Me and My Buddy

Do you remember those commercials for "My Buddy" and "Kid Sister"? They were basically life-size dolls that could replace the non-existent friend or sibling for lonely, but wealthy, children. Just kidding ... I always thought they were cool, but I'm glad to have a real-live buddy to play with that doesn't require batteries.



Here's Spencer receiving his first flying lessons. Don't you see his cape fluttering in the wind? He's pretty much a natural.

Watch the mobile work its magic...

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Jensen for the great Christmas gift!
-Spencer

Tag, You're It

I'm not usually that good at getting around to fun, insignificant survey-type thingies, but here I am doing it.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
I copied Amy and checked out my journals. Ten years ago I would have been 16 and in high school, right in the thick of teenage drama.

Here's the closest entry-- January 18, 1998 "Today wasn't just another regular Sunday because I went with Dad to the Mt. Vernon branch to speak. He told me a long time ago but I didn't start preparing it until last night. Even then I just wrote down a few ideas I wanted to talk about. I had to write the whole thing on the ride there. Luckily it was a long drive (actually, that's why I waited because I did that last time) but we arrived at the church and I still wasn't quite done. I recopied it since it was kind of sloppy and added the ending. I talked about the Sabbath day and how important it is but I felt a little guilty because I had put off writing my talk until the last minute. After I gave my talk, I felt that it was lousy and that it really didn't sound good at all. Dad didn't say anything when I sat back down so I thought it must have sounded awful. It wasn't until after sacrament meeting when Dad told me it was well prepared and many other people told me they liked it. I felt much better about it after that." Unfortunately, I haven't quite conquered procrastination yet.

Okay, I'll be more brief with the rest. That one was just so funny.

-Thinking about dating, "The other thing about turning 16 is dating. It's not that I would want to do it a lot, it just would be fun to do it once or twice. I know that it won't happen though because there just isn't anybody ... so there's nothing to worry about." Ah, how nice to have one less thing to worry about, because worry about it is certainly what I did for much too long!
-Goofing off with friends, "Today has been one of my best days this school year because I had so many laughs with Martha even if others regarded me as strange."
-Going to seminary, meaning early mornings, but apparently not early enough, "I've gotten into the habit of sleeping until 5:30 and lose 15 minutes I could use for writing. I've got to get into better habits." Still working on that habit.
-Taking driver's ed, learning how to drive with a clutch, and anxiously waiting to get my license. "Dad asked if I wanted to drive and I was thrilled. Mom overheard him asking me and said I wasn't ready but Dad said I had to learn sometime. First of all I have to say how fun it is to drive a stick shift. When you're changing gears and you hear the engine turning, you give the car the power to keep going. I got out the drive way with no problems and sped up to 4th gear. I did stall twice ... but over all it went very well."

5 Things on my to-do list today:
-Deliver Visiting Teaching Assignments (done)
-Make Dinner (the chicken is thawing)
-Post Blog entry (working on it)
-Go to library (done)
-Make tomorrow's list (just kidding)


5 Snacks I enjoy:
-Oreos and milk
-Rice cakes
-Nature Valley granola bar with applesauce (kinda like granola with yogurt)
-Carrot sticks
-Yogurt covered raisins

5 Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
Diddo with all the responsible stuff Amy talked about. For fun, I would:
-Buy Daniel a piano
-Buy a large flat screen TV (I enjoy home entertainment)
-Buy a condo in Spain to visit in the summer
-I'd have to agree with the private jet, Amy
-Get a SLR digital camera

5 of my bad habits:
-Arriving late (what's the opposite of punctual?)
-Reading when I should be cleaning, cooking, etc.
-Going outside with flip flops in the winter because I'm too lazy to tie my shoes
-Starting to make dinner at 5:00 when I'm already very hungry
-Is being indecisive a bad habit?

5 places I have lived:
-Michigan
-Nauvoo
-Idaho
-New Mexico
-North Carolina

5 Jobs I’ve had: (These are all from my five years at BYU, though not evenly distributed during those 5 years)
-Custodian
-Security guard at Museum of Art
-Donut shop
-Peggy's Bridal (good news to all--they've remodeled and no longer have the turquoise curtains up; they are now brown and look very fashionable)
-"Information Clerk," basically a receptionist at an advisement center

5 Things people probably don’t know about me:
-I don't like eating salad on an empty stomach--I have to eat the main dish first, or at least a few bites, before I can enjoy the non-filling crunch of lettuce
-My second toe is taller than my big toe (and I've now passed that on to my son, Spencer)
-I would rather be hot than cold
-Having the radio on in the car somehow makes me feel warmer on very cold days
-I rather enjoy the cartoon show "Arthur"


I'm going to be a party pooper and not tag anyone, but if someone would like to post this survey on their blog after reading mine, let me know and I'll check it out. It was actually pretty fun to do, so you just may want to try it.

Christmas Break

We had a great time visiting family in Iowa this Christmas, and were very grateful for safe travels, without delays, both ways. Daniel and I also enjoyed our first year as a family of three, with Spencer making us as happy as any parents could be.

Spencer's very first Christmas morning.

Spencer was more interested in getting his nap than taking pictures dressed up for the nativity scene on Christmas Eve.



With his cousin Sade, Kevin and Stephanie's daughter, who is two weeks younger than Spencer. With two babies in my parents' house for the holidays, there was never an end to picture-taking.

Here's Spencer trying out Sade's nifty chair.

Just us girls!

We took a quick trip to Chicago the weekend after Christmas to visit Daniel's sister Kristy, whose 3 week old, Charlotte, was blessed that Sunday. We were eager to meet her, and were glad that Spencer could be with all of his cousins this year. Olivia looks plenty happy as well!

Was that a giggle?

Here's another clip of super Spencer with his super mommy!

-Daniel

Favorite Things

Spencer is quickly leaving the newborn stage as he begins to discover new things he can do. Here are some of his latest feats:

He has found out how to get his hand to his mouth and loves sucking it, as you can see.




Even though he's still wiggly, he likes standing up and stretching out his legs.


And, to our amusement, he loves these cards with the stripes and checkerboard. A nurse gave them to us, telling us that babies like the contrast between the black and white. They really grab his attention for a long time and he gets excited and smiles at them.



Tummy time is getting better all the time.



And, of course, he likes playing with Daddy. His biggest grins are at people, rather than the camera, so that's the reason for the side shot.

Thanksgiving

We are so grateful that we got to go to Michigan for Thanksgiving! It was wonderful to see everyone there and to spend the holiday with family. Spencer certainly got lots of love and attention, and Daniel and I even got to slip out for a date Friday night!

With Great-Grandpa Jensen

Steven is a pro at being an uncle

Grandma and Grandpa Jensen made sure to get their turns to hold him too!!

Daniel was able to bless Spencer on Sunday, November 25 in the branch that he grew up in. Spencer was so quiet during the blessing and saved all the spit-up for later, during Sunday School, where he nailed Daniel. There was no warning: one moment he was peacefully sleeping and the next he spit up more than I've ever seen before! Daniel's suit is now at the dry cleaners.

With Great-Grandma Rinker, who made the blessing outfit for Daniel and his brothers to use for their blessings.

Our little angel