Easily amused

faucet + cup = easy amusement and discovery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Mustache you a Question

Niels had a quarter life crisis and grew a beard over winter break since he can’t sport scruff in clinic at school.  Let me just put it out there that I am not a fan of the beard in general. I don't feel like it is a very flattering or attractive feature for anyone and I think that very few people can pull it off. Well, unless you're Hugh Jackman.  Okay, I suppose Sean Connery does a good one too.  (I swear I don't have a thing for old men.)  

Just looking at his face made my skin itch.  Poor Claire grew terrified of the increasingly Muslim looking man in the house formerly known as her father and definitely kept her distance. After 3 weeks of minimal kisses from me and some serious rejection from his daughter, he finally caved in and agreed to shave.  In awesome/creepy phases of course.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas in April

No, seriously.  I’m blogging about Christmas in April. As in 5 months ago. Last Christmas.

Boring and untimely, I know.  But it was kind of a big deal for us as it was our first Christmas in six years that we stayed home and did our own thing.  While we missed the buzz of a busy morning surrounded by family, it was sure nice to not be traveling and to stay in pajamas all day.  

Overall, we loved the inaugural parental joy of watching Claire’s reactions all December long to the magic that is Christmas. She LOVED all the lights and was especially fond of all the heinous, musical blow-up creatures that adorned various yards.  

And of course, assembling Santa toys with Niels for our first time on Christmas Eve was one of those moments where we were so elated to be parents. The kind of moment where you stop and think… yep, this is what life is all about. And it is. 

Well, we tried the Santa thing on a few separate occasions. What is it about Jolly Saint Nick that is so creepy to babies?! 

   Claire finally compromised and gave the big man a high five.

The pinnacle event was obviously Christmas morning. For us, that is. We were so ridiculously excited to get her out of bed and open her presents. Oh, the irony! I know we will feel differently as she gets older and gets US out of bed at unruly hours. But at this stage of life, we enjoyed watching her little brown face so perplexed as she tried to process the stimulation overload before her and figure out why we were so dang peppy and in her face.  

         
Bottom line: Christmas is way better with a kid around. Even though she still didn't really get it this time around, she will catch on soon enough.  

The Big 1

Banner made by Claire's "Grandma" Becca. Isn't it fabulous?

It is mind blowing  that an entire year has already passed since we brought home our baby girl from the hospital. It has been the best and the fastest year of our lives.  (hopefully the feelings are mutual, little lady.)

   It's so crazy how much they change.

We originally planned on her1st  birthday party being a low-key and intimate affair. But 24 adults and 11 children later, we had a pretty sizable celebration at hand.

             

           

This is Claire's baby book that I took apart for a decoration. They are big envelopes that I put pictures from each month inside of and then on the back of each one there is space for me to write her stats and milestones for each  month.  I love it!

I'm not a crafty person by nature but have somehow always manged to surround myself with friends that are. Thank goodness for them and for Etsy. One of my best friends is a very talented sewer and she designed a dress that she named the "Claire" dress, inspired by you know who. It is so perfect and fitting for her. You should get one too.

 I think it is an unwritten rule in the book of motherhood that children's birthday cakes are supposed to be homemade. While I might lack in the craftiness area, I can usually compensate in the culinary sector. Except for when I am making a giant cupcake, apparently.  I ended up making this cake, not once, not twice but three TIMES before I finally got it right. The bottom would turn out okay but the top was super tricky with timing and temperature. But I was grossly determined to make it  happen and was not willing to accept defeat and purchase one. You know, because Claire would have totally known the difference and would have looked back at her party pictures in 20 years and wonder why I was so lame. Why are mothers so crazy?

   

Needless to say it turned out and I think she liked it. 

She loved opening presents. Or should I say she loved watching us open her presents. We have put a few of them in the closet so she doesn't bored too fast. Would it be horrible if we gave some of them to her for Christmas? What's the rule on re-gifting to your own children? 

We had a great time celebrating Claire's big day. We will really miss not having family and close friends to celebrate with when we move to Georgia. Here's to another wonderful year Claire Bear!

First Year Slideshow

Enjoy a quick 2 minute recap of Claire's first year.  This silly girl is such a joy in our our lives and it is so bittersweet to watch her grow up.  We love you, baby girl!

Halloween

Halloween is way more fun with cousins!

"Brothers" Weekend

I can't imagine the mischief, silliness  and craziness that would come with raising four sons that are all two years apart. Surely my mother-in-law must have constantly had her hands full and her patience tested to the max.  I can see why she took a five year break before she had two daughters. I would likely be certifiable if this was my lot. Yet, when I see old pictures of Niels and his brothers, I can't help but to think how much fun these boys must have had growing-up together.     

Trouble

Poor Niels

One of these skin tones is not like the others.

The Silly Side 

The Serious Side

Today, they are spread out all over the U.S of A so they obviously don't see each other that much. So they decided to plan their first-ever boys trip in August. The plan was to meet back east but Hurricane Irene royally thwarted that idea. So plan B was planned and executed and they all met in Provo for the BYU v Utah game in September. As luck would have it, it was the absolute worst game of the season. But alas, they still had a good weekend.

What was intended to be a brothers trip quickly evolved into a mini family reunion. Niels' mom happened to be visiting from Germany, and once his dad and step-mom heard that all the siblings were going to be together (with the exception of one daughter serving a mission in Chili) it was a no-brainer to make the trip from Reno. And then there's me and Claire who decided to hop in the car last minute  and crash brother's weekend too.

Family dinner at Tucanos!

                     
Volleyball is a pretty standard activity at most Jensen gatherings. But this isn't your ordinary picnic volleyball.  They are all very good and slightly competitive which makes it pretty amusing to watch.

                                                 

                     The brothers and their sister, Sarah

And what's a boy trip without any toys? Or an entire arsenal for that matter.

                                             
It was a quick trip but they seemed to pack in a lot of great stuff.  Thanks for letting us share your weekend with you!