The Hansen Family

Eric and his fear of titties

2009-06-06T02:39:00.004-04:00

If you know me well, you know that I am not much of a pet person. I am not into the mess, the hair everywhere, the pee and poop in the house, the furniture getting ruined, the feeding, the walking, the waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom...if you are wondering, yes, I am still talking about cats and dogs, and not my sweet children. My children I carried and gave birth to, so the things just mentioned are totally worth it. Not so much for an animal, though.

I like dogs well enough, but dogs that belong to other people. I could simply live without cats...sorry feline lovers. I grew up with dogs and a cat and over the years learned to love them (and by love I mean I learned not to hate them), but I have absolutely no desire to have any four legged pet of my own. My more recent stand on having a pet free house may stem from the blond, two legged creatures we have running around, but we were pet free long before kids came along, so I am pretty sure I am just not a pet person.

No offense to animals lovers, as someone has got to do it, but that someone just isn't me.

With all that being said, I am a TOTAL sucker for puppies and kittens. On our last trip to Utah we came across what were perhaps the cutest chocolate lab puppies ever to walk the earth. They were so sweet and had the bluest eyes you have ever seen. I nearly talked Eric's dad into bringing one home as a Christmas present for the family. And even thought I saw that these sweet dogs had giant paws, and I fully understood that meant they would eventually turn into giant dogs (with the fur, and poop, and all things I hate), I think I would have brought the dog home if we had been in Florida. Don't ask me about the contradiction, because there is simply no explanation.

Ah, background offered and now to the story...As we were leaving Wal-Mart tonight, I spotted some people giving away free kittens. Of course they were so sweet, and cuddly, and their fur was that baby kitten fur that is still so soft. I wanted to go over, just to get a closer look, but Eric said no way. I ignored him and got Grace in on the idea of checking out the kitties. Still, no budging from Eric. We both asked a few more times, promising that we would not to hold the kitties, but just wanted a closer look. Eric still was not going for it, so Grace and I raised the white flag and headed to the car.

I was bummed, but I know it was for my own good. Thanks, babe, for helping me come to my senses.

Grace on the other hand did not understand why dad didn't want us to hold the kitties. "Dad, why are you afraid of titties?" she asks loudly in crowed parking lot. (Grace is still working on the correct pronunciation on some of her letters, and "K" is still one she has yet to master.) Not being able to resist, I wonder the same thing and also ask in an equally loud parking lot voice, "Yeah, dad, why are you afraid of titties?"

Eric, ever patient, and well aware that he is outnumbered by us girls 3-1, just smiled at us both and kindly loaded the groceries into the car.

More random exerpts from my life

2009-02-24T21:40:00.004-05:00

On how much Grace loves her little sister, Ella...

I was in the kitchen doing something and hear screams coming from the other room, first from Ella and next from Grace. I can tell from the pitch that these are not screams of pain, but of anger, so I am not in a total hurry to get to the girls. Grace's screams get louder and more intense, so I finally decide to investigate.

I walk around the corner and calmly ask, "What is going on in hear?"

Grace responds, "Mom, her is, like, ruining my life!" She then gets up, runs to her room, and slams the door shut.

Ella, obviously pleased with how the situation played out, picked up the doll they had been fighting over and flashed me a quick smile before heading off to the bedroom to antagonize her older sister some more.

In Grace's defense, I am sure Ella has ruined her life a little bit:)

Yet another reason I love St. Cloud...

I was at Circle K a few nights ago picking up a cherry Icee...ah, nothing beats a cherry Icee...sorry, I always get distracted by the thought of a cherry Icee!

As I reached the counter to pay, a young man (late teens to early twenties) walked into the store. He was pretty good looking and happened to have a nice physique (which I am aware of because he was not wearing a shirt.) After he finished his conversation with the cashier out the tobacco product he was looking for, but that had still not arrived, he left with the promise to return the next day for said tobacco product.

The cashier (nice woman in her late 40's) takes just a moment, turns to me and says, "Girl, that right there is why we don't enforce the 'no shirt, no service policy' here. That boy came in here about three days after I got hired here I knew right then I had me the best job in the world!"

Classic!

