Happy 33rd Birthday to my wonderful husband! You’ve had a full 33rd year: finishing your Ph.D, moving to SC, starting deputation, traveling every weekend to present our work for 8 months, completing deputation, buying our plane tickets to move to Cambodia. . .to name a few major  events. All the while you were a fun, loving Daddy and a wonderful, caring husband. Happy Birthday my love! Looking forward to lots of exciting events during your 34th year!

The clock is now ticking! 98 days until we fly to Cambodia. We are rejoicing in the Lord’s provision of our support and continue to thank Him for answering so many prayers since we started deputation. Last Sunday was the last time we presented out ministry at a new church. This week we head to participate in the Mission Festival at one of our supporting churches. After that we will revisit a few of our other partnering churches in May and early June, then spend the remaining Sundays at our home church.

Little Sister’s arrival is almost 2 weeks away: 15 days! Tuesday morning Becca and I went on a Becca-Mommy date which started with Becca coming to my ultrasound. All is well with Little Sister — she’s currently 6lbs and 5oz.

Last week we had two of Josh’s former elementary teachers over: Mrs. Whitaker (1st grade) and Mr. Whitaker (6th grade).

Two weekends ago we were at Bethany Baptist Church and spent a few days at Uncle Rick and Aunt Kathy’s rental home. It was nice to be somewhere where I couldn’t “do” anything.

Yesterday we nearly finished packing up our tubs/boxes to be sent in a container that some other missionaries are using to send their belongings to Cambodia. We have to have these things to the container packing place the morning after we arrive home from PA. Exciting times!

While in CO, we participated in a missions conference at Red Rocks Baptist Church. We enjoyed the hospitality of Carol Roland and got to spend some time with our future field director, JD Crowley. JD was the featured speaker at the missions conference. “Uncle” JD made Becca’s day by bringing her a roll of pink toilet paper from Cambodia.

Thursday, March 6, we drove from Denver, CO, to Waverly, KS, where we visited with the Williams family. Darin and Nancy were very kind to let us stay with them, as the older Williams family were unable to house us due to a shoulder injury.

Friday, March 7, we drove from Waverly, KS, to Danville, IN. There we visited with the Pringle family. It was neat to visit Rebekah’s home and spend some time with her and her family. Becca loved playing with Auntie Suzie and sobbed when we had to leave.

Saturday, March 8, we took a short drive (3 hours) to Nicholasville, KY, where we met the Raslau family. We enjoyed our time with this couple and are very blessed to have their friendship.

We arrived home around 9 on Sunday night. (With time zone changes and the start of Daylight Saving Time, our internal clocks were about 4 hours behind.) We’re grateful to the many who were so hospitable to our family as we made this trip – and we were glad to be home for a few days!

While in Colorado the church we were at treated us to visit to The Children’s Museum in Denver. We all enjoyed the our afternoon out.

Becca enjoyed being inside a bubble. Isaiah enjoyed popping bubbles. The safety glasses were a hit.

Becca was quite serious about her veterinarian work. I took Isaiah back to the ball room and came back to find Becca giving Josh all the animal vaccinations!

A brief and perhaps boring recounting of our trip  and the people we were with. In short, we traveled to CO through AL, MS, and TX and visited with many friends along the way.

Returning late Monday (2/10) afternoon from our Georgia trip, we were told by Josh’s parents of wintery weather headed straight for us. After I went to my Tuesday morning doctor’s appointment and sonogram, we decided to leave that afternoon instead of Wednesday morning. It was a fast turn around as we quickly repacked for a month trip out west. The Hancock family graciously offered to open their home to us in Birmingham, AL. We were able to drive to AL on Tuesday and spend the night there, while the storm passed over during the night.

Wednesday morning (2/12) we drove to Greenville, Mississippi, to visit with the Parkerson Family and have our teeth cleaned. Dr. Parkerson let us stay with them from Wednesday to Friday and took care of all our teeth. It was Becca’s first time to the dentist.

