meatballs sandwich

Adam went to lunch today. He had a meatball sandwich. He also bough lunch for a friend. That was nice of him, huh? He had leftovers. Said it was good, but too much food. And then I checked the bank account. What do you think the total was for two meatball sandwich lunch specials with chips and a drink at a local pizza place? Yeah, it was $810.87. Seriously. They charged his card EIGHT HUNDRED TEN DOLLARS and EIGHTY SEVEN CENTS! Can you believe it? I don't think it as that good. And I don't think Adam is THAT nice to buy a $400 sandwich for his friend. I don't think we'll be going back. If we were making that kind of money, we'd be on a plane to Italy to eat little more authentic...

birthday party numero uno.

{December 19th}

Jacob's birthday fell on a Saturday this year. Perfect, right? Well...not so much. Adam was working on finishing a stair railing job for a friend {which is another post, another time...}, Erin was working, and our friends who were going to come to his party were busy, and so we had a little family thing for him on Saturday evening, went to In n out for dinner, had a little cake, and then had the actual "Monster Party" the next day. It worked out well, and it was a lot of fun! He needs more celebration for having a Christmastime birthday, poor kid! I found a litte cake, I didn't make it. How horrible am I? (just kidding) and he loved it. He doesn't get to eat a lot, because he chokes on everything, and so I'm always a little hesitant, but when I put that cake in front of him on his tray, he was the happiest boy, ever. He got a little messy, but he's one, it's his birthday, that's supposed to happen! He didn't, however, like the little bath he had to take in the sink, but the cake sure was good!



He absolutely loved his present from Momo and Pa, they sent him a Little People barn, and it was even in a little people barn bag, which mooed. It was great. He loved it. Just look at that face! And then he liked to eat it, it tasted just as good, I guess!




He really like his burger. And he didn't even choke! Who doesn't like a good In n Out burger?? It was actually my last meal before I had him, and so a tradition started, I guess.


I'm thinking he really likes his little ride on/walking toy.

one year pictures.

Noah and Macie both got professional pictures taken. Jacob will too...eventually. We tried, but he wasn't very cooperative. He smiles all of the time, he's like the happiest baby. However, when we take him to get his pictures taken, he freezes. He doesn't smile. It's awful. So, we'll take him again this week and see what we can get. Thank goodness for free sitting fee coupons, right? But, I couldn't help post these pictures of my little one year old. He's just so cute. Look at that face.

computer woes.

Can I just tell you how sick I am for not having our computer? It is seriously the worst thing ever. I guess we have a virus...dang anti-virus stuff, why didn't you catch this crap? And so, we are out a computer. We will have to erase the harddrive, and hopefully get the pictures off, if they aren't infected, and then rewrite the entire harddrive. It sucks. When Adam finally has time to even think, then maybe we'll get somewhere! Thank goodness for Erin's laptop! However, I still don't have many pictures. We have them on the camera, but it's just the uploading that's killing us! But, you can look forward to Jacob's monster party, Macie's very cute haircut, Christmas decor, Santa visit, and just being able to see the 3 cutest kids ever. {admit it...it's true ;-)} Until then, have fun wrapping, shopping, and getting ready for Santa, that's what we'll be doing. Nothing like waiting until THE last minute, right? Hopefully we can find some christmas candy somewhere...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

one.

A year ago today, I was sitting in the hospital holding my perfect baby boy. He really was perfect, a little late, but perfect. He hadn't met his brother and sister yet, I was a little bit nervous, but they loved him. A little too much, even! And, a year later, nothing has changed, he's still perfect, and Noah and Macie love him, a little too much!

A whole year has gone by and it blows my mind! My baby is one? Holy crap. It seems that his first year went by so much faster than the other two. Maybe it's because it's a little more crazy with three, I don't know. But it has been a fun year.

In this year, Jacob has grown 11 inches, gained 21 pounds, grown 7 teeth, travelled through 7 states, learned to crawl, crawls up stairs {and now down!}, grown about an inch of hair, gained adoration from about every family member, captured the hearts of many after flashing that grin, developed a love of cell phones, has gone to the beach on several occasions, and has learned many new things. He's done a lot this year.

Jacob, we love you. You are the best one year old! Here's to many more days of just playing, giggling, and loving you! We are two lucky parents to have you. Happy Birthday, baby boy!

What is this?

We live in CALIFORNIA. Yes, California. There is beach here. Isn't it called the Sunshine state or something? {or is that Florida?} Either way, when you think of Cali, you think sun right? Well. It's 33 degrees right now. 33! People said that they saw slushy rain falling the other day. {slushyrain? Yeah, we call that SNOW, but many people haven't experience snow before!} Anyway, this is ridiculous. Why is it so cold? I am a total acclimated California girl these days. No more of this wearing coats and shoes. I mean, come on!!

Please Stand By...

...we are experiencing technical difficulties. It's awful, I tell ya. Awful. Our computer has gone kaput. I can not even count how many pictures we have on that thing. Or how many sites I have bookmarked...but most importantly, the pictures. It makes me sick everyday to think about it. It's been down for nearly 2 weeks now. Hopefully we can get someone to look at it,a nd fix it real quick. However, we have been too busy to think about that. But, in time I will update you on our Thanksgiving in Seattle, Noah's successful Dr.. visit in LA, the 11 month comparison {which I know you all are waiting for, huh?}, updates on the cutest kids in the world {just admit it...}, and many more thoughts on life. It sucks not having a computer. But, thank goodness Erin has back up. Back up EVERYTHING, really. It's nice. What would be do without her?

Five.

Five years ago today, I was a nervous wreck! I was having my first baby. At first I was so excited, and I was ready, it was time, and I couldn't have been happier. And then I walked into the hospital the night before. People were screaming. This was it. It was real. And then I didn't so much want to have a baby. He was fine inside of me. The pain was bearable, I wasn't at screaming point by any means, and I was fine with that. I asked Adam if we could just go home, but nope. We're were going to have a baby. And then I felt too young. I felt too poor. You know, I felt all those things that you're supposed to feel BEFORE you think about having babies! But, deep down I was still excited. I always wanted to be a mommy.

