Easter Encore

This Sunday, I figured that since we had gone to church in Utah last week, no one in Idaho had seen these outfits and maybe this week I could get some pictures.

Lunch with Grandma and Grandpa

The sweetest dive I've ever met...

Two little rascals. One a professional, one in training.

Okay, all you stinkers...

In the last week I have lost access to half my friends' blogs!! My email is allijenks@hotmail.com. Add us to your lists so I can continue to snoop into your business! :) Luv, Alli

Hoppy Easter!

I hope everyone had a super fun Easter! We had a great time at my Mom's- the weather is so much better in Utah than in Idaho. We got there Saturday afternoon and had to leave Sunday afternoon, but still it makes me home sick. My mom had big baskets for all the grandkids, but I still wanted to give them a few little treats, so I did presents. Notice that I didn't forget Tony...

Thanks Easter Bunny!
Lauren didn't want to sit by her basket for a picture. She decided to scream at me instead.
Jocelyn found her shiny egg, which she traded Grandma for a basket.
The big kids: Gage and Jocelyn (front) and Jen and Brandon's kids: Sawyer, Kaden, and Detton (by Jossy).
I never got a decent picture of us as a family bedecked in our Easter apparel, but my Mom has some and I'll post one if they turned out. Both the girls had these dresses and Gage had a coordinating sweater vest and tie. You like her in a sleeveless dress, no coat, and snow? Me too.

We hope you all had a great Easter!

Little Cassidy

Today has been a super mellow day, but tonight I got an unexpected but welcome phone call from sister-in-law Christine! She just needed a recipe, but we ended up talking for over half an hour and would have talked longer but her visiting teachers came.

We talked about work and apples, my kiddies and then little Cassidy. Kameron and Christine tried for years to start a family, and finally conceived this beautiful little girl. They suffered so much before she was even born- bedrest, moves, being apart during her rough pregnancy, crappy insurance issues; I'm sure there were things that I didn't even know about.

Still, after all that, Kameron and Christine are unbelievable. After the loss of this perfect, beautiful child they continue to move forward. At Cassidy's funeral, I couldn't believe the strength and grace that these two showed. I admire them both so much for the way they handled this tragedy.

Please realize that I haven't written about Cassidy because I needed a little time to collect my thoughts. I think about her and her mom and dad every day. I'm not sure if having more children will makes their loss any easier, but I do think they should try again; they will be fantastic parents.

Little Cassidy has given me a special reminder of how fragile we all are- how life can change in an instant, how blessed we are to have each other forever and how much I love my babies and my husband.

Not many parents are asked to go through this heartbreak, but they did beautifully. Kameron, Christine and Cassidy- I love you all!

Another piece of the enormous puzzle...

The stone mason started this week and I'm super excited! The stone looks way darker than it did at the showroom, but I still really like it. Now I just hope the brick looks good with it and the stucco and the siding and the garage doors... It's all kind of exhausting. Plus, if we make a mistake it's really expensive.

I'll post more photos when he gets more done. And if it ever stops snowing.

Mom's surgery.

This last week my mom had an operation on her heart. It was the same procedure Tony's brother Brandon had last year. She's been kinda down and out since the surgery and we don't have any pictures (we stayed in Idaho to keep the kids and the noise away) but I do have one of Jossy and my Grandma. Grandma D. came from Florida to help my mom for a few weeks and I think we've all loved having her around. She and Mom drove up for a few days to visit this week. She leaves after Easter and we'll sure miss her!

My mom is doing good and we expect a full recovery.

Gage's First Wrestling Practice.

FLEX IT UP!
Tony must have been feeling pretty ambitious! Gage is only 4 and Tony decided he was going to teach him how to really wrestle. Gage was so excited to have this fun outting with just him and Daddy- they could've been going to a turtle race and he wouldn't have cared. I don't know if he really grasped the concept- but you've gotta start somewhere!
(I'm sure a singlet will come later, get excited!)

Jossy's trip to the dentist

It's all part of something that could've been really bad, and hasn't really been that bad at all. Jocelyn has some residual deformities associated with her cleft lip, and "The Infamous Nub" is one of them. It was the first tooth to come in but it never really came in all the way. She also has an extra front tooth that came in sideways.

I have been way more worried about this than she has- that's for sure. The dentist also said that she seems to not be bothered by the crooked tooth and that we should leave it. I was afraid having the nub drilled on was going to terrify her, but she was so brave! She whimpered a little when they first used the suction, but not a tear was shed and she AHHH for like 30 minutes straight in her little high voice. It was all pretty dang funny.

Jossy is a special little girl who has the kindest, most gentle, loving spirit of anyone I have ever met in my entire life. This little speedbump in her life is thankfully something we can help her with, and I think she will grow up as beautifully and healthy as any other little girl. We love her so much and thank our Heavenly Father for letting her be part of our family. Say AHHH!
Close-up of the nub and sidewinder.

Our missionaries: Elder and Sister Jenks

Just because they're going on a mission doesn't really make it any easier to say goodbye. We are going to miss them so much! But in the same breath, we are so excited for them and and proud of them for taking on this adventure. Elder and Sister Jenks reported to the MTC this week and are due in Chicago, Ill. next week to start the real work...

On their way down to the MTC, they stopped in for a few days for some tiny hugs and kisses. We love Grandpa!

And Grandma!

Gage doesn't snuggle with just anyone...

Lauren knows she got that watch off of one of Grandpa's appendages, this just doesn't seem to be the right one.

nursery...FINALLY!

Yesterday was Lauren's first day of nursery. I thought we weren't going to make it to the 18 month mark, but we finally did! Thank heaven!


So I asked Tony to help me get the girls ready, and when I saw what he was doing, I had to sneak and grab my camera.

His face shows how hard he was trying, and he really did think he was doing it right!
Jossy models the dress the right way.

Nursery was a big success, with no tears and no escapes. Now if we could only get Gage to be good...