Michael, Aubry & Jada

The Perfect Push-up

2012-01-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

Jada's 1st Birthday

2012-01-25T10:58:00.001-08:00

The time has finally come.

First up, Jada's 1st Birthday!

We wanted to do something to celebrate Jada's birthday this year, so we decided to have a small party for her with some of our closest friends. I wasn't sure how Jada was going to do since the only child her age that was invited wasn't able to come, but she did AWESOME. In fact, she LOVED it. (Don't take that the wrong way, I'm sure she would have been even more happy to have a playmate, but the point is, she was really happy!)

I made cute invitations, banners, a cake, the works. We were so excited to celebrate Jada and her being 1!

We had a delicious lunch, watched Jada open her gifts, and had some yummy made-from-scratch carrot cake with Tillamook ice cream:) It was perfect. Jada enjoyed playing with all her new toys and clothes. She even enjoyed being sang to and having all the attention.

The only thing that didn't go as planned . . . she wouldn't try her cake! I had heard from many mothers that this was likely to happen, but I just didn't think it would. Not my Jada. She loves everything and always wants what we have! But, it happened. She was happy to look at it, but wouldn't try it. So, being the sugar loving mom that I am, I took a finger full of the frosting and forced it in her mouth. She gagged. :( Luckily we got it on video and will laugh about it as the years go on; but poor Jada. I must have scarred her for life. To this day she refuses to try ANYTHING that looks like cake, ice cream, or frosting. (maybe that's a good thing:/)

Thank you everyone who came to help us celebrate Jada turning 1 and celebrate us having her in our family for a whole year. Time really does fly! We are so blessed to have wonderful friends, and are also extremely blessed to have Miss Jada in our lives. We love her more than words can express. She really is the cutest, happiest, easiest, sweetest, most adorable girl I know!

The Cake (Jada's that is)

The Banners (I had 3 of these hanging)

The Guests (minus a few . . . sorry about that)

The Gifts (obviously not all are pictured)

Eating the Cake (or rather, not eating)

Enjoying my new things
* Note the change in outfits. Jada LOVED her new star outfit (thanks Ezra!) and wouldn't put it down, so we helped her put it on. She was one happy girl. I'm not sure what it is about that cute outfit, but every time she sees it (even now) she gets excited and has to carry it around.

The Cake (take 2)
For those of you who don't know, Macey's bakery will give you a FREE cake for your child's first birthday. So, the day after her birthday we tried again. Still no luck. But, Mom and Dad ate the cake and it was delicious:)

Love this girl!

and that's all she wrote . . . for today . . . more updates to come

Only a few more days . . .

2012-01-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry blogging world, I promise I have not forgotten you! I am almost caught up and will be back soon.

Until then, here is our little Miss. We love our little girl!

* thanks Gramma J for my cute outfit!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

We are too busy having a wonderful time with my family in GA . . . Updates to come after all the holiday fun:)

Happy 1st Birthday Jada!

2011-12-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

We love you so much and feel so blessed to have you in our family.

more info and pictures to come!

I stand corrected . . .

2011-11-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

I was under the impression that to be deemed a "walker" one had to be walking more often then crawling, and would be able to walk around the house without much falling.

Apparently I was incorrect:) Thanks to all those who enlightened me on the subject.

Based on my previous post, I guess that makes Jada officially a walker:)

She's getting close!!!!

2011-11-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a turning point for Jada. Before today we had managed to get 5 or so steps out of her on her own. Well today, Jada took 12 steps by herself.

Today was different. Today I hosted our wards "Mother's Group" and had a few moms and their children over. I don't know if that was it or what, but during the play group Jada decided that she wanted to try walking on her own. Not just once, but MANY times. (Must have been the 16 month old she was admiring) She kept standing up and walking as much as she could, then getting right back up and trying again. I couldn't believe it! Michael and I have been trying every day to bribe her into taking a few steps and there she was taking anywhere from 5-10 all on her own! She gets so excited when she does it, occasionally even giggling. It is so cute! Any day now we are going to have ourselves a walker!

Jada's 11th month

2011-11-09T11:15:00.001-08:00

Our little baby is 11 months old! I still can't believe she is almost 1. Where did the past year go? I think time passes much more quickly when you have children.

Jada continues to grow and learn. She loves being able to crawl and especially walk. Though she can't walk on her own yet, she loves to walk with assistance. We have been working with her and have managed to get her to take a few steps on own, but I think she prefers crawling more. Its quicker and takes less effort:) I wouldn't be surprised if she is walking by her birthday though. She has the balance down, she just needs the courage.

This month has been full of fun activities and happenings. Jada still continues to bring us more joy then we could have ever imagined. I love watching her grow and love being a mother.

As of November 3rd, Jada:
* weights 21 lbs
* is 28.75 inches tall
* Has 2 new teeth. She is up to 4! (and has another one on its way . . . we have been waiting for it to break through, but it has yet to happen. An entire month of teething . . . yuck.)
* Celebrated her first Halloween, which included: a party with friends, trick-or-treating 3 times and dressing up at least 6 times
* Visited her first pumpkin patch which also provided many firsts
* Started dancing to music. She especially loves the theme songs to Monk and Super Why
* learned to stick her bottom lip out and does it all the time
* Has taken 5 steps by herself (with much persuasion)
* Got her first toothbrush
* Has managed to say "mama" twice (This is still a work in progress. She will say "nanana" but not "mamama")
* Got to see Gramma J for a few days during her trip out here. Thanks Gramma for the cute clothes and books!
* Fed the ducks for the first time
* Has started laughing more and more. Sometimes even when playing by herself. She also enjoys joining in with others if they laugh.
* Got another "favorite" blanket from Maimi (my mother), this time Giraffe print! (its smaller and perfect for when we are out and about) Thanks Maimi!
* is starting to get a belly
* loves playing on Mom and Dad's bed and in the pantry
* gives more and more kisses spontaneously

Pictures from this month:

A few other pictures from her 11 month photo shoot (she required the books to be content)

Chomping on some Romaine lettuce. Thanks Dad!

Our little reader

We also has some family photo's taken this month. A friend in the ward, Dawnee Godfrey, takes pictures as well, so we arranged to do a photo swap. These are a few of my favorites.

I also failed to post about our Duck Pond visit. So here are a few from that day

Jada and her lower lip:)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

"I'm so cute it's scary" (thanks Gramma Jensen for the cute shirt!)

This Halloween proved to be the best we've had in years! It was definitely the best Halloween that Michael and I have had together.

To start off the festivities, since we have a little house, I was finally able to do some decorating! And can I just say, decorating is addicting. I love buying and making decorations. I loved being able to get into the spirit of Halloween. We are loving having a house!

On the Saturday evening before Halloween we attended a little party at one of our friend's home. She decided that since the ward wasn't having a party for the little ones, we should. So we dressed up our babies and all got together for a few hours to chat and eat while the children played together. It was fun to see all the cute kids in their costumes! They were all so cute!

On Halloween day, while Michael was at school, Jada and I started the festivities by going to Macey's and trick-or-treating there. When Michael finished class, we picked him up and headed to the mall to trick-or-treat there. It rocked! (Note for anyone with small children: the mall is the place to go.) We got there at 5pm and spent about an hour going to each store and getting some candy. We took Jada around in her stroller and put her little pumpkin bucket on her lap. She enjoyed having people drop candy into her bucket:) It was perfect. Short walk, lots of candy, warm, and quick. We even took a break to get some Chick-fil-A for dinner. Besides Jada loving all the candy, I think the highlight was people's reactions to Michael's costume. I couldn't believe the number of looks and comments he got. I kept laughing as I saw tons of people pointing to him in the distance and getting their friends to look. He even managed to get us extra candy because of his "awesome costume". One employee at Hot Topic said, "That's a dope costume!". It's been a while since I've heard that one! (YIKES) At one point Michael said, "Now I know what it feels like to be a celebrity!" It was pretty entertaining.

After the mall we still wanted to do some normal trick-or-treating so we took Jada to a neighborhood up in the Foothills of Provo. I cant lie, it was a bit disappointing. We only went to about 10 house and over half of them people weren't there or chose not to answer the door. I was glad we did the mall, otherwise it would have been a bust. Michael claims I, "saved Halloween" by thinking of the mall. Its probably true. There was one great thing about going to the neighborhood though, we got to see an awesome pumpkin display! The house had at least 30 pumpkins, carved and lit. It was amazing!

All in all it was a wonderful day and night. Jada got tons of candy! (Which means Michael and I got lots of candy). But besides having candy to eat, Jada LOVES playing with her candy. Its been a week now and almost everyday she will just sit on the floor with her bucket of candy and play for nearly an hour. Its fun to watch her play. She gets so happy!

A few shots after going to Macey's but before going Trick-or-Treating at the mall

Trick-or-Treating at the Mall

Getting a little bite to eat:)

Tony & Teddy

A few of the awesome pumpkins at the house mentioned above

The superhero and his daughter

The only Halloween family picture we manage to get. Good thing its sweet!

Jada enjoying her candy

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween as well!

Halloween Preview

2011-10-31T20:32:00.001-07:00

Can you guess what we were for Halloween?

FREE photo session

2011-10-31T10:52:00.001-07:00

Dear Family, Friends, and Friends of Friends,

I am currently working on my portfolio of infants and newborns for my photography website and am in need of some cute babies! (Specifically newborns, but all infants would be great!)

To help me in my efforts, I am currently offering a FREE photo session for any newborns and infants in the area who are willing to come to my home. 2 free digital images are included in the free session. Additional images can be purchased for $10 an image.

If you or anyone you know is interested, please give me a call at 248-238-7304. This is a limited time offer so don't pass it up. Spread the word!

Thanks!
Aubry

*** My photo blog is a work in progress, so for examples of my work, please see my Tucker Photography page on Facebook.

Giveaway

2011-10-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

I just entered this awesome giveaway. It is a custom designed "Year in Review" from Amanda Jane Jones. She is very talented. Check it out!!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

This last Monday for FHE, Michael and I invited our friends (the Jordan's) over to carve some pumpkins. For those of you who are loyal readers, you will remember that we carved pumpkins with them last year. We decided to continue the tradition.

Jason and Katie came over around 6pm. We started the evening off with some delicious pizza then picked out our designs, put Jada to bed, and got to work on our pumpkins. We washed them, cleaned 'em out, then started on our carving. After many hours (including a break for some pie) . . . they were finally complete.

Here is everyone with their work of art!

This is what Jada was doing while I carved her pumpkin for her:)

Everyone (minus Jada) with their final product!

I think we all agreed that Jason won the "Sweetest Pumpkin Award". It really is an awesome looking pumpkin. Thank you Jason and Katie for coming over and continuing our pumpkin carving tradition. The pizza was great and so was the evening. We are bummed we won't be able to do it with you again next year! Maybe we will have to make a trip out to California;)

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to "The Red Barn" aka Rowley's South Ridge Farms down in Santaquin, Utah to visit their pumpkin patch. For a few years now, every October I have been seeing all these pictures via facebook and blogs of families going to apple orchards and pumpkin patches. I have never seen any advertisements for them around Provo/Salt Lake and didn't think Utah had any. Well, this year I decided to look into it. All the picture I have seen make it look so fun and I wanted in. Lucky for us there were more then I expected and we had a handful to choose from within an hour or so from our house.

