Us

The weekend

2012-02-12T19:18:00.001-08:00

We spent the weekend in Red Lodge, Montana. We rented a house with some friends and had a blast. Jeremy and Bridger went up the mountain on Saturday, Jeremy went snowboarding and Bridger had his first try at skiing. Once he got the hang of it, he really enjoyed it. He is such a motivated little buster, he puts his mind to something and will keep trying until he can do it without fail. Connor and I hung out in the lodge. We were all able to enjoy both nights relaxing in the hot tub, Connor is still not a fan of water since his near drowning experience about a month ago.
On Sunday morning Lucas drove over from Billings with Kennedy and Rowan and we were able to sled for a bit. Connor loved sledding. Lucas and Jeremy would put him in the sled and send him down the hill all by himself and he would just giggle! When he reached me at the bottom, he would quickly say "again!" Bridger, Rowan, and Kennedy enjoyed playing in the snow and making/throwing snowballs.

We also walked around the wildlife preserve and saw many rescued animals. Connor about jumped out of his clothes when the donkey started "heeeee hawing." He made sure to hold onto Jeremy the rest of the trail.

Lucas and I had flashbacks when we came upon a buffalo. About 9 years ago, Lucas and I worked one summer spraying weeds along buried oil lines. We had to go on a ranch with about 300 buffalo roaming around us. We learned real fast they aren't super friendly. Lucas had about 30 of them chasing him-luckily the 4 wheeler he was on went 35mph and buffalo only run up to 30 mph so no permeant damage was done, just a traumatic experience and lesson learned. Anyway, today at the refuge, we were only about 5 feet from the rescued buffalo and the only thing between him and us was a chain link fence, so we quickly walked passed.
The boys are both sound asleep as we drive back to Gillette.
Here are a few pictures....

I love them!

2012-02-02T22:38:00.001-08:00

I honestly can't get enough of these boys.

They have been sick this week which is not fun for anyone! Connor wore one of Bridgers' ties to church and refused to let me take it off of him. Bridger is busy learning how to play racquetball from Jeremy and is loving every minute of his daddy time! As for me, I'm officially halfway thru my pregnancy and am feeling good for the most part. My lower back aches terribly after I work, especially if I am super busy and stay on my feet most of the 12 hours. I cannot believe a whole month has already came and gone in 2012!

Look alike

2012-01-27T19:04:00.001-08:00

Connor is really into wearing Bridgers' shoes these day so decided to capture the moment. My little sister Josie reminded me how much Connor looks like my brother Lucas- I must say I have to agree!

Tricky Connor

2012-01-25T21:59:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I was working a nightshift, these are the texts I received from Jeremy ...

"Connor is yelling and kicking the wall as we speak"

"And Connor just fell out of his crib"

I asked if he was ok

."Yup I was rocking him and asked r u ok he said Mmmmmmmmm-hmmmmm"

"I asked did u go bonk Mmmmmmmmm-hmmmmm"

So that's our little Connor. He is a child of few words and has no fear. Instead of saying "yes" when he wants something he says "mmmm-hmmmm" in a cute little higher than normal voice. He keeps us on our toes and is super stubborn and does whatever he pleases, no matter the consequences.

We have been asking lately if he will go potty on the toilet and he simply responds "no." He will do it when he Is ready I'm sure. He is also quite the climber and we cannot keep this child off the counters no matter how many times he falls. He makes me a little nervous but that doesn't seem to stop him!

We are so blessed with our cute little boys and we have yet to know if we will be blessed with another boy or maybe a girl in June.

Bridgers Latest

2012-01-25T21:23:00.001-08:00

They grow up too fast!! Bridger has developed his own style and very rarely do I get to pick out his clothes anymore, that makes me a little sad. He's independent and self sufficient. Last week he picked this outfit out all by himself and even after Jeremy making fun of him, he still was determined to wear it to school.

Some funny quotes over the last few weeks from my "Little Digger"

"Mommy, let me tell you something, you get really fat when you have babies." gotta love kids innocent honesty!

I asked Bridger if he knows how babies are fed while they are growing in their mom's belly, his reply "yes, their extension cord."

(In the picture he is wearing his shirt open with a tie) I'm sure he saw an outfit like it on some teeny bopper tv show!

How sweet he is

2012-01-02T21:10:00.001-08:00

Bridger has been praying for a baby sister for quite sometime. For the past 6 months he has also prayed for other babies but tonight was especially sweet and made me cry through the rest of his prayer.
It went something like this "and we pray for Silas and Kyle and Larson's baby and London and Janell and Garry's baby and Morgans baby and especially for our baby sister or if it's a brother that's ok too as long as they come safely and we pray for all the mommy's that they can be with their babies and take good care of them."

As I blog this my eyes are filled with tears, not sad ones, just tears that are so grateful for my little sweet Bridger and his childlike faith and tender love for babies. We all know what wonderful blessings our little babies (no matter their age) are and what joy they bring to our lives and for that I am so thankful for mine.

Prego

2012-01-01T14:27:00.001-08:00

This time around I am craving nachos with jalepenos and have been so tired that Jeremy thinks I have a disease or chronic illness, well the truth is I do, sord of. We are expecting Baby Jensen #3 in June! We are so excited and do not know if it's blue or pink. Contrary to what some of you may think, we aren't going to find out. Plus, I have tried looking at work with our ultrasound and the baby is not letting me peek, not even a hint :(

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T13:05:00.001-08:00

We drove to Denver on the 23rd to hang out with my family for Christmas! We were all looking forward to a fun filled week of good food, good shopping, and good company. Unfortunately we caught a nice stomach flu bug and spent more time then we liked in our hotel room bathroom :( On Christmas Eve Bridger got sick all over the hotel room so we had to spend a few hours cleaning that up, Christmas morning we discovered Connor had gotten sick in his pack n play so we had to clean up yet another mess! Other than being sick, we had a fabulous time! My sister Chelsie and her family were also in Denver so we were able to spend time with them as well as my parents and Josie, Corde and Jewls.
We played lots of cards and ate lots of junk food... Well when our bellies weren't hurting. Chelsie, Bryan, Jeremy and I were able to go out without any kids to a fun little comedy club where they performed Christmas impromptu skits. A big thanks to little grandma and grandpa for keeping all 5 kids even if they were all still awake when we got back at 10:30!! We also enjoyed going to an Avalanche hockey game which was lots of fun and I got my fix of nachos for the week (see prego post) Jewls, Jeremy, Bridger, and I enjoyed ice skating on the rink one block from my parents apartment in downtown Denver! Bridger loved it and is quite the determined child.. Connors favorite part of Denver was riding the bus along the 16th street mall, he didn't mind the smelly or crazy people- he was just content enjoying the ride
Here are a few pictures of the week

Problem...

2012-01-01T12:42:00.001-08:00

My sisters harass me about not updating my blog so one of my new years resolutions is to blog AT least once a month! I'm hoping to stick with it because I am so far behind...

Oh boy how time flies...

2011-10-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

I was thinking the other day how I need to blog and update everyone on the past 5 months of our lives, it's amazing how fast time flies. By now, I am sure people have quit checking to see if this place has been updated but I'm going to do it anyway. I want to remember little things in life and I figure this is one way that is possible.

Connor (sneaky quiet one) is 18 months old and as cute as ever. He is totally a different child than bridger was at this age. He is VERY independent and super mellow and quiet. My grandma Gilbert warned me about those kind a long time ago and now I know why. Connor is busy yet quiet at the same time. He is not afraid to venture out all by himself. He goes downstairs alone, shuts himself in his room to play alone, and boy does he run when he knows a bathroom door is open. Jeremy and I lost him about 2 months ago and he would not answer when we called his name! The little buster was downstairs jumping on spare mattresses and had the biggest grin I've ever seen. He is developing a little attitude and yells at bridger whenever he disapproves with what he is doing, although they are learning to play so well together and often make eachother giggle. He is an extremely picky eater these days which frustrates me on occasion. He finally walked full-time in June and now runs EVERYWHERE. He has 12 teeth and as of this week, his 2 "I" teeth are coming in. He LOVES to take his diaper off so he has pants on most of the time to contain the diaper. I bought him a potty chair but he only lasts on it about 20 seconds than he is off and running. Of course he loves Jeremy and loves to say daddy all day long when Jer is at work. He still uses a pacifier at night and I am trying this week to break that habit but we'll see how long I last.

Bridger (smart strong willed child) turned 5 last month and is growing like a little weed. As a matter of fact, he grew almost 3 inches in 6 months. His 5t pants are way to big in the waist but about 2 inches too short :) Bridger goes to Ready 4 Learning 4 days a week and absolutely loves it. On the first day he told me "mom, I love school we get recess and snacks!" I think he enjoys the social aspect of school as he has been in trouble multiple times for talking when he isn't supposed to. He can write all his letters and loves to color these days. He is starting to enjoy reading and can sound out most basic small words. He still has OCD (I have no idea where he got it!) at bedtime and has a certain routine everyone must follow. He has yet to sleep a night on his bed, he sleeps in a sleeping bag on the floor next to it. He also sleeps with his head next to a humidifier and I can't forget, he HAS to have his blanket a certain way before he lays his head down. Oh boy how it makes me giggle, Jeremy and I often laugh when talking about his future wife and what is in store with my little "routine" child. He played soccer the last few months and came out of his shell in that as well. In the spring he would barely run after the ball but this time around he scored a hat trick in multiple games and was the star on our team. He is a quick little one and often would get his mad face on when the other team had possession of the ball. I'm not sure if he scored like crazy because he was just that good or if the bribing that Jeremy would do motivated him that much more. Bridger still says the funniest things and oh yes he prays for a baby sister every night and has done for the past year! When I asked him why a sister he told me "I already have a brother and would like to see what a sister is like and plus than Connor has someone else to take toys from!" Honesty, gotta love it. Last week was the primary program and Jeremy worked really hard with him (I was out of town for work so I missed it) to memorize his part. It was quite long and he successfully stood up in sacrament meeting and recited the scripture without any help. Jeremy said it was pretty stinking amazing.

As for me, I'm still doing the working thing anywhere from 2-4 shifts a week. Our unit has lost about 15 nurses in the past 6 months so we often work extra as well as short staffed. I love labor and delivery, nothing short of a miracle everytime babies are born into this world. I enjoy my days off and usually just hang out with my boys! I work mostly nights and enjoy them because I see my family more than when I work a day shift. We do self scheduling so I split my shifts so I am off when Jeremy is and we can hang out all together! How crazy our schedules are to other people but it works for us :)

Jeremy is still working at the mine and enjoys his days off (of course.) He is busy with house projects and anyone who knows us well, knows he does most of the cooking and entertaining around this household! We enjoy having him home and love that he makes us all smile. Bridger and him enjoy watching "chopped" and "pawn stars" because whenever Jeremy is at work Bridger wants to "play" these tv shows. I
could not ask for a better husband or father than Jeremy. He is so helpful and rarely complains when I work or need a few minutes of extra sleep. His boys ADORE him and want to be just like him!

As you can see in the pictures, Connor is busy and into everything. We went to my friends house right after she had a baby and Connor being obsessed balloons would not leave the balloon at her house so we brought it home. The little buster held onto it for 3 whole days. He even traveled to Denver with it and carried it on the 16th street Mall. It was funny. When we were in Denver over Labor day, we went to a festival and thats where Bridger was able to jump on the trampoline. It took some convincing for him to do it but once he did it, he loved it. He tried the whole time to do a front flip and was finally successful when his time was up. Enjoy the pics...
Next Post up, our trip to San Diego back from April!

More Hawaii pictures....

2011-06-01T01:39:00.000-07:00

See Hawaii post below....

Hawaii....