And so 12 hours after I first walked into the hopsital, walked around the hospital for a few hours, pushed for 2 hours, he was finally here. I got to hear my sweet little Noah cry for the first time, and hold his little tiny body, that was covered in so much birthing crap, but it wasn't gross to me at the time. This was my baby. My first perfect child. It was an overwhelming day, a day that would change the rest of my life. I'm so grateful for that day.

But, now I have a 5 year old. Me, I have a 5 year old? Oh, goodness. I thought about this last night, I was an emotional wreck. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I even missed going to New Moon because I couldn't stop thinking about it {sorry, Rach!} My baby boy is so grown up. I should be so excited. And I am, it's just sad to watch him grow up and get so much more independent, and so mature, and so smart.

Noah is so great, though. There is never a dull moment with this kid. He loves to have fun, and has fun doing anything. Just recenlty his toys have been dwindling down to almost nothing, due to consequences from not cleaning them up. But he doesn't care much, his imagination is far to extreme to care about that. He adapts to everything, and has fun with the most random things. He has the most contagious laugh. It's hilarious. He always wants to make people laugh and smile. He's got a few good jokes up his sleeve. He is a clever little booger. He pays attention to the tiniest details. He remembers EVERYTHING. He will thank you for a present you gave him 3 years ago, but he remembers that you gave it to him, and what it was for, and what he said to you afterwards. It's pretty funny. He is also very sensitive. We have to be careful sometimes. But, Noah is the best 5 year old there ever was!

WE LOVE YOU, NOAH JON! Here's to another great year. May we have time to play alot, have many dance parties, sing lots of silly songs, learn many new things, and just have fun!


{for more pictures of this handsome birthday boy, click here}

Super Charged

I took the boys into the doctor on Monday. They had both been sick, and their fevers just weren't going away. For Noah, that's scary. Usually fevers mean seizures, too. I had been giving him Ibuprofen and Tylenol simultaneously to kick that fever in the butt, but it wasn't working. I had just barely taken Noah to the doctor the week prior, but that doctor was fired, for other reasons, too...but we went to a new doctor who was able to tell us right away that he had strep throat. And from the looks of it, had had it for a while. Dang doctor. But, the nice new doctor wanted to get rid of it fast, and so she gave Noah this antibiotic with some extra stuff in it. {Yeah, I am really technical. } We aren't strangers to medicine, so I gave it to him, thought nothing of it. And then he started acting hyper. Not just average Noah hyper. Like crazy, literally bouncing off the walls, hopping around kind of hyper! It was crazy. He went from his sickly, poor little guy, to this monster! And so I googled the medicine. What on earth would we do without google these days anyway? And yes...sure enough, this medicine causes hyperactivity in children. It is super charged...and it super charges most children, too! EVERY dose has caused this. EVERY one. The next 7 days aren't looking so good...we've got a 19 hour car ride to throw into the mix, too. Goodness.

11 months.

Holy crap. Eleven months old? I say this every single month, but where has my baby gone? I forget how fast time just flies by. Next month my little baby will be one! Can you believe it? ONE!?!? I don't think I'm ready for this quite yet!

Last year at this time, I was cursing, you, Jacob! I didn't want to be pregnant anymore, I wanted to hold my sweet little baby in my arms rather than in my belly! But, now I can put off the first birthday just a little bit longer!

Jacob is and always has been a good baby. He rarely cries. And he smiles ALL of the time. He's been sick this past week, but has still managed to give some pretty good smiles. He still is big, but has slowed down dramatically. He only weighs 27 pounds. He's slowed and lost some. He is always on the move. Usually he's moving to the stairs. He's quite the stair climber. Quick. Very quick. He laughs the whole way up because he thinks he's getting away with so much! He is a tricker, and always laughing about something! His wave is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. He's the best baby ever. If I could just clone him and send him to everyone, I would. You have to get the whole Jacob in full effect. He's great. We love him a lot, and don't know what we would be doing without him! All of his facial expressions, laughs, giggles, it's all just so great!

WE LOVE YOU, JACOB MAXWELL!!

photographer.

We really need our family pictures taken. Our last actual professional photo shoot was December 2005. Macie wasn't even really thought of yet, Noah was still a youngin...and now two kids and 4 houses later, I think it's fine time for it! But, then walks in the photographer search. I don't know how so many people get their pictures taken on a regular basis...it isn't cheap! Goodness. The photographer style that is around these days is so great. I'm loving it. And then, I found one that I loved here. I actually found a link from a friend on facebook, and what do ya know? The photographer is doing a contest to win a free session. And, I am going to win! ;-)

I really love her photography. It's just my style. And even if I don't win, I think that this photographer will be our pick when we finally do get our acts together and get our family pictures done. We really need them. We really need more money, first {come on, who doesn't??} But, until then, I'll just stare at my empty frames that are on our wall, just waiting to be filled! And, why don't you go check our her website. I'm sure you'll like her, too.

tooth.

One Wednesday morning, in February 2005, my sister, Erin came to Rexburg to watch Noah, like she did every week while I was in class. The night before, Noah had been crying a lot, and we didn't really know why. We just thought it was colic. I came home from class expecting to hear that he had cried all morning. But, Erin informed me that he had two teeth. Two teeth had come through on the bottom. I didn't believe her at first. I mean, he was just barely 2 months old, there wasn't any way he could have two teeth. But, sure enough, there were two little teeth on the bottom. I hurried and called the doctor to see what on earth I should do. I thought it was way too soon, and got a little worried. The nurse assured me that it was normal, and fine, but he could probably only have Tylenol, since he wouldn't be able to hold on to a teether yet. And that was the start of our teething experiences.

Nearly FIVE years later, those little teeth that came in so early are coming out. That's right. The first tooth has come out! I tear up as I write this. My baby boy is so grown up! He will be 5 on Friday, and has already lost his first tooth! He was so good. And he loves to feel his hole with his tongue. He is very excited for the tooth fairy to come. In fact, he wants to pull all of his teeth right now! This is quite the momentous occasion at the Christensen house. YAY, NOAH!!

{please excuse the pailness of poor Noah...he's been sick this week...}

Happy Veteran's Day!

To all the veteran's who have served our country. We owe so much to them, that this one day a year holiday isn't really enough to honor them. I am so grateful for everyone who has sacrificed their own lives to help fight for our freedoms, as well as the freedoms of people of other countries.

