It only took a YEAR

Getting a smartphone was a great thing in SO many ways, but since I'm on my phone for email and facebook and whatnot, I don't bother to take time to blog.  Considering I use this just as much to fill in gaps for my journal, realizing it's been a full Year since I last wrote,  UGH. I am just realizing that I truly need to find a day and time to make my journaling time.

The biggest change to the family was the opportunity for Randy to head out on his mission. He has the wonderful opportunity to be serving the Lord and sharing the gospel with the people of Japan. He spent 2 short months at the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah, and learned to read, write, and speak Japanese. After the time our family spent living in Okinawa, Japan we are ALL a bit envious that he gets to go back, AND be on mainland Japan, AND really be in there and learn the language. 
He has now been in Japan for 13 days and we are eager to hear from him a second time, now that he's had more than just a few days to be there. 

Elder Randy Jensen @ Provo LDS Temple

In December, Curtis turned the magical age of 18! Yikes, how do I have another adult child? Well, he is in his Senior year of High School, and upon completion the plan is to submit his own mission application paperwork. Until then, he's enjoying his classes. I wish there was a way I could go in and take his automotive class with him. I can't, but I can say that I actually might consider a junker "project" car for him to work on (and teach us .on.)

Robbie just celebrated her 16th birthday last week.  SIXTEEN!!! Whaaaattt!?!? Not too sure who was more anxious for the day to come: Robbie with excited energy or her Daddy with Stress over the fact his littlest girl is now allowed to date. OH the excitement.  LOL. How did Jason handle it, he gave himself a gift for Robbie's birthday. He made a bat into the "boyfriend slayer" and it now hangs over the doorway to the family room in direct sight from the front door.  LOL. Oh how I hope she continues to show good judgement with the people she associates with. Once she actually DOES date, life'll get a little interesting. Honestly, this picture is probably the closest Jason wants to see her lips to ANY others for many MANY years still. he he he.

Craigan is now 13 (yes, until the end of April I have 4 teenage children). He was playing the clarinet in school, but recently they asked him to play the Bass Clarinet! This is how Randy's music career went. Well, along with the instrument change, Craigan is also now on his middle school Baseball team. His pitching and batting skills are improving by leaps and bounds, and it's great to work with him and see his growth and determination.

Zac is doing great. Energetic as always, and loving school. He just got over being sick and realized that YES it IS possible to miss being at school. Alot of his down time he likes to spend outside enjoying roaming around the back yard. Our next door neighbor had her HUGE pine tree cut down, and we let them drop it onto our yard so we could keep it for the wood.  Well, we've gotten a pretty good chunk of it cut off and started to stack, but it's a slower project than I'd hoped for. Zacky is THRILLED to have all the huge chunks of tree as well as the long part still around the yard. He climbs and leaps and makes forts or hides from the dogs. If the warm weather comes back it's going to get harder and harder to get him back inside for bedtime. JUST the way childhood SHOULD be. :o)  I do have to say, as much as the kids love living where we don't have to experience tons of snow, it's nice to get just a little once a year. We were teased with the possibility a few times, and when it actually happened, it was HUGE flakes and great packing snow. Zac wasn't about to pass up the chance to make a couple of snowmen. He actually said that the first was Dad, and the second was Mom. We just got a huge kick out of watching the "dad" melt over the next week of really warm weather.  There were so many pine needles rolled into the snowballs, that it was insulated well enough to keep the 
snow on the inside thru a whole WEEK of warm temps that charged in behind the snow. It was great.

Well, I hope that's enough of a catch up for now.  :o)