2011-06-01T00:18:00.001-07:00

We are so random and fly by the seat of our pants, We decided to go to Hawaii March 12th and bought tickets March 13th. We left March 29th and stayed until April 5th. We had a blast to say the least. Jeremys' parents had gotten a time share for a week and invited us to join them. It was a relatively cheap vacation (considering it was last minute and thanks to Jed and Joyce for sharing their vacation with us) and a very relaxing one for sure! Connor and Bridger were amazing travelers and the 5 hour flight from Los Angeles to Kuaui was mostly uneventful, the last hour we all were a little restless. We spent most of the days on the beach at the resort we stayed at. The weather was beautiful and all Bridger wanted to do was play in the sand and water. Connors' favorite part was climbing in and out of the baby pool, he also enjoyed the beach and would crawl right into the water. It didn't even phase him if the waves splashed in his face. I never thought I would be able to get all of the sand out of their hair...
Jeremy tried multiple times to get me to apply for jobs over there so he and the boys could be beach bums forever. I convinced him otherwise. We stayed at a Marriott Resort and every morning the kids were able to feed the coi fish in the pond, Bridger made sure we were on time for this every morning. Each day at the resort we were given wristbands so we could use the pools, towels, lawn chairs, and etc. that they provided. Bridger kept his wristband from the last day we were there on for over 2 weeks after we were home.
We enjoyed driving around and seeing the island. It is so beautiful with all the trees and scenery. One day we drove up to Waimea Canyon, it was amazing even though some of us got a little carsick from the winding roads while driving down the mountain. By the end of the week, we were ready to be home and back on schedule. The flight home was a red eye. Jeremy and I used to make fun of people with neck pillows but after this flight we both agreed it would have been useful and well worth it to have one! Poor Jeremy had to go back to work the night we flew home.
Another exciting thing that happened while we were there was our little Connor turned 1!!!! We celebrated by spending the day at the beach and taking him out for a treat that night. When we got home Bridger asked me, "Since we went to Hawaii for Connors 1 year old birthday, can we go back when I turn 5?!" I just laughed, he does have a good point. Anyone up for meeting in Hawaii in September?

Overview

2011-03-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

I always swear I will update this blog more than once a month yet that has yet to happen. We have been busy traveling and doing lots of fun things around our house.

In February, we went to Vegas and watched Aunt Jewls play in a soccer tournament. We had lots of fun and left Vegas in 60 degree Weather and came back to a blizzard in Wyoming. Connor was content riding all over in a stroller and definitely didn't sleep as well as he does in his crib at home. Bridger liked all the characters on the strip. We saw Woody, Batman, Spiderman, Michael Jackson, and all the other interesting people. I'm pretty sure I could be a professional people watcher. Bridger also loved the water show at the Bellagio. We ate lots of good food and were excited to be home back on schedule.

2 weeks ago we went down to Provo, Utah. We hung out with Shayla, Max and Avalon and stayed a couple of nights at Grandma Gilberts. Shayla and I had a girls night out and went and enjoyed some Jamba Juice, it was delicious. It is always relaxing to just sit around and let the kids play (and fight on occasion.) Connor loved Grandma Gilbert-even though it took him a bit to warm up to her. She is such a wonderful lady and always has the best hospitality.

Last Friday, Jeremy and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We had both worked the night before so we were tired and just spent the day around the house. That night we went out and had crablegs and prime rib. It was yummy! 6 years later and we still enjoy hanging out, Jeremy says we passed the 5 year hump so we should be in the clear for eternity :)

One word to describe Connor these days. BUSY. If you turn your head, he is into something else as you are cleaning up his prior mess. He loves following me around the house and fusses on occasion if I am not holding him. As I am writing this post, he is standing on a toy pulling stuff out of the garbage. He always turns and looks at me with a huge grin when he knows he is into something he shouldn't be. He continues to love Bridger. His face lights up when he knows we are driving to pick Bridger up from preschool. He is a fabulous sleeper.... 12-14 hours at night and a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon. He is being a little stink about being weaned-maybe he will be one of those kids that nurses until they are 3....just kidding :) I can't believe he turns 1 in a couple of weeks. We will be celebrating his birthday in Hawaii! I will take lots of pictures.

Bridger is getting big so fast. He is as cute as ever...I'm enjoying age 4 much more than 3. He has officially given up naps but we make sure and give him quiet time every afternoon. He is really into legos and his train set these days. He also still loves CARS. Sometimes he sets up a racetrack in the living room and makes Jeremy and I race him around. Occasionally he even lets me be Lightning McQueen and win! These past few days he has been wearing his bike helmet all the time. We laugh when we are riding in the car and turn around to see him looking out the window and wearing his helmet. He makes us laugh. His preschool teacher tells us almost daily how funny he is at school and makes her laugh. There is never a dull moment with this kid. We love him.

I am still working full time. My nights and days are so random. I love my job and hope to go part time sooner than later. I am learning the challenges of working fulltime and managing a full time family but thanks to the greatest husband and dad, we are doing it. Jeremy is so helpul and patient. He rarely complains and loves hanging out with the boys. He makes sure I get plenty of sleep and always has a yummy meal waiting for me. I try to return the favor but unfortunately I am not as great of a cook as he is. I try and I guess thats all that matters...

We are loving life and enjoying our boys being young...

Check it out

2011-02-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

So this is funny....

I found it today. I had no idea my picture was an advertisement. Copy and paste this in your browser, you will laugh. I look very serious and interested.

http://www.sheridan.edu/site/gc/academics/programs-and-majors/nursing/

Aunt Shayla I'm sending him your way.....

2011-01-20T05:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after preschool Bridger and I were talking. I was telling him that Aunt Shayla does preschool and he could go live with her and have her teach him (I was joking...) He says "Mom, I would like that and I think Max would really like me living there so we could play everyday." I was sad and said "Wouldn't you miss daddy and I?" His response. "No, sometimes you guys are mean to me and Shayla would only be nice to me." Wow.

Connor

2011-01-19T04:17:00.000-08:00

Connor is my little buddy. He crawls all over the house. He is a very laid back and chill baby, which according to my Grandma Gilbert means they are into everything. She is absolutely right. He is quiet and VERY busy. He loves to throw things in the toilet, loves to throw things over his baby gate down the stairs, and if there is a table-he finds it hilarious to wipe everything on it onto the floor. He LOVES Bridger even if Bridger is in his face all the time. He laughs at Jeremy and Bridger and I can tell he can't wait to get bigger so he can keep up with them. I think thats why he loves me right now....because he is still a little small to rough house with the big boys. He was snaggle tooth for a few days which Josie and I found absolutely hilarious (he got 1 of his "I" teeth on top before his front 2 teeth). Now he has 4 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom. He sleeps all night and takes wonderful naps. He definitely misses Bridger when we drop Bridger off at preschool. He loves to sing and direct music during church. Connor is a little peanut-5th percentile for his weight and 5th for his height. He is 17 lbs and 27.5" tall. We love our little coniferous.

Connor NEVER snuggles but for some reason on Christmas day he crawled up on Little Grandma's lap and passed out! It was stinking cute. He loves his Little Grandma!

He makes me Smile...

2011-01-11T15:50:00.001-08:00

I don't think I stress on here enough how much I love Bridger. I might be wrong in saying that he being the first born holds a SPECIAL place in my heart. Definitely in Jeremy's heart. They are best buds. I want to be able to look back in 50 years and laugh with Jeremy as we read about all the funny things he said as a youngster. So maybe this post is just for me but I figured I would share anyway.

Bridger came out of his room after we had put him to bed and said "Mom, we forgot 3 things. First, I didn't take my vitamin today. Second, you didn't put insulation- I mean mentholatum on my feet so I don't cough. Third, you didn't fill my air purifier with water. I would appreciate it if we could accomplish all of those things before I go to sleep." He has a routine. It's scary. For any of you that have put him to bed at night, I apologize. I admit to passing some of my OCD genes onto him.

I really am not a fan of our dog Buddy. Actually if I could choose, I would get rid of him. But of course Jeremy and Bridger love him. Yesterday Buddy was driving me crazy and being wild and not to mention he sheds, smells disgusting and likes to lay on our bed! I told Jeremy, I want to get rid of him. Bridger almost broke into tears and said "We can't get rid of him." I than told him, we can either get rid of Connor or Buddy. He still can't decide....almost 24 hours later! We will keep them both.

Last night Jeremy asked Bridger to say prayer before we went to bed. He usually repeats the same 5 line prayer. But not last night. He so proudly prayed "I pray for a baby sister." Than with confidence turned to Jeremy and in the middle of the prayer said "Dad, I'm praying for a little sister." Jeremy and I looked at eachother in shock. Part of me wanted to giggle but there was another part tugging at my heart because he prayed for "Arbar" EVERYDAY when I was pregnant with Connor. If only I could show on this blog how much LOVE one little boy has for his little brother. Shocking really but definitely sweet. And no, I am not pregnant.

Today Bridger and I were playing while Jeremy and Connor were taking a nap. We were playing cars and pretending to be racing at Daytona(?) He stopped and said let's play that you are the mom and I'm the dad and we are going to take our kids for a ride in my MANLY truck. I asked well how many kids do we have, he thought for a moment and said "7!" I laughed. With a serious face he named all seven kids....they were in this order "Connor, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Connie, Cupid, and Vixon." I giggled again because I LOVE him and he makes me smile.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-08T21:31:00.001-08:00

The Holidays were lots of fun around our house. The Udalls came up from Utah and Josie and Corde both came home. I worked Christmas Eve night so I was just getting off work as my 3 boys were waking up to see if Santa came. Of course Santa came to our house and brought us a new TV! He also left LOTS of toys for Connor and Bridger! Bridger was super excited about the new toys and Connor enjoyed crawling all over the boxes. I was able to Vex off of work Christmas night so we played games and hung out with the family. Bridger had so much fun playing with Max while he was here. They both LOVE the movie Cars so they were busy playing with all the Cars characters and repeating lines from the movie. It was stinking cute. Avalon must have taught Connor to crawl on all 4's because for the past 3 weeks, he has quit army crawling all together! I love to watch him go down the hall as fast as he can and of course he follows me around the house like a little lost puppy. I don't mind though, he's sooo cute! The Montana Skinners came down Christmas night and Sunday afternoon we enjoyed a fabulous Prime Rib dinner that Jeremy cooked! I always love Christmas time and am ever so grateful for the birth of our Savior.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-02T01:52:00.001-08:00

Jeremy and I both had to work on Thanksgiving. We sent Bridger with my parents to Wichita on the Wednesday before and than Connor and I flew down to meet them on Friday morning. It was a quick trip since we came home on Sunday but it was well worth it. It was fun to see G&G Skinner and Josie as well as Chelsie and the Waldmann Boys. Bridger enjoyed the nice weather, he loved playing out in the dirt with his cars and going to the park. Connor managed to fall off the bed while we were taking a nap. We celebrated Rustin's 1st birthday and Grandpa Skinner's 88th birthday with some yummy cake. Grandpa enjoyed almost a whole package of Andees mints (we laughed) I suppose when I turn 88, I will be happy to enjoy all the candy I can. We mostly just hung out and played cards but we also ate at Cinnamon's Deli, Taco Tico and Cholita's. I know all you Skinners that weren't there can be jealous of that :)

Connor wasn't nearly as thrilled to be eating at all the yummy restaraunts as I was..

The many faces of Connor

2010-12-02T01:46:00.001-08:00

While daddy's at work....

2010-12-02T01:30:00.000-08:00

The boys and I love to play. At night when Jeremy's working, I bathe the boys and get them in their jammies and than we laugh and giggle until it's time for bed. Connor loves to crawl over to Bridger and harass him. In return, Bridger LOVEs to carry Connor around the house. Sometimes Connor looks scared for his life and other times he just enjoys hanging (literally) out with his brother. I love them both anyway....

Halloween

2010-12-02T01:13:00.001-08:00

We bought Bridger a different costume but on the morning of Halloween, he decided he wanted to be a monkey like he was last year. They were both stinking cute. Connor DOES not like to be hot so he was not a fan of his costume he even crawled right out of the bottoms. They were cute anyway...the little busters that they are.

Our Boys

2010-10-26T21:43:00.001-07:00

Brothers. Together. See.the.Love

Bridger

2010-10-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Bridger keeps us on our toes and has quite the personality. So far at preschool this year...He asked his friend if he had car insurance. I'm sure from listening to our conversations about our wreck he understands that people need to have insurance so people like us don't get screwed in the end :) He also drew 2 yellow things on his stick person and when the teacher asked him what they were, he said "kidneys." Doesn't everyone draw kidneys on their stick people? He uses big words and I often ask myself where he comes up with half the stuff he says (responsible, disappointed, realized, natural, dedicated, forgiving). The other day in primary he was pouting and they commented him on how reverent he was being :) I had to laugh at that. He still sleeps on his floor next to his bed. He knows how to work Jeremy's cellphone better than I do. I should videotape it. Anyway, here are some pictures of the little buster...

