Coolest Thing I've Seen In a Long Time

It doesn't get much cooler than this video. My son decided to ride his bike without training wheels after visiting his friend, Ethan in Yakima. Within 48 hours he was riding like a pro for literally over a mile! I'm so proud of him. Jared did a great job coaching him I might add...way to go Jensen boys!

Unrelated funny picture of my son.

Cannon Beach Race

I finally did it, I ran a 5k and I had so much fun! I think it will be an annual event, hopefully we'll have more friends join us next year (hint, hint). Here are a few pictures from the race and our time with our friends after the race in Seaside. We had a blast spending time with good friends and accomplishing a goal!

The much anticipated race, our kids were so excited for me!

Trish and I getting ready @ Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in background.

The official start!

Finished, in 5th place for my age group.

The Koethke Clan and ours. We got to stay in an amazing condo with them...thanks to a time share their family has. THANK YOU!

Tetons & Yellowstone

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone a month ago. I'm a bit late in posting, but wanted to put them up anyways!

We camped for a week with our friends The Angleo's...had an amazing time with them and just being in amazing places!

Our adventure boy.

Riding her rock 'motorcycle' on Jackson Lake.

Training for a little run

I've talked the talk long enough. I'm finally running and training for a 5k (oh-so-short to many people, but good enough for me).

I looked around and found the most interesting run I could find, The Cannon Beach Benefit Run 5k/10k. I'll be doing it on October 3rd and it's a race that happens on the beach...not to shabby I'd say. I don't think a benefit run gets more scenic than that!

If you are in the area and want to join me let me know. A dear friend from Yakima is going to run with me, and the more the merrier!

What a Difference 5 Years Makes

There aren't many things that mark the passing of time like the growth in children and it's simply a privileged to be apart of. This past month our son turned FIVE, Jared entered his mid-30's, I solidified my place in my early 30's and we had our 12th wedding anniversary! A month of milestones and some reflecting of what God has done in our family in the past few years.

Over the past 5 years, life at the Jensen house has gotten more complicated (in good and challenging ways) and also significantly richer. What started out as one precious little premature baby, has now grown into two children who play princess and knight together and love each other dearly (the majority of the time).

I'm so thankful for my hubby who has been there through thick and thin! What an amazing 12 YEARS we've had so far! Can't wait to see what the next 12 will hold.

Daily Deal

Ok, I haven't posted any deals lately because they are getting so common place that I don't get excited about free stuff the way I once did...but this was a special Walgreens trip I just had to post!! We are gearing up for camping this weekend with my mom and dad and I was excited about the camping stuff I scored (smore's, licorice and lemonade) can we say sugar high for my kids who don't get much sugar!?!?

Subtotal - $28.89

Coupons redeemed - $20.40

Out of pocket after coupons - $8.49

Wait...there's more!! I walked away with the following:

- One FREE MOVIE TICKET ($10.75 value at our theatre)

- $3 in register rewards (like a gift card to Walgreens)

S0, essentially I got paid $5.26 for shopping tonight.

And, yes, my name is Christi and I'm a coupon addict.

this moment

Got this idea from a blog I read...SouleMama.com

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Hello Hydranga and Misc Happenings

It has been a busy week for our family and it's looking like a busy week again next week with VBS at our church the kids will attend and I'm helping with. I admit, it's fun to have busy weeks after some lonely weeks in a new place, so it's a welcome change in our schedule!

We've hit the strawberry fields a few times and got a couple fun pictures on yesterdays trip. The berries are bursting right now and yesterday was a clear day that we got to enjoy Mt. Hood in the background in serious snow capped beauty!! It was terrific scenery to be out in.

I had to post this picture of our hydrangea in our backyard. They are amazing right now! I had Leyton stand beside it to show how tall they are! These are without a doubt my favorite flowers.

We also got to spend time with some friends who were in town for a few days, the Frys!! Thanks so much for taking time to see us, my kids and I had a blast just being with you.

