Last post of 2008!

Well, 2008 was the most eventful year of my entire life I would have to say!

*January 2nd, I found out that we had a precious little baby on the way! Also, on this same day, Brett started working with Riverstone Residential in Property Management.

*February 4th I turned 27. My 20's are rapidly coming to an end but I am okay with that.

*April 4th, we found out that our little baby is a girl.

*August 18th my parents loaded up and moved to Minnesota. This has been one of the most challenging emotions to deal with, missing them so terribly, but God is good and luckily I have great family and friends still here in Portland.

*August 28th, Emersyn Grace Jensen entered the world and our lives have been so blessed ever since.

*Mid-November Brett was promoted into management with his company and is now working at a property downtown.

*December 14th we officially become suburban "soccer parents" and bought a mini-van. :)

Last New Year's Eve I probably would have never believed you if you told me that exactly one year later I would be sitting at my computer with the cutest 4 month old baby that you have ever seen upstairs sleeping in her crib, with a mini-van in the driveway. But I have come to realize more in more as life goes on that God is faithful and His plans are always far more exciting then I could have ever planned for myself. I thought the highlight of 2008 was going to be going to Hawaii in May for our 5 year anniversary. Instead, that anniversary was spent shopping for our unborn daughter and reflecting on how much fun we have had over the last 5 years. I am anxiously looking forward to all that the New Year has to bring and am daily reminding myself that God is in control and I can take it one day at a time. I tend to be a planner in the worst way at times, always want to know what's ahead and how I can prepare for it. But the more I have "let go" in life, the better things have become.

Okay, on a lighter note, here are some highlights of our post-Christmas fun!

Emersyn was dedicated on Sunday, December 28th, which was also her 4 month old birthday! We have pics and a video but they are currently still with our friend who took them for us. I will be sure and post pics when I get them. Emersyn looked adorable in her Christmas dress and she didn't make a peep on stage, what an angel! I will post more details about this exciting day in her life when I get the pics! :)

Sunday afternoon we went to lunch at Azteca with some of our favorite people, my parents, Brett's parents, the Sies family and the Meichtry family. It was a blast to be together and Emersyn was a sweetie, of course!

Playing with Daddy at Azteca.

After lunch we went to see "Four Christmas's". Cute movie. Emersyn was in heaven. She has become quite the media enthusiast, seriously. That is a glamourous way of saying that she is obsessed with tv. :) Particularly football, no joke. I know we have discussed this before but it is SO true. Last night Brett was holding her and showing her the pictures on our digital frame but she kept trying to steal glances at the tv next to them to keep up on the Oregon game. Brett is in heaven with his football loving daughter. :) Last night she was getting ready for bed but since there was only like 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter, I let her stay up. What a mean Mommy I would be, not letting her see the end of the game! :) Anyways, back to the movie...when we got there the screen just had pictures on it, like slide show style. But when the movie and sound came on.......

That TV is HUGE Mommy!!!!

Watching the movie with Daddy.

She was in awe. It was so cute to see!!! She watched the movie, ate and then passed out in her car seat which was facing the screen of course. :) Tomorrow we are going to see Marley and Me with the Jensen's and I am excited about that. I am sure she will love seeing the doggy on the big screen!

Yesterday we said "see you later" to my parents as they headed back to Minnesota. My mom is so cute, she doesn't like to say goodbye so we just say "see you later". :) I was very emotional but luckily David and Brett were here to comfort me and David cheered me up by showing me some footage from when Emersyn was born. There is a part on the video where I am in labor, pushing but throwing up, like super dramatic throwing up, not some mild dry heaves. David tries to be discreet so he turns the camera around to film out the window. The funny part is, it is dark outside so instead of capturing outside, you capture David trying not to laugh hysterically while his sister is totally barfing in the background. We had a good laugh. That might be a "you had to be there" moment but we all had a good time re-living it. :) Anyways, after Emersyn took a nap, we went to Ikea and got some frames for some prints of Emersyn that I want to put in my hallway going up the stairs.

Emersyn and Uncle David having some fun!

Tonight we are going to a bunco New Year's party and then back to our house around 10 so that we can put Emersyn to sleep at a decent hour. Our friends Tori and Andrew are going to ring in the New Year with us and spend the night so that they don't have to drive so late. It will be fun times for sure! Tomorrow we are going to see "Marley and Me" with the Jensens, like I said before, and then to dinner somewhere. Fun times are sure to be had!

