The Christensen's

New York City

2009-02-03T11:53:00.002-07:00

48 Hours in NYC

2009-02-03T10:43:00.003-07:00

I flew out Friday to meet up with Corbie and Penny in New York City. Penny had class all day Saturday, so armed with my map abilities and Corbie's people skills, we hit each destination on our list and had people to take our pictures. (Except for our Subway picture, we took that one ourselves because the lady would "rather not") We joined back up with Penny at night for food and laughs. (Plenty of both I might add.) What was my favorite part? There's no way to choose, but walking through Central park, arm in arm with my best friend of 18 years would definitely be one of them!

Happy Late New Year!

2009-01-25T23:29:00.002-07:00

I know January is almost over, but Happy New Year anyway. I also I skipped right over Christmas, but who wants to see those pictures now? So here are some shots of my girls getting to experience snow. As for the ABBA music, it's what's been playing at our house the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Snow Day at Pine Valley

2009-01-25T23:27:00.003-07:00

Schools out - really?

2008-12-18T17:27:00.008-07:00

Seriously folks this is all it takes in Washington County to shut down the school system. You can still see the curbing in my front yard for goodness sake. Here's a shot of the road in front of my house. I know, I know St. George doesn't have any snow plows, but honestly does this road look like it needs a plow? It was slush by 9:00. Of course the kids were thrilled to see the snow actually sticking to the ground and loved playing in it. Truth be told, I was just as excited as they were. Christmas time is the only time of year I miss living in Salt Lake. The snow takes me back to years that seem to belong to a different life. It reminds me of growing up, being young and feeling the true magic of Christmas. Here are some pics of Payton making her first snowman, you have to look close to see him. He's the white thing standing in front of her leg, she is so proud. Ellie and Kortney were gone with friends all day so no pics of them.

Keeping Things Even

2008-12-11T10:17:00.016-07:00

Having three girls, I am constantly trying to keep things fair. Even if this means completing the same insanely long and detailed baby book (the one I thought would be great for Ellie) for all my girls. By the time I finish Payton's I'll want to burn it. Truth be told I'm not even done with Kortney's yet, in my wise choice of baby books I got the one that goes to age 7. What was I thinking? Actually I can blame this one on Corbie. (There are many things in my life that I like to blame on Corbie - and she usually lets me.) So in keeping things level, after devoting an entire post to Ellie playing soccer, it is only fair I show some pictures of Kort and Payt in their dance classes. These are the best shots I could get of Kortney during her ballet class. I personally think she's a natural - her middle name isn't Grace by chance.

Payton told me no more pictures and didn't hide her disgust when I kept going. In her class they dress up as many different characters and pretty much run around the room. She loves it and cries to go to her "dancing class."

Watching Ellie Play

2008-12-02T23:27:00.011-07:00

Here are some shots of Ellie playing soccer this fall. She may be small but she is awesome. She was the high scorer on her team, way to go #3!

Nice kick El

I've been tagged!

2008-11-11T12:44:00.002-07:00

I have been tagged by Malea. Here are the rules: you need to type 7 things about yourself that you don’t think anyone knows and then choose 7 people to tag at the end and leave their link.

Okay, so 7 things about myself that others may not know.……

1-I love a good blue pen, somewhere between fine and medium point and it has to be blue (I have been known to yell at my kids for touching my pens-something I am not proud of)

2-I am a romantic book and movie junkie – I love a good comedy, but if it doesn’t make me cry it’s not a favorite.

3- I hate to make decisions, I really hate it

4 -I love to do math

5- I have no will power when it comes to yummy food, if it’s in my pantry I will eat it. If Greg wants something he has to hide it or I will literally eat the entire box, bag or pan.

6- I love to ride horses.

7-I’m a terrible driver – there’s a one block section of 45th South in Salt Lake where I have been in three different accidents (actually only 2 were my fault.)

Now if any of you happen to look at my blog, you are it: Corbie, Cheryl, Hayley, Robyn, Summer, (Sorry, I only have five friends that haven't already been tagged. Hopefully I won't have 7 years of bad luck.)

Holloween 2008

2008-11-03T16:18:00.002-07:00

Halloween

2008-11-03T14:37:00.005-07:00

Here are some shots from Halloween. Ellie was in Chicago with her cousins and I don't have any pictures yet. Hopefully some were taken. The pictures of her are from a party a couple of weeks before the big day. Kortney spent Halloween in Arizona so her pictures came via e-mail from Aunt Jamie. It was a weird Halloween without them, they will be home tomorrow and we can't wait. Payton keeps saying she needs her sisters. Five days is a long time to be without them. I'm not sure the girls feel the same.