But, especially, I'm grateful for my own Dad who showed to me how great it is to serve your country when he went to Kuwait for 9 months in 2007. We were so sad and so scared, but he did it. Dad, we are so proud of your service.

Surprise!

{Ashlyn, Dad and Jacob}

I am embarrassed. My Dad's birthday was October 6. Yeah, who's a slacker? That'd be me. So, to surprise my Dad on his birthday, Erin and I loaded up the kids and drove to Idaho. It was a long drive to say the least. We had intended to leave at around noon. Erin had been in LA with her friend Natalie for a few days prior, so the noon departure would give her time to get back, and then it would be perfect because the kids would sleep. Sounds easy, right? Well, nothing is ever easy at the Christensen house.

I left for Target to get a few last minute travel needs. Like snacks. I got out of the car, with all three kids, and realized that my back tire was completely flat. Flat. It was awful. We have had that car for just a few months and have already had to replace two tires. There was a little slash in the side wall of the tire. It was slashed. Who slashes tires, I mean, really?! So, I called Adam. He came to my rescue and changed the tire, but it obviously not repairable, and the closest place that had another tire was in a town about 20 minutes away, and we had to wait until 3 to go. So, we waited. We drove to get the tire and waited there. We didn't finally get on the freeway until 6. It was late, and not a good start of the journey.

I started out driving, but Jacob kept screaming, so after mulitple stops, I finally let Erin drive, and sat in the back with Jake, and fed him and kept him entertained. We drove all through the night, and only stopped to get gas. We rolled in to Idaho Falls at about 10:30 in the morning. It was a long drive. We took turns napping, and I drank tons an tons of Dr. Pepper, and we made it. We slept for a few days after, trying to catch up what we lost but it was useless!

But, we did surprise Dad on his birthday! It was all so worth it to see the look on his face when he answered the door and he saw Noah and Macie standing there. It was great! They love their Pa. They were so excited. Jacob attached himself to Pa very quickly too and gave him a huge smile right off. It was so cute. We were glad we were there for his birthday! We love you, Dad! We hope that you had a good day!!

{October 1, 2009}


For Erin's birthday, I surprised her by getting tickets to see Conan. She loves Conan. {I have the best ideas, huh? ;-)} So, we all made the trek to LA. We were able to leave our children with the Snows, our friends in Torrance, while we went to Hollywood. It was the first time I've left Jacob for that long. I was a nervous wreck. He had enough milk. He had food. But I was so nervous about him the whole time. And it turns out, he didn't care much. He was a good boy!

The show was a lot of fun. You park, walk, and then get in line. We waited in a line for about an hour, if not longer, before we got into the studio. The studio is so much smaller in person. We kind of were in the back, but not the very back. The very back got to be on TV. But that's okay, I spilled ketchup on my shirt at lunch anyway, so it's a good thing I wasn't on TV! Conan is so much taller than you would think, too! It was a pretty fun experience! It wasn't like the best show ever, we didn't really know the guests, Kate Walsh and the kid from Zombieland {I don't even remember his name. His little sister was that curly haired Pepsi girl...}And we're not big country fans and the musical guest was Brad Paisley. But it was still fun to go.

I would even go again. I have an idea...if anyone comes to visit, I'll take you there, too. Just let me know 4 weeks in advance. If my cute kids aren't incentive enough, we've got Conan as back up {Ellen, too}! Whadayasay?

Macie's Minnie Party

{September 19, 2009}

Yes, I know...two months later I get this on here finally! BUT...Macie had her first friend birthday party. We opted to invite only girls. She wanted a Minnie Mouse party, so inviting just girls seemed logical! It was a lot of fun. Little girl parties are a lot of fun! Macie invited her friends from nursery and loved every second of it. She loves playing hostess. However, she is not very keen on the idea of actually sharing her toys with the kids she hosts! But, we brought down the playhouse and everything was okay! We started by coloring Minnie Mouse pictures while we waited for everyone to get there, and then it was lunch time. On the menu were Mickey shaped chicken nuggets {thank you Costco!}, string cheese cut in pieces, grape tomatoes, and olives. Did you notice the trend? Not only was everything round, but it followed the red/black/white color scheme of Minnie. I thought I was pretty clever! Then we played "Pin the bow on Minnie", and played for a bit while the mom's talked, and then it was pinata and present time. The pinata came yellow and pink, but that just wouldn't do for the theme of the party, and so it was painted, of course! I liked the idea that the "3" on its side was an "m", but we couldn't get the hanging thing out, so it remained a 3. It took forever to break the pinata. Three year old girls aren't the strongest! Macie used it like a pool stick, and tried to poke it that way. Eventually, I just banged it up against the wall, and the candy all fell out. It was a fun party. But, so much work! Thank you to my mom, though, for making the Minnie dress, that did save time out of the planning/decorating. Next year it's Alice in Wonderland. We like to plan in advance.

sad blog...

My poor blog. I am sorry. You are the neglected child. I have all these intentions for you. I really do. I even have things prewritten. But, our computer is so gosh dang slow that putting the pictures on takes ten years. Don't you worry, though...have patience, my friend. I will get to you. I will.

Follow the yellow brick road

the wonderful Wizard of Oz! I don't think I have really dressed up for years! But, this year Adam and I had full costumes. It was fun! And of course, we followed the Wizard of Oz theme. I am actually very proud of Adam's costume. I just whipped it together Saturday morning. Yeah...I "whipped" it! All from my little head! And it cost a whole 10 bucks! I am the witch. The not so wicked witch. I wanted to be green, however, if I would have put green make up on my overly too sensitive skin, I would have looked pretty scary later on. I would have broken out and puffed up, it wouldn't have been a pretty sight, so I opted out of the greeness, but you get the idea anyway! We had a few people want to take our picture. Just random people. It was kind of funny. I enjoyed the compliments...all my hard work paid off...{yes, I'm still fishing for them...just kidding.}

We had a fun Halloween, though. We went to the ward's trunk-or-treat, which is by far the best thing ever for little kids! They didn't get too much candy, but that's alright with me. They don't need it anyway! And yes, we had a bag for Jacob. And it's all for him! ;-)


I've already started on next year's costumes. Well, started THINKING about them. I know what they will be. Now it's just a matter of getting them done in time for Halloween. A year may seem like a long time, but not for a procrastinator! {that'd be me...} And I know you're DYING to know what they will be, huh? Well, May the Force be with you...

