Jensen's First Birthday

We recently celebrated Jensen's first birthday at the Lewis home. As usual, Brit put on an elaborate party complete with great decorations, scrumptious food and perfect cupcakes. Nothing is too much effort for her little guy. We're so glad that many of our friends and family could join us. The kids had a great time and JJ carefully made his way into the world of chocolate and cupcakes.

San Diego 2009

We're struggling to be good bloggers of late, but that doesn't mean that there hasn't been anything going on. A few weeks ago, we were in San Diego. Jensen got to go to the zoo and spent some time on the beach.

Jensen was initially a bit apprehensive about his time on the beach. But, it only took a few minutes for him to get going and for sand to find its way into places you didn't think it could get. He screamed when we tried to pick him up and take him back to the room. Jensen seemed to love the beach so much that Brit was afraid we were going to have to move west.

Jensen also is crazy about swings. When we're at the park, we have to seriously consider whether or not we're going anywhere near the swings because we know once he gets on, it is near impossible to get him off.

Tomy Live!

This past weekend, Tom joined us for a sleep over. Friday night, he treated Britney and I to a feast. He prepared my favorite meal: shrimp scampi and cheesy bread. With a little help from Aunt Britney, a feast was had. He's a natural in the kitchen and one good lookin' kid! Saturday, we helped some neighbors cut down a tree, took Spud to the dog park, saw Grandpa Elijah's rock at First Encampment Park, had lunch at my favorite Greek restaurant (Tom told me that he was moving to Salt Lake when he grows up so he could be closer to this place) and watched a little BYU football. All in all, a spectacular weekend.

Can't take my eyes off him!

No matter how much time I spend around my little man, I just can't seem to get enough of him. He has a personality and a face that can break anyone. I think that it is impossible to not be happy when he is around. One of my favorite times is when he wakes up in the morning. He fusses for a few moments as he wipes the sleep from his eyes. I walk into his room and softly call his name. As soon as he hears my voice the fussing stops and he looks up at me. You can tell he is still so tired, but he can't help it; his whole body seems to smile. I pick him up and he lays his tired little head on my shoulder as I tell him good morning. Man is it good to be a dad!

New Addition to the Family

She's been around for a while, but we haven't taken the time to officially introduce Kimmie to the Lewis family. She's a real gem and Aaron and the boyz have never been more blessed. We're all so lucky to have her in our lives and are grateful to now be linked to the Virtue family.

Our Trip up North

This last weekend, we traveled with our good friends Ty and Natalie to Yellowstone. We stayed in West Yellowstone and spent a few days touring the park, all the while singing the Montana state anthem each time we entered the state (it felt like a solo, but I'm sure everyone was singing). We saw a lot of wildlife, some amazing scenery and even got to spend a little time in Jackson. Best of all, I got to introduce my son to Montana. He may have been born in Utah, but I think he just might be a Big Sky kid.

We were hoping to check off all the major wildlife while on our visit but missed a few. We saw buffalo (of course), elk, big horn sheep, coyote and various birds. We got pretty close to a very large bull elk and even recorded some bugling. At the end of the pictures is a short (albeit wobbly) video of this particular fellow.

Congratulations Jeremy and Amanda

We recently celebrated Jeremy and Amanda's wedding. Family and friends came together for their sealing in the Salt Lake temple and their wedding dinner at Memory Grove. We've enjoyed getting to know Amanda and feel that she is a perfect match for our family. We wish you two all the best and are so grateful to have been a part of the big day.

He keeps getting bigger!

It is about time to catch up on our growing boy. Not only is he getting bigger, but he is having new experiences all the time. Recently he has started eating whole food; he's tried his hand at rice cereal, bananas and peaches. All of which he seems to enjoy immensely. He's also started traveling, having visited Portland, St. George and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

An interesting visit to Portland

In September Britney and I took a long weekend trip to Portland. We anticipated spending some quality time with Britney's friend Megan, my brother Hayes and Neil Diamond. One of these three was noticeably absent from the photos below. We bought tickets to see Neil in concert, but it turned out that this tour stop was cancelled (likely because Neil is dead). Despite that, we had a fantastic time in a beautiful city. Jensen met his uncle Hayes and Megan showed us the town.

We had some great food, toured the Portland underground (and narrowly escaped being Shanghai'd ourselves), took a drive up the Columbia River gorge and visited the Japanese Gardens and the Rose Test Gardens. It is a beautiful city that we thoroughly enjoyed. Jensen had his first flight and visited his 2nd and 3rd states (Oregon and Washington).

My main man Jensen

It has been a little while since we've shown off our little guy. He is growing like crazy and show more personality each day.

Good Times in Cache Valley!

Last weekend we spent some great times in Logan. We spent some time on the lake, Kendra ran her first 1/2 marathon and dad spun his new bike 100 miles. Sounds like a lot of work, but the pictures below show just how much fun it actually was.

Summer Days (and nights) on the Lake

Jeremy and I have really been enjoying the boat this summer. We've been heading to the lake about once a week with family and/or friends and are just having a blast with it. What better way to bond and build lasting relationships with the people we love most! Captain Jeremy and his first mate Jensen keep us afloat and I get to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Here are some pictures from an evening excursion at Jordanelle with brother Jeremy and Amanda, as well as a young boy from our ward that we were watching for the evening. It was a beautiful night on the lake and we all enjoyed 'doin our thang' in the water ... wakeboarding, skiing, tubin' and cruisin'!


