Memorial Day 2013

   This Memorial Day, I see everyone thanking Soldiers, past and present. There is only one Soldier who has ever caught my eye and he is so much more than a Soldier to me. He is my best friend. He's my favorite person in the world. He's my husband. My Kyle.

    My husband is a strong, skilled Soldier. He's dedicated and sacrificial. He excels at his job and his training. You can't find a man more willing to lay down his life for his team. He is honorable and worthy of the praise he brushes off. Plus, he's an absolute stud in his uniform!!

   Still, he is so much more than that. He's the one who still makes my heart leap when he smiles. He's the only one who's kisses I crave. He's the one who's strength draws me in close and safe. He's the person that I want to spend every day of my life with. He's the man who is my confidant and security. He's the one who protects me. He is where I find peace in this world of turmoil. He is the one who fills the lonely, endless void in my world and makes me happy. He is and always will be my greatest treasure.

Our first MP Ball

 
   There is nobody like My Kyle and there is no one as proud of him as I am. I have witnessed first-hand the sacrifices he has made on behalf of myself and our country. These are things that I will be eternally be grateful for. I am proud to stand by his side and hold the title of Mrs. Jensen. I am honored to know that he loves me when he doesn't have to.

 The day he left me and Paige behind
to hold down the fort in Iraq.

    On this Memorial Day, I want to thank you, Mr. Jensen, for being the man who comes home every night. Thank you for working so feverishly to support our family. Thank you for holding my hand and bringing home flowers just because you want to. Thank you for loving me when I fail you!
 
   I also must say thank you to you, Sgt. Jensen. Thank you for volunteering to serve our nation. Thank for wearing your uniform with pride and upholding the standards of a true American Soldier. Thank you for choosing to put your life on the line so our children and I do not have to. Thank you for answering the Call of Defense.

I love you more than all the raindrops in the world!!!

Sisters

   Have you heard the news? Our newest addition has been confirmed as a baby girl! We're excited to welcome her into our clan and I can't wait to get to know her!
   I have always loved the differences between Paige and Taylor. In true sibling fashion, they could not be more opposite. I love the way that it comes naturally too. Paige absolutely loves anything sparkly but, shockingly, she's not into jewelry. Taylor has loved jewelry from day one, especially necklaces. I also love that they look nothing alike. I know quite a few people have found that statement odd but I know that if I had a sister, I wouldn't want to look just like her. Paige has been obnoxiously loud since she found her voice at a few weeks old and Taylor is calm and quiet. As quiet as she is though, Taylor is without a doubt, the adventurous and mischievous one. She attempts things at 15 months old that Paige won't even consider at nearly 3! Taylor has always been a little trailblazer and nothing is out of her reach. I love how brave and fearless she is! Paige is very, very timid and receives multiple heart attacks each day from Taylor's ramblings. I can't help but giggle at the way Taylor turns to look at her. It's a look that is all too familiar to the muscles in my own face... 'Seriously, what is the big deal? I can do this. Just watch me!'.
   Another huge difference is, Paige has always been a little momma. She loves any and all babies! She is so excited for our newest edition to get here and asks me every day why it's still in my belly. Taylor, on the other hand, is a jealous little thing. She can't stand for anybody to be in my lap, including Paige. Seriously, the girl will be on the other side of the room, playing happily with her back turned and then she realizes that Paige is in my lap or next to me. Oh boy! She will immediately drop whatever she's doing and make a beeline to my side. She will fuss and yell at Paige and if she doesn't move, Taylor will shove her out of the way. I don't think that kiddo is going to take a new baby sister attached to Momma happily!
   Like I said, I'm very excited to see what our newest girl will be like. I'm guessing, being a 3rd child myself, that she will be a mix of Paige and Taylor's tastes. I was always up for anything my completely opposite brothers were doing. I loved to fish like Ryan and I tried my best to play video games with Randy. Sadly for him, I'm the worst gamer in the world and I realized it early! Instead, I went outside and attempted skateboarding with Randy. Although I turned into a rollerblader, I was still on his heels on those ramps! I was my own person but I enjoyed both of their hobbies.
   Most of all though, I am looking forward to seeing who our newest one looks like. In my opinion, Paige looks like me now and Taylor looks like me as a child. They both had their Daddy's red hair when they were born but it's long gone now. I would love for our new girl to have red hair and hold on to it! I'm also ridiculously curious (and slightly scared!) to see how much this one will weigh at birth. Paige was 8lbs even and Taylor was 10.3lbs so I think baby girl has her options open!
    Well, thankfully, my curiosity won't last long. Barely 13 weeks left to go!