Connor

2010-10-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Connor is now almost 7 months and I can barely keep up with him. He army crawls and just about has "normal" crawling down. He weighed 15 pounds at his 6 month check up. He was in the 10th percentile for his weight and the 45th for his length. He giggles all the time and rarely cries. Bridger loves to play games with him and still LOVES to give him kisses. He is eating "solid" foods now and eats everything although he favors some more than others. He wakes up around 1:45 every night- I'm determined its the furnace kicking on because the utility room is right below his room, Jeremy begs to differ. Otherwise he is a great napper and sleeper in general. He has 2 teeth on the bottom. We love our little Connor. See how cute he is for yourself...

Utah

2010-10-26T20:47:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we made the trip to Provo to visit my sister Shayla and her family as well as my Grandma Gilbert. We had so much fun hanging out with everyone. Max and Bridger enjoyed playing in the mud and water in their backyard. Briger and Max weren't overly friendly to Avalon but one day she will get big enough to hold her own. Sunday afternoon we went up to Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon. The weather was beautiful and the little boys were able to throw rocks in the water. They had a blast and were lucky enough to not hit one another in the head even though there were a few close calls. We did lots of shopping, we even went to Cabela's which always makes Bridger and Jeremys' day. Jeremy, Corde, Shayla, and Brig were able to enjoy a game of laser tag. Corde and Jeremy whooped up on Shayla and Brigham :) I'm guessing there will be a rematch in the future considering the competiveness amongst all of them. Uncle Corde was with us so we ate at Jimmy John's a few times.

Happy Birthday Bridger!

2010-09-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Bridger,
Another year has come and gone. I can't believe you are 4 today! You are an awesome little buster with a great spunk for life. You keep Jeremy and I on our toes and remind us on a daily basis why we love you so much. You are a great example to Connor and I can already tell he wants to be like you. You love to make people laugh and you love to smile! We Love You!

The boys

2010-09-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

Time flies and summer is now officially over since Bridger headed back to preschool today. Jeremy dropped him off this morning and when I went to pick him up his teacher had great things to say. She said he's as smart as a whip and noticed a huge difference from last year. He knows all his letters (both lower case and capital) and all the sounds they make (it's cute if you tell him a word and ask what letter it starts with). He can tell you after "sounding" it out. He even wrote his name for her. Both Jeremy and I have been working with him all summer but when you try to get him to do something he won't. Only if it's his OWN idea. Apparently he is learning even if he is as stubborn as a mule. He is a funny kid and loves to tease and push your buttons (does anyone know of another male in my life that likes to push people's buttons?)He is the best big brother and loves to give Connor kisses on the top of his head? It drove me nuts for the longest time that he would ask a billion times a day to give Connor kisses. Than it occured to me as Jeremy's mom and I were talking one day about how all we do is kiss and love on Connor when we hold him! No wonder why Bridger wants to do the same thing! Check out those dang cute chubby cheeks and you'll know why I love to give my little Connor kisses.

Connor is still a rolly polly and I'm sure he will be crawling anyday. He sleeps 8-9 hours at night. He loves rice cereal, oatmeal, etc. He puts everything right to his mouth. The other day I was in the kitchen and he was on the living room floor. I turned my head for a few seconds and he was devouring a whole section on the newspaper. The black ink was all over his hands and face. He was VERY upset when I took it from him.

My neck was sore for almost 3 months straight and I just couldn't figure out what would cause it to be so sore. I finally realized that when Connor would wake up and want to eat in the middle of the night, I would feed him and fall asleep on my side with my arm above my head. My neck hurts just thinking about it. *Note the picture below of Connor and Bridger in my bed. Sometimes when Jeremy is working, we have a sleepover. Alright, I admit, the 2 of them have a sleepover and I toss and turn all night trying to get comfortable with about 1 foot of space. I love my 2 little boys and wouldn't trade them for the world.

We went to Denver last week to a Rockies game and just to spend time as a family and we had a blast. I will post pictures from that as soon as I find the camera cord. Here are some of the latest pictures..

I love him...

2010-08-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight Bridger and I had this conversation...

Bridger: "Mom, I love you."

Me: "I love you too, and guess what you are my favorite 3 year old?"

Bridger: "I am going to be 4 next month but don't worry we can still snuggle."

Me: "You can turn 4 but you have to stay little."

Bridger: "I have to turn 4 so I can be Tallys' age. I will still be little though mom
and I will only be 4 for a year."

Me: "Ok, you can turn 4, I suppose."

Bridger: "Mom, don't worry you are my favorite old mom."

Summer 3

2010-08-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the boys. Connor is getting big, we went to the Dr. this morning and he tipped the scales at exactly 13 pounds and is 24" long! He is a great eater and maybe in the next few weeks we will attempt "solids." Bridger is funnier and trickier than ever. He loves Connor and it makes his day when Connor smiles and giggles at him. He told me the other day he can't wait until Connor walks and runs, I CAN! Connor rolls all over. I no longer can leave him on my bed when I get in the shower because he is a rolly polly. The other night I placed him in the middle of the living room and 2 minutes later he was about 6 feet from where I had put him and he was right in front of the TV kicking his little feet as fast as he could. It was pretty cute. He sleeps about 6 hours the first go at night and than somehow ends up in our bed. I think this week I am going to move his crib out of our room so I won't wake up to his little noises at night. Aunt Jewls often watches them while Jeremy and I are both working. Bridger has lots of fun with her and Connor "coo's" for a few hours after I pick him up. He must be telling me all the things they did that day. Jeremy and I are once again playing softball and so far we are 4-0. It is our social time on Thursday evenings.

Bridger doesn't sleep in his bed. He sleeps on the floor next to it and he sleeps with a sleeping bag that was Jeremy's when he was a baby (and I mean a baby because Bridgers' legs barely fit in it) In the picture above you can see he also tucks his dog "coniferous" in the sleeping bag. That is because I won't let Connor sleep on the floor next to him so he has the dog he named after him to fill in.
The other night we went grocery for the first time in about a month and apprently Bridger couldn't even wait until the food was out of the car to eat. We should consider going shopping more often...

Bridger was very proud that he was wearing my pearl necklace. Jer figured this will be a great picture to whip out when he brings his girlfriends home in about 20 years :)

Connor still has darker hair. His complexion is ALMOST as fair as Bridgers but not quite.

Jeremy took these pictures of him while I was at work. He doesn't stay under this toy because he rolls right away from it. He also gets mad when he gets stuck and can't kick his legs as hard as he would like to.

Any new parents that see this picture, please don't take note. Babies are supposed to sleep on their backs and not have any soft fluffy blankets around them... I just love looking at Connor sleeps and the way he holds his cute chubby little feet together!

Summer 2

2010-08-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Another highlight of our summer is that we were able to go out to the east coast to Washington D.C. for a week and have a "skinner" reunion. It was lots of fun. Everyone stayed at my sister Morgan's house including my parents, my 6 siblings and their spouses (well 4 spouses) and all 11 grandchildren. Unfortunately Uncle Corde was busy with the rodeo thing and wasn't able to make it. We went to the D.C. Zoo, got a private tour of the Pentagon ( thanks to my brother in law Tim), and watched the fireworks in front of the U.S. Capital at the National Mall. We also went to Virginia Beach and got a little tan and a lot of red in my case. Bridger loved the beach but unfortunately with his fair skin and bleach blonde hair, he wasn't mistaken for a "local" there. He had lots of fun hanging out with his cousins and playing in the sand. We plan to take a family trip this fall to another beach because we had so much fun.. Each night we stayed up and laughed for hours because of childhood memories, engagement stories, and anything else we could think of. We are looking forward to another reunion and maybe at the next one Jos, Corde and Jewls will all be married and we can listen to their engagement stories and get to know their spouses...

Summer 1

2010-08-04T12:27:00.001-07:00

Apparently a few people do read this blog because I was once again reminded today that I need to update it with new pictures. I swore once I graduated I would have more time on my hands and keep up with this blogging stuff, my house would be clean all the time and I would be more organized. Well so far, none of those things have been accomplished.

Summer is flying by and unfortunately between Jers' schedule and mine, we haven't been able to boat as much as we would like. It seems like everyday we have off together the weather isn't cooperating so we end up staying home and just hanging out together-which is fine with us except that we enjoy boating. Last month we were able to take the boat out a few times and we camped over night at Lake De Smet (about 75 miles west of Gillette) with Lucas and his 2 kids, little Grandma, Jewls and her friend, Jordan. The weather was perfect. We took the boat out on the lake around 8p.m. the first night which was chilly yet the lake appeared like glass which is fun to tube on :) Here are the pictures from our boating excursions so far this year....

Well folks....

2010-06-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's official. I am Gillette, Wyoming's newest RN (Registered Nurse)! I took my boards yesterday and walked out of there thinking I failed. We got home from Denver last night about 9:45 after I stressed the entire 5 hours in the car. Jeremy would try and talk to me and I was in a daze... I woke up this morning and being anxious/curious I checked the Wyoming State Board of Nursing and there was my name and my license number! I am so relieved! These past 2 years have paid off....Now Jeremy can quit his job, NOT! Now I can enjoy my free time with my boys though!

The best BIG brother

2010-05-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Bridger got strep throat yesterday and ran a fever all last night. (Jeremy and I have both had Strep in the past few weeks, no surprise Bridger got it) He is such a trooper when he is sick and luckily the antibiotics have kicked in so he is feeling much better.

Bridger is busy adjusting to life with a little brother. He loves Connor most of the time. He loves giving him kisses and belly blowers- I can't say Connor enjoys them as much as he does though :) He will say funny things such as "Odessa, are you going to get your fussy baby?" whenever Connor is crying. Oh by the way, he is back to calling us Odessa & Jeremy instead of mom and dad. It started around the time Connor was born so I figure it will pass with time. He holds Connor a couple of times each day and loves for me to hold the 2 of them and read books. Bridger gets upset with Connor when he cries because he can't hear me reading the story. He finishes up preschool this Friday for the summer, he has really enjoyed school these past 9 months and really loves his teacher Ms. Danielle.

In the past few weeks, Bridger has asked when I have school again so he can go play with his Grandma Joyce. I need to be better about taking him over there just to play, as it has been a huge adjustment for him to have me around 24/7! We have our moments and I have to remember he needs my love the most right now as it can be hard for him to share my attention with Connor. He tells me almost everyday how he can't wait for Connor to get big so they can wrestle, these words are all too familiar. Jeremy used to say the same thing about Bridger! All these boys, gotta love em'

Coniferous

2010-05-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I call Connor, Coniferous (thanks to Jewls and her friend Jordan). Bridger even named a stuffed animal that G&G Jensen gave him, Coniferous. Connor is already 7 weeks old and he's growing like a weed. Here are his statistics which most of them are courtesy of the public health visits (see post below)

April 1st (birth).... 6#10.4 oz.

April 4th................ 6#5 oz.

April 19th.............. 7# 9 oz.

April 26th.............. 8# 8 oz.

May 13th............... 9# 9 oz.

May 24th.............. 10# 5 oz.

Jeremy always calls him a little chunk but he is a great eater (I must feed him pure cream) and a great sleeper. He sleeps 6-7 hours at night and sleeps in until 8-9 in the morning, it's lovely! He also sleeps most of the day still. He still has a full head of dark hair and more grows in daily. He loves to be held and loves hearing Bridgers' voice. Here are some pictures....

The chubby little legs are my favorite even though I love looking at his cute little feet! This picture was taken last week at my Grandma Gilberts' house. (5/19)

(5/10) There was a picture shortage due to studying for finals.

The picture above was taken on 4/22

These 2 pictures are only a week apart (4/11 & 4/18) I think the chubby little cheeks popped up during this period....

The picture below was taken on 4/4 and the one above on 4/5

I know I know, this is VERY past due

2010-05-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

It has been 7 weeks since I posted, I know this because Connor is 7 weeks old! Let's recap the month of April. I had Connor on April 1st, went home from the hospital April 2nd, and went back to school April 4th.

