A little montage of Kylie and Todd's Wedding

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Another year gone....and what do we have to show for it?

Well, I guess I have been keeping up with my blog as well as I suspected. I've posted consistently about once a year. So keeping with tradition, here is this year's post. :D Lots of stuff has happened and of course changed our lives, all for the better. Kirk is still Bishop and by October will round out year 4. His work is still going strong even though the competition world wide seems to be dropping out of the game. They have closed the Glendale and Chandler locations in lieu of opening up a new location next to the new Gilbert and Glendale Temples. They started construction in March of this year and his store will also include a Distribution Center. So as of now he is down to one store and will be moving the Gilbert and Southern location to the San Tan Mall location.

Me, not much has changed other than keeping up with everyone else's busy lives. Still love my job. I was just recently asked to sit on a board of directors for Carrington College. They train dental assistants, and the board I get to be a part of, reviews their training and qualifications to help meet the need in the industry better. So I am excited for that. At my office I have become the place where interns like to get their feet wet and practice what they have learned. I love passing on what I've learned over the years and helping them to be more confident in their jobs.

Kylie, my 1st born, my baby, my one and only daughter. *sappy I know* Are you ready for this? She got married!!! She is still my little girl (maybe just to me) but I couldn't be happier for her. She met an amazing man and I am so grateful that they found each other and were Sealed for Time and all Eternity March 9th 2013. They met at the Mesa Institute of Religion, (just like her parents...essentially) He actually kept interrupting a conversation she was having with another guy. They started dating in October 2012 and by Christmas Eve they both knew they wanted to be together forever. He proposed to her while she was working (by the ring section) *eyebrows* (she was made Supervisor by the way) and she said YES! Commence 3 months of wedding preparations and lots of selling on e-bay to fund this event, we made it to the day before the wedding. Backyard looked amazing with a tent that was wrapped in tulle and white lights. Thursday night the storm of the century crashed down on us and we woke up to a destroyed tent and a backyard pool where the tables were to go. So....everything was moved indoors. The luncheon was a little cramped but all turned out well. The day seemed to speed by and before we knew it she was in their car driving away to their honeymoon. So now I have another wonderful addition to our Tenney Shoe closet. Todd Wesley Kupfer. We are so happy your a part of our family. Love you both so much.

Landen man, what can I say about this child? He is one of the funniest people I know. It doesn't matter where we are with him, he can have us laughing our guts out in a matter of seconds. I know where he gets it but it amazes me how many generations it passed through before it got to him. If you don't believe genes can be that far reaching, I have proof they do. He says he wants to be an architect, but that seems all too serious for his personality. He has the smarts to do whatever he wants, so it will be interesting to see what he turns out to be. He also has his dad's entrepreneurial side. If he needs money for something, in about 4 hours he will have a hundred bucks in his pocket. He's not afraid to get out and work and sweat and I'm very proud of his work ethic. He can be a little unorthodox in his methods sometimes but he manages to get what he's after. We always bring up one of those methods, cause it's so funny. He and a friend wanted to grab some fast food but neither had any cash on them. So they dressed up in suits and ties and made a bunch of signs and went door to door selling these signs. The signs they sold...NO Soliciting signs. They sold 20 bucks worth and were even asked to make ones in Spanish as well. That's my Landen.

Blake, the baby of our family, is not so little anymore. He prides himself on the fact that he is way taller than mom and now even Kylie. (that has been a very important progression for him) I'm good with it, I knew I was never gona be the tallest anything. This year Blake has definitely grown out of the geeky first stage of teenage -dom. He has thinned out so much going through this growth spurt he looks like a whole different person. He has found his own nitch of humor and love of music and writing. He is such a sensitive soul. He gave the sweetest speech/toast at Kylie's wedding. I'm just mad we weren't video taping it. He cares so much for other people and I love that about him. He will need to learn how not to make their problems his and then he will be amazing comfort to those around him. He had a difficult time at the beginning of this school year. He was being bullied and unfortunately Kirk and I didn't know the extent of it. Luckily we did find out and with the help of a good friend of our's that also happens to be a Police officer, we were able to make the school understand how serious it was. Blake now is doing a million times better and I'm so happy for him. It's hard enough being a teenager but knowing that even his brother, who sometimes drives him crazy, was willing to step up and protect him at any cost has made them so much closer. They are even braces buddies.

