Grif and Lisa's Family

Random Summer Pictures

2009-08-22T10:10:00.001-07:00

Grif & Rhett on the beach at Bear Lake

Milk anyone?

Dad and Lauren chillin' on the beach

Malachi & Lauren

Morgan the Maniac Bowler

The G-Dog in action

Peace out

Lauren & Baby Shae

The Jensen grandkids, minus Alexis & Jocelyn at Bear Lake

Aunt Lisa: "Tessie, what does Uncle Greg do to your cheecks"
Tess: "Pinch em'"

Morgan feeding the ducks at Layton Park

Rhett, Lauren, Morgan & Tess at Layton Park

Rhett, Lauren, Morgan & Tess swimming at Clearfield Aquatic Center

The three chica's

Sweet Lauren

Rhett & T-Bear

Morgan FINALLY lost her two front teeth. We were starting to call her Nanny McFee!

Greg & Shae

Rhett playing in the All-Star Game

Syracuse All-Star Team - National League

Bowler Rhett - All Talk

Beautiful Baby Shae

2009-08-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Shae McCauley Holfeltz

Look at this baby girl, she's just adorable. She's so smiley right now and she's possibly the best baby I've ever been around. Love her, love her, love her!

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

Lauren, Rhett, & Morgan first day of school August 10, 2009

This year was especially difficult for me. My baby, Morgan, is now in the first grade. Needless to say, I lost it, right there at school. I just wanted to take her home with me. Going home to an empty house was not fun. For the past 11 years I've always had one or more of my kids with me. It really makes you cherish the times that you have with your kids. I miss them all so much. Luckily, the 7 hours they are gone to school does go by pretty quickly. It's a new chapter of sorts in my life. One that takes a little getting used to.

Tess and the Case of the Leopard Print Panties

2009-08-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is my niece, Tess. Needless to say she has a very special place in my heart. You just can't help but love her. She is the definition of Miss Personality. I've been laughing about one of her antics from the other day and thought I'd share, thinking you may find it as hilarious as I did.

My sister Jacque and I were in Macy's Department Store shopping. There were no sales clerks in the children's department, so we had to take our purchases over to the lingerie department. As I was checking out, Tessie was roaming around as usual, when Jacque and I looked over to find Tessie in front of a merchandise scanner with a very large pair of womens leopard print panties. She proceeded to lift the panties up to the merchandise scanner and scan the tag over and over again. This sight was simply hilarious. Even the sales clerk was laughing. I don't know if this is one of those "you had to be here" scenarios, but it was gut-busting funny.

Now we understand why we haven't been able to interest Tessie in potty training. The Elmo panties are just not going to cut it...she needs leopard print! Can you say, we've got a diva in da house!

Silver Lakes Ward Primary Activity

2009-07-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

As a counselor in the Primary Presidency in my ward, it was my turn to oversee this quarter's Primary Activity. I totally copied the idea for this activity from a ward in Layton. We adjusted it a bit to fit our Primary. We have over 150 kids (including nursery).

The theme, "Building my Eternal Family," comes from the new Primary song, "I am a Builder," and the scripture D&C 88:119. We had a great turn out, and I think the kids enjoyed it and hopefully took away the message about eternal families. We welcomed the kids with their own yellow construction hats with a building permit sticker on the hat. They received a sticker for each station. I introduced myself as Sister Builder (wearing a toolbelt holding items like the scriptures, good movies, church magazines, etc.) I told them I was looking for "builders" to help me learn how to build eternal families. We then sang the "I am a Builder" song and split into three different groups:
1) House of Glory, 2) House of Order and 3) House of Faith.

In the kitchen (House of Glory), we made Rice Krispy Treats and illustrated how our family members are like the bits of rice krispies and when they are combined with the marshmallow and butter mixture, they "stick" together, just as the temple binds us together as families.

In the House of Order we first discussed "The Family, A Proclamation to the World," and had a fun relay race in the gym. The kids were split into families of five (mother, father, brother, sister & baby). The father had to run down the court and put on his clothes (a white shirt and tie or a Fedex uniform) then proceed to "mow the lawn" with toy lawnmowers. The mother had to run down and put on her apron and race with the shopping cart, the baby had to run down and put on his/her bib and bottle and ride their big wheel to the finish line...and so on...you get the idea. We talked about how each of us have divine roles.

