JensenLLC

TWELVE LONG YEARS!

2008-11-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ever since I first met Chris, 13 years ago, he has told me of his most beloved, most favorite drink Frescolita! Even the way he says Frescolita , is like he's talking about a long lost girl friend or something. Well imagine the scene when a couple of weeks ago we met the parents of one of Linden's classmates...who just happen to be from Venezuela....and who just happened to know of a latin market just 20 minutes away from us that sells Frescolita. Well, he didn't weep with joy, but I think he may have squeeled with joy!!! Needless to say, we were there the next day, and Chris bought a FLAT of Frescolita (48 cans, I think). His joy was complete when he also found his favorite Malta - Malta Polar. As for Frescolita....tastes like Cream Soda, LOL :-) Chris is perhaps most proud of Linden who LOVES Malta, just as much as he does!

HALLOWEEN - WHAT A HOOT!

2008-11-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Halloween this year. Linden was super excited to put up our Halloween decorations, and help her dad carve the pumpkins. She had a great schedule of events too. Trunk or Treat at Church, a School Party and Parade, and then the big night itself. A couple of days before Trick or Treating, Linden told me to be sure to call and get a "group" to go trick or treating with, because it would be alot more fun! So the night fell with the best weather ever, and the kids had a great time going out together...Josh was Mario, Brooke was Princess Peach, Mary was SuperGirl, and of course the Queen Cleopatra!

The Mother Goose Olympics

2008-11-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to go ahead and say it....I'm sure I'll be saying it again before the end of the school year....here it is.....Linden has the BEST kindergarten teacher EVER! There now I've said it!

I was a parent volunteer for the Mother Goose Olympics. There were a bunch of "Olympic" events, all themed around a Mother Goose rhyme, and after completing each event the kids got to add a star to their gold medal. The Olympics started off with the athletes marching into the library for the Opening Ceremonies, and then passing the Olympic Torch, and being awarded their Gold medals by their teachers. And then it was every team for themselves, we were off to compete. I thought they were all great, but I loved the "Jack jumped over the candlestick" event, where the kids really did have to hop over candlesticks, and the kids loved the "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall" where they got to roll down a little slide. We had a great team of Linden, Sarah, Sean, and Michael, and the kids all had a great time together. Kudo's to Mrs. Blank for such an enthusiastic curriculum for Kindergarten!

A Day at the Cider Mill with Grace

2008-11-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we were at the park with Linden, and she met a little girl named Grace. They had a really great time playing with each other, and so as we left her dad asked if we'd like to exchange phone numbers so the girls could play together again. Our first planned outing was a Michigan Must, the annual trip to the Cider Mill. Linden and Grace had a lot of fun with the amusement activities (inflatable slides and bouncers), especially the inverted bungee jumping. We also went on a hay ride, picked some awesome apples, had cider and donuts, and after MUCH careful consideration Linden and Grace each picked out their very own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. It was a great day!

Quite the Artist

2008-11-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Linden loves her Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Blank. One day, after seeing a pretty notepad my mom had given me with a peacock on it, Linden asked me to draw a peacock for her. I drew the peacock and she did the rest. On the back she colored a big pink heart. When it was done she told me that it was for her teacher Mrs. Blank. I thought she did such a great job that I took a picture of it. I think she may have some of my Grandma Rudd's artistic talents. In fact I've told her that "I think that she has a real talent for coloring" so often now, that she is now saying herself, "well Mommy you know that coloring is my talent!" Kids are so funny.

GREAT Company - Auntie Andrea, Uncle Murray and Brennie!!!

2008-11-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

We were really lucky to have Linden's GREAT Aunt Andrea, and GREAT Uncle Murray come and visit for a couple of days on their way to visit the Civil War history sites in the Eastern US states. Linden especially loved Brennie, my Aunt's lovable Irish Setter, and their cool house on wheels (ie. motor home)! Oh and Auntie and Uncle weren't too bad either :-) Linden's highlight was being in charge of walking Brennie, and when Brennie came in with Auntie and went up to her room to LICK her awake for breakfast the morning they were leaving, and of course her ride as first mate in the front passenger seat of the motor home. We had a great visit, and it's always fun to see how much Linden enjoys having company.