Well, so long 2008. You were a great year and I will never forget you!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Emersyn's First Christmas Celebration

Emersyn's favorite toy looking a little festive. :)

Happy Holidays!! 

Christmas was extra special for us this year for obvious reasons! We had such a nice time with family and friends and are looking forward to what the new year holds for us all. 

Here is a little recap of our holiday celebrations!

First of all, can you believe the weather?!?!?! It really put an interesting spin on our holiday season, that is for sure. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do a lot of the holiday related things that I had wanted to due to the snow. I think this is the first year ever that we have not gone to Peacock Lane! And I was very nervous that my parents weren't going to make it into town as they flew in to Seattle on Sunday which was one of the first days of our "Arctic Blast". But by a miracle, their flight made it safely and then they drove down from Seattle in a rear wheel drive sedan rental car and made it in about 5 hours. I was so happy to see them, even if it was at midnight!! 

Santa came for Brett a little early, on the 23rd to be exact. My dad and Glen, a family friend, came knocking on our door and told Brett to put on his shoes and come outside. This is what he saw when he came out.....

A new grill!!! We are so happy!! We have had the same grill since we got married and it is pretty worn out and really only holds about 8 burgers which isn't that many when you are entertaining in the summers. This grill will ensure many fun times ahead. Thank you Mom and Dad!!!

We started off the holiday with a celebration at our family friends, the Sies', on Christmas Eve at their house. I forgot my camera which is very unlike me but other people had their camera's so I need to snag some pictures from them. We had a wonderful dinner and then played games and had a great time visiting. We headed home, braving the weather and snow packed roads. 

Christmas morning we headed over to Brett's parents house at around 9. We had Cinnabon's and a fruit salad before we opened presents. Emersyn slept the whole time on her Papa's lap and then with her Nana but it was still fun. We got a Panini grill which I am really excited to use!! Emersyn got some really cute clothes, a pink cd player for her room, some darling Robeez, and some other fun items. Thank you Nana and Papa and to all of Brett's siblings!!

We headed back to our house around 12:30. When we got home, my mom and dad, David, and Gigi were all waiting for us. We decided to put the turkey in before we opened the presents. It was my first time making a turkey! I was pretty excited about it! 

We had fun opening presents and were so blessed with some awesome gifts and gift cards, whoo hoo! I got a set of pans that were really nice but since I already have pretty nice pans, I was able to exchange the set of pans for a Kitchen Aid mixer!!!! I am so excited!! I am sure it will take my cooking and baking to a whole new level. :) 

Daddy opening his Fossil leather briefcase that Emersyn got him for work!

Reading Uncle David's card from her.

Emersyn got a Baby Einstein jumper and she is so cute in it. We showed her how to spin a frog on it just once and she is already doing it by herself!! 

Christmas dinner was great and we did our traditional communion with dinner. We do it before all holiday dinners and it is a nice reminder of the true meaning of the season. 

Christmas night ended with Chevy Chase's "Christmas Vacation". Good times. Emersyn had such a great first Christmas and a White Christmas on top of that! I wish I would gotten some better pictures but since we had my family in town, I was a little distracted. Lord knows I have plenty of great memories in my head though. 

I hope you all had as much fun as we did on Christmas!!! Happy New Year too everyone!!!

More cute things...

Dear Emersyn,

Since this blog is turning into a little journal of your exciting life as a baby, I figured I better keep up with all the cute things that you do and enjoy!

*Bumpys: Emersyn, you LOVE bumpy's!!!! Now what is a "bumpy" you ask? Well, it is when we put your car seat in a shopping cart and then roll the cart over the bumpiest pavement we can find. I honestly think it is the highlight of your little life. Your favorite bumpys are at Fred Meyer, right after you leave the sidewalk, there is a ramp to get down to the parking lot level off the curb. This is full of rough cobble stone and you would think that this violent shaking would disturb you but you never fail to find joy in it. As your cheeks have filled out, they too have started to take part in the shaking. If you are sucking on your binky, you will promptly spit it out as to fully be able to take in the enjoyment found in such bumpys. Your eyes get wide and you go into a daze of bliss. Your Daddy and I just love it. You have loved bumpys since you were born. You have really enjoyed the snow as of late because that means a lot of parking lots have laid down gravel so that there is more traction. Gravel=bumpys! Daddy and I are going to get a video camera soon and one of the things we need to document is your love of the bumpys. Yes, people in the parking lot will look at us like we are strange but we don't care.

