Jensen Update (Oct2014)

Last Monday (September 29) I dropped the kids off to school , went to the temple and did an endowment session with one of our family names, and then finished just in time to pick up the kids from kindergarten. I say “kids” because I carpool and pick up three cute little kindergarten girls. I was grateful that my evening interpreting job canceled (especially since I still get paid for it) and so that freed up a little time. Janelle really wanted to see “Sound of Music” with the other cast and so I brought her to see it that night since it would be the last chance for her to see it. Usually when you are in a play you never get the chance to actually watch the entire show as an audience member and so that was fun for her.

Tuesday, September 30, I interpreted at Dixie, ran to Walmart and picked up some birthday presents for Jenna. I picked up Jenna and later picked up Janelle from the bus stop and then ran over to my neighbor’s to go visiting teaching for an hour. Then I took Jaiden to the Orthodontist. I can’t believe how much her teeth have changed in just a matter of months! I will have to do some before and after pictures. She only has braces on the top. You might remember that the dentist cut an opening in her gums on that big tooth that would never grow in and also on another tooth in order for the Orthodontist to put braces on those two teeth and pull them down. The gums were supposed to grow right back over the area that was cut, but it didn’t. It did on the smaller tooth but not on the big tooth. So her gum line goes up higher on that tooth right in front. It is not overly noticeable, but I do notice it, especially when she smiles really big showing her top gums. We won’t make any decisions about that right now. Jaiden will be our first child to get two rounds of braces. She gets these off next time (in November) after having them on for only six months. So it will be nice to have that bill removed for a while! Meanwhile her teeth will be straight as we wait a couple of years for the rest of her teeth to grow in and then she will get a full set. I am not sure how long she will need those. Janelle and Jared only need theirs on for two years instead of three years like Janika and Jase and so they will be finished next summer.

The dentist wants me to bring Josh in now. He is proactive and says that you can help the process a lot by starting early and helping the teeth grow in straighter by keeping an eye on things and pulling out certain teeth that are blocking other teeth and causing crowding and so forth, instead of waiting for all of the teeth to grow in completely crooked and then trying to correct everything afterwards. I think I will wait until Jared and Janelle’s get theirs off first though before starting on him. Janelle’s teeth were fast but she also has a little tooth on the side that isn’t growing in. If we wait for that tooth to come in on its own then she would have to have her braces on at least another six months and so the Orthodontist is going to do a little laser cut on the gums for that one and put a bracket on it on her next appointment. He said that there wouldn’t be a charge for it, so that is nice. 

Tuesday night I went visiting teaching to the other sister. Last day of the month, ugh! We really need to get on an earlier schedule! My companion is a busy school principal and so we can only go in the evenings which makes it more difficult. 

Jase got asked to Sadie Hawkins dance. She had a bowl of water filled with little rubber ducks and a poster that said, “I would be a lucky duck if you come to Sadie’s with me.” There was a letter on each duck and they spelled out her name. He answered her with a bowl of easter eggs filled with candy and the letters “Y-E-S” in some of the eggs and a poster that said, “I would be EGG-cited to go with you!” Wednesday was “Walk to School” day and so my friend, Allison, and I walked with all of our kids. The weather has really cooled down this past week and was lovely for walking! Jaiden is taking tumbling at her studio instead of dance this year. She is very flexible and great at it! She and Josh are in the Arrowhead Elementary School Choir and go early on Tuesdays and Thursdays for rehearsals. 

Tonight I brought Jase and Jared to go watch Janelle in her play. They didn’t want to go but I said that they needed to support their sister just like she has gone to some of their Cross Country meets. Then I helped backstage with costume changes throughout the performance. 

Friday, Oct. 3: Jenna’s birthday! I had an early interpreting appointment. Luckily it was close by and only 30 minutes. I had to hurry and come home and make Jenna’s birthday cake and clean the house and go pick up pizza for the party. Did you know that Papa Murphy’s has gluten free pizza now? I got some and like it! I had Jenna’s party from noon to 12:30. I had her keep it really small this year – just a few girls – and it was really simple and easy. I went to scouts and Rick brought Josh to a birthday party. Jenna’s opened her presents tonight – a new bike since she has outgrown her little starter bike, and an Orbee amusement park and some clothes and gluten free snacks. I dropped Janelle off to her play. Rick went tonight as the kid wrangler. 

Sat. 4: I enjoyed conference today but felt so tired during it! Tonight is Janelle’s final show – yeah! Rick and the boys went to Priesthood, I am kid wrangling tonight and Jaiden is babysitting Josh and Jenna. I had better get over there!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Love,

Wendy

 I love how you call it "kid wrangling" ... I guess I didn't get into theater so young that the folks had to stay during performances and such. I'm grateful for all the rides and support they provided during those early theater years. My little niece Addie (Clay and Courtney's oldest daughter, she's nine) is in a play (Riverton City's Alice In Wonderland) so we'll probably try to go see it. I would have liked to see Janelle in Sound of Music. That was the last musical I ever did (at Snow College, I was Sister Margarita). 