Crazy Booth

Went out to Rockaway Beach on Saturday to a celebration at the camp Jared and I used to work out right after we got married, Twin Rocks Friends Camp. We had a blast reconnecting with old friends and just being at such a beloved place in our lives and being by the ocean.

A friend of ours, Joel Bock, was taking the pictures for the event and he had a Crazy Picture Booth set up. Here is one picture from Jared's IPhone (not a reflection of Joel's quality of photography)...hopefully I can scan some of the real photos in, because there were some funny ones of our kids.

Loving life and what God has provided for our family here in Portland. It feels like home.

Omaha, somewhere in middle America

A few weeks ago I got to Omaha by myself to visit my dear friend, Teresa. I had such a blast with her and her family and of course bumming around Omaha together was pretty fun too! It was such a blessing to spend time with her and her family and bump into some old friends also. God is good. At the end of a less-than perfect year, what a joy it was to have that time with a friend who has seen our family through so very much in the past few years. You are a dear friend!

Then to top off a great trip, on my flight home I had a huge layover in Minneapolis and got to spend time with another dear friend, Michele and her little girl. I hadn't been able to meet their daughter and that was such a wonderful time! Thank you Michele for taking the time to see me!!!

I will also mention, I love flying without kids. Not that I don't love my children dearly and want to take them on trips...flying is just much easier without them. I'm just saying.

Teresa and I antiquing our hearts away at the Brass Armadillo. I found some
great cream McCoy flower pots. My collection is growing!

Michele and Kolaya, what a blessing to finally meet her! Kolaya,
couldn't have been cuter and was so patient while we talked...what a sweet girl.

Piggy Bank Project

Today was the day to make piggy banks at our house.

I saw this Martha Stewart project and thought it was perfect for my kidos! It was pretty easy and my kids are totally pumped about saving their coins now (since they always seem to find them on the ground at grocery stores). It's also a pretty cheap project, I had to buy the cork feet (2.50) and a pack of pipe cleaner (.99) the rest of the supplies we had around the house. And, we now have pipe cleaner for aprox 100 more projects. ;-)

If you decide to do this project here are my tips: 1) use a Gatorade or plastic Sobe bottle so that quaters will be able to get out of the bank 2) use corks for feet 3) we used funny moving eyes instead of paper...just more fun.

I think the end product was great and they are super cute so I thought I'd share!

Trail-A-Bike

Here is our latest and greatest Craiglist purchase: A Trail-A-Bike for Leyton. He is getting a bit big for our Burley trailer, but can still ride in it for short trips. However, both kids are getting heavy for me to pull behind my bike. I think their combine weight plus the trailer is around 100lbs!

We went on a family test ride yesterday to a park and then to get ice cream, it was so fun! Leyton could not be happier about his new bike, he was smiling from ear to ear the entire ride yesterday. He is such a big boy!

There are so many great things within walking/bike ride distance or a 3-5 minute drive from our house it's CRAZY! I've never lived by so much 'stuff' and shopping in my entire life. It's sort of fun, but you know me...always longing for an acreage. Someday. Until then, I'll enjoy living close to lots of city stuff and getting to ride my bike (with kids in the Burley trailer) to run errands! Here is just a sample of the errands that I can ride my bike: Trader Joes, bank, Rite Aid, Albertsons, Safeway, Orowheat bread outlet, Walgreens, McDonalds, three Starbucks, (I'm not kidding) and a yarn store!!! I love it!

A couple days ago we checked out Waluga Park which is about a 10 minute walk away from our house. It's mainly a natural park but also has some fun playground and walking trails.

We are so excited and thankful for this time to explore our new city and figure it out. What a blessing for this time as a family!

Bob sighting at Bob's Red Mill

Today, we took a family field trip to Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Store just around the bend from our house (aprox 20 mins). I've been a pretty big fan of their products and am now an even bigger fan since my precious daughter has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. They have a great selection of products and grains to make life taste good even without wheat! Yipee! Among several other purchases, we bought 25 lbs of "gluten free rolled oats"...gotta love it! We eat a lot of oatmeal at our house but have been experiencing a ban since Evie cannot eat normal old fashioned oats like we've done for years. Also, while we were shopping our kids needed a snack and what did they at their deli...FRESH wheat and gluten free chocolate chip cookies. What a blessing!