So yep that's our little fam in a nutshell. We did add another pet, not that I have any pull in this area. Kirk has dragged everyone of these creatures into our home. Which is weird cause I'm the animal lover. So anyway now we have a Turtle. He is not a little turtle he is quite large. He is a desert tortoise and was gifted to us by a friend whose mom had raised him from a baby. So now we have Toby Tenney. I wanted to re-name him Bowser in following our Mario Brothers theme we got going but he already knew his name pretty well and I was out voted. He loves strawberries and grapes and does not love the dogs barking at him. Oh and he is actually a good soccer player. :D

Another milestone in my life was the passing of my precious Gogey. Now all of my grandparents are on the other side. I'm so jealous. I really had the most amazing grandparents ever. I thought everyone's were like mine. That everyone loved being with them cause they made you feel special and amazingly loved. I thought that... until I met Kirk's grandparents. Don't get me wrong, lovely people but after an hour at most I was done. I can't wait to be able to see them again someday. Gogey was especially hard to see go, because of the many talents she has. I love playing the songs that she has written and I am so blessed that she was the one who taught me her talent and passed on a love of good music. She had an infectious laugh and personality that I could only hope to emulate a smidgen of. As she was passing, all of her grandchildren that were able to, came by to say goodbye. Many cousins and great grandchildren that hardly know each other were all at my aunt's house to be with her. One of my cousins kids made a comment that the other grand kids didn't really know Gogey as well as they did. That she spent more time with them. My cousin answered, Oh NO. Gogey knows each one and each one thinks they spent the most time with her. And she did. All of her Great Grandchildren has special memories of her, and consider themselves her favorite. The funny thing is my kids said the same thing. When we moved back to Arizona with my parents, Gogey was living next door. My kids spent countless hours with Gogey, playing cards and for Kylie eating their disgusting breakfast of steamed broccoli together. *Blechch* All of her posterity loved her beyond words and each one has amazing memories of time spent with their amazing Gogey.

This was the last 4 generation picture we have. It's of course me, Kylie, My mom Polly and Gogey.

1st day of school for last two children (did I already say that?)

Ok. now this is just sad.  One whole freaken year has gone by and not one post on the sad little blog.  ( :( Hmmm.  Well, lets see, 1st child still doing the college thing and scholarship thing and now the work think at yes, you guessed it.....Deseret Book.  Not Kirk's store, he couldn't hire anyone he is immediately related to, but the other one in Chandler, where my daughter is aspiring to be the supervisor. Crossing fingers.  And she get's to work with her cousin Mark as well.  Then child #2 is gaining momentum with his new found love...Drama.  (I never saw that one coming) and who knew he could be so at home up on the stage.  He was inducted into the Thespian Society last year and earned his Varsity Letter and pin!  Whoo Hoo.  and a Junior he is.  Now to the last but not the least.  Mister Blake is a big fish this year in his little pond. 8th grader.  Sad thing is he started off his school year with a nasty cough.  We didn't want him to miss the first days of school so we loaded him up with cough drops hoping they wouldn't kick him out of class.  So he's a little under the weather for his traditional pic by the door.  I am still loving my job at Copper Canyon.  I think it's my reward for having to deal with such crapy offices in the past.  The Dr. and staff took me to lunch to celebrate and then game me a gift card and yummy lotions!  Love them!  Kirk is still the Bishop and I think getting a little humpy (in reference to hump day)  now that he has almost done 3 years.  He's shakin up with ward with new Presidents in almost every auxiliary and new councilors.  Wish him luck.  Nah he is a natural no matter what he says.  