Wonderful Weekend

2008-10-20T23:18:00.006-06:00

Warning: This is a non-picture post and may contain actual thoughts provoked by something other than my darling children and our small adventures in life.

I spent the weekend in Salt Lake at a doTERRA convention. What is doTERRA? Funny you should ask, they are fabulous essential oils that quite frankly may change the world. (You would never guess I am fresh out of the convention room right?) But seriously , I really do love these things. Wait, wait don't stop reading yet, here are my three reasons why - in three minutes or less.

1-SAFE - They are completely natural and the only oils available that are 100% Pure. I can put them on myself and my kids and never worry about side effects. (Example: while using Peppermint to relieve a head ache, I am not only saving my liver and who knows what else from regular over the counter stuff, but I am actually improving my respiratory system and soothing digestion. I can then use that same Peppermint the next day to eliminate a fever in minutes. )

2-EASY - One or two drops on the feet, directly on affected area, diffused or in the mouth (directly or in gelcap). Less is more and no right or wrong way.

3-AFFORDABLE - I am of the belief that financially this country will get worse before it gets better and who knows where health care is headed. Currently I am paying $20.00 for a regular office visit. (This does not include any prescriptions like overused antibiotics or something with side effects.) The average bottle of oil is around that same price, but can be used over and over for many different reasons and for the entire family. For me this means a feeling of empowerment that I can take my families basic health into my own hands.

Okay, if you didn't just skip over the last three paragraphs you can wake back up now and read about the rest of my weekend. Of course no trip to Salt Lake is complete without spending time with my best friend and my little brother. I spent a night with each. It has been a long time since I had Mac completely to myself. It was great to simply be with him and talk about life and what to do with it. Then as always is the case with Corbie, our conversations led us right into the morning hours without knowing. And yes Robert and/or Greg, we did solve some of the worlds problems. An added bonus of the trip was traveling and staying with my favorite cousins. There's nothing like good old fashioned family bonding. It's good to be back home with the fam, Halloween is just around the corner so my picture posts are not far off. (Oh and of course if you are interested in the oils please let me know.)

Another month come and gone

2008-10-08T11:59:00.011-06:00

Time once again to get my butt in gear and update this blog. No big events this month, just a few snap shots. Here is Payton, this silly child will sleep anywhere, except her own bed. As you can see comfort is of no importance. I don't even know where her legs are in the bottom picture.

The decorative table cloth you can see in the bottom picture is for potty training. This I might add is not going so well. She has figured out she gets a treat every time she goes. So, she holds it in and does little squirts so that one time in the bathroom turns into at least 5 treats. I can't figure how she has enough control to do this, yet she still doesn't make it to the toilet. Enough potty talk. Here are some more shots at the lake with the Langstons. This shot of Greg looks impressive not because it's only his fourth time wakeboarding, but because we didn't get a shot of my 180. It's a shame no one takes pictures but me. We put Payton on the tube thinking she wouldn't like it. She proved us wrong.

Hiking the Subway

2008-09-05T16:50:00.004-06:00

Below are some pictures of Greg and I hiking the Subway with some friends. You can see in some of the pics why it's called the Subway. It is a breathtaking 9.5 mile hike in Zions back country. I say breathtaking for three reasons. 1 - because it is amazingly beautiful, 2 -the water is so freezing it really does take your breath away (I am just now posting this because I finally stopped shaking and got the feeling back in two of my fingers), and 3- when hiking back out of the canyon (if you are like me) you can't breath because you are out of shape and it isn't easy. Please enjoy the pictures -thank you Kerry. (And thanks as always to mom who had the kids ALL day.)

Hiking the Subway

2008-09-05T16:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Kort!

2008-08-27T08:28:00.008-06:00

Birthday party at Sandhollow swimming pool. Nothing like a party where you make a mess and leave. They even provided that great sign, and took extra time to hang it straight. (If you are wondering, I AM a professional cake decorator, and I do hire out). Kortney said her favorite part was the swimming, the cake and the presents. She looked at me, laughed and said "I guess that's everything."

She is enjoying the wad of cash she received from all those creative gift givers. (myself included)

This is Jayden (Jamisen's new baby) at his first birthday party. He looks just like his daddy did.

Last Minute Escape

2008-08-22T14:20:00.018-06:00

Corb and I met up in Phoenix for some much needed time together and a yoga retreat. It doesn't matter that we only attended 1 1/2 hours of it right? This trip started as many of our old adventures did, on a whim. However, unlike some of our trips from the past it did not include hitchhikers, one-way tickets, getting ready to go out on the town at 3:00 a.m. or driving south until we could find some sun only to end up in St. George with nothing but our swimsuits. All stories for another time. (or not) We stayed up all night, laughed, laughed some more, swam, drove around having no clue where we were going (a big thanks to Jamie, glad I got to see you even if it was for only a minute) and of course ate ice-cream. Here are some pictures.