I do have to say that this gave me a much needed perspective check on my life. This women was thrilled to be working the graveyard shift simply for the prospect of good looking, shirtless boys coming in to buy dip. It really did make me stop and think about all of the great things I have in my life instead of focusing on what I am not thrilled with. You never know when little moments in life will actually affect you!

As a side note...I think she had whatever he was coming in for, but was hiding it behind the counter so he would have to keep coming in to ask for it. And I am not going to lie...I now have a new Icee spot!

Just for Fun!

2009-01-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

Bath Time?

2009-01-19T23:08:00.007-05:00

The upstairs shower in Utah was out of commission while we were there and consequently the sink had to double as a bath tub for Ella. I just got a kick out of watching her soak in the sink:)

Jenny and Aaron visit

2009-01-19T22:52:00.003-05:00

Jenny and Aaron came to visit us while were were in Utah and it was such a special treat! They were so patient with us the whole trip and let us drag them around all of Utah. We visited Temple Square (which I loved and wished we would have visited sooner on our trip) and had a great time. Then we went to the Olympic Park in Park City. Not a total waste of time, but I was hoping for more. I am just bummed that they came all the way to Utah and we didn't get a group shot! We love you guys and thanks for going through such effort to visit!

The Bottle Baby Twins (more Utah pictures)

2009-01-19T22:40:00.003-05:00

Ella and Izzy are only a few weeks a part in age. While they both are probably way too old to still have a bottle, Heather and I felt comfort with the fact that our baby wasn't alone with the bottle addiction. And look at them, could they be any cuter with those nasty things in their mouths?

Not quite sure how this happened, but they both came in with Graces new Christmas underwear on their heads. They new everyone was amused and left the panties in place for a remarkably long time!

Christmas at Disney...a little late

2009-01-19T22:29:00.004-05:00

These were taken last month, but I am finally getting around to posting all of my Christmas stuff! We love going to see the lights at MGM and this year we added to the tradition be resort hopping to see the gingerbread houses.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:33:00.006-05:00

Just a few pictures from Christmas this morning!

As I was posting these pictures, Grace came in to see what I was doing. I wished Merry Christmas, told her I loved her and asked how her day has been. Her reply, "Merry Christmas to you, too, Mom. I am just having a wonderful Christmas Day!" Love that kid!

With the Wixom cousins (minus William.) Grace has been in cousing heaven since we got here. With all 14 cousins in the same state, we have not seen Grace in five days. She only showed up this morning for the festivities!
Grace and her twin, Hannah. Do you think these two are related? The Hansen genes are powerful!
Grace felt that Ella needed to be taught how to open presents, she is just a baby after all. Ella let that fly for the first gift, but after that, she was on her own.

I know that by default I have to think my children are cute, but seriously, look at that face!
All of the girls cousins are currently in rehab for their American Girl doll addiction. We thought that coming on this trip and offering our support would help them through this rough time. Instead, they sucked Grace into this world of amazingly beautiful dolls and accessories. I don't think she will ever be the same again.

I have to say that when Grammy, oops, I mean Santa, mentioned that a Kirsten doll might appear under the tree on Christmas I was very excited. I had a Kirsten doll when I was little and loved her so much. A few months ago I found all of my old Kirsten books at my parents house and Grace and I have been reading them before bed. If was so fun to see the doll again and Grace really was happy. Once again, I am that mom who is reliving their youth through her children. Oh, well...made for an extra special Christmas:)

This is the view from our front door. It is supposed to storm again today and it is snowing as we speak! There is definately something to be said about having a white Christmas!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2008-12-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

When we arrived, there was way more snow that we expected and it was considerably more cold that I ever remember it being in Utah. This was not a problem for Grace. She was up at 5:30am ready to brave the cold and snow. She got dressed, went and helped feed the horses, and was then on her way to make snow angels (next to building a snow man, snow angels were at the top of her list of things to do when we got here.)

Getting her dressed totally reminded me of that scene from Christmas story!
Just as she was heading out, it started to snow again. Very festive.
She was so funny. I am not even sure how she even knows what a snow angel is, but she knows what they are and how to make them. After feeding the horses, she headed to the fresh snow of the front yard, stood up straight, fell backward and started waving her arms and legs. Next thing we knew...snow angels!

We're on our way!