1st Day of School for the last 2 children

Yep, it's harder than I thought to keep up on this. But I'll give myself credit for doing it! "check" So one is done with the public school thing and is moving on to bigger and better things. Doing the college thing and got a full scholarship (so proud, *wipe a tear*) the second is doing the high school thing for a second year so he's got the gist down and is got straight A's for now, but whats it been maybe 2 weeks. Hey I'll take it where I can get it. And the third is in middle school and is loving the change. All honors courses but he does so well. Me? I got a new job I absolutely love!!! The Doc is amazing and so nice. Never thought I could say that about a professional, but he truly is. Kirk is rocking the bishop thing. All doing great, and very grateful that we are just cruising along. We would like to keep it that way for a while. :D

My Kylie

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Yah I know it's been forever

But that's okay cause I don't thing anyone follows my blog anymore. For the first time in a year I actually logged on and was reading old posts and thought..... I really miss this soooooo I'm gona try and update this a whole lot more often ( is that an oxymoron?) So last post I believe was July 09. Yikes now its Sept 10 let's see if I can even catch up. ( just a side note I worked on this post for about two weeks. If that says anything about how I'll do in the future :D lol)


So just having computer probs, so this is us taking the kids to Disneyland just after Kirk was Ordainded as Bishop.
Then Thanksgiving.

Then Christmas (I think this is Geofrey)
Kirk's new passion. Lighted Christmas trees. I must admit I kinda like em.

We put the train out this year and the traditional tree

This year the theme for the jammies was anything video game related. Kylie and I were Guitar hero (and I rock by the way) Blake was band hero, Landen was Superman and Kirk was Atari. And this year we had another New Year's Rockin Eve! I'll have to post more later of the rest of the year..... toodles!

July 4th

I didn't take a lot of pictures but here they are. Mostly took them just to document the event actually happening.
How's the sunburn?

Re-Cap or is just Cap cause I didn't do this before

Alrighty, I have really missed blogging, and I love it cause I look at it as my family's journal, so since FB has taken over the getting in touch with all my friends, this still needs to be done so I can remember the little things that mean stuff to us, and possibly entertain the rest of you, but I don't hold out much hope on that.

ANY HOO!!!

The last "real" post was my birthday, so after that was Easter. We tried a new thing don't know if we'll keep it as a tradition, but it was kinda fun. Peep jousting. We need to fine tune this if we want to keep this one. You put the peeps in the microwave with toothpicks inserted like lances and set the oven for about 15 sec and watch the fun. The last peep left standing is the winner.

Blake also earned his BEAR for cub scouts.

And this year Kirk decided not to do anything with Blakes car and let him do it all and guess what.....Blake took 3rd place. The last 2 years Kirk won last place and second to the last for Blake.

In May I got to host Christi's graduation party. She and Michael both graduated this year from ASU.

Then we spent Memorial Day with the Kasten's and this year the pool wasn't so cold and we were able to get in and have a good time playing water volley ball and watching Yoshi take to the water with Sadie (one Frank and Patti's new additions)

In June Kirk and Landen went to Geronimo again, but I don't have any pictures of that or Father's Day. I had lost the charger to my camera so we'll have to recreate the event before too long.

On the 4th we spent the weekend with Frank and Patti and Patti said she would post those for me......right?

So there you have it, I'm caught up again, and I'll try to keep it that way.

See I'm still here

Lookie what I did! I changed my background and music are you so proud of me. As soon as I'm done with my painting today, I will post the picture of the done deal. I finally have the master bedroom I've always wanted.....minus the curtains cause I haven't decided exactly what I want to do with those yet.

Where oh Where have the Tenney's gone?

