"He Stuck in His Thumb, & Pulled Out a Plum..."

The Jensen family, every year on Christmas Eve, participates in a gift exchange called 'Little Jack Horner' in which every family member brings a predetermined number of gifts, each one under five dollars. These gifts are all wrapped, they all have a string attached to them, and they are all placed in a big box with the long string sticking out from underneath the lid. The idea is everyone takes turns pulling a gift out of the box by its string, opening it, and showing it to everyone. These items should all be useful, some are funny, some are things people use every day, and some are nostalgic! When all the gifts are pulled out from the box, the trading 'floor' is 'opened' and the bartering begins. This is where the real fun happens. This year, we had out Jack Corner exchange after our Christmas Eve party at Tick-Tock's and we got both grandmas involved, as well as Beau and Tanner. We had such a wonderful time!

Here Cam and Kevin are, attaching the long strings to their gifts

We had two big bins full of presents-- there were more than 100 of various useful items in them!

Mom got a key chain with the AA slogan on it:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Perfect for her! ;)
Kevin got a sword... He looked like a little kid again while he was holding it!

This was the highlight-- slime that looked and felt like water, but stuck together like slime. So awesome!

This loaf of white wonder bread was meant for my dad who is a white-bread-aholic. The irony here is my Grandma Jones pulled it from the bin. She despises white bread and its lack of nutritional value! Needless to say, she was quick to say yes when Daddy traded her for it!

We had a lot of fun with Jack Horner-- Thanks to the Kevin's Grandma Sanders who came up with the fun and festive idea!

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie.
He put in his thumb,
And he pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

...and all through the house we were all stirring and having a Christmas Party!

The girdle-buster was made, my how it looked hardy!
Whipped cream and chocolate-- we must all be careful so we don't get 'lardy'!

And Mama in her red, and Grandma Jones and Trevor in theirs
looked a lot like a gang-- so we tried to convince them to change their wears!

When Aurdey, just about as cute as a button could be, let out such a giggle
we all sprang in to action to see what caused the wiggle!

...There we found not one Audrey, but THREE
two that spell it with a "y", and one with a double "e"!

So, naturally we snapped a photo, and while we were there we found

Double "e"s three boys-- even though they were a bit more round!
{disclaimer: they all look amazing- NOT round. I took poetic liscence here for the sake of the rhyme! :)}

Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a growing family with lots and lots of love in the air!
On Trevor, On Chris the birthday twins

On Beau, on Audrey, the new best friends!

On Chelsea, On Tanner with all your pink and red!

On Cheryl, on Terry looking like a holly berry!

On Glen, On Scott, on Ben and on Chris-- I won't see you for two years, you're sure to be missed!

We had such a good time with our guacamole and tamale feast that was done up right
and now it's time for bed, so before we go to our houses and turn out the lights:

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

"...Now Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding"

A long-standing Jones tradition is caroling with the whole family a week or two before Christmas. My mom and her brothers have been doing this since. As a young'n it was always my favorite part of Christmas in Arizona because it was usually the first time in several months I got to see all my uncles, aunts, and cousins all together! This year was no different-- and it was even more special because they postponed it just so 'the Texas cousins' could lend our voices to the Jones Family Singers! After arriving in Arizona Monday afternoon, we all took a much needed shower and a quick (or not so quick) nap then headed over to Grandma Jones' to get the plates of Christmas goodies ready for the singing endeavor.

Once people got to grandma's house, we set out by foot to visit all those people my mom grew up knowing and loving. Most of the people we visited have received carolers from the Jones family each year for the last 25+ years! When Kevin caught wind of this fact, he asked,

"What does someone have to do to get off this list? Die?!"

How eloquent...no? But pretty much its true!

"Oh Christmas tree... Oh Christmas tree"

Audrey was such a good girl the whole night-- She kept conducting the singers with her little waving hand. And I thought her little red nose was simply irresistible!

Here are [some of us] with the Bevels. Pretty much they were my momma's 'second parents' when she was growing up. I always enjoy seeing these two- they're some of the most wonderful people in existence!

Grapes of Wrath

This year, our family was blessed enough to be able to spend the holidays together. We certainly have missed each other these last two years-- Christmas 2007 Cam and Kevin spent with his family in Florida while the rest of us were soccer tournamenting it up at Trevor's Disney tournament & Christmas 2008 we were all completely split up with Cam and Kevin in Plano, Dad and Trevor tournamenting it up in Florida, and Mom and me spending time with family together in Arizona.

Our Christmas Vacation began Sunday evening with all SEVEN of us piling into our beautiful new suburban. This is what we looked like:

We left Plano around 8:00 at night, and in order to keep three boys happy, we stopped at Taco Bell for some dinner before we actually hit the road...

Group Shot

Audrey's new thing is signaling 'touchdown!'... just in time for college bowl season!

After driving through the night, here's a morning shot of the Jensens in the back seat of the suburban. This is right before we grabbed breakfast at the McDonalds in Wilcox, Arizona. Audrey was a champ and slept through the whole night!

Here we are, after breakfast... looking like the grapes of wrath. Oh dear- good thing no one reads this!

We arrived in Mesa around 2:00 Monday afternoon after driving straight through. It was nice to get out of the car and s-t-r-e-t-c-h--o-u-t!

Trevor was in such a pleasant mood the whole trip... He even helped unload the car at tick-tock's house!