2008-12-25T14:12:00.002-05:00

After months of anticipation, we finally made our way to Utah. All of us have been looking forward to this trip and were so glad the day arrived to be on our way. The flights out west were going to be Ella's first and we were a bit worried about how she would do, but she was great and we all survived day one of our three week Utah journey!

You are NOT a crappy dad!

2008-12-12T16:18:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, our home teachers came over to give us a Christmas message. Brother Barnes, who we truly love, read the girls How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He was amazing...he had an arsenal of voices that he used for the characters, snag his own background music, and read Dr. Seuss like a champ. Really, he could get a side job reading at the library or something. Needless to say, Grace loved it.

Later that evening, Grace was still excited about it. Instead of asking dad to read her a book, she asked Eric to help her find the Grinch movie. Pretending to be offended, Eric jokingly says to me, "Thanks for making me feel like a crappy dad, Bro. Barnes ." Grace, who hears everything, replies from the other room, "You are NOT a crappy dad." Nice!

Hanger Party

2008-12-12T15:44:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the Airplane/Hanger party we went to last week. We were celebrating the completion of Mr. Jackson's ten year project. The hanger was beautiful and the plane was amazing! It was crazy to think that he built the plane himself and after ten year of hard work it is finally in the air!

Fun side story to illustrate the phase of life in which I am currently occupying. As me and my girls and Jennifer and her boys were saying our final goodbye's and on our way out, poor Riley was not feeling well and threw up in the hanger. Not being phased by this, Jennifer and I quickly went about gathering napkins and towels to clean up Riley and the floor. We were about half way done when he got sick again. No big deal...just keep cleaning. For some reason we found this whole situation a bit funny and were laughing while we cleaned. It wasn't until after we were done and really on our way out that we realized that all of the other 20 and 30-somethings (none of which have children) in the hanger scattered, and relocated themselves in the opposite corner of the room. Other people my age were rightfully grossed out and a little surprised by the situation but I strangely found humor in cleaning up vomit. Not sure what this says about me, but I am clearly knee deep in the child rearing phase of my life.

Ella and Ryder wanted in the plane in a bad way. I don't trust my children with anything expensive or meaningful, and since the plane is both, she was making me very nervous!

We finally conceded and let the kids sit in the plane for a quick picture. I made Grace fold her arms so I was sure she would not touch anything!

Mrs. Ann, Jennifer and me with the plane and hanger in the background.

While I am aware that I look 7 months pregnant in all of these pictures, no, I do not have anything to announce!

I love this picture of Grace and Ryder. They are both smiling and it is so cute how they are laying the same way. And then notice Ella on the side, with a button undone and her belly hanging out. Seriously!

This is the look I get from Ella about 20 times a day. It usually is used to say, "Mom, I understand what you are saying, but I am going to completely ignore you and do what I want. " She has recently crossed that very fine line between cute little baby and toddler with a serious attitude problem.

Christmas Dance Performance

2008-12-12T15:22:00.005-05:00

Grace has been taking dance lessons since August. She seems to like it and last weekend her class performed at a Christmas craft show/outdoor market in downtown St. Cloud. They all did a great job and were, of course, so cute.

As a side note...I have decided that when we become rich one day, along with a make-up artist, hair stylist, housekeeper and chef, I am going to employ a family photographer to follow us around and document all the things we do. It is inevitable that when something really picture worthy is going on I will either forget my camera or run out of battery. Plus, I am always the one taking the picture, so I have no evidence that I exist in my children's lives!

Case in point...I went to the recital knowing that my camera was dead, but hoped that I might be able to squeeze a few pictures of of it. Yes! The camera tuned on and stayed on long enough for my to video Grace's short performance. Of course, this meant that I missed most of it because I was so busy filming it that I didn't just get to sit and watch. But the sacrifice was going to be worth it when I would be able to show everyone the video and watch Grace's first ballet performance over and over. Wrong! I am an idiot and somehow managed not to record ANYTHING or get any pictures! What a waste.

Thanks to Carrie for having her camera there and sending me these pictures of Grace's first ever dance performance!