Quick story- Before leaving the hospital after delivering a baby, each woman must fill out this sheet that goes to public health ,because here in Gillette we are fortunate enough to have grant programs that allow public health nurses to make welcome home visits for new moms free of charge! I did it with Bridger and am currently having a nurse come weigh/measure Connor every couple of weeks. Funny thing, my clinical day on April 5th was at Public Health and right when I got there one of the nurses received my paper. I thought her jaw was going to hit the floor when she asked if I just had a baby April 1st. I smiled and said yep that would be me :) I than explained that I was 4 weeks from graduating and just wanted to finish up so I wouldn't have any make-ups and was able to do so because of my wonderful husband, see next paragraph

Jeremy is the most amazing husband ever. He took 2 weeks off from work to stay home with the boys so I could finish my school and clinical hours.

I graduated from Nursing School May 7th, it was a very exciting day :) Bridger and Jeremy pinned me with my R.N. pin, I cried a little but mostly was all smiles as I am very glad to be done! There is no way I could have completed the last 2 years without my family. They were all so great to me. Jeremy pushed me to finish and made fun of me when I would fail a test :( My mother in law Joyce for keeping Bridger & Connor while I was in school and many times while I studied, I couldn't have made it without her! Little Grandma for listening to me cry and tell her I want to drop out and her sweet constant reminders that I could do it! My dad for his "Yippee" texts when I would pass a test even when it was with a C. All my siblings for their calls/texts to make sure I was still alive and kicking. It was a tough 2 years but I made it, I even received the Clinical Excellence Award!

Here are a few pictures from my pinning ceremony and graduation...

I was all smiles as you can see above

The cutest family at my pinning ceremony

This is my friend Janell from nursing school. We sat next to each other all 4 semesters and have grown pretty close. She talks as much if not more than I do so as you can imagine, we had tendencies to distract each other, but we both made it!

Friday night walking across the stage!

My friend Kellie and I.

Jeremy was all smiles as he is just as excited as I am to be done with this crazy journey!

Arbar has arrived...

2010-04-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

From This...

To this...
This is "Arbar" except we named him Connor Ernest. He arrived April 1st, 2010 at 12:26 p.m. He weighed 6lbs. 10.4 ounces and was 19" long! (Who would've thought Jeremy & I would have an April's Fools Day Baby?)
Bridger was a little nervous coming to see us after I had the baby. In fact when we told him on the phone that his name was Connor, he told Jeremy "Please change it back to Arbar!" We just giggled. He really didn't want to hold Connor but I think it was because as you can see from the pictures he looked a little rough from delivery. He is very cute and we are excited he is here!

He has a head full of dark hair and has dark complexion. I am trying to figure out where all that came from. I am going to get out our baby pictures as well as one of Bridger so we can compare.

I will post more pictures later, I just wanted to get them out here for all of you who don't have updated cellphones that can receive picture messages :)

38 Weeks

2010-03-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am on my way to see th Dr. for a checkup today...Not to much longer

I am a crazy....

2010-03-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys of being 37 weeks pregnant. It's 3 a.m. and I can't sleep. That could be the result of working shift work also. I worked all Friday night (7-7) and from 7p.m.-5a.m. this morning. Spring break is this week for me and it has been a nice break. Bridger and I spent most of the day at the park since it was close to 65 degrees today. I will post pictures from the park and an updated belly picture later today since I am on my laptop.

Quick funny story...

When I woke up a few hours ago to get some Tylenol, I couldn't get the bottle open after several attempts. I brought it in to Jeremy who was sound asleep and I asked him to open it. (side note: it was a brand new bottle) I handed it to him and politely asked him to open it. His first response was "it's empty" and he rolled over. I tapped him on the shoulder and explained that I needed to take some for my head. His next response was quite funny, "This is lotion and I don't think you should eat it. It's not safe for the baby." Needless to say he opened it and gave it back to me :)

5 years!

2010-03-11T12:03:00.001-08:00

I still love him even if he forgets the day we were married. He still makes me laughs. He provides me with a very comfortable life. He reminds me often that life is to short to be grumpy even though I still have my days. He teaches me how to be a good parent. He is the best dad in the world and never complains about hanging out with Bridger when I need a nap or need to study. I consider myself pretty dang lucky to have such a great husband....

I figure I would torture him a little by putting this picture on here because he is counting down the days until boating season :)

Thoughts

2010-03-03T14:31:00.001-08:00

As I was looking at a picture last week of my grandpa Gilbert in class, the girl I sit next to said "He sure was a handsome man." I have to agree :)
The pallbearers consisted of a son from each family of my mom and her 8 siblings

My heart is full as I think about the past few weeks. My Grandpa Gilbert passed away on February 20th. I was able to go down to Provo, UT for the funeral and spend a few days with family over the weekend. He is the first grandparent myself and my 7 siblings have lost. It is tough. Trying to explain death to Bridger was very difficult. I cried a little when I first heard the news but since we have always lived far away from them, it wasn't surreal just yet.

The closer we got to Provo last Wednesday, the more my heart started to race. I knew the first time I saw my grandma I would cry and I did. Thursday morning during the viewing I cried again as I looked at my grandpa lying so still in his casket. I cried even harder when I took Bridger up to the casket and he said "Grandpa, Wake up!" It was than that it hit me and I realized we are so grateful to know this life on earth isn't the end.

To no surprise it was the biggest funeral I have ever attended. Just a guess there was probably close to 500 people in attendance. My 3 uncles each spoke and shared stories that made me laugh and cry even harder. My aunt Cheryl read my grandpa's life sketch, he was an amazing man. My grandparents raised 9 children, one of which is the greatest mom anyone could ever ask for. They have 47 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren. It's amazing to think that 2 people could start a life that would build up to over 100 people.

When we went to my grandparents house for the first time, Bridger asked if he could go upstairs into my grandpa's room to see him. I started to sob as I knew he didn't understand the concept. He told me "Mom, I want to go upstairs and see grandpa now that he's not asleep in that thing." I tried once again to explain things but 3 year olds have a mind of their own and are very curious.

Thursday night was another viewing at the mortuary in Roosevelt (about 2 hours from Provo) where he was buried. Some 200 more people attended that to pay their respect. Friday morning they closed the casket and my grandpa was buried.

My testimony was strengthened last week. What an accomplishment for a person to touch so many lives and at the age of 81 leave this life knowing "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith..."
2 Timothy 4:7

A few reasons....

2010-02-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

(thanks to Jamie and Clark for the cute pictures above)

Why I love these 2 boys....

1. They make me laugh until my stomach hurts

2. They always have a to do list when I'm at school, but when I come home they are still in their pajamas, playing basketball or skateboarding in the basement and the "to do" list still remains...

3. They tell me how much they love me everyday

4. I can just sit and watch the 2 of them laugh and play

5. They bring me treats when I'm at work

6. They fight over who gets to kiss me the most (Bridger usually wins just because he likes to watch Jer's reaction and make him "jealous")

7. They do manly things like spend hours in the garage or watch monster trucks on youtube

8. Most of all, because I have 2 of the greatest "boys" in the world!

This little guy....

2010-02-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

said the scripture John 3:16 in primary today. We had been practicing all week and I was so impressed with his effort to stand up and say it in front of about 30 kids. Although he needed a few prompts from me, he did a great job!

Don't worry this was not the outfit he wore to Primary...

I was on the computer the other day and he came in with this "gear" on. He wears the helmet occasionally just for fun and whenever he plays baseball in the house with Jeremy. The claw on his hand is what we bought in Rapid when we went a few weeks ago, he is definitely ALL BOY!

31 weeks and counting...

2010-02-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

My sister Shayla asked to see my belly so here it is....I am feeling pretty good. 9 weeks to go until the big day and 13 weeks until I graduate from nursing school!

I have only gained 10 pounds which frustrates my Dr. I WILL gain another 10 pounds before April I'm sure. By the way, I kept having to direct Jeremy what to take a picture of because for some reason he wanted to take a picture right above the belly....Boys!

Finally, some pictures

2010-01-29T16:05:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I was on the couch when I heard Jeremy say "Bridger, we don't use that much toilet paper!" I had to go see what he was talking about and this is what I found. As you can see Bridger was very confused why that was too much toilet paper. I couldn't quit laughing!
This was the very first time Bridger has ever sat on Santa's lap. He told him about 3 different things he wanted even though Santa thought he was done shopping for him... needless to say Santa pulled through and got him what he asked for the "Hungry Hungry Hippo" game!
I bought Bridger some stickers to put in a sticker book but he found other places for them to be placed :)

His safety goggles were put to good use at bath time, although he couldn't figure out how come they let water in. I explained that he needed swimming goggles that would suction better to his face.

A few more from this little guy

2010-01-29T15:39:00.001-08:00

Bridger and I had a conversation today that I must share...

Bridger (crying and wiping tears away): "Mom, daddy said something very rude to me."

Me: "What did daddy say that was so rude?"

Bridger: "He said I'm tired and need to take a nap."

Earlier this afternoon, after his nap of course :) him and I were playing basketball. I missed about 5 shots in a row but Bridger said "Mom, you're amazing at this game but would you like me to move the basket closer to you?" What a confidence booster!

Yesterday, I asked how he got to be so cute and he said "Heavenly Father, don't you know that?"

I watched my friends little baby (she is about 3 months old) a few weeks ago and Bridger just loved her. He even played peek-a-boo with her. As you can see from the picture, she was really interested in the game :)

Each day he gets a little more anxious about the arrival of Arbar. He will often talk to my belly and say "Arbar, this is Bridger-what are you doing in there?" It's amazing because if Jeremy and Bridger are being loud my stomach starts to rumble from him moving so much. I guess that could mean two things- he is going to join in on the fun or be very scared of the 2 crazies...

Our little Bridger...

2010-01-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

Lately Bridger has said things that I don't want to forget. Things that I will probably share with his future wife and kids someday. He keeps us on our toes and there is never a dull moment around the Jensen house. Here are few questions/sayings in the last week or two...

He named the baby in my belly "Arbar" months ago, and I guess it has stuck for the most part. He can't wait to be a big brother. He thinks after I have the baby that he will be able to babysit. When we threaten to leave him home, he says " ok I'm big so I will be fine home by myself and I can watch buddy also."

Bridger has decided not only is there a baby in my stomach, he has one in his as well. Just ask Grandpa Jensen what happens if you tell him he doesn't have a baby in his belly (it breaks his heart and almost makes him cry.) By the way, his baby is "Johnny." Last week he was in the bath and out of the blue he said "Mom, how are the babies going to get out of our bellies?" I responded "We'll go to the hospital and out they pop!" (If only it was that easy right?)

We were up in Billings 2 weeks ago for a soccer tournament. My niece Kennedy started to say something about the Pledge of Allegiance. Bridger must have been listening because right than and there he spouted off the entire thing! I was so shocked. I texted Jeremy and asked if he knew that Bridger has the Pledge of Allegiance memorized, he was as shocked as I was. How can a 3 year old memorize something and his parents not know for 5 months! They say it every morning in pre-school. I will remind Jeremy to record it this next week and we'll post it for everyone to see. Next, we will be working on the Articles of Faith.

Bridger and I were playing house this afternoon and he told me "I'm the dad and you are the mom and we have 14 kids. I do manly things like fix the cars and you're a girl." I will be sure and warn his future wife about this one. He has high expectations with 14....

Jeremy often tells Bridger what a good kid he is. He has very obedient days and days where we can't win the fight. Jeremy told him "You're such a good kid Bridge," and he replied "I am huh!"

He threatens he will find new parents if we aren't nice. He also says he is the boss because he is going to be a big brother so he can make the rules.

A few weeks ago I was watching my niece, Rebecca who is about 6 months old. She began to cough and Bridger said "Don't worry Becca, I will get you a cough drop that will make you stop." I reminded him we don't feed babies cough drops and he was very confused as to why we don't.

He loves to hear the stories about when he was in my belly and we called him "Tigger." I had to go to the hospital and have an ultrasound because when I was 13 weeks pregnant my dr. couldn't find his heartbeat with the doppler. When we had the ultrasound done it made perfect sense why she couldn't get a clear heartbeat; there was our little "Tigger" jumping from the top to the bottom of my uterus and even doing flips in between :) He just giggles when we tell him that story.

