Preview Rexburg Temple

Click on the link below and then click on the video icon under the "by" line to see some of the interior shots of our temple. They are absolutely AMAZING!!

http://www.kidk.com/news/local/12840652.html

The Best Gift?.....The Gift of Self!

Christmas was good to us this year. Santa hit our house and hit it hard!! You can see that even though the Jensen kids were threatened (many times I might add) with coal, they stepped it up just in time for Santa to bring them EVERYTHING a kid could possibly want.

But what do you get for someone who is hard to shop for? You know the kind...the person who can and does buy what they want. Or better yet (this one is me) the person who says they really don't need anything and they are fine so they don't bother with a list.

This year Sharman MADE me the best gift ever! For those of you who do not know, I have a brother who committed suicide three and a half years ago. It has been tough without him and we all miss him terribly. When we had to go through his personal items I took a coat, hat, belts and a shirt of his. My sisters were a little grossed out by it, but when we did the last pour of concrete on our home, my brother Ben was there to help us and he was wearing some of these items. I wanted to have them to keep a part of him that had once been in my home with my home still. For years Sharman has said that he will get me something to put it all in. Well, this Christmas that something finally materialized into .......

a custom made shadow box! The top lifts off and the glass slides in. He made the box and then carefully placed the items inside to be opened by me Christmas morning. I could not have asked for a better gift!!

The kids kind of got into the giving of self this year as well. Sharman and the kids had purchased this photo frame. Then, when my sister Amy came for Thanksgiving, Sharman had her take black and white photos to put in the frame. There are photos of many of my family members on both sides. I still need a photo of Tammie and her family and Kendon and Lisa and their family to have everyone but for the most part I have photos of both sides. It means so much because I really value each member of my family. They each represent a special part of my life and who I am. I even have a photo of my brother-in-law and his wife (Kelly and KaYa) who are in Korea. This was pretty cool to have in the frame as well.

For years, I have looked forward with eager anticipation to our family gift exchange. My sister-in-law April is extremely talented. She has made denim quilts, baby blankets, sweaters, recipe books, photo trays, food items, blankets, etc. You name it, she can make it. I am really grateful for each of my family and extended family members and the things they do to bless my life. Mostly, I am really grateful for the gifts of self that they extend to me, not just during the Christmas season, but throughout the entire year. This is what I love most about family.

Santa Baby

Ever have a hard time getting your kids to listen? I keep telling my kids that I really do know Santa. They do not believe me. Last night I get Santa's telephone number and business card so I can call him whenever I might need a little help with the kids listening.

Last night was the ward Christmas party at Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's ward. Here are photos of the kiddos:

Zack and Sydney were first in line and ecstatic to see the big guy. Sydney waited for everyone to leave and then made a second trip to see him and ask about getting a dog.

Sirri, Connor and Meg were next and we very happy to see Santa too. Lisa said she was surprised that Connor would even go to Santa as he was not a fan just last week when then went.
Finally it was Saquoia's turn. She even had a part in the Christmas program. She was one of the angels that sang at the birth of baby Jesus.

I love these kids and am especially excited to see Santa each year. What a great guy. He sure made my kids evening and I have heard nothing but questions and comments about him since. We love you Santa!!

Trapping

Zack has spent the last couple of weekends taking a trapping class offered by the community of Rexburg. He learned not only how to trap but also about skinning and proper maintenance of his traps. In the above photo he is the kid in front of the guy in brown who is holding the hammer. The photo was with an article about trapping in our local newspaper.

Sunday a neighbor asked Zack to come over and trap along the river. Zack was more than willing to accommodate him. Last night I got home and my mighty trapper had managed to trap a couple animals. There was never a prouder boy than Zack last night. He trapped a mallard duck and a muskrat. His dad helped him skin the muskrat and I think he will take it to get tanned as it is his pride and joy.

His next big trapping hope is to trap either a beaver or a raccoon. Good luck mighty hunter. We will post photos of him with his trophies as he traps.

What Do You Want For Christmas?

The other day I was driving to town with Sydney in the back seat. She was upset so I started to ask her what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas. She was still crying so I said:

Me: Do you want a cat?

Syd: No.

Me: Do you want a chicken?

Syd: We have guineas.

Me: Do you want a llama?

Syd: YEAH!!

Great I was thinking she would revert back to the good ole' ..... no I want a dog, answer.

Me: What will you do with a llama?

Syd: Keep it.

Me: Where will you keep it?

Syd: In the back yard.

Me: What will you do with it in the winter? Won't it get cold?

Syd: No, it won't get cold ... it is fluffy.

Smart girl. How do I get her back on track?

Me: I thought you wanted Santa to bring you a dog.

Syd: But Mom, you hate dogs.

Me: Yeah, but maybe if Santa brought a LITTLE dog I might not hate it.

Syd: Yeah, then I want a rat dog.

Me: Ooookay. A rat dog huh?

Syd: Yep and it can sleep in my bed with me.

What I didn't know at the time is that Sharman is getting a Jack Russell Terrier for the kids for Christmas. Great. So now that you know what Syd wants for Christmas; what do you want?

Silly Girl

Sydney makes me laugh with all of her little antics. About a month ago she got ahold of some cattails and she pulled all of the seeds off so it looked like snow. She looked so cute I just had to snap a few (a lot) of photos.

Look Mom, it kinda is like snow.

Snow is falling!!!


Rolling in the "snow."

Drats, snow in the mouth!

Ok, enough of the snow. I am dusting off.

Reading Anyone?

Yeah I know it is dark and hard to see, but this is my library with SIX full sized bookcases. I love to read. I mean I really, really, really love to read. When we built our house we decided that the one thing we would splurge on was having a library in our home. Here we are...three almost four years later and now we have our library. I am so excited. They are stained a deep mahogany color.

Sharman ground out stumps for a man who is a master at woodworking and we traded out services. He built these beautiful bookcases from the ground up. When they are all done they will have a kick board across the bottom and crown molding across the top.

I remember many times that President Hinckley has talked about how he had a room in his home filled with good books. Sharman and I love reading and hope that our love of reading will inspire our children to read as well.

After we got these in the house and set I promptly filled two complete cases. I was scanning some of my favorite books and couldn't help but smile.

So I sat down with the kids and read them a few stories and then we all went to bed. What a wonderful night.