Grace and her friend, Ella, in the "holding area" waiting to perform.I was a little unsure about how the girls would do, but for them most part they seemed to know the moves and were having a good time. (Grace is just to the right of the teacher.)
Reason #67 that I love Florida...You can have 3 year olds perform outside in the middle of December, wearing just their little pink leotards!

"What you said, Mom?"

2008-12-01T12:50:00.005-05:00

Grace is very bright and always keeps me on my toes with her quick whit! Here are a few of the conversations we have shared in the last few months...

In the car one day...

Grace: "Why we going this way mom?"
Me: "This is the way to Morgan's house."
Grace: "What you said, Mom?"
Me: "This is the way to Morgan's house."
Grace: "What you said, Mom?"
Me: "This is the way to Morgan's house."
Grace: "What you said, mom?"
Me: "GRACE! THIS IS THE WAY TO MORGAN'S HOUSE!"
Grace: "You don't have to yell at me, mom."
Me: "Sorry, Grace. But you were not listening to me. I kept answering you and you were not even paying attention. When you ask someone a question, you need to listen for their answer, okay."
Grace: "What you said, mom?"

On falling off the my bed because she was fooling around instead of resting...

After hearing some VERY concerning sounds coming from my room (whack, bang, boom, thud, whaaaaaaaaaa!) I decide to investigate. I find Grace on the floor screaming her head off, immediately scoop her up, and examine her for any blood, broken bones or obvious signs of parental neglect. None were present and I could tell that she was only crying because it is a talent she is trying to perfect, so I sat down with her to find out what happened.

Her story, summed up, is that somehow she fell of the bed. She had been instructed a number of times in the minutes leading up to this tragic fall that she need to lay in bed, with her head on the pillow. I decided, because she had not followed orders, that this would be a perfect time for a lesson in cause-and-effect. I started in with a well crafted mom speech about how, if she had listened to mommy and stayed on the pillow, she would not have fallen and gotten hurt AND how next time, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. You get the picture.

After listening to me and soaking in this very important lesson, Grace responds. "Mom, sometimes accidents just happen." And she is right. Sometimes accidents do "just happen."

Well played Grace, well played!

Boobies

As a preface to this story, I need you to know that Grace is in a VERY serious relationship with her imaginary boyfriend, Jackson. I am personally not a fan of Jackson. He is very controlling, a little rude and has created his fair amount of unneeded drama in our house. The following is only the latest in the Jackson saga!

As we are walking through a department store, we pass the bra area.

Grace: You have big boobies mom.
Me: Silence
Grace: My boobies are still little.
Me: Silence
Grace: But don't worry mom. Jackson told me that when we get married my boobies will grow.
Me: Silence..."Tell Jackson he needs to stop talking about your boobies."

I told you Jackson is bad news!

Digital Scrapbooking 101

2008-11-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

While preparing for all of my Young Women duties, I always wander the Internet looking for good ideas. I am constantly coming across all of these amazingly crafty women creating all of these wonderful digital designs. Their creations were always impressive, but I found myself getting annoyed that I didn't know how to do the same thing. Finally I came across a blog and website with tutorials and free downloads...yea!! This is my first attempt at digital scrapbooking. I have a long way to go, but I am excited to have actually done something. Plus, Photoshop used to freak me out and now I am a lot less intimidated.

The website with tons of free downloads and the tutorial I used to create this page is www.shabbyprincess.com. The blog that tipped me off to this is http://jillsldsyw.blogspot.com/2008/11/trade-secrets.html.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-09T23:09:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Halloween this year at our ward's annual Trunk-or-Treat. This activity never fails to please. The girls got more than enough candy, we were fed dinner, and we got to hang out with friends. I am a little bitter, though. I entered the Chili and Apple dessert contests and came away empty handed. While I had no expectations for the Chili (I made it from a store bought mix), I expected big things from my Caramel Apple Cheesecake. I know, just the name should have won something! I think it was rigged.

Super Girl, doing a super hero pose, of course.

I don't think that there ever was a cuter Bat Girl. She was so proud of her costume. She knew who she was dressed as and whenever anyone said "Bat Girl" she would point to the bat emblem on her costume and smile. Every year Sheri Clark takes a picture of our family at the Trunk-or Treat. It is seriously the only picture of our family that ever turns out. I officially designated her the Hansen Family Photographer after this picture was taken...third year in a row!
Ella just learned to say "cheese" when she sees a camera.
Grace and Buzz (alias, Cameron Taylor). They are such great crime fighting friends!

