Deep Thoughts By Chase

I don't know about anyone else, but bed time tends to be the time my kids like to talk (and generally thats the time I'm DONE talking, and just need some peace and quiet!)  The other night, I went in to tuck Chase in and the questions just poured out...

"Who made the rule that you have to wear garments?"

"Where do you buy them?"

"So, you just need to go buy some right before you go to the temple?"

"When I decide to ask someone to marry me, are we supposed to kiss when she says yes?"

"What if she doesn't want to get married in the temple, but I do?"

"So, I just break up with her if she won't?"

"What if we decide to get married in the temple, and I'm there waiting for her but when she's in the car her mom and dad call her and say that all of her friends are at the house, and they want her to get married there?"

"What if we get married and have kids, but then she wants to break up, but I don't.  Then while I'm sleeping she just leaves and takes the kids?  What would I do when I woke up?"  (I didn't have any answer for this one except, "you'd get right on your knees and ask Heavenly Father to help you")"

"Mom, that would really break my heart"

ME:  "Chase, all you need to worry about is who you're going to play with tomorrow"

Seriously.  I know its important to communicate with your kids, but these questions are just way to heavy for me.  I'm sure he felt much better, but I went to bed with all sorts on anxiety!

Oh, and one last thing...a couple of weeks ago I was driving him to basketball, and he said,

"Mom, there's just one thing that I really really really want to know.  If I knew who made Heavenly Father, then I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.  I wish I just knew.  Then I could tell other people.  Like, if he was made from dust, where did the dust come from?"

I really could write a book of all the things Chase talks and thinks about, I wish I remembered all of it.  He brings so much joy and excitement into our home.  LOVE HIM!!

ALBERT

Logan's big school project this year was the sixth grade wax musem.  He's been working on it since the beginning of the school year.  Last week was the big night!  He wrote and memorized a two minute speech as Albert Einstein.  He also had to dress up like him, set up a space with props having to do with Albert.  One of the favorites wat Einsteins brain in a jar made from cauliflower. 

Each kid had to think of a way for people to walk through and "bring them to life".  Logans was to have people turn on the tv to start his speech.  He had a lot of fun and has an amazing teacher...loving sixth grade!

 

Happy New Year!

OUCH

On Christmas break, Carly and Chase were winding up in a blanket standing up (with their arms tucked in), when they both went down with Chase on top sending Carly's head right into the metal legs of our lamp table.  I was sitting right on the couch when it happened so I knew immediately by the sound that it would be bad.  I rushed her upstairs, and sure enough, uncontrollable bleeding with a huge gash.  To the instacare we went!  She was doing okay until they said the word STAPLES.  She lost it...insert sobbing.   Turns out the thought of staples hurts a lot more than the actual staples :)  She got three and was good as new...even better than new with the attention it got her!

Christmas

Christmas was a hit!  The highlight was definately having Franks mom and his brother Randy bring Toby over for a visit.  We had a nice Christmas dinner, and Anita even took a shot at the XBOX 360!  The kids were so excited to give Toby his new presents.  I was most excited about the new little "ugly boy sweater" we bought him!

 

 

So, they had a nice Christmas.  They got roller blades, golf clubs, karaokoe machine, among other things.  The XBOX 360 was a little controversial.  While I was at my moms making chocolates, I receive this text from Frank...

 

Frank:  Your stinking kids opened the box with the Xbox in it.

Suzanne:  Oh no!  What'd you say?  Did you tell them that Cade and Stacy had them delivered to us so their kids wouldn't see?

Frank:  Right.  I told them what any responsible parent would.  I told them I was takin it back.  I'm so mad about it I am really tempted to do it

 

So, when I talked to the kids that night, they were in tears.  They said the wish there was a time machine.  Apparently, the package came and Logan thought it was a free ipad he won off of instagram, so he and Chase opened it.  They tried to tape it up again when they saw what it was, but Frank noticed the different tape, and called them out on it!