It has been almost 2 months since they blogged so I am starting to wonder....
Hmmm are they stuck somewhere they can't get up?...
Did they join a Rock Band band and are touring the country with their new found talent?...
Are they being held up by some extreme militia?...
Did they get eaten by a bear?....

They were last seen at DI (notice Kirk's big smile)...So if any of you have heard of their whereabouts! Please post and let the rest of us know!

:-)

Happy birthday Susette!

Just a few highlights!



and of course my favorite




Hope you had a great day!

Visiting Teaching

A friend sent this to me. I haven't stopped laughing yet.

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen!

In the blink of an eye everything in your world can change. Sometimes, like in this case, it's for a great reason. Kylie, my first born, the child that has been with me the longest, is spreading her wings and doing some test flaps on the edge of the nest. It's bittersweet to watch with awe as she moves into this new phase of life and terrifying at the same time knowing it's virtually a free fall once out of the safety of the nest. I'm actually not as scared for her as my boys, because she has proven to be very trustworthy and self reliant and has a great spirit about her. She knows who she is, and no one will be able to convince her otherwise. I don't know, when I was her age, I could boast the same. We love you so much Kylie and have a very happy birthday.






O.k. now on to the fun stuff. Hee hee. Kylie was awoken at around 7 Monday morning, Presidents day, and she was hoping to sleep in, to some friends candy attacking her room. Very cute and now she has as much candy as she did at Halloween.






Kylie has a very good friend, Aaron. I say friend and not boyfriend, because that's what they are. They have a lot of fun together and he is a wonderful kid. Anyway, Aaron is 17 1/2 and he knew the rule that Kylie will not be allow to date until she is 16. They have been good friends since around October of last year, so he patiently waited until she was. Kylie's birthday this year happen to fall on Presidents Day and so they planned a double date, of course, with Justina and Tanner for the very day. But wait, hold on there buckaroo, did you think it would be that easy to date our daughter. Our only daughter, our first born? If you did, you have another thing coming............

The Tenney Family First Date Survival Kit
Welcome,
If you have opened this packet it must be your time for your first date. You will find many helpful tools, hints and most importantly, ABSOLUTE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, of taking my daughter away from me!!
First, let’s start with a little pre-date interview.
1. Please check one of the following
A. I am an Eagle Scout
B. I not an Eagle Scout yet, but just need to fill out my paperwork.
C. I am not an Eagle Scout yet, but am willing to commit to a project TONIGHT before we leave the house.
D. I am not an Eagle Scout, have no plans of being one and “Thank you sir for your time, I will be leaving now!”

2. My grades in Seminary are…
A. A – and by the way did I tell you it was my favorite class!
B. B – but the only reason for this is that I am constantly late to class, because I get so caught up in my daily scripture reading.
C. Lower than an A or a B and my Seminary teachers name and number are _________________ and I would be willing to call him now and discuss an action plan for bringing my grade up.
D. What is seminary and where was that front door again!

3. My plans for the evening are
A. Here is my written and annotated itinerary for the night.
B. I am willing to write down at this very moment my plans.
C. We sort of have an idea and no I am not opposed to your daughter being on the cell phone with you the whole night.
D. I have no idea we were just going to decide as we go and “Yes, sir there is an extra seatbelt for you in the back seat!”

A Few Tips, okay they really aren’t tips, they are REQUIREMENTS!

