It's been a long time....

DOES THIS MEAN I AM FAMOUS NOW?????

I have not had two seconds to update this darn blog! We've had lots of visitors over the past month & so I really have not been able to dedicate some time to this blog. I am not going to get it done tonight, however, I did want to post something pretty darn cool. A couple of weeks ago, David Archuletta was here in San Antonio. I was able to go with some wonderful girlfriends to his concert. One of my friends actually knows him personally, close family friends you could say! :) Any how, long story short, we were able to go back stage after the concert & hang out with him & take pics & videos. Looking back I don't know why I didn't take more pics & videos-I think I was just so stinking excited! We had him say a little something to the girls at church that I work with (12-18 year olds). Any how, I hope y'all enjoy the pics & video. IF you ever get the opportunity to go see him, I suggest you do! He is AMAZING!!! Darn it! I saved my video clips on Kiley's computer that he has with him. I will have to add those later.......

Kids are so funny!

This morning Teagen & Brayden were having a little argument at breakfast. They were debating whether or not Barack Obama was bald. Brayden was 100% convinced that he IS bald. Teagen explained to Brayden that if he were bald, he would have a little bit of hair on the sides of his head & nothing on top. After much contemplating, Brayden decided that Teagen was right & that Mr. President after all is NOT bald. What even brought this up is beyond me!

Spurs Mini Slam Dunk Contest!

Teagen is on a basketball team through the Youth Center at Lackland Air Force Base. A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from the director of the youth center asking if Teagen would like to play in the contest during the half time of the Spurs game on January 23rd. Teagen LOVES the Spurs & so of course I told him yes. It was Military Appreciation Day & so that is why the Spurs had asked the youth center to send a few kids to participate. It was so much fun! They had them do the mini slam dunk contest during the first time out. Teagen looked so cute out there...I could only see him because of the big screen, our seats were pretty much nose-bleed!!! It was a fun outing & I must say, it was nice not having a wild & rambunctious little 21 month old tagging along! Thanks Meiers for letting her crash at your place! :) All of the kids that participated ended up winning & were given a $100 savings bond at some bank. Pretty darn cool! Brayden had so much fun yelling "DEFENSE"-everyone around us would start to laugh cause he was so loud! I think the boys loved eating basketball game food...the cotton candy was the best! Poor Kiley was pretty darn tired. We had to pick him up from work & it had been a very long day & he had to be to work the next day early in the morning. But he was a good sport & enjoyed the game with us! I can't even remember if the Spurs won that night! We left before the game was over. How funny!

IT'S OFFICIAL.....Drum roll please!!!!

Today marks the FIRST week of me being 30 (okay, so I started this on Sunday & now it is Thursday!!!!!)! I know, what an accomplishment, right!? It is funny how many people have asked me if I feel different now that I am the big 3-0! Nope, I feel the same as I did when I was 29, heck even when I was 25, except for maybe a few more stretch marks & grey hairs! I have embraced this new age of mine & look forward to making this next year a very memorable one, full of new goals & new adventures! Maybe if I get around to it, I'll even dedicate a post to the "30" goals that I am working towards this year!

So, I am sure y'all are DYING to know what Jen Mortensen did for her 30th birthday. Here are the glorious details!

Unfortunately my birthday fell on a Sunday & so all plans were set for Saturday. Kiley & I got the kids up & headed up to the YMCA for a quick work out. We raced home, I got showered & ready & then my two great friends, Kate & Kim, took me to lunch at the Olive Garden. Kiley had informed me earlier in the week that I needed to be prepared for Saturday. The preparations included: shaved legs, wear something comfortable, bring along a cowboy hat, and a blindfold. After lunch, the girls surprised me with a pedicure that Kiley had planned. That is why I needed to shave my legs.....don't want to gross out the lady who would be giving my legs a rub down! It was a wonderful time & am grateful to my girlfriends for such a fun afternoon!