I couldn't wait...

I didn't want to post this until after Halloween. But it was just too cute, how could I not??? I'll just ruin the whole Halloween surprise, but that's okay, right?


About 20 minutes or so up the 101 there is the cutest barn. In the summer you can pick your own berries, and apples and pumpkins in the fall. It's perfect. They have a little place where they have animals, petting zoo animals, but you can't pet them. You can feed them, however. They have a little farmer's market, and have the best ice cream ever. {sorry...I'll probably regret saying this, and be banned from Idaho Falls forever, but I think it may be better than Reed's! And it doesn't smell as bad at the barn as it does at Reed's Dairy, so that could be what makes it taste better...} But, it's fun to go. It's funny because just up the road is the beach. It's crazy where we live, I tell ya. It's perfect, though. Today, the kids, Erin and I, went with my friend Kristyn and her boys Bennett and Thacker to the barn. I wanted to get Halloween pictures in costume. So I got the kids all dressed up and we headed out. It was fun. And it is always better to dress up more than once, right? They loved it. However, it was about 90 degrees outside. Seriously. It was hot. Noah and Jacob were dripping with sweat, poor guys! But, we got a few pictures. Just a few. Well, we have tons and tons of pictures about 300, but there are just a FEW that they are all even remotely looking at the camera! It was fun to see all the pumpkins, though. Did you know there are lots and lots of different pumpkins? Yeah, crazy, I know! There were millions of pumpkins. We got to take a little hayride to pick our very own pumpkins, the kids loved it. It was fun. Hot, but very fun!

But, get ready for more. Come Halloween, I'll be taking probably tons and tons more pictures of my cute kids! I don't know I couldn't...I am pretty proud of my costume creations, after all. ;-)

Jacob is 10 months...

...and, this is what we see on a regular basis in our house. Noah and Macie didn't really ever put anything in their mouths. Jacob in the other hand puts anything and everything in his mouth. It's pretty common to hear me freak out that Jacob is choking on something. Just the other day we were on our way to the beach, we were driving on the freeway, and Erin looked back at him and he was choking. Full on choking on something. I quickly pulled off to the shoulder, and then heard him gagging. It was very scary. Luckily, he did spit it up. He had chewed off a corner of his board book, and was choking on a pretty good size of cardboard! It drives me crazy that he puts everything in his mouth, but what do ya do? Just make sure there isn't anything on the ground, I guess, but then he always seems to find the most random things anyway!

He's a good kid though. He is so well natured. He's generally happy all of the time! It's great. He smiles all of the time and especially for the camera. Everyone else can be screaming and things, and he'll just be sitting there smiling. He has 7 full teeth these days. I'm sure there are more coming, his gums are pretty red. He's getting more and more hair every day. However, it's not the blond hair I'm used to! It's a lot darker. When he wakes up in the morning he's got a pretty fuzzy head! His eyes haven't fully gotten to their color yet. Some days they are green, some they are blueish gray, others they are brown. We'll just have to wait and see what they end up being! They're cool, though! I don't know his official weight and height. But I'm guessing he's about 30 pounds. He's very mobile, however, so it could be less!

It took him a while to crawl. He just didn't want to. But now that he does, he's trouble. He's quick. He knows what he wants, and it's usually not what I want him to want! He's always getting into the fireplace. In fact he broke the lock thing that was on it, along with the handle itself! He loves to crawl on the tile floor. He broke the cash register at Old Navy one day. He's just in destructamode...ALL OF THE TIME!! We love him though, he always makes us smile!

His most recent thing is fake coughing. If he hears anyone cough, he'll imitate the cough and just laugh. It's pretty funny, and he knows it! He's always trying to show off for people! He's a ham, and definately Adam's son! I would not trade this kid for anything...even if he gets into lots of trouble! He's great. I love waking up to his face and his whispers! He's one cute kid!


I LOVE YOU, JAKEY WAKEY!

10 months.

Noah looks so much different than the other two in this picture! Poor kid had just broken his arm, so excuse the huge cast! Macie and Jacob look similar, but still not identical. They look more like siblings, though! It's funny because people are always telling me how much they think Jacob looks like Noah! Jacob looks the oldest though. He never lost that "old man" look! He looks so much more mature or something! They are cute kids, nonetheless. Even if they weren't mine I'd probably still think that!

costume #1

Alright. I did it. You were right it's Dorothy. It's done. And, it didn't take me nearly as long as I thought. Still, it took me FOREVER, but I did it. Not very well...but it's done. Don't blow up the picture and look at the flaws, because I am sure there are some very noticable ones that you will see right off, but that's okay. I don't claim to be a seamstress, so there are going to be mistakes. Macie posed for the picture. I didn't have anything to do with it! And now it's time to work on Costume #2. Let's hope it's easier...

I can explain...

So, I had full intentions of doing a mega update and getting everything done. And then I decided to make Halloween costumes. Why do I think these things are ever a good idea? I don't really know how to sew. I can't do the whole pattern thing. I don't know what it means to baste. I thought it had something to do with a turkey {I don't know how to do that either!} But, I've started. There is no going back now. And for now, I'll leave you with my explanation...the reason I have been left with no time. This has taken over my life...

seasons.

I grew up in Idaho Falls. It was cold in the winter. Cool in the Spring. Hot in the summer. And cool in the Fall. There were four seasons. You know, the four that you learn about in school. And then I moved to Santa Maria. So far I think I have seen two seasons. Perfect and rainy. I'm not complaining. It's just funny that there aren't any seasons, really. And the past few days I have learned a lot more about humidity. And I don't like it. It rained on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Idaho, if it rains in October, it's going to be cooler. It looks cold outside. Well, here, if you put on a jacket, you will be EXTREMELY hot. It was like 80 degrees. My hair curled on it's own. Everything felt wet inside. My body was all sticky. It wasn't fun. I don't so much like humidity. But, I like the beach, so I'll stick it out. {no pun intended...}

Macie's day.

