The Seattle Jensens - 2011 Year In Review

Unfortunately our family blogging has been a little less frequent then we would have liked.  If we would have, then there wouldn't be a need for an “end of year” recap.  But, oh well...here we are.  Sitting down and looking through the 2011 calendar, one common theme that we saw was “New” - there was a lot of new things we experienced which kept us on our toes, and moving fast...just like we like it!  So, month by month here is a short recap of some of the highlights from 2011.

January
We kicked off the new year with Mike starting a new job.  After 10 years with Daptiv, it was time for change and on the 1st day of the new year, he started at R2integrated, a Digital Marketing and Technology Agency.  Based out of Baltimore, MD they started an office here in Seattle and have been growing ever since.  The most exciting part for the kids is the fact that their office is right above Krispy Kreme in SODO.

February
We celebrated Kezie’s 6th Birthday on the 18th.  She is full of energy, loves school, and her friends.  Her favorite game to play is “store”, where she scans and bags just about everything in the house.  I think we have bought the same book a dozen or more times.  

March
In addition to celebrating another birthday for Steph :-) the exciting news was that Maddie had the opportunity to put on the Hope School uniform for the first time by joining the 5th/6th Grade basketball team.  They were a little short on girls for the team, so they invited some eager 4th graders to join in.  This was a great chance for her to play for her school, with friends and get ready for this coming season.

April
Maddie turned double digits in April, the big 10.  She is growing up fast...really fast.  She enjoys all kinds of sports, enjoys her friends, school, church, etc. In April we also fit in a few of our favorites, with a visit to the Oregon coast for Easter, and then the annual kids fishing derby at Maggie lake.  Both were fun, as always, and we look forward to them again this year.

May
The sports theme continued into May as Maddie tacked on her 3rd sport, softball.  This is her last year before they really start playing by the rules.  She is on the fence if she wants to keep going, so we will see.  We were also able to get Kenzie back into soccer, as she joined forces with a friend.  She was a little scared to get back into it, but we are glad she did.  Her first game...3 goals!!  It is now her favorite sport :-)

June
The girls wrapped up a successful school year...Kenzie “graduated” to 1st grade, and Maddie moved on to 5th grade where she is most excited about, you guessed it..having a locker.  In June, Steph also changed her working status from contractor to employee with AnotherSource.  She is still part-time status, which she loves as it allows her to get the girls from school and have some time to herself.

July
Hola...Gracias...Muy Bien...Adios....Tequila - Just a few of the words that we got very familiar with on our fist trip to Mexico.  We packed our bags and headed to Cabo with our parents and Steph’s sister’s family for 8 days.  We enjoyed a ton of quality time by the pool, with drinks in hand, and tried to just relax.  It was a great time and we look forward to going again sometime.

August
We celebrated a big milestone, our 20 year High School Class reunion.  Our class was pretty small (only 32) but we had a great turnout over a weekend with day 1 at Beveridge Place, and day 2 a family picnic at Lincoln Park.  Great to see how everyone has changed, or for those lucky ones, NOT changed.  In August, we also enjoyed a week with Ben and Lauren, who were visiting from California.  They stayed with Nana and Papa J while Jeff and Amy prepped for the arrival of baby #3 (Nathan).  The cousins had a great time together, with time on the beach, Mariners games, etc.

September
After a fun summer, the girls headed back to school.  Maddie moving to 5th Grade with Mrs. Hood, and Kenzie starting 1st Grade with Mrs. Hartley at Hope Lutheran.  It felt like we extended summer just a bit longer as Ryan, Stacey and the boys were here for a few days as well.  Luckily the weather was still nice and we were able to spend some time at the Lake, enjoying the “relaxation station.”

October
After taking in our very first Sounders game around Mike’s birthday in September, we followed that up with our October highlight which was attending the US Open Cup final, which the Sounders won!  It was their third straight, and it was an awesome experience.  We are all now kind of hooked on the Sounders, so we will probably be going to a few more games in 2012.

