Bouncing Girls

We were at church on Saturday night and there were lots of balls and bouncy things for the kids to play with. In between services though it was insane with all the kids wanting to play. Joleigh begged to go and play, so I decided to take both the girls back Sunday morning during the early service when it was a little less chaotic. They had a blast!!! It was so great to see how happy they were just to be outside, in the beautiful weather, just playing and having fun. We turned it into a little Mommy/Daughters date and afterward went to the cafe for donuts and smoothies. Good times!

Our Christmas Tree

I am so excited to say that our Christmas tree is up, decorated and looks beautiful!!! We put up our new tree last night after the girls went to bed to figure out where we wanted it and have it all ready when they woke up. They were so surprised and excited just to have a bare tree in the living room, but when we told them they get to help decorate they got even more excited! I do have to share a cute story about Noelle, last night we kept talking about the Christmas tree, but she mistakenly thought we were saying Christmas treat and kept asking for her treat until she went to bed, a little disappointed. It was pretty cute! I think she has the visual now, so she knows what we are talking about. I love the ages of the girls, they are starting to really understand what's going on around them and we can start creating some really awesome memories as a family, including today and putting up our tree.

Extended holiday

Everyone got to sleep in today, it was GREAT!!! Noelle woke up first and crawled into bed with me around 8:00, but snuggled until 8:30. We stayed in bed watching cartoons, until Joleigh decided to get up at 9:00. When we finally got out of bed and started the day, I was anxious to start decorating for Christmas. It was so much fun sorting through decorations and listening to Christmas music. My favorite was Joe dancing around the living room with Noelle and then later telling them the Christmas story with their Little People Nativity set.






Later in the day we extended our Thanksgiving holiday and celebrated with Joe's dad, Tom and his fiance, Paula, at their house. We had a delicious meal of prime rib, potatoes, green beans and home-made cheese cake. It was nice to just relax with everyone and not feel rushed to go to the next place. Unfortunately, we missed Jeri, Joe's sister, who stayed in Kansas for the holiday with her boyfriend. It wasn't the same without her, but we are all super excited to see her in just a couple weeks!

It has been such a nice couple of days filled with yummy food and fantastic family, plus we still have the rest of the weekend. So much to give thanks for!

So Thankful!

I had such a wonderful and relaxing day! I start out with this because in the past holidays have been something that I stress out about. I feel like we have so many places to go and people to see that I get so anxious and exhausted that I forget to stop, relax and focus on the things that I am truly thankful for. This year I was really able to do that. I have so many things in my life including:
*My amazing husband, who I love and adore.
*My wonderful little girls, who make me smile everyday
*My baby on the way, who I can't wait to meet
*The privilege of staying home with them
*God's provision and constantly watching over and protecting us
*My parents, who have turned into incredible grandparents to our girls and are always willing to help out and encourage when we need them
*Joe's family, who is just as much my family
*My extended family, who I wish I saw more often, but know I that they are also there for me
*The friendships in my life
*And so much more!!!

I hope that you were able to reflect on the things in your life that you are thankful for and enjoyed those closest to you! Here is glimpse into my day. I cooked for my family and Joe's brothers, for the fist time ever! We bought an already cooked turkey, which was delicious, and I made all the sides. Then we went over to my parents house to celebrate with my extended family. It was another wonderful meal and great company! Hope you had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Pregnancy Update

The time is flying by!!! I am almost 27 weeks pregnant and can't believe that I am going to meet my baby girl in 3 months. I have been feeling pretty good. I have just been tired and feeling some aches and pains, but that is to be expected having 3 children in less than 4 years, plus taking care of two little ones. Jaelyn has been very active, especially at night. Joe has been enjoying feeling her kick. The girls love to kiss and talk to their baby sister and at prayer time Noelle prays for Jaelyn every night, it is precious. Joleigh tells me on a daily basis how much she already loves Jaelyn and that she wants to share all of her clothes and toys with her. They are going to be the best little helpers. I can't wait to finally meet her, somedays the end of February seems so far away and other days it is SO close. Here are some recent belly pics, I do love this part of being pregnant, even though I feel like I have grown so much over night. Joleigh even told me that I my clothes were getting to small and I need to get new ones. Kids are great!!!

Beautiful Morning

What a great morning we had! First, everyone slept in until 8:00, so that is always a good thing. Joe suggested we go get donuts, but neither girl wanted to, opting for Fruity Cheerios with milk instead, much to my dismay. We just bought Joleigh a scooter and she was dying to practice riding it. We got the girls ready, including their new helmets, safety first. We spent some time outside of our house riding around and taking pictures. It was a beautiful morning! Joleigh is getting really good at steering her scooter and Noelle is being persistent in trying to learn to ride her bike. We decided the day was so nice that we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the church to eat and play on the playground. The girls just love being outside and doing things together, especially with Daddy. Now we are off to take our naps, while Daddy goes to work. I just love days like these!!!