Kiley had planned for our kids to be watched by our friends & we were off by 5pm for a fun adventure! He took me to Benihana's---so good! It was a great meal & so nice to spend some time alone with him! They sang to me & the waiter announced to the entire restaurant that I was celebrating my 21st birthday....awwww sweet! :) When we got into the car, Kiley put the blindfold & cowboy hat on me. Now of course I had a sneaky suspicion that he obviously had some surprise planned...I thought he was taking me to the Cowboy Dance hall & that some of our good friends would be there to celebrate & dance the night away with us. After a crazy drive & me feeling terribly carsick, we made it to our destination. He told me that we were in a big parking lot & to be careful not to run into any cars. He helped me through the door & instantly I KNEW where we were.....the smell gave it away....we were at my best friend Kate's house! I ripped off the hat & blindfold & to my surprise there was a house full of great friends ready to party with me! Rock band, good food, bday cake, & even presents!!! It was such a fun surprise! I told Kiley months ago that he had better make my 30th a big deal....like throw me a surprise party! I didn't think he could pull it off, luckily he had Kate along with the help of Kim, to do all the dirty work! :) Thanks guys for such a fun night!

On my actual birthday, we rushed to get to church on time (8:30 am, ya I know, it's a love/hate time frame). I enjoyed all the birthday wishes from such great friends!!! Too my surprise, when I came out of church, my car was decorated in "30" & "honk, I'm 30"! It was pretty darn funny! I did get a few honks a few days later & thought people were mad at the way I was driving. Then I realized that Kiley hadn't wiped off the Honk I'm 30 on the back window! We had a little BBQ & Birthday Cake & Ice Cream in the afternoon with a few close friends. It was a wonderful Birthday weekend! Thanks babe for everything! I truly felt so very loved & also so very grateful for such great friends!

My sweet kids gave me a beautiful diamond heart necklace & earrings! Click on this picture above & you may get a better view of it!

It was the best Birthday EVER!

Pillar of Character award goes to.......

Teagen & Brayden both were awarded the Pillar of Character award for Responsibility this past month. Two kids from each class received the award. They got to have a fun donut & juice breakfast & then were given their awards along with a free meal at the Olive Garden. I have to say that I was pretty proud of both of them & had to fight back a few tears. I am thinking that maybe I should award a Pillar of Character once a month in our home...........maybe there would be less fighting, whining, complaining, etc. Any how, it was a proud parent moment! Way to go boys!

Where did December go????

I can not believe that December has come & gone! I have been meaning to blog all our December Goingons, but seem to read about everyone elses that I just haven't had the time. So, as a New Years Goal, I am really going to try harder to keep this blog up to date-work on mine FIRST before reading yours, especially since I have a terrible memory & can pretty much only rely on remembering the goingons a week at a time! :)

We got home from our trip to Utah Dec. 1st & put our tree up that very day! The boys had so much fun & were SO excited to have all the holiday decorations up!

We had our church Christmas Party a few weeks into December. Kiley was asked to sing in a quartet. They sounded great! As you will see, there is no picture of Teagen sitting on Santa's lap. He flat at told me that it was stupid and we don't even use that word in our house! He was too cool to sit on the old man's lap....Teag is only 7! Liv wasn't too thrilled either, but at least I was able to capture it on the camera!

Brayden with some of his posse!

The boys had their piano recital this month as well! They both did great & I was so proud of them! Brayden could not wait until it was his turn! He was so excited that he actually went up when it wasn't his turn & did it anyway! They were great & we really love their teacher, she is very patient & very sweet! Thanks Brooke!

I went to the Nutcracker Ballet with several of my girlfriends & their daughters. I went solo & really enjoyed it! One of my good friends daughter was performing & so it was SO fun to see her! She was so adorable up there! We had the NOSE BLEED seats, all the way up at the tippity top, but we made our way down to the main level & ended up with amazing seats! Way to go ladies!

I hosted our Music Class Christmas Party. The kids had fun, even though Liv was sick! She LOVES music class.......do I go to the gym, or take her to class????? Such a struggle! :)

Our little neighbor John or JohnG as my boys call him had a big birthday party at Pump it Up! It was so much fun! Even the adults got into it! Liv had lots of fun & even tried to strip off her jammies while we ate dinner & birthday cake!

We went to a couple other fun Christmas parties. One was an Ugly Christmas Sweater party & the other was a Tacky Christmas Party. Both were fun & we really enjoyed the company we were with! Atwood's pretty much took the "trophy"!!!! It's great to have such wonderful friends when you don't have family around to share the holiday with!

We are such a lovely couple!

