A Riddle with 22 Legs

This was the title on one of Cami's homework pages. She was then given the following scenerio:

I counted 22 legs in my house. All the legs were on cats, people, and spiders. How many of each creature--cats, people, and spiders--might be in the house? There are many possible answers. How many can you find?

Cami surprised me by finding at least 8 different possiblilities. The funny part of this story or the "punch line" is that the final question was "How do you know you have all the possible answers?" Cami's answer was classic! She wrote, "Because I can't think of anymore."

If only I could have put that on a few papers at BYU! Ha!Ha! Here's to youth and education!!

Halloween Fun!

The slide show is a bit backwards as it shows Halloween before the pumpkin carving, but I'm too lazy to go back and redo it! So, here we are. The kids were so cute! Cami was a Hippie girl, Spencer was a dead football player, Emma was a movie star, Will was Lightening McQueen (of course) and Zach was our cute little monkey (I bought it months ago, and by the time Halloween was here, it was too short...oh, well!). Spencer and Cami met up with their friends and went Trick-or-Treating with them, then visited a Haunted House that a family does every year in our neighborhood. Seriously, this guy goes all out! Their yard is really ghoulish and there are decorations everywhere, and the line to go through was around the block! You don't actually go through the house, but through the yard, into that back yard. There are strobe lights, chain saws, headless people, coffins, everything! I am a wimp and have never gone in, but the kids love it. Anyway, so Brian finally made it home and took Emma, Will and Zach through our neighborhood. It was a beautiful night and almost 80 degrees! I had kids asking for water...with their candy of course!

Pumpkin carving was fun, too. We carved on Monday for our Family Home Evening. Will's is a Pumpkin horseman, Spencer's is Dracula, Cami did her own and it was a baby face with one tooth, Emma's was bats in flight, and Spencer did Zach's tiny one. We had a great time, and it was fun to see the faces take shape. It's been so warm, however, that our jack-o-lanterns barely made it through last night. It was hard to tell exactly what they were.

BED HEAD

Will adds new meaning to the idea of a bed head! I knew his hair was getting long, but I couldn't bring myself to get it cut because it was just too dang cute! a few weeks after this picture was taken, he got gum stuck in his hair and the gum won the war! His hair is now shorter and he's lost some of the cute curl, but this will always remind me of those curly locks and mornings trying to tame them!

Deep in the Heart of...

TEXAS!!! This was taken at the end of my family's reunion. I thought it was a great picture considering the kids and the hot day and everything. So here we are!

When We're Helping, We're Happy

Brian's company does a lot of help for good causes, and this was one great day to help the Red Cross. Our family and others from the company met at the Red Cross and divided into different groups to help them wash vehicles, prepare comfort packets, pack bins, and whatever else they needed. Our family helped put together the baby packets. We stuffed bags with diapers and wipes all donated by the company. We had a great time and the kids actually enjoyed it and it was nice knowing they were doing some kind of service for people in an emergency.

Classic Zach

This is classic Zach! This has been the sorry lot of my life for the past too many weeks! Please note that this cupboard even has the child lock on it! If a cupboard was left open or even if it wasn't, Zach found his way in it and completely emptied it! Maybe I'm getting older and less patient with things, maybe Zach is completely bored, or maybe it's just natural, but last night I stayed up late and added more child locks to every (almost) cupboard in our kitchen. Poor Zach...I've just taken away his play area! However, he did manage to find the ONE cupboard that didn't have a lock on it because I ran out. I had put a giant bag of flour in front of it, and Will had pushed it away to get something out, and never put it back, and before I knew it, Zach was dumping bowls all over the floor! I love this picture because it so perfectly captures his "innocent" expression. Too cute...if I do say so myself.

Growing Up

Here's our little Will heading to his first day of Pre-school. We were having difficulties getting him un-attached from Mommy. He wouldn't go to nursery at church, he wouldn't stay in the play center at the gym (without the big kids) and he wouldn't stay with babysitters, so I decided to add one more thing to the whole, and for some reason, it did the trick! We explained that he would now be going to pre-school because he was becoming a big boy and he'd be going to a school to help him learn and have fun like the big kids. I'm happy to say that he loved it from the first day, and he now goes to nursery, the gym and stays for babysitters without any fuss!

Harry Potter is Over!

