The Jensen Family

The Alpine Slide

2009-09-08T15:35:00.010-06:00

Spencer got to ride the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster for the first time this year. He loved it!! He would have done it over and over! We spent an evening in Park City with our family for my Grandma's birthday (after a fun lunch with the family at This is the Place)! It was a blast! We are always sad when Robin and Owen have to go back home to Denver.

"Mom I am REEEALLY excited to go on the ride!!"

Waiting in line for the roller coaster. Spencer loved it! He kept asking me to go faster.

Katie, Erika, and Spencer on the chair lift...which was almost as fun as the Alpine Slide in Spencer's opinion.

Jake and Spencer getting ready to go down the slide.

Our family (except for Zander since he is too little for the Alpine Slide)

Spencer with his cousins Tom and Josh! He loves his cousins. We wish we got to see them more, because Spencer just thinks they are the GREATEST!! And they are so great to let him tag along and play with them.

California

2009-08-18T18:14:00.011-06:00

So we have had quite the busy summer and we haven't been able to use Jake's flight benefits much. He started working for JetBlue, taking reservations. He works from home so it has been nice to have him around a little more. And it is great for him to be able to get his homework done. But we finally were able to fly standby to Long Beach. We had a few hiccups when we got there, but it turned out to be an awesome trip, thanks to our awesome Hattabaugh family. We were able to stay with my aunt Susan and uncle Tim. Their two boys, Kyle and Jason, were so great with Spencer. He thinks they are his very best friends. We went to the beach, hung out by their pool, and Kyle taught Jake about the hidden menu at In N Out Burger. Good Times!! It was very relaxing. Can't wait to have a repeat vacation soon!!

Spencer wanted to play with Zander in the sand...he will love when his little brother just a little bit bigger!

Jake and Zander

Mommy, Spencer, and Zander playing in the waves

Jake and his boys

Jake and Spencer in front of the Jake's on Balboa store at Balboa Island. We went to balboa to get chocolate covered bananas...we can't go to the beach with out getting one!!

Kyle took Spencer for a ride on the golf cart at work. Spencer thought it was the best! He absolutely loves his cousins, Kyle and Jason.

Nice form Jake! We spent a day swimming and hanging out by the pool at Tim and Susan's. What an amazing trip!

4th of July at Zion Ponderosa

2009-07-13T00:36:00.009-06:00

This year for the 4th we went on a little trip to Zion Ponderosa to visit Heidi and Bryce. Jake had to stay home and work and we were really sad he couldn't come. We went with my mom, my friend Lyndsy, the boys, and me. As always Zion Ponderosa was a blast. We got to stay in a cute little cabin and just play, play, play. There was a carnival on the 4th, and a rodeo, and we went to St. George for a day to visit the IN and OUT Burger and do a little shopping. I have to thank everyone there for being so patient with the terrible twos, colic, and mommy "breakdown". I am finding out quickly that it is much more difficult to travel with 2, than it is with 1. Next time I think we will take daddy!!

Spencer is quite our cool little dude. He struts around making sure everyone notices how awesome he is. Heidi and Bryce were great to let us come visit, and show us around.

We all got henna tatoos at the little carnival...even Spencer and my mom. Spencer went right up to the girl who was doing them and told her he wanted a football.

Zander is getting so big...he has already doubled in size. He is such a fun and smiley little baby when he is happy. But unfortunately he has quite the little redhead personality. When he has a temper....watch out!!

Here we are at the rodeo! Spencer loved watching the horses. He was pretty disappointed he couldn't participate though. Maybe next time!!

Cute aunt Heidi taking a turn with the Moby Wrap. This thing has been my lifesaver. We carry Zander everywhere in it! He loves it...especially when he is fussy and has a tummy ache. He curls right up in it and falls asleep. Thank you Moby Wrap!

My 2 adorible boys! I may be a little biased, but I am pretty sure they are the cutest boys in the world! These are taken at the yummiest pizza and pasta restaurant, right outside Zion National Park. Heidi and Bryce took us there for my birthday in April and I made a request to go back again this time. It's quite tasty!