We also enjoyed a fun dinner with some wonderful friends the night before Christmas Eve. It was fun to catch up with an old friend from Arizona times. Susan, your kids are adorable! So fun to see you!

We spent Christmas Eve at Sea World with our good friends! It was so fun & such a beautiful, warm day! That evening we made home made pizza, played games, opened up our Chritmas PJ's & our one fun gift & then we went to bed early!

I was sicker than a dog on Christmas day. I think I have had bronchitis or pneumonia. I was so sick & slept half the day. I am just now finally starting to feel almost 100% better! Other than being sick, we had a fun morning & I think the kids enjoyed the things they received. We wanted to keep it simple this year. They would have loved a Wii or a Nintendo DS, but we figured if we don't have the mula, we can't work magic! They didn't seem to mind! Liv was so funny to watch unwrap gifts! She totally got it & really enjoyed each gift! She loves her babies & baby gear!

Kiley worked on New Years Eve, so I went to bed at about 11:00. This was his 3rd year now working on New Years Eve.....Lame! Fortunately he had the entire week of Christmas off & then half of the next week as well! We enjoyed the holidays! Kiley was able to go golfing a few times. The weather here has been so bizarre-80 one day 44 the next! Oh well, at least the sun is still shining! Hope y'all had a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

I HATE Fire Ants!

You don't want to skip this post.......

FireAnts
Who Are These Fiends?
Fire ants are known for their lively and aggressive behavior, swarming over anyone or anything that disturbs their nest, often attacking wild animals, baby animals, pets or people, in some instances, even killing them. Their painful stings affect about 40 percent of people in infested areas each year. 20 million people a year are stung by fireants!
When these pesky critters invade an area, they do it with a vengeance. There will be enormous numbers of them which can dramatically reduce populations of native ants, other insects, and even ground-nesting wildlife. Watch out. They invade homes, school yards, athletic fields, golf courses, and parks. They will damage crops and electrical equipment, costing humans huge amounts of money each year in repairs and eradication.

The Southern Pest
The red fire ant was accidentally introduced into the United States in 1929, when a cargo ship that had used soil as ballast arrived in Mobile, Alabama from South America. (Thanks a lot!) But South Americans don't have nearly the problem that the United States does. They only have 20% as many fireants as we do, probably because North America lacks the natural enemies of the pesky critters.
These guys are aggressive! They initially spread throughout Alabama and Florida, but it didn't take them long to invade twelve of our southeastern states and Puerto Rico. In recent years, the fireant has spread as far west as California and as far north as Kansas and Maryland. Today the fireant habitat in the USA covers 300 million acres and it is growing all the time. Although fireants keep marching farther and farther, northerners don't have to loose sleep over it because researches predict that they will not be able to survive in areas where soil temperatures drop to near freezing for more than 2 to 3 weeks.

SO, with all that information & obviously y'all have seen the pictures of my foot, about a month ago, I was brutally ATTACKED by these wicked, unruly insects! A friend of mine had stopped by to say hi as we were outside minding out own business hanging the Christmas lights on the house. I walked over to talk to her & seeing that it was almost 80 degrees, I had on my flip flops. There was no sign of fire ants anywhere. You can't miss their mounds of dirt that pop up in the yard warning you that millions of these nasty creatures are lurking nearby ready to attack! As I was enjoying my conversation with my friend, I looked down at my lovely feet & saw that I was COVERED in FIRE ANTS! Now, I have been bitten several times by them & have been just fine. They leave a nasty little pimple like thing that itches & burns like crazy, but is bearable for the most part. I thought I had gotten by with maybe only one bite. WRONG! I was covered in bites. I started to panic a bit cause I am an itcher---I itch til it bleeds! Any how, my friend went to her house to get me some benadryl cream. She came back & as we were sitting in my front room, I started to itch like crazy. First it was my armpits, then my head, then my neck. I looked in my armpits & about freaked out! I looked like I had elephantitis in my armpits! There were HUMUNGO welts & I truly thought I was done for! I thought I would not be leaving my house for days & days! Then my head had welts all over it & then my face broke out in welts, they were even coming out of my nostrils! Not a pretty sight! I flipped out & thought Kiley would be a bit more concerned. But he remained calm, too calm! :) He told me to settle down, take some benadryl & I would be fine. He said that as long as I didn't start having problems breathing, I'd be just fine. JUST FINE! How could I possibly be just fine looking like a freak show???????? So, instead of believing what my smart husband, who is a doctor & takes care of patients in much worse off scenarios, I called our good pal who is a dermatologist & made him come over. I took the benadryl before hand. Literally by the time he got to our house, I was almost back to normal. He was pretty disappointed, hoping that I was some freak show & even brought his camera to take pictures. I am so sad that we didn't capture all my swollen parts....I think we all would have enjoyed being able to check out those armpits--they were so frightening! With in an hour, I was back to normal EXCEPT for my foot. It was ENORMOUS! Apparently I am allergic to fire ants......oh ya, and Bees! If you check back in a post I made in Nov of 2007, I have a great story about a bee sting that resulted in a HUMUNGO swollen hand (Pic is included below:)).