For the last 3 weeks I've been reading all of the Harry Potter books. So in a sense, I've been thinking, eating, dreaming Harry Potter. When there wasn't something that absolutely had to be done, I was reading the books, one right after the other. I was hooked! It was "constant vigilance"! I just finished book 7 on Saturday night. I found myself sobbing (I'm not ashamed to admit it) through the end and was happy with the ending...yet very sad that it was over! Seriously, I can't believe that I've never read them, but at the same time, glad that I didn't have to wait a year in between books! I think the romantic in me would have liked the books to continue as the relationships developed, so to me, the Epilogue was unsatisfactory. I'd rather have had Harry as an old man taking a trip down memory lane (through the Pensieve) with his wife...sort of like viewing Snape's thoughts...with a glimpse of the special moments. Anyway, just my ramblings but I am really sad that it's over! I need to see the movies now, but I hope they aren't a disappointment.

I just have to add that a friend of mine told me about a new series that's just as good as Harry Potter. It's called Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (an active LDS girl in Utah). Read about it on her website www.stepheniemeyer.com . It's kind of like the link between the magical world and muggles in Harry Potter, but with vampires and humans. Don't write it off until you see the website!

A shout out to Alisa...this one's for the girls!

Right before Alisa got married, she gave me a CD that she'd made for all the "girls". I listened to it and loved it!! (By the way...i'd love to know the artists and song titles...i have no idea on some of them.) Anyway, on our trip home from Utah, the kids were getting a bit antsy in the car, so I put in Alisa's CD and skipped it forward to a track that i thought they'd really like. To my surprise, the kids started belting out the words! "Children walking next to mothers, sisters walking next to brothers, fathers keepin' those wagons goin' ..." i was shocked and then they told me that all the time's they'd ridden in the car with Alisa, they were listening to her CD! Although one question keeps coming up about that song...Who is Joshua...the kids think it's a horse because the lyrics say, "Whoa, Joshua!" Somehow I don't think that he's a horse, but it's funny anyway.

OK, so one more story...I listen to the CD in the car all the time and though I like all the songs, sometimes you're in the mood for something else. So in the middle of one of the songs I skipped ahead to one of the other songs, and Will started protesting from the back of the van, "hey, mom...i like that song...put it back!" I had no idea that he was even listening. Now he sings along to the words he knows, so I won't change the song in the middle!!!!

So, Thanks Alisa! We love the CD!

Happy 3rd Birthday for Will

This is a little past due, but the pictures are so cute, I had to share them. Will turned 3 on August 4th, just over a month ago, and we had a nice family party here at the house for him. For those of you that know him, you know he LOVES the Disney movie CARS. So, we got CARS plates, cups, napkins, etc... and even found a Lightning McQueen pinata! I made a simple racetrack cake and we had a blast. Enjoy the photos.

Here we go again!

Well, most of you know that we've been on VACATION!!! We had a wonderful time visiting friends and family in Utah and Idaho. Here's a few pictures to see what we've been up to:

Our first few days were spent with my sister and her 2 boys. We went to the children's museum in SLC located at the Gateway, then we had lunch at the food court, then went to the fountain where children gather to get sprayed and dance to music every half hour. We had a really fun time, even though Will started throwing up right after lunch!

Then, the next day we headed to American Fork to the City Pool with my sister and her kids again. We had a great time! Then that night, we stayed in South Jordan with our very good friends, the Pettits, before heading to Idaho the next afternoon. While in Idaho, we stayed with my parents and also visited both my grandparents and ended our 10-day stay with a big reunion celebrating my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. Here's some pictures from Idaho.

We can't visit grandma and grandpa H. without feeding the horses around the corner from their house!

We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores in the backyard with the girls' friend, Shanda.

These next pictures are from our

visit to my Gr. & Gr. J's:

THE CHRISTENSEN FAMILY REUNION:

1. Kenecot (sp?) Copper Mine

Cami and Emma with cousin Jessica posing in front of the tire used on the dump trucks at the mine. Each tire costs $25,000.00!!!

Will, trying to get a better view from Daddy's shoulders.

This is Zach (in the middle) with his 2 cousins, Lucas (right) and Calvin (left). Calvin was born just a week and a half before Zach, and Lucas a month and a half after! They are so cute together and we hope they will be great friends as they grow up.

Rodeo Anyone? We had a really fun time at a Rodeo later that night.

Emma with cousins Lydia and Lucy enjoying the rodeo

2. Pioneer Day Parade:

Will and Ethan.................................Jessica, Lucy, Lydia, & Emma....................and Zach

Heritage Park in SLC was great fun! It was hot, but we enjoyed experiencing poineer life and seeing how they might have lived.