After some research, we decided to go to the Red Barn. There is another one in Riverton, Utah that looks like a lot of fun too, so we might go visit that one as well. But we thought the Red Barn would be great for our family's first since it was only about 30 minutes away.

We had an awesome time. We had some delicious cinnamon and sugar donuts, the most FANTASTIC milkshake I have ever had (made with fresh raspberries), went on a hay ride, visited the pumpkin patch, picked out the perfect pumpkin, took lots of pictures, and had the best time! Jada was grumpy earlier in the day and we were worried our trip would be cut short. But, she loved it. She loved every minute of it, especially riding on the John Deere tractor and climbing on the pumpkins. All in all it was a great day! If you live in the area, you should go. And don't forget to get yourself a fresh raspberry milkshake!

On the hay ride with Daddy

the Worlds best Milkshake!

Jada and the ginormous pumpkin

Canning Tomato Juice & Tomatoes

2011-10-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

One of my goals this past summer was to learn how to can tomato juice and tomatoes from my mom. She has been doing it since I can remember, but I never learned how to do it myself. Actually, to be honest, I dont even remember watching her can tomatoes, they were just always there. I remember helping my grandma and mom can pears and peaches, but never tomatoes.

While Michael, Jada & I were living with my parents during part of March and April I had the opportunity to cook once or twice a week. When I made recipes that used tomatoes or tomato juice or sauce I used my mom's homemade stuff and HOLY COW did it taste better. A few of the recipes I made during our stay I have made a ton of times, but using those home canned tomatoes made all of the difference. They made some of my favorite recipes a million times better! That was when I decided that I wanted to learn to can. Eventually I would love to learn how to can everything (such as peaches, pears, applesauce, tomatoes, and whatever else I want) but I thought I would start with tomatoes since they are in a lot of the recipes I love. I know I will need a lot of canning equiptment if I want to do this regularly and on my own in the future, but I figured, hey, I should take advantage of living by my parents as long as I can. I will get my own equipment one day.

Last month I was able to achieve my goal and check off canning tomatoes from my "to-do" list. During one of our weekends up in Syracuse, my mom and I went out early in the morning and picked a box of tomatoes. (Ok lets me honest, I supervised while my mom did. We forgot gloves and after picking up tons of rotting tomatoes I just couldn't do it. I bet out of the 50 + I picked up only 5 were usable in my book. Good thing my mom grew up on a farm and was used to this kind of work. Though she did inform me that they took much better care of their tomatoes and their tomatoes were never in this condition. She said picking on their farm was a MUCH easier and better experience. Better luck next time I guess. Either A, don't forget your gloves, or B, just buy they pre-picked from a farmers market.) Anyways, once we had filled the box, we headed home, combined the box with a bunch of tomatoes from my parents garden, and started the festivities. To my surprise, my dad joined in the fun and helped us juice and can all the tomatoes. I didn't know he knew how to can, but apparently he does. He even knew all the canning vocabulary, which I did not.

I had a wonderful time canning with my parents and now have over 30 jars of tomato juice and whole tomatoes. Yum, Yum! Meals at the Jensen home just got a lot better!

Thanks Mom and Dad for sharing your skills and knowledge with me. I loved canning with you!

Jada's 10th month & September in Review

2011-10-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

The past month has flown by! Where does time go?! September is over and we are already a third of the way through October. Man oh man.

As a quick review of our lives in September, this past month:
* We celebrated many birthday including: my dad's, Cody's (our friend), Brinley's (Jada's girlfriend), and of course mine!
* I got an awesome picture of the temple for my birthday, that I LOVE (it's ginormous)
* My mom & dad taught me how to can tomatoes and tomato juice
* Michael planned a surprise date one Friday night which rocked! His sister Becca watched Jada while Michael and I went out on a surprise date that Michael had planned. He surprised me first, by making it a double date with our good friends the Leishman's; Second, by taking us all bowling; and third, by ending the evening with a delicious dinner
* I also got a bunch of sewing supplies for my birthday from my Mom and Dad and have been sewing like crazy! I have made bibs, curtains, a crib skirt, flag banners, bow, the list goes on . . .
* We watched Conference, which was spectacular!
* Michael fractured his wrist and now has a cast on for six weeks
* We won a backpack at the Marriott School Opening Social (an ipad2 was two prizes after our backpack... so close)
* Jada and I walked up to BYU campus to surprised Michael twice
* We had a family sleepover with our friends (and old neighbors) the Leishman's. It was pretty awesome. I think we are going to make this a monthly tradition
* We started making our 72-hour kits! (this has been on my to-do list for months)
* Michael and I read "The Help" together, which was awesome

A couple pictures from Cody's birthday party

Cody and Kate Leishman

Jada's 10 month photo and happenings

As of October 3rd, Jada . . .
* weights 19.5 lbs
* is about 28.5 inches long
* was invited to, and attended her first birthday party (for her friend Brinley who turned 1)
* has started walking along furniture and is getting pretty fast
* started giving "high 5s"
* decided she doesn't really care to eat her veggies anymore
* still only has 2 teeth
* tried chocolate for the first time (Maimi gave her half of an M&M, lucky girl)
* started saying "dada"
* "watched" her first General Conference
* learned to wave
* started scrunching her nose and blowing in and out (not sure what this is technically called, but it's the cutest)
* has started to swat away foods that she doesn't want
* is the best!
* loves being chased around the house, especially if you crawl after her
* is getting more and more social
* has a fun little scream she does when she is happy and playful
* enjoys watching "Super Why" (be it on PBS or little clips of the songs online) She gets very excited
* is getting more and more attached to her blanket
* loves cheese

Pictures from this month:

Celebrating my birthday with Michael, Jada and my Mom and Dad. My Mom made the best cake. My favorite, Rainbow chip cake and frosting with an added surprise . . . MONEY. (this is a Tucker family tradition of sorts. It was one of my favorites growing up, who doesn't love to find money (sanitized coins for those of you who are worried) in their cake!)

Welcoming Fall in our sweats

I love this pictures:) This was taken during our birthday party celebration for Cody and sleepover at the Leishman's. She snatched that chip right out of the bowl

Walking with Daddy

Sportin' the Detroit hat (Go Tigers!)

Helping Momma open her birthday gifts

Our no-so-little girl :)

What a cutie pie! I love this little outfit

Jada and Brinley at her party

Daddy & Jada
Welcome October and Welcome Fall! (more decorations to come:))

Chomper

2011-09-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Lucky for us, Jada LOVES food. All food. She is the best little eater, with the CUTEST little chew.

Kansas Vacation

2011-09-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

As mentioned below, Jada and I had the chance to fly out to Kansas to visit my sister, Tiffani and her adorable family (Ryan, Carson, Halli, and their newest addition, baby Bentley).

Jada and I got to spend 2 fun filled weeks with them and loved every minute. Many eventful things happened during our stay:

* Carson started Kindergarten
* Jada learned to climb up stairs
* We were able to attend Bentley's baby blessing
* Tiffani and I had a girls night out and went to see the movie "The Help"
* Jada learned to feed herself Cheerios and other small finger foods
* I was able to take TONS of pictures of Bentley and Family pictures for the Harris'
* Jada learned to pull herself up
* I got to make the traditional Muddy Buddies for Carson's 1st day of school after school snack:)
* Carson and Halli got a new pool (slide included)
* Tiffani and I had sewing nights and made bibs for Jada, "little man" ties, and flag banners for our nurseries.
* Jada gave kisses for the first time (to me). Unfortunately for me, after day 1, no more kisses for Mommy, only baby Bentley.
* Jada got to go to the library for the first time

Lots of other things happened, but those are just a few of the bigger events. Jada and I loved our stay. Jada loved playing with Carson, Halli, and especially Bentley whenever she could.

Thanks Tiffani and Ryan for letting us come be your house guests for a few weeks. We loved it so much! Cant wait to do it again. And thank you Michael for letting us go too. We sure missed you!

A few photo's for our adventures:

Silly Halli, so excited to be swimming in their new pool

Watching the kids swim

Learning to feed herself . . .

Oh Ryan, you win. Best picture.

The adorable children:)

Who me?!

Trying to play with Bentley

Playing with Ryan

Halli and Bentley. She was so cute. Bentley was upset and Halli wanted to try and make him happy. She held him on her lap and tried everything she could to make him happy:) She is going to be a great mom one day.

Jada going in for Bentley. I think Bentley is trying to run . . .

My sister, Tiffani and Bentley:)

I thought this was the cutest thing. Everyday Carson had to practice the piano, and without fail, as soon as he started, Jada would crawl over to him and happily listen to him play:)

Trying to get Bentley. hahaha

Carson's 1st day of School. I just love this picture:)

Swimming Fun . . . they are too cute!

We love you Harris Family and cant wait to see you in December!

1 down, 3 to go!

2011-09-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Michael!

We found out this morning that Michael passed his first CPA exam with flying colors (REG for those who know anything about CPA exam.) It is one of the harder of the 4 exams and he was pretty nervous that he didn't do well, but he did. I believe his quote was, "I'm speechless" when I told him the news. You are the best Michael. Way to rock it!

I found this and just couldn't resist. ha

Jada's 9th month

2011-09-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

Time flies. Our little beauty is 9 months old. This past month has been busy busy. Michael spent the first week of August in Orlando, Florida with Ernst & Young at Disney World. While he was in Florida, Jada and I went to visit my Dad in Syracuse. (My mom was in Kansas visiting my sister, Tiffani, who just had a baby.) While Michael was living the life in Florida, Jada and I had a wonderful time with my dad.

The following week Jada and I flew to Kansas to visit my sister, Tiffani, and her family and to spend some time with my newest nephew Bentley Cooper:) We were lucky enough to get to spend over 2 weeks there! Meanwhile, Michael took his finals, worked a ton, and studied for his first CPA exam. It was hard to be apart, but I think it worked out for the best. Michael was able to focus and spend as much time as he could studying. He took his first CPA exam the morning we flew back! We wont find out till November how he did, but I'm sure he did great. (I will post more about our trip to Kansas next.)

Back to Jada. She has been learning so quickly, I am always so amazed at everything she picks up.

