"Up High"

These are the words that echo in my head all day long. Wesson LOVES to climb "up high". He loves to stand "up high". And he loves to jump from "up high". When we hold him we hold him "up high"...

i have no idea where he gets it...

A happy boy

I am guessing some parenting magazines and pediatricians might say 18 months (on FRIDAY!) is too early to start enjoying some nutella…

..evidentally they have not seen my little man’s smile..

what is the quote? good mom's have sticky floors, dirty ovens and happy kids...I would add messy faces covered in hazel nut chocolatey goodness! 

then they do, that's how it is...

how on earth did this...

grow so fast into this...

 (although he is quite the model- oh i love him!)

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will- to your surprise- miss them profoundly. -President Thomas S. Monson

Best of 2011 Jensen Remix...

                                                                   Hawaii...

We kicked off 2011 in style, on the beaches of Kona! We had the best time with Oma & Grandpa! Wesson took his first plane ride, say the ocean for the first time, we all enjoyed Hawaii for the first time (but certainly not the last!) We snorkled, ate delicious food, relaxed and enjoyed the company! I thought it was a new tradition, but alas we rang in 2012 in 33 degrees! (however, much warmer for Utah than typical)...here is to next year!

         valentines day
look how cute my valentine is?! I am the luckiest mom! this is one of those retrospective highlights. I definitely got laid-off on Valentine's Day. (hence the black eyes in the picture) but it ended up being the best blessing! I have loved the more time I have had to spend with Wesson! To be out of the environment I was in and to have the new opportunity I have! Definitely one of the biggest blessings of 2011! And so grateful for a husband who stood by and up for me! Who works hard and is oh so hotttt! 

                                                                                       Mother's Day Pictures! I will love forever that we drug our boys out into the frigid cold to capture these pictures! First off, the hat no longer fits him! Second, no other pictures have ever captured so much personality of our little man! I love him, I would get his pictures done every week if Ryan and my budget allowed! Seriously though, he is a cutie right?!!

Purchasing this back pack. It got us through several hikes, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, walks to the park  (only Ryan though, he thinks the stroller makes him look weird??) Wesson probably asks for his "pack pack" 3 times a day! I love how happy they both look in this picture! I have the best boys!

this was on the 4th of july. you can't see that in the picture but the 4th is always a highlight! it is by far my favorite! and my baby loved it just as much as i do! the fireworks, the bbqs, the family-fun! it was great!! 

I put this picture up to highlight our anniversary then  I realized this was definitely my birthday! which was great but our anniversary was better!  4 YEARS!  I have been with Ryan longer than he served a mission, longer than we were in high school, longer than it took him to finish college...and I have loved  it! He is really the perfect match for me, he makes me want to be better, since he is better! Here is to  an eternity more!

Our 3rd annual camping trip with the our friends CERTAINLY makes the list! (do we count last year, fishing & smores??) We had so much fun up by Causey. Ryan fished his heart out "to entertain the kids". Wesson loved it. It will be better next year when he is not just sitting in the dirt like this year! We did get rained out a little but we stuck it through! This really is such a fun thing, I hope we do it forever! (as long as we can always find campgrounds with flush toilets! hahaha)

It wouldn't be summer if my cowboys didn't go to the RODEO! We LOVE rodeos! Seriously, we may border on addicted! My in-laws tag along but I am pretty sure they think we are crazy! Wesson loved the COWBOYS! He was beaming the whole night! Plus I got to wear my cowgirl boots that I LOVE which have quite a story...another time! I love that boys love each other, how much they are alike, and I love that they both don't mind hanging out with me on my crazy adventures!! (any free tickets hahah!)

the biggest highlight of 2011...

our baby turned 1!

he is just a baby!

we had the best birthday party with the best friends & family in the world! 

wesson got to spend his actual birthday with his birthday buddy, GRANDPA!

my parents came out to be here for his birthday.

we had a bright color/balloon party with an italian soda bar, pizza and cupcakes!

wesson enjoyed his balloon cake! (clearly!)

it was so fun & hard to believe!

and now he is almost 18 months!...geez...time SLOW down!

We took Wesson to the state fair. I love this picture! He is my little people watcher so he had the time of his life! He loved the animals the most, followed second by the funnel cake! (which was Ryan's favorite!) It is so much more fun to do things like that with a little one, more work, but so much more fun! He thinks everything is magical!

For Halloween Wesson was Peter Pan and miss Olivia was Tinkerbell! They are so cute!  I made Wesson's costume but I don't think it turned out half bad!  I think we have a new tradition with the cousin's coordinating! Wesson loved love loved  trick-or-treating! And Grammie, was pretty crazy about showing him off!

updated family pictures! November 2011

Salt Lake to see the lights with Jeff, Hayley & Olivia.

