2012 Recap

The Jensons have had quite the adventure this year!  We started out our year in Columbus, Georgia and are ending it back in Salt Lake...

Here is a photo bomb of fun things that happened along the way...

We made messes... 

 

Went on Adventures, and discovered new things...

Had Fun with Colored Eggs and Bunnies 

And Just had Fun!

 



 

 

We Planted a Garden (and this is about all that we got!)

Played Outside in Humid Georgian Air...

 

 

But then we moved...(again.) Back to Salt Lake... 

And said goodbye to good friends...

 

But "Hello" to New Ones...

 

Marcus' New Turtle, Tortuga Two that Cooper
"Rescued" while crossing the road on moving day.

We Had A Few Birthdays...

 

 And Ate Too Much Cake...

And Kept on Playing...

 

And Enjoyed some Christmas Festivities...

 

 Until We Got Tuckered Out!

Happy New Year....

Til' Tomorrow...

Melanie

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Astrid is ONE!

Can you believe it?  I'm a little late on posting, but this past Friday we celebrated her first birthday!  (Read more about a year ago here!)  We had an ice cream social and grilled hot dogs at the park.  It was a total blast.

Doesn't she look just SO excited it's her birthday?!

We had hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and potato salad.  I made yummy cupcakes (to look like soft serve ice cream *of course!* and a cake for her to dig in to.  We also had a ice cream bar stocked with sprinkles of all kinds, cherries, coconut, chocolate chips, and caramel and chocolate syrup for topping. :)  It was a great day.  So many of our friends came, and after being in Georgia for so long, it was lovely to see everybody!

Here are pics!

yummy cake and cupcakes!

We put our goodie bags in ice cream quarts with an ice cream spoon attached.  Filled them up with crayons a note pad, bubbles, and some candies.

Astrid LOVED the cake!

When she got sick of eating the cake, she got up and walked toward the car. Saying, "bye bye... bye bye"!

 

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Slacker-Mom Tip of the Day

Yesterday Marcus and I were running late to church.  I had about 30 minutes to get us dressed and ready before we had to leave.  Of course, Marcus' church clothes were in the laundry and his one clean shirt had not been ironed yet. (!)

Anyway, here is my in-a-pinch tip...
If you are running behind and need to iron something really fast, but don't have time to set up your iron/ironing board... use your hair straightener! :) It works great. (As long as its not gunky!  I don't use many products in my hair and mine never gums up...)

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Kid Likes: Crockpot Rio Chicken

So, I found this recipe on Pintrest for Cafe Rio Chicken.... and since I have not had it in ages (being that we are over 2000 miles away from the closest Rio location) I thought I would give it a try.  It was so quick and easy-- throw it in the crock pot.  The best Sunday meals--hassle free.


The recipe I based it on is from  Mandy's Recipe Box:

Crock Pot Rio Chicken

3 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 packet of buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 cup water
1 tsp chicken broth base (the refrigerator kind)

Put breasts in the crock pot and add the dressing,4 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp broth base and 1 cup water.  Then sprinkle over all of the dry ingredients and DO NOT MIX.  Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 5 or 6) and then shred with a fork and enjoy!

Tonight we had ours over brown rice and lettuce with cheese topping and some buttermilk ranch dressing made with the mix, 1 cup Greek Yogurt, and 1 cup milk.  So yummy!

As you can say my kids really hated it. {wink}

  

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We Have a Walker.

This actually happened last week, but we have been SO SICK here in Jensonland that I have just today felt good enough to get off the couch to the computer to post it!

Here you go!  Astrid Walks.  :)

(Sorry it's so dang dark.  Our front-room doesn't have overhead lighting.)

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Rain-check.

I failed the 30 day photo challenge... No photos taken or posted.  FAIL....

Oh well... I'm hoping to try it again after this bug that is going around our house is finally gone.  Right now all of my "cute" pictures would be of snotty noses, crusty eyes and tired faces.  :(  Once its over it will be MUCH better... Hopefully. ;)

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Conversation with a 4 Year Old

This just happened.

MARCUS: Mom, will my college have a Lego floor that I can play on?
MOM: Probably not honey. But you can bring your Legos if you really want to.
MARCUS: Only if I don't pee in them right?
DAD: Wow. Marcus has a better understanding of college than I thought.

Hahahahaha!!! Pin It

30 Day Photo Challenge!

Kinda fun right! I'm starting tomorrow! Ok here is my list:

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Fun FHE night!

So tonight for FHE (Family Home Evening) we had so much fun!  We made Scripture Cookies!  They were SO GOOD!  Even Astrid helped!

We each took turns helping Marcus find the scriptures and we read them aloud and had him listen for the ingredients we would use.  We had to explain what "leaven" was though!  Anyway, enjoy!  Quick Family Home Evening idea with a built-in treat!  Here is the recipe!

Scripture Cookies

   3/4 c    Psalm 55:21   {butter}
   1/3 c   2 Nephi 26:25 {milk}
1 1/2 c   Jeremiah 6:20  {sugar (I used 1 cup white and 1/2 cup brown)}
2 large    Isiah 10:14      {eggs}
     2 c    1 Kings 4:22    {flour}
   1 tsp   Exodus 30:23   {cinnamon}
1/2 tsp   Matthew 13:33 {baking soda}
   1 tsp   Matthew 5:13   {salt}
     3 c    D&C 89:17      {oats}
     1 c    1 Samuel 30:12 {raisins (I used a mix of dark and golden)}


Mix the first 4 ingredients together, and then mix in the rest.  Make tablespoon size drops onto a greased baking sheet and then bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes and enjoy! :) Pin It

Fun St. Patricks Day!

We have been very blessed this move because Cooper and I both received very social callings at our church, so we have made lots of new friends!  Cooper has been called to be in the Sunday School presidency, so he helps coordinate all of the lessons and making sure each class has a teacher.  He gets to teach some Sundays too, so that is really fun for him.  I have been called in the Young Women's Presidency and I've had such a great time getting to know the sweet girls!

Anyway, this past weekend was a blast!  We went over to Lindsay's mom's house and had a pool party with some people from our church! It was really fun and the best way to spend a 87 degree day in MARCH!  {Hear that cold weather folks!  We went to an outdoor pool party... in MARCH.... It's STILL winter time! ;)}

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