Tuesday, we were thrilled to meet up with Richard and Letitia along with two of their kiddos, Matthew and Elizabeth. We hardly ever get to see them, so playing catch-up was nice! They're such a darling little family!

group shot!

To Be Cliché: It Is The End Of An Era.

I began working at On the Border summer of 2008 when I got home from Utah. I applied at this particular because my good friend, Serena, was a server there, and I needed some sort of incoming cash flow. I was hired as a food runner, and got to be dang good at my job. When the summer was over, I went to TCU for the fall semester. Spring semester, I came back home to experience internship preschool life at AppleCreek Private Preschool, and again, I needed a job with some sort of cash flow, and asked for my job at OTB back and they were thrilled to see my smiling face again! I began working in February as a server, became a trainer in May, and had my last day there today. I met a lot of wonderful people here, learned a lot of valuable people skills, and was able to save a dollar or two too! Here are some pictures of my last day as a waitress... for now!

These were my trusty clod-hopping Frankenstein shoes... Yes, that IS a hole in the toe!

Michael and Lindsay, two of my favorite people!

Kyle went to Baylor, just like Lance, played soccer, just like Trevor, and is a Theatre nerd, just like me. We had lots to talk about-- plus, he knows just about every random useless fact you could ever be curious about... Just don't get him started on Alice in Wonderland!

Michael and Austin-- two more of my faves!

It's a Chelsea picture-- Here I am with Chelsea K.

And it's a Lindsay picture-- Lindsay W. and Lindsay M.

It was Lindsay W.'s last day too... She got saran-wrapped to the chair and spun around...

This is Russ... He just graduated from Plano West (like me), was a theatre nerd (like me), and is a server (like me). He's basically the boy version of me but three years younger!

Isa and Michael. Isa is so amazing-- she's one of the cutest people I know!

And here we are... Last day buddies!

On the Border was definitely a blessing of a job to have-- Thanks for the memories guys :)

A Very Mormon Christmas

Too Funny...

"They Say It's Your Birthday... We're Gonna Have a Good Time!"

Monday marked my dear daddy's 32nd birthday, so we all gathered at Cam's house and had a birthday celebration! It commenced with Beatles Rock Band on the Wii, which was Cam & Kevin's Christmas gift to each other, and which is why the title above is so appropriate! We all hung out while we were cooking Daddy's birthday dinner-- he's an all-American kind of guy... For his dinner, he wanted hamburgers, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes au gratin, and Caesar salad. For his birthday cake, he requested an apple pie. Cam had a delicious recipe, it can be found at the end of this post!

Unfortunately, we had to use matches as candles because we all overlooked the birthday candles! It's an exciting memory, that's for sure!

"Make a wish!!"

Grandma and Audrey with their SpongeBob birthday hats. Audrey can be seen here with her new Santa Christmas toy!

Group shot-- We love you Daddy!

After the party, Grandma and Audrey were pooped! They snuggled up after Audrey's bedtime bath, story, and bottle and fell asleep:

Aren't they precious?!

I'm so grateful for my daddy. He's such a good man, and I am eternally thankful for the hard work and the sacrifices he has made in his life on my behalf. He has set such a great example of what a husband and father should be for me, Cam, and Trevor. He provides so well for us, and he never complains about all the things that are required of him. He faced so many hardships growing up, overcame them all, and has become a man his parents are so proud of. Here's a list of five reasons why I love my daddy:

1. He has a love of history, and he has passed that love down to me.
2. His love for my mother is undeniable, and watching that type of love exist between my parents has undeniably shaped my future more than anything else.
3. He has always worked so hard on behalf of his family. He is an excellent provider, and he has always put us first.
4. He has the uncanny ability to stay calm in sticky situations.
5. He's awesome, and he is so proud of us kids and our accomplishments.

Apple Crumb Pie

Filling:

• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 6-8 Tart sliced and peeled apples (Granny Smith or Macintosh are great!)

Crumb Topping:

• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1/4 Cup Sugar or light brown Sugar firmly packed
• 1/2 Cup flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 9-inch unbaked pie shell as directed on package. For filling, combine dry ingredients. Add apples and mix thoroughly. Place in pie shell.

Prepare crumb topping: Mix softened butter with dry ingredients. Sprinkle on top of filling. Bake for 45-55 minutes.

-Recipe: Compliments of R. Heilner

"We Are a Happy Family!"

It's that time of year... The time when Christmas cards help us to keep in touch with all those people we care so much about-- so, a current family picture needed to be taken!

We went down to the train tracks in Prosper, and we found this great train car. The following pictures are what we got from our short half-hour photo shoot in the mud, with the cold weather, and with me setting the timer and running to get in the shot before the camera went "click":

The LeSueur/Jensen Clan

The cute little Jensen family

Chelsea

Trevor

Audrey in her super cute Pottery Barn Kids chair

Trevor let me wear his slippers, so Kevin carried Trevor

Group Shot

Grandma & Grandpa with Audrey

Audrey was surprisingly happy for this photo shoot... so was Kevin! We were all pleasantly surprised!

Audrey's mama making her laugh

Super baby!

"I love mommy, yes sirree, we love trevor, yes indeed. Cam and kevin are great as is audrey, and we all love daddy and he loves us.... we are a happy family!"

K, those aren't the exact words of the primary song-- but we ARE a happy family!