I don't want to go overboard here, but Praise God for Bob's Red Mill, I have to tell you, I was so encouraged today! I know that Celiac will and is effecting my daughter, but right now the number one person in our house that it effects is me: THE COOK & GROCERY GIRL.

Also, ladies and gentlemen, we had a Bob sighting (not digitally recorded, but you'll have to take my word on this). It was so cool, as we were walking out and I was singing the praises of Bob's Red Mill products and my face was glowing with relief for my daughter and myself...who do we see...BOB myself. He was in the parking lot making his way to the store. I promise, I wanted to take a picture with him so badly, but he was in a lengthy conversation with a family so my photo dreams were dashed, but my gluten free high carried me to the car just fine!!

New Home

I thought I'd post a picture of our soon-to-be home in Lake Oswego. This house is a first time rental and it's super clean compared to all the other rental houses we walked through, so we are very thankful and excited about it. Praise God for his provision in a house that we are going to be comfortable in! We are moving our stuff down on April 1st so we can get settled and unpacked before Jared starts his new job later this month. Hopefully we can get set up in our house and have some time to explore Portland as a family before life gets busy also.

Other perks for the coupon crazy lady that I am...2 minutes to Albertsons, Rite Aid, Walgreens (and not so coupon friendly places but still exciting) Whole Foods and Trader Joes (praise God these are close with Evie's new diet).

Glory to God for His continued provision and timing for our family!

On The Road Again...Again.

Here I am in Nampa, ID after quite a crazy last 13 days. Here is the run down of events in our family.

March 12-14 - Went to Portland to interview at a church (Lake Grove Presbyterian Church) and fell in love with it! Kids stayed at our dear friends, The Fries's house...THANK YOU TIM AND TYFFANY! After our weekend at the church we were so excited to hear back, but knew it would be about 2 weeks to hear about the position. This was the first church in nearly 12 months of looking that we were both totally excited about the job, church, location and people!

March 15-20 - Finished packing our house. Praise God for selling our house!

March 19 - Heard Evie needed to go to Seattle Children's on Monday (March 22) for a endoscope to confirm Celiac Disease (gluten allergy). Also, heard JARED GOT THE JOB IN PORTLAND EARLY!!! Praise God for His amazing timing...selling our house, lining up a job, preparing both of our hearts for a move and MANY, MANY more things that I cannot possibly list right now.

March 21 - Said goodbye to our house in Yakima. It's been a great house and such a joy to be in Yakima for the past 2.5 years. We genuinely thought and hoped that we would spend the next 30 years of our lives in Yakima, but apparently God had other plans for our family. It's been a hard past 12 months, but I'm thankful for the place Jared and I are both in....excited and anxious for our the new ministry ahead of us. Then, drove to Seattle and spent the night in a FUNKY hotel by U of W. The coolest hotel I've ever stayed at, not real kid friendly, but we all made it. :-)

March 22- Spent most of the day at Seattle Children's Hospital for Evie's procedure. Got a confirmation of Celiac and Evie did great. She was scared, but was so brave! Also, saw Dave Matthews in the waiting room of Seattle Children's with his wife and little boy....I guess we all end up places we don't really want to be no matter who you are. Drove down to Portland.

March 23 - Spent the day looking for rental houses in Lake Oswego (Portland). Found a great house for our family. We are so excited to get there and get settled. The house is 1 mile away from the church and about a 3 minute drive/10 minute walk. What a blessing! Thank you God!

March 24 - Jared went to a meeting for his new job in the morning and then we drove to Idaho.

Whew. That's it for now. We are tired and glad to be in one place for a few days! We are planning on heading to Yakima early next week and emptying our storage unit and moving into our new house. Pray for all of us in this transition...we are all ready for stability and a regular schedule again.

Hmmm...