Tour of the Promised Land - Primary Activity

2008-11-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

When I told Linden about the Primary Activity and that she could go dressed as her favorite scripture character, she immediately said, "I want to be Mary!" So the day came, and we found our pillowcase head dress, and one of mom's nightshirts and she looked so cute. Just as I was rushing her out the door, she said, "I need a baby Jesus, Mommy!" In the mad dash that ensued, we found another pillowcase for the swaddling clothes, and at long last a naked baby for the Baby Jesus. We arrived, and Linden was the only Mary that had remembered Baby Jesus. And for the purists out there, don't worry, I did explain to the Primary president, that Yes, we do know Jesus was not Black, it was just the only naked baby we could locate on short notice amongst Linden's toys!!!!

First School Field Trip

2008-11-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Linden's first Kindergarten field trip was to Upland Hills Farm. I'm pretty sure the best part for Linden was the fact that to get to the Farm, we got to ride a school bus. Linden has been begging to ride on a school bus for the last 3+ years. We see them ALL the time, and everytime she sees one, she will ask "when will I get to ride on one of those?" Of course, knowing that we are walkers (ie. too close to the school for the city to deem us needing the school bus for transportation), I didn't have the heart to tell her it could be a LONG time. Needless to say, finding out that her first field trip would include a school bus was VERY exciting! So here are a few great pics from the outing. Oh yes, and one more thing. On the way to the farm, we sat in the very first row, and on the way back, we sat in the very back row, so we've done it all now!!!!

A couple of things about the farm, first of all a hay ride never gets old! And secondly, Linden got a great kick out of the little billy goat that lived on a little deck and bridge in the rafters of the barn roof, look carefully and you will see him in one of the pics. Also, the little girl with Linden is Brooke from Linden's class. She was our buddy for the day!

My latest Creative Project

2008-09-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

We have an upcoming Holiday Workshop at Church, and I am part of the organizing committee. One of our jobs as the committee is to suggest projects that we think would be good for our group of women to do. One of my suggestions was this family tree, which I found a pattern for online. So of course I was volunteered to be the guinea pig to make it and see if the project was "doable". Here is my finished result. I think it turned out really good, but it did take a little more time than I thought, so I suspect it may end up on the workshop cutting room floor. But hey, I got my tree made!

Toe-tally Cute

2008-09-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

The other morning Linden came running up, fell to the ground, and shoved her foot in my face. As you can see, she had drawn a happy face on each toe. Now that's when you know you have a happy child, when she's smiling from her head to her toes! It was Toe Cute!!!!

1st Day of Kindergarten

2008-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited day has finally arrived, and our little Linden has now embarked on her public school career. It all started when we received a letter in the mail that Linden would have Mrs. Blank as her teacher. When she heard that news, she was so excited that she was literally jumping up and down on our bed, and yelling and screaming. It was so funny. She was really excited because our neighbor Lydia had Mrs. Blank last year, and so we knew that she is a really great teacher. On the first day, I'd picked out a super-cute outfit for Linden to wear....but as a true sign she is growing up, Linden didn't want to wear Mommy's super cute choice. She wanted to wear the $5 horse t-shirt Mommy bought her. So what's a Mommy to do....well you'll see by the pictures who won that battle! Ultimately, I decided it was her first day, not mine, and Linden should wear what she thought was super cute on her first day, not what I thought was super cute.
Time to let the little one FLY....Mommy and Linden as we left to take Linden for her first day.

Linden is excited to have her good friend and our neighbor Josh in her class. Here they are ready to take on the world of Kindergarten. Ordinarily a little girl might look to her boy friend for a little protection out on the playground, but something tells me that Linden is going to be watching out for Josh! Crossing the threshold from pre-schooler to Kindergartner....no turning back now!