Swimming at the resort. They have the funnest pool! Spencer with Nana in the hot tub...and that's right...he is wearing cowboy boots with his swimming suit. Don't ask!!! He likes to dress himself, and more often than not, it involves his cowboy boots.

Swimming with my sweet Spencer!

Ogden Union Station

2009-07-13T00:01:00.005-06:00

The train conductor
Our little Spence LOVES trains...what a boy! We took him to see the trains at Union Station in Ogden and he had a blast.

Whatever daddy does....Spencer copies!!

Walking on the tracks...

Climbin' in the trains...

This is my favorite...Jake and Spencer are seriously like best buds!! He LOVES his daddy!

My little tough guy!

Climbing the ladders...notice he is wearing his FAVORITE hat:)

"Bye choo choo trains," says Spence

Zander's Blessing

2009-07-12T23:54:00.003-06:00

We blessed Zander on June 7, 2009 at my mom's house. It was a huge success, with lots of great food!! And Jake gave Zander an absolutely beautiful blessing. I am really glad we decided to do the blessing there because there was a HUGE crowd. I don't know how in the world everyone would have fit in our ward. Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating our sweet boy!

Zions

2009-05-28T11:06:00.005-06:00

K...so I am a major slacker on the blog thing! But better late than never I guess. We went to Zion Ponderosa and Zions National Park for my birthday in April. We got to visit Heidi and Bryce and had loads of fun. Heidi, being the best sister ever got me a massage for my birthday, so we spent an afternoon getting pampered. It was AWESOME!! Spencer could not get enough of the horses and puppies, the zipline, the ATVs...everything. He was in heaven. Now we just have to go back when it is a bit warmer so he can swim in their sweet pool. Spencer was my little champion and went down the zipline all by himself. We were so proud of him. He was the youngest kid to go on it yet this year....and he would have gone a million times if we let him! Thank you Heidi and Bryce for a GREAT birthday weekend.

Spence riding a horse with a "real" cowboy...he's got chaps and everything

Riding with daddy

Heidi and me (with Zander) on our hike to Weeping Rock

Daddy and Spence hiking down the trail

Heidi in front of Weeping rock

Our fam in front of weeping rock

Spencer on the zip line

Getting all geared up

All of us had a turn on the zip line...don't we look great??

Bryce took Jake on an ATV ride. This is a cool tree that was burned in a fire.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T16:32:00.011-06:00

Our little Zander had his 2 week appointment today. We are so very proud of him. He is now 6 lbs and has grown about 1/2 inch. We are so jaded because he feels so huge...sad when 6 lbs feels huge. But he is definitely growing, which is great!!

Spencer got a T-Ball set in his Easter Basket from Nana....Do you think he is excited?

Going on a walk to the Country Club

Great Grandma Nancy got to meet Zander for the first time

Our sweet little Zander

Our boys...Spencer's little devious face

Family Picture

Jake and his boys.....Jake and Spencer are sportin' matching fohawks

Bath Time

2009-04-08T21:57:00.008-06:00

Spencer and Zander took their 1st bath together tonight!! Spencer was such a helper. They are both little fishies...