Anguish...I mean 'Pregnancy'

   When I had my first, I was pretty sure that I didn't like being pregnant. I made myself remain optimistic though because I realized at the time, there were a wide range of factors keeping me from having a clear head. Then, my second showed up and I knew that I legitimately hated being pregnant. Now, expecting my third, I have discovered that I don't hate pregnancy at all. I loathe it. Pregnancy is the most miserable thing ever and I'll tell you why...

~I am severely nauseated before the strip even turns pink and it intensifies as I get farther along. I've lost 10 pounds this time around simply because I can't even hold a saltine cracker down. Have you ever thrown up spaghetti?? I promise you can't even imagine what that is like.

~We've all heard that bogus line...'You look so good. You're glowing!'. No, lady, I'm not glowing. I'm sweating!

~I have an unexplainable rash that covers most of my body, itches like poison ivy, and looks like I have some kind of gross fungus. 

~I, who was once the queen of tan, sunburn faster than a redhead in Hawaii while pregnant. 

~Would you enjoy having to change your underwear every time you sneeze?

~I have a previous back injury and my joints ache the entire time. Don't even get me started on the pain in my pelvis and hips. 

~I'm not one of the ones who is 'blessed' with missing sleep toward the end because I'm uncomfortable. I have insomnia the entire 9 months or longer. 

~We will not even discuss my going down the detergent aisle and I firmly believe that Yankee Candle is Satan's morning breath when I'm pregnant. 

~Make sure you always have a regular strength Tylenol ready for my headache, TUMS for my heartburn and do not leave the house for an hour without 3-4 snacks and some apple juice. 

~I should be in a nursing home with all of the other patients suffering from memory loss. 

~Would you consider it fun to feel like you have the Amazon River raging in your bladder only to realize that it's just the St. John's Creek?

~With my first two, I didn't have a single craving. There was nothing that I wanted other than sugar but since sugar is my cocaine, that wasn't anything abnormal. However, this time around, I have one craving. One ridiculously gross craving...hotdogs. I've eaten perhaps 4 hotdogs in the the last 5 years and now I want one so bad that my mouth waters. Really?! I don't even like hotdogs! Can you imagine how horrible it would be to throw one of those up?! I do believe that I shall resist said craving even if it's the death of me. 

~Seriously, why do severe leg cramps only occur between 1 & 4am? Ever heard of 3 o'clock in the afternoon??

~Stretch marks and weight gain don't need to be discussed. Ankles? Who has ankles?

~One blessing I have received in pregnancy is that I have never had diabetes. However, I absolutely cannot allow myself to get hungry. My blood sugar drops so low and so fast when I get the least bit munchy, that I often have to sit down immediately. My legs turn into Jell-O and I am so weak that I have a hard time focusing. My head spins and I will be weak and unsteady for the rest of the day, especially if I can't keep food down. It is incredible how quickly I can bottom out and there is minimal hope of return.

   People always look at me like I have 3 heads when they hear about my hatred of pregnancy. Well, do you get it now?? It is not and has never been a pleasant experience for me. I have no doubt that people also wonder why I'm still having children if pregnancy is that miserable. Well, that is simple. Have you ever heard someone say, "You'll forget all the pain of labor once you hold that baby for the first time."? I think that saying is ridiculous. I haven't found that to be true of labor pain or pregnancy. I hate being pregnant, I know it and will not forget it until my dying day. However, I love my children. I am blessed and honored to be their mother! I am flabbergasted that God finds me worthy of raising His children and astounded that He's willing to give me more! I have always wanted a big family and greatly anticipate the day that all of our children are here. I enjoy my family and my children are my jewels. It is difficult to carry them and hard to tend to their every need. However, I know that this is a short phase in our life and soon, we will move on to something else. That is what I choose to focus on. The truth is that I wouldn't make it through another pregnancy if I didn't know there was a pot of gold at the end. 
   My hubby has always said he wants 4 kiddos and if that is the number we settle on, I'll have made it through 3 out of 4 in August! *Whew*