Corde watched him while Jeremy and I went grocery shopping. He was so helpful unloading the groceries when we got home so I told him we bought him lots of yummy things. He would go through the bags until he found something that looked like it was for him and he would say "Oh thank you mom!" Jeremy bought him licorice and he had a huge smile on his face when he said "Thank you dad, I love those!" We didn't even have to remind him to say thank you. That is a proud moment in a parents' life-well it was for me anyway.

On a final note, he gave himself a haircut a few weeks ago. He looks a little silly but he's a boy so I wasn't too worried. He was very excited and even brought the hair out of the bathroom to give to me. We love him for all the joy he brings to our life. I remind him on a daily basis he can't get any bigger because he has already grown up way too fast.

I will post pictures this weekend of the past month. I was out of school for 4 weeks and didn't blog the entire time! Now I am in my second week of my final semester of nursing school...It makes me smile just typing that :)

The little things in life

2009-12-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

Bridger has been busy....

Getting into my makeup

Biting a little girl at preschool (Because she wouldn't pick up and listen is his story)

Saying naughty words

Telling Jeremy and I "Nobody cares about me or loves me" (when he gets in trouble)

Wearing white socks to church

Throwing fits when he doesn't get his way

Peeing the bed on occasion at nighttime

Even though he does all of these things, we still love him and are grateful for his cute little self. He also has been busy making a list of toys for the baby that Santa should bring, asking if the baby likes swimming in the dark in my belly, giving me lots of kisses, letting me take naps on the

couch in the afternoon, using please and thank you, missing Jeremy when he is at work, keeping Jeremy and I organized, and most of all reminding us how much he loves us everyday!

Here are a few pics...

The bad day explained....

2009-12-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Jeremy posted the pictures of the denali but he didn't explain what happened. On Wednesday we took my little brother, Corde to Rapid City, SD to have his wisdom teeth extracted. I should begin by saying that Jeremy and I had been harassing him all day about the IV and the medicine they give him that would make him go to sleep. He was even concerned about the nurses taking advantage of him while he was "asleep." Jeremy and I were laughing and having a good time making him nervous about the whole process. We did some Christmas shopping that morning and than about 12:30 decided to head to his appointment. I was craving a sonic slushy so I made Jeremy head toward Sonic-oops I guess I will take the blame for this. So as we are headed to sonic, I am texting Josie about all the things we have been telling Corde and I am laughing. Jeremy was driving and I was in the passenger seat. Corde was sitting right behind Jer on the drivers side. All of a sudden I hear Jeremy say "Oh ****" and Corde says something like "Brace yourself or hold on" and the next thing I know we smashed into a car in the intersection a few blocks from Sonic. The moron turned right in front of Jeremy and luckily Jeremy turned the car enough we only hit on the passengers side and not head on. The guy claims he slid in front of Jeremy but no ice was on the road-tricky. Luckily witnesses told the cops the real story and the other guy was cited for failure to yield and no proof of insurance, of course. I was wearing my seat belt but felt my stomach starting to harden so I thought it would be best to go get the baby checked out considering "we" got a nice impact. A guy that that witnessed the accident took me to the hospital and than went back to the accident and took Corde to his appointment. We got a business card so we will be sending him a thank you gift next week. Anyways they hooked me up at the hospital and my blood pressure was higher than normal and I was contracting. We got those issues resolved and were released. My dad drove over and picked us up and luckily the rest of the day was uneventful. Jeremy and I have been bummed about the whole thing-what a pain it will be. Bridger made a comment that made me realize what is important "Mom, I am sad about big black but I am glad you are ok." Material things can be replaced and luckily we have 2 other vehicles to rely on. I am grateful Bridger wasn't in the car with us as young children are much more affected by impacts than adults are. I am also glad Jeremy, Corde and I weren't seriously hurt. The good news- the guy that caused this works for the radio station in Rapid and did mention he can hook us up with concert/hockey/sporting event tickets ANYTIME. Hey buddy no worries about the thousands of dollars of damage to our car, those $50 tickets will make it up :) (little sarcasm)

One Bad Day

2009-12-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

Rest In Peace

Big Black Jensen

Thank You!

2009-11-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving this week, I wanted to express my gratitude for all the military men and women that serve our country. Last week I had the opportunity to pay my respects to an Army Staff Sgt. that was killed in Iraq. It was a very humbling and touching thing to see. His body was flown into the Gillette Airport and the procession route was about 5 miles long ending at the funeral home. Some 5,000 members of the community paid their respects and the procession line included ambulances, police cars, fire trucks, and 100 military veterans on their motorcycles. I am so grateful to live in a free country and to our troops oversees away from their families this holiday season, thanks for all you do! Click on the link to watch the video....

http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2009/11/27/video/news65.txt

What to do with a 3 year old?

2009-10-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Bridger is so cute that I forget about the naughtiness. Like in situations like this, Good thing the garage is Jeremy's department......

My question, Should I beat his little bottom or laugh? I laughed no worries :)

Happy Birthday Bridger!

2009-09-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Bridger,

I woke up at 5:30 this morning thinking that exactly 3 years ago at this time my water broke. They rushed me to a labor room and at 7:48 a.m. on September 29th, 2006 you were born into this world. I remember looking at "Jer" as you call him these days and seeing him hold you in his arms. You were so tiny. I never thought you would be big enough to call your parents by our first names, or be able to help your dad with all the projects he has going on, or sit on the toilet and read books to yourself as you are doing right now as I type this. You are such a good boy, we love you more than our arms are wide enough to reach. I thank Heavenly Father every night he sent you to me. Now you are 3, and yes you can turn 3 even though I have been telling you that you can't. You love preschool, you love all your family and friends, you love to read books, you love to play monster trucks, and you love going to nursery and learning about Jesus Christ. We are so glad you are our "little" boy and make us laugh everyday. We love you!

Love, Mom "Odessa"

Number 2

2009-09-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

I throw up almost everyday. I have zero appetite. I cry on a whim. I've gained 11 pounds in the past 2 months. I take a nap every afternoon and still sleep 12 hours at night. My pants no longer fit and t-shirts are starting to get tight. I wake up every night to go to the bathroom. I can't get comfortable in my bed. Jeremy thinks I'm depressed, I remind him this is normal. All these things make me happy because it's all for this.....

Oh dear, I'm even crying now. I better get some sleep, it's past my bedtime.

2009-09-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

Bridger has now been in Preschool 3 weeks and I am just now posting about the first day. So let's go back 3 weeks because I remember it like it was this morning.

Of course, I wake up at 8:25 (preschool starts at 9) and grab Bridger out of his bed. I feed him a quick breakfast which he didn't eat much because he was still half asleep. I throw a cute outfit on him and grab what I thought was everything we needed. It is now 8:51 and it takes 13 minutes to get there. We are going to be late on his first day so I begin to speed. Bridger than starts to cry at about 8:55 and tells me we forgot his poster board that we had made the night before that is all about him and that gets to hang on the wall at school. I try to convince him that I will bring it when I pick him up but he cries even harder. I am a little irritated and turn around. It is 8:58 and I arrive home and get his poster board. Off we go again..... We finally arrive at 9:09 which was fine because almost every child was crying and the parents were still there. Bridger starts to whine a little and I begin to cry alot (reasons-look at post about me). His teacher scoops him up and takes him over to a dump truck- by now he has stopped crying and forgot I was even there. I am crying even harder at this point thinking I'm being ignored and replaced for a dump truck. Anyways I collect myself and drive away and realize I have to find something to do for the next 2 hours without my little small friend that follows me around every day. I run errands and realize it is time to pick him up. He was so happy to see me and tells me that he loves school. He hasn't cried since that day, although he does whine a little when Jeremy takes him because he can't possibly think of anything that "Jer" would do without him.

He is learning to write his letters and the sounds they make. His favorite thing is going outside for the last few minutes and playing on the slides, swings and the dirt. Imagine that-he is all boy.

He still calls me Odessa and Jeremy- "Jer." He is getting big way too fast and I keep reminding him we can celebrate his birthday on Tuesday but he has to stay 2 forever. He tells me he will be 3 and the birthday boy gets birthday cake. Man, I can't trick him for anything!

The other night I was giving him a bath and I asked him what he was doing and he said "Just sitting on my tube, relaxing!" I thought maybe I need to sit on a tube every once in a while and "just relax."

Summer's Over?!

2009-08-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

I started back to school today and it was a little rough. I am ready to get it over with just not ready for all the studying again. The 2 boys and I were able to have a fun weekend just hanging out before our lives go back to a schedule. We went to the park, ate ice cream, and stayed up TOO late.....

Bridger has taken good care of me this summer, if I'm laying on the couch he never hesistated to pat my back for about 3 seconds. He never hesistates saying "If we can have candy, I will share with you." Of course I ALWAYS take him up on that offer.

Last night I was taking a bath and he came in, took off his pants and climbed up on the edge of the tub and said "Mom, let's talk while I dip my feet in the water." He was so cute; underwear, t-shirt and all.

He loves telling me funny stories and he tricks Jeremy into anything he wants and he knows he can get away with it from his dad. I love both my boys.....

He's growing up.....

2009-08-31T12:51:00.000-07:00

Bridger starts preschool on Wednesday! He can tell you he goes on Fridays, Mondays, and Wednesdays in that order :) We got plenty of laughs at Wal-Mart last week as he strutted around with his spiderman backpack on. It's full of school supplies and he tells me everyday he wants to go. It makes me cry but I know he will have fun and love it. I even get to take him on the first day! I will let you know how it goes....

Uncle Eddie?

2009-08-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

Nope, it's just Bridger. He was wearing a jersey top, plaid shorts, his napolean boots, and had a tube around his waist. For a minute I thought Uncle Eddie from Christmas Vacation was riding in my car but than I realized it was just my cute little boy, Bridger!

Only Bridger

2009-08-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the 3 of us were out in the garage cleaning out the boat. Bridger has a bad habit of not looking where he is going. For example, tonight at Wal-Mart he was looking down an isle and ran into an empty cart. Yesterday he wasn't so lucky and ran into the prop on the back of the boat. It is very sharp and he cried instantly, I was sure he had gotten his eyeball. Luckily it was a 1/2 inch away, otherwise he might be blind in one eye. Today it is starting to turn black otherwise it is healing just fine!

Utah

2009-08-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Last week, My mom, Jewls and I decided to head to Utah with Bridger and Max. We were watching him while Shayla and Brig spent a few days in and around Yellowstone. The boys were great travelers, although Bridger had to pee about every 1-2 hours, thank goodness for empty water bottles :) It was so fun to see my grandparents, of course I sobbed a little when we left as I usually do. We got down there Wednesday night and went straight to Tim's parents house to see Morgan and her 3 little China girls. They had flown in about 3:00 that day back to the states from their 2 year stay in Shanghai. It was so fun to see them again. Tally and Bridger will get along great, little busters!

Thursday we spent the day hanging out at my grandparents house. Jewls and I went to the mall for a couple of hours but weren't really in the shopping mood. Instead we ate at P.F. Changs and later had snowies for dessert! On Friday we played outside with the Kuehne girls and went and watched my cousin Lindsee play soccer in 95* weather, boy it was hot! Friday night was the Gilbert (my mom's) family reunion, we went swimming, ate pizza and than had a talent show. Our family (as in my mom, Jewls, Morgan and her 3 girls and Bridger and I) sang "I am a Child of God" and than Tally and Adayla sang it in Chinese for everyone, it was super cute! Saturday morning we woke up and headed up Provo Canyon to hang out with everyone again before heading back to Gillette. It was a beautiful park and perfect for the boys to run around for a few hours before getting in the car for 8 hours. Here are a few pictures from the trip...

Bridger and Max 10 miles out of Gillette on the way down to Utah.....Below is a picture of my cousin Megan and Bridger, he is wearing a Wyoming Jersey for the simple reason we like to get an uproar out of all the BYU fans.....Bridger looks like he is choking Max, But really they are both laughing and Bridger is hugging him a little on the rough side.....

Tally is the best little smiler for any picture. She kept telling me the whole time we were down there "We came back to Amerikuh" It was so dang cute! Adayla would tell me that my Chinese is Bu Hao (not good) and we would both laugh. They both think its the coolest thing that they have their own Taxi (their car that they kept at Tim's parents house) here in America, they rode in taxi's the whole time in China. They also called me Sher fu, while we were driving a few places in Utah which means taxi driver in Chinese. We all had a good time giggling at their funny stories!

