5 years of wedded bliss

Jason and Bethany Jenks on January 2, 2004

January 2, 2009 - We've doubled the size of our family in 5 years!

Jason and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary last week and I've been wanting to post something about it. For those of you who know Jason well, you won't be surprised that he has requested that I not post something too cheesy. He likes it when I'm sappy...just as long as it's not publicly. So, I'm respecting his wishes and I've decided to post about how we met. I love hearing about how other couples have met, so I'll tell you our story. Just a warning, I'm not sparing any details on this one. This post is mostly for me and my posterity. :)

So it all started during my freshman year of college when I was working at the duplication center in the library at BYU-Idaho. There was this cute guy that had to order some stuff for one of his classes. We got to talking and pretty soon he asked me out. Right now you're thinking that I'm talking about Jason, right? Wrong. His name was Dan. (Don't worry...this will all come together). So, anyway, Dan and I go on a date. He picks me up in this blue Audi. Audis just happen to be my favorite brand of car. I was so excited. Then I get in the car and my very favorite song, "With or Without You" by U2 is playing. I'm thinking, "This guy is getting better and better." So I say to Dan, "I like your car, and just so you know this is my all-time favorite song." He kind of smiled and he said, "Well, thanks, but I can't really take the credit. This is my roommate's car and his CD too. But I like this car and song too." Now I'm thinking, "That's good that you like this song and car, but it's not the same. Maybe if things don't work out with you I can date your roommate." Dan and I proceed to go out to dinner and have a fun time. It was the last Saturday of the semester before summer break. I was planning to go home to Wyoming for the summer and he was planning on working for a white water rafting company somewhere. So, while we were on our date we talked a little bit about our summer plans and we said that we'd keep in touch and we exchanged email addresses. (Side note: we emailed eachother exactly once..haha). Back to the story...I promise this is going somewhere. We were done with dinner and the night was still young and neither of us really wanted to go home yet, so he asked me if I wanted to meet some of his friends. I said that was fine. So, he pulls up to these tennis courts and we get out. I see this really cute guy that is playing tennis like a pro. He's all tan and his arms are really toned. He's decked out in everything Polo. Everything from his hat to his shoes was Ralph Lauren. (I've always been good at knowing my name-brands and I can spot a polo horse from a mile away). Anyway, he stops for a minute and Dan says, "Hey, Jason this is Bethany." Jason looked at me and kind of nodded and said hi, but he didn't smile. I thought he was kind of rude. Then Dan turns to me and says, "It's his car that we're driving." So then Dan, Jason, and the guy Jason was playing against start talking and I'm kind of just standing there. In my head I'm trying to figure out this Jason character. I'm thinking that he must be a yuppy. He has a nice car, he plays tennis and everything he wears is Polo. Plus, he didn't even smile at me when Dan introduced us. So, at this point I'm pretty convinced that Jason is a spoiled brat.

OK, so fast forward to almost exactly a year later. It was February 2003 and I was in my second semester of my sophomore year. I had just met a guy named Ryan and we were just starting to date. I was pretty excited about him. He was cute and funny and so far we were having lots of fun together. One night we were at his apartment and his roommates came in. One of them looked familiar. Then the one that looks familiar notices that I look familiar. Then he says, "Hey, aren't you Bethany?" I say, "Yeah, you're Dan's friend with the Audi, right? What's your name?" He says, "Jason Jenks." (Keep in mind that Jason sometimes pronounces his last name like "Jinx"). Then I make this really funny comment...or so I thought. I said, "You mean jinx as in, 'jinx you owe me a pop?'" He stares at me blankly and I'm trying to explain that when you say the same word at the same time as someone else then you say jinx and the other person owes you a pop. He tells me that he's never heard of that before and I'm completely shocked. So anyway, we start to talk a little more and I'm beginning to think that he's not such a snob. He was asking me about myself and acting like he was actually listening. Then Ryan starts telling me what a great cook Jason is and how he makes the best homemade soups. So then we talk a little bit about cooking and that was about it. Ryan and I continue to date and we end up hanging out at his apartment a lot with his roommates. This Jason character was really starting to grow on me. He was crazily obsessed with sports which was pretty foreign to me, but everything else about him just seemed so great. So what does a girl do when she really likes her boyfriend's friend? She sets him up with her roommate. Ryan and I set Jason up with my old roommate, Katie. We all went bowling and Jason and I had a great time...with eachother. I remember during the date feeling like it was me on the date with Jason instead of Katie. Soon after that Ryan and I broke up and Jason started coming by my apartment to visit. Winter semester was almost over and I was going to stay for the summer term. I was kind of bummed because none of my friends were staying. Then one day I was talking to Jason and I mentioned that I would be staying and he said he was staying too! I was so excited...I would have at least one friend!