November
The big milestone in November was the Hope Auction on 11-11-11.  Steph co-chaired the auction and helped coordinate the biggest event ever for the schools.  All the hard work over the course of nearly 6 months paid off, as the event raised over $100,000.  It might be tough to get her to sign up for it again soon, but she did an awesome job!  For Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a great meal with great friends, and played in the annual Turkey bowl.  A tradition we started a few years back that has steadily grown each year.  Fun times!

December

Finally, as we reached December we headed into “busy season” - with holiday parties, tree cutting, school programs, work events, Santa Visits and family in town, we had it all.  We made a joke, but partly serious, about how we would love to hire a video crew to follow us around over the Holidays.  So many experiences, laughs, etc that at times are tough to believe happened, but they did.  Finally, we wrapped up the month and the year celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary on New Years Eve.

No doubt that we are truly blessed.  Our family, our community, our health, our friends, our jobs.  We are thankful each and every day.  We pray that you, and your families have a happy, joyous, hope filled New Year!

Looking Back on 2009

Yikes....Where did the year go? It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the new year, looking forward to all the exciting opportunities ahead in 2009. But here we are, December, a little over a week before Christmas and 2 weeks before we launch into 2010. Although we try our best to keep everyone informed about what is happening in Jensen household through our Blog, it is a tough job keeping up with EVERYTHING that is going on. So, this is always a great time to look back at the year that was and reminisce about all that happened....Luckily for us we do have a blog, because I'm not sure we could remember otherwise :-)

Makenzie - One word can sum up little KK....BUSY! This kid is nonstop 8am-8pm, go go go. In February she turned the big 4, and this September started P4 (PreK) at Hope. Kenzie loves to play store...all the time. The minute we get home, it is off to her cash register to pretend ringing up groceries, books, etc. I think we have bought all of our possessions about 10 times. With all that energy, we got her into a few different activities to see what might help channel her excitement. In the Spring she did T-ball at the Y with a couple of her buddies from school and really enjoyed it. After the first game where we had to run around the bases with her, she was sluggin it out like a big leaguer...fielding, well, that's another story. This fall we got her into Soccer, thinking that she can run run run...well, after the 1st game when she got elbowed in the head while in the middle of the pack (you know how 4yr old soccer is) it was tough to get her motivated. However, by the end of the year she was going after it, and mixing it up. The latest activity is a dance class with her friend. We always thought given her energy and flexibility, that gymnastics or dance might be her thing...so far she is really enjoying it and even has her own pair of tap shoes. Watch out Broadway! The thing that Kenzie adores the most is her big sister...Maddie is very patient (at times) with her, but they have a good time. They also tend to get on each other's nerves too, but hey, they wouldn't be sisters if they didn't. Kenzie is growing fast and it is hard to believe that next fall she will be going into Kindergarten.

Maddie - Well, where do we start with Maddie....It seems like she has grown WAY up this year. From her recent feat of getting her ears pierced, to being elected to student council, to playing 3 different sports, to getting a 4.0. In April Maddie turned 8, and this September started 3rd Grade at Hope. She loves school, her friends, her teachers and everything else that comes her way. She always seems to be happy no matter what. In the Spring Maddie started her 2nd year of girls softball and had an awesome time. Their team went all the way and won the "championship" for their age group. This Fall she was again on Team Quicksilver for soccer. Although she loves to score goals (don't we all) she naturally found a spot as a defender. Last year we were gung-ho on being goalie, but a rocket off her hand in the jamboree and she wasn't as much into that. Although their team didn't win a lot of games, they played hard each and every week and they got a ton better as the year went on. Now, Maddie is returning to our old stomping grounds, the Fauntleroy Y, for her first year of Basketball...or as we called it back in the day The YBA! For her birthday we got Maddie a basketball hoop, and between practicing outside and doing some day camps through School she is getting better and really enjoys it. Along the way in all these sports has been one of her closest friends, Mikayla. They love hanging out and having fun....but like I said earlier, Maddie loves all her friends. I think she could do something everyday with someone different.