Another softball season, another injury (or 2)

2009-08-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

We are back again for our 2nd softball season, although only about 5 players are the same as last year. We have played 4 games and won 3 of them! Wahoo, we are off to a much better start than last season. The first game Jeremy decided to slide even though he was wearing shorts and in the 3rd game I was playing center field when a guy hit a line drive, I backed up at first and than realized I should try and catch it without it taking a bounce. I guess I had my glove the wrong way as well, oops. I went down instantly thinking my knee cap had been shattered, luckily it wasn't. It has been almost 2 weeks and the bruise is finally disappearing even though I still do not have feeling in and around my knee, just a few damaged nerves I'm sure. Anyway, here are the results.....

My Birthday....

2009-07-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

Was bittersweet. On July 22nd I drove down to Laramie to spend the night with Josie and Jewls in Cheyenne. At 10:00 that night Josie went running while Jewls and I walked/ran 3 miles- I thought I was going to die. The next day I slept in, almost forgetting it was my "golden" birthday. The 3 of us got ready and drove to Cheyenne to do some shopping and than attended the Kellie Pickler/Taylor Swift concert at Cheyenne Frontier Days. I had so much fun hanging out with them-we laughed ALL day and enjoyed people watching at the concert. At the concert.......... We saw a guy try to slip a volunteer $20 to get him and his friends to the front of the line- it only got him a few giggles from the 3 yahoos standing behind him (Us), Jewls about got knocked over by the overweight girl dancing out of control 2 inches in front of her, we were told by the 60 year old lady behind us that we were sweet and to inform all of our parents, I thought she was going to pass out when I told her we were SISTERS, she bought Josie and Jewls but was a little skeptical about throwing me into the fam? The concert was alright, Taylor Swift is a bit odd but whatever who wouldnt be-being 19 and worth 32 million? Jewls and Josie made it so much more fun! It was a great birthday- I missed my boys so bad that Jewls and I drove home that night after the concert to pull into the driveway at 3 a.m. Here are a few pictures from the concert, they make it appear we were standing close but we were actually to the right of the stage about 30 ft and everyone in front of us was taller than the 3 Skinner girls =)

I thought it would be fun to make a list. 23 things I've accomplished in 23 years....

1. Married in the Temple to the greatest husband in the World!

2 Gave birth to a baby, whose almost 3

3. Been a student since the day I graduated-5 years ago and still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up =)

4. Graduated from High School with honors

5. Served in the Primary for the last 2 years

6. Been told I look like Jennifer Anniston at least 10 times, appreciated that until I realized she turned 40 this year! Am I aging that fast?

7. Survived Bacterial Meningitis while 18 weeks pregnant

8. Bought and Sold our first house by the precious age of 21

9. Learned the true meaning of "Count Your Blessings"

10. Won a COED softball tournament

11. Bought a boat-kinda spur of the moment....

12. Laid 5000 sf of Sod in 3 hours, with the help of others of course

13. Backed over Jeremy's motorcycle (not proud of that just glad I survived =)

14. Learned I'm not organized, I'm Obsessive Compulsive about some things, for example when and where and what is going on?

15. Drank 64 oz. of Dr. Pepper in 20 minutes, only to learn that Jeremy can beat me in a "How Long can you hold your bladder contest?"

16. Had 4 different Jobs- My Current one at the hospital is the best ever!

17. Almost won a state soccer championship- lost in a shootout in the championship game my sophomore year

18. Adopted a VERY expensive dog from the pound who is now best friends with Bridger

19. Attended 6 concerts including my all time fav-Kenny Chesney
20. Given a "Clinical in Excellence" Scholarhip- My last year of nursing school is paid for!

21. Survived being hit my a DRUNK driver

22. Traveled to China

23. Sent/Recieved almost 100,000 texts

If only every nap could be this peaceful.....

2009-07-12T21:16:00.001-07:00

and the drum roll please......

2009-07-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

As I start typing this post I'm already starting to giggle. Bridger is growing up so fast. Daily he reminds us of the simple things in life that make us happy. He still sleeps in his crib. He is 2 letters away from spelling his name. He knows about 100 books front to back. He still takes good naps every afternoon, unless we are at the lake of course. Everytime I threaten to get rid of Buddy, he says "mom, Buddy is my friend you cannot get rid of him." He talks about President Obama almost daily. He often still refers to us as Jeremy and Odessa not mom and dad. He will be starting Preschool in September 3 days/week even though he tells me he wants to go to Kindergarten. The other day he asked me if Jeremy and I went to high school, I replied yes. With a very serious look on his face he asked, "Odessa, who watched me while you and Jeremy went to high school?" I am realizing I passed on some of my OCD traits. He wants to know when, where, & what time he needs to be somewhere. He hesitates going to nursery but loves it once he is there. He can sing me lots of primary songs and prays for President Monson every prayer he says. He shows me how much he loves me by holding his little arms out as wide as he can and tells me he loves me this much, than he stretches a little further and tells me thats how much he loves daddy :) He is also the bad word police. If he hears anyone and I mean anyone say a bad word of any kind he tells them to go to time out and he wants to talk to them when they are done "finking" about what they did. Just ask Aunt Josie she had a few slipups this past weekend :) Overnight I think he grew 2 inches. He can no longer walk under the island in our kitchen without hitting his head and Jeremy's favorite pajama pants to put on him are a bit too small/short. They still fit perfect in the waist just not the length. Take a look for yourself.....
The hat is one that little Grandma gave him a few months ago. At first he didnt want anything to do with it and now he loves wearing it around the house and is super sill with it on.

Jeremy...

2009-07-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

I think Jeremy is getting a kick out of watching me struggle adjusting to working nights. It truly does screw a person's body up. He loves taking the boat out to the lake and in only a few days has gotten an AMAZING tan. Bridger is his little buddy with me working so much lately. Jeremy loves hanging out with Bridger and they get to do lots of fun things while I'm at work. He is still working at Cordero and with 7 straight days off a month, it gives him plenty of time to get things done around the house and leave time for the lake :) We both have the entire week off together in July and August so we will get plenty of time to just hang out or if anyone knows of a fun vacation spot we are up for suggestions?

Update

2009-07-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

The last 3 weeks have been a blur for me, I have been working 40+ hours/week and to top that off they have been straight nights. It has been a good experience, as I am much more grateful for Jeremy and his shift-work. To say the least, I love my job and am so glad I chose nursing. I have one more week of orientation and than I'm on my own. To give you an idea of what I will be doing..... When you go to the hospital to have your baby there is a Labor and Delivery Nurse that basically does everything until the Dr. walks in the room to catch the baby, I will start Labor & Delivery next May when I am done with my RN year. For now, I will be the nursery nurse that the Dr. hands the baby off to after delivery. I give a few newborn meds within minutes of birth, wipe the infant dry, suction the baby and give oxygen if the baby is struggling. It is such a rush to experience the miracle of life day after day! I have experienced a woman on meth deliver a child, women with no epidurals, and a twin delivery! You can bet I will get an epidural with the next baby I have!

The newest addition to the Jensen family.......

2009-06-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

Miami! (funny that's what we were going to name Bridger if he was a girl but instead we named our new Boat!)

Family Pictures....

2009-06-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here we go again, our most professional family photo session....

I think Jeremy was rolling his eyes in the picture below because he loves when I make him take 50 bazillion pictures :)

The weekend....

2009-06-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last week we mentioned to Bridger that the carnival was going to be in town for the weekend. Jeremy just loves the carnival :) so I promised Bridger we would go on Friday. He asked every morning what day it was until he knew exactly when Friday was coming around. Friday morning it looked like we might get a storm and considering over the past 2 weeks it has rained 12 out of the 14 days I figured the carnival might get rained out. Luckily for us it didn't and the weather was gorgeous. He loved the rides at the carnival especially the cars (notice his road rage facial expressions.) The 3 of us even rode on the FerrisWheel until Jeremy kept rocking it and we got kicked off. I was ok getting off because I remembered how much those things scare me. Bridger loved looking down at people while I was yelling at Jeremy to quit rocking the bench! We ended the evening by enjoying the greasiest most unhealthy food.... A freshly fried footlong corn dog, greasy salty french fries and nachos smothered in cheese and jalepenos, yum it was DELICIOUS! The picture of the 3 of us was taken on the ferriswheel and Jeremy was annoyed I wanted to take a picture so I only got the one which included only the top of Bridgers' head, my bad!

Sorry Jeremy....

2009-06-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Jeremy is always asking me to pluck his unibrow and eyebrows. Every once in a while I will give in and do it and than I remember why I don't like to. He whines the entire time and says "ok ok that's the last one you hurt me."

Tonight we had family dinner at our house with Jeremy's family as well as Marlee and Jiggs. After everyone left Marlee asked Jer if he would like her to wax his eyebrows, he agreed to it. So we went over to their house and Marlee taught me how to do it so now I can buy a waxer and wax them all by myself. Unfortunately I only got the before picture and note his eyes are closed (hehe).....

Marlee and I laughed so hard we almost peed our pants. Jiggs was sympathetic for Jeremy. He survived and now has some pretty amazing eyebrows even though I took a little chunk out of one. :-)

The last month.....

2009-06-05T15:42:00.001-07:00

I thought once school was out, I would have tons of free time but I was wrong. We have been going nonstop the last 4 weeks....

Shayla and Max have been staying at our house and how fun it is to have them around. Bridger bullies Max (he's 15 months but probably weighs as much as Bridger) most days, they even wrestle! The other night Max pushed Bridger over and he cried, of course I had to laugh because of all the things Max goes through on a daily basis! Bridger told me the other day, "mom, Max is my brother." I informed him he wasn't his brother but that he (as in Max) was going to be a brother in a few months. He liked the idea that he was his brother so I suppose for the time being he can think that. (No I'm not pregnant, Shayla is :)

On May 8th I officially graduated from my first year of nursing school. When they called my name on the stage, I actually jumped up in the air I was so excited. I figure next May when I graduate with my RN I will do a cartwheel on stage :-) My dad even caught the picture of me in mid air! Sorry the picture isn't very clear.

The next weekend was Corde's graduation and his party was at my house. It was a fun week with all the family around. Chelsie, Shayla, Josie, and I all took the boys to Rapid City for a day. We went to the mall, Olive Garden and Chuckee Cheese! Bridger is such a little buster, he is deathly afraid of chuckee! Shayla, Josie and Chels have had fun making fun of him about it. Josie even sent him a text on my phone taunting him, it made me laugh but poor lil Bridge might have nightmares.....

We also drove up to Billings on the May 20th to take Chels and Madden back to the airport! It was sad, but we had a great time while they were here in Gillette. Chelsie even pointed out to me that Bridger flaps his arms when he gets mad or starts to throw a fit. Apparently I had ignored them and never noticed, but now I do and it drives me nuts. The funny thing is....Chelsie sent me a video the other day of Madden flapping his arms....hahaha I wonder where he learned that.....

On May 21st-25th Bridger and I drove or rode to Sheridan everyday to watch Aunt Jewls play soccer and Uncle Corde rodeo. Bridger was quite the traveler considering there and back is 200 miles and we did it consecutively for 5 days.... 1000 miles and add the trip to Billings almost 1500 miles in 5 days! Thanks Bridger for being so great in the car, notice the pictures.....

Grandma and Grandpa Skinner were here during the May festivities and it was fun to have them around. We kept them busy. I am sure when Jeremy and I drove them to the airport in Rapid last Wednesday, they were ready to be home again! After we dropped them off we spent the day in Rapid shopping and met Grandma Joyce for dinner that night (her and Jed were in Rapid for Jed's work.) We spent the night at Country Inn and Suites and enjoyed a nice evening at the pool! Thursday morning we woke up and swam for another hour. Needless to say Bridger slept the entire way home from Rapid!

When Jeremy and I took him to Chucke Cheeses, he was still scared but he was "man" enough to give him an attempted high five. I took a picture to send to Josie, Chelsie, and Shayla :-) Bridger is actually right here while I am posting and he just asked if he wasn't scared of Chuckee, I just giggled and said no.

Yesterday, Bridger and I drove to Casper so I could take my boards to be an LPN. Josie met us there and watched Bridger while I took the test. I walked out of the testing center with a sick feeling but I found out about an hour ago.....I passed....I am officially a NURSE! YAY!!!!!!!!