All dressed up on a Tuesday???

Well, we definitly had a place to go this last week as Brian's company helps sponser the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and there was a benefit dinner that he was to attend. I had the option of going, too, so I found a babysitter...then I found out that it was Black Tie! Oh, My! Brian's previous company parties were always Black Tie (optional), but there was nothing optional about this one. Brian bought a tux, and after much shopping (which was EXTREMELY difficult with my modesty standards) I finally found something suitable. The pictures don't do us justice, but I though we looked pretty good! Everyone was dressed up fancy, the dinner was wonderful, and we got to hear the speaches from 8 B&G club state reps. Then that night, one of those 8 was chosen to receive a $10,000 scholarship! What a night. It was fun to dress up and go out, and I'll never forget those kids, and the obstacles they overcame to be where they are today.

A new Pet?

I was driving home from the store and saw this big rock on the side of the road. As I got closer, I saw that the "rock" was actually moving and trying to get up the curb! It turned out to be a turtle!!! Surprising even myself, I pulled the van into a nearby apartment complex, and walked back to get the turtle. I brought it home and needless to say, the kids were ecstatic! We left him (or her) outside in the back yard to hang out. The kids really wanted to keep Turtle, but I insisted that our backyard habitat wasn't good enough for Turtle, and we would return him to a park where we'd seen other turtles, so he could have friends. The next morning, I went out early to put chemicals in the pool, and what do you think was IN the pool? TURTLE!! It took a while, but I finally got him out with the skimmer, then we took him to the park and set him free.

Memorial Weekend was Memorable

School ended and Grandma and Grandpa C. came for a visit that very night! We had a great time with them, however it rained the ENTIRE time they were here. I've never seen a rainier spring in Texas. We desperately need it, so we won't complain. In spite of the rain, we did get out for morning walks, afternoon swims (between rainy spells) and a baseball game.

Grandpa caught a ball that was tossed into the stands by the right fielder (don't remember which team was in the field at the time) and he gave the ball to Spencer! Thanks Grandpa!!!

School's almost over!!!

Well, I know it's about a month late, but our last few weeks of school were hectic and very crazy!!! Here's a quick re-cap of some of the things worth mentioning:

Will and his talent for being athletically coordinated for a 2 1/2 year old--- He has been "scootering" around for months! Even when we go on our morning walks, he usually scooters for a mile or so, then when he gets tired, we put the scooter in the bottom of the stroller and he jumps in. He also decided that he wanted to try roller skates. He found an old pair that the girls wore, and there was no turning back! We got him on video and he loves watching himself fall. However, he was quick to pick himself up and try again, and he was soon skating around the driveway!

Crazy Hair Day--- Every year, the school has a week when they do silly things each day. And every year the kids LOVE crazy hair day! We do the same thing each year, too. We color their hair with red, white (clear w/glitter) and blue hairspray. Will would not be left out, and had to have crazy hair, too.

Kindergarten Splash Bash!!! This is the end-of-year party for the kindergarten classes. It's a half day of fun water activities, then eating pizza. Emma had a blast in the shaving cream and in the sprinklers and other fun stuff.

AAA....Batta, Batta......Sa..Wing!! Spencer had a tough year on the ball field this year! His team had a rough go, but they hung in there and made it through the season. He got to pitch in a few games and really did well. He also played 3rd base and left field.

A piano recital for Spencer and Cami:

AND....

Zach...(sorry, 5th kid...no pictures!) He was a trooper though all the hustle of games and other activities. He has had his 6 month check up and is doing very well. He's now 23 pounds, so slowing down a bit, but still as chunky as ever! He's sitting up, rolling over, scooting backwards, laughing, and drooling! Great fun!

Cami gets Baptized

Today was the big day for Cami to get baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We all dressed in our Sunday best, and Cami wore a new white dress we had given her for this special day and special jewelry from Aunt Merri and her family and a lovely bracelet from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Herbst, and then we were off! We headed for the church at 8:20 this morning and she was given her baptismal clothing. She changed, then we went into the chapel and waited for the meeting to start. There were 2 other 8-year-olds to be baptized this morning, too. They all looked anxious as they waited on the front row with their dads. The meeting began and we sat reverently as the 1st Counselor in the stake presidency conducted the meeting. I don't remember much of what was said, but I remember thinking that Cami looked so beautiful! I was glad to see Brian sitting with her and my parents and I sat in the back of the chapel with Emma, Will and Zach. The only sad thing about the day was that Spencer couldn't share it with us.