My foot was so swollen that you couldn't see all the bites, except

for the one higher up.

I couldn't wear a shoe on this foot cause it was so

swollen & it would leave an indentation that didn't

go away very fast!

Yes, this is the result of ONE measly little bee sting...OUCH!

I get the Worlds Best Mom award!!!!

I am curious to know how many of you have ever had those moments as a mother/parent or what ever you are when you feel like the biggest LOSER of a parent?! Well, this is how my day began.

5:50 am

Teagen: Mom!!!! The Tooth Fairy came!
Mom: Sweet, now get back to bed!
Teagen: I thought the Tooth Fairy would leave more than 75 cents.
Mom (knowing exactly how much the Tooth Fairy did leave): Teagen, I bet there is another quarter SOME where in your bed! Go look for it & then get back in bed!
Teagen (after looking): Nope, just 3 quarters! Mom, I am going to shut your door cause you need your beauty sleep!
Mom: DO NOT TURN ON THE TV!!! (if he shuts my door, I know he has ulterior motives!!)

7:15 am

Mom: Teagen you HAVE to wear your PJ's to school, it's PJ day!
Teagen: I don't want to! I am definitely not wearing that sweatshirt! It's my choice to wear what ever I want!
Mom: You HAVE to wear your pj's, don't argue with me! (yes, I know what a silly thing to even argue about. But I really thought it would be fun for him)

7:20 am

Mom: Eat your breakfast! Kim will be hear in a few minutes to take you to school! You have to eat!
Teagen: I am sick, I can't eat!
Mom: Whatever, you are just fine.
(his ride comes & takes him to school)

8:30 am

Telephone: RRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Mom: Crap, who is calling now!? I need to get to the gym!
Hello?
School Nurse: Hi Mrs. Mortensen, I have Teagen here & he says he is sick. He doesn't have a fever & he looks fine, but he says his tummy really hurts. He also said that he told you that this morning & that you KNEW he was sick.
Mom: Does he want me to pick him up?
Nurse: Yes
Mom: I am on my way! (okay ms. Nurse totally thought I was an idiot for sending my kid who said he was sick to school, but I KNEW he was not sick)

Okay, I felt like the biggest loser of a mom! He got in the car & he seemed just fine. I had decided that I was taking him to the gym & he'd have to sit & watch me work out. Well, by the time we got to the gym, he was sure perky & happy & ready to play! So I let him go in the child care with all of the other kids. When I was done with my work out, I went to get him & pretty much got the evil eye from all the child care ladies! They asked me if Teagen was sick & I said no, he had me come pick him up from school cause he said he was sick, but really I know it was because he didn't want to wear his pj's......

I felt like an idiot! They also mentioned that Liv had a really buggery nose & that it was all nasty & green!?!?! Her nose really isn't that runny & it is not green at all! I seriously felt like the worst parent! I asked Teagen if he had told the ladies he was sick & he was like, DUH mom! Of course I did. I asked him if he was sick & he said, NOPE! What is this kid doing to me!??? :)

I guess the whole reason I am posting this silly little story is because I am trying to figure out the lessons I need to learn from this. I really felt like an irresponsible mother today.

Thanksgiving in Utah....