{September 16, 2009}






Macie was so excited for it to finally be HER day. She had talked about her birthday for days, for weeks. Everything that she saw she thought she would be getting for her birthday. If I had a thousand dollar budget for her birthday, she could have had a few of the things she really "wanted"!

Adam came home from work at lunch so we could all go out for her birthday. He brought home a dozen roses. The look on Macie's eyes when he walked through the door was priceless! It was the best thing ever. She looked at him, squealed a little and said, "I needed flowers!" She may have wanted everything else, but she needed the flowers from Daddy.

I think this will be a new tradition in the Christensen house.

Once upon a time...

there was a blog. It was a really good blog and everyone loved to read it. And then it was neglected. And no one knew about the Christensen family anymore. They no longer graced the computer screens of the MANY people who read the blog. The author always said that she would blog and had SO many things to blog about. In fact, she blogged in her mind all day long. But, then when she finally sat down to blog, she got so caught up in everyone else's blogs and lives that there wasn't time to blog about her own. And so she decided that now was the time.

With that, hang on to your hats and glasses, because this'll be a doozy. We're going for a ride...a rewind. Are you ready??

{it's 3:26 AM. I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about how neglected and sad this little blog is. And so now I'm hoping to get some sleep now that I have made SOME initiative. Don't you worry folks. I have made collages and I'm ready for the morning. But right now Jacob is crying. I'm sick. I'm thirsty. And I'm tired. I've said I'd catch up before. But I'm serious this time. I am. Brace yourself...}

Myrt.

I know, I know, there is a predictable trend, these days, with my blogging. I'm always late. Hey, it's the thought the counts and better late than never, right? But, I didn't want to to neglect this one much longer. And so...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MYRT! Myrt is my grandma. My mom's mom. Yes, I call my grandma, Myrt, which is her first name. No, she is not my grandpa's second wife. I just call her Myrt.

{here's the story, if you're wondering. Or, the story as I have been told. So, when Erin was little, she was one of only two grandchildren at the time. And lived the closest, and saw Myrt and Grandpa the most. Since she was usually the only child around, she picked up on everyone else calling her Grandma, Myrt. Erin seems to remember our Uncle Eric telling her to call her Myrt. And Myrt wasn't a very old grandma, and didn't like to be called grandma just yet, so she liked it. And so it stuck. The Jensen family always called her Myrt. It was easier to distinguish between the two Grandma's, too. And there you have it, the story of why we call our grandma, Myrt.}

Anyway, Myrt celebrated her 79th birthday on Monday, September 28th. I wish we could have been there to celebrate with her. I love Myrt. She's an amazing person. She is probably one of the greatest people you will ever meet! The spirit about her is awesome, I always love to even be in her prescence. She is the best cook there ever is. She makes the yummiest cake, pie, rolls, sugar cookies and heck, pretty much EVERYTHING, and not just sweet things, either! I have SO missed dinner at Myrts. And Myrt's chocolate cake on birthdays. I love you, Myrt! And I miss you A LOT! {and I know you miss me, too...I am your FAVORITE grandchild afterall ;-) Hey, I was the only one named after you! Just kidding.} But, I love you and I hope that you have a great year! See you soon!!

9 month comparison

Sadly, I couldn't find any pictures of Noah at nine months! What was I thinking? Luckily, my mom was more on the ball than I was! I used to think that Jacob looked like Macie. Then I thought he looked like Noah. Then Macie...now he's Jacob. They all have their definite looks. They look like siblings, but they are all different. Funny how that works, huh? 9 months is such a fun age. And they all were so fun at this age! I still can't believe I don't have any pictures of Noah. I guess we didn't have a digital camera yet! Thank goodness for the digital era! So what do you think? Who looks the most alike??

nine months

Oh where, oh where has the time gone? Jeesh. This kid is ALREADY nine months old. I swear, I just did an eight month post, didn't I? {well, at my rate, and my slackishness, I probably did just barely do the eight month post...} But, alas, here we are, at the nine month mark...and a few days. Yes, I did just use the word "alas".

Anyway, Jacob is such a big boy. He has a doctor appointment tomorrow morning, so we'll know his stats more accurately. Until then, just know he's a BIG kid! To give you a better idea, he is about 4 inches taller than Noah was at 11 months. How do I know this? Well, we had a fashion show with Noah's old Halloween costume. When Jacob tried it on, it was far too short, and he is quite a bit taller! And, he is already in 24 month clothes. Yes. 24 months. Crazy isn't it? I think I officially have to move him to a size 5 diaper. He's been leaking out quite a bit lately. Macie, however, was in a size 6 at 8 months. So, this kid does have a littler bum than his older sister! Jacob is still not "officially" crawling. He is very mobile. He moves around pretty quickly. I cannot tell you how, though. He doesn't really move when people watch him. It's that split second you turn your back and he's moved clear across the room! I don't know why, or how, but he does it and he's quick! He gets into crawling position, and rocks back and forth and it looks like he'll just go, but then he rolls and rolls. He does lay on his back and then roll back to a sitting position, so that's good! I'm not worried about it, at least I kinda know where he's at! I'm enjoying it, really! They are only little for a short time, I"m going to take it for all it's worth! He has 6 teeth, with 2 more starting to make their appearance. He has two bottom front ones, and the new two are also on the bottom, and then the four top front ones. And he is a biter! We'll see how long this nursing thing lasts! I don't think it will go 22 months like Macie! {as I typed that I realized that was a pretty crazy longtime to nurse!}

Jacob is a funny kid. He's always so happy. He loves to have "alone" time when the other two are sleeping or gone. He really opens up and just relaxes! It's funny. He laughs all of the time. I have never seen a more ticklish kid that him. You just say the word tickle and he tenses up and giggles. He loves to be cuddled, and tickled. He eats EVERYTHING. The other two did not, so it's a new experience with him! Everything goes into his mouth. We have had quite a few scares as he chokes on things that he puts into his mouth. Usually, however, it's just his hands that he is choking on. He likes to eat them. He loves to eat Trix. They are by far his favorite thing in the world, besides nursing! He does not like baby food, he much rather would eat whatever I'm eating. I mean, come on, wouldn't you? He always smiles for the camera. If he sees a camera out, he'll smile, even if you aren't taking a picture of him. And he's a talker. He talks and talks, and loves when he hears himself scream! From the day he was born, he has "talked" himself to sleep. It's the funniest thing ever. He does it about every night. It's great. I can't believe time if going to dang fast! I want it to stop. Where did my baby go? He is growing, but I am loving it. He's a great little guy. I wouldn't trade him for anything! I LOVE YOU, JACOB MAXWELL!!

