First snow of the season!

The first snow of the season! I don't like the cold at all! And I dread that it means cold, crying kids, wet floors, soggy coats, hats, gloves, etc. and scraping car windows, running the heater and a big increase in the gas bill. But I have to admit that it does make me excited about Christmas! Even took the kids shopping yesterday! FM 100 is playing Christmas music 24/7 and our tree permit is bought and ready to go! The scentsy candle warmer is bubbling up cinnamony smells and oranges are available (the kind that actually taste good!) I do love this time of year! The kids had a great time throwing snowballs and Jacob was hilarious as he experienced snow for the first real time. He has been aching to get out in it, and John took him out for a while on his day off. At first he thought it was scary and yucky. All the world was transformed from how he knew it. But then Matthew showed him how to grab a handful of snow and suddenly the white stuff became a free for all on throwing balls! He played for a half an hour, until he came in freezing cold! Spencer built his first snowman of the year, Olivia and Matty broke in their new snow boots, John "cussed" the cold and I stayed in the house to make cookies! Ahhh, I do love this time of year!

Halloween 2009

Halloween. Candy. Decent weather for the second year! John will not wear his Fred Flintstone costume, so I guess my Wilma one will sit on the shelf until next year. Party pooper! But I did manage to make six costumes for a total of 26 dollars!! Quite pleased with myself! What else can I say. Enjoy the pictures!

Jenkins Family Halloween Carnival

Again, another tradition, highly anticipated by the kids (of all ages). We partied at David and Lynette's house- thanks again!- and had all of our favorite activities; cake walk, pumpkin painting, pinata, carnival games, treasure hunt and a yummy pizza and finger foods dinner. John and I dressed up this year-first time for us, and it was no easy task wrestling him into his Fred Flintstone costume, but in the end John admitted that he was glad he dressed up. Kudos go out to Jared for his hippy costume, complete with afro including a pick that was stuck in his hair. I think his costume curbed John's whining! Everyone looked great and it was a lot of fun as always!


Sorry Jason, some how I missed a picture of you! But you were a great car repairman!

Oh, and Happy Birthday Grandpa!

The story of the cabin and our 2009 fall pictures

It's tradition to take a picnic up the canyon between sessions of October conference and enjoy a hike, indulge in the beautiful colors and take pictures for our Christmas cards for the season. This year we were offered a nights stay at a cabin owned by a guy that John works with. My mom agreed to watch our kids over night and John and I headed to Logan canyon for an evening/ night together, just the two of us. How romantic right? A cozy mountain cabin, the gorgeous fall colors, a fireplace. Unfortunately when we arrived the cabin was filthy, and covered in rat and mouse poop. It was everywhere! All over the carpet, the couches, the backs of the couches, counter tops, table, on top of the microwave, on the pillows, the bed and even on the seat of the toilet. It was a kind offer, but we didn't stay more than a couple of minutes. Instead we checked into the Marriott Hotel in Logan, the nicest place in the valley. Why waste an over night babysitter, right! Feeling guilty since the coworker had been so excited to share his cabin, John wanted to take the kids back to the cabin spot the next morning, enjoy our picnic out on the lawn and hike and take our pictures around it. That way he could tell the friend we had enjoyed ourselves without causing hurt feelings. They had a fun old swing that the kids enjoyed and the hiking trails around made for some great colorful family pictures. The kids were even more excited to find snail shells dotting the hillside. We did end up having a really nice traditional fall picnic!

To choke, or take a picture, that is the question!

September 30, 2009
Today there is a high of 47 degrees. Compare that to yesterdays high of 85 and you can see that we all think it is freezing!

October 1, 2009
Yesterday was freezing cold, and today is even colder! Our tomatoes all froze to death out in the garden along with the squash and all remaining plants (with the exception of all the ripe tomatoes that we brought in for one last batch). Truth be told, I am glad! I have had enough canning/ freezing/ jamming for this year, and now that it has frosted, the apples will soon be ready along with the grapes. There are fall colors everywhere and snow on the mountains all the way down to the benches. I know it will warm up again before winter actually sets in, but in the mean time it is so cold that the kids don't want to go outside, and it's SEP conference time along with UEA weekend, so no school for the week. The kids decided to entertain themselves by dumping out EVERY game, toy bin, box, doll, dress ups, blanket, pillow, etc. Which is the thing in this world that will make me go crazy faster than any other "activity" other than when they tear my newly made bed apart! ARGHH! So now they are all grounded to their rooms until the stuff is put back because I need a time out!It's going to be a very long winter...and fall just started! I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids!