We also recently enjoyed a night out with my brother Trent and his cute family; Amanda joined us as well. (We missed you Jer!) We all had so much fun together! Haillie and Amanda had a crazy ride on the tube, Trent tore it up on the ski, despite his claims of being "rusty", Amanda did awesome on the wakeboard, Jeremy skiied and kneeboarded, and little Taryn enjoyed (we think) her first tube ride with her dad. Jen and I were the photographers for the evening, and, as always, Jensen took his role as first mate very seriously, except when we caught him snoozing on the job. Haillie was a great flag girl and even got a turn as captain as she drove us back to the marina at the end of the night. Thanks for the fun memories everyone!

Well, I warned you ...

... that tales of diaper duty would make their way onto our blog soon enough! Since most of my days (and nights) are now consumed with this fun task, you can't blame me.

Probably the most repeated words of advice I've received from people about having a baby boy is to WATCH OUT when I'm changing his diapers. In Jensen's two short months in our loving home, and after changing an umpteenth number of diapers already, I had yet to have any "run-in's" or unexpected showers. (Unfortunately Jeremy can't say the same.) Things had been going so well that I was beginning to think that maybe Jensen and I had a secret pact that we would save those special moments for his sweet dad to experience and enjoy. Apparently I was wrong because my luck changed last night (actually at 3:30 this morning, when I was least expecting it). I guess he didn't want his dad to have all the fun! It's a good thing we love every last square inch of him so much! Nana, must be time to employ the pee pee tee pee's you so generously gifted us.

I thought this picture was hilarious, so I had to include it while we were on the subject. Yes, it's as heavy as it looks, and yes, those are all dirty diapers! Jeremy's a great sport and never complains about the dirty work that comes his way. Love you babe!

Our Growing Boy

So we just celebrated Jensen's two month birthday! I know ... hard to believe, huh?! I took him to see his pediatrician yesterday for his check up and boy, is he growing! He now weighs in at a whopping 12.3 pounds and has grown 2 inches in length since he was born. I guess I didn't need the doctor to tell us he's getting bigger ... the floods he's wearing in these pictures are proof enough! At the rate he's going, he'll be ready to play linebacker for BYU by the time he's 12! His daddy will be so proud.

How thankful we are for such a healthy and happy growing boy!

Jensen's Special Day

Last Sunday was a special one for the Lewis Family; our little man, Jensen, was blessed in church by his father. Jeremy did a wonderful job, despite the pressure he was feeling in having to conduct the meeting, administer the blessing, and bear his testimony. He spoke with such authority and delivered such a special, heartfelt blessing to his son. It was a proud moment for me to see my husband exercise his priesthood in such an honorable manner.

We felt so grateful to have our families join us. Jeremy's parents and two of his brothers drove all the way from Denver to be here with us; we certainly appreciate their efforts to be in attendance. We enjoyed a nice lunch in our backyard after the meeting. Thanks to my mom and sisters for helping with the meal! Their culinary expertise is always appreciated and much enjoyed!

It was a wonderful day as we were able to celebrate Jensen and his new life here in our family. Isn't he so handsome in his blessing outfit? We love him so much and are so grateful for the joy his special spirit has brought to us in the short time he has been with us. He has helped to reaffirm my testimony in the plan our Heavenly Father has for us; what a miracle it all is! He has taught me so much and has filled my life with more happiness than I thought possible. We love you, sweetheart!

Summertime at Legacy Mountain

For the 4th of July we decided to head south to visit our cabin property near Fairview, UT. Papa, Bro. Jer and Amanda joined us, all excited to see what the land looked like without the snow and cold. We were pleased to find it as beautiful as we hoped it would be, with a beautiful green landscape and breathtaking views.

We packed a picnic and enjoyed our first lunch there in a shady grove of trees, daydreaming about fun days to come! Spud and Tess had a blast running free, and Jensen can hardly wait for campouts with his cousins.

Better Late Than Never

Hi all! I've decided it's about time I try my hand at contributing to our family blog. Jeremy's done a great job thus far, but he's now telling me it's time to start helping him out. I'm happy to jump on board and keep you all updated on the exciting happenings of the Lewis fam ... from dirty diaper tales to award-winning Jensen smiles, you'll get it all here! Happy blogging!

Captain Jensen!

Last night we hit the lake for the first time this year. Papa, Brit, Jensen, Spud and I took an evening excursion to Jordanelle. We left the house at about 7 pm; we wanted to leave ealier, but everything seems to take a little additional time these days. We made it to the marina and Papa talked his way into getting his senior discount a little early for park admission. Brit was my all-star; she backed the boat into the water. Is there anything she can't do? I'm the only one who got into the water, but it felt great. Once I jumped in, Spud got up and very obviously wanted to follow me in. Jensen was amazing; he got a new life jacket and didn't seem to mind it too much. For almost the whole ride, he was awake and happy. He seems to be a natural on the water. We took a few pictures to archive the occasion.

Spud was sulking because she didn't get to jump in the water with me. Land, you should have seen her; she really wanted to get in.

Who better to show Jensen the way of the sea than Papa. He was just telling Jensen that he needs to keep his knees bent and his ski tip out of the water.

Look at the wind in that beautiful hair, and note the position of the throttle. This girl felt the need for speed. She's a natural. :)

Isn't he so cute in his board shorts and rash-guard shirt? I think these are courtesy of his generous aunts!

The little man's vest was a little big on him, but I'm pretty sure he'll grow into it. The big vest did make it a little difficult for him to get the right angle of lean when he was cutting back into the wake.

Jensen's Photo Shoot

Mama decided to try her hand at professional photography. Her mad skills combined with an extremely handsome, cooperative subject yielded some pretty amazing results.

Baby Jensen Pics!

Well, our son has been home for almost two weeks. We decided to post some more pictures of that boy that we're so proud of. We can't take our eyes off him; see if you can do any better.