 

Well, he gave it to them anyway (I knew he would)!...but that was our drama :)

 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was at my house this year.  We had my mom, dad, Kevin, and Stacy's family.  Here's how it went down:

Take-out Chinese dinner

Girls colored placemats that Stacy brought

 

Elves brought PJ's

Stacy helped the kids make cookies

for Santa and his Reindeer

We watched a few Christmas videos

I read the book "Tale of Three Trees", and we all sang songs that went with it.

 

We played the "Water Game"

 

We each took turns telling about our most memorable Christmas

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After the company left, our kids started up again on their annual tradition of building a fort in Carly's room to bunk in and be excited together about the day to come!

Family Photos

Frank can't justify spending money for professional family pictures every year (or any year for that matter), so this year we invited Stacy and her family over for Sunday dinner, and just happened to be dressed for pictures for her to take in the empty lot acrosst the street from our house!  Here are some of the favorites...

 

Thanks Stacy!

 

 

Jenson Christmas Party

The annual Jenson Christmas Party is the Sunday before Christmas at my parents house.  We have dinner with everyone, then head downstairs for the much anticipated talent show. 

 

Me and Logan sang "Christmas Bells are Ringing".  This picture is of me taking his hand for a grand bow.  He's a little embarrassed.

 

 

Chase doesn't get embarrassed.  It was his idea to mouth Christmas songs, and then let the audience guess what it was.  He typed up his whole script!

 

Carly and Hannah played violin while Rachel sand to the song "Jingle Bells".  Carly also danced to "Gundam Style"

My mom played a piano solo, my dad played the clarinet to "I Heard the Bells", Kevin sang a jazzy verision of "We Three Kings", Sienna did gymnastics, Hannah played the violin, Emma played "Away in a Manger" on the piano, Jason showed us all the ways he's double jointed, Sage sang "Up on the Housetop", Stacy and her kids sang, "No L", Tyler played "Jingle Bells" on the piano, Adam and Jason told a joke, and my personal favorite...Sadie sang "Santa's Going on a Diet", I sang "Tonight You are Mine", and Brad sang Kevin's version of "Send in the Clowns".

Then we watched a video of the nativity, and had the white elephant exchange.  It's a night my kids look forward to all year long!

Crepes

2nd Annual "Crepes with Friends"

 

Love these ladies...love this tradition!

 

 

Violin

Carly started taking violin in the fall.  She takes private lessons on Fridays at 7am!  She has liked it and loves that she's learning with her cousin Hannah too (her lesson's at 7:30).  As she has learned to play, so have I.  It's a constant struggle to get her to practice...I'm hoping she'll thank me later.  Well, in December, she had her first concert.  They were invited to play at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in the Mezzanine.  It was so beautiful, and the music was awesome.  She had them playing with everyone else, so if they weren't perfect, you wouldn't know.  The whole company played the first few songs, and once the little ones played all they knew, they would taper off.  She had a great time!

Since we were already downtown, we let the kids look at the temple from the top floor of the JSM Building.  Then we looked at the Christmas candy windows at Macy's, then lunch at City Creek and a little shopping.  A very nice afternoon!

Chocolates

Yes, 'tis the season for chocolates!!  So for posterity, I've decided to document a little more this time.  Especially for my mother who likes to record every last detail from year to year, so we can improve from the year before.  Each time she takes notes...and I mean DETAILED notes.  She would say, "well, it looks like we started at 10am last year, and it's 9:30, so we're making great time".  She records who brought what, how many we made of each kind, what time we started and stopped, and what we should do different the next year.  I even took a picture of her reading her notes that she takes so seriously.  Seriously love her!  I love the picture too, because of the huge diet coke in the background.  Me and Stacy had to get our morning caffeine before we started (mom's a little disgusted).