The ultrasound says: It's a girl!

For a long time, before we were even expecting Jacob, Olivia has told us she had a baby sister coming. When we were expecting Jacob, she was so insistent that this was the baby sister she knew she would have. But Jacob was very much a boy, no matter how much she pouted and wanted us to change him to a girl. She told us "No, it's a girl! I prayed to Heavenly Father and asked him for a baby sister and he said 'Yes.'" Thank goodness she loved her brother and didn't want to trade him after he got here. She even got defensive when Great Grandma tried to trade him for a girl at the grocery store. But she has continued to ask when her sister was coming. We told her that she wasn't going to have a sister, that she would be the only Princess for us. We were pretty satisfied with our four kids. But apparently Heavenly Father does have plans of his own because despite our birth control efforts, I found myself with very familiar feelings and sickness. Jacob was only nine months old! We were the infertile couple, eight years of not being able to get pregnant. How could this happen using birth control?! Olivia smiled and told us that this was her baby sister. I reminded her over and over again that it probably was a brother (and we love our boys! They are just so much FUN!), that's just the way things seem to go. But she insisted, and I hoped for her. On the day of our ultrasound, I tried not to get her hopes up. I reminded her again as she left for school that it might be a boy, but she was confident saying "But... it MIGHT be a girl." In truth, as I left to meet John at the doctor's office, I realized that it didn't matter what we have, we love them all, and we really just hoped for a healthy baby. But the ultrasound tech smiled and told us "You are going to have a very happy little daughter. It's definately a baby girl!" I was so excited! "Are you sure?" I asked, I don't think Olivia would forgive me if we told her one thing and brought home another. The tech pointed out the reasons for his conclusion from several different views, and we left with a fistful of ultrasound pictures and the reassurance that this was a very healthy little girl. I bought a pink balloon, originally figuring that a balloon would ease the fact that it was blue, and went to pick Olivia up from kindergarten. She smiled as she came to greet me and said "Thanks for the balloon." "What color is it?" I asked her and she looked at it and then at me and squealed "It's a baby sister, it's a baby sister!" and then ran to tell her teacher the news. Mrs. Allen was so excited for her and said that the balloon was such a fun way to tell her. We tied the balloon to the porch for Spencer to see as he came home from school, and he did exactly as I figured, walked right passed it. When I asked him if he saw it, he said "Yes". Olivia in exaspertion blurted out "It's a baby girl!". Spencer smiled and said "It's a girl!?" and then turned and began watching Matthew's cartoons. Boys! Oh well, I guess Spencer figures he's been through the boys and the girls. What's another either way? We are all excited though. Even John who is finally okay with the idea of being the father of 5 kids! As has been said before, 'Children are a poor man's riches'. We are wealthy beyond measure!

Olivia's first day of school...finally!

Finally! It's Olivia's turn to start kindergarten. Now that does not mean I was excited for her to go, I have been dreading this day for 5 years! Don't get me wrong, I am excited for her to have all the adventures and make lots of friends and show everyone how very smart she is, but it just doesn't seem fair that we get them for 5 short years and then they take them away from us for a good majority of the day. However, Olivia was beyond thrilled to start school. She picked out her outfit and how she wanted her hair. She packed and unpacked and repacked her backpack, laid everything carefully out and then couldn't sleep for a long time that night before.
The next morning, she was up before everyone else, her clothes on and sitting at the breakfast table anxious to get going. We even left for school extra early so that we would have time for all the first day pictures. "Just one more, just one more. Okay, one more. This is the last one, I promise. Okay, just this one last one!" I did great the whole time, walked her into her class, watched to make sure she could get down her chair and find her cubby - just so I knew she'd be alright, talked to her teacher one last time and then there was nothing else to do but wave goodbye and leave her there. The last bell rang and the kids all gathered to the carpet as they were asked, and she turned and with a "Go mom, I'll be just fine!" smile, joined the other kids and turned away from me. That's when I lost it. Cried all the way home. Sobbing, chest heaving, cries. Yes, I did the ugly cry! I think they should hand out big signs for us to wear home that say "Just dropped off my kindergartener". But maybe the swollen, leaking eyes say the same thing! I'll be fine, and I know Olivia will too! Do well, Baby Girl, we're cheering for you!