As of September 3rd, Jada . . .
* weights 18 lbs
* is 28.25 inches tall
* started giving kisses
* flew on a plane for the first time (3 planes to be exact) and did AMAZING. I was so worried since she learned to crawl she would hate sitting on my lap for hours, but she was a champ. The flight attendant even came to talk to me as we were descending to tell me that they were happy to have us on the flight and that Jada did better then most babies he has seen. The lady in front of us also commented that she didn't even know there was a baby right behind her till she stood up to get off the plane. Jada is the best!
* sleeps through then night completely
* learned to crawl up stairs while in Kansas
* loves to eat, especially whatever we are eating
* learned to give "High 5's"
* learned to wave
* lights up whenever her Daddy comes home
* learned to pull herself up into a standing position
* has started walking along furniture
* loves her zebra blankie more then ever
* LOVES babies and LOVES to give them kisses. (She reserves her kisses for babies these days)
* has mastered feeding herself and loves to do so
* loves her Maimi and Poppi and actually let them hold her when I was in the room last weekend when we were visiting. (Previously she wouldn't let anyone hold her for long if I was around, but she has been doing MUCH better. I think the stranger anxiety is fading away. Hooray!)
* loves books and enjoys flipping through the pages on her own
* loves cords and fans. This is problematic, we have to watch her like a hawk.
* has been given the nickname "Jaderz" by her dad
* enjoys shopping with her mommy
* is crawling like crazy and gets into everything
* is the best daughter:) I just cant get enough of her!

Photos from this month:

Additional picture from her 9 month photo shoot

Bathing in the kitchen sink at Maimi & Poppi's after a HUGE diaper explosion

Our little eater

Jada in her "spot". This is where she likes to play with all her toys. I have a picture of her smiling, but I love her funny faces.

This one was taken in Kansas by my sister. Love her:)

Jada pulled herself up in my leg . . . her new favorite thing

Excited to see baby Bentley! Kiss attack!!

Giving her cousin a smooch:)

Happy to finally have mastered feeding herself

Everyday when Carson practiced piano, Jada would crawl over, stand up, and listen to him play. Smiling the whole time.

Trying to get Bentley

A few more from her photo shoot

Just like Daddy

2011-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Green Monster. (Don't worry, Jada's was made specially for her and is safe for babies.)

Jada's 8th month

2011-08-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Another month has flown by. I don't know where all the time goes! Summer is almost over and I'm bummed. Though I don't have to go back to school, Michael does, and I know Jada and I won't get to see him as often as we would like.

This past month Jada has been learning a ton. I am often surprised by how much she has learned and what she has picked up on. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure all you parents out there know. I feel like for the first 7 months of her life she was just an observer. But, within the past month she went from being an observer to a discoverer and communicator. Her personality is starting to show. Jada knows what she wants and won't give up until she gets it. She is interested in everything and wants anything you have. I think the best part is being able to see the excitement and joy on her face when she is really happy: whether its because Mom or Dad came in the room, she was able to get what she wanted, or she was able to make a splash in the tub.

I love being a mom. I love everything about it. I love Jada so much and am so grateful for the opportunity Michael and I have to be her parents. She brings so much joy and happiness into our family. We love you Jada!

As of August 3rd, Jada . . .
* is 27.5 inches long
* weights 17.4 lbs
* rode a horse for the first time

* had her second tooth pop out
* has started pulling her head bows/flowers down and wearing them like a necklaces
* can sit herself up
* has 2 freckles
* went swimming for the first time and LOVED it (we all went on Pioneer Day!)
* loves to try and pull herself up on everything and anything (and is SO close)
* is interested in everything and wants to hold/touch whatever she can get her hands on
* still loves her blankie
* LOVES playing peek-a-boo, and thinks it's hilarious
* attended her first parade for the 4th of July
* had her first play-date with her friend Brinley at the pool (thanks to a storm it was short lived, but still fun while it lasted) Jada was too excited about having Brinley there she didn't really care about the pool or water

* has successfully fed herself Cheerios and other small snacks a handful of times (the letting go of the object is the tricky part)
* started crawling!! (as of a week ago)
* is still the cutest girl ever:)
* loves standing and walking with help
* enjoys watching other children and trying to play with them
* gets really excited when she is by other children her age
* is getting harder and harder to take good pictures of . . . she is a little mover and she won't sit still . . . I know, it is only going to get worse
* learned to chew and now wants anything I am eating and MUST have some
* gets excited when she hears her name on the phone (I often talk to Michael and my family on speaker phone because Jada just loves to listen and hear her name. Her face lights up and she started smiling and squirming like crazy every time she hears it.)
* is getting better about sleeping thought the night
* loves cuddling, but only when SHE feels like it; I'll take what I can get:)
* is starting to enjoy reading books more
* loves to suck on Mommy's toe

Fun at the Pool

I think we need to lower her crib :)

Jada & her friend Brinley . . . so cute!

Hannah & Jada (this is Jada's way of telling you she is tired, and a way of snuggling)

More bath time fun

One more photo shoot picture

Funny story for this month:
Michael and I had our friends, the Leishman's, over for dinner. Dinner was over and Kate and & were cleaning up, while Michael and Cody gave Jada a bath. A few minutes after Jada had been in the tub I hear Cody say, "Kate, this is why we can't have children!" as he walked into the kitchen. I started laughing and went to see what had happened. Turns out Jada had pooped in the tub. hahaha. She has never done that before. I thought it was pretty funny that she waited to do it til we had friends over:) Don't worry Cody, it doesn't happen all the time.

The Best Surprise Ever

2011-07-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Michael and I at the HP7.2 midnight showing in our homemade shirts. Michael's says, "You really need to sort out your priorities." on the front, and "7-15-11 midnight showing HP7.2" on the back. If you aren't sure what mine is, you should probably read the book.
P.S. I'm not as chubby as I look

Michael surprised me last Thursday with tickets to see the midnight showing of Harry Potter 7.2. I can't even tell you how excited I was. Michael and I (so I thought) had been trying for days prior to Thursday to find a babysitter and locate some tickets. July and HP7.2's release day kind of snuck up on me this year. It was a few days before the 14th before I realized this was our last time to attend a midnight showing and we didn't get tickets. By Thursday I had secured a babysitter, but no tickets. After many calls and searching the Internet I finally decided to give up. We were going to miss it.

Thursday afternoon Michael and I were just hanging out at home when I received a phone call. My friend, Rachel, called to tell me that somehow Fandango had tickets available at one of the local theaters. They were sold out 30 minutes before, but somehow there were some available now. So, I quickly went on the site, and sure enough there were open spots. I quickly clicked on them and worked through the process of trying to buy them. I got stuck on the pricing though. Micheal and I tried to call the theater but couldn't get through. Meanwhile, if you are familiar with Fandango, they have a timer on there when you click on the tickets. I think you get about 7 minutes to pay for them or they are made available to others. Well the timer was running out. I finally turned to Micheal and said, "Whatever, I'm just going to get them." and proceeded to continue in the checkout process. But, right as I was about to finalize my payment, Michael said, "No, don't do it." I was so confused. "Why?" I asked, then frantically shouted, "I ONLY HAVE 30 SECONDS!!!"

Michael smiled and said, "I already got tickets". I was SUPER confused now. Michael handed me a piece of paper. It was 4 tickets to the Thanksgiving Pointe 3D theater for 11:59pm. Ok, now I was just dumbfounded. Why did he get 4? How did he get these, I knew everyone was sold out? Who would watch Jada now, I just told our babysitter we couldn't go? We had just discussing 15 minutes ago about how bummed we were that we couldn't get tickets! Michael had been texting me and calling me all day trying to figure out how we could go.

Apparently my awesome husband had it all planned out. We were going to watch HP7.1 with some friends around 7 that night and he was planning on telling me after the movie. Our friends, Cody and Kate Leishman, were in on it too. They were coming with us! Michael had a babysitter all line up, and everything ready to go. It was the best surprise. Michael has only surprised me this good once before, when he proposed. Both times he played it out so well that I had NO idea it was coming. Props to you Michael, for an awesome surprise!

Michael, Cody, Kate and I had a wonderful evening together. Michael and I made t-shirts while the 4 of us watch Harry Potter 7.1. After the movie, we picked up some treats and drinks then headed to the theater. Since it was in 3D and at Thanksgiving Pointe we had assigned seats. (which was great because we didn't have to get there super early) We arrive about 45 minutes before it started. It was fun to see all of the people dressed up! (It is probably my favorite thing about going to the midnight showings) The movie was fantastic. We all agreed that we probably wouldn't see it in 3D again, but it was still awesome! I won't lie, I cried many times. I am sad that the series is over. I can't image anything better ever existing:)

Thank you Michael for everything. I loved our date, I loved the movie, and best of all, I love you! Thanks Cody and Kate for coming with us, and Megan and Jordan for watching Miss Jada.

Elder Tucker

2011-07-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

My little brother Ryan entered the MTC last Wednesday, July 13th. He will be serving in the Provo, Utah, MTC Referral Center for the next 2 years, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ on the phone, internet, and every way he can:)

Our family had a little farewell BBQ for Ryan the weekend before including baked goods, hot dogs, chips, and homemade root beer. Lindsey, my Mom, and I spent the few days before the party making cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc, trying to get everything ready for Saturday. On Saturday morning the boys went golfing, then spent the afternoon playing "extreme" croquet and hanging out, while the girls put the finishing touches on the cookies and cupcakes with frosting. Lindsey and I spent hours executing our decorative ideas. (see below) Sadly, after all the hard work, I guess our cookies were just too cool to eat. A few were eaten, but most were just admired:) Good thing we had lots of other goodies and at least we had fun making them!

Lots of Ryan's friends from the ward and school, as well as family, were able to come. We had a great turn out and Ryan really enjoyed seeing everyone.

Michael attempting to make it up the ramp and onto the deck without rolling off the other side. They put a ring about mid-deck and have a drain tube that they have to go in and down as part of the course. I think the consensus after the LONG game was to make it a bit easier next time. It was a little too extreme.

Preparing for the party

Our "amazing" sugar cookie ties and name tags:)
(some were designed form Ryan's requests)

2 of the favorites and most time consuming . . .

I just had to put this cute pictures of Jada and her Poppi

The following day, Sunday, Ryan and my brother-in-law Kenny spoke in church. Lots of family and friends were able to come to see Ryan speak. Hearing Kenny speak too was a bonus. Ryan and Kenny both gave amazing talks. I was touched by both of their words. I know without a doubt that Ryan will be a great missionary. I know he really appreciated everyone who came and who has given him their support throughout his life. Thank you everyone who came.

On Wednesday the 13th, my parents, Ryan, Lindsey, Michael, Jada and I were all able to go out to lunch and spend a little time together before taking Ryan to the MTC to say our goodbyes. (Sorry you had to work Kenny:() We had a delicious lunch at P.F. Chang's, took some pictures, then dropped Ryan off at the MTC.

At the restaurant

Saying our goodbyes . . .

We will miss you Ryan, but know you are where you are supposed to be. Thank you for your wonderful example to me. You impress me more and more everyday. I am excited for you and know the Lord will bless you. We can't wait to hear how its going!

Ryan driving away in his scooter

Jada's 7th month

2011-07-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Jada turned 7 months old a couple weeks ago. (I know I am a little behind, 2 weeks isn't bad though, right?!) She has been learning and growing like crazy! We love her more and more everyday. This month has been a roller coaster. Jada started teething and it seemed everything we worked for was thrown out the window. Trying to get her to sleep through the night has been a challenge. We had a few extremely rough nights and many not so fun ones. But, things are finally getting better. Teething also made her fussy and very clingy to Mom. I was and still am at times, lucky to have some time to myself during the day. She quit taking long naps and wants me to hold her all day. But, since tooth #2 broke through a few days ago she has been getting better and better about playing with her toys and not crying if I am not next to her or holding her. The past few nights have been getting better too. Lets just hope we get a little break before more teeth start coming in.