*You have started making a funny gasping noise. Like you breathe in really deep and make a sound and it is amusing to you. The only thing is, it often tickles your throat so the gasp is often accompanied by a cough. You have discovered this gasping in the last few days and you like to practice doing it when Mommy puts you down for a nap. It is really cute and is another cute thing that we need to capture on film.

*Gurgling: you have started gurgling out of happiness that is often followed by spit bubbles. You love to gurgle especially on your changing table. For some reason, you love laying on your changing table and always coo and smile at Mommy or Daddy or whoever is changing you. I like your gurgles. You are my happy sweet girl.

*Okay, now the next part isn't pretty but it needs to be documented because it is cute. Now, when you were a tiny baby, you had your fair share of toots. Because you were such a frequent tooter, I started calling you tooter-magooter. Then it gradually shortened to magooter, which is what I call you when you are gassy but it is also what I have started calling your little toots and other little "explosions" that come from the rear end area. You love standing and for some reason, you love to stand and "magooter". Often times, after Mama feeds you, you will stand on her lap after she burps you and you and I will chat and sometimes we chat with Daddy too. Well, lately, Daddy and I have noticed that sometimes while standing, you get really quiet and your eyes get a little red and watery and you slowly start to slump over. Then a LARGE sound follows and an unpleasantly fragrant odor is emitted. You will usually do this about three times in a row and as childish as it is, your Daddy and I laugh so hard every single time. After we are pretty sure that you are done, I give you to Daddy and tell him that his baby wants him and that I have to go do something. Maybe this is a weird thing to blog about but it is so darn cute and funny and you are my little tooter-magooter and I love you for it, even if you are a stinky baby.

I love you Emersyn Grace. I am so excited for our first Christmas season as a family. We are going to teach you the real meaning of Christmas and create some fun and meaningful family traditions. Thank you for being my sweet baby.

Love, Your Mama

Happy holidays!!

I have some ADORABLE Christmas pictures of Emersyn that I am just dying to post but I have to wait until my Christmas cards go out. I sent most of them out today so they should reach my parents (the main people I want to surprise) in 2 or 3 days and then I can post them. I can't, she is getting cuter each and every day which I didn't think was possible!!!

Emersyn's latest favorite thing: standing. She is such a big girl and loves to stand on my lap, the couch, in her crib, wherever really. It is so cute.

Another favorite thing of hers is Mallory the Monkey. She is pretty much Emersyn's best friend. I put her on the car seat handle and Emersyn just stares and smiles at her and tries to eat her fish and pineapple. I think why she really likes Mallory though is because her Grammy bought it for her. :)We had a fun playdate this morning with Ellie and Sarah!! Ellie and Emersyn are only about 4 weeks apart so it is fun to watch them grow together. Plus, whenever people ask their names, they always think that the two "E" names are so fun together. I agree!

Brett and I are on the hunt for the perfect minivan, used of course. My parents are coming into town next weekend and we really want to be able to all be in one car together. Plus, we want a minivan for other reasons but that is why we are hoping to find one SOON! It seems like in this economy, dealers should be anxious to sell a car for a good deal to a buyer such as myself! We'll see. Wish us luck!!

100 Days

Dear Emersyn,

Today you are 100 days old!! I can hardly believe it. Being your mama is such a blessing. You are the sweetest little girl and I just melt whenever you give me one of your big beautiful smiles. Your Daddy and I love you so much and pray each night that the Lord would keep you strong and healthy and bless your life. We are having so much fun with you. You are definitely starting to prefer your Mommy and Daddy when we are in a crowd. You don't mind being passed around much but when you start to get cranky, you usually just want your Mama. That makes me feel so special! I still can't believe I am your Mama. Daddy and I still look at each other sometimes and can't believe that we are parents. We love it. Here are some of your favorite activities:
* You have started playing with your plastic rings that your Grammy got you a long time before you were even born. It is so cute to watch you concentrate on grabbing them and then joyfully stick them in your mouth.

* You LOVE watching TV with your Daddy, even football (yuck!!). Daddy loves cuddling with you and you guys have a good time watching whatever is on tv. Sometimes when you are fussy at night and need to go to bed, you stop what you are doing to see what is on the TV and it makes your Daddy and I laugh.

Watching football with Daddy.
You decided you were big enough to watch some TV by yourself. :)
Such a little girl on a big couch!

