Remembering 2007

It has been a really long time since my last post. I've been so busy getting ready for Christmas, then having company, and all the while trying to prepare for a new year in Primary, that I haven't had much time to think of anything else. I sent our blog address to lots of friends in their Christmas cards and suggested they stop by to get an idea of what we've been up to, so I decided to do a quick recap of the year to catch them up.

Hannah

She finished 2nd Grade and had to say good-bye to her fabulous teacher, Mrs. Gust, who retired. Hannah absolutely loved EVERY minute spent with Mrs. Gust. I decided she learned more than any other 2nd grader ever has...because she listened to and memorized every word out of Mrs. Gusts' mouth. My favorite tidbit was the night we were at the table and I asked what she learned that day. She told me that they were learning about the digestive system and when your food is in the small intestine it's "soupy-soupy" and when its in the large intestine its "poopy-poopy". We miss all the fun facts that came from 2nd Grade.

Hannah started taking dance over the summer and continues taking piano lessons. She has thoroughly enjoyed both and is doing well. Both she and Rachel did swim team this summer, too. Fun for the kids...kinda torture for the parents. Remember AZ is HOT in the summertime and the meets are in the afternoon...the HOTTEST time of the day!

Hannah is now in 3rd grade and added Choir to her list of extracurricular activities. She is learning to interact with her peers (I hate this part about having girls) which can be a tricky thing sometimes, but important to learn nonetheless.

Most important, Hannah was baptized in April! We had lots of family and friends who were able to be here to help her celebrate such a special day. It is very gratifying to see our children making good choices.

Rachel

Finished up 5th grade and said good-bye to her excellent teacher, Mrs. McKee - who also left our school to teach somewhere else. Needless to say, the last day of school was kind of sad for these 2 girls. Rachel started taking clogging early in 2007 and hasn't been able to stand still since. She LOVES it and is doing really well at it. She also got the honor of playing in the "honor band" at school as a 5th grader - usually something reserved for only the older kids. Pretty much everything she tries, she is good at...which is frustrating to those of us who actually have to work at things.

6th grade has been fun so far for Rachel. She ran for treasurer and WON, which was very exciting for her. Her slogan "Did I forget to mention? You should vote for Rachel Jensen!" was very catchy and now lots and lots of kids know who she is. She is still enjoying playing the clarinet in band and has even tried to play the bass clarinet (which is almost as big as she is). She takes piano and is an excellent student. What can I say...we have some pretty amazing kids!

Rachel is becoming such a beautiful girl and is lots of fun. At a family reunion this summer, my brother made the observation that she's ready for Beehives...her enthusiasm is contagious. There are some boys that think she's pretty great, too...that will have to be another post.

Chris

began the year by leaving Ikon, where he has been the last 4 years. He left to take a temporary position with a company in Chandler, giving him some valuable experience. We were hoping it would turn into a permanent position but sadly, after 6 months, he had to say good-bye to the best schedule a wife could ever hope for in search of better pay and benefits. He didn't have any trouble finding a new job and is enjoying his new position. I do not love the hours, but I guess you can't have everything, right? At least he doesn't have to travel. That would probably do me in.

Chris is still serving in the Elder's quorum of our ward. It can be challenging sometimes, but overall I think he enjoys it. He has really enjoyed the friendships he's made with the rest of the presidency. When he's not working, or busy with church, he likes to build web-sites, play computer games, and play games with our family or friends.

Karen

I have been keeping busy this year. In August, I hit my 2 year mark as primary president in our ward. I finally feel like I'm hitting my stride. I spend many hours planning, preparing, worrying, and praying for these little people. I feel lucky to be able to work with them.

I was babysitting the sweetest little gal until about May when she and her dad moved. We still miss her...she fit right in with our family. Now I watch a darling little boy who's mom is a teacher at the kids' school. He's almost 7 months old and is such a sweet baby.

Mom and the kids just before she got on the airplane to leave for the MTC.

Just a few days after Christmas, we helped my mom finish up some last minute preparations and sent her off on her mission. She is going to the Pennsylvania Harrisburg mission. She leaves the MTC on Tuesday. It has been so fun getting her ready (probably not for her) and remembering all of the anticipation we felt as we left for our missions. We are so proud of her. We are really going to miss her, though.

Chris' dad with Hannah before leaving.

We have had visits from Chris' family several times throughout the year. Most recently his dad came for New Year's. He is always so generous and the kids ADORE playing with him. He always brings fun little activities that they can do together. They love spending that kind of time with him.