It's time to take the blog private. Please send your contact info. if you want to stay in the look with the Kenison Chaos!
Wendy
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Bigger Isn't Better
Recently, our old tube TV took it's last breath and croaked! We found it next to impossible to find another tube TV, so much to our dismay, we ended up with a larger flat screen TV. (Reese seems to tell everyone she sees that we have a new BIG TV... how embarrassing.... it's not really that big, but compared to our old TV I guess it is to her!) On the day after Thanksgiving, I found a great deal ($47) on a small 7" portable DVD player thinking that it would be great for those pinch moments with Reese while at appointments, meetings, etc. Well over Christmas break it seems that Mark's new printer box (thanks Staples warranty!) and the new HUGE 7" (ha ha ha) screen became the new attraction for the boys. Look at these three all piled into the box with a tiny screen DVD player to watch Star Wars! NUTS! It just goes to prove that the BOX is always better than the TOY in every case!!!!
Brennan, Brock and Tate - Star Wars movie night!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Missing Longboard....
Andrew - Just in case you were wondering who was using your long board that you left at Christmas... well... at least there should not be any emergency room fees associated with this one using it! It's much better than the scenario we talked about.. the four man bobsled team!!!
Our New Friend Gledi from Albania!!!
The kids just all LOVED having Uncle Andrew and his friend Gledi come and visit. Andrew home teaches Gledi in their ward at BYU. Gledi is from Albania - just across the Mediterranean sea from the boot of Italy - we had to have a little geography lesson when he came. We had a great time getting to know him and taking him around to a few of the sites in Charlotte.
Gledi was also able to spend Christmas Day with us and join in on all the chaos at our house.
Reese and Uncle Andrew - best buddies! Reese just loved having her uncle here to take her all around!
Gledi, Brennan and Tate at Winner Circle in the Lowe's Motor speedway! Some future Nascar drivers???? Hmmm!
The whole crew at Lowe's Motor speedway... Nana and Papa, Uncle Andrew, Gledi Peco and the Kenison Crew.
I Have the GREATEST Brother!!!!
So the pictures just don't even do justice for how beautiful my new fountain is thanks to the generation gift of labor by my brother Andrew while he was here for Christmas. In addition to this, I also now have gorgeous landscape lighting in the front yard too! I have waited a really, really long time and begged for many years for such a gift from him! How lucky am I!!!! Thanks Andrew for the awesome gift! You are the best!!!!Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Santa Came!!!!
With 11 people in the house for Christmas Santa had to split the presents between two of the trees downstairs... The kids tree and Mommy's tree. The gold wrapped ones are from Santa.
The stockings (and gift bags) were hung by the stairs with care???
What fun it was to have so many together for Christmas - the garbage man is going to hate us!
Is it time???? Is it time??? The kids were SOOOO excited to come downstairs.
The waiting was just driving the kids nuts!!!! We wanted everyone to be awake and downstairs before they opened presents! The kids were all sporting their new Steelers PJ's from Nana too.
Big Girl!!!
I just look at this picture and the song from the commercial keeps ringing in my head..."I'm a big girl now!" The picture says it all... but now I think I better go since Reese just took one look at the picture and then ran off says - "I want to go make a mess again!!!!" she had a really sneaky smile too... better run to find her!
The 2009 Tree Hunt
So we have to tell first how this years crazy adventure started. We left home around 4:30pm thinking that we would get to Boone around 7pm just in time for some dinner and an evening at the hotel pool. After a long day - who couldn't use some time in the water to get all the wiggles out. Well - that was the PLAN... UNTIL... the highway was closed and had a detour. We started on the detour for about a 1/2 and hour and then the GPS system in the Yukon kept on giving us other options to follow. Feeling like we were following the blind on the detour, we thought we would just follow the GPS instead. WELL.. first lesson learned... what looks good may not be good. We turned on the road the GPS said and went for another 15 minutes or so and then it said we need to turn right on Sampson Road. Well... after about 5 miles, Sampson Road became dirt / gravel Sampson Road. For 30 miles.... and TWO ADDITIONAL HOURS we followed Sampson Road... which became a single lane, winding, twisting, turning road that literally went over the mountains. I have never prayed so much and so desperately in my life! I was terrified! One side would be a cliff drop off and the other a shear bank straight up plastered with ice from the runoff. Not a place to be with a family of seven.. when it's 19 DEGREES outside and it is not 9:30 at night. All I could think of was - why did I not think to bring extra snacks and water in the car this time and I REALLY hope that Mark paid the renewal fee on the On Star subscription. At least if we fell off the cliff, the On Star system would know and hopefully someone would find us before we froze to death. I know I'm such a worrier! When Sampson Road finally came to an end, it told us to turn onto another road which literally drove us straight into someones driveway!!!! Ha! And this is the most up to date CD in the GPS system. THIS IS CRAZY!!!!!! Well after much frustration and many wrong turns we found our way back to the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped along side the road. Brennan suggested we stop and say a prayer - what a great kid he is! Why didn't we stop a long time ago and do that! Well - our prayers were answered and we finally made our way down into the little town of Boone..at 10pm that night! After three different hotel rooms - the first had no heat - the second had swine flu I am sure... it smelled like throw up SO BAD... and finally the third we crashed in for the night! The kids swam the next morning and then we all bundled up and headed out for the real adventure of the trip!
