Two weeks ago our kids decided to create a mini-golf course in our backyard. (Becca was inspired with the idea after watching the younger kids play hockey with sticks.) First, they cleared the land and roped off the area for the course. Then they plotted where the holes would be and dug them. Lastly they marked each of the 10 holes with a paper flag connected to a stick.

The kids were creative in finding golf clubs and balls. They also made their own score sheets. They had a blast playing. We were in Phnom Penh this week and were able to buy real golf balls, so the kids are going to recreate the course and play some more. I just love it that our kids came up with this idea all on their own! I love the creativity, resourcefulness, and team work. Makes my mama’s heart happy.

We had our family Valentine’s celebration last Friday, complete with heart-shaped pizzas, card exchange, gifts, dirt dessert, and playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark! The kids have been working on their cards for a few weeks. Even Micah had fun hand-painting cards for everyone.

December 2, 2021 the girls completed All About Reading Level 2. It’s been great to see their progress. They also completed All About Spelling Level 1 in November. Last month we handed out their certificates of completion.

Both girls read books above the level they are currently in – Anna is almost done reading Farmer Boy. She’s reading Babe – The Gallant Pig as well. I’m especially pleased with their expression and voices when they read.

Micah is now 14 months. He’s never still enough for me to get an in-focus picture! Always moving. So much fun!

The best climbing trees in our yard are the tamarind trees. Our kids climb them all year long and are especially excited when its fruit is in season. They eat it before it’s ripe and when it’s ripe. (Check out Wikipedia for more info on tamarind.)

One pod has multiple seeds and there’s very little fruit around the seeds, which look like small stones. But they kids love them.

It’s amazing how high our kids get in these trees.

All outside pictures by Becca.

Two Saturdays ago the girls and I went to the morning part of a Khmer wedding in our neighborhood. I won’t go into detail about Khmer weddings, but being invited is all about money. It’s a very fancy affair. The part we participated in was a fruit walk from the grooms house to get the bride (this is traditional….actually we just walked down the road from the bride’s house). Afterwards we ate breakfast in the large tent outside the bride’s home.

This week our neighbor is harvesting her cassava in the field behind our house. The kids have had a blast helping: pulling, cutting the cassava off the stalks, peeling, and cutting.

Take a peek into our world. Here we are – this morning before breakfast, a little before 7AM. It was in the upper 60’s, so some of us were cold.

New Year’s Eve we had a small family party including: carol singing, french fries, chocolate cake and cocoa, a picture slideshow from 2021, and sparklers. The kids slept by the Christmas tree, and Becca and Isaiah stayed up until 12 to ring in the new year by throwing poppers over the edge of the porch. Micah and I were up as well.

We had a lovely Advent and Christmas season celebrating the birth of Christ. We started on the first Sunday of Advent with our nightly candle lighting and carol singing. This year our three oldest children each learned a few piano accompaniments, and it was a special joy for me to sing while our children played.

We started our Christmas countdown calendar two weeks before Christmas. It included three different ornament makings (we made polymer candy canes this year for our tree…no rats or ants will eat those!), movies (we watched a lovely performance of Handel’s Messiah), cookie making, reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and other activities.

Christmas Day we had the Crowleys over for the kids’ play and Christmas lunch. It was a day full of activities and traditions – sibling gift giving, cinnamon rolls, Becca’s recitation of the Christmas story using Little People, gifts from parents at night, etc.

The next day, Sunday, was a full for us. Josh preached at our church in the morning. In the afternoon we had a neighborhood Christmas party with games, singing, and a piñata. In the evening we had a meal for our Khmer Bible Study.

Monday afternoon we headed to another province, Stung Treng, for an EMU get together. We had two meals together and a wonderful time of singing. Tuesday afternoon we headed home and had our church Christmas celebration Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

We are thankful for the wonderful season God gave us. Thankful that we could meet with God’s people to worship. Thankful for our kids and our family. Thanks be to God.