As of July 3rd, Jada . . .
* weighs about 16.5 lbs
* is 27.5 inches long
* recognizes her name and will almost always smile when she hears it
* loves taking baths and splashes like crazy
* has outgrown her baby bath
* loves to go on walks and be outside
* is back to breastfeeding every 4 hours
* has started to try and figure out how things work
* has started being much more vocal and making all kinds of noises. No "mama" or "dada" yet, but we are working on it
* has learned to scoot. She will stretch her arms out and pull while kicking off with her legs. (I think she will learn to crawl within the next few weeks)
* loves her mommy and daddy

* passes objects back and forth from one hand to the other
* is a great eater and loves her baby food! She always gets mad when its all gone, but if we keep feeding her she will never stop
* recognizes certain things, for example: her plastic bowls or spoons mean its time to eat, walking over near her crib means its nap time, etc.
* loves being thrown in the air
* tries to climb up me all the time so that I will hold her
* still laughs and giggles like crazy at her Daddy
* loves hymn books, scriptures, and any other book that would be unwise for her to have:)
* now objects when you take away something she wants
* wants to play with everything except her toys
* still loves her blanket but now has a couple that will work as substitutes (still cant go anywhere without one)
* loves playing peek-a-boo
* can sit up all by herself
* likes it when you scratch her back or tummy
* has been teething all month and finally go her first tooth to break through on the exact day she turned 7 months. (July 3rd)
* loves to "chew" on our fingers and toes
* loves to be outside and watch the cars pass by
* wants to drink out of whatever you have, be it a cup, mug, bottle, the sink, etc. But is happy with her sippy cup most of the time.
* is still the cutest girl I know!

Pictures from June 4th - July 3rd

Jada & Sophie

Just woke up, and SO happy to see Mom!

Jada & Mommy

Chillin' with Daddy

My new AWESOME outfit, THANKS DADDY!

Taking a nap with Maimi

Silly Sleeper

Gerber Contest

2011-07-08T02:08:00.000-07:00

If you have facebook, please go vote for baby Jada in the 2011 Gerber Generation Photo Search:) You can click on the link below or in facebook search, "Gerber Generation Contest", type in Jada & Provo, then select the "supported sitter" category, click on her photo then click on the VOTE button.

Supported Sitter

Tell your friends! Thanks!!!

Independence Day

2011-07-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

Jada and I were able to spend the holiday with my family up in Syracuse this year. We actually drove up on Sunday and are spending the week here to hang out with everyone before Lindsey & Kenny head to GA, and Ryan leaves on his mission. (Michael had to stay in Provo to work and go to class . . . sorry babe, we miss you!! Thanks for everything you do for our family.)

Though we started off the day with only a few plans, the day turned out to be great! Jada and I began our day by heading to the Kaysville parade with my mom and dad. Jada loved being outside and watching all of the children. She was NOT a fan of the Fire Trucks and Police cars, but then again, what infant/toddler is?! As soon as the sirens started, most of the babies and toddlers around us started screaming. Besides those few minutes, Jada loved it. I will admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. My last experience with a parade was about 3 years ago . . . and it was LAME, really lame. But this parade was SWEET. Everyone was throwing out candy, store/restaurants were handing out coupons, the day was overcast and perfect, there were tons of people and floats, etc. After 2 hours of fun, Jada dosed off, but kept getting woken up by honk and screams. Needless to say, that got old and she couldn't take anymore. She wanted to sleep. So, we called it good and headed home.

The Kaysville Parade

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing games and relaxing. After a delicious hamburger dinner, we played a family game of croquet. Somehow I managed to win, again. (We played Fathers Day weekend and due to some lucky shots by myself and some unfortunate shots by others, I came out victorious.) Somehow fate was in my favor and I won again:) 2 for 2, not bad!

We finished off the evening by playing more games and watching all the local fireworks in the back yard. It was almost a perfect day. The only thing missing . . . Michael.

Lindsey & Kenny's awesome Fruit Salad

Croquet

Stadium of Fire

2011-07-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

After 7 months, Michael and I were finally able to go out on a "real" date again. We have been out a few times (without Jada) to attend the temple, run quick errands to the store, etc. But, had yet to be on a real night out without our little cutie.

Well last Saturday, my sister Lindsey and her husband Kenny kindly agreed to watch Jada so that Michael and I could go to the Stadium of Fire. Long story short, we LOVED it. It was so nice to have some time to ourselves and to be patriotic:) We both really enjoyed listening to David Archuleta and Brad Paisley. Our favorite thing about the night was listening to David sing the National Anthem while fireworks went off and the planes flew over. I got goosebumps. I am so grateful to live in America and for all of the freedoms we have. The whole evening was wonderful. I hope we get to go again next year! (hint, hint)

David Archuleta

Brad Paisley

Some of my favorite Firework shots . . .

I can't get enough of you baby . . .

2011-06-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Our "New" House . . .

2011-06-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

This past month and a half has been very busy for us. At the beginning of this month Michael, Jada, and I moved into a little home south of BYU campus. Yes, we are back in Provo. The first few days were pretty rough . . . the place was filthy when we moved in. We were scheduled to move in on Friday the 6th, but had to post pone it because our landlord had to cancel the carpet cleaning. The place was soo dirty. We would have had to wait a week or so before professional cleaners and the carpets could be cleaned so we made a deal with our landlord to clean it ourselves. We hired on some help and spent the morning and afternoon of the 6th cleaning like crazy. By 4pm it was clean enough to get our carpets done. We spent all day Saturday moving boxing and trying to finish the cleaning that we weren't able to get to the day before. It took us a few days to get everything cleaned but after a week or so, the house finally looked great. (Thank you everyone who helped us, Lindsey, Kenny, Becca, Taylor, Bob and Claire Mount, and anyone else I missed! We really appreciate all of your time.)

My sister, Lindsey and her husband, Kenny, were kind enough to drive down for a few days to help take care of Jada during the day while Michael was at school and I unpacked and finished the cleaning. I don't know what I would have done without them! I was able to go MUCH faster with them there. Thanks Lindsey and Kenny!

Michael and I spent a lot of time those first few weeks trying to find things to furnish our home. This is the first unfinished place we have lived in. So, needless to say, we had nothing. Not even a bed. But somehow, within about two weeks we accumulated nearly everything we needed, and then some:). (Our last item, a good couch, will be here soon!) We have been so blessed. We spent many hours on craigslist and ksl looking for things and going to garage sales on the weekends. Somehow we found AMAZING things for GREAT deals. We seriously have been so lucky and blessed this past month. We were literally in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions. I will post some pictures of our favorite finds soon!

We have been in the house for 5 or so weeks now and are really loving it. We love having all of our things back. We love having a house instead of an apartment. We love not sharing any walls. We love our neighbors. We love our ward. We love having a lawn to play on outside (which we have done many times). We love having a bigger space, TWO BEDROOMS! We love it all. The only thing we miss is seeing and being with my family:( But we get to go visit this weekend:)

It begins . . .

2011-06-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

I can't take it anymore. I hate my body and I NEED to get off this baby weight. It's time to get in shape. Today starts Michael and I's new workout and diet plan. I know this is going to be difficult, especially since I HATE working out and I love sugar, but it must be done. (I'm hoping if I tell and commit to the world that I am doing this it will work.) We just got back from a trip to the grocery store. No more junk and counting my calories. Here's to getting in shape! May the force be with me.

Jada's 6th month and counting . . .

2011-06-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

This past month has been very busy for us. At the beginning of this month Michael, Jada and I moved into a little home we are renting south of BYU campus. (More about the house to follow). It has been great for us. We miss being with my family everyday and the company, but we are happy to be in a "permanent" place once again with all of our things and have finally been able to get Jada on a schedule. Jada did great in Atlanta. But, moving and traveling has been rough on her these past few months, getting her on a routine and consistency has really helped her out. We are still having some issues (like eating . . . Jada wants to eat more and more . . . I thought the older they got the longer they could go, but Jada has gone from wanting to eat every 4 hours to wanting to eat every 2. Don't worry we are working on this!) but all in all things are going great.

As of June 3rd, Jada . . .
* weighs 15.5 pounds (40th percentile)
* is 27 inches long (91st percentile)
* has learned to roll over (back to front) but still prefers not to
* passes objects back and forth from one hand to the other
* has started eating solids and loves them (except for bananas, they made her throw up) So far she has tried rice and barley cereal, green beans and sweet potatoes
* loves to go on walks and be outside
* wants to eat every 2 hours
* is enjoying being on her tummy more and more
* occasionally makes a "gaa" sound and other "g" sounds
* laughs (mostly at her dad as seen below)
* grabs anything and everything
* makes razz sounds
* loves her blanket (we no longer can go anywhere without it)
* enjoys playing with our phones
* can sit up well with support
* sleeps though the night!!! (training her went MUCH quicker and smoothly then expected)
* loves to suck on her toes and feet
* enjoys taking her pacifier out of my mouth (always smiles when she does:))
* loves her painted toes
* enjoys sipping water from a cup

Pictures from this month . . .

Going on a walk

Playing with mom

Sleeping on mommy (not common, must have been the shots)

Memorial Day at the Mounts

Relaxing

On a walk with Dad

Sweet Potatoes and Rice

Only 6 months old and already texting

Ducky Duck, her favorite:)

Lovin' the feet

Hahaha, love this face

Playing outside

Getting ready for bed

Dinner time

Bath time

funny girl

2011-05-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Surgery

2011-05-03T22:41:00.001-07:00

My little brother Ryan had surgery today on both of his feet. Bless his heart. I knew that this was coming and wanted to do something fun to help cheer him up and make him feel better while he was in the hospital. So, I decided that while he was having his surgery, we (Lindsey & I) should make a little somethin' somethin' for him.

After many hours and lots of fun . . . we created these cute shirts for us to wear when we went to visit.

In honor of Ryan, we made it all out of duct tape (well minus the T-shirts). They turned out SO cute:) I especially love the awesome duct tape bows we made to match! Thanks Lindsey for doing this with me and for your amazing duct tape bow making skillz.

Ryan, we love your guts and hope you recover quickly.

We took some more pictures with him at the hospital, but he was so out of it. I want to make sure he is ok with me posting them before I do so. So, maybe more pictures will be up soon:)

Jada's 5th month

2011-05-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

This past month has been a busy but fun one for the Jensen family. We have been living with my parents, Lindsey and Kenny for the past few weeks and have really enjoyed that. As of a week and a half ago, Michael is back in school at BYU and Jada and I will be joining him shortly (in Provo that is). We found a wonderful home to rent and get to move in this Friday. We are excited to finally have all of our things again. It has been quite the adventure living with such few belongings for over 5 months. I can't wait to have all of my clothes and shoes once again:)

Focusing more on Jada . . . she has been growing and learning like crazy this past month! It has been hard to keep up with her. It has been fun to watch her learn new tricks and to see the happiness it brings her. She is such a cute baby and we love her so much!

