I failed to take into account that Porter might not believe such things. I am not sure what he thinks he is going to miss. . . . but he is NOT interested in naps.

If I pull the blinds and hold him in the recliner he'll sleep, ah make that doze, but the second I get up to put him in his crib those little eyes pop open! "Hey what am I missing mom?"

Yesterday I reverted to laying next to him on my bed until he fell asleep, but then of course I did to. . . . . . So much for the stuff on my to do list.

A growing personality

2008-04-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

It is so fun to watch Porter's personality grow and develop. He is turning into quite the little ham. Yesterday evening we made a trip to Home Depot to get some blinds and Porter was fascinated with everything. Then on the way out he kept making faces at the clerk- who of course told him how cute he was- the more attention she gave him the more he grinned. We of course think he's the cutest baby ever- But with a smile like this who wouldn't think that?

Porter's Easter Camo from Dad

(apparently they have the same taste in clothes)

Porter with Aunt Tess (wearing his Easter Camo)

P.S. It never ceases to amaze me how much uh, stuff.... can come out of a little person.
Some days it seems like my washing machine never stops running.

Almost 1000 miles in just over 48 hours

2008-04-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip this weekend to see family, I thought we were awfully brave considering a long car ride for Porter is usually less than half an hour. Porter was a champ however, and was really only fussy for 30 minutes total or so. We had a lot of fun visiting in the short time we were there- Next time we definatly need to plan for a couple of extra days! Here's a few fun pics of our trip.

Only in Nevada

2008-04-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

Only in Nevada are there ashtrays in the actual bathroom stall.
Only in Nevada is the local thrift shop called "The poke and peek" I'm not joking!
Only in Nevada do you open the 101 things to do with your family guide and find a full page ad for a brothel.
Only in Nevada do you see this sign right next to the city exit sign. Believe it or not this sign was relatively mild compared to a couple of others we saw.

ABC's of Porter

2008-04-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

ABC'S of ME
A- Attached or Single: Single- Although there's a cute little girl at church
B- Best Friend: Mommy of Course!!
C- Cake or Pie: I've only tasted white cake and loved it!!
D- Day of Choice: Is there a difference?
E- Essential Item: Two little fingers to suck (I'm not into the binkies)
F- Favorite TV Show: Go Diego! and Wonderpets
G- Gummie Bears or Worms: I wish . . .. ..
H- Hometown: Somewhere in rural america . . . .
I- Indulgence(s): Mommy still rocks me to sleep & sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night she lets me sleep in the recliner with her.
J- January of July: July- then I can go outside!
K- Kids: Hey I'm a little young for that!
L- Life- Eat, Sleep, Watch Diego, Play with mom and dad!
M- Marriage- Mom & dad were married July 15, 2000
N- Number of siblings: Hopefully none, I'm too cute to have to share mom's attention
O- Oranges or Apples: I love to chew on apples! - but I don't care for apple juice
P- Phobias or Fears: The Sunday school teachers laugh, And sometime Grandpa J
Q- Quote: I AM A CHILD OF GOD
R- Reason to Smile: I am Loved!!
S- Season of Choice: I want to go outside so anything warm. . .
T- Tag Six: I tag: Aunt Chels & Uncle Just J, Uncle Aus, Uncle Eli, Aunt Tess, Kam & Kars
U- Unknown fact about me: My eyes change colors,depending on what I wear
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I'm trying to convince dad to share some Steak but I havn't had any luck yet!
W- Worst Habit: Pulling mom's hair when I eat
X- X-Ray or Ultrasound? ?????
Y- Your Favorite Food: MILK
Z- Zodiac: Leo- RAR!

Over the river and throught the woods....

2008-03-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Do you rememember that children's song- over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go. Our drive last Saturday felt like that song to me- granted there was no river, woods, horse, or sleigh, but there was a little snow and a LOT of deer-

We do live in a rural area- although a lot of new houses have popped up over the years it sometimes seems 'crowded' to those of us who have been here a little longer- We drove to grandma and grandpa's last Saturday (they live 6 or 7 miles away) and this is what we saw- And there were actually probably twice to three times as many deer as in the second picture - They were spread out in the field and hard to get a good picture of all of them at once.

A few pictures . . . . .

2008-03-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Porter in the St. Patrick's Day Shirt we made

(ok he just watched)

One day in the living room Porter rolled himself under the bear and kept petting it. He had a great time but ended up covered in fur.

One of Porter's favorite toys - and a nice mohawk

Porter and his bud Uncle sc'OTT'

I wanted to add a picture of him and cousin Karson but they didn't turn out very good. We'll have to try to get a better one when we see him tomorrow.

SO Excited!!!

2008-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you probably know I have really gotten into digital scrapbooking since the beginning of the year. A few weeks ago I entered my first ever layout contest and I won!!!

I am so excited- Getting into this scrapbooking thing I have kinda felt like a preschool kid that snuck out the Sunday paper, scissors, and gluestick to make some so called "art"- Hoping that no one would laugh at my work. . . .