* You are a very smiley girl. My favorite times with you are after you wake up and I go into your room and you give me big smiles like you are SO happy to see me. Your smiles melt my heart and make me love being a mama.
* You love lights! The Christmas tree is very exciting to you and you will be pretty much content anywhere if you can see a light.

* You love your hands, mainly sucking on them. When we are in the car, if your binky falls out (which it often does), we will all of the sudden start hearing some very aggressive sucking noises and that is you, going to town on your hands. It is very cute.
* You love talking on the webcam to your Grammy and Grandpa. Even though they don't live, here, you very much know them and recognize their voices. They just love it when you smile too and especially when you talk, like you have started doing so much! Mommy and Daddy love it when you talk too, Daddy loves it when you talk to him on the phone when he is on his way home from work.

These have been the best 100 days of our lives and we just love you so much sweet girl. Thank you for being the sweetest baby girl ever.


Love, Mommy

Emersyn's First Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving started off with a surprise! Brett’s brother Brandon and his wife Marcy drove up from San Diego on Wednesday evening and showed up on our doorstep at 9am Thanksgiving morning! They didn’t tell anyone that they were coming up and we were so happy to see them. Emersyn hadn’t met them yet and we weren’t sure when they were going to get to see her.

They had driven all night so they decided to try to take a nap while we got ready to go. We had Thanksgiving at Brett’s apartment clubhouse, which is very luxurious and had plenty of space for the 25+ people that were coming to sit. It is hard to find homes in the family that will seat that many people comfortably. Plus, since Brett works there, we were able to use an extra oven in a vacant apartment for all the cooking that needed to be done. We got to the clubhouse around noon and that is when the party got started. I didn’t get near as many pictures as I wanted to because of how busy the day was but oh well, Lord knows we make up for it on other days. J We ate dinner at 3pm and it was delicious. We headed out at about 7 and went home. Emersyn was pooped from not really having a good nap all day so we tried to put her to bed and watched “Fred Claus” with Brett’s family. Emers was so tired that she was fighting sleep so Brett and I didn’t really watch much of the movie but from what I saw, it looked cute. We just love Christmas movies.

Emersyn's Thanksgiving Nap
Hanging out with Great Aunt Babe
Great Grandma and Great Aunt Babe having a Thanksgiving chat with Emers

Friday we slept in a little and then ventured out into the Black Friday madness. I was saddened by the frantic feeling in the air. We got flipped off in the parking lot of Macy’s for no apparent reason. I heard a news report of a man getting trampled to death at a Walmart due to frantic shoppers. Two father’s shot and killed each other at a Toys’R’Us in California. Seriously, is that what Christmas has come to???!?! It makes me want to boycott the whole thing, except that I do truly believe that Christmas is special because of what it was originally intended to celebrate, Christ’s birth. Yes, I love the music and lights and such, but all the materialism and greed has really put a sad spin on the holiday. We are determined to teach Emersyn that Christmas is about Jesus’ birthday and not about presents. I suppose we will still do the Santa thing but Santa will only fill her stocking, we have decided not to give her gifts from us. Emersyn is an extremely blessed child and she really has no needs that aren’t met, either by us or our generous families and friends. I do think presents are fun but I am not going to support the idea that just because it is December 25^th, she needs to have 100 presents to open.

Okay, that is my rant. Anyways, we did partake in the Black Friday madness and got a digital frame that is now on our mantle, flashing the cutest pictures of our baby girl, as well as some neat pictures of us and our families in general. We got a really good deal. We also are on the hunt for a toaster oven but haven’t found the right one for the right price yet. Friday night we had leftover turkey made into a casserole type thing with Brett’s family and then hung out and watched tv at our house so that Emersyn could go to bed in her crib.

Today I am relaxing after a busy couple of days. Brett and his dad are going to watch the Civil War tonight at our house and I am going to finish decorating our tree and house. Brett started his new job today downtown. I am so proud of him and so unbelievably thankful for this promotion. God is so good and He always provides for all our needs.

Thankful......

....for nap times which allow me time to update my blog! :)
.....for a loving God who cares for me and has provided for me in ways I could have never dreamed of.
....for an amazing husband who is truly my best friend. We are having so much fun in this new chapter of life as parents and when I look at my daughter, my heart swells with love for both her and her daddy.
....for the cutest baby girl in the world. I never truly understood the love that a parent has for a child until I became one. I can't believe how beautiful and smart and smiley and loving that she is and to think, I housed this perfect little creature in my belly for 10 months!!! I am so thankful that is she healthy and my life has taken on a whole new meaning.