"In any successful attack on freedom the state can only be an accomplice. The chief culprit is the citizen who forgets his duty, wastes away his strength in the sleep of sin and sensual pleasure, and so loses the power of his own initiative"
- Abraham Kuyper



"The American economy today is nothing so much as a long series of bank heists and carjackings, and as pleasant as it would be to blame it all on Obama, that poor guy is nothing more than the driver of the getaway car. The one waving the gun in the teller's face is the American public, the same one that every greasy politician professes to have so much faith in."
-Douglas Wilson

Moving Forward

Another house update for you. Our counter offer was accepted and we are moving forward! Yipee!! Praise God for a good offer and a timely offer! Our loan is scheduled to close on March 22, so in about 6 weeks.

Please pray that our home inspector is gracious. The buyer for our house has a VA loan, which can sometimes be a little 'sticky' if we get assigned a certain inspector in our area (from what we've heard at least). So, we are praying that everything goes smooth and we can quickly repair anything that is an issue.

We have an offer

This entry is short and sweet.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an offer on our house. It's a pretty decent offer, but there is a little quirk to it...so we'll see if it materializes.

What would be do if we sell our house? Not sure. But, I'm confident the Lord will direct us if that time comes. He always does!

Quotes of the Day

"The more we grow in grace, the more we see how far we have to go. It was the end of his life when Paul confessed himself chief of sinners."

"An old proverb that should be repeated more than it is -- the gateway of your mouth should have 3 keys. Is it true? Kind? Necessary?"

These are both entries from Douglas Wilson's twitter site...he's a good man to read!!

100 Free Things to Do with your Kids/Grandkids

What a fun idea! Here is a FREE download - 100 Free Things to do With Your Grandkids E-book that you can use with your kids or grandkids! I looked through it quickly and found several things I'm going to do!

#37 - Pasta necklace
#41 - Terrarium
# 54 - Make Noisemakers...I'm thinking for family worship night!

Thanks fistfulofcoupons.com !

Blurry but fun.

So, I'm not the biggest 'gadget' fan, but every once in awhile I like them. Here is a picture that wouldn't have been captured if we were gadget free. Also, ever since we've had kids we stopped taking pictures of my hubby and I...that needs to change.

Leavenworth Family Fun

Last week we went to Leavenworth for an overnight getaway that was a blast! Leavenworth is a small mountain town that has remade itself into a German/Bavarian village and it's so beautiful and refreshing. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Right in town there is a perfect sledding hill for small kids, so we brought our sled and had a blast with our kids on that ice..I mean..uh...snow hill. It was a blessing to get away and just have 24 hours to relax as life is pretty stressful at our house right now. Keep praying for a job for my hubby!

Gotta love a profit

Here is a picture from a little shopping trip I took this morning to Rite Aid and Walgreens.

Total spent: $6.08

Profit after rebates: $6.92

Total saved: $76.95

Lovin' the coupons.

Family Photo Session

Here are a few pictures to share from our family photo session today. It's always hard to get pictures of fast moving targets (a.k.a. kids) but here is what did turn out. Note: Evie is more of a moving target, so not many of her turned out. Always fun to bust out the camera and see what happens.

Ringin' In the New Year @ the ER

Happy New Year! Just when we were feeling relieved to be done with 2009 (good riddance was our sentiments last night upon reflecting on the past year) New Years Day had a fun little ER run in store for us. This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but you get the idea.

The kids and I were meeting Jared for lunch and while walking into the restaurant Evie slipped on the wet floor and did a crazy twirl and her lip and the door jam connected for a big old split lip. It looked so deep that we decided to take her to the ER just in case so when she is 18 and the SCAR MARK is still visible we aren't kicking ourselves for not going.

All was well though and no stitches needed. Evie, being a girl, perked up at the idea of a bracelet from the hospital. We were helped by a nurse practitioner from our church and so that was great and always good to see a familiar face when we are in those sorts of situations.

I will say...we called it - Evie was our first one to the ER for an accident, not Leyton. We're 0-1 for actual stitches or breaks, so we'll see who does that first.

Praise God it was so minor and she is well, all to often it seems like life comes down to the millimeter.