Fall in Florida

2008-11-09T22:56:00.003-05:00

The leaves don't change color here and the weather doesn't get cold, so the signal to Floridians that Fall has arrived is when the pumpkin patches start popping up. I was so excited to carve pumpkins this year and was sure that Grace would, too. The idea was appealing to her, but she quickly lost interest in the actual execution. Grace actually picked a great pumpkin. She spent a lot on time selecting the right one. She even checked out the stems carefully to get the full package. I was impressed.

She told me she wanted a Princess pumpkin and we found a stencil online. She helped mark the pumpkin, and then played until the hard work was done.

Yes, I let my child run around without clothes in what appear to be a saggy diaper. Don't judge me...We live in St. Cloud, what do you expect!

The final product (Ariel, a.k.a The Little Mermaid) turned out pretty dang good.

Monster Truck Mayhem

2008-11-09T22:37:00.002-05:00

We entered a drawing at the local library to win tickets to the upcoming Monster Truck show. We didn't win, but a friend of mine did. She was going to be on vacation for the show and offered us the tickets. Thanks, Amber! I had never been to anything like this, so we thought we would give it a go. It was actually a really good time and the girls loved it. Our sweet little Grace. This is what I got when I asked her to, "Look at Mommy and smile."

Oh, Ella. We were totally unprepared for how loud it would be. When we got there we bought ear plugs for the girls, but Ella had no desire to leave them in. for some reason she kept pulling out one, but leaving the other in. We figured saving her hearing in one ear was better than nothing.

This guy got a flat tire trying to do some sort of fancy monster truck rally trick. That sucks!

Lately, Grace feels the need to do super hero poses when having her picture taken.

The Magic Number

2008-11-09T22:21:00.004-05:00

While at Disney a few weeks before these pictures were taken, we discovered that Grace had finally reached the "magic number"...40 inches. Once the height is reached an entirely new world of possibilities is opened. The first "big girl" ride Grace went on was Test Track at Epcot. She was not scared, AT ALL! Not that we were surprised. A few days later we decided to head to Magic Kingdom where the real action happens! Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain, here we come. The properly prepare herself for the mature rides to come, Grace was sure to apply ample amounts of lip gloss. She wouldn't want to stand out among the other "big girls", would she.
Ella, as always, is generally happy to be along for the ride.

Eric took Grace for her first ride on Splash Mountain. When did she get so big?

This is them coming down the huge drop. It is hard to see, but they are in the back row. You can see Eric in the white shirt, but grace is hidden.

After the drop with a huge smile on her face! I love it. I took her again right after this and that time she put her hands in the air on the big drop! She is crazy. We also took her on Thunder Mountain and the story was the same.

She's Official

2008-11-09T22:06:00.002-05:00

We finally broke down and bought Grace her own annual pass to Walt Disney World. She turned 3 at the end of July and technically we should have bought her one then, but we were hoping to avoid the big purchase as long as possible. We went a few times after her birthday, and every time I was sure the Disney age police were going to bust us. I felt so guilty. Plus, Grace is not a 3 year old that could pass for 2. She is huge for her age and we got funny looks from the people at the gate before her birthday. Sneaking her after she turned 3 was a stretch. About a month after her birthday I was preparing a lesson for Young Women about honestly. I felt like such a jerk, so that afternoon we went to Disney and made her official. Grace proudly displaying her official pass. She was so proud of herself!
After having watched us go through the gates a million times, she knew the drill. She didn't want ANYONE to help her.

Jail Birds

2008-11-09T21:56:00.003-05:00

Ella woke up from her nap and was happily greeted by Grace and Morgan. The big girls climbed right in and the party started. I think they would have stayed in the crib all afternoon. If I wasn't afraid that their weight would cause the crib to collapse, I would have been more than happy to leave them all there!

Party Time

2008-08-07T15:54:00.005-04:00

Just a few pictures from Graces birthday party. She had been planning her dream party for about three months, including the guest list, invitations, party games, etc. However, being the total slacker mom that I am, I dropped the ball and planned a family party at the