Sorry for the mammoth post! I have been working on it for weeks when ever I have had a spare second, so it will be long & full of fun pictures! I know some of the pictures are small, but if you click on them, especially the collages, you will see a much bigger version & you'll be able to see everyone in the pics! Enjoy!
We survived our trip to Utah! I must admit, I was pretty nervous about flying with 3 kids all by myself there & back, but surprisingly it could have been worse! :) We got to Utah on the 20th of November (the day Livy officially turned 18 months old). We had a great time & always love to be with family & good friends. Kiley was able to fly out a day after me & flew back home a few days before the kids & I. It was a good break for him, but he did end up with a nasty head cold and is just now starting to feel better!

Olivia is quite the independent little stinker & I totally forgot to bring these really cool bottles that are made specifically to feed your little ones rice cereal, the nasty baby foods, etc. Well, I STILL give them to Livy with her yogurt or with applesauce because to be quite honest, I hate the messes little ones make a meal times! I was able to capture what Liv looks like when she only has a spoon & a cup of yogurt. There was no way she was gonna let me feed her so I had to let her do it herself. I guess they have to learn some time! Don't want to have to pack her lunch box with bottles now do I!? I guess it would be pretty embarrassing for her to show up to school with bottles in her lunch box!

Grandpa Webb had Teagen & Brayden working hard. Can you tell what they are doing???? That's right, scooping up dog poop! Lucky boys! They were such good sports about it. That's why we go to Utah to visit....so our kids can learn how to work hard! Thanks Grandpa Tom for putting them to work!

We also took the opportunity to take a big Webb Family picture with my parents & siblings & their spouses & children. My baby brother will be leaving this March to Belem, Brazil for a 2 year mission for our church & so we figured it will be a long time before we are all together again. Kiley was a big grouch about family pictures because we had just taken them here in Texas with our own little family. The pictures I have are ones that were taken with my camera. So obviously they aren't professional, but still they are cute! I have a few of the professional ones & will throw them in here, too. My kids were a bit weird towards the end. I am not sure what Brayden is doing, some sort of relaxation technique or something like that! And Liv LOVES to listen to my IPOD & that was the only way to get her to stop fussing. All in all, I think we got some great shots! What do you think!??!

Me & my sista's!! Gotta love em! :)

Do I really look like I am going to be 30?????? Okay, don't answer that!!!

I know that isn't that old.....right? Cute couple, eh?

Bath Time! It is always fun for me to be home & to have my kids run around the house that I spent my teenage years in. This was my bathroom growing up. Of course, I don't have pictures of me taking baths (thank heavens!!!!), but it's fun to have pics of the kids in my tub that I spent many long hot bubble baths in!

We were able to visit with some dear friends, the Cutlers. We even snuck away one night with OUT the kids & enjoyed a nummy dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Thanks Paul & Jess for some good times! We sure do love you guys!

The night before Thanksgiving, my dad rented out a place called Noahs in West Jordan. We played PS2, Pool Table, Ping Pong, & the Wii. We had the rockband for the Wii & had a blast! Our good friends, the Wright's were able to meet up with us there & we enjoyed being able to spend some time with them & to finally meet their beautiful baby girl #3 Molly!
We enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner with my family & were able to also get together with Kiley's family later that evening. My grandma Betty was able to spend the day with us along with my uncle Bob & our good family friend, Larry. A fun tradition we have in my family is to go around the table & express what we are Thankful for. I love to hear what my kids have to say & obviously what everyone else has to say. For me this year, I am very thankful my husband has a good, stable job & I am also thankful for my family!

We were able to get together with Kiley's family a few times! We had so much fun playing Wacky six, eating good food, and just hanging out! We also had a fun family party at the Palmer's house the night before Kiley flew back home. It was so fun to visit with everyone! We sure do love you Mortensen Fam!

Just a few more random pics of the week! We also got together with my dear friend Angie. They just moved into a beautiful new home! It was great to see them, even though it was quick! Love the house Ang!

Olivia was such a little stinker during our week in Utah! She slept very little during the nights, in fact, I felt like I had a newborn baby all over again! Kiley & I were running on very minimal sleep that week! But I look at these cute little pics of her & I just laugh & am grateful for the cute little stinker that she is!

I couldn't resist taking pictures of my kids on the plane ride home. They are such good sports & were wonderful travelers! Livy is a handful, but she did much better on the flight home! Thanks mom & dad for letting us take over the house for the week! We sure do love you!