We couldn’t make it to the annual expat Christmas bonfire, so we had our own, right in our backyard. My biggest concern was providing enough food so our kids didn’t feel cheated. We had hot chocolate with marshmallows, cut-out Christmas cookies, gingerbread cookies, candy cane cookies, popcorn, banana muffins, hotdogs, and stuffed bread. The kids were stuffed and there was still leftover food (we did eat supper first). After we were done eating we sang carols. A success and perhaps a new tradition…only time will tell.

Advent has begun in the Jensen household. Singing every night around the Advent candles. The Jensen Christmas Countdown Calendar. Baking. Gift-making. We love this time of year!

We had a great two weeks celebrating Becca’s 12th birthday. The Saturday before her birthday we had a visit with the Carson ladies, complete with lunch, 12 cupcakes, gifts, and painting together.

Her countdown calendar included: making tie-dye shirts, watching The Ten Commandments, small gifts, a mommy/daughter sleepover, snacks, and her yearly haircut. Becca decided to try something new this year.

This year Becca chose to decorate her cake based on the book Sweep: The Story of a Girl and her Monster. This was a last minute decision and the first year Becca had something other than a panda or horse. She did a great job capturing the setting and main characters. Pizza was the meal of choice!

We’re thankful for our Becca. She gets up at 5:30 every morning (her own choice) to read her Bible and drink coffee and then practice the piano. This year she has excelled in playing the piano musically. She continues to develop her art and craft skills. She’s been teaching Anna and Clara Sunday school on Sunday evenings – she plans lessons and craft for her sisters during our Khmer Bible study. Becca also has grown in her love for her little brothers – she spent a lot of time this year preparing Ezra to give a poem on raccoons and a presentation on sea turtles. We’re definitely seeing Becca grow in her teaching skills. SO thankful for our firstborn – Becca!

It only lasts 10 days between Micah’s and Becca’s birthdays!

November 16 we celebrated Micah’s 1st birthday! He enjoyed being the center of attention. He loves playing and having fun with his siblings and parents.

Anna suggested we have chili for Micah’s birthday, since he loves it. It was a perfect meal to make our boy happy. He loved eating his cake and getting gifts.

Micah is a very happy and easy going boy. He doesn’t say many words, though he seems to love yelling Ezra’s name. He has 3 teeth – two on the bottom and one on the top. He’s walking and running like a champ. Just recently he’s starting climbing up on things. He loves crawling under our bed with Ezra. The two younger boys are becoming best buddies and partners in mischief. I’m so thankful we have two boys next to each other who can be playmates.

So much to be thankful for in our November baby boy!

Pictures below are a comparison of the kids at 1 year:

October 29th was our 7th year to celebrate Cambodian Coronation Day. We had a fun day crowning our three queens and three kings. I was most impressed that Micah loved wearing his crown!

We had company for dinner – Uncle Jeremy – and he agreed to stay for our Jensen Family Performance Night and ice cream afterwards. The kids each gave a presentation on a different sea creature: Becca – Narwhal, Isaiah – Sea Snakes, Anna – Belugas, and Clara – Sea Lions. Becca had worked with Ezra on a Sea Turtle presentation, but he got stage fright.

I finally fell for a Facebook ad. It was a deal for a year’s subscription to Craftsy for less than $3, and I figured that even if we just took one class it would be worth it.

It’s been great! Most of the classes are geared for adults, but it’s been fine. So far, all the kids took a class on how to make comic books. Isaiah took a class about making pretzels, bagels, and bialys. Becca and Isaiah took a class called Illustrated Nature Journaling. We’re all taking a start-up class on watercolors. And the kids are taking a kids’ class on paper airplanes.

This past weekend Isaiah and Clara took a class on making doughnuts. Yummy! Anna worked on one of the class projects from the watercolors class.

Our littlest man is always on the move and I can’t get him to sit still for a clear picture! Two bottom teeth. Eating the same food as everyone else. Sleeping through the night. Walking everywhere. Almost always happy. Becoming a good playmate. (It’s a lot fun play to play with the two “little boys” together.) He’s a darling!

The rest of us are doing well with school. This is our 13th week and everyone seems to be enjoying our year!