Once the Summer term started, Jason's visits became much more frequent because Ryan had moved out and I wasn't "off limits" anymore. We started hanging out on a daily basis. He was wining and dining me every night (minus the "wining" that is). The only problem was that I didn't know what we were. At first it was like we were just friends, but then I was really starting to like him. He was really slow in making a move though. I had never dealt with a man like this. He kept taking me out, calling me, stopping by, but he wouldn't even hold my hand!? I was very confused. I'm not one to make a move either, so for 2 1/2 months it went on like this. Now Jason says he waited so long because he wasn't sure if I liked him. He had never been with someone like me...he always left the move-making up to the girls. Anyway, a guy I worked with asked me out. I wasn't the least bit interested, but I figured it might be a good way to let Jason know that I wasn't just going to wait around forever. So, while I was on my date he came by my apartment ( just like I knew he would). My roommates asked me what they should say to Jason if he came by while I was on my date and I said, "Tell him I'm on a date." So, they did. And my little plan worked. He finally got up the courage to "make a move". After that, we got serious pretty fast. I drove to Washington with him in August to meet his family. Then in September we went to Wyoming so he could meet my family. In October he proposed and in January we were married. Four moves, two kids, and five years later, I'm so glad that I gave that yuppy a shot. He's turned out to be the most non-yuppy not spoiled man I know. My firsth impression couldn't have been more wrong. Jason really does have the kindest heart I've ever seen. He's a great husband and dad and I better stop now before I get too cheesy. And that's how Jason Jenks and Bethany Bennion came to be Mr. and Mrs. Jenks (pronounced jaynks, not jinx).

My Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas

I've been meaning to blog about my birthday and Christmas for a while now, but I've been putting it off because there's so much to write about and I'm going to have a hard time editing it all down. I turned 26 a few weeks ago. I had a great birthday. Jason always goes out of his way to try to make it special. He took me to dinner and got me a gift certificate to get my hair cut and high lighted. As you can see in this picture, I was in desperate need of a makeover. My hair had been so neglected. Anyway, after dinner we went to my in-laws' house and had this delicious cake that Amber made for me. It was sooo good. She's the best. I think her baking skills haver surpassed mine :) On the 2oth we made the long trek to Wyoming to spend Christmas with my family. We had such a great time.

Here's a picture of my kids in their Christmas outfits. Iris' bow might be a little ridiculous. It has a little bell on it and Jason kept threatening to cut it off because he couldn't stand the jingling sound.

My dad's birthday is on the 23rd, so it's been a tradition in our family to have Santa come visit on Dad's bday. This year he came and brought an early Christmas present for everyone. It was so fun. Roman is deathly afraid of Santa. He burst into tears when he came in the door. He kind of warmed up to him though. This was as close as he would get to him. Iree didn't seem to mind...

Here's my dad getting ready to blow out his birthday candles. This is all of my parents' grandchildren and then Danna, Cicily, and me.

Like I mentioned we spent Christmas with all of my family. I have six siblings, so with everyone's spouses and children the grand total was 22 people. Look how many stockings there are!! Luckily, my parents just built a new house in October and every couple had their own master suite with its own bathroom. That makes such a difference to have your own bathroom! Plus there's a big room upstairs for the grandkids. There was 3 bunk beds and they had their own bathroom too. The kids absolutely loved it. This was our first time at the new place. It is so beautiful. My dad has been building for 30 some years and he does such great work. I wish he could come build me a house in a few years.

We did lots of fun things while we were in WY. My little brother, Kimball and my little sister, Cicily are pretty good at Rock band. Roman loved watching them, so they let him "play" on the drums for a little bit. He thinks they are pretty cool.

But so much playing can wear a guy out..

Christmas morning was full of lots of great gifts. I didn't think Santa could pull it off, but he ended up finding a football helmet AND uniform for Roman. He thinks it's pretty cool, but he still puts on his knitted hat and calls it a helmet. I think it's because the helmet's still a little too heavy for his head. By the way, that's Roman with my little sister, Cicily. She's gotten so old! She's 15 now and I can hardly believe it. She's such a pretty girl and she's so sweet with her neices and nephews. Roman still asks about her everyday and we've been back for a week.

Here's the kids with my parents, "Mama and Papa Ben" as Roman calls them. I just have to thank my mom and dad again for the great time that we had. There's nothing better than spending time with your family. My mom and dad were so great. They had yummy meals and fun things to do and they didn't even complain about all the kids ransacking their beautiful home. We had a great time and we can't wait to do it again.