Our New Addition

2009-04-01T10:28:00.013-06:00

Jacob Alexander "Zander" Jensen

Sorry it has taken so long to get this post up, for those who have been waiting patiently. I have been having technical difficulties with the laptop!! So after a long, very hard pregnancy we are so happy to announce the arrival of our newest little family member. Jacob Alexander "Zander" Jensen was born at 8:54 pm on Monday March 30, 2009. He was just a peanut. He weighed 5 lbs 5 oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was such a trooper, and it went so smooth. I have had complications with my amniotic fluid levels for quite a few weeks and we had been monitoring him pretty closely. My fluid levels were on the very low level of normal and we had to go in at least once a week for ultrasounds. Last week it dropped below normal and we decided to wait the weekend to see if I would start labor by myself...but no luck. When we had our ultrasound on Monday morning we saw that his weight was below the 10th percentile and I had barely any fluid. So they decided to induce me. They started the induction at 1:30 pm, I started into labor a few hours after that. I got the epidural at about 6:30 pm and was dilated to about 4 cm. So my mom and sisters left with Spencer and went home. We kinda thought we had a while and my mom was going to be back for the birth. But...it was not so! By 8:00 pm we were ready. He did so great! Especially considering he had a placenta that was totally pooping out. So there is the very long story of how he came to this world. I have named my wonderful cousin Katie Blake my little good luck charm. She was with me when I went into labor with Spencer. And I didn't end up needing Pitocin because I responded to Cervadil by starting labor on my own. I was induced the same way this time, and literally started having contractions the minute Katie got there.

Thank you...thank you Jen Polson for being there with me. And of course my wonderful husband...who was so incredibly supportive all the way through. Jake has been such an amazing support during this whole process. I could never have gotten through it without him.

Thanks Heidi for driving all the way down from Zions and making it just in time to see baby Zander right after he was born!! And for staying with me that night until 3 am. You're the BEST!

Our Newest Little Ski Bunny

2009-01-13T18:44:00.006-07:00

Spencer learned to ski this year, and absolutely had a blast. I never new it would be such a success. He has been with his grandpa Mark every time. He skis between his legs and is still working on just getting confident on the hill (which is obviously not going to be a problem). While we were up in Snowbird Spence woke up every morning and asked for grandpa, and wanted to put on his "big shoes" and "go keeing" as he so eloquently put it. His grandpa is his new favorite ski partner.

I am so EXCITED to get out on the hill!!!

Grandpa is teaching Spencer how to balance on skis. He told him to hold out his arms like an airplane

Spence couldn't figure out the lift at first. But he loved to laugh at the people falling on the hill. He would say, "Bawmpa, blue down!" when he saw someone in a blue coat fall, and then he would laugh hysterically. He got some great practice at his colors.

They went out on a really snowy day. We thought Spence would be intimidated by the snow, or get super cold. He loved the snow. He was bundled up like a little snow bunny and he loved that the snow covered his skis. What a trooper!!

Grandpa is having the time of his life

All tuckered out after a long day of skiing

Snowbird 2008

2009-01-13T18:09:00.004-07:00

This year marked 20 years of the Reichman family Christmas Snowbird tradition (WOW...what a mouth full). It was a great Christmas vacation. We were able to see a lot of our extended family, including our cousins from Illinois who actually drove here this year. We played a lot, swam, skied, and most importantly lounged in our PJ's (except for Spencer who has decided that being naked is his new full time attire) and spent much needed quality time with the fam!!

Jake and Spencer enjoying the heated pooling in a huge snow storm

Seriously Spence....what the???

Mom and Spence

Yes.....that is my grandpa in a bunny suit! (There is actually quite a funny story that goes along with the outfit)

Spencer, Stella, Allie, and I tried to make a snowman out on the patio

Sadly, the snow was really hard to pack. So, it turned into a very cute snow blob!!

Warming up by the heater (Stella, Spencer, and Allie)

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-01-13T17:18:00.005-07:00

All decked out in his new gear from "gwampa mawk" (translation: grandpa Mark)

Spencer's new Harley from grandpa....definitely the the biggest hit this Christmas.

Our little Batman....looking out over Gotham City

Our family up and dad's house on Christmas Eve
(L to R: Heather, Bryce, Heidi, Jake, Erika, Mark, Dawndi, Karly
In front: Megan and Spencer)

Spencer discovered a real love for ripping the wrapping paper off presents. He didn't even care what was in them!!

Zoe, as usual, enjoyed unwrapping her present!