The 3 of us spent the rest of the day shopping and ate at an excellent Chinese Bistro. We said our goodbyes to Josie and pulled into our driveway around 10 p.m. Of course Bridger slept the entire way home so I just stressed about test questions for 121 miles :-) His second bed has became his carseat.....

Another new thing Bridger asks "Why?" about 100 times a day. It cracks me up sometimes but after the 10th why, I start to get agitated. For example, as we were driving to Casper yesterday I said "look at that big brown cow Bridger!" He asked "Why's the cow Brown?" and "Why isn't he with his mom and dad?" I suppose it will only be a few months before he will start catching on to my clever answers....

Yippee.......

2009-05-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

I just got done taking my first final and I have officially passed my LPN year. It feels awesome that I don't have to worry about the final on Thursday. Graduation is Friday night and than summer break, wahoo! I got an internship on OB this summer as an LPN and we'll follow an RN through Labor and Delivery as well as Postpartum and OB surgicals. I'm super excited! Jeremy is getting ready to go on nights and he didn't seem to happy that I went and pounced on him to tell him the good news. He just rolled over and said he was trying to sleep, oops :-) I just love him!

The Circus

2009-04-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Marlee invited Bridger and I to go to the circus. We had a good time. Marlee and I enjoyed people watching and laughing. It reminded me alot of the carnivals in the summertime. Bridgers favorite part was the dirtbikes riding in the cage/ball thing. The trapeze artists scare me even though I know they are professionals, I tend to think they are just crazy. Anyways here are some pictures....

Above, there were 3 dirtbikes in the ball and it was extremely loud in the building. Below, the guy stacked all these chairs on 4 cans, it was amazing!

Of course there were tigers...
Bridger and his best friend Jaxon.

If It wouldn't have been obvious, I would have taken more pictures of the spectators. It never ceases to amaze me that all these people live in Gillette and come to events like this, oh wait I am one of those, nevermind

It still fits....

2009-04-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

We are doing Spring Cleaning around our house and I decided to sell my wedding dress on Ebay. It sits in the closet and just collects dust and takes up room. So I put it on to get pictures for the sell and it still fits..... I know its only been 4 years maybe I should keep it to see if it will fit in 30? I know I am a nerd.

Bridger and Jeremy....

2009-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Bridger loves Jeremy and wants to be just like him. Lately he will sneak out into the garage and get on Jeremy's motorcyle. The other day Jeremy and I were in the kitchen and Bridger comes riding into the living room riding his bike with a helmet. He's a buster! Jeremy and I also went to Rapid City this week and bought Bridger a baseball Jersey (the one he's wearing on his bike) He wants to wear it everyday and I have to bribe him to take it off so I can wash it. He makes us laugh, I always wanted a little boy that is "all boy" and that's just what I got.

The Water Park

2009-04-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday night before Easter, Jeremy and I decided to take Bridger to the local water park that's attached to a hotel. We had lots of fun considering there was only about 20 other people in the entire park. Bridger enjoyed going down the slide with Jeremy, apparently he remembers the last time I took him down he hit his head on the side (oops.) His memory is amazing! That morning we had talked about going to Rapid City and staying the night at a hotel with a water park but decided not to. While Jeremy and I were talking, Bridger took the initiative to go get a suitcase, drag it up the stairs and pack it. He even put on his swimming suit. It was so cute we had to take him to do something fun, so we stayed in Gillette and went to the water park. Here are some pictures....

Easter Weekend

2009-04-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind so I will make up some excuses. Our computer got a virus and school has been super busy as we gear up toward the end of the semester. The Thursday before Easter Aunt Josie, Uncle Corde, Aunt Jewls, Bridger and I had a sleepover. It was fun, we ate too much Easter candy and stayed up way too late. (Jeremy was working) Friday morning we woke up and dyed Easter eggs. Corde didn't participate, he texted his girlfriends instead. The 3 of us girls laughed and had a good time. Bridger enjoyed dying the eggs until he figured out he could eat them. I thought he might be attached to the eggs his dyed but instead couldn't dye them fast enough to eat them. Jewls even made an egg with her favorite saying "RAWR" on it, if you ever receive texts from her you know what I'm talking about. As you can see from the pictures we literally rolled out of bed (or off the couch) and went straight to egg dying... (Sorry about the order of the pictures)

This was one of the best eggs we dyed. We waited until we were through with all the colors, mixed them together and came up with this nasty brown color to make it a true football.

The final products...(above)
Bridger, well eating the eggs of course!

Josie and Jewls proudly displaying the best Jellybeans, ever!

Bridger and I concentrating to get the sticker on the egg perfectly.

Josie, she's so cute!

Bridger, before the egg dying began. He always has a look on his face like he's up to something.

So I have to brag.....

2009-04-06T21:32:00.001-07:00

We had our 5th major nursing test of the semester today. I studied quite a bit this weekend and paid extra attention during lectures the last few weeks (I quit texting as much during class.) My average test grade going into this test was a 75, probably about average with my classmates. Anyways, I was shocked when I checked my grade when I got home today and saw that I received a 60/60! I'm the only person to receive a 100% on a nursing exam in my class this year (I'm not sure about previous years.) I was SO shocked and excited I think I called my ENTIRE family! Jeremy and I celebrated tonight by having crab legs, they were D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! And the best news, only 3 full weeks left in the semester and 3 more tests, WAHOO!

The results are in...

2009-04-01T16:09:00.001-07:00

Last night the 3 of us went out to eat at Humphrey's. During dinner Bridger needed to"go potty," so I took the initiative to take him to the restroom. He pointed out that when I take him, we have to go in the "grils" bathroom even though he is a little boy. It made me giggle, but it gets better. After we both washed our hands, I was preparing to open the door when Bridger said "mom, I will open it." He used the paper towel that he had used to dry his hands to pull the door handle down and open the door. I laughed so hard! Than I took a poll. Here is what the poll asked and the responses. 21 people in all were questioned.

poll.....Bridger opened a public restroom door w/ a paper towel, who did he learn that from?

responses, in order I received them (You-meaning Odessa)

His mother
Umm you because you are part Grandma Skinner
um Jeremy?
You?
You
Grandma Skinner
grandma skinner
Let me take a guess you and gs (grandma Skinner?)
He didn't get it from me
Between you and grandma j its a tie
Jewls?
Craig
Hmm I don't know? You possibly
I am voting for Rowan
His mom
Grandma J

The results,
8 votes for Odessa
4 votes for Grandma Skinner
2 votes for Grandma Jensen
1 vote for Jewls
1 vote for Jeremy
1 vote for Craig
1 vote for Rowan
1 vote for "he didn't get that from me"

And the winner.... Odessa! Just for the record, I do use a paper towel to open public restroom doors! Thank you for all who participated

Like Father, Like Son....

2009-04-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

When I came home yesterday from clinicals, I found my 2 favorite boys downstairs. This is what I discovered.... Notice they both have grey shirts, jeans, and slippers. Bridger is so cute when he acts all manly like his dad. He told me they had been working on the basement "all day." He did stop working long enough for a picture!

I can definitely say that Jeremy is a hard worker and a handyman and from the looks of this, Bridger is following in his footsteps....

Bundling up for the Blizzard....

2009-03-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

POLL....... Does Bridger look more like Odessa or Jeremy?

Winter is Here!

2009-03-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday they were predicting a blizzard and they were right. Monday morning I woke up to 8 text messages on my phone saying school had been cancelled. It snowed all day with 30-40 mph winds and I bet we ended up with about 18 inches! Our entire street was closed with about 10 foot drifts every few hundred yards. We packed Bridger up and pulled him around on the sled and even stopped at G&G Jensens house for a few hours on Tuesday! Jeremy was on his days off so we spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday together and just hung out! I finally went back to school on Thursday and Jeremy was glad to see me go for a few hours after we had spent so much time together in our house....

Brian and Ashley drove part of the way and walked the rest to our house on Tuesday afternoon. Brian and Jeremy got the bright idea to jump off our roof into this giant snow pile (above). Luckily neither was hurt and all limbs were still intact when they were finished. (Below) This is our neighbors house to the north of us, notice the nice drift in front of the garage door!

These 2 pictures show the brightest people in Gillette trying to maneuver their way around during the blizzard.... We laughed as we watched them try to get unstuck for a few hours :-) Bridger kept telling Jeremy and I he was going outside with his boots on to pull them out with his monster truck... Yes, the guy above tried to drive his truck through a 5ft drift, Brilliant!

This was the drift outside our front door (above). The picture below is in front of a 10 ft drift outside Jeremy's parents house. Sorry you can't really see Bridger, he was bundled for the trek home....

4 years...

2009-03-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

He asked me out using reeces peanut butter cups....

On our first date, I told him if he drank salsa at Las Margaritas, I would go out with him again.
He didn't drink it but I went out with him anyway.

He makes me laugh until my stomach hurts.

He makes fun of me yet reminds me how much he loves me and why he married me.

He has texted me 4 times today from work and not once mentioned our anniversary but that means he is a hard worker and I know he will remember.....eventually. :-)

I love him a million times over and over and if I could pick again, I would still pick him! I love you Jeremy! Happy Anniversary!

Look Out!

2009-03-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

Our friends Brian and Ashley are storing their dirtbike trailer at our house and the other day Brian came over to work on his bike and this is what I found.....

Dear Mom-

Brian put me on this cool bike! I am ready to start racing, as a matter of fact I am going to ask Santa for a bike just like this one for Christmas. I know daddy will support this hobby because if I have a bike, he can ride it too. Notice my napolean boots, it does not get more stylish than this, mom. I love you and am so glad I'm your son!

Love, Batter

P.S. Batter is what I prefer to be called these days...you know like "Hey batter batter" when I'm playing baseball?

A day in the sun....mud?

2009-03-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Last Monday it was gorgeous outside (around 60* minus the wind, not typical for March in Wyoming). I promised Bridger if he took a good nap, we would play outside when he woke up. Smart kid- took a 2.5 hour nap, he slept from 1:30-4:00. We played outside until the sun went down around 6 p.m. He cried for almost 20 minutes when we finally came inside to eat dinner. Quietly inside I was celebrating because as you all know with nice weather also brings Kimmie Gibbler. Here are a few pictures from the day....

Bridger was shocked that his "soccer" shoes were covered in mud. We have an area in our front yard that will be a rock garden with shrubs/trees this spring but for now is a dirt/mud pit! He loves to drive his dump truck in the dirt, when I'm not watching he will fill it with dirt and dump it in the grass.

I think we were spoiled last week with the nice weather, the high tomorrow is 20* and snow fall is expected for the next 3 days!

6.50?

2009-02-28T14:07:00.001-08:00

As I was ebaying one day I noticed my sister in-law Chelsie gave me great feedback on an item she purchased from me. Then I noticed she has way more feedback than I do, curious I started looking at a few of the things she has been buying and selling. Six dollars and Fifty cents for the 2009 S.I. Swimsuit edition. Very Nice Chels, Very Nice!

Little buster...

2009-02-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

Funny quotes by Bridger:

When I go get Bridger out of his crib in the morning, his eyes get wide and he says, "Mommy, don't you have cowlege (college) today?"
Jeremy and Bridger were watching the Xgames and a guy snowboarding fell Bridger yelled, "That guy just biffed it!"
When I put Bridger in his car seat one day I bumped his head on the door and he was very upset. Now everytime before I lift him in he says, "mommy, try not to bump my head." After I successfully place him in without bumping his head he replies, "Thanks mom for not bumping my head."
Jeremy calls his new car (1995 Buick Regal that we bought from his parents) the red rocket. Tonight Jeremy was leaving and Bridger began to cry and yelled, "No daddy don't take red rocket, take big bwack (our black Denali)."
My favorite is when I am getting excited or irritated he states, "CALM DOWN MOM!"
We came home from wal-mart last night and I couldn't figure out why he was crying, finally I got him to calm down and asked him why he was sad, his reply, "You haven't washed my hands yet." Yep that is all me and one day Jeremy might thank me for my OCD about germs!

