Birthday Girl!!!!

Happy Birthday Jennifer!!!
Here are thirty reasons why you are
the very best daughter ever!!!

1. You were a super sweet baby!!!

Happy first Birthday!!!

2. You are a really great friend!!!

3. You were always a really good student
and loved going to school.
This is your first day of first grade.

4.You always had fun with
our Holiday traditions.

5.You loved Christmas and getting cool
Christmas presents.

6. You love the beach!!!

7. You are always really beautiful
and we could count on you to be a worthy young woman.

8. You graduated with honors and we have always
been really proud of you.

9. You have always been a great sister.

10. You have always been ready to go
on a fun trip anywhere!!!
(Yes, that is Stonehenge!!!)

11. Always a little crazy, but we love you just the way you are!!
(This was taken in the executioners room in York, England)

12. We were always proud of you for
finding such great guy as Tyson and
marrying in the temple.

13. You are always a fun daughter....

14. ...and granddaughter.

15. You have the cutest twins
ever.!!!

16. You love to keep your parents up on the latest,
such as going to see "Wicked".

17. You love Mary Poppins!!!

18. You are always teaching
Berkleigh and Merrick something fun!!!

19. You love Halloween and you are
super creative with costumes for
the twins.

20. Always giving the twins the very best
examples to follow!!!
(just kidding, you truly are)

21. You are a really kind and loving mom!!

22. You are always taking the twins to the "happiest
places on earth"!!

23. The maker of the best
birthday parties ever!!!

24. Besides being a great mother you are also
a great wife.

25. You are a really good cook and you like to make
fun foods for the kiddo's.
(She once made an octopus out of a hot dog!!)

26. You are always really dependable and faithfully
works hard doing your callings at church.
(Remember when you had about 4 separate callings?)

27. She graduated from BYU and taught school
for a few years before having
Berkleigh and Merrick.
(She was still working up to 2 weeks before!!)

28. You are a financial genius, and finds all kinds of
bargains.
(Just see one of her last posts!!)

29. You are always thinking of new and
inventive ways to teach the twins.
(Watch for this summers posts!!!)

30. You are just the best daughter a mom
could have!!! Thanks for always being so sweet,
fun and good!!

Have a really wonderful Birthday!!!!
Love you tons,
Mom and Dad

I am to have this mother...

Note this is not my baby, but it is a great picture of my mom. :)

Oh, how I wish I could spend the day with her.

She is a great example to me. If I do anything right as a mom it is because I am following the example my she set for me to follow.

I wrote this post about her for her 50th birthday. I hate to reuse, but there is a lot of good stuff in it! :)

I love you mom! Sorry I am lame, and didn't get your present off yet. You just need to live closer so I don't have to worry about that. :)

You see, I try to make her awesome things, because she is SUPER creative. I have the best intentions, but it takes me awhile to pull through. Not one of my best traits, and not something I got from my mom.

Sorensen Missionaries!!!

So handsome....

We are very proud of both of you!!!!

Our trip to Hogle Zoo...

While we were in Utah a couple of weeks ago
we took a trip to Hogle Zoo.
It was late in the day, a little cold, and not
many people there...

A perfect combination!!!

This little monkey really liked us!!
He stayed right up close to the glass
and played with us for quite a while.
He was really cute....
I just wanted to take him home with us!!

The elephants are always one of my favorites
and they have a new baby!!!
How cute is that!!!

We weighted ourselves and the three of us
together weigh as much as the
newborn elephant.

It was a great day for pictures and you just
have to love a Zoo that will let you get up
close and personal with the giraffes!!!

They were incredible!!!

This snow leopard had been hiding until
we walked up to the glass. Suddenly both he and his
mom came out to pose for us just so we could
get another upclose and personal shot!!!

Do you just love the snow on the ground!!

Unfortunately, we couldn't get up close
with all of the animals...
so we just had to make do....

Have you ever seen a turkey as amazing as this one?
I have never seen one with his tail
feathers up.

Very cool!!!

Another fun Sorensen Family outing!!!

Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Matthew

Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Matthew came to visit
Berkleigh and I at our house in California!!!
We had a really great time!!!

We took them to the beach...

Matthew helped me build an airplane
out of my Tinkertoys that I
got for Christmas....

So I gave him a big hug...

...and took them to In and Out Burgers.
(Grandma shared her milkshake with me!!!)

Mom planned a big birthday party for Berkleigh and I...
(I think Grandma helped a little bit too)



Mom made us get dressed up and take our
pictures together.
Mom asked me to hold Berkleigh's hand so she
wouldn't keep running around. :)

Then mom and Dad got dressed up too!!!
They looked really funny...

Mom made us a birthday cake and these really
cool cupcakes that looked like
popcorn....!!!

Then our friends gave us these really fun presents...
I wear mine all the time.

Berkleigh got some dolls with a bunch of clothes!!
She really likes them.

We also took Grandma and Matthew to Disneyland!!!
Grandma let us play with this big, huge, wet ball
while Mom and Matthew went on
Space Mountain.
When we get bigger we will get to go on it too!!

Berkleigh and I tried to get the sword out of the stone but
it was really hard.
Berkleigh tried so hard that she was shaking!!!
I guess we will have to wait until we are bigger
for that too.

Then we went on the Merry-Go-Round...

And the teacups...

And "It's a Small World"...

We had a great time.
We can't wait until Grandma and Grandpa
bring Matthew back again!!!

Love you!!!
Merrick and Berkleigh

Valentines Day Traditions.....

This year for the twins birthday,
(which is also Valentine's Day)
Jennifer is planning a circus birthday party.

I have been busy making another
pettiskirt for Berkleigh.
(I made a purple one for her last year which she loves)

But this year it is going to be red
and they are always so much fun to make....

After the fabric is cut out into many little 2 inch stripes,
I always wonder if I really need 4 yards of fabric
for a three year olds "skirt"!!!

Here is a picture in progress...
And this isn't even all the pieces....

Well... I don't want to hold you in suspense....
.......the answer is yes!!!
Can you believe this little skirt used
4 yards of fabric???
(If you look closely you will notice it is standing up by itself!!)

And we don't want to leave Merrick out of the fun...
He is getting a bow tie for his special day...

Watch for further posts to see the twins in their outfits.
The party isn't until next Saturday...
but we are traveling to California tomorrow!!!
We are very excited to see them all again.

Hope You Have A Very Happy Valentine's Day
full of your own family traditions!!!

He's back!!!!

Hurray!!! Our missionary is home!!!
We are so excited to finally have Matthew
home from Mexico after his two years of service!!!

It was a very long wait.
He was expected to come into the Lake Charles
airport at 7:05 pm on Monday,
but his plane from Mexico City was late taking off.
He didn't leave Mexico City until about 3:00
in the afternoon. So he didn't get to the Dallas airport
until about 7:00.

He missed his connecting flight to the LC so
the best he could do was fly to Houston.
So when he called we jumped (literally) into
the car and drove to the Houston airport.

Do you just love the hat!!!

He had to wait for a few minutes for us to arrive but
not too long.

His Dallas flight was a little late too!!!

We were just glad to finally see him
and hug him again!!!

He was released from his mission the next night at
President Newton's house. It was all very nice.
Matthew bore his testimony in Spanish and then again in English.

We all had tears in our eyes.

We are now acclimating him back to life in
America. Chris supplied us with flags for our
American style breakfast with all of the fixings!!


And then they got creative......

We are so happy to have you home Matthew.
We are so proud of you for all that you accomplished in the
two years that you were in service to the Lord.

Congratulations!!!! We love you!!!!