1. Enclosed in the packet for your convenience is the “For the strength of Youth Pamphlet” (I have also included handy pocket size versions that you may all carry with you throughout the evening) (Tanner at this point pull his own out of his pocket, way to go Tanner!) Please make time this evening for quite reflection and reading time of the pamphlet. You may also want to recap at the end of the night when you bring her to the door as to how well you followed all the principles in the pamphlet.
2. CTR rings must be worn at all times during the evening. If you do not have one, one will be provide for you. (I have included extras in the packet.) (Tanner again on his "A" game flashes us his ring on his right hand)Remember it stands for “CHOOSE THE RIGHT”, not some other cute or apostate phrase you may make up to suit your own whims!
3. It is strongly recommended that you take turns reciting, both the Purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood and the Young Women’s theme at the top of each hour, have fun with this one, see who can do it without looking at the pamphlet, quiz each other on the meanings of each line and reflect on the inspired leaders who came up with the themes and once again, make time for reflections (preferably at the door also) as to how well you lived the precepts taught in these themes.
4. Appropriate music: I am sure that you have an appropriate selection of music such as EFY or Mormon Tabernacle CD’s in your car in order to ensure that the proper atmosphere accompanies you on your ride to your various destinations. (Once again for your convenience many CD’s have been provided in the packet for you.)
5. In order to remind you and those around you this evening what you stand for, please adhere the enclosed “LDS” bumper sticker to your vehicle.


Rules for arriving home on time. (This is the contractual part of the deal)
1. You will have my daughter home at the time agreed upon (I set it, you agree upon it!)
2. When escorting my daughter to the door, you will stay in plain sight, no dodging between bushes, hiding around corners and you must always stay in a well lit area.
3. Keep your hands in plain sight, you may not know which window you are being watched from, I expect to see both hands at all times. (My recommendation would be to keep them on the back of your head, this will make it easier for the officers who show up it there is a problem) This one is my favorite so I highlighted it.
4. The arrival time that we agree upon is the time my daughter will step through the door into the house, without you! Don’t even think that sitting in the driveway or standing in the doorway buys you any extra time, I am also a male and have tried all these tricks and trust me it won’t be worth the consequences!
5. Brief and only brief appropriate contact may be acceptable (the jury is still out on this one so don’t press your luck by trying anything creative). My preference would be a peck on the forehead or cheek, this is always a safe bet and I recently have accepted the “Hand Hug” as my door salutation of choice. In any case I will be counting “One Mississippi”, “Two Mississippi” etc. (as a side note, just ask any of my kids what happens if I make it to “THREE”!!
Well I think we have covered most everything, except any rules I make up while you are gone and have every right to enforce even though you were not aware of them. So with that said comes the binding agreement to follow and abide by all these rules by signing below.
By signing below I agree to all the terms and conditions stated and those not stated to be enforced and made up at the whim and discretion of the FATHER of my date. Failure to comply with any of these conditions will result in immediate termination of the date or any future dating privileges (or phone contact) on my part. I will also be subject to numerous penalties such as back breaking yard work and long term truck washing commitments.
Signature of the boy Signature of the Girl Date
______________________________ __________________________________ __________
______________________________ __________________________________ __________
______________________________ __________________________________ __________
Signature of the Father
__________________________________________ ______.
In closing Remember the Tenney Family Motto….
RETURN WITH HONOR, OR WE WILL KICK YOUR BUTT!
(Reminder Bands Enclosed)

Here all the kiddies, going over the packet of requirements.

And of course they all were required to sign said contract.
They had a really good time on their date, they did have one more couple that had to back out at the last minute, but they had fun all the same. They went to the Arizona Mills Mall for the day and played photo tag and video games at Game Crazy, had dinner at the Rain Forrest Cafe and then went to a movie at the Harkins theatre there. I have to tell you about the dinner. It's so funny. Here you have very poor teenagers trying to spend as much time together as possible. So they walk into the cafe, and they order an appetizer platter that they all share and water. Needles to say the waiter wasn't to thrilled cause he knew he wasn't gonna be getting a huge tip. Then they tell the waiter it's Kylie's birthday and he asks for ID. (When have you ever known them to ask for ID? :"P) So they bring her out this minuscule sundae. The kids thought it was hilarious.
Here they are arriving home right on time.
And the infamous "Hand Hug" it's becoming quite popular. To execute you place your palms together and wrap your thumbs around. Viola'

The next day Kylie was greeted by a sidewalk sign left by her Laurel Advisor and Laurels. All in all she had a great day.