Family Pictures

If you're anxiously awaiting your Christmas card from the Jenks Family, then you'll just have to keep on waiting...til next year - or maybe later. Yes, it's true, I didn't do Christmas cards. I have a million excuses, but basically I didn't want to take the time to do them. That's what it all boils down to. I have, however, really enjoyed getting many of your cards. As the holiday season approached, I planned on doing them and had our family pictures taken, but alas I never followed through. So, here's some of our pictures. My friend, Shaila, took them and I think she did a great job. She's a self-taught photographer and she's really got a talent for it. She has this fancy shmancy camera that I can't even dream of operating. We took them outside in the freezing cold and she did it really fast and still had lots of cute shots. She was such a pro- thanks, Shaila! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time in Wyoming with my parents and all six of my siblings and their spouses and kids. It was a crew! I'll post about our fun trip later. This is a picture Shayla took of Iris while we were inside chatting. I love it because Iree always has her hands in he mouth like that. And she always lifts her eyebrows like that, so it looks like she has a unabrow. Isn't she too cute?

My handsome Romie in his festive sweater.

Roman and Jason are goofing off and I'm just checkin out Jason's bulging biceps. He does have nice arms, don't you think?

If I had sent out a card, thi would have been the picture I would have sent. Iris's eyes are closed, but oh well. It was still my favorite shot. Oh...by the way, I have cut my hair since this picture was taken. Don't worry, I got rid of that stringy mess. Now I just wish I would have chopped it before we got the pics taken. I just don't look good in long hair...oh well!

The Perfect Christmas Gift

Christmas is quickly approaching and I am once again procrastinating. Every year I tell myself that I'm going to get my shopping done early and guess what, I never do. So, why should this year be any different? We do a drawing on my side of the family with my sibs and the neices and nephews. Luckily I do have those presents bought and my parents' gift is taken care of, but I have yet to buy one thing for my poor husband and kids. This week I've been online shopping for things and nothing is really jumping out at me. Granted, my kids should be really easy to shop for. Iris doesn't know what's what and Roman pretty much loves everything, but I don't want to buy a bunch of crap toys that Roman will play with once and then they'll spend the rest of their days collecting dust in our basement. I've got enough of those already. I have put a lot of thought into this. It's become somewhat of an obsession. I want to get something that he'll really enjoy AND that isn't too noisy, big, or expensive. So, I was trying to think about what he's really into these days and it's definitely sports...mostly football. It's football season right now and of course Jason watches all the Seahawks games (although I don't think he wants to claim them this year.) Anyway, Roman likes to watch football with Jason (for a few mins), but what he really loves to do is "toss the ball" as he says. As soon as Jason gets home from work they go downstairs and play football. And I don't mean to be one of those moms that thinks their kid is extraordinary, but Roman does have a pretty dang good arm. You can ask any of my friends that have seen him throw. He's a natural...I think :) OK, this post is getting long so I'm going to try to wrap it up. So, I've finally decided what I want to get Roman for Christmas...a football helmet! It would be perfect. As you can see in the picture below, he's got Vivian's pink bucket on his head. She left it at our house when they were here for halloween and he was running around with it on his head. I thought it was kind of weird and then he said, "Mom, it's my football heh-met." That was about a month ago. Then yesterday he found his hat that I knitted and pulled it all the way down. He came running into the kitchen. I said, "Rome, what are you doing?" He was like, "It's my football heh-met. I wanna toss the ball." The only problem is that now I know what I want to get him, but apparently it's not so easy to find a toddler sized football helmet. I've been searching the internet and I've had no luck. Ugghhh....I hope I don't have to go back to square one. The boy needs a helmet. He can't keep parading around with his nifty-knitted hat pulled over his face! :) Anyway, we'll see what I come up with.

This last picture is of my two babies this morning at 5:30. Yep, that's when they like to wake up. I was so tired that I put them both in bed with me, but they were both really awake. Iree was laughing so hard and making the biggest smiles. Roman was being so cute with her too. He kept being all snuggly and lovey dovey. I just had to take a picture of them. I hate waking up so early, but it's hard to resist those two...even at 5:30.

Growing too fast...

Lately it's been occuring to me that my kids are just growing too fast. I was telling Jason the other day that I just want to freeze them and keep them this size forever. OK, so I don't always feel like that (like when Iris has a bad night and wakes up 4 times or when Roman starts throwing a fit in Wal-Mart). But for the most part, I really enjoy the stages that my little babes are in right now.
Last Sunday, I put Roman in a white shirt and tie and he just looked like such a little big boy. This was the best picture I took of him, believe it or not. Yeah, he likes to show off for the camera now. My little Iree is just getting so cute and chubby. When she was born she weighed 6 lbs 8 oz, which is pretty average, but I still thought she looked so scrawny. So, lately I've been noticing that she's starting to really fill out. So, a few days ago it was kind of cold out and I have these cute little boots that my friend Korbi gave Iris.

