CHRIS, SERA, AND MILO'S SNOWY CHRISTMAS IN PORTLAND

Chris's home in Portland and Milo with his snowman


2008 brought an unprecedented snow storm to Portland, Vancouver, and Tri-cities, where, Chris, Joe, Nathan, and Val and I were holed up for Christmas.  We couldn't get to each other, but we had a lot of fun in the snow.

STEVE AND SANDIE'S CHRISTMAS

We welcomed our new grandson, Samuel Vernon Jensen, on December 6, 2008. And here are our other beautiful grandchildren, Evan, Seth, and Emily, who all took a three-month trip with their parents across the USA in a motorhome this year.

OUR CHRISTMAS LETTER

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY



Christmas at our house---a few favorite things and a lot of music, Vern's art, the family.  What are we doing?

We have a big Christmas recital for my 50 piano students on the 23rd in an auditorium, a very large production, so I must prepare my students.  Val is usually found singing in choir and choral productions.  We love to bake good things and have friends over.  In the quiet evenings Val studies his German and we listen to Beethoven and Handel, and we try to take in one or two of the many concerts available here before Christmas.  Then the kids, our family, converge on us for Christmas, the fun part, when the noise and celebration begin.  The house gets messy, kids are everywhere, the smells of good food and the familiar "Hey Mom" remind me of years ago.  Life is so good.

Judy and Val

THANKSGVING

The day before Thanksgiving was Sofia's birthday.  She turned six.  She like blueberry cheesecake  (in the background with candles).  She and her sister Evelyn spent the summer picking their father's blueberry plants clean every day and coming in with purple faces and hands.

My camera stopped working so I couldn't get pictures of everybody, a big disappointment.  But we had Chris and Sera and Milo, and also Nathan.  We ate 8 pies, as I had to make both sugar free (for Nathan and Joe who are type 1 diabetecs--Joe being on insulin) and also sugar for everyone else.  We ate a healthy meal----lots of yams, brussels sprouts, salad, as well as turkey and all the trimmings.

Nathan and Joe brought their poetry.  They are almost better writers than their father was.  What a gift in our family.  And Nathan is so well-read.  He reminds me of Vern in his learning.  Joe reminds me of Vern in his personality and temperament.  And Chris reminds me of him with his gentleness, humbleness and humor.  The three of them are their Dad!  Now Steve---I think he takes from me.  But we make a great family;  I am so thankful for our family.  Thankyou Vern for our fine sons.