Unfortunately, he had a baseball game this morning at the same time. I know that may sound lame, but he is in a premiere league and we already miss games and tournaments on Sundays, and we didn't realize the conflict until it was too late to do anything about it. So we tried to make arrangements for a friend to get him to the church directly after the game and we asked that Cami get baptized last. Well, it didn't work out! Cami did go last, but with only 3 kids getting baptized, it didn't take long for it to be her turn. And come to find out, Spencer was having the game of his life making several great plays, including a double play! The game went into overtime, and we lost 10 to 11. This is a great accomplishment for our boys!! In previous games, we've had to quit early because our opponent was winning 27-0 (no joking!!!).

Anyway, back to Cami. Her baptism went smoothly and we changed her back into her beautiful white dress. Again, she looked so pretty and we sang, "The Holy Ghost", listened to the Bishop talk, then Cami, Emma and Will sang "I am a Child of God," then I spoke about the Holy Ghost (while Will was crawling on the floor around my legs and poking his head through my legs until Brian finally got him!) and presented her with a lovely picture and poem entitled "My Three White Dresses." It's a beautiful poem about wearing a white dress when a baby is blessed, then another white dress at baptism, and then if you keep those baptismal covenants, you will get to wear another white dress in the House of the Lord when you get married. So I talked about the significance of that and the symbolism of being dressed in white. Then she was confirmed and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We sang, "I belong to the Church," and it was over! It seemed to happen quickly and we enjoyed it so much.

We came home and had a delicious cake that I had made yesterday (all white, of course). Then we went to the park for a picnic lunch and to feed the ducks and turtles, then home for naps, and into the pool later for a little swimming and pizza for dinner, poolside! What a day! I think Cami really had a good day and she has said a couple of times in her meal prayers that she was having a great baptism day! Here's a few pictures of our day:

Go Huggies!

Since joining the team at Kimberly-Clark, we have received LOTS of samples products as well as some promotional items. I thought this one was particularly cute. Will put it right on and loves it. If you can't read it, it says, "don't worry.....be HUGGIES"

Back to Reality!

view from our hotel room

I think vacations always come to an end too quickly! Our week in Maui was wonderful! We arrived Monday afternoon with rain in the skies and the trade winds whipping through our hair, but it was very comfortable and pleasant. When we got to our hotel, which had been newly remodeled, we stepped on the balcony and just looked out over the ocean and the beach in Lahaina. It was beautiful! Then we took a walk to find some dinner and it turned out to be our favorite restaurant. Brian had a stir-fry mix and I had the Big Kahuna Burger which was HUGE and had cooked onions and guacamole and lettuce, tomato, and Swiss cheese. Delicious! We finished by sharing a slice of Hula Pie. Wow! The slice was probably big enough for 4 people, but we ate the entire thing. It had a chocolate Oreo cookie crust, then a huge layer of macadamia nut ice cream, then a one inch thick layer of chocolate fudge, then topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate and caramel and chopped macadamia nuts. We had been starving because they no longer serve food on planes without charging an astronomical fee. After this meal, our hunger was definitely satisfied.

I won't go into too many other details as that would take forever. But, for those of you who know Brian, he had his nose in the guidebook constantly! He always knew what he wanted to do or see next. I had brought FOUR books to read because I anticipated A LOT of beach time. However, we rented snorkel gear and stopped at practically every good snorkel spot on the island. We drove the road to Hana and saw many spectacular water falls. And our rental car had to be a convertible because the guidebook said there was no other way to do the drive to Hana! We saw a fabulous magic show at Warren and Annabelle's in Lahaina (I haven't laughed so hard in ages...the magician was a comedian, too)! We went to the Hyatt to see a Luau, and eventually had a few hours to actually sit on the beach and relax. Brian kept us busy, but we still had time to relax when we were tired. Mixed in with everything, we had some wonderful meals (all at restaurants recommended in the guidebook). It was a wonderful trip and ended all too quickly. Brian has already started working at his new job and I have been swept back in to the routine of motherhood. I guess it's time to get back to reality. Here's a few more pictures from our trip:

One of our snorkel stops

Three Bears Falls........................................At the Luau


At a blow hole north of Lahaina

the final view before heading to the airport