Friday (2/14) we drove to Houston, TX, to be with North Houston Baptist Church. We visited this church last last May and thoroughly enjoyed being with the Brays and their church family (both times!). Becca was DELIGHTED to be back with her friend Charis.

Monday (2/17) we drove to the DFW area. We first stopped to spend the afternoon with Steven, Kristen, and Claire Ryland. Kristen had prepared Valentine cookies for the kids to decorate. It was great to visit with the Ryland family and meet Claire for the first time. That evening we drove to Alvarado, TX, where Micah and Anna Martin let us stay in their new home for the week (they had moved just 2 days before).

Tuesday (2/18) we had lunch with Leon and Nick Kahler and were able to see Aunt Rita Watson. We had dinner that evening with the Zollingers. Michael Zollinger used to work in AWANA at Hampton Park, and he was Josh’s worker to recited verses to.

Wednesday (2/19) we took the day off and went to the zoo. (See previous blog post.)

Thursday (2/20) we had dinner with Kathy, one of Becca’s main NICU nurses. We’ve enjoyed keeping up with Kathy since Becca left the NICU and are very grateful for the good care Becca received from Kathy when she was in the NICU. Isaiah LOVED the chocolate covered strawberries.

Friday (2/21) we had lunch with Kent and Alda Walton (no pictures). We spent the evening with Micah, Anna, and Adam Martin.

Saturday morning (2/23) I joined Anna at a ladies’ meeting set up for younger mothers to be encouraged by older women. I really enjoyed being with the ladies and received several good ideas for future use. Saturday afternoon and evening we had a lovely visit with the Countryman family.

Sunday (2/24) we were at Arlington Presbyterian Church. It was so good to be with our church family. Even though we attended for less than a year, it felt like being home. In the evening we had dinner with the Bennet family, a family from APC. Sunday night we moved into the Gamblins’ home so we could be in the Arlington area for a few days.

Monday (2/25) I had an appointment with Dr. Moseley to check on Little Sister. We then went to lunch with Parke and Lynnelle Brown. We had dinner that evening with Gary and Karen Isham.

Tuesday (2/26) we had lunch with the Crook family – I taught Cayti Crook piano and voice lessons when we lived in Arlington. We had dinner with Steve and Kelly Walter.

Wednesday (2/27) we had lunch with Pastor Wes and Kathy O’Niel from APC (no picture). Then we said goodbye to the Gamblins and made our way to Keller, TX, to have a New Life Bible Church reunion at the Woods’ home. It was good to get together with so many TX friends. Wednesday evening we stayed with the Ishams.

Thursday (2/28) we left the DFW area and started our trip to CO. We drove to Lubbock, TX, and stayed with the Siu family. Lap (who is Jarai from Vietnam) was a great help to Josh with his Jarai research and became a good friend. It was good to visit with their family.

Friday (2/29) we drove to a suburb of Denver. We saw a lot of interesting countryside during our drive. Saturday through Wednesday we participated in a missions conferences at Red Rocks Baptist Church.

Today we start out trip back to SC.

Last week we enjoyed time with friends in Alvarado, Tx. The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed exploring their backyard.

Currently Little Sister is 32.5 weeks, and yes, people are always telling me I don’t look big enough to be due in less than 2 months. We’re thanking God for a smooth pregnancy. I’ve had several extra ultrasounds to check on Little Sister’s fluid (because of Becca’s complications). I have an anterior placenta, but it hasn’t kept me from feeling movement – this girl is a mover. I did fail my first glucose test and am very thankful to have passed the 3-hour test. Two weeks ago Little Sister weighed 3.5 lbs (according to the sono measurements). We’re looking forward to meeting Little Sister – it’s coming up fast!

Yesterday we spent the day at the Fort Worth Zoo with Anna and Adam Martin. The kids loved being back at the zoo and were very excited to ride the train. Three other highlights were feeding the birds, seeing the lions, and seeing the zebras.