In the house of Faith we had a young man dress up as Captain Moroni with his title of liberty and tell the story. Then each child made their own title of liberty with the aformentioned scripture.

For the treat...there's got to be a treat, right? They each received a great big rice krispy treat.

Sweet Tessie

2009-07-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Tessie was able to spent some quality time with her Aunt Se Se and we had so much fun! She was so tired after a long day of playing outside that she cuddled up with me on the sofa and fell fast asleep!

Baseball X 3 = what were we thinking?

2009-07-01T11:24:00.001-07:00

We signed up all three kids for baseball this year. It was pretty crazy! Rhett pitched this year and did really well. He made the All-star team and pitched a great game. Lauren played machine pitch and had a hit nearly every time she was up to bat. Morgan played T-ball was so fun to watch.

Morgan & Lauren's Dance Recital 2009

2009-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

The family at the recital (Note how excited Rhett is to be at the recital.)

It's June and you know what that means . . . Life is BUSY! Lauren and Morgan had their Clytie Adams ballet recital at Weber State University on June 19th. We had a full day of rehearsal the day before and the performance the next day. The theme for this year was, "Utah." We had a little trouble getting Morgan's hair acceptable for the performance, but we did the best we could with short hair. Ironically, Lauren's class was instructed to wear pony tails, instead of the Clytie Adams Ballet preferred, "high ballerina bun."

The girls did a fantastic job and Jacque and baby Shae were able to attend, along with Grandpa and Grandma Jensen and Grandma Miller. Apparently it was against the rules for a baby to be in the crowd, which made Jacque very nervous, but she was able to see both of the girls perform.

"I'll Have the Chipper Chicken"

2009-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

In this economy everyone is trying to stretch the almighty dollar, and I'm no exception. I'm trying to save money to put toward finishing our basement. My sister Jacqueline recently asked me how I can feed my family so inexpensively. The answer to being smart with your food money is simply to be aware and most importantly, planning.

I guess my parents should have given me a middle name like, "cheap," or "sale," or even "bargain." Ask any member of my family, and they will fully agree that I have a knack for finding great deals. What can I say, it's a gift. In fact my brother called me last week to tell me about this amazing sale they were having at Smith's Grocery Store. This was a joke of course because Gregory never even looks at sales, let alone grocery shops. He proceeded to tell me that he was sure that my heart starting beating quickly as soon as I heard him say the word, "sale." He has even told me he wanted to get me a shirt that had "Manager's Special" printed on it. What can I say, I do love a good manager's special.

Anyway, I promised my sister that I would share a few of my secrets. I really try to keep dinner under $10 for my family of five. Often, it's even less than $5. I'm not talking skimpy non-nutritious meals either. I pride myself in feeding my kids home-cooked healthy food. I always enjoyed having a home cooked meal each night by my own mother and I want to give that to my kids as well. This is NOT to say however, that like most mothers, I don't end up going to Wendy's drive thru after a hectic day. It does happen, more than I would like. I just hope that I have some sort of coupon to use, ie. Arby's 5 for $5. You get the drift.

Have you seen this guy on TV they call the Grocery Guru? He cracks me up. He comes with meals like a bag of salad with some Banquet Frozen dinners. Who even finds that appetizing? Not me.

I've decide that with kids it's best to be simple. This is not to say that we cater to our kids likes and dislikes. I have one child is who very picky, but she's learning to try new things.

My first step in planning my menu for the week is to look at the local ads and center my meals based on sale items. I like to look at Pinching Your Pennies website. You can print all of their deals online. Also, when it comes to meat, if I find a great deal, I buy in bulk. For example, about a month ago at Target they had 80/20 ground round hamburger for $1 a pound. It was regular $3 something a pound. I brought home over 20 pounds of hamburger that day. In addition, they were all packed in individual one pound packets, reading to be frozen. If you haven't discovered Target's meat department yet, I highly suggest it. All of their beef is "Choice" and I think the quality is outstanding. Target usually prices their meat very high, but they are known to frequently have "temporary-price reductions" in the meat department. In addition they commonly offer attached coupons for $2-5 dollars off of the reduced price.