I could go there 10 times and still love it everytime! 

I love love Christmas and miss it so much as soon as it is done! I love getting to share it with Wesson and I love what a good sport Ryan is- I lucked out for sure!

Next year we will get an earlier start (aka plan better haha!) so our kids enjoy it a bit more!

I don't think it is any coincidence we end the year with Christmas!

It is probably the highlight of it all.

Being with our family and friends (the 3 of you that read this blog!)

the tree, lights, parties, presents, FOOD, and fun!

we loved every moment we had to celebrate the birth of our Savior!

An in the end of this year we have gratitude!

for the blessings we enjoy, for our family & friends, our gospel, our country! we wouldn't trade a day of 2011 and look forward to all the fun waiting in 2012!!

Four Christmases

I love the holidays.

I love being so busy! 

I love the decorations.

I love baking.

I love getting to see family & friends we don't always get to see.

I love getting Christmas cards. 

I love getting to share the light of Christ through celebrating His birth!

I love the music.

I love the spirit.

And I love that because our families are big, spread out, and loving we get to celebrate Christmas over and over again.

Wesson's cute tool belt from Olivia. I love it! It is all felt so he can't bang up my walls!

our highlight Christmas gift. A TRACTOR! Wesson played with it for 45 minutes by himself. at 10 pm. with no nap all day...i'd call it magic but the magic is in the tractor!

this spoiled pumpkin learned how to unwrap presents pretty quickly! and the cutest thing, halfway through unwrapping a gift he would say "tank to anta" (translation: thank you santa)

all the grandbabies at the Jensen family Christmas party. whoever was over there --> is cooler than me evidentially! 

Christmas morning! he was so into his daddy's new pocket knife. Oh dear...

Wesson's highlight of christmas "riding a neigh-neigh" (my brother's poor dog) I should him this picture and he just laughed so hard saying "neigh neigh neigh neigh"

one of the best parts of Christmas, nailing the perfect gift! this is my niece natalee...i LOVE this picture! and this little girl!

"As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always." -Pres. Thomas S. Monson

Rewind...Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving the Jensen Clan! 

Ryan's aunt and her girls had decorated the house beautifully, but I didn't take any pictures of that...

The food was fabulous, although I didn't enjoy as much as I would love since Thanksgiving was right in the heart of naptime, wesson struggled to say the least. 

And to top it off, Friday night Ryan and I got a rocking dose of FOOD POISONING! (ryan said it was even worse than the food poisoning he suffered in Mexico..can you imagine?) 

on Saturday we were actually DYING, thankfully we called Grammie & Papa and they wooshed in to save the day,  taking our little man while we slept for 8 HOURS in the MIDDLE of the day! And evidentially he was a monster for them, I called at 6 to say I was feeling up to having him back and I am pretty sure they were at our house but 6:10 (and their house is 20 minutes away) 

:)

but still we owe them BIG!

the worst part, we missed black friday...

you can see the beautiful decor in the background!

but before checking that at look at those cute grandbabies & that sweet papa! they sure LOVE him!

the Malans made the cutest chocolate covered pretzels for everyone,

i think wesson licked everyones...

 but look how happy it made him

my two babes with aunt julie! we love her! and miss her since we don't get to see her as much! she is beautiful and the sweetest heart ever. she used to call me hayley (ryan's sister-in-law) but she ALWAYS knows ryan, even now...

to end the night...trap the little ones in a cage! 

we love spending time with our family! that is the most fun part of the holidays!

California or bust!

Rewind...Halloween

I never blogged Wesson's Halloween pictures

(and since I am struggling to think of anything worthwhile...I'll share them now!)

Shout out to Kellie Hales for the CUTEST Halloween pictures ever! I wish it was appropriate to decorate with them all year long...

 Peter Pan & Tinkerbell 2011

Olivia & Wesson

at the pumpkin patch.

Oh heavens, this boy would have taken EVERY pumpkin home if he could.

I still haven't thrown his away because he loves to run out on the porch and say "umptin, umptin!"

(plus I think Ryan wants to go shoot it or something...)

I don't care how much they weigh I'll take both of them! 

But it won't be too expensive since he is almost 17 months and weighs only 22 POUNDS!

Peter Pan, Hook & Tinkerbell

Wesson, Isaac & Olivia

I love those little guys! I hope this is the first of many coordinated Halloweens, it was SO cute! Isn't Olivia precious?? I am the luckiest Aunt! Not to mention mom, my little man is a sweetheart too!

I am a lame mom and have no action shots but Wesson loved to "treat and treat" he would go up to the kids out trick-or-treating and say treat-and-treat, he was so confused why only the people at the doors gave him candy, shouldn't everyone give him candy?