Linden and Josh entering the hall for the first time as two of the newest Hamlin Hawks.

The coveted Mrs. Blank and Linden on the first day of class.

Sea World - July 23, 24, 25, and 26 of 2008

2008-08-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

While my mom and I worked our CoolMedID booth, Linden and Chris escaped to Sea World. My mom and I were able to get over a couple of times after our day at the Exhibit Hall, and we spent Saturday there as well, before starting our drive north. It was awesome, of course Shamu was a favorite, but the Dolphin show was awesome too! We loved it. The only problem is deciding on what pictures to share here...there are too many to choose from.

As you enter the park, you can get your very own souvenir picture with the star of Sea World, Shamu of course. Added Bonus - there's nothing like getting your picture taken next to a Killer Whale to make you look skinny!

The gentle Manatees of Florida....the cows of the water.

From gentle to deadly, a tunnel through the swarms of Sea World sharks.

A great nature shot of a sea horse disguised as a plant in one of the habitats.

Linden's favorite part of the whole trip was riding all the RollerCoasters. This is the Journey to Atlantis rollercoaster that Chris and Linden went on twice, as you can see it ended with a splash!

And this is the Cracken, the rollercoaster Linden was begging to go on. Thankfully she was about 3 inches shy of the height restriction. I fear that on our next trip to an amusement park, there will be no stopping her!

Linden and Chris got to feed the Dolphins...it was really cool because they are close enough to touch. Of course as soon as your fish is gone, they are onto the next adoring tourist hanging a fish out for them, so you have to be quick!

We loved the Shamu shows. There are two, and we saw both. Believe is the daytime show, and then at night they do Rock with Shamu which in addition to Shamu, features great rock music and an awesome light show. Prior to the start of the shows, they pan in on the audience and feature people up on the jumbotron. At Rock with Shamu, the camera man zoomed in on Linden, and so everyone got to see her dancing away! It was awesome, seeing her large as life on a 30 foot tall screen!

The highlight of the Shamu Shows, is sitting in the Soak Zone and getting splashed! Linden was very upset that even though we were in the Soak Zone we didn't get wet at the daytime show Believe. Fortunately, at the Rock With Shamu show we did get wet....and I got soaked! The water looks so beautiful and blue, who knew that the water would be fishy salt water....YUCK.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a surfboard....oh no, it's just a girl surfing on a killer whale!

I'm the king of the world!

After the show, you can go to an observation spot and watch the whales swimming up close. The baby whale is a real flirt. He loves playing with the spectators.

Pucker Up Baby! He loved me...what can I say!

The Mommy and Baby playing in the back of the pool.

The Seals, Walruses and Otters had their own show too. Here is Seymore steering the Pirate Ship.

The Dolphin and Whale Show was awesome too. It was part Dolphins/Whales, part exotic birds (see if you can see the blue parrot - hint: he's in two of the pictures), and part Cirque Du Soleil with high tower divers, aerialists, and dancers. It was awesome.

Ride'em Cowboy!!!

The dolphins wave goodbye to us.....Goodbye SeaWorld....You Rock!

Children with Diabetes - Friends for Life Conference, Orlando July 23, 24, 25 of 2008

2008-08-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

The purpose of our trip to Florida was for my company CoolMedID to participate as an Exhibitor at a Conference for families with children who have Diabetes. Here we are at our Booth, with our products. We had a great show, met lots of wonderful families, and you should have seen all the FREE stuff we got :-)

The conference is for children who have Diabetes, and so the vendors at the Exhibit Hall make their booths fun for the kids. One vendor had the best face painter, and Linden chose a super cool Tiger face, she looked great.

The conference was at the Renaissance Resort across the street from Sea World. Here is the view of the main floor from the top floor. All the yellow spots are tables ready for all the conference attendees to sit at for breakfast in the morning. The conference was a great way to put CoolMedID on the "map" for children with diabetes.

Animal Kingdom - July 22, 2008

2008-08-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

After our breakfast with Chef Mickey, we headed over to Animal Kingdom. Another great, and HOT day! We were greeted as we entered the park by Pocahontas.