She's 3.

Holy cow. Macie is three! Can you believe 3?? She actually seems older than your average three year old, but then when I think about my baby girl, it's hard to think that she's already THREE! I remember the day she was born very vividly. I remember everything about that day. {wait...I take that back, I don't remember EVERYTHING, I did have Jacob 2 years later...} But, it was a wonderful day, bringing our baby girl into this world. She's our princess. She says she isn't Mommy's princess, just Daddy's, and that is VERY evident!


Macie is the greatest little girl ever. If you haven't met Macie, you are seriously missing out. She makes us laugh all of the time. Everything out of her mouth is hilarious. She does have screaming fits, tantrums, and bad days, but don't we all?


Today, she is turning 3. She tells everyone that she is 7. Afterall, she was 3 all year, why not skip year 3, and just go straight to 7? She really wanted a Minnie Mouse party. I didn't think that I would be the one to throw my daughter a Minnie party, I thought Alison would for sure beat me to it. But...she's in love with Minnie, and I can't do anything about it! I'm sure I'll post more about the party later, but for now, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MACIE GIRL! We love you so much! You are our favorite daughter!;-)

baby shower.

{I love her to death, but I am SO glad this baby shower is over! No offense, Kristyn.}

I have this friend, Kristyn. She's great. Her husband, Paul, works with Adam. I think they moved here like in February or something. And since then, we have really bonded. She has a little boy, Thacker, who is Macie's age, and Macie has decided that she is marrying him. It'll be an arranged marriage of sorts! But, Kristyn was due on September 20th. I wanted to throw her a baby shower. So, I called our other friend, Beth to help with the festivities. However, Beth was going to be having foot surgery {again} and would be down for the count afterward. I had originally wanted to do a baby shower after the baby came, because I think it's kind of fun to actually see the baby and things, but due to the surgery, it would have to be pre-baby.

Well, little Bennett REALLY wanted to attend the baby shower. I mean, a party, hosted by ME? Come on, who WOULDN'T want to go! Ha, just kidding. But, he did make a surprise appearance 16 days early, just one week prior to the shower. Which worked out perfectly. Kristyn's mom was able to be there, Bennett was there, and it was all sorts of fun!


I got really excited to do the decor for the party. I was actually very glad that she was having a boy, have you seen all of the darling baby shower ideas for girls these days?? So, I was content with a boy! ;-) Originally I had planned on making the banner, but it wasn't until he was actually born and had a name that I decided to put the letters on it, it made it that much better, I think. I have to brag, I think it turned out pretty darn cute. I think I may have to steal some of my own ideas for my own children. I've been making "celebrate" banners very similar to this one for about 2 years. They take so dang long to make, though, so there hasn't been many actually GIVEN to any one. Soon. Very soon. If you have one, you should feel very lucky! {ahem...you know who you are...} Anyway, this one turned out cuter, though. I think each child will be getting one now!

Parties are pretty fun to put on. I get excited about them. But I don't know how many sleepless nights I have had thinking of different ideas, rethinking ideas, and just plain stressing out. I stress out too easily, I'm afraid. But, it all turned out fine in the end. I was in charge of invites and decorations, and then Beth did food, and Rachel did the game, it went smoothly. We enjoyed delicious chicken salad crossiants, veggies, chips, dips, salsas, candy, and of course, you can't forget the chocolate fondue afterwards. The only thing that I am TOTALLY kicking myself over, is that I completely forgot the party favors. And they were cute. Little cookies that looked like binkies. I'll have pictures of them soon. I was so mad. I remembered after everyone had gone home. All that time and all those trips to the store to make them right and I forgot them. Oh well...it was still fun. Good times.

Congratulations, Kristyn &Paul. Bennett is the cutest little guy! I'm so glad that we were able to do this shower for you. You guys are the best! We love you.

Myrt's Chocolate Cake

My grandma, Myrt, makes THE best chocolate cake EVER. There isn't another cake like hers. I have eaten many chocolate cakes, but none of them ever match or even come close to hers. On my 7th birthday, she made me a cake. It had zucchini. I am not a fan of the zucchini, and so I stopped eating chocolate cake. Yes, I refused to eat cake for MANY years. And then, nearly 15 years later I was reunited, and I kicked myself for missing out on it for so many years. WHAT IN THE HECK WAS I THINKING??? No one can resist Myrt's cake.

I haven't had Myrt's cake in 2 years. It's been WAY too long. I think it's one of the things I miss most about Idaho! I always hear about the cake, and my mouth waters, I get so jealous. And so, I called her for the recipe. However, I don't think she ever discloses the ENTIRE recipe of anything. I believe she has secret ingredients, and doesn't tell anyone. Because no matter how hard I try, nothing ever seems to compare. I have been making her sugar cookies for years. Probably close to like 20 batches. Not one even came remotely close to hers. It could have been the 7-14 cups of flour that she said to use. {that's quite the range...it's the secret, I tell ya.} And then when I asked her for the cake recipe, for some reason she didn't tell me what to bake it at or how long. I think it was a trick! I don't know though, I think there is a secret ingredient that she won't divudlge. It was a good cake, but it definately wasn't Myrt's.

Erin wants me to keep trying. Everyday. I think I may. It wasn't near as good as Myrt's, but it came in a close second. {thanks Anniece, for frosting the cake...it looks fabulous!!} We thought that maybe the cake pan had something to do with it...but I think it could be a drug. I don't know...but I need to go to Idaho VERY soon and eat some of that cake. I need a good fix. I could eat the entire cake. Until then, I better get bakin'.


Hmm...a hole, frosting missing? Who could have done this???

Rancho Bowl

And...I'm back.