The chosen one! - After much debate!
TIMBER!!!!
It was a little bit too cold for great smiles for the camera! The kids were soooo disappointed this year that it did not snow while we were there.
The whole family .. and still smiling after everyone had the perfect tree picked out. It's a little hard to choose the winner from seven completely different choices! ha ha! One of these years we will be able to vote in a civilized manner!
O.K. - We just had to show everyone exactly where our little tree farm is... yep... it's in MEAT CAMP, NC!!!! This is the sign right next to the farm for the the beautiful little white chapel that sits on the hillside next to the farm. We think this part of the country is absolutely beautiful, but I'm not sure that I can bring myself to live in a town called Meat Camp!
We are always thankful for the delicious hot chocolate, hot cider and cookies that Mrs. Clawson has for us when we are done. Oh and the heated building feels really nice too!
Keep growing little trees - we'll be back for one of you next year!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A Few Family Pictures...
Put on a happy face... no fighting allowed for this picture! 
Mommy and her little princess! She loved the fact that her tights had a bear on the butt... she kept on saying.. see my "bear butt!"
Smile honey... the kids are all sitting still for one minute! 
Ah... just the two of us! The kids were most likely rolling around in the mud at this point!
Like my boots? Reese was fascinated with the zippers on her boots... She thought she was one styling chic in this outfit! We are SOOOO in trouble when she gets older!
Ah - those eyes!!!! This reminded me so much of her birth announcement picture... same little face and smile... just longer hair! (oh and notice the nice little goose egg on her noggin... it just wouldn't be picture day without someone having a bump on the head!)
Loving the bunch! Reese has her brothers wrapped around her little finger in a BIG way!!!
Brotherly love! ... the beginning of a wrestling match!
Can you believe we started all the madness 15 years ago??? 
Reese was not too sure about the camera at first.. why should I smile to someone I don't even know! The pictures still came out great though!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Many Things to be Thankful For...
Well obviously, blogging has not been at the top of my list lately of things to do. And with good reason... it's been a rocky few months around the Kenison household, but hopefully things are on the upswing. There is no doubt that soccer and football - though really FUN - were a huge commitment this fall... more than we expected! The boys all had a great time so were are glad that they had the chance to participate. We have definitely found Brock's niche in soccer and Tate was thrilled to have found a new sport that he enjoys too. Brennan loved every minute he had on the football field, but found himself a little nervous for most of the season after watching one of his friends get hauled off the field in an ambulance not once but twice with neck and back injuries. We are very thankful for an injury free season.
We have been blessed with a mostly healthy fall which is a welcome break from years past. It seemed like Reese was constantly sick the first 18 months of her life. I think the boys have finally tried to expose her to about it all. Teenage troubles have hit home with full force... and Tanner doesn't even turn 13 till next week! It's going to be a LONG 15 more years of teenagers at home with the way things are starting out. Heaven HELP us!!! We are thrilled with Tanner's lawn mowing job however.. what a great worker he is! He can cut, edge, weed whack and blow a lawn better than most professional companies twice his age! Work is picking up for Mark again - thank you investors for putting money back in the markets around the world. It's nice to see the numbers on the Dow and S&P on the rise. That certainly makes the stress ease a little around here too.
My health has not been the best, but we are very thankful for some recent test results that have ruled out more serious issues like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. I have had traveling / severe joint and tendon pain for many months now. It has made for some challenging and stressful times, but I am hopeful that things are possibly starting to get better in some of the joints. It started a few weeks after Mark got the shingles last spring - but the doctors say that he NO correlation. I'd like to think different, but whatever it is, we all hope that it goes away and gets better very soon. After a severe reaction to the anti-inflammatory medicine - I am back to Tylenol and Advil... hopefully we can find a drug that works without any more serious reactions or side effects. Little Miss Reese has been a joy to have around during these hard times - she never leaves my side and is always trying to help get things for me. She makes me laugh and MELTS my heart with the most sincere comments of her love for me and how much she likes her Mommy. Most touching has been her prayers for me... without fail and NO HELP... she includes me in any prayer that she is saying... morning, night, dinner, lunch, or just when she wants to. She asks Heavenly Father that he will make Mommy better and make her foot and back stop hurting. Oh the faith of the little children... to be two and have the faith that she has is incredible. She is truly one of Heavenly Father's choice daughters who was sent here to earth during these times when the strongest will need to be here to withstand the many temptations of the world. The boys have been so wonderful too at understanding the circumstances and helping out when they can. Their faith too has been amazing...they too have prayed for me on a daily basis. I am so blessed to have 5 children who love and care about me so much!!!
Most importantly has been Mark and his willingness to step in and take over many of the usual duties that I have not been able to do. He's been great at helping out around the house and with the kids... and trying to ease my pains. With much gratitude in our hearts we head into this season of Thanksgiving with a MUCH to be thankful for!!!!! I may not be 100%, but at least I feel like things are starting to improve. Things could be SOOO much worse, so I will take my aches and pains and not complain... but the teenager troubles... well I may complain a little about that! HA HA HA!!! Mark and I were NEVER like this as teens... snicker snicker snicker!!!