During the Lion King Show, we saw lots of colorful "animals". It's a great show. Linden got picked from the audience to be part of the show. It was super cute....she had her own animal leaders for a lap around the stage of follow the leader!

One of the great things about Animal Kingdom is that they really capture the atmosphere of Africa and Asia. You feel like you are walking in through a local village. The buildings and scenery look very realistic. My mom loved this view of the Asian ruins in the background.

On our African Safari we saw tons of animals, but this giraffe was so close we had to wait for it to move off the road so that we could pass.

I include this picture especially for the Wynder's...now that's a pair of Longhorns!

The last ride we went on was the Kali River Rapids. The sign said "you may get wet and you may get soaked". At which point I asked my mom who was in all her finery, if she wanted to go. Like a true sport, she said, "oh sure, how wet can it be." Well as it happened, the first time down, the raft swung around just in time for my mom to be totally engulfed by a virtual tidal wave of water. Literally every hair on her head, and everything in between down to her tippy toes was drenched. For my part, I laughed my butt off at the sight. Linden had so much fun she wanted to go again, and so my mom waited for us while the three of us went down 3 or 4 more times. At which point luck ran out for the rest of us in turn, and we all ended the day soaking wet!

For those of you who have problems getting your kids to sleep. Try 30 out of 48 hours at Disney to make your child sleep like a log! It'll work like Magic :-)

Chef Mickey Breakfast - July 22, 2008

2008-08-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

You know it's going to be a great day when Chef Mickey cooks your breakfast...and even adults can't help but embrace the kid in you, when you see Mickey and his friends running around your breakfast table. Also, you gotta love a buffet where they have peanut butter and jelly pizza, rice krispie squares, and bins of all the candy you wanted to eat. We all loved the gummy bears.

Grandy wanted her picture with Donald, his little waddle stole her heart! And the rest of us all had a favorite too! I loved Goofy, Linden loved Minnie, and Pluto was Chris's favorite!

Pop Century - Home Sweet Home

2008-08-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

We spent 2 nights at Disney's Pop Century Resort. It was so fun, and its' theme is all the cool stuff you remember from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's etc. Here are a couple of the cool things at the Pop Century!

The little Mouse that started it all....only in this case there was nothing little about Mickey!

How big is that FoozBall Game? Linden will show you!

And how Big is that Big Wheel? Linden says it's the biggest one she's ever sat on.

The view from our Hotel Room... During the day this is a splash pool for the kids. Don't you love the Yo-Yo! It's actually the stairwell to the building beside it.

We love Goofy, and his car looks like a perfect fit for Linden!

Our building was the 70's and our stairwell was an 8 Track Tape. You know it's been awhile since those have been around, because Lara was the only one to figure out what it was, and it took her awhile too!

The Magic Kingdom - July 21,2008

2008-08-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to spend a couple of truly Magical days at DisneyWorld. We stayed at the Pop Century Resort on the Disney property, and we spent the entire day Monday at the Magic Kingdom - from the opening moment to the final minute the park was open. Tuesday we had breakfast with Chef Mickey and Friends, then spent the rest of the day at Animal Kingdom. Here are a couple of my favorite moments...

After watching the Disney Train roll into the Station and seeing Mickey and friends officially open the park, we were personally welcomed to the Magic Kingdom by Daisy Duck!

The Fairy Godmother was waiting for Linden as we came around the corner of Cinderella's Castle! It was just after the opening of the park, so we had her all to ourselves!

Cinderella's Castle is the home of the Bippity Boppity Boutique. And Linden had her very own appointment with a Royal Hairdresser to be transformed into a Princess, complete with Royal Princess Pink Hair which she picked out, Make-up, Manicure and Sash. It was super cute!

What's a trip to the Magic Kingdom without a picture of Cinderella, Her Prince, and Her Castle!

Donald Duck was THRILLED to see us at the Parade!