Grandma Cathy brought back the 80's (and we all really enjoyed it), by giving Spence the Teddy Ruxpin

Jake's Christmas wish this year was a real, working wood burning fireplace. So...he got his wish. We hired a chimney sweep to come over and clean out the chimney, and discovered that it probably had not been used for about 45 years. We had to have the cap replaced on top of the chimney and a damper installed, so the fireplace can be closed off when it is not being used. It ended up being a lot larger project than we imagined, but it has payed off. We have used the fireplace quite a bit this winter, and it makes our little home pretty cozy. It looked really cute with all the Christmas decorations!!

Jensen Family Christmas Party

2009-01-13T16:43:00.005-07:00

Jake's brother Jared with Ethan and Braden (in their new superhero jammies from grandma and grandpa). Spence got batman pj's. I don't know if you can tell in the background, but he is wearing them under his other pj's (Lightning McQueen) that he got form aunt Andrea. He was so excited about both that he put them both on!!

Zach and Shane with his new game he got in the white elephant. I don't know if you can see what it is...but for all of you who remember the game Girl Talk, you know he is in for hours of fun!!

Spence with grandpa Jensen

Every year on Christmas eve the whole Jensen family gets together to celebrate. Food, games, white elephant exchange, kids running wild. This year we had the party at our tiny little house and it was SO much fun. I think it was a huge success. I just hope everyone else felt the same. We had a big turkey dinner potluck. I cooked the turkey, and I was very proud of my cooking skills I must say. We soaked the turkey in brine over night, and it turned out soooo tasty!! If anyone is ever in need of great tips on cooking a thanksgiving meal www.foodnetwork.com is the place to go. It was great!! I was very amazed that we were able to fit about 30 people in our house successfully, and it didn't even seem too cramped. Jake decorated the outside of our house with icicle lights, and it was so cute. It looked just like a little gingerbread house. All of the kids got new jammies for Christmas. And we were blessed to have wonderful musical performances from Jake and our niece, Brittany (she composed and performed an amazing piano piece....so talented).

BYU vs. Utah

2008-11-25T13:47:00.002-07:00

GO UTES!! Nothing Like a good rivalry game to divide a family!!

This just proves love is more than just a game!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE & SPENCER

2008-11-20T22:06:00.005-07:00

The Birthday cake

The birthday boys

Grandpa got Spence some skis...watch out Snowbird here comes Spencer

Disney On Ice

I can't believe I have a big boy!! My baby is 2 years old and in only 5 months he is going to be a big brother and teaching his little brother the ropes!! Grandma took us all to Disney On Ice for Spencer's birthday. It was a blast!! Spencer was in heaven. I don't think he blinked the whole time. He pointed out all his favorite Disney characters in his cute little 2 year old voice - Nemo, Dori, Simba, Pumba, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck....and so many more. I can't believe how many words he can say. He LOVES to talk. We can't make him stop. The next day was Jake's birthday. We had a train cake ("Choo-choo's" are his favorite thing right now). Happy Birthday to my 2 favorite boys!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-20T16:37:00.005-07:00

Super Spencer with Aunt Megan (Heather and Megan had the idea to put a large ziplock bag in his chest, that was filled with air - to make him look buff!!)

Spencer with the McIntosh's

Karly performing "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog"

So I am kind of a slacker. It has taken me a while to get my Halloween pictures uploaded. But better late than never right? We had such a fun Halloween. Heidi and Bryce were in town for the weekend and we went to lunch at Cuncun Cafe (our favorite). We also got to see Karly perform in her Halloween dance performance. She was brilliant as always. Spencer got to go trick-or-treating for the first time. He was kind of angry about the whole situation at first because we wouldn't let him eat the candy immediately. But after a while he figured out it was pretty fun to put the treats in his pumpkin bucket. He tried very hard to get a way with taking handfuls of candy!!