Last week we had a 6-day trip to Georgia. We started on Wednesday with an afternoon visit with cousin Mike West and family and then went to their Wednesday evening service to present our ministry. After the service we drove to Josh’s Grandma Martin’s home in Marietta, GA. We spent Wednesday evening through Saturday afternoon with Grandma Martin. Thursday morning Josh presented at Grandma’s once-a-month church 10:10 (seniors’) get-together. Friday evening we had a get-together with extended family in the Atlanta area to share what we’re planning to do in Cambodia.

Saturday afternoon we headed to Macon, GA, and stayed with the Gottwals family. The Gottwals own several used bookstores and we took 4 boxes of books to trade with them. They were very generous in their trading and with the gift card they gave to us. We got lots of books for the kids, and they have been very helpful during this week’s travels! We enjoyed staying with Shane and Abbey – they were delightful hostesses and treated us royally. Shane was glad to finally meet his twin.

Over the past several weeks, both Becca and Isaiah have graduated to a new level of big sister/little brother playing. Becca has become more deliberate in playing with Isaiah and making up activities for him to be involved in. Isaiah loves playing with and following Becca. When the house becomes quiet, I know they are up to something. Just the other day I was starting to wonder where they were when I heard Becca say, “Isaiah, this is great fun!” They were enjoying the lavender hand sanitizer and were decorating each other with it.

Becca is 31.5 lbs (18.7th percentile for her age) and is 3 ft & 3 in tall (29.7th percentile for her age). She loves books: being read to as well as reading to herself. Going to the library is a highlight. We’ll miss public libraries when we move to Cambodia. Becca has a vivid imagination and is a great storyteller.  Her current  favorite story is The Christmas Carol. She regularly acts out the Bob Cratchit family and pretends she is Scrooge. Becca is very excited about having a little sister and thanks God during every prayer for saying yes to her request. She is now praying for a little brother for Isaiah. We have been encouraged with Becca’s growth in willingness to ask Jesus for help when she’s having trouble, and we continue to see her grow in her understanding of the Gospel.

Isaiah is 24 lbs (15th percentile for his age) and is 2 ft & 7.6 in tall (11th percentile for his age). He is a bundle of fun and always on the move. He seems to endear himself to everyone wherever we travel. He has followed in the families’ footsteps in loving books and in Becca’s love for Scrooge. Isaiah has a growing vocabulary and is starting to have two syllable words. He also has many different intonations: he has a very cute way of saying no and mine and a very monster-like way of saying the same words.

This past weekend our service was only an hour’s drive away, in Anderson, which meant we get to be in our own home for over a week. This month has been very busy with traveling up north, appointments when we’re home, and visiting with friends and family. Tuesday was the first day we planned nothing to do, and I told Becca it could be a complete Mommy and kiddos play day with no errands, extra projects, visiting, or visitors. We started out the day by making oatmeal cookies and then eating them fresh out of the oven while reading books. (Isaiah was especially excited about making cookies – he went right over to the mixer when he heard the phrase making cookies.)

Last week we celebrated Amaris’ 4th birthday party. We had to miss her birthday the previous week due to sickness, but we were glad we could go another night to celebrate. Becca enjoyed dressing up like a princess. We had the Wynns over for dinner the next evening. Both Mr. & Mrs. Wynn were Josh’s teachers at Hampton Park and we enjoyed our evening together.

We’ve enjoyed more visiting with friends and family on our travels. This week, while at home, we had dinner with Mrs. Burch. Mrs. Burch fed me countless Sunday meals when I was in grad school, and I/we value her friendship and prayers for us. I’ll add that she wins first prize for cooking a meal that the kids loved. I don’t think they’ve ever eaten so much at someone else’s house.

While driving from NY to PA visited with my older brother and his family who have recently moved to Goshen, NY, to take a senior pastor position. Sam and Ashley are expecting a little boy in March. Becca enjoyed playing with Colette.

While driving from PA to NY we visited with the Cassel family. Rachel and I have been friends since high school and were roommates during my sophomore year. Josh and Rachel were in the same choir at BJ. We enjoyed meeting Rachel’s husband Rob and their two little girls, Carmondy & Rosamond.