It was BLAZING HOT at 3 in the afternoon when the parade rolled through. Note all the people in the background with towels on their heads. One of my main memories of the parade is worrying Linden would be scarred for life from seeing one of the brooms drop dead from the heat! Take a look at their costumes, and you'll see what I mean. I don't know how they did it, but all brooms made it safely through the entire route...now that's Magic!

We had Dinner with Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace!

Mommy and Linden having a Tea Party in Minnie's kitchen!

While Grandy and I watched the fireworks, Chris and Linden rode Space Mountain (Linden's favorite ride) two more times (Mom and I made it the first time, and then gave our FastPasses to Chris and Linden so they could go twice instead of once. Once was enough for Mom and I, though it was awesome!). They had a blast on the ride, and finished just in time to join us for the finale of the fireworks. Then it was off to Disney's Nighttime Spectacular SpectroMagic Parade. Here are a few of our favorite shots, though they just don't do it justice! It really was Spectacular, and I'm so glad we stayed to see it.

Considering how bad our feet were hurting, the best part of the day may have been getting a seat on the bus for the ride back to our hotel. Linden ended her day at the Magic Kingdom, much as she began it, with her mouth hanging open :-)

My Labor of Love for my Dad's 65th Birthday - Oscar Worthy if you ask me!

2008-08-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

My Dad Al just turned 65, and his wife Veesha organized a party/reunion for all the family in Edmonton, Alberta. Regretfully I was unable to attend, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to participate in some way. One of my fondest memories of my Dad is all the music that he played for us, and the video below was the result of some of the songs that have a special place in my heart, all because of my Dad!

To start the movie, I recorded myself reading a poem I wrote for my Dad. As soon as I finished my recording, Linden popped onto the bench and announced that she had a poem for Grandpa too. So totally unscripted or rehearsed, Linden created a poem for Grandpa too. We were REALLY proud of her!

Watch for a live action cameo appearance by Chris....he was a real sport for me, and reminds me quite often that I OWE him :-)

And lastly, in case you've never heard of Melville, Saskatchewan...don't blink, and you'll see a shot of the main street! ENJOY!!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Wormery

2008-06-02T07:14:00.001-07:00

Imagine the joy of a 5 year old girl, who loves digging for worms, when she recently saw on TV a segment with instructions on how to build your very own WORMERY!!!

Needless to say, there was no getting around it, the Wormery had to be built! Last night, Linden was the brains - telling Daddy what they needed to do next, and Daddy was the braun, digging for the worms and then calling Linden to do the honor of placing the worms in their new home!

Forget a doll house, our little girl just loves her new WORM House!!!!!

Here she is with the beloved Wormery....

The funny faces of Linden.....she'll always give you a funny face, if you'll just take the picture. CLICK!

Dress Rehearsal - Dance Recital 2008

2008-06-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well after Linden "cried" off her make-up 3 times, because she HATES putting on her tights...envision "fix mommy, fix!" with tears and mascara running down the cheeks, we finally made it to the Dress Rehearsal. Linden's friend Teagan is in her class and so it was Chris and I and the two girls off to rehearse!

We're at the rehearsal, and the girls are just waiting for their turn on stage. The girls are showing off their poses that they used for their Tap Dance Portraits!

Once we got there, we were able to get a picture of Linden and Teagan with Lydia and Ella as well. Lydia and Ella live right across the street (their little sister Ava didn't want to be left out of the spotlight), and Linden just loves them. Lydia, Linden and Teagan are all in the same class. It was a really fun day, and a great memory since Lydia, Ella and Teagan will all be moving away in the coming months. We are really sad for Linden to be losing such good friends.

Here it is, the performance you've all been waiting for....Lights, Camera, Action!!! Linden is the last girl just barely on the stage on the left side of the video, she ends up being 4th from the end on the left. Just click on the arrow at the bottom of the screen to play the video.

All Together !! With their teacher, Miss Heather. Linden is in the back row, second from the left.

Linden has told me that she is DONE with dancing.....she just can't take the tights :-)