Here are the two pages I entered. The one with me and Porter is the one that won. I was so surprised because there were a lot of really beautiful pages that were entered you can see them all at: Raspberry Road Forum (there are several pages) The Theme was why are you "LUCKY?" Raspberry Road is one of my favorite Digital Designers and she gives away a lot of great freebies. You can find her stuff HERE.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

2008-03-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Porter has decided he's mobile now. . . He started rolling over in December- mostly to his tummy and when he got there he would promptly decide that was not where he wanted to be and yelled for help. . . Now he can't hold still. . . As I am typing (or should I say trying to type) he's rolling all over and keeps pinning himself against the furniture and I have to go rescue him.

Of course when we tried to pull out the camera last night to catch him in action he decided he had stage fright. (or more likely a stubborn streak) We did however catch a couple of rolls. P.S. please ignore the goop on his sleeve- He decided that if carrotts were so tasty to eat they'd be just as fun to wear!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Things they never tell you about being a mom.

2008-02-29T14:02:00.001-08:00

I am finding that there are a lot of things that they never tell you about being a mom. Like that you would cheer on your child when he finally left a present in his diaper after several days without one.... That you would drive all the way home from town with your arm streched back over the seat cutting off your circulation to hold up your child's head as he slept so he didn't get a sore neck. . .

No one told me that after I had a child I would suddenly see germs everywhere on places that used to seem clean, that Clorox wipes would become a must have in my purse- oh yeah I forgot what purse- who can carry one with a 20lb kid, and the diaper bag!

And the biggest thing no one told me is how you manage to use the restroom while you are out shopping alone with your baby . . . . Leaving him in the car is obviously not an option, nor is laying him on the bathroom floor, and I am not enough of a juggler to hold at the same time (the thought alone makes me laugh). I considered handing him to the nice looking lady in Customer Service (Hey I'm a customer I need service!) but then all these kidnapping stories came to mind. . . . At this point I am starting to think I may never attempt to leave the house alone again or at least avoid drinking anything for several hours before I do.

I am a Child of God Bonus for Blog Readers

2008-02-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

I know no post for TWO DAYS! I have been distracted with setting up my other two blogs. If you are looking for my Freebies I have a special download just for blog readers- - - - You won't be able to click on the link, you will have to cut and paste the address in.

NOTE: The password is PORTER. In a day or two my freebies will be back up and running on my site audraslittlescraps.blogspot.com. This will then turn into my family site . . . . . so I can ramble on even more about my little guy.

Also I almost forgot to tell you about my other new site. kidtestedmotherapproved.blogspot.com/ As my loyal blog readers will know we just got Porter a new carseat. . . There were so many options we didn't know what to think- Reviews on the store website's were so varied that it was hard to know what to buy. As I got thinking about it the opions that made the most influence were other mom's I knew. I would love for anyone and everyone who would like to, to share the products (kid/family) related that they love for me to add to my blog, and own personal favorites list. If you want to share send an e-mail to me at audrajjensen@msn.com .

Now for your bonus you have all been waiting for (LOL!) Round and rectangle "I am a Child of God" frames and a round tag. HAPPY SCRAPPING

http://www.4shared.com/file/38953805/6fb91f90/CHILD_OF_GOD.html

Dont' forget you'll have to cut and paste or type in the download address:

I am a Child of God Elements Squares

2008-02-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

There has been such great feedback on the Child of God papers that I made two elements to go with it, a pewter frame and square. If you didn't already snag it the background paper is available on my post from Wed. (Drop shadows are on the preview only).

Sorry about the seperate downloads, I am still saving up my pennies to upgrade my WINZIP so I can put multiple items in one download.

Download Frame HERE

Download Block HERE

FYI In the next week or two I will be transfering my Freebies to my new

website audraslittlescraps.blogspot.com so I can use this for family posts.

I also have another website I'm just barely starting up for fun

Check it out at http://kidtestedmotherapproved.blogspot.com/

I am a Child of God pages Blue, Green

2008-02-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much everyone for all your kind responses. There were alot of people who said they would like this page in girl colors- so many in fact that I think I will offer all the pages that I have done so far re-done in pink, purple, and peach when I am done posting this set.

I have another little project "in the works" that I will be needing some input on in the next week or two and in exchange for your help I will be offering pages customized with your child's name so if your interested keep watching for that!

Thanks again for all your kind comments. And just as a reminder of my terms of use 1) Personal Use only NO COMMERCIAL! If you use these in any posted layouts please give me credit 2) Comments Appreciated 3) Please share but send your friends directly to my site, rather than 4 shared so I can track how many people are interested.

LINKS EXPIRED

Audra's Little Scraps Page 15 Freebie

2008-02-20T20:44:00.001-08:00

Just one page today- I did this one specifically to add to Porter's baby book- If you are interested in this in the yellow and green, let me know and I will post them tommorrow.

LINK EXPIRED

Audra's Little Scraps Page 12, 13, and 14

2008-02-19T20:41:00.001-08:00

Here's a couple of pages that weren't on the preview- Hope you enjoy them!

LINKS EXPIRED

Audra's Little Scraps Quick Page

2008-02-18T21:07:00.001-08:00

Let's try a quick page today . . . This is my first one so if it dosn't work like you expect it to please let me know. Thanks so much, especially to those of you have been so thoughtful to take a few extra seconds to leave comments! Download Quick Page LINK EXPIRED