As of today, May 3rd, Jada . . .
* has learned to roll over (back to front) and does it ALL the time
* has starting babbling, cooing, squealing and making any noise possible all day (which is very cute)
* laughs all the time (which usually leads to getting the hick-ups)
* started reaching out and grabbing for objects. She even managed to grab my bowl a few times which almost ended in a mess
* has started to "reach" for her mom
* loves to read books
* likes to be outside
* has started growing back her dark brown hair
* eats every 3 hours
* quit sleeping through the night :(
* has found her feet and finds them fascinating
* not longer likes to be rocked to sleep or held in that position
* loves the "golden fleece" (my dad's Sherpa blanket) and will instantly calm down and go to sleep when placed inside of it
* loves rubbing the "golden fleece" on her face
* enjoys playing with toys
* can sit up with support
* watches me (or whoever is holding her) eat with this longing stare
* started playing in her crib in the morning for awhile before letting us know she is awake

Pictures from this month:

Just woke up:)

Her favorite blanket . . . Poppi's "Golden Fleece"

Just rolled over

Fun in the Sun

Chillin' watching TV

Jada & Daddy

The "Golden Fleece", her "happy place"

My little cutie in her Bumbo

Sushi Masters

2011-05-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday I did something I never planned on EVER doing in my life . . . I tried Sushi. Many of you may be shocked to hear this considering I HATE all seafood, but don't freak out, I didn't go nuts. I only tried one with "imitation crab" in it, the rest were vegetarian. Michael pulled out the, "Pleeeeease, just once for ME" card yet again. Now I can officially say I have tried Sushi. Did I like it? No, but I did it. I guess getting married and having a husband that is adventurous makes you do crazy things.
Michael will tell you all about the making of said Sushi...

First a shout out to my wifey, Aubz . . . thanks for trying a couple pieces of sushi. You rock! All I ask is the next time we have a sushi extravaganza you only have to try one piece. Also, a shout out to Kenny and Lindsey, thanks for making this possible. It was so much fun and delicious. You guys rock my socks off!

So, Kenny read up on everything we needed to know about rolling our own sushi rolls. He and Lindsey got most of the supplies and Aubry brought in some as well. We had a blast learning how to roll sushi and definitely improved.

We thought that the first one Kenny rolled was pretty good, but Lindsey showed him way up with her first roll, haha. By the end, all three of us were sushi masters. We have already had talks about our new sushi fusion restaurant that we are going to run, WHITE. (Aubry will be the photographer and designer) We're still working on the name and also need to do tons more research but we have a crazy good idea going. I've always dreamed of running a restaurant as a side business.

The sushi was fun to roll and we tried all sorts of stuff. The fruit/dessert sushi rolls were a bit tricky, we definitely need to work on perfecting that.

One of the coolest parts of the day was having everyone sit down at the table and munch down on our delicious, fresh sushi. Dad, was definitely the biggest surprise out of the group, actually going all out and trying everything. I think his quote was, "Go big or go home." haha. It was a lot of fun and Jada was the only one that didn't get any.

Future business partners

The Emperor (aka the big daddy)

Best name yet, The Shrab! (shrimp and crab)

So . . . how about a new tradition . . . Sushi Saturdays???

Jada's First Easter

2011-05-02T20:24:00.002-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

Michael, Jada and I were able to spend Easter with my parents, Lindsey, Kenny & Ryan. We had a wonderful time on Saturday searching for our baskets and plastic eggs. (Yes, I convinced the Easter Bunny that Michael & I still needed a basket:) I am not ready to grow up quite yet.) Thank You Mr. Easter Bunny! We loved it all. And what Easter would be complete without a Family Photo Session.

We also had a great Sunday attending church and focusing our attention on the real meaning of Easter, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his resurrection. I am grateful for his love and the knowledge I have that he lives!

Jada checking out her new little friends. She loves them!

Jada with her basket of goods: 2 books, 3 beanie friends & some Rice Cereal.

Michael reading Jada one of her new favorite book: That's Not My Tiger

Graduation

2011-05-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am falling behind . . . Alright, first up Graduation.

That's right, I, Aubry Tucker Jensen, finally graduated! It took me 6.5 years, but I finally finished and am thrilled (Debt free I would like to add.). I could have finished years ago if I would have stuck with my original major, but because of my determination and perseverance, I got into the BYU Photography Program and came out on top. Dreams do come true:)

I am so grateful for my wonderful college experience. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to attend Brigham Young University and for the strength, testimony and knowledge that I gained while I attended. I am grateful for the many wonderful professors and classmates that taught me lots and helped me grow as a person and professionally. There are a lot of things that I already miss about going to BYU, but I am ready for this next step in my life. So here's to life after college, whatever that may bring!

A few photo's from this monumental day . . .

I would also like to thank all of my family and friends for their support throughout this journey. I couldn't have made it though without them! I have been so blessed in so many ways and am so grateful for all of them.

The Call

2011-04-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

My baby brother Ryan got his mission call. Ryan will be serving a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Provo, Utah, MTC (Missionary Training Center) referral center. He will leave on July 13th, 2011. We are so excited for you, Ryan. Congratulations! We know you will do great.

Thanks to technology, Ryan was able to open his call with everyone there (most via web cam). All 23 of us! I think that's got to be a web chat record of some sort.

Easter Photo Shoot

2011-04-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

Here is our Easter Family Photo:) We took lots of picture of Jada's first Easter. More to come soon!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-04-25T11:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary Michael! Thank you for the best 2 years of my life (technically 3+ because dating you was awesome) You are the best husband and father. We both love you SO much!

Cutest Header on the Block

2011-04-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

I have had this idea/image in my head for the past 3 or 4 months of a new header for our blog I wanted to create. (as well as print and hang in our house) Well folk, it finally came to be:) Enjoy.

Update

2011-04-19T16:28:00.001-07:00

I finally found time to update our blog and post lots of pictures. But, I wanted the posts to be in order. So you have to look under the previous 2 posts for the NEW 3 posts:) Enjoy.

Jada Talking (better quality)

2011-04-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

She's Growing So Fast . . .

2011-04-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Just in the past week she:
- learned to rolled over
- started babbling like crazy
- started reaching and grabbing at objects
- smiles all the time at at everyone
- laughs

Idaho

2011-04-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Shortly after we got back in Utah, we headed to Idaho for Michael's Grandmother's 80th birthday and her (and Grandpa's) 60th Wedding Anniversary. All of Michael's brothers and sister drove from Michigan (Except his oldest brother and his family. He, Mark, is preparing to graduate from the UofM MBA program and couldn't afford to miss classes. We miss them.) and his parents flew in. So, almost everyone was there. Actually, of all the extended family, only 6 people were missing. There was a great turn out!

We spent about 5 days up in Idaho having fun with the family and getting ready for the big party for Grandma. We had a great time! Jada was probably in heaven. All of the cousins wanted to hold her and play with her all day. She loved being held and having so much attention. We had fun going out to eat, shopping, playing games till late, cooking, eating, chatting, and more. One of my favorite things was when Grandma and Grandpa got everyone together and gave us a little "talk/lesson" about life and bore their testimonies of Jesus Christ and his gospel. It was a wonderful moment.

Another great memory was the program that we had after the "open house" for Grandma and Grandpa. Each child of theirs, and their families, got up and did something for them. Some sang songs, others read poems they wrote, and others just shared memories and touching things about their wonderful parents. It was such an amazing experience. I am so lucky to be a part of their family.

We got to have a big family picture taken while we were there, so hopefully we will all get a copy and I can post that up here when I get it. We also go one of Michael, Jada and I that I will hopefully get and be able to use as our header:)

Jada's 4th Month

2011-04-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little late, but oh well. We have had lots going on.

Jada passed her 4 month mark. What did we do to celebrate you may ask? . . . we painted her toes! By we, I mean I. (With the help of my Mom who was keeping her occupied while I did it. It is also possible that I may have just used her being 4 months as an excuse to do what I had been wanting to do for months.)

As of April 3rd, Jada . . .
* weighs 14.31 lbs
* is 25.5 inches long
* smiles all the time and at everyone
* loves to stick her tongue out (as seen above)
* has been in 15 out of 50 states in the U.S.
* started babbling more and more
* can officially hold her head up without bobbling
* can see and follow objects quite far away
* still loves to be sang to
* laughed for the first time (at my mom)
* loves to "stand" (see picture)
* for 1 week went 11 straight hours without eating at night and slept for 9 hours at night consistently. (too bad with all the traveling that ended)
* has started enjoying having time to herself on the floor
* loves her tall swing
* started drooling like crazy and loves to suck on her hands or mom's fingers.
* got a super cute hat
* has been going through another growth spurt and wants to eat about every 3 hours more often then not
* got her toe nails painted hot pink to match her moms (which is the cutest thing every!)
* watched Aladdin happily for over 45 minutes with Mom, Maimi & Lindsey for girls night
* has found a new favorite thing . . . Poppi's super soft blanket
* got a Bumbo chair and loves it. Especially sucking on it.

Photo's from this month:

Jada's new cute hat

Her CUTE painted toe nails!

"Standing" with Aunt Lindsey

Napping on Poppi's super soft blanket

Chillin' with Dad

Doing the Bumbo

Back in Utah

2011-04-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

While Michael worked his second to last week, I spent the week in Augusta with my family one more time before we headed back. I have loved all the time we have been able to spend with them. It was fun to watch my nieces and nephews interact with Jada. My last week there was full of fun. Thanks Rhet, Jessica, Dantzel & Adam for letting Michael, Jada and I come stay with you so often. We loved it! AND thank you Lynn for letting us borrow your beautiful home and for all of your help and love!

Brooke & Jada

Daisy

Rachel, Mara & Brooke entertaining Jada while watching Lexi & Daisy play soccer

Ben

Sleepy Jada

Watching TV with Uncle Rhet

Alexis

Daisy & Colby with baby Jada

Lexi & Jada

Watching the girls play soccer

Brooke, Dantzel, Jada & Mara

For the past month and a half, Michael, Jada & I have been the traveling family. Michael's internship with Ernst Young ended on Friday, March 18th. He enjoyed working for them and is currently considering the job offer he received. Consequently on the 19th, we left Atlanta on our journey back to Utah. We left early Saturday morning and drove all day to Kansas City, KS, to visit some of our friends (Evan & Jenni) from BYU. We spend that night and Sunday hanging out with them and having fun. It's not going to be the same at BYU without them. We aren't sure what we are going to do. But it was sure fun to see them! Hopefully we will be able to go visit them once Jenni has her baby and they move out to California.