So Jacko...this is for you. My $5 meal that my kids really love:

Hamburger Casserole (Note: This isn't low fat, but I did use lean hamburger and 99% fat free cream of mushroom soup.) I consider this a great comfort food meal. I loved this as a kid.

1 pound lean hamburger
1 packet onion seasoning mix
1/2 cup of bread crumbs or oatmeal
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons of worchester sauce
8 oz can of tomato sauce

Mix egg in a bowl and add onion seasoning, bread crumbs, tomato sauce and meat. Mix well together. Place meat mixture in baking dish (9X13 or something similar). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

4-5 large potatoes, boiled and then mashed (with a little butter and milk)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup

After meat mixture has cooked, drain any fat off of the meat. Pour and spread evenly the cream of mushroom soup over the meat, then the green beans, then the mashed potatoes and sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake another 30-40 minutes on 350 degrees until it is heated thru and the cheese is melted.

My sweet Rhett

2009-06-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Rhett, Grif and Grandpa Jensen went Turkey Hunting for the weekend in May. Rhett was put in charge of working the turkey caller and ended up calling in a coyote!

Morgan's Kindergarten Program

2009-06-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Cute Sue Sue

Morgan received a medal for reading all 63 of the Kindergarten curriculum books.

Morgan's life sized drawing of herself. (Notice the peace sign)

The Great Susa turns 6!

2009-05-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

My baby turned six! What happened? Morgan had a High School Musical Birthday themed party with the family. She wanted a taco bar and chocolate cake, and of course a pinata. The pinata always proves to be the hit of the party. But then, who doesn't get excited about flying candy?

Grif helping Morgan open her presents with Tessie intently watching in her Michael Jackson jacket.

Morgan's new set of wheels from Mom & Dad

Morgan's chocolate cake that she decorated herself

Cute Morgan & Tess
Tess was showing her retro 80's look in her Michael Jackson jacket

The Jensen side with Aunt Gloria, Danielle, Tyce, Grandma, Grif, & Grandpa

Camping in Holden, Utah May 2009

2009-05-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Morgan & Lauren, Best Friends Forever

Morgan, our little Drama Queen

"Scooter" our pet Horny Toad.

Lauren & Morgan eating their body weight in chips!

Grandpa & Grandma Jensen let us use their
old trailer.

We went camping in Holden, Utah, which is near Fillmore. Grif's cousin, Fawn, owns hundreds of acres, so we had ample places to ride and camp. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful time. The only drawback was that we ran out of water in the trailer (the kids haven't learned the concept of conservation), and the boys didn't get their turkey on the hunt.

A little late, Easter 2009

2009-05-25T11:49:00.001-07:00

Lauren, Alec, Morgan, Rhett & Luke coloring Easter Eggs = Mass Chaos!

Morgan, Luke & Rhett waiting for the eggs to get done

Rhett & Fablehaven Author, Brandon Mull

2009-05-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Author Brandon Mull, Zac Barnard, Rhett Jensen & Connor McNeill

Rhett has delved into reading the Fablehaven series this year. He's read all four books and can't wait for number #5 to come out this fall. He was able to have his book signed and his picture taken with Brandon Mull during his visit to our Elementary School.

Presenting . . . Shae McCauley Holfeltz

2009-05-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

She was born Monday, May 11th weighing in at just 6 pounds 14 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. She is a beautiful baby, and I'm not just saying that because I'm her favorite aunt.

We've resorted to calling Tessie "BRUTUS." Let's just say she's a little rough!

Another Goodbye to my Uncle Blaine

2009-05-21T14:04:00.001-07:00

The Miller Family at the Salem Cemetery

My uncle, Blaine G. Carlson, passed away on April 6, 2009. He was only 75-years-old. He had suffered greatly in the past few years with diabetes, a heart condition, along with going to dialysis 3 times per week in this last year. I'm glad he is no longer suffering, but nevertheless we will miss him. I didn't get to know my Uncle Blaine until I was a teenager. He moved back to Salem, Utah to help take care of my Grandma when I was in high school. He had previously lived in Long Beach, California. I can't tell you how happy Blaine made my Grandma. After my Grandpa Carlson died, she was lonely and Blaine was just what she needed.