A few weeks ago, we went bowling for Family Home Evening. It was fun. The kids loved having the shoes. And Noah did not want to take them off when we left. The bowling alley didn't have any lanes open with bumpers, and they wouldn't let us use the ball guide thing. And so, they just had to come and retrieve many many balls that stalled in the middle of the lane, because a {almost} 3 year old and a {almost} 5 year old, of course, want to do everything by themselves! It was fun. I think, however, I'll stick to bowling on the Wii...I'm a lot better at home!



(Check out the bowling ball brand, though. Who knew...I guess I need to get into bowling, there is a bowling ball named after me after all!)

Apple Grove Pals

Have you seen these? I hadn't even heard of them. We were in Target and Erin told me that Jacob loved Apple Grove Pals. I was so confused. She started singing this song to him, and he loved it. She said that when the commercial came on TV, he was totally glued. He watched the commercial and loved it, and danced. I couldn't find them in the store. And then last night, I was feeding him before bed. He was like 95% asleep, and the commercial came on. He sat up very quickly and started to bob up and down. He LOVES Apple Grove Pals. Even when I found it on You Tube, he was giggling and dancing. I think I know what this little boy will be getting for his birthday.


{a little hint to the grandparents as well...}

32.

Happy Birthday, Adam! Yes, he's an old man! Ha. I can only say that because I will always be younger! Since he was turning 32, I came up with what I thought was the best idea ever for his gift. I gave him a jar with thirty $2 bills in it. I thought I was pretty clever. However, there is not a picture of it. Adam unrolled them too fast. It took me about an hour to roll each bill and tie a ribbon around it, and sure as heck not an hour to unroll them all. But that's okay, it was his present anyway, right?

Our friends, Tim and Anniece drove up from Costa Mesa to join in on the birthday celebration. It was a fun day. Church, naps, and then bon fire...er, backyard BBQ, which ended up in flames. {don't worry, just a small fire, it just cinged Adam's eye brows and hair off!...don't worry!}

Happy Birthday, babe. I hope that you had a good day. You are the greatest husband and daddy around! We love you!!

what a slacker.

I know. I'm a slacker. It's Erin's fault. Just kidding. I just forget. I'm committing myself, however. I will got on a blogging spree tomorrow. I promise. I will catch up, just you wait. Just you wait...

8 months.

 

I cannot believe that Jakey is 8 months old already! Where has time gone? He's getting so old and so big! I was looking at him in his high chair this morning and was shocked at how big he looked. He looked like he was at least a year old! It was crazy!

So, at 8 months, Jacob has 5 full teeth. Two on the bottom, two fangs on the top, and one of the front ones, the other front one is pretty much out, but not "officially" yet! He is not crawling, however. Noah was crawling at 6 months, and even Macie was crawling at 8 months, but we'll see. He really has no need to crawl, he's spoiled and is held all of the time, either by me or Aunt Erin! He's getting it though. He rolls EVERYWHERE, and the other two did not, so I guess that's progress there! He weighs 26 pounds, if not more. He hasn't been weighed in a few weeks. He loves eating what we are eating and is getting better at it everyday. And, only 10 more months until nursery! He's quite the ham, and smiles ALL of the time. We love him, he keeps us smiling!

8 month comparison

 

Wow. They all look pretty different at 8 months, really. That poor starving Noah, though! Poor kid. I mean he was only 18 pounds at 8 months old, he was skinny, right? Well, when you compare that to Jacob, who is 26 pounds, 18 is a lot littler! In pictures I usally think Jacob and Macie look the most alike, but in person I think Noah and Jacob look alike. They change everyday!

They say it's your birthday...

{I tried to post this on your actual birthday, but, I couldn't get pictures to upload and was not having much luck with anything...sorry. I did, however, do this on your birthday!}

Happy birthday to you, Mom! We hope that you have a good day! We wish we could celebrate with you! Maybe if you come to our house soon we'll have another party for you! It'll be fun! We love you and miss you so much!

{the shirt actually says, "i love grandma", but with this kids chubby body, it doesn't fit right...}

{guilt for the grandmas...}

Macie misses both of her grandmas. To a point where she has made up a grandma that is with her all of the time. She talks to her "grandma", plays with her outside, and even reads her stories. So, Momo and Nana? You need to come visit. {For Macie's sake!}

"I like grapes"

After our Young Women activity last Tuesday, I stopped at the store. {First of all, a new grocery store opened up near us, and I LOVE it, but that's a whole different post!}
So, I stopped at the store to pick up a few things. As I walked in there were a tons and tons of grapes. I looked at the sticker on the grapes and it said $1.24. I looked at it again, still $1.24. It was a 4 pound box of grapes! 4 POUNDS FOR ONE DOLLAR AND TWENTY FOUR CENTS! I was shocked! So I box 4 boxes. Yes, I'm sure they were about to expire, but I got them anyway. I brought them home and was laughed at. 16 pounds of grapes is quite overwhelming, it's a lot of grapes. No one thought we could eat them.

Well, we did. All 16 pounds. I was going to freeze some, but we ate them. They were so good. Between 3 adults and 2 children, we ate all of those grapes! I don't know if that's gross or not, but we really did enjoy them. We just had a bowl full of them. And would refill them as soon as they were gone. It was nice having fruit like that so accessible. It made me feel like such a good mom!

Swimming Lessons

Noah started swimming lessons. Well, it's not technially LESSONS, really. More like a water exploration, I guess. But he loves it! He goes Monday through Friday for 2 weeks. He's actually made progress. The first day he refused to get his head wet, now he goes under the water! Very impressive to me. I hate getting my head wet, so go Noah for doing what his mother can't!

Happy Belated Birthday, Papa

{I am a slacker. I'm sorry. Please accept my apologies.}

Papa, WE LOVE YOU! Happy Birthday! This was quite a birthday, the big 7-0! Wow! We hope that you had a great day! And we wished that we could have been there to celebrate! I think you need to jump on the ol' Amtrak and head down to Santa Maria. You're always welcome! We miss you! Sorry this is so late, but Happy Birthday!

Harry Potter 6

Yes, I am a nerd. I have read every Harry Potter book. I told myself that I never would. But, alas, I have read all 7 books. And liked them, even. I was excited about the new movie. But, I think I have to reread the book. It was a very long book, and I don't remember if what I missed is in the next book or in the 6th book. I don't know. It was a good movie anyway, there were a few things different and a few things left out, but the basic story was there, I guess. Afterall it is a freaking long book and only a 2 hour movie. You can't have the ENTIRE book there.