After spending Sunday with them we drove down to Derby, KS, to visit my sister Tiffani and her family. We spent 4 days with them and loved every minute. Carson & Halli were so cute with Jada. Every morning they wanted to help feed her (They would have loved to help every time, but when you are breastfeeding that doesn't quite work:). So I decided to pump in the mornings and let them feed her the bottle while we were there. They loved it. Carson was so patient, holding her till she drank every last drop. He is such a great big brother. My sister, Tiffani, is currently pregnant with their 3rd (a boy) due on July 21st. I have no doubt that Carson and Halli will be a huge help. Carson LOVES babies and is actually very good with them. Many times while we were there he would talk to Jada and make her smile like crazy. Halli was also able to get smiles out of her and loved holding her when she could. We had a great time hanging out together, paying outside, going out to dinner, having picnics, playing games, etc. It was nice to play games and stay up late with Tiffani & Ryan, laughing and having fun together. Oh! I almost forgot. While I was there I was able to take some pictures of Carson and Halli for her, which turned out great!

Playing Outside after our picnic in the garage because of the crazy Kansas wind:)

Bath time! (smiling at Carson)

Halli feeding Jada . . . and loving it.

Out to dinner: Carson & Ryan (sorry for the poor quality, it was taken on a phone)

More fun outside

Carson feeding Jada . . . and loving it.

Tiffani and Halli at the restaurant

Ryan & Jada

Halli

Carson

My favorite:)

Come Friday it was time to say our goodbyes. We played in the morning, then packed up and started our drive. Luckily for us, my best friend from high school invited us to come spend the night at their house in Denver, so we only had an 8 hour drive. We got into Denver around 6:30pm. We had a fun evening making calzones, playing games, and of course talking about old times. Thanks Elise and Nate for having us over, we loved it!! After a long evening of fun and games, we went to bed. The next morning we had a delicious waffle breakfast and started on our last leg of the treck. We made it into Syracuse around 6pm. Man it felt great to have all of the traveling out of the way! We made it back to Utah.

Nate, Elise & Jada (in her cute new outfit from them)

Some of the many faces I got while traveling in the car for hours

We Thank Thee, Oh God, for a Prophet

2011-04-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Its my favorite time of the year. Today and tomorrow we get to hear the word of the Lord through our living Prophets.

President Thomas S. Monson

The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

At Conference Time
by: Brad Wilcox

Of all the Sundays of the year,
the ones I love the best
are conference Sundays twice a year,
so different from the rest.
I gather with my family
and feel the Spirit near
as I prepare to understand
the messages I hear.

At conference time,
at conference time,
the Brethren tell me what to do,
So I can live in happiness
at conference time
and all year through.

The scriptures are a history
of prophets gone before.
Their timeless words were written then
to teach forever more.
But what an opportunity
I have on conference day
to hear a living prophet who
is showing me the way!

At conference time,          at conference time,
the Brethren tell me what to do,
So I can live in happiness
at conference time
and all year through.

3. I hear the special witnesses

of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

They testify of gospel truth

and teach God’s holy word.

So now when conference time is past,

the thing for me to do

is follow well what I’ve been told

and prove that it is true.

At conference time,

at conference time,

the Brethren tell me what to do,

So I can live in happiness

at conference time

and all year through.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-03-16T11:31:00.001-07:00

To the best Mom in the world . . . We hope you have a wonderful birthday. Cant wait to see you soon!

Jada's 3rd Month

2011-03-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

(apparently not in the mood for taking pictures. She didn't want to smile)

I can hardly believe its already been 3 months. Part of me feels like she has been with us forever while another part of me can't believe its been 3 months. Michael and I are loving every minute. I (Aubry) am still not completely adjusted to my new life as a mother and stay at home mom. I feel like so many things happened to me all at once that I haven't had time to deal with each of them individually. On December 2nd I was a full time student, who was extremely busy working and doing homework, free to go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted, who enjoyed hanging out with her friends and socializing. By December 18th all of that came to an end. I graduated from BYU, I quit my job, we had a baby, we were learning how to be parents and care for an infant, and we moved to Atlanta for Michael's internship where now the only thing I have to do everyday is take care of Miss Jada. Its a lot to adjust to. I'm not complaining, I LOVE Jada and I love being a mother, but it takes time. I still haven't figured out how to get much done each day, but am slowly learning how to accomplish more. Jada has set her own schedule and is pretty good about keeping to it which helps make things less crazy and more predictable. Change is good, and I am grateful for it. I loved being a student, but I am happy and ready for this next chapter in my life. I am so grateful for Jada and the happiness she brings into our lives.

As of March 3rd, Jada . . .
* weights 14 pounds
* is 25.5 inches long
* loves to smile
* has beautiful blue eyes that sparkle when she smiles (makes me melt)
* likes to "coo" and talk back to you
* can hold her head up for quite awhile without bobbling:)
* loves to be sang to
* can follow people and objects around the room
* smiles when she hears moms and dads voice
* sleeps 8 hours, without feeding, during the night
* eats ever 4 hours (except at night)
* loves to play and talk for about an hour after she eats
* loves to be held
* loves to take a bath, but does NOT like to get out
* found her fist and loves to suck it (while drooling everywhere)
* has managed to get her thumb in her mouth and suck it twice
* loves to kick her legs and "run, run, run"
* is SO close to rolling over (belly to back)

Here are some photos from this month:

I set Jada on the couch to sleep and kept hearing her stir . . . when I went to check on here, this is what I found. Poor girl. ha

Jada and Momma

Sparkling Eyes

Jada and her Giraffe from Aunt Kimberly (it squeaks) . . . "Thanks Kimberly and Ben I love it!"

A little sleepy

Smooch from Momma

We borrowed this seat from my brother Rhet and his wife Jessica. It has been a life saver. Jada prefers this to her swing. She likes to sit in it while it vibrates and watch everyone (especially her daddy working out). I put her in it the other day while I got something to eat and came back to find her like this . . . not very comfy.

While trying to take a cute picture of her with her giraffe I got this one. Makes me laugh every time I see it.

Jada and her Daddy

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-02-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

We hope you had a great day! Thanks for coming to visit. You are the best!

Visitors

2011-02-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Atlanta

Last weekend Michael’s mom, dad and younger brother Kurt drove down from Detroit to visit us for the weekend. We had a great time, and loved having them here. We just hung out and chatted the first night, but Saturday was full of fun.

After getting dressed and ready for the day, we drove downtown. We started off our day with lunch at the Sun Dial Restaurant Bar & View on the 73 floor of the Westin Hotel. The floor rotates! We were able to have a nice lunch while overlooking the city. The food wasn’t amazing, but the experience was worth it. It was really fun to get to see the city from above.

After lunch we walked over to the Georgia Aquarium. We spent the next few hours in there. We definitely picked the wrong day to go, but it was still fun. (Apparently everything is crowded on the weekends especially when there is a cheerleading competition. Let’s just say we all saw way more teenager skin than we ever wanted to. And it probably didn’t help that it was a holiday weekend.) The place was packed. It was quite difficult to get a stroller through all the people. We made it though, and had a good time. Jada did great.

Walking to the Aquarium

Inside the Georgia Aquarium

Jada loves her Uncle Kurt

Last shot before heading home

After the aquarium we headed back to the car and went home. By now we were all exhausted and ready for a nap. After a good rest we headed to Chick-fil-A for a delicious dinner. We were going to go to a southern restaurant that came highly recommended, but realized last minute that they only had one location and that was back downtown. We weren’t up for another long drive. So, since the Jensen’s had never tried Chick-fil-A we went with that. Good choice. After dinner, Dad spoiled us with cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Kurt and I had never had it so we got a few pieces to try. I must say it was delicious. The original piece was divine! I could eat it all day. THANK YOU DAD and THANK YOU CHEESECAKE FACTORY.

We spent Sunday enjoying each other’s company and relaxing. They left Monday morning.

Thank you Mom, Dad and Kurt for coming to visit. We loved having you here and enjoyed going out on the town. Thank you for the clothes for Jada, taking us out and for introducing me to the Cheesecake Factory. We can’t wait to see you in April!

Looks like we have ourselves . . .

2011-02-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

A thumb sucker.

She takes after her Dad. Jada has been sucking on her fist for a little over a week now. But, last Sunday she found her thumb. I know I probably shouldn’t be excited about this, but she looks SO CUTE sucking her little thumb. She hasn’t quite figure it out completely and has only gotten it back in 2 times since and only for a short time, but she sure tries hard.

2011 so far . . .

2011-02-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

Shortly after new years, Michael, Jada and I packed up our things and drove to Atlanta. The 12-hour drive from MI went pretty well. Jada didn’t do as well as she did on our drive out to Michigan, but we made it. She got tired of her car seat pretty quickly after we left so there was quite a bit of crying. Luckily everything else was great. The weather was beautiful and we made it here safely.

Life in Atlanta has been awesome. We have been blessed to be able to live in a beautiful condo in the perfect location, the weather has been perfect (except for the first week of snow and ice), and we have been able to visit my brother and sister and their families many times.

Through the help of my dad, Michael and I have been able to rent a newly remodeled condo while we are here. It is amazing. It feels like we are living in a model home. Best of all, we got a great deal as far as rent goes. We are so blessed. I can’t thank my dad and Lynn (the owner) enough. I am continually amazed at how the pieces just fell into place. I have been telling Michael since we moved in that we need to find a place like this when we come back after he has graduated. The house is perfect. The area is great. We live within a few miles of every store you can think of or ever want. There is a mall close by, a Costco, Wal-Mart, Target, Carters, Hobby Lobby, Babies R’ Us, etc, and tons of restaurants. Best of all, we live less then a half a mile, straight down the road, from the Atlanta temple.

Here are a few pictures of the place:

Master Bedroom

The Living Room

The Kitchen

The Dining Room (now with curtains)

The Office

As far as Michael’s internship . . . it’s been an eye opening experience. Let’s just say we have gotten a taste of the real world and what life after college will be like. Michael has had the opportunity to work with many different clients. It has been a good learning experience for him. We have both been able to see what the life of a “Big 4” accountant is like during busy season. Michael has had different work hours depending on the engagement, but the average is about 13 hours a day. This week he has been lucky and has been getting off at 7ish, but that has not been normal. He has also learned that they eat out a lot. Apparently it’s not common for people to take lunches, so Michael eats out twice a day. I will admit I love to eat out and have been a bit jealous of all the places he has gotten to try. It has been odd to never have him home for dinner and hard to try and find something for myself to eat. I just can’t get myself to make a meal when I hate leftovers and Michael isn’t home enough to eat them. Luckily by the time we are doing this full time Jada will be older and will give me reason to make meals again:).