So, before the chocolate making begins, we each have a list of things to make and bring with us.  This year, me and Stacy each made 2 batches of fondant (non-flavored), my mom made a batch of the chocolate fondant.  Then I made a triple batch of crunch (toffee, they just always call it crunch in Canada, so does my mom, so we do too!)  Stacy had to make a double batch of nougat, and my mom made the regular caramels, and the black licorice caramels.  Then we all bring what we have of the flavoring, toppings, nuts, etc.  My mom brings the milk and dark chocolate.

We start on a Thursday afternoon.  We combine all the plain fondant so all the chocolates will be the same consistency.  Then we divide them up and add the flavors.  After that, we use a teaspoon to measure the fondant and roll them into balls.  We then take the full pans to the garage to chill over night  We do some of the prep work for the next day (getting boxes ready, cutting up caramels, tempering chocolate, chopping coconut,etc.).  Then we go out to dinner with my dad and watch a movie, then off to sleep to rest for the busy day ahead.

Day 2 begings with a Diet Coke run at the Maverick for me and Stacy while my mom pours over her notes, to make sure we didn't miss anything.  Then its dipping, dipping, dipping!  Yielding over 1800 hand dipped chocolates.  Here are the varieties:

 

Caramels

Almond

Chocolate

Mint

Almond Joy

Nougat

Nut Cluster

Black Licorice Caramel

Snowball

Half Dip

 

 

AND....the finished product! (after that much work, they're not easy to part with)

The Forgotten Carols

Aunt Susan

We were all ready for a new Thanksgiving this year.  We decided to forego the extended family get together, and made plans to spend the holiday with the Wagners in Boise.  We were all looking forward to our little vacation.  Its always so fun and EASY to be with them.  Especially when Leslie would be doing most (ALL) of the cooking!

I was just making last minute preperations for our trip when I got the call that my aunt Susan (my moms sister) had passed away.  She had scleroderma.  She had been in a lot of pain over the years, but I was clueless.  We had a barbeque at her house over the summer, and no one would ever guess how badly she was hurting.  She was such a good sport.  Posistive, happy, accommodating, gunuine, and SO LOVING!  She was an excellent mother of seven, and she will be missed dearly.

 

Our Thanksgiving plans were immediately changed.  My sister and I decided to ditch our family, and catch a ride with my mom and dad to Canada for the funeral.  It was a sweet service.  All seven kids spoke, and did a great job.  They played a recording of Aunt Sue and Aunt Barb singing "Wind Beneath My Wings" together, then my cousin Jana joined in on the last verse...tear jerker.  In Canada, they don't have Thanksgiving (theirs is in October), but my grandma DID make us some turkey bacon for breakfast, and some pumpkin pie for dessert. 

Despite the sad circumstances, we still managed to have a little fun.  Nothing feels better after a good cray than a good laugh!  We played some cards, ate A LOT, and even made a trip to the candy warehouse to pick us some of our Canadian favorites!  It was an emotional trip...but one I'll never forget.  I'm so glad I was able to go!...Oh, and smooth sailing over the border this time...FYI.

Meanwhile....

Frank and the kids had a little vaca of their own!  They went to Golden Corral for Turkey dinner, then headed to the movie.  After that, they checked into a hotel downtown, and sat (played) in the hottub.  The next day they went shopping, to the movies again, and just realaxed. 

Before I left, I was hinting that the Christmas Light Fairy might come while I was gone.  (hoping Frank would FINALLY put up lights this year after an 8 year break)!  When my parents pulled into my neighborhood, we were all looking to see if the lights would be there...they weren't :(.  The house was dark, but three cute sillouhetes were sitting on the front porch eargerly waiting my arrival :)  As soon as the car was parked, the christmas lights turned on!  Frank had Christmas music playing on the outside speaker, and the kids poured into the car for hugs and kisses!  The best welcome home to date...for sure!

 

Something about losing someone that makes you really appreciate the people in your life...both past and present!