A day doesn't go by that I am not thankful for Bridger in my life, (even when he drives me nuts). He definitely keeps Jeremy and I on our toes! He is all boy and loves everyone he comes in contact with. As soon as I can get him to sing his Bridger song loud, I will take a video and place it on here!
Enjoy the pictures...

Bridger...

2009-02-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was attempting to study while Bridger was playing in the living room. My backpack was open and I noticed he grabbed a highlighter and had started to color on some of my notes. I didn't think twice about it because he was entertained. The next thing I know he grabbed a picture off the computer desk and hands it to me and says "Look mom, I drew a picture of you!" All I could do was laugh when I saw this......

This is one of my senior pictures, Bridger just added some "color" to it!

Some thoughts....

2009-02-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

My heart is so full this week. A little boy in our (Jeremy and I teach together) primary class was killed on Tuesday morning in a school bus accident. I went to the funeral yesterday and even though it was the saddest funeral I have ever attended, I learned many things and my testimony was strengthened so much in that hour. http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2009/02/13/news/wednesday/news01.txt read the article because it will make sense as I go on. His dad read his eulogy at the funeral and what a man of faith and love he is. Next, I witnessed the most christ-like example I have ever seen. The bus driver walked in with the family behind the casket and she and her daughter sat next to the parents of the little boy. The dad talked about how they loved the bus driver and no matter what the media portrays, they are going to continue and embrace this woman with their love. He also said that we need to tell our children EVERYDAY how much we love them, not hold grudges, and forgive. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Christ lives and loves each one of us. Count your blessings, I know I am guilty of taking what I have for granted. Last night, I held Bridger tighter than I ever have before because I know he is ours for eternity. The Ringers have extreme faith and know that Josh will be waiting for them when their time comes and that Heavenly Father has provided a plan so that families can be together forever.

Tagged.....

2009-02-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

I got tagged so now I have to post 10 things that bug me. I also have to tag 10 others so...
I tag: Shayla, Chelsie, Jewls, Josie, Morgan, Marlee, Raeann, Jenell, Jamie, and Denise

1. When Bridger repeats all the naughty words his mother uses.....I know its' my fault and I take full responsibility
2. When people don't flush the toilet
3. My instructors at school who act like nursing students are morons
4. When I procrastinate, although I will probably never change
5. People who gain 100 pounds while they are pregnant, sorry there is no excuse that is just flat UNHEALTHY
6.The fact that I don't get to see my siblings more often
7. That Jeremy harasses me about only wanting 1 child, secretly I think he wants 10....
8. Hair in the shower or stuck in the drain....GROSS
9. That I am not a better housekeeper, I like to use school as an excuse but its' not a good one
10. When Jeremy uses his debit card for a purchase under $5, he never carries cash!

Dang Wyoming wind.....

2009-01-29T22:42:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning I wake up to snow fall around the Gillette area. I planned to leave at 2 p.m. for a conference in Cheyenne with my nursing class. Around 10 a.m. my cellphone rings and my instructor thinks it would be a great idea if we left at noon instead. I am a class officer so I needed to be to a dinner at 5:30 that night. Cheyenne is about 230 miles and on a good day a 3-3.5 hour trip. Needless to say I rush to get packed and am on the snow filled roads with 2 other girls at 12:15! I should have known better... We didn't arrive in Cheyenne until almost 6 p.m. that evening. Very crappy roads 90% of the drive down!
The conference was all day Monday and until noon on Tuesday. Therefore we planned on being home around 5 Tuesday night. Sunday/night, Cheyenne got close to 12 inches of snow. Josie came over Monday night and we were able to go out to dinner and hit the mall for some shopping. We found some awesome deals and had a lot of fun together. Josie ended up staying the night and leaving around 7 Tuesday morning. While I am in my class Tuesday morning I am getting text messages about the road conditions and the 50 mph winds on I-25! They closed the roads before we were able to get out of town. I was a bit unhappy but whatever! Wednesday morning I wake up and the roads are all still closed out of Cheyenne. Around noon they decide to open I-25 so I call everyone who was riding with me and we get the car packed. 1:00 my instructor is telling us not to leave and wait until Thursday morning. I call my dad and he says get on the road because they look fine and we have enough daylight to get to Douglas. 1:20 my instructor is now in my face and making me sign some consent about how I am leaving "AMA" a medical term used when someone leaves against medical advice. What a MORON! So everyone now decides we better not go and my instructor wants to call my dad and ask him why he is giving me advice about getting on the roads when he is in Gillette. At this point I am crying because I just want to go home. I decided to stay and went to the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne (it is BRAND new and 4 awesome levels) and studied all afternoon. I learned that it is nice to study while in a very BAD mood. So 4 sleepless nights later and after wearing dirty clothes for 2 days, I made it back to Gillette Thursday around noon! I missed my 2 boys like crazy and I don't have any plans on traveling without them anytime soon. By the way, does anyone in the Skinner family have a clue what it is about Cheyenne and the weather when we are visiting??????

Sweet side note~

2009-01-23T23:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight Bridger and I went over to G&G Jensens to celebrate Ashleys' birthday. Grandpa asked Bridger to say the prayer and it was by far the sweetest prayer Bridger has ever said. It's a funny thing that he listens so well to what Jeremy and I say in our prayers. Often times I find myself scolding him to fold his arms or kneel and be reverent. Even with all that commotion he knows we are praying to Heavenly Father, so tonight without silence he humbly said that he was thankful for our blessings, the Gospel, our families, mommy and daddy. I suppose that doesn't sound like much but I found myself choking up when I helped him finish the prayer and as I type this my eyes are blurring with tears. Bridger is listening when we pray just like Heavenly Father listens to each of our prayers, keep that in mind!~

Back to school, Back to school!

2009-01-21T20:48:00.001-08:00

I started my second semester of nursing school and I'm already counting the days, 61 as of today! I have missed Bridger and Jeremy more than ever after spending so much time with them over the holiday break. I figure the faster I start the faster I'll be done right? My first day back in clinicals yesterday I got to give a 5 year old child a suppository! Welcome to nursing school Odessa! Anyways, Jeremy has been off so my 2 boys have been having a bit of "winter" fun! Jeremy is an AMAZING dad-it attracts me more and more, I fall in love all over again daily! He was so excited to tell me how far Bridger made it down the hill all by himself on the snowboard! Good thing the weather was warmer that day, today the high was 3 degrees! Brrrrrrrrrrr........

Stud on a snowboard, like father like son!

Bridger, look up not at the snowboard silly!

Look closer, you can see his track....

I'm tired, time for sledding~ Jeremy said it was quite the workout to push Bridger down the hill, walk down, and pull him back up in the sled, time and time again!

Hi Mom! While you are in school, dad and I miss you but we find things to do to make the time pass by quickly!

More pictures from Vegas...

2009-01-12T21:51:00.001-08:00

You will notice I am in most of these pictures and alone because Jeremy was annoyed of me asking people to take our picture and he wouldn't get in them alone, what a buster!The Strip- Nighttime

The Strip-Daytime
This is Bridgers favorite picture- he just can't believe a life size N&M (as he calls them)

Nicolas Cage and I met up for a picture!
Whoopi Goldberg....Classic

Blue Man Group, I fit right in....

Yes, we couldn't resist, this lady had the biggest ghetto booty and to top it off was wearing bright blue sweat pant things.... Jeremy and I were turning blue from laughing trying to take this picture going unnoticed.
The Elvis impersonator was way too young and the mascot was just creepy.

Las Vegas!

2009-01-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I decided 2 weeks ago that we should fly to Vegas for the weekend. So for $400 we got 2 roundtrip tickets from Casper and 3 nights at the Excalibur. We had a blast even though we missed Bridger like crazy! Jeremy and I never really took a honeymoon and this weekend definitely made me fall in love all over again with my funny yet charming husband. We drove to Casper Friday morning on the worst roads ever. It had rained Thursday night and froze to a pure sheet of ice the entire way. Luckily we made it to the airport in time! I think we walked about 20 miles in the 3 days we were there. We were able to get off the Strip and go see my aunt Linda and uncle John and my cousin Andrea and her husband, Jeff. We just sat around chatting and laughing for a couple of hours. Jeremy and I laughed because they all kept saying how cold it was and my aunt even had the fireplace on! By the way when we left Casper it was a cold 12* and Vegas was 65 all 3 days we were there. Saturday we walked and walked and walked (how grateful I am for the pioneers, I don't know how they did it.) We people watched and Jeremy just made me laugh until my stomach hurt. Unfortunately, my body isn't used to that much walking and drinking water all day long, so I had to use the bathroom frequently. Anyways we had a great weekend together but we're glad to be home with Bridger. Here are a few pictures.... Jeremy threatened to smash my camera multiple times because I kept asking people to take our picture, here is another first for our blog-pictures of Jeremy and I without Bridger.

New York New York was one of our favorites...

The water show at the Bellagio was amazing at night!

Oops...

2009-01-12T20:24:00.001-08:00

Ok so I can't lie, I have taken up a few swearwords recently. I know I know I shouldn't use them and I try real hard not to but Josie and I usually do it quietly around eachother and just laugh about it! Kind of childish? Yes. The other day Bridger and Jeremy were wrestling on the floor and Bridger fell off Jeremys' back and said "Oh S***!" At first I was shocked so I asked what did you say and he repeated it very loud and clear again. Alright so I haven't used that word since. Tonight as we are reading blogs he looks up at me and says, "Mom, what the h*** are you thinking?" Lesson learned. No more swearing when I have a 2 year that listens to everything I say even when I don't think he is paying attention!

Take a closer look....

2008-12-31T00:14:00.001-08:00

Because this is the first family picture we have ever posted on our blog.....

One of our goals for 2009, have a professional family picture taken!

Christmas around the Jensen House....

2008-12-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

Bridger asked Santa for a "noboard" (snowboard) but unfortunately they don't make snowboards that small at the North Pole. So instead Santa brought Bridger a "Big wheel" and a blue sled that we have yet to use due to lack of snow around Gillette. On Christmas morning the 3 of us slept in until 9:30! Josie asked me on Christmas Eve "what time are you going to wake Bridger up in the morning?" Jeremy and I just laughed because we aren't going to get up early on Christmas Day until we absolutely have to and hopefully that won't be for a few years. Here are a few pictures of Christmas around our house....

(Below) After Santa came, before Bridger woke up

Jeremy just couldn't believe all the presents Santa left, or maybe that they were mostly for Bridger not Jeremy and I. We will try to be good next year.

Bridger in his sled from Santa!

What a tricky little smile...

It took him 4 min and 32 seconds to open this present....
He rides his "bike" everyday even though it is a bit big still

Santa also brought us all slippers, Bridgers were camo ones!
Bridger was so happy to get all the new toys!

This present contained Tinker toys, thanks Aunt Denise and Uncle Jason!

Jeremy loves the tinker toys almost as much as Bridger. Yay!

Christmas Shopping and some....

2008-12-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

2 days before Christmas, Jeremy and I still needed to do a big chunk of our Christmas shopping so we decided to go to Rapid City for the day. Bridger was a handful at times but for the most part was a trooper considering he didn't nap until 6:00 that night while we were driving back to Gillette. Here are a few pictures at Bridger and Jeremy's favorite store Cabelas....

Bridger wearing Jeremys' hat right before his 6 p.m. napoff on the way back to Gillette....

Right before we left to come home we stopped at Sonic and got some "fushies" (Slushies in Bridger terms because he hasn't perfected his S's and L's). We were about 45 miles from Gillette and 15 miles from the closest bathroom when Bridger woke up and announced he needed to go poop. Remember we live in Wyoming so at 7:30 on a December evening the temperature was close to 0*! I told Jeremy to just pull over and I would let him poop in the empty sonic cups. Jeremy thought I was crazy, but he proceeded to do it anyway. I held Bridger on the pooping cup while Jeremy held a "pee" cup just in case any squirted out the front while Bridger went #2! It was pretty clever if you ask me even though Jeremy was quite disgusted. Of course Jeremy grabbed the camera to capture the moment and I grabbed the camera to prove that pooping on a sonic cup with a 3" radius was possible for a 2-year-old! Sorry if the following pics are a bit graphic.....

It's Official

2008-12-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I officially passed my first semester of nursing school. Wahoo! We still have 1 final to go but I could get a 0 and still be fine!!!!! Anybody want to party like a rockstar with me this weekend?