TO BE ooooor NOT TO BE!!

Nate has a new vocabulary word. EXIST. Don't ask me where he got it, but he did and now he asks: Does the lake exist, does the boat exist, does spiderman exist etc.,etc. So last night we're driving home from Lake Powell after 3 hours driving and 5 tired days on the lake. Our guard was down. We didn't listen as carefully as we should. "Mom," he asks, "does the tooth fairy exist." "YES!!" I answer emphatically. And then the cogs of his brain kick in, his generalization instincts rear their little heads, he remembers that superman, spiderman, and batman are fictional and replies with no perceptible emotion, "the tooth fairy doesn't exist."
Katie, who is not yet ready to make this cognitive steps cries out, "Yes, Nate the tooth fairy exists." At least we still have one believer :)

FRIDGE WOES!!

IT was inevitable. After my last weekend prayer, the fridge is definitely on its last legs. We are headed out of town for a few days and have researched some fridges. When we get back we will probably buy this fridge. I want the french doors because the side by side has just not been great as far as finding room for things. We like the ice maker and hope this one makes as much ice as our last one. I think, also, that I need a garage fridge-- something that allows me to shop at Costco and buy in bulk, but not necessarily keep all the bulk stuff right in the kitchen. Maybe for CHristmas.

Heaven on earth!

Just got finished laying 5200 feet of sod in our backyard. Sorry there's no before pictures-- believe me, it was just dirt and weed and briars and noxious weeds-- that afflicted and tormented me. NOW< it's heavenly.

HELP!!!! I NEED TO NAME MY BABY!

It's legendary in the Jensen family. Girls names are picked and ready, even before conception. There is a long list of mutually agreed on, lovely female names. Male names, however, have not fared so well. When naming our boys, both times, we have been in the hospital, ready to leave, when forced to write something down for the birth certificate. We wanted to name one after Robert and we liked his initials (RMJ) so Matthew became Robert Matthew Jensen. This idiosyncracy of being called after his middle name is truly a hassle if not tantamount to child abuse. The poor kid is always having to correct things with teachers, dentists, etc. Now, we don't ever put Robert down unless it's official documentation and I have to watch the EOB from insurance companies to make sure I file things in the right folder (Rob or Matt)Anyway, when Nate came around what did we do? We did it again. Robert's older brother Richard was killed 17 years ago in a car accident. They were very close. Robert and Richard were named after another set of brothers in the family Robert and Richard Wells. So we wanted to continue the tradition and have a Robert and Richard, too. Hence, Richard Nathan Jensen. The only justification we use for these word games is that someday they may sound like a General Authority's name. R. Nathan and R. Matthew Jensen.
OKAY, enough of the Jensen male naming history. Male Baby No. 3's current name is

Bentley Michael Jensen.

Michael is, of course, after my dad, but it would be strange to call him Michael. Bentley is Robert's dad's middle name-- a grandmother's maiden name, I believe. We might call him ben, then again we might not. At times I really like this name. At others, I am just not sure. We are definitely making it an issue of prayer. But I'd love to hear what others think.

UPDATE

After doing all the tricks I know, and a little prayer, this morning the fan was blowing and the stuff in the fridge seemed cool, if not really cold. I'm not holding my breath that this will give me another two years, but my prayer was for 2 more days until the store opens and I think I may have been granted that. Thanks, Heavenly Father.

All Good THings . . .

Well, I think it's finally come. The end of the refrigerator. A couple of years ago the fridge died and I called in a repair guy. He basically told me that my not very old refrigerator had a warped door that was essentially irreparable. He put a little compressor starter on it and told me it might last a week or a year, he just didn't know. i guess I should consider myself fortunate that it lasted this long. To replace the compressor is about $1300. and it might go bad again because of the door-- so not a good risk to take. Best bet, suck it up and buy a new fridge which, considering how much money I've paid out in the last month or two for this house is not a happy prospect. NEVERTHELESS: you've gotta have a fridge so I guess I try to get one right away.
In the meantime toast without butter, granola bars , but no dairy. Try to eat all the produce tomorrow. go to the store early to get ready for YOuth Conference breakfast. Luckily my icemaker still works (gotta love that crushed ice). it will be nice not to have to monitor the fan on my fridge anymore. And if Eliza R. Snow can pray for her oxen to walk, I can pray for my fridge to work-- just until monday.

COMMENT QUIZ:;-- Make your guesses in the comments!

HERE's THE QUIZ: 15! 15! 15! Who knows to what this refers? Any guesses? I'll tell you tomorrow.

House/Pregnancy Update

At the risk of being too whiny, I'll take a minute to update everyone on the pregnancy, summer, house thing.

I have 42 days left. I cannot tell you how forward I am looking to the end of that time. I have generally swollen feet. Heartburn is a common friend-- usually linked to my favorite foods-- pasta & peanut butter. Sugary things nauseate me (but not enough to Pavlov me into not eating it.)Not sleeping much, but definitely visiting the restroom a couple of times a night. Gaining a little more weight than I'd like. Pretty fun, eh! But all worth it. I cannot wait to meet this kid. And hopefully we'll bring him home to a finished house which brings me to part II of this post.
THE HOUSE: The chaos. A year ago my friends told me-- Gail, you can't accurately gauge how well you're doing keeping house when you have, essentially, been living in an apartment for 3 years. (7 people, 3 bedrooms, 2 closets, sharing one tub/shower) Granted, the Kitchen is roomy and nice which has made things bearable. But now, only one of our 4 toilets is installed (the others have been removed to tile the floors). OUr stairs have been torn out. All our furnishings are stacked to the ceiling in the family room and garage, my bedroom doubles as office, bedroom, laundry staging area and dump station. The depth of the destruction is astronomical. Chaos, entropy, and dust are the new normal. I have no air conditioning in the basement because turning it on would suck up so much sawdust it would ruin the system. Strange men in my house ALL DAY. EVERY DAY!!! All right. Enough whining. THE GOOD NEWS: the tile is all but finished-- friday everything should be done. Same with the stairs. The granite will be installed monday. Then trim work, paint and flooring is all that's left. We have 30 days people (I need at least 12 to nest) Let's get 'er done.