I'm Crunching for the Kids!

Event: Ladies Workout Express - Bonney Lake 2009
Location:: Bonney Lake, WA
Date: 2009-03-28

"Crunch for yourself. Crunch for the kids."

That's the motto of the Ab Crunch Challenge, a program led by the Lady of America Franchise Corporation through which their members raise funds for and awareness of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
St. Jude has treated children from all over the world and research discoveries are freely shared with the worldwide medical community. At St. Jude, children are treated regardless of a family's inability to pay so fundraising is essential to continuing St. Jude's groundbreaking research and treatment.
For more information on how you can support St. Jude through the Ab Crunch Challenge, please contact abcrunch@stjude.org.

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=39086&programId=151&eventId=22485





Tomorrow I will be heading into Ladies Workout Express (this is your shoutout, Lindsey!) where I work out each morning. It is St. Jude's Annual AbCrunch Challenge. I get to crunch my abs for an hour straight for the kids! So for those of you who haven't already, please check out the link above. Donate if you can - $1, $5, $25, whatever! Every dollar helps. I set a pretty lofty goal and am not near it yet. So dig deep and give yourself some kudos for supporting an amazing charity! Wish me luck!

My baby's two...

I finally got our pictures from January to now off the camera and onto our computer and I find myself with a few quiet, child-free moments. I need to say a few words about my favorite little guy.

Porter Owen Jensen.

Yes, he will always be my baby.

(I have been informed that Maisyn will always be my baby-GIRL, so it's all good.)

And, yes, for those of you keeping track- his birthday was about 6 weeks ago.

He was born February 16, 2007, 9:00am at Auburn Regional Medical Center.

He has blue eyes, blond or red hair depending on the cut and lighting.

He weighed 29 lbs at his 2-year dr appt and he hits the top of the stove at around 3 feet tall.
He loves his big sisters and all the giggles he gets when he flashes his handsome smile.

He has been the child with the most illnesses- but he's getting stronger everyday!

He doesn't like to eat more than 1 good meal a day, sometimes 1 1/2 if you add up all the snacks!

He lo-oves to shake his groove thang- I think you know what I mean- the boy has moves!

He knows about 30 words in sign language and uses it all the time.

He loves Mickey Mouse, books, Cars, syrup on pancakes, tickles and french fries.

I could go on and on. We all fell in love with this little boy the moment we knew he was. I was completely prepared to add one more girl to our collection- but surprise, surprise! He took the long, difficult path to get here but Heavenly Father knew what he was doing. What a blessing he is in our lives! I know I am biased but I have to say that I think he is as close to perfect as he could be. He definitely is the "finishing touch" to our family.

Porter's birthday happened to fall on a day off of school for his sisters. Larry switched his day off to match and we all played the whole day. We took them to the Federal Way Community Pool- so fun! There was a splash pool for little ones, a lazy river, a twisty slide and a couple swimming areas. Everyone had a great time.

We had his birthday party when we got home with Grandma and Grandpa. Larry wanted to try a cake roll (our first attempt- not so pretty, but still quite tasty). Porter blew out his two candles and maybe even made a wish! He opened a truck load of presents and loved every minute!

I think of all the fun toys he received, he still loved Maisyn's sucker the best!

Our little bundle of joy is growing up to be quite a character. He is thoughtful and wild, serious and full of mischief all at the same time. I know the years will only bring more crazy and sweet memories to our family. I think that every Mom wants the world to see their children as they do. I hope this "mommy-glimpse" helps all of you see one of my 5 favorite kids of all time! Happy birthday, Porter!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

So I'm done blogging our Christmas vacation 2008. And it's only March 18th. Not bad. Well, yes, it took me too long, but it's done now. We flew home on Tuesday, January 6th. We were glad to come home and be in our own house. The weather was just what it should be in the NW so we missed the Florida heat already. Our friend, Becky, stayed at our house while we were away and took care of Cooper. She left the house in perfect shape- thanks, Becky! I'm sure the Miller's were relieved to have their house to themselves as well. Thanks to them for putting us up for so long- it was above and beyond even a sister's duty! But our next get together should be in Chicago. Hopefully in the summer, though. None of us seem to want to travel to snow. Ever. By summer 2011, Andy should be returning from his mission, Josh and Payton will have graduated high school, Riley will have her drivers permit, Paxon and Porter will be 4 years old, and we will all be very anxious to do it all over again. Then its the Bresnahan's turn! It will be great fun to take the kids around where I grew up. The places I remember as a kid. My high school. My old neighborhood.