....for wonderful supportive parents who I have grown to love on an even deeper level since having Emersyn. Every day I look around my home and am reminded of their generousity, whether I am changing diapers that they have provided, dressing Emersyn in clothes they have bought, etc. I am so thankful that they love my husband like he is their own son, thankful that they love my daughter more then I think any grandparent has ever loved a grandchild, and thankful that we have such a neat and special relationship that no amount of miles between us could ever penetrate.


Okay, Kleenex break, gotta wipe the eyes. I am so emotional after having a baby!!!

Thankful...

....for a beautiful home that the Lord provided to us when we had no idea how we were going to get. He continues to provide each month that we pay that mortgage too! :)
....for Brett's promotion. We knew that the Lord really wanted Brett at Riverstone Residential for whatever reason and it is neat to see that start to really pay off. Brett was promoted into management at a property downtown and starts there on Saturday.
.....for friends that are a blessing to me and inspire me to be a better person.
...for loving family, from my in-laws to aunts and uncles and grandparents. I am so happy to be able to share my daughter with so many people who love her and are excited to be in her life.

There are so many more things I could say but it is so hard to put into words. All in all, my heart is bursting with gratitude this time of year and it is my goal to always remember to be thankful, even when Thanksgiving has passed.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone! Blessings from the Jensen family to yours. :)

Visit to Boise!!

Yay for amazing friends!!!

I kind of see myself in Emersyn in the picture above. Riley is too cute with his sweet smile!!

So fun to be mama's together!!!

I think he likes her!!

Daddy was soooo excited to fly with Emers!!!

We had such a lovely time in Boise last week, thank you Tiffany for being such a wonderful hostess!! Emersyn got to take her first plane ride with Daddy which was very special. He held her for the entire flight and they had a good time snuggling and looking out the window! J On the way there, there were only 39 people on the plane so we had our own section. On the way home, they said that the flight was pretty much full. After Brett and I got into our seats, I told Brett to sit on the aisle and I would sit next to the window and nurse Emersyn. Sure enough, we ended up with the only seat in the plan that wasn’t occupied!! The flight was full of lots of men and they would come to the back and see me feeding Emersyn and awkwardly look away and head back up to the front of the plane to find a seat. I was so proud of myself and my strategy!! Hee hee.

The Langfords have such a nice and comfortable home. We spent most the time just hanging out there, playing with the babies who seemed to be avoiding each other based on their schedules. Once Emersyn would wake up, Riley would get fussy and go down and then once he woke up, Emersyn was needing to take a nap. The evenings usually worked out and they were able to get some quality time in together, as they should seeing as their future marriage is impending. J Tiffany and I even got to have a girls day on Saturday and go out shopping. I found some really good deals at Old Navy, including a very patriotic little bathing suit that I am pretty sure Emersyn is going to look DARLING in next summer and it was only $1! 4 of July pictures here we come!! Tiffany got Emersyn the CUTEST little sweater dress too, I can’t wait to see her in it!!!

Now we are back home, finally settled after a month of off and on travels. It felt good to go to the grocery store, knowing that we are going to be home for good! We are so excited for Christmas, in fact, the tree is going up tomorrow! We are doing it a week early, don’t judge us! We just got our first fake tree last year and I am so excited to get pictures of Emersyn helping us decorate it! She is going to LOVE the lights too!! Thank you Lord for my little baby and giving her to us in time for the holidays!!

Tuesday I met up with an old friend at the mall, Sarah. We went to jr. high and high school together and just reconnected via facebook right before I found out I was pregnant. We got to meet each other’s babies and it was too fun! Ellie is only about 4 weeks younger then Emersyn. I am looking forward to getting to hang out more and journey through this motherhood path together!

Ellie and Emersyn, bonding in the women's lounge of Nordstrom! :)

My brother is going to MN next week for Thanksgiving. I am really happy for him and my parents but just a tad bit sad that they will all be together without us. We will have a nice time with Brett’s family though and also plan to go over to some family friends for dessert later that evening.

Today Uncle David is coming over and we are going to lunch with Emersyn, courtesy of my amazing mama. She is so sweet and considerate and constantly inspires me to be a better person and mother.

Have a great week everyone!!

Smiles!

I am happy to say that I think Emersyn smiles more for me then she does anyone else. Her favorite time of day seems to be after her "breakfast" in the mornings. I feed her, change her and then act like a silly mommy, smiling at her like a goon and in return, she smiles back and often coos while smiling! I am smitten, what can I say?