Opa's Problem

Opa: "Payton, I have a problem. Something is rattling around in my car. What do you think it is?"
Payton: "Maybe it's a dinosaur! I can help, I am a good looker."

Watch below to find out if Opa & PR solved the mystery.

Roughin' It (Sort Of)...

This year, we celebrated Memorial Day in style. We headed down to Manitou Springs where we spent the weekend camping with the Craig family at The Lone Duck Campground. Now, if your goal for camping is to enjoy the peace and beauty of the wilderness, then the Lone Duck is NOT for you. But, if you're camping with five kids (5, 4, 3, 1, and 5 months), 4 adults, and a golden retriever, then we've found paradise. The kiddos (and the moms and dads) had a blast fishing in the stocked pond, swimming in the heated pool, playing on the playground, and visiting the nearby tourist spots. Here are some highlights from our trip.

Snapshots of Spring

There's been so much going on these past few weeks...birthday parties, Mother's Day, gardening, playing outside. I thought I'd share a few fun memories!

Happy Birthday Oma! (celebrating last weekend at Mark & Abby's house...)
So many parties, so little time! (Nephew Nolan, Gwen & RJ)
Family Fun (wrestle-mania, hangin' outside...)

Jansen Family Fun

Over Mother's Day weekend, my mom and dad headed off to Maryland for my cousin Matt's wedding. While my mom's family lives here in Denver, the bulk of my dad's family lives along the East Coast. (Maryland, DC, SC, Mass...) We don't get to see them very often, but we've enjoyed reading some of the cousin's blogs. (Nora's Blog, Emily's Blog, Mark & Abby's Blog, Natale's Blog) We weren't able to make it to the wedding, but my mom took a lot of pictures that she wanted to share. I put them together in a short video, so some of the other family members who couldn't make it could get a little glimpse of the celebration. Congratulations Matt and Katie, and best wishes!

Mom, Mommy, Mother, Ma.

In my last post, I showed what Wes and the kiddos got me for Mother's Day. The chairs have been a great addition to the front porch and are already being broken in. Well, yesterday was actually Mother's Day. Here are some highlights...
After church, PR and I spoiled ourselves by getting our fingers and toes painted. She chose a LOVELY shade of purple, complete with "jewels" on her thumbs and big toes. We got to sit in the massage chairs. PR chose the vibrate-like-crazy setting and giggled the entire time!The picture above is just one more example of Payton's love for all things girl. Remember how she also loves all things dirt/dinos/science? Well, here are her feet a few hours later.In the afternoon, we headed over to Oma B.'s house for a family BBQ. The guests of honor. PR and Brady's great-grandmas--Grandma Inge and Oma B.The hosts & hostesses with the mostest! (Uncle Dave, Aunt Susan, Brother Mark, and Family Friend Carla)
Uncle Mark giving Brady MOUNTAIN DEW. This does not bode well for the future!
We had a great day...Well, almost all of us did. There weren't any pictuers of Wes. Our water heater broke just before we had to leave. He spent his time at home taking out the broken one, buying, and installing a new one from Home Depot. We had hot showers the next morning. Thank goodness for dads too!

Surprises, Patio Furniture, an Oma & an Opa.

A very random title for some random, yet-connected, thoughts. Let me explain...On Monday nights in the spring, I run an open gym for my volleyball players. Wes stays at home with the kids. When I got home this past Monday, this is what I found taped to the garage door:
After searching around the house for a few minutes, I found these sitting on our front porch!I was very excited about the gift because we spend so much time outdoors. Watching Wes shoot baskets, gardening, playing whiffle ball, etc. That led me to think about how much I love our newest back patio addition. Last summer, we came across the "orbit lounger." It looks as wierd as it sounds, but the ellipitcal-double-patio-chair is awesome! We spend a lot of time relaxing on it. See below:
And seeing this picture of my mom made me think about how lucky our kids are to have such a wonderful Oma & Opa. They have learned so much from spending time with their grandparents. Like how to fill bird feeders, how to pronouce rhododendrun, and how to bake brown bread, just to name a few.So, there you have it. Between surprises, patio furniture, an Oma, & an Opa, it's been a pretty good day.