Steph - The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Steph is dedicated. From the kids, to school, to church, to friends, she has dedicated her time and herself to making things better. She has a special gift to see how to make someones day...either through a phone call, an email, a Facebook post, a card, a special present...or more importantly just being there. This year Steph really took on the hobby of beads. Through a class at a local bead store she has developed an amazing talent to create beaded earrings, necklaces, etc. To the point that she is now getting "orders" from friends and acquaintances. She has always toyed around with the idea of starting her own little craft/specialty store, and I will continue to encourage her to do so. With Kenzie moving into Kindergarten next year the door might open a bit to think more about that. Be on the lookout! With her successful work on the Hope Auction back in Nov 2008, they and another local school have asked her to help coordinate their auctions, so that will occupy a lot of time in the coming months. One of the highlights of the year, was when her new little nephew, Felton, was born and she had the opportunity to go spend some quality time with her sister and family during the first few weeks of his life. Another highlight was her trip back to Nebraska to help her grandma prepare for a move to St. Louis. Although not the most fun, it was a time to be with her Grandma that she loves, and her way to help through her amazing organizational skills.

Mike - Hmmmm...since I wrote Steph's, I'll let Steph write mine...take it away. Mike is certainly the one that keeps us all grounded. With 3 girls, well, actually 4 if you count Josie dog as well, I don't know how he does it. Not only are we 3 girls, but 3 strong willed girls. We thank God everyday that he gave Mike an extra dose of patience. Maybe it isn't just a coincidence that work is requiring a bit more travel for Mike? :) He has been traveling about a week out of every month. His most recent trip took him to the Big Apple and not only the Big Apple but the Big Apple at Christmas. After flying a red-eye, one of his first stops before meetings was at the American Girl Store - with no girls along - to check some items off the Christmas list! Daptiv still keeps life exciting. It has taught us all a lot about change and the importance of adaptability. We are grateful for the 10 years that Mike has been there. He recently took on a new position as VP of Community Development. Mike loves technology and social networking and is eager to develop this new role. Quite often we joke that Mike's "other job" is School Board Chair at Hope - the girl's school. It too has taught us all about change and the importance of adaptability. We know that Mike was put in this role for a reason. Given the work changes and schedule, Mike decided to step away from coaching boys basketball this year but gets out their with the girls and their sports on a regular basis and still enjoys golfing and fishing whenever he can.


Friends, Family and Faith.
The three F's...three very important words that impacted our lives every day in 2009. We have been so very fortunate to surround ourselves with amazing friends. Friends that we laugh with, travel with, hang out with and genuinely enjoy our lives with. Coming back to Hope when Maddie was in P3 honestly changed our lives through the friendships we made. On the Family front, this year Grandma Cook(Mike's Gma) passed away after a short 4 month bought with cancer. Then, just recently, her husband Ray passed away quickly after suffering a brain aneurysm. Although we miss them, we know that they are in a much better place. In August, our family was blessed with a new little life - our nephew Felton. Steph and I have been lucky enough to see him in person, and the girls are counting the days to see him this Christmas. The Lakewood Jensens continue to make their annual summer visit to the NW and we really enjoy it when then come up. Maddie and KK love to hang out with their cousins, and we enjoy getting the whole family together when they visit. We are also extremely fortunate to have our parents in our lives and so close to us in West Seattle. We get together often both in town, as well as at the Channer cabin near Hood Canal. Faith wise, Hope Church and School continues to be a big part of our lives. Between School Board, teaching Sunday School, small groups, etc. Hope has emerged as our "third place" and we are excited about that.


We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and fabulous New Year. We hope that 2010 brings continued blessing to your families.