Since Michael has been working so much, Jada and I have taken the opportunity to visit my brother and sister and their families. On the weekends that Michael has off, we usually drive up to one of their houses, stay for the weekend, then Michael comes back and I stay in Augusta to play. It hasn’t been that way every week, but we have been able to see them quite a bit. I have loved every minute of it. I love being with my family. I am so grateful for the time I have been able to spend with them and for all of their love and generosity. It has been nice for me to have company and entertainment while Michael has been so busy. We watched movies, went shopping, did crafts, played games, ate out, helped Rhet and Jessica tear out their floors, watched Lexi and Daisy play basketball, roasted smores, and more. All of my nieces and nephews are so cute. They are so cute with Jada. Best of all I love just spending time with my siblings and their spouses. I love them all and love to talk with them and be apart of their lives. I miss them when we aren’t close. In my ideal world my entire family would all live next to each other in a beautiful neighborhood and our children would grow up together. HA. I know, dream on. Bottom line, I LOVE my family!

Brooke rubbing Jada's head

Getting ready to make smores

Here are a few pictures of my sister Dantzel's family: (Pictures of Rhet's family to come)

Brooke

Mara

Rachel

The Rhodes Family: (Valentine's Day edition)

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

So far so good. Jada and I sent Michael off to work this morning around 8am and probably won't see him till after 11pm. So, Jada and I had a eventful Valentines Day alone together. The day is not over yet, but I am not thinking anything else is going to happen.

What did we do you may ask . . . After doing all the laundry, cleaning and having a plumber come fix our dishwasher, Jada and I went on her first walk today, and she loved it. We needed to get some groceries (like milk and bread) and deposit some checks at the bank, so instead of going late tonight, I decided to be ambitious and take Jada on a mile or so walk to the closest grocery store. Surprisingly it went quite well. I got a little more of a workout then intended walking up and down some steep hills, and then lugging home a gallon of milk, apple juice, chocolate milk, bread, and some fruit, but all together, it was a success. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny, with a bit of a breeze. Jada looked so cute in her little coat/body suit thing.

Jada and I will finish off the night eating pizza and watching a movie:) Cuddling included. (Good thing I have Jada to take Michael's place today. Could have been one lonely day. I couldn't find a better replacement:))

Daddy's Sweetheart:)

I LOVE this girl!

Ready for her 1st walk
(yes I know this is not an infant stroller, but we had to leave ours in UT so this was the best we could do.)

Jada and I are so lucky to have Michael as a dad and husband. We love you Michael and are so proud of you for all of your hard work. Thank you for all you do. Happy Valentines Day!

Lucky me! Michael just called and is coming home. Our evening just got better!

Jada's Blessing

2011-02-01T18:10:00.001-08:00

Michael blessed Jada in church on January 2nd. It was so nice to have all of his side of the family there, as well as, my sister Tiffani and her family. With family all over the US, we had quite a turn out. Michael gave Jada a name and a wonderful blessing. It was such a great experience for us both. Jada wore the same dress that I wore when I was blessed over 25 years ago:) Maybe one day when he isn't working from 8AM to 11PM he can write a little about his experience.

The entire Jensen family (Thank you everyone for coming!!)

The Harris family (my sister Tiffani, Ryan, Carson & Halli) with us and baby Jada on her blessing day. (Thanks for coming!!)

Halli and her favorite uncle . . . Mike-er (Michael)

(For those of you who are not familiar with our church and beliefs I would be happy to explain and answer any questions.)

Christmas Vacation

2011-01-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

Michael and I spent Christmas in Michigan this year. We weren't entirely sure we were going to make it out in time, since Jada was due on the 13th, but because she came early everything worked out great. Micheal and I moved out of our apartment on Friday, December 17th, and went to my parent's house for a few days. It was great to be able to spend the weekend with them, and nice for Jada to get to meet her Grandpa and Uncle. Lucky for Jada and us she got to spend lots of time with Grandma (my mom) those first few weeks. My mom was at the birth and spent the next week and a half helping us out at home. She even packed up most of our house for us while helping with Jada. We cant thank her enough!! It was a rough first few weeks getting adjusted to having a baby, getting no sleep, going to get Jada tested for jaundice every day, learning how to nurse, studying, printing, going to 3 hour finals, packing, cleaning, moving, etc. My mom was there to help us though it all. We wouldn't have made it through finals week without her! THANK YOU MOM, you are THE BEST!!!

Once we got moved out of our apartment and out of Provo, we were finally able to fully relax at my parents house for the weekend, before heading the Michigan. On Saturday we were able to go to a Christmas party with the Tucker extended family. It was great to get to see all of my relatives and be able to spend time with them. Then on Sunday we had a mini Christmas with my mom, dad and Ryan. (They were heading the GA for Christmas and didn’t want to pack up all the gifts, so we got to open some gifts on Sunday afternoon.) My parents gave Michael and I some awesome gifts. Among our favorites . . . my mom made each of her children a Christmas blanket that we LOVE. I have been using it every day since I got it. They also gave us 2 pictures of Christ with children. This one and This one. They are BEAUTIFUL. Michael and I both agreed they are our favorite gifts of Christmas. We got a few other things that we love, but I just thought I would mention my favorites! Michael and I loved the time we were able to spend with my parents and Ryan. (Jada too of course!) We look forward to getting back to Utah and being able to see them some more.

My mom and Jada (Notice the super cute "Who needs Santa when I have Grandma" onesie:))

Uncle Ryan & Jada

My Mom & Dad with baby Jada

A Trip Full of Blessings:

We left Utah around 9AM on Monday morning and started our drive out to Michigan. We were a little worried about the weather, but it ended up being great. The first half of Wyoming was bad. There was lots of snow on the roads and they weren’t plowed, we actually were quite lucky we left when we did. When we got to I-80 it was closed. But we only had to wait for about 5 minutes before it was opened. If we had left any earlier we would have had to just sit there and wait for hours like everyone else. Blessing #1. So, after a short wait we were on our way. Wyoming was slow, but we made it through safely without any problems. Blessing #2. The rest of the drive that day was a breeze. The weather and roads were clear and perfect. We even made it farther then planned. Best of all, Jada did awesome. She slept almost the entire time, waking up only to eat. She even slept through the night in the hotel, allowing Michael and I to have a good night sleep too. Blessing #3. Day 2 on our road trip was even better than the first. Jada continued to be great, the weather was perfect (except for about 40 minutes of thick fog outside of Chicago), we made great time, and I was able to sleep lots. Michael was amazing. He drove the entire way! Blessing #4,5 and 6. We made it to Michael's parents house around 11PM on Tuesday night. They were all up and excited to see us. (Ok it was mostly Jada they were excited to see, but hey what can you do.)

The following days were full of fun.

The highlights:

* Kaylie showing us all up caroling. She knew the words better then anyone else and sang her heart out.

* Michael and the boys we able to play basketball together a few times, and went to see True Grit as men. J (the girls opted out)

* The girls all went to see Tangled (except me), which they said was awesome. I can’t wait to rent it when it comes out!

* Played lots of games and ate delicious food.

* Becca taught me how to make cute hair flowers.

* Christmas desserts with the Barberis’, Schwartz and Folsom's

* Michael and I were able to drive to Saline one day to see my sister and her family. We loved being able to hang out with them and play with my niece and nephew! Best of all we got to go on a date with Ryan and Tiffani to Ruby Tuesdays while Ryan’s family watched our little cutie. (thanks Holly and Erin!) We were also able to see my best friends from high school Kimmie and Kristin and they were able to meet Jada.

* Had a Mexican dinner and game night with the Lovell’s

* Pizza night

* We rang in the new year with the family.

* Made Russian food on New Years day (Borscht and Pelmeni)

* Our nephew Justin throwing a fit everything Grandma held Jada

* We blessed Jada on Jan 2^nd. (post to follow)

* Michael’s parents took the entire family to dinner at Maggiano’s to celebrate my graduation from BYU. (thanks Mom and Dad!)

* And much, much more . . .

Caroling on Christmas Eve

Stockings

The Christmas Tree on Christmas morning

Me & Jada (sleeping in her sling) making breakfast on Christmas morning

Helping Dad open his stocking

Jada & Grandma Jensen

Waiting to open presents. (our only family photo and you cant see Jada...ha)

Organizing

Grandma & Grandpa with the grandchildren (Justin, Jada & Kaylie)

Jada and her little giraffe (thanks Kimberly & Ben)

Love this look

Kaylie & Justin

One of the new games - Wits and Wagers

Jada & Aunt Becca

Pizza Night - that's right the 2 best . . . Jets AND Hungry Howies :)

Preparing News Years meal (Russian dish)

New Years Eve game of Poker (with Candy of course)

Halli & Carson with baby Jada (they were SO excited to meet their cousin)

* thanks Jensen's for all the pictures. I was lacking in the photo department this Christmas. I took only a few.

Week 1 & 2

2011-01-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Jada in her first few weeks.

We learned pretty quickly that our little girl loves to stretch out. While she loves to be cuddled and swaddled at times, she also loves a good stretch. During the first few days I would check on her quite often while she was sleeping . . . and more often then not I would find her with her legs straight out and her arms straight to the side or up above her head. Too cute!

Love it - 4 days old

Jada's bili levels were borderline in the hospital, so we had to have her tested 48 hours after we left the hospital. Her levels continued to increase, so after the first test we had to take her back everyday to get retested. Poor girl had about 8 or 9 pokes in her foot before it was all said and done. (Not to mention a bruised hand and elbow, luckily I didn't attend this test day.) At about day 5 they decided she needed to get under the lights. So, Jada got to lay in this fun bed for 20 out of 24 hours for 2 days. Not fun. She was a good sport though:)

Michael keeping her company. What a nice Daddy (yes they are both sleeping) - 6 days old

Jada and her war wounds after her last and worst blood draw. - 14 days old

First Sunday home - 9 days old

For the first few weeks Jada slept a LOT. My mom even mentioned that she had never seen a baby sleep that much. So we checked, don't worry her Pediatrician said it was normal. Along with sleeping time, everyone was telling me different things regarding how often to feed her and such. The Lactation specialist tried to convince me that I needed to feed her every 1.5-2 hours. HA. She tried to tell me that I needed to wake her up and get her to eat. Well my little girl didn't want to be awake that much or that often. She would wake up about every 4 hours to eat and pretty much slept the rest of the time - giving me much needed time to get things done. Times have changed, but it was good while it lasted.

Must be a nice dream, a slight smile - sometime in the first week

The Story

2011-01-17T20:04:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the long delay . . . we have been a little busy:)

A Little Background Information:
On my visit right before the Thanksgiving holiday my blood pressure had jumped. It was higher then they like to see during a pregnancy so they began doing some tests to make sure I didn’t have preeclampsia. My blood pressure would be high some days and normal others. So, my midwife ordered a blood test and a 24-hour urine sample. Fun. I had that done on Tuesday, November 30th. When I went in on Tuesday to have my regular visit, my midwife asked me to come back on Friday (the 3rd) for additional testing.

One of the last pictures of me pregnant (from Michael's phone)

Jada's Birth Day:
Friday, December 3rd, was one eventful day. It started off like a normal day. Well somewhat normal. I went to my appointment at the doctor’s office to have a Non-Stress Test and an Ultrasound. My test results from my 24-hour urine sample came back and I had a bit more protein in my urine then they like to see. So that, in conjunction with my high blood pressure called for the Non-Stress Test to make sure that the baby was fine and everything was going well. As for the ultrasound . . . my midwife ordered one for me on my Tuesday visit because of my belly size. They had been telling me for weeks that I was measuring large but kept saying that it was ok and probably water weight. Well, on Tuesday my midwife still wasn’t concerned about it but ordered the ultrasound just so that we could be on the safe side.