Thanksgiving Program

Our Thanksgiving started a little early this year. Yesterday, Joleigh and all her preschool friends put on a Thanksgiving program for their families, followed by a feast. Joe, Noelle, my mom, Beth, and I were all there to watch our sweet little Joleigh. I can't tell you how proud I was to watch my little girl sing her songs and dance her dance. She is so amazing to me! We are really learning about her personality. At home, one on one, Joleigh is expressive and theatrical, but whenever she is in a social situation she is super serious, observant and very straight faced. So when she was up on the stage, she didn't crack a smile, but she knew every word to her songs and poems. It was priceless! I look forward to the many programs we get to come and watch in the future. I have so much to be thankful for!

Birthday Fun

Each of the girls has had a friend's birthday party this week. It is so fun that they are at an age that they have friends to celebrate with!

Last Sunday, Noelle and I went to Rio Vista Park to celebrate Alexis' birthday. I went to high school with her mom, Alison, and have been so blessed to have reconnected with her. Noelle and Alexis are just a couple of weeks apart, so they both just turned 2. We had so much fun! Joleigh wasn't feeling well, so she stayed with my Granny. It was nice to have only one child to look after. Alison did a great job planning a wonderful lunch, yummy cake and gave out generous gifts to all of the kids. She really out did herself. Noelle loved playing on the playground too!

Then today, Joleigh's friend, Lily, had her birthday party and invited our entire family. Joleigh and Lily go to preschool together and her dad, Andy, works at the church with Joe. Her mom, Jobey, and I are friends as well, so it was great to see all of them. They asked all the kids to bring their bikes and they decorated them and had a parade. It was adorable! Jobey did a great job planning activities for all the kids and had great snacks for everyone. The girls didn't want to leave. I thought Joleigh was going to steal Lily's Jeep and drive home in it.

I realized that planning parties is hard work, but so worth it when you get to see your kids and all their friends having so much fun! So great job to Alison and Jobey! And thank you Alexis and Lily for letting us celebrate with you! Happy Birthday!

I also got to celebrate Jena's birthday this week. We went out, just the two of us, for a delicious dinner and had coffee afterwards. We have been friends for 17 years and grew up down the street from each other. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends and it always a treat to get to spend time together. Our lives are so busy these days, but it is definitely the kind of friendship that always picks up right where we left off. So Happy Birthday to you too, Jena!!!

Our Week

It was a pretty mellow week in the Jensen household. Nothing too eventful. So I thought I would just share some cute pictures of the girls we took this week to get you all caught up.

Grandma Linda came to visit Noelle on her birthday.

Joleigh enjoyed her sister's new guitar!

We baked some cookies.


We read some books together.

Lots of snuggling with Daddy.


We are going to start a family rock band.

They really are the best of friends!!!

My Noelle Turns 2

Tomorrow, November 2, my baby officially turns 2. I can not even believe it!!! If I wasn't having another baby I would be really sad, but she is such an amazing little girl and has such an incredible little personality, I couldn't slow her down (or time), even if I tried.

We had her birthday party today, a day early, with her family and a few friends, at her very favorite place Chick-fil-a. Everyone had lunch, followed by a cupcake cake I made, then watched her enthusiastically open all her presents. She made me laugh, she genuinely got excited about every present she got. She was very spoiled!!! Afterward she played in the play area and the Chick-fil-a cow paid her a visit. It was the perfect party for her and she was so exhausted that she fell asleep on the way home. I love my sweet and sassy little Noelle and hope that she had a wonderful time at her party and a wonderful birthday weekend!!!

Our Halloween

This has been a long but fun week for the Jensen Family. Wednesday night, we went and had pizza at my parents house and carved pumpkins with the girls. It was fun to open the pumpkins up and watch the girls' expressions as they scooped the seeds out. Noelle loved it, which surprised me because she doesn't like to be dirty, but Joleigh was not a fan. Joleigh was the designer telling me what to draw and Grandma Ryall carved them. It was a good time!

Then on Thursday, Joleigh had her preschool party. She dressed up as Cinderella, her favorite princess, and Noelle was Tinkerbell. Noelle and I went to school with her that day to watch and be a part of her party. Is was so much fun to see her in action with all of her friends, and see what she does and what she is like when she is away from me. She couldn't wait to get there and see what costumes all her friends would be wearing. After the party the class and parents went to a nursing home to sing songs the students had practiced and pass out candy. The kids were adorable and the senior adults loved having them there. It was a great time for everyone.

On Friday, we carved our special pumpkin with Daddy and drew faces on the little ones we got from the pumpkin patch. We were going to stay in our neighborhood, but there were many people not going to be home, so we got ready and went over to my parents house for dinner, then a little trick or treating, then went over to Joe's dad's house for more trick or treating. The girls had the best time! It took a few houses before Noelle learned that you can't eat the treats right away, that you wait until later. They were so absolutely adorable and innocent and truly reminded me how much fun can be had. Here a some pics from our exciting week. We hope you had a very Happy Halloween!