Your schedules sound SO crazy! Not sure how you do it. I guess we get a little crazy too, but it doesn't seem to compare to yours. Last Thursday was a bit busy, as Colton had a soccer game at 6:30, Callahan had a basketball game at 7:00 and Keaton had practice at 8:00-10:00. I handled Colton and Keaton and Gray went to watch Callahan. 

I didn't know Papa Murphy's had gluten-free. Landon usually makes all the pizza runs. We do usually have Papa Murphy Monday's each week. Not that we need gluten-free, but still good to know. I knew Dominos did, but they didn't guarantee it against cross-contamination, so it still wasn't recommended for those with extreme issues. My Zumba teacher on Tuesdays ... her first husband and her two kids can't have even a speck or they have problems immediately. Her husband struggled for years, not knowing what was wrong (before it became mainstream knowledge like today) and suffered multiple misdiagnosis. In the end, with a misdiagnosis of liver failure and having so many issues, he gave up and took his own life. It was Celiacs.

I need to get my kids into the dentist. I should have done it during the summer dang it! Summer was a little crazy with all the scout camps and basketball workshops too though. I'm probably behind in getting Keaton started on braces. At least Landon's wisdom teeth surgery went great. 

Thanks for the update :)

Jen and da boys

I don’t think that I knew that you were in the Sound of Music at Snow, Jen! I must have been off to USU or on my mission during that time. I had been fully planning on just dropping off Janelle to each performance at call time and then picking her up after the shows and so it came as a very unwelcome surprise when they said that they didn’t have enough back stage help and would need one parent for each child to be backstage at every performance. Luckily Rick was willing to alternate with me and it worked out okay. It was a lot of time but it was fun to get to know the other parents and make connections. Last night was closing night and I was backstage. It was actually pretty fun! There was so much energy and excitement from the cast. I brought my camera and took a bunch of pictures of Janelle in her costumes backstage or outside. Some of the parents from Cast A were there helping so that the Cast B parents could watch the show and so it was fun to get to meet them for the first time and visit with them. I opted to be backstage since it was sold out and I had already seen it a couple of times and I wanted Rick to be able to go to the Priesthood Session with the boys.

One of the moms from the other cast said that on their nights they would go backstage and peek through the curtains during certain numbers to watch their kids. I would sometimes go behind the curtains and listen, but not peek through as I thought that would be distracting and unprofessional. She said if you go in “the cave” underneath the abbey/bedroom, you can peek through and watch the kids’ “Do Re Mi” song without being seen. I thought, “What the heck, it is closing night..” and so there we were – three moms crouching down on hands and knees in “the cave” peeking through a little hole in the curtain watching our kids perform. Pretty funny! 

Some of the kids were SO hyper last night (Gertl and Marta) that I worried that they wouldn’t be able to maintain their characters. Little Gretl has her own person to dress her since her mom has other duties for the shows. She is six years old and quite the character. Last night she was backstage guzzling a can of coke and belching loud enough to rival any teenage boy. She also had a huge bag of candy which apparently her mom had given to her to “share” with the whole cast. But she was downing the whole thing herself. I told her that she was on a sugar high and should really put the candy away. She said (in her little dramatic voice) “Actually I am just a little bit tired and so I think I need some more!” 

Since it was closing night all of the directors were called up after the show and honored with bouquets of roses. The main director, Ani Rogers, was one of our Hands in Harmony Carolers when she was a teenager, and now she is the drama director at Pineview High School. So Rick can say he taught her everything she knows, ha ha! After the show all seven Von Trapp kids were bawling, because it was the last show and they were so sad to see it end. The girl playing Louisa was literally sobbing – very loudly!. Janelle was crying – even the boys were shedding tears. It was actually pretty humorous and the other moms and I couldn’t help laughing at them which made them cry even harder.

After the show the tech people put on a hilarious 20 minute skit for the cast putting on costumes and poking fun of all of the characters. Someone ordered in pizza and they turned up the music and started taking down the set. We finally got out of there a little after midnight. They are having a cast party for families on Monday night so their separation won’t be for too long! 

I forgot to mention that Rick and the kids took down the pool yesterday. Friday the boys had a Cross Country in Cedar City and they both got their personal best. Jared got 19.25 and Jared got 19.30. They just keep getting better and better! Someone called me and asked me to be in charge of a team night before one of their meets – providing dinner for the whole Cross Country team. She said that there should be a couple of other moms helping but I haven’t heard anything. It is one of those things I probably should have just said “NO” to!

Jen, your schedule sounds crazy too with all of your boys in so many sports! That is sad about that guy with Celiac. That must be fun for Addie to be in Alice and Wonderland. 

I hope Jani and her friends enjoy conference in the conference center this afternoon. I had better go get something to eat before the last session starts…

Wendy