But back to reality.... I still need to post several things that have happened since our return. Time seems to be counted by our trip- either pre-Florida or post-. Strange. The girls finished their basketball seasons. Porter turned 2!

So I'm back on track. I may even be current by next week! So keep checking in. Leave a comment on occasion. 'Til then....

Our final day in Orlando.

Our friends' daughter, Brittany, was flying into Orlando that morning for her Disney internship. Elizabeth was kind enough to come with me to pick her up at the airport and take her to Disney World. We brought Porter and Maisyn and ended up being gone for several hours. But it was fun to see Brittany and get a peek at what this program is all about. They let us hang out at the parents' tent while she got signed in, security checked and everything in between. We took as many pictures as we could so her family could see what was going on. Finally we were able to get her to her new apartment. We met one of her new roommates, who happened to be from Kent, WA. What a small world! So good luck, Brittany! Enjoy that sunshine and soak up as much Disney magic as you can!

That day also included a yummy dinner with the family and a night at the movies. I wouldn't recommend Beverly Hills Chihuaha, but at the dollar movie rate it was well worth a night out with the family. We miss Florida. We miss the weather. We miss my family. We can't wait to start planning the next Aung-Myint Family Reunion! Until next time.... we love you!

Saturday Girls' Night Out!

The day began with the shedding of many tears. Terri, Brian, Abby, and Paxon left to head back to Chicago. It's funny when my family gets together. It's like we pretend that the time will never end and we are never prepared when we have to say goodbye. I think they will all agree, we don't see each other enough! So after we exchanged lots of hugs and kisses, waved so long until we couldn't see their van any longer, and wiped away some of the tears- the Jensen's headed out to a Disney discount store. We just enjoyed the sunshine, checked out the other outlets around and took our time for a change. There was no ride we had to get to, no fast pass we had to use, no long line to stand in. Just us doing what we wanted for the day. We got home later that afternoon and the guys - Larry, Tom, Josh and Porter - planned a night full of chicken wings and football. The girls had our own plans. Elizabeth and Oma took us out to dinner to a yummy Mexican place. Mmmm. Mmmm. Then we stopped into the local pet shop. Yes, that sounds a bit strange thinking about it now but the kids had a great time seeing the puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, fish, snakes and various rodents.

I am not sure we could get that price some days!

Then we headed to Oma's for facials. Elizabeth brought out all her gear. We washed, we buffed, we peeled, we smoothed, we moisturized.

After all of that we watched a fun musical (no guys! remember...) and headed off to bad. The only thing that would have made it better is having Terri and Abby with us! Next time, for sure!

January the 2nd

We didn't want to miss the goodbyes. Andy was heading back to BYU that afternoon. We were headed to the Magic Kingdom. So we made sure we got up a little early, and I'm glad we did! I love this picture!

The next time we see Andy will hopefully be as he heads to the MTC this summer!

Porter was giving Uncle Tom pointers on how to smile at the camera- thanks for being such a fun uncle, Tom!

We took the ferry from the parking lot to the park entrance. It was crowded no matter which way we were going, but this seemed a wee bit quicker. Even if it wasn't, it gave us a great view as we headed in for a fun day at Disney.

Tram ride in- yeah for Disney World!

Taking a break at the kiddie play area.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, just the girls!

During the day, we split up a couple of times to get in some big rides sans Porter. It was my turn with the little guy and I thought we'd try a ride sized just for him. What I didn't expect was to wait an hour and 45 minutes for it! But he was a trooper and I summed up the patience to be super mom for a little while. He loved it. I loved watching him love it. And we both smiled a lot.Almost there!

We decided to get the heck out of dodge for a little while. We took the kids to Denny's for a break from the ever more delicious Disney fare. It was a perfect break: no noise, no crowds, actual seats, and a full meal for $65 instead of a bunch of turkey legs! Then we headed back for the fireworks show (Note to others: sit in the back of the castle for the fireworks show. Really.) It was amazing to see the castle on in lights.

Kids and cameras don't mix.

Sunset at the Magic Kingdom parking lot. Aaaah.....

What a way to end our Disney World journey!