The visit started out good. The Non-Stress Test indicated that everything was going fine. Baby was doing great and showed no signs of anything wrong. (Side Note: I actually enjoyed the “test”. For those who have no clue what this is, you get to sit in a big comfortable chair and have 2 monitors strapped to your belly. One monitors the baby’s heartbeat and the other, contractions.) When I first sat down the nurse asked if I had experienced any contractions up to this point to which I answered no. But, as I watched the print out of the baby’s heart beat and watched as I had a contraction I realized I had been having themJ It’s hard when you have no clue what you are looking for to say if it was one or not. I just thought it was the baby moving and pushing a little. I had no clue that it was actually a contraction. Upon finding this out I remember thinking . . . wow that doesn’t hurt at all, I wonder how much worse it gets. Anyways, about 25 minutes later they took me off the test and said I was fine.

Next, we went to have the ultrasound. The purpose: make sure baby wasn’t too big. Result: ultrasound estimated our little girl to be about 9 pounds. Pretty big for a first baby, and I still had 10 days to go.

After the ultrasound they took us to one of the rooms for us to wait for the midwife so that we could go over our results and options. We didn’t wait long. She talked to us about our tests and said that everything looked good, but that they were still a little worried because my blood pressure was back up again. Also, the estimated size of the baby was pretty big. So, she talked to us about our options. Midway through she asked if I had gotten checked to see if I was dilated at all in the past week, to which I said no. So, she asked if I minded if she checked. When she did, she said I was about 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. Because I was at this stage, she decided that she wanted to consult with the doctor. So, we waited while she did. About 5 minutes later she was back. Her first words, “How do you feel about having your baby today?” She said that she knew we wanted a natural childbirth and said that was still an option, but that the doctor recommended that I get induced. She personally didn’t think it was worth the risk to have me wait it out. The alternative would be to redo all of the tests and be carefully monitored for the remainder of the pregnancy. I asked her what she would do if it were her, to which she responded, “I would do it.” She said that if I wasn’t dilated we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but since I had already started she thought it wouldn’t be as hard on me as it could be and thought it would be best to go ahead and get induced.

Michael and I were a bit in shock. We knew that this was a possible outcome, but we didn’t think it would be today. Not so immediate. We thought they would ask us to come in on Monday or something. Apparently Michael turned a little pale. The midwife noticed and said, “You look a little pale, would you guys like a few minutes alone to discuss it?” ha poor Michael. After talking it over, we decided to go ahead. So, the midwife called the hospital and arranged for us to go in immediately. We were hoping to run home and get our bags, but the midwife thought it best for us to get those later. (Apparently the hospital was packed and we got the last room available in Labor and Delivery.) So to the hospital we went.

We called work to let them know we wouldn’t be coming, and called my mom so she would head on down. (We invited her to be at the birth). Then we started to call our family to let them know what was happening.

About 15 minutes after leaving the doctors office we checked in to the hospital. (about 11:15AM) They took us right to our room and let us get settled in. I got into my gown and Michael and I continued making calls to our family while we waited for things to get started. They got my IV in and the monitors all hooked up, but didn’t start the Pitocin till about 1. The process was slow. They slowly upped my doses each 30 minutes. From 1-7 we just waited. I felt like nothing was happening. My mom made it soon after 1 and Michael was able to run home and grab our things. He was so cute. He was so nervous to leave me and said his heart was racing the entire way home and back. My midwife came in soon after to check on things and said she would be back in a few hours to break my water. So we waited. Watched some Harry Potter, drank some juice, called some friends, etc. The contractions were becoming slowly more frequent but were less than intense. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give them a 2. Once again I found myself thinking . . . this isn’t that bad.

Just checked in, calling family

Around 7:00PM my midwife came and broke my water. From here till the birth she pretty much stayed with me the whole time. Within minutes of breaking my water the intense contractions started. There was no gradual increase into active labor, and no working up to hard contractions. Long story short . . . it was rough. I had about 30 seconds in between each contraction. My body was in shock and I could feel it. All I could think about was how I was not prepared for this. My midwife had warned me that it would not be the birth I had planned and that it would be much more difficult and hard since my body was being forced into giving birth and wasn’t allowed to do it itself. But I didn’t expect this. I was prepared for hypnobirthing, but I couldn’t relax myself. I didn’t have enough time between contractions and my body was just thrown into full on labor. I just kept shaking and couldn’t control myself. I tried hard to relax. Michael took me for a walk around the halls, but that didn’t last long. Nothing was helping and the contractions, though I didn’t think they could get worse, were getting worse. With Michael’s help, I made it about 2 hours before I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I ordered the epidural. I was told the anesthesiologist would be in quickly, but that didn’t happen. About 25 minutes later all I could say is, “Where is he!!!”. He came in about 40 minutes after called. It took a little while to get the epidural, but I got it. It took about 15 minutes for the medicine to get in and kick in, but after those 15 minutes . . . I was finally calm and nearly pain free. I could still feel the contractions, but they were much less intense and painful. At 10 the nurse came in, checked my dilation, and said I would be ready to push in an hour. So . . . I took a nap:). Around 10:45PM I woke up ready to go. My friend, Rachel Call, came around this time and got ready to take pictures of the delivery. At 11:00PM the delivery began.

At 11:56PM our baby girl was born. On a humorous note, I believe the first thing I said as soon as she was out was, “I can’t believe that came out of me!”. It still amazes me how they fit inside! Immediately after she was born she was placed on my chest. I was able to hold her for about 25 minutes before Michael cut the cord (with the midwifes help of course). I got to hold her for another while, and fed her for the first time before they wrapped her up and gave her to Michael. Followed by my mom. Rachel was taking pictures the whole time. (Pictures in previous post are all hers.)

Rachel & Jada

About 2 hours after she was born they moved us downstairs to our room and took her to the nursery to clean her up. Michael was able to go and be with her while they did that.

As for the rest of the hospital stay . . . it was excellent. The nurses and staff were great, the food was good, everything was wonderful. We wish would could have stayed for weeksJ. Thank you everyone who came to visit and for all the gifts and support. We are so excited to have Jada in our lives!

Emily & Jada

Jenna & Jada

* Special thanks to Rachel for the photos and to my Mom for all of her help and support those first few weeks. It was great to have her there at the birth and we couldn’t have made it through finals week and those first few weeks of transition without her! Thanks for all the wisdom and help! Also thanks to Scott and Christi Greenhalgh for recommending my midwifes and the AF hospital!*

Aunt Becca & Jada

- - Michael plans to add his side of the story soon - -

She's Here . . .

2010-12-06T09:04:00.001-08:00

Jada Monet Jensen
Born: December 3, 2010
Time: 11:56pm
Weight: 8lbs 6ozs
Length: 20.5 inches
Condition: PERFECT :)

Here are some pictures from right after her birth. We are so excited and happy to have her in our life. Story and further information to come later:)

PICTURES COURTESY OF RACHEL CALL PHOTOGRAPHY

(seconds after her birth)

(Michael holding his little girl for the first time)

(my mom holding Jada soon after birth)

(checking her temperature)

(proud grandma)

(all cleaned off)

(checking out Mom)

(tired after a long day)

(our family)

Thanksgiving Madness

2010-11-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was great! We've been having a marvelous time during this short vacation from our busy semesters. On Tuesday I was supposed to work all afternoon and evening, but they closed down the entire BYU campus due to the predicted "storm of the decade." Talk about the lamest thing ever, haha. I think we might have gotten an inch of snow in Provo... maybe two tops. People were running to the stores buying up generators and bottled water. Everyone was flipping out and going crazy acting like it was going to be the end of the world. To bad it was the weakest thing we've ever seen.

So, instead of leaving Tuesday night we drove up to Syracuse on Wednesday morning after some sweet shopping. We've been hanging out at the Tucker house playing games, chatting, watching football and movies, and just enjoying being with family.

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious! We got to spend the day with the Tucker side of the family. Here is a beautiful picture of the Tucker Family Thanksgiving Feast. Karen's stuffing stole the show and was my favorite thing on the table.

The pie was great as usual. Here is my dessert plate. I tried to fit all of the kinds of pie onto one plate but I didn't quite get it to work. There was pumpkin, triple berry, banana, apple, and caramel pecan. It was all DELISH, but I have to say, the classic pumpkin was my favorite. (not a surprise)

Thanksgiving was great and I want to thank everyone for the happy birthday wishes as well. My "golden" birthday was spectacular. 25 on the 25th . . . and on Thanksgiving day. Who could ask for more? I had a bodacious birthday and got some great gifts as well as some pretty sweet homemade cards. I'll have to take some pictures of those and blog about that later.

BLACK FRIDAY: The darkest day of the year

Yes we went. We had fun going out early Friday morning for some quality Black Friday shopping and were successful in getting everything we wanted. Aubry and I only really wanted to go to Target so we got there at 4:00am when the doors were opening. Aubry, Karen, Ryan, Melissa, and I all went together and had a good time. Aubry quickly found everything we needed and we were able to wonder around while we waited a little bit for the others to finish up. Once everyone was done it was now a matter of finding the shortest line possible. So, for all of you Black Friday shoppers, you know how at Target and Walmart there are about 40 possible registers? Okay so here is the way the system is set up: there are the main three aisles that go all the way back through the store and those aisles somehow become these enormous lines of hundreds of people, wrapping around the store. There are also the electronics, jewelery, bakery, and pharmaceuticals checkouts. But here's the thing, those 3 enormous lines only feed into about 4 checkouts each, so there are 30 other registers that you can walk over to and get in a MUCH shorter line (about a 10 person/30 minute wait). What is up with the people that see a long line and then just assume that they have to get in it?

As we are walking over to the other side of the store to find a short checkout line, we had to walk through one of the huge aisle lines and this guy starts yelling at Aubry. He thought that we were jumping into this huge line and Aubry is like, "Could I just get through the line so I can go somewhere else, we are stuck in here, what would you like us to do?" Haha. Surprisingly, he quickly apologized and told us that he thought we were trying to cut in line. Aubry later told me what she wanted to say. She almost said, "I know this is a line. It's called the idiot line and you're in it. This line is for all of the people who have no idea that they are waiting in line for hours for nothing. If you walked a few more isles over you could practically walk straight up to an open register." So for anyone reading this who has stood in those lines, please just go look around and find something that will make your life easier. Now, at Kohl's... that's a whole different beast and my words of advice are to steer clear of that "devil store" on the blackest friday of the year. I still get the chills when I think about my experience at Kohl's two years ago on Black Friday... yep, still get them. Scarred me for life.

In good news we got to wait in line (at Target) behind these 2 hilarious ladies (probably in their late 20s) who kept us entertained the entire time. Time flew by! It was great.

The madness at Target