While in PA, Josh and I were able to enjoy his and the kids’ Christmas present to me: a night at a Lancaster Bed & Breakfast. The snowy weather added a perfect touch for our stay at the Lovelace Manor. It was a great way to review the past year, plan for the year ahead, get some extra rest, and enjoy extra time together.

Becca and Isaiah enjoyed staying with my parents during our night away. Becca did some extra baking and had a tent sleep-over with Aunt Emily by the Christmas. (A few nights later Becca and I had a tent sleep-over by the Christmas tree. She was so excited she could have stayed up all night talking.)

We enjoyed the snow in PA. The kids enjoyed playing in the snow. Becca and I found a large puddle to ice skate on. A big highlight was eating snow for breakfast!

One special thing Becca enjoyed playing with at my parents’ home is my African dolls.

We spent about three weeks in PA. We had three Sunday services and one Wednesday evening service in the area (PA & NY), so we used my parents’ home as a base to travel from. We’re very thankful we didn’t have to make the extra trips to SC between the weekend services.

The day after Christmas we drove up to PA to celebrate Christmas with some of my family. (A big thanks to Joey for all his picture taking.)

Uncle Joey came through with giving Becca her yearly candy cane. She had recently been talking about how Uncle Joey does that without asking Mommy!

We celebrated my dad’s birthday (Christmas baby). Isaiah was more than happy to help eat Grandpa’s birthday cake.

Christmas morning we started with breakfast. Becca was especially pleased with the surprise cinnamon rolls for Daddy. The morning before, Becca had climbed into our bed and said she was excited about Christmas Day. When I asked her why she said, “because we don’t have to have oatmeal for breakfast!” After breakfast Josh read the Christmas story.

Everyone enjoyed opening gifts. Isaiah just loves opening presents. We got him juice boxes and fruit snacks and wrapped them individually, so he had lots of presents to open. Becca went shopping with Josh for me and with me for Josh. She was excited about the gifts she was getting everyone. She was especially excited about the gift she picked out all by herself for me. So excited she had me open it Christmas Eve. It was neat to see Becca have joy giving gifts to others. A special present for the kids this year was blocks Josh made for them, with help from his dad.

After the kids had some time to play, we headed to Dad and Mom Jensens’ for lunch and fellowship with the whole family.

We ended our day at home with a Christmas candle-light dinner. We often eat by candle light and Becca thought it was fun to have a Christmas candle-light dinner. After putting the kids to bed we packed and got ready for our trip to PA.

An extra note: we enjoyed visiting with some friends during the Christmas season, including some time with the Hess family the Thursday before Christmas, and later that day, dinner with the Wynn family.

Not counting the Christmas when Becca was in the NICU, this was our first Christmas to be in our own place Christmas morning. Becca was really excited about having “real Christmas” at home. Back in the first week of December, we enjoyed decorating our tree (on loan from the Casillas family).

We spent Christmas afternoon with Josh’s family. Today we head up to PA for Christmas with the Sutter side and more partnership development services. (Pictures from Christmas will come next week.)

The Saturday before Christmas, we went down to Florence, SC, where Josh’s sister lives and celebrated Christmas with the whole Ken Jensen Family. First time for all to be together for Christmas in a very long time.

Friday the 6th, I gave Isaiah his first haircut. He did great sitting for it. . .thanks to three Disney Silly Symphonies. When we were finished I took Isaiah in to see Josh. Isaiah was all smiles until Josh was sad that Isaiah’s curls were gone – then Isaiah’s face fell. As soon as Josh told him how nice his hair looked, Isaiah was happy again!

One thing Becca wanted this year was to have matching Christmas pj’s with Mommy. It took quite awhile to find them, but we finally found some girls size 14 pj’s for me to wear that matched 3T. Becca is delighted!

Last week we went to Spartanburg’s Christmas Parade. It was very cold and we also noticed Isaiah was a bit droopy (except when he saw dogs). The next day Isaiah started a 5-day nasty cold. We’re thankful he’s feeling better and back to his normal happy self!