Anyway, I went to put the cute boots on her, and they didn't fit! There was plenty of room in the foot area, but her legs are so chubby that I couldn't get the velcro thing fastened. Actually, I could get it together, but then it looked like she had muffin top over her boots and it just didn't look comfortable. Oh, my little Iree girl...you might have some cankles. Oh well, I'll definitely take a chubby baby over a skinny one anyday!

So, here's a picture of my cute little chubby girl. She turned 4 months old last Monday and I took this on her 4 month birthday. I seriously can't believe how fast she's growing. She's just changing right before my eyes. Oh...my babies are growing too fast. Maybe it's time for another one? Ummm....let me think about that one...no. ;)

Lots of Halloween Fun

We had a fun Halloween, and I took a lot of pictures for your viewing pleasure :) First of all, we had an elder's quorum party the week before halloween and we were supposed to dress up. I haven't dressed up since middle school, so I have to admit I was kind of excited about wearing a costume. I just ended up going as a witch. So, there I am in all my witchy glory. Is it just me, or does that wig make me look 50 years old. I don't like how I look with black hair, but it did make my teeth look whiter. Here's Roman and Iris with all their Jenks cousins before they went trick-0r-treating.

Iree was a flower (with a name like Iris, you just have to be a flower). Roman was a bumble bee. Neither one was too excited about it.

Here's Iris earlier in the day when she was feeling slightly happier. She and her cousin Keric wore the exact same shirt.

Trick-or-treating was kind of funny. At first Roman was all confused....

but then he got the hang of it and he started running up to the houses and saying, "I want candy." It was funny, but hopefully next year he'll use the proper,"trick or treat" greeting.

My sister-in-law, Amber has a Halloween birthday, so after trick-or-treating, we had a little family party at my house. Here she is getting ready to blow out her candles.

I decided to do some halloweenish food, so her birthday cake is supposed to look like a witch getting buried alive.

Then I made a snake sandwich (one of Paula Deen's recipes.) It was really easy and yummy.

And for our drink I made "witches brew." It was just lime sherbet and Sprite. Anyway, it was very yummy. So, we had a really fun halloween and now I have way too much candy that I need to get rid of. Anyone want some?

I'm Baaaack

Oh, my friends, let me just tell you how good it is to have the internet! I've been without the internet for 3 long months now and it was about to drive me crazy! i've been trying to get it for about 2 1/2 months and it's just been one disaster after another. First it was our gateway box and then the computer...anyway, it's a long boring story. I'm just glad I finally have it again and now I can see what all my fellow bloggers are up to. So, I'll try to do a quick update on what our family has been up to.
First of all, we moved into our new house at the end of August. That was interesting, by the way. But luckily we have great friends and family who helped us a lot, so it was a lot less painful than it could have been - but I still hated it none the less. We ended up getting all the painting, flooring, etc, done before we had to move in. I was pretty scared there for a while that it wasn't all going to get done in time, but it did. We're all settled now and we're glad to be in our new place.
Baby Iris was blessed on August 31 ( 6 days after we moved in to the house.) I just love this picture of her in her dress. She's like, "Thanks for finally taking that huge bow off my head, Mom."

Roman got his first stitches in September. He was running and tripped and hit his head pretty hard on the corner of the trim. Anyway, we took him to the ER because it was on a Sunday night and he walked out of there with three stitches. Poor baby :(

Roman turned 2 on September 29. Ooops, I just noticed that the only pic I uploaded was of his Diego cake. Oh well...too late to try to upload some more. Anyway, that cake was so hard to make. Yes, I decorated that beast of a cake. Next year remind me to just buy one. I think I got carpal tunnel after decorating that thing. He did really love it though. It almost made it worth it...almost.

Jason turned 31 on October 14. He sure is cute for a man in his 30's don't you think? He requested that I make my grandma's famous wedding cake for his birthday because he loved the cake she made for our wedding. So, I got her recipe and just made a sheet cake. He said it was the best cake he's ever had. Thanks, gram!

And here is a picture of my little beauty. I just took this yesterday. She is the sweetest, cutest little girl I've ever known. I can't believe how fast she's growing. She is just so sweet and smiley and she even lets me put big bows on her everyday. My friend Korbi taught me how to make bows and now I'm addicted. Poor girl puts up with my craziness...at least until she has the ability to take them off :) Anyway, I'm glad to be back in the cyber world. I'm anxious to start checking in on all my friends...I got a lot of blog reading to do!