Yes we are in Baskin Robbins, where else would we be after yoga (or any other time)? But wait it gets better. They were having a buy-get-one-free special. So, after eating our first double scoop sundae we went back for another. (This wentwell with my if it's on sale buy it even if you don't need it thinking). We did drive around to try and find a different Baskin Robbins, but due to the fact we had no idea where we were, we decided to go right back to the same one. (And we aren't talking a couple hours later, they still remembered our previous order.)

This is one of many pictures we took of ourselves at the pool. It may look casually posed, but realize we had just set the timer and ran to jump into the pool without slipping. (which we did unsuccessfully a few times). Luckily we were the only one's at the pool, but I'm sure many people were laughing as they watched out windows. Thaks Corb, for another memorable adventure.

Rest of Summer

2008-08-16T11:28:00.002-06:00

The rest of summer

2008-08-16T09:48:00.006-06:00

I finally took the time to update our blog! And I must say I get more impressed with myself every time. This will be great for those of you interested in following our lives, you will only need to check in monthly instead of spending time daily or even weekly. Consider it a favor, I had all of you in mind when I decided to wait so long between postings. By all of you I mean the three people that look at our blog, myself included. So here are some shots of how the rest of summer played out.

We spent more time in Pine Valley. Anything to avoid the heat at home. As you can see from our hiking pictures that Kortney is a real outdoors type girl. Being the attentive mother that I am, I didn't notice until we got there that she had chosen to sport her lovely tropical dress for our rugged hike. We were also thrilled to have her white stuffed dog along for the hike. I came to his rescue about half way into the day when I found him lying in the dirt. He is now a lovely brown color.

We were able to spend some time at the lake this year with our friends the Langstons. We had a blast and are so glad to have friends with a boat. Greg, Ellie and I were all able to have our first experience on the wakeboard. Kortney did some cliff jumps and tried the tube. Payton loved being on the boat and playing on the beach. I do have to say that I haven't ever laughed so hard as being on the tube with Kerry. I have also never been so sore the next day. Ellie has no fear, our friend Ken decided it's because she can't wear her glasses and so has no idea of the sheer terror that is in front of her. Thanks Langstons we loved it!

Kerry and I took the kids up Beaver Mountain to 4H camp. Those of you who know both Kerry and I realize this means Kerry took the kids and I camping. Despite the packing up, unpacking, setting up tents in the dark, lack of sleep, taking down, loading up and unpacking again, it turned out to be a great time. (I am so thankful for the cabin) Ellie really enjoyed her first time camping in a tent. She had fun with her friends and we had a great time together at the dance. Kerry and I even got prizes for being the best dancers, I guess doing Zumba all week is good for something. I almost won the limbo contest. I lost to a little 4 foot nothing 11 year old. You would think they would do age or height brackets to even things out. Don't think I won't complain before next year. Ellie got initiated into 4H by Chief Uga Booga, canoed, learned dances, and went on a scavenger hunt to find Kerry and I who had been kidnapped by the cannibals. Kerry and I also got to spend some quality time together in the canoe, reading and just hanging out.

Ellie and Kortney are back in school. I can't believe summer is over. Payton is missing them during the day and isn't sure how to entertain herself. I must admit I am missing them a little as well. I thought that would take longer to kick in. They had a great first week all seems to be going well.

That sums it up, so happy days until next month.

You're beautiful it's true

2008-07-16T12:02:00.003-06:00

If any of you (besides Corbie) are wondering why I don't shuffle my songs...this is the reason. At least fifty times a day P begs me to watch the slide show below and she sings "you're beautiful it's true" as loud as she possibly can. I can't bring myself to change the song despite the fact that the poor girl didn't get any of the Truman musical genes. It makes it all the more entertaining. So those of you who care to keep looking at my blog thinking someday I may actually post something. You can scroll down and manually pick another song from my great selections (or one of Greg's dorky songs if you are in to that sort of stuff.)

Summer So Far

2008-07-07T14:07:00.002-06:00

Summer So Far

2008-07-07T10:27:00.004-06:00

So here is a sampling or our summer so far (in no special order, not even chronologically)....Pine Valley Cabin with our favorite cousins, mothers day, all three girls dancing, flower girls, Park City with Greg's family, E and K donating hair, and E's 9th b-day.

My first post

2008-07-04T14:46:00.001-06:00

Oaky Corb, are you happy now? This blog needs some help!