Monday Becca and I finished our shopping for our boys. Becca did a great job wrapping and writing the names on the gifts. The gifts are now all wrapped and our stockings stuffed.

Tuesday Becca worked on her gingerbread house. After eating some of the candy she said, “This is my delighted!”

Wednesday we made a star for our tree and did some more cookie baking.

While in Buffalo and Syracuse, we enjoyed our first good snow of the season. It started snowing on Becca’s birthday (which we decided was a birthday gift from God). Wednesday we went outside and played in the snow for about 45 minutes. Becca especially loved eating the snow. Isaiah loved holding snowballs. (Literally — he just sat there, holding snowballs.)

In Syracuse, Becca got to shovel Great Grandma’s driveway and then had her first official sled ride (official meaning a real sled and not a TX laundry basket). We walked to a park with a great hill for sledding. We enjoyed some great slides down the hill. I was surprised when Becca said she was willing to climb to the top of the hill by herself. Then she decided to try going down by herself and ended up doing so several times. I was so proud of her. (I think reading the Frog & Toad story about sledding helped.)

Saturday was our first Saturday home since September 21st (and our last for the rest of the year). It was really nice to have a whole Saturday home to do Christmas stuff with the kids. Josh was away the whole day, but the kids and I made Christmas cookies. I knew Becca would enjoy it. . . . I was delighted with how much Isaiah loved it.

After lunch we decorated the cookies. It took quite a while and we have some sprinkle-filled cookies, but all enjoyed the process! And we’re all enjoying eating our tasty cookies!

Tuesday we returned from a 12-day trip to PA and NY. Both weekends were spent presenting our work in churches in PA. In between we visited with some friends and family. We started out our trip staying with Jonathan & Heather Overstreet and their five little girls. Becca especially enjoyed having so many sisters for our 4 days there. We enjoyed spending time with Jonathan and Heather and being with their family.

After our time in Pittsburgh, we drove to Buffalo, NY, to visit with Steve & Lish Simpson and their two girls from Monday to Thursday. We visited an arboretum on Becca’s birthday and made panda cupcakes. The next day we enjoyed snow (more snow pictures next week). We enjoyed visiting with Steve & Lish – Josh catching up with Steve and me getting to know Lish and the girls.

Thanksgiving day with drove to Syracuse, NY, to spend two days with my Grandma Buecher. Grandma made us a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. Friday morning we went sledding and Friday evening we went to a famous hotdog place and enjoyed Lights on the Lake. Saturday we headed to stay with my parents while we presented at a church about 45 minutes away. Sunday evening we helped decorate my parents’ Christmas tree.

Happy 18-month birthday to Sai-Zai! Our little man is growing up in so many ways. Isaiah’s a little climber now. The other week I found him standing over Josh’s dinner plate with a knife in one hand and a fork in the other, ready to chow down. Actually, he was standing there waiting for Mommy to notice him. He’s quite the little tease.

Isaiah is bursting with words for: hot, hat, chair, cracker, snack, Mama, Dada, Baba (Becca), truck, car, grape, help (which comes out more like haaaa), bye-bye, pumpkin, ball, bath, potty, nose, eyes, sit, tree, pencil, color, chair, knock-knock, night-night, thank you, and hi, among some others.

Sai-Zai continues to be a very happy boy who loves living life. He loves copying his big sister and enjoys teasing her. We’re so thankful to have Isaiah as our little boy.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Jensen 5. This year we’re very thankful for the new little girl we get to meet in April. Becca is especially thankful for the little sister God is giving her after her many months praying. She nows reminds us to thank God for her little sister each time we pray.

This year we have many other things to thank God for: (to name a few) Josh’s successful completion of his Ph.D., our survey trip to Cambodia, our smooth move to SC, the many churches that have been open to hearing our ministry plans, safety as we’ve traveled thousands of miles for partnership development, health, Becca’s good health report (no more MRI’s), and much more. I am especially thankful for the husband God has blessed me with, and Becca, and Isaiah. My family is a precious gift from God. Happy Thanksgiving – next year in Cambodia!!