We went to the drive in, and since it was only PG this time, we were perfectly fine with the kids staying up to watch the movie. Noah was pretty excited about it as well. He went in "costume". I drew the lightening bolt scar on his forehead, and he wore his Harry Potter glasses. He looked awesome. He loved it. We got to the drive-in a little early to ensure our spot. And I think we were there a little too early. They kids played a lot, and there was a lot of running around. Which, resulted in Noah falling asleep about half an hour into the movie. Oh, well. There is always the DVD.

Pioneer Day.

July 24

One of my favorite Pioneer DAY stories {as opposed to just Pioneer stories...} is one of our old neighbors from Donegel Bay in Rexburg. A few years prior, our neighbor, Deb was selling encyclopedias {I think} somewhere further East. Deb is from Utah. This was her summer job. On Pioneer Day, as she was out selling, she would wish the people a happy Pioneer Day. After many confused looks she had received, her selling companion finally told her that it is only a celebrated holiday in Utah. (I probably butchered the story, but you get the idea.) And it's true. Even member of the church in other states don't usually recognize Pioneer Day, with the exception of Idaho. But, in Santa Maria, California, a group of really good mommies made sure their kids learned about Pioneers on Pioneer Day, and take them on a mini "trek", aka: stroller ride. And I was one of those mommies!

I made Macie a little Pioneer bonnet on Thursday night. And I remembered that I don't sew. What was I thinking making a bonnet?? I started at around 10, thinking that it shouldn't take too long. The pattern looked easy enough. Yeah, if you can read a pattern. After a few hours, I finally finished it and was in bed by around 2 AM! It looked pretty cute. I had all three kids clothes laid out for them. A "pioneer" dress for Macie {or the dress that my Mom said that I wore when I was 5...oh, how styles change...DRAMATICALLY!} jeans and a button up shirt for Noah, overalls for Jake, and I couldn't forget the bandanas for the boys, too. The looked like cute little Pioneer children. I showed them pictures of Pioneers and told them about them. But, I made a huge mistake.

I don't know what in the world I was thinking. I was just telling pioneer stories, no harm right? Well, I said this:

"Some pioneers were little kids, just like you. They had to walk a long way. But, some of them got sick and died."

It seemed alright, until Noah and Macie's eyes got HUGE. Both of them looked a little horrified and said almost in unison:

"We don't want to go."

I felt awful. My poor kids thought they were going to die if they were Pioneers! I'm a terrible mother. I tried to make it all fun and then I tell them that people died? How fun is that? But, I made up for it. I told lots and lots of good stories and reassured them that this would be fun!

We headed over to Kristyns house, and started the stew. Pioneers ate a lot of stew, don't ya know? And then we got the kids read and headed out on our "trek". It was fun. The kids walked, and sang, of course. Noah wanted to go home right away, but I told him that we were Pioneers and we had to walk even though he didn't want to. It sounds like it was torture, but it was fun, I promise!

Jelly Belly Factory

Adam had a seminar he had to attend in Fairfield. For those who don't know, Fairfield is the home of Jelly Belly. That's right, the Jelly Belly Factory...and they do tours. And yes, we had to go. I had been with my roomates before, and thought it would be fun to take the kids. Adam kept saying it was the nerdiest thing he had ever done. {HELLO?! He collects comic books, and a Jelly Belly Factory tour was nerdy?? I'm thinking, not so much, babe!}When we got there, we had to wear these paper hats. They were pretty cool hats. The kids loved them. Adam did not. He would not let me get a picture of him. So, I was sneaky. I took one when he least expected it. I was so proud of myself. I had documentation...I had proof that Adam was on the Jelly Belly Factory tour. You can't take pictures while on the tour, but they do take your picture as you start the tour, and then try to scam you into paying 20 bucks for a cheesy picture.

While on this tour, we saw millions and millions of Jelly Bellys. We saw the whol process and learned more about jelly beans than any person should know, really. I was carrying Jacob in the Baby Bjorn, and he was getting heavy. With the diaper bag and everything, I was dying. So I had Adam hold the diaper bag. Bad idea...he was sneaky as well. He deleted the picture. I was so bummed. No evidence.

Oh, but wait. They did hand me a card after they took our picture prior to the tour. And yes, there was a website. And yes, our picture was there, and yes, you can publish it on the web on your personal site. And yes, I will post it now:


Proof. However, after the Jelly Belly Tour Adam picked a guitar factory that we were to tour. He loved it. But, his 3 kids and non guitar playing wife, did not. Noah did get to play a very expensive guitar, and Adam was a pretty happy guy, so I guess it was okay!

County Fair.

I'm not much of a fair person. It's too expensive. The ride are expensive, and totally not Disneyland. I'm afraid that they will fall apart any second. But, it was dollar day. For a cheap thrill, it was worth it. I went with my friend Kristyn and her little boy, Thacker. The kids loved it. It was actually pretty fun. If you go with low expectations, it makes it all the better! Noah and Macie got to ride a few rides, play a few games, and see a few animals. And I think I spent like 8 bucks total. Not too bad, really.

Noah loved the petting zoo. Macie...not so much. She liked the animals from behind the fence, but when she was inside, and they started walking toward her, she lost it. She hated it. But, she still had fun. Gotta love county fairs!

{there will be more on the fair in a later post...maybe with some Boyz II Men action...yeah, I said it, Boyz II Men...they are still doing shows. Who knew?!}

7 month comparison

Yeah, I know. I have the cutest kids. It's funny to look at these pictures. Noah looks tiny and very subdued. Macie looks crazy happy. Jacob looks bored and not happy. But, funny thing is, that is almost the exact opposite of what they REALLY are like. Well, with the exception of Macie. It just isn't what other people remember Macie being like at 7 months. She is such a Momma's girl that she just scowled at EVERYTHING except me for a while! Noah and Jacob are usually smiley, but just as Jacob is now, Noah was teething at the same age, so they aren't the happiest of campers in these pictures! But, they are all still very cute. Even if they weren't my kids, I'd still think they were pretty cute. I mean, who wouldn't?? ;-)