IT'S A BOY

2008-10-21T16:40:00.005-06:00

SO....if anyone knows me well they know I am very impatient. So, if the opportunity arises that I can find out the sex of our baby I will do it as soon as possible. We went to Fetal Studios in Southtowne Mall last week and had an ultrasound done. I found out with Spencer that he was a boy at 15 weeks, so I kept the tradition. We love Fetal Studios. My friend Michelle introduced us to it when we were having Spence. The guy that works there is wonderful. He is an OB/GYN from Lithuania, and he is extremely knowledgeable. He did measurements, showed us the chambers of the heart and the lobes in the brain. Jake wasn't able to get off work in time for the appointment, so Michelle came with us. Spencer was soooo sweet. He sat next to me on the bed, and right when the picture of the baby came up on the monitor he looked at me and said, "Baby!" And he laid his head down on me the rest of the appointment, so interested in the whole thing. It was pretty apparent that he was a boy, he was not shy about showing off. We have our ultrasound at the hospital on November 20th, so we can get a little bit better picture when he is bigger. But this was definately fun to find out so early!!!

Congratulations Katie and Todd

2008-10-12T22:13:00.002-06:00

Noah Nathaniel Leavitt

2008-10-12T18:39:00.002-06:00

Welcome to our new nephew (and cousin) Noah!!! We are so excited you are part of our family!!

Day at the Zoo

2008-10-12T18:24:00.004-06:00

Spencer was able to go to the zoo with his favorite neighbor friends, Leilani and Makaio. They were so awesome to let him tag along and he had an absolutely amazing time. They are so good to him. Thanks McIntosh family for a fun day!!!

BYU football game

2008-09-02T20:45:00.001-06:00

Dave Neff took Jake and Spencer to the 1st BYU game of the season down at the LaVell Edwards stadium. Jake + BYU football + meeting players and hanging out down on the field = a major success. They got to meet coach LaVell and some of the former players and they were able to get down on the field during warm up before the game. They had a blast!!

LAKE POWELL '08

2008-08-26T19:35:00.001-06:00

This year Lake Powell was a big success as always. Good food, lots of sun, and plenty of skiing. There's nothing like waking up at the crack of dawn to music blaring and the sound of the turbo boat engine ready for early morning skiers. If you have ever been on the Reichman family Lake Powell trip you know the sound well. Anyway, we had a great trip, with lots of fun people. Jamie and Katie taught a bunch of us how to surf behind their boat. Megan and Heather really did well at it. I even surfed a little, skied, and went tubing with Spence. What a great trip!! Thanks dad!!!!

Swimming Lessons

2008-08-26T18:02:00.003-06:00

Spence has been taking swimming lessons all summer with an organization called SwimKids. He has learned tons and is becoming quite the fish. He's learned to hold his breath under water and float on his back all by him self. We absolutely loved his teachers. They were so patient with him (even on his hard days). We are so proud of him!!

MCCALL

2008-07-27T23:40:00.003-06:00

OUR TRIP TO MCCALL, AS TOLD BY SPENCER JENSEN

Yellowstone

2008-05-20T17:38:00.003-06:00

So, it's been an interesting few months for our family. Jake worked in Yellowstone Park from December until June. He was there every week from Monday until Thursday or Friday night, then got to come home for the weekend (usually....some weeks he was gone for a few weeks at a time). So needless to say it was very lonely and tiring for him, and long and kind of like being a single mom for me. But we got through it and now he is done!!!! Spencer and I got to visit him for a few days thanks to some friends who were driving up there for the weekend in a motor home, which was a great way to travel with a baby. Our friends from Switzerland came to visit during an 8 week vacation to the United States. They started out in Florida and drove across the country in a motor home with their 3 kids. We have known Edi and Teri since I was 7 years old and we lived in Switzerland for about a year. So, it was great to see them. They were travelling to Yellowstone the weekend before Memorial Day and let Spence and me tag along. It was great to see Jake and where he had been working at the Old Faithful Inn. And a big plus to spend the weekend with our friends, the Leuzingers!! A HUGE thanks to them for letting us travel with their family. We had a great time.