Blaine was about the most kind and gentle man you could know. He was also the most giving. He grew up mainly in Aztec, New Mexico where my Grandparents owned a ranch. They worked very, very hard and the boys had a large responsibility at a young age. He was a twin to Duane, who will miss him greatly. I really think there is a special bond between twins. It was always evident between these two brothers.

As we buried Blaine next to my grandparents in the Salem cemetery, I was so grateful for the tying binds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its legacy of family.

The Greatest Friend and Neighbor

2009-05-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Shige Shimada 1920-2009

My dear friend and neighbor, Shige Shimada passed away last month. I will miss him greatly. I have known him my entire life. He was my next door neighbor for over 17 years. There are very few men in the world as good as Shige. Shige and his wife June (Misuko) were like my second grandparents.

My brother, sister and I would spend countless hours over at their house roller skating and just hanging out. Shige had a big detached garage in the back of his property, complete with a Country Time Lemonade pop machine. I have many good memories of sitting in the shade with Shige and June and drinking lemonade. Each year, Shane, Courtney, & Spencer Shimada, three of Shige and June's grandkids would come and stay with them for the summer. We formed great friendships with them and had terrific summer adventures.

I've never met two people that could work like Shige and June. I can still see Shige out observing his rows and rows of produce in the garden to ensure not a single weed flourished. This is NOT an exaggeration. The Shimada's were known for weedless fields and gardens.

I learned so many things about the Japanese culture that I will be forever grateful for. Each year we would attend the OBON Festival at their Buddhist Temple in Ogden, and we looked forward to it each year. When I was in elementary school, I did a report on Japan and June and Shige gave me wonderful items to display for my project.

I can never look at an eggplant and not think of Shige. I can never think of Shige and not smile. His personality was infectious.

Shige had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease for the past 10 years. He and June moved to Salt Lake City a few years after we moved from the neighborhood to be closer to their youngest son.

Greg, my mom and I were able to attend Shige's funeral. As I went up to June and gave her a big hug, tears filled my eyes. It seemed so sad to me that Shige was no longer here on this earth to be beside his beloved wife, Misuko.

I'll miss you Shige.

Rhett's 4th Grade Program & County Report

2009-04-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

Rhett was a railroad worker during a portion of the 4th Grade Program. He also danced the Virginia Reel. Lauren and Morgan were giddy and obsessed with the fact that Rhett was dancing with a GIRL!

Here's Rhett showing his "I'm too cool to smile" pose at the 4th grade County Fair.

Rhett was assigned Kane County for his Utah County Report. He had so much fun learning about all of the natural attractions that Kane had to offer and worked really hard on his "county float" with his dad. They worked hours and hours on the project together. (Yes, those are tiny pieces of crepe paper applied with a pencil on the side of the float. Only Grif would attempt something this difficult!)

Prayers for Quincy

2009-03-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

My high school friend and track teammate, Paul Rollins, his wife Heidi and their 5-year-old daughter Madison, are in Ghana, Africa trying to adopt a baby boy they named Quincy. This is a remarkable story. You can read all about Paul and his family's journey to Ghana on their blog: www.rollinsrecord.com. They are trying to get the required signatures to finalize the adoption and Paul is asking for prayers on their behalf. Please pray that they will be able to get everything in order and return home to Utah safely.

Jr. Jazz Basketball 2009

2009-02-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Rhett is enjoying the Jr. Jazz Basketball season. He towers over the other kids his age. He is determined to be taller than I was in the 6th grade (5 ft. 7 in.) and I'm certain he will make it. What he really wants is to be as tall as my cousin Julie's son, Chris Miles (6 ft. 11 in.), who is playing for BYU right now. Who knows Rhett, only time will tell.

New Draper Temple Open House

2009-02-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

Draper Temple
Rhett 10, Lauren 7, Morgan 5
February 2009