California

2008-03-31T17:25:00.003-06:00

Spencer and I went to California for spring break with Karly, Megan, and my mom. We spent Easter morning with our friends, Rourke and Michelle McRae, in St. George. Then drove most of the day and stayed with Susan and Tim in California. It was a very long trip (driving all day with a 1 year old is not the easiest). Thank heaven for the portable DVD player, which I was finally smart enough to purchase on the ride home. We had lots of fun with the Hattabaugh family, and met up with Doug and Christina and their kids, then went to Disneyland with a large Reichman clan!! It was great to get out of the COLD Utah weather and go to the beach and enjoy the sun!

1st Haircut at Cookie Cutters

2008-03-15T16:37:00.003-06:00

Before

During
After

Christmas 2007

2007-12-25T17:22:00.006-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve with the Jensen family at Jake's brother Billy's house. Every year the cousins do a pajama exchange and Spence got his cute green jammies with dogs on his feet (he is wearing them in the picture above). Spencer learned to play aunt Hollie's drums. They were a huge hit. Now we know what to ask grandpa for next Christmas. He is a natural. We went to grandma Cathy's house on Christmas morning and opened presents with all of Spencer's aunts. Then we went up to grandpa's. Spencer got a big blow-up Thomas the train that had colorful balls to play in. It was a hit up in Snowbird with the cousins. We also went swimming lots in Snowbird and Spence went ice skating for the first time.

Spencer's 1st Birthday

2007-11-14T15:38:00.001-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2007-10-31T15:06:00.003-06:00

Jen's Halloween Party

Spencer went trick-or-treating in Foothill Village and went to visit Grandma and Heather at work at Bloomingsales.

Our little monkey!!
Spencer with his cousin Stella!!
Spencer and Dawndi

Denver

2007-10-27T13:26:00.001-06:00

Spencer and I went to Denver with Katie to visit Robin and Owen right before Halloween. It was such a fun trip. We were introduced to the Wii, got to see Owen's new office, ate at a really yummy seafood restaurant, and Spence got to dress up for trunk-or-treat at their ward!! Thanks for such a fun trip Broomfield Reichmans!!!

Lake Powell/Random Pics

2007-07-25T12:49:00.000-06:00

Spencer's 1st Christmas

2006-12-25T22:10:00.003-07:00

Spencer and Grandpa up in Snowbird

Spencer's first laugh was up in Snowbird at Christmas

Sleeping with aunt Heather

Spencer was blessed in church on Christmas Eve!!

2006-12-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

4 Generations

2006-11-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

It's A Boy!!!

2006-11-14T17:14:00.009-07:00

Welcome Baby!!

SPENCER MARK JENSEN

November 14, 2006

@ 1:26 a.m.

5 lbs 6 oz

17 1/2 inches

I went in to see my Midwife in the afternoon on November 13 and I was sent over to ultrasound to make sure that Spencer was still growing. They sent us from there over to Labor and Delivery because he was pretty small and it looked like his size hadn't changed for a few weeks. Jake had to get back to work and finish a few things, and of course pack a bag for me because I was not exactly prepared for the hospital stay. So, since they were not even going to start the Pitocin until the next morning we figured we were good to have him go for a while. Well...Spencer had other plans and through a series of events (that would bore everyone reading so I will leave out the details) I went quickly into active Labor the minute he left. Thanks to my cousin Katie who was on her lunch break and came to see me, I didn't have to go through the worst of it alone. My mom, Megan, Karly, and Heather got there soon after and got to see me get my epidural (my very best friend). It made the rest of the night go much smoother. Heather and my mom stayed, which turned out to be a huge help...I think they were there more to help Jake than anything!! Grandpa Mark got to wait in the waiting room for the fun part, but he got to come and help Jake give Spence his first little bath. Welcome baby Spencer!!!

Our Wedding

2006-01-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Jake and I got married on January 27, 2006 (Happy Anniversary Lyndsy)!! We got married in the Manti Temple and it was FREEZING!!! But it was an awesome day. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a beautiful wedding, especially to Heather for her amazing talent with flowers, and Jen Polson for being everywhere I was to help make me beautiful!!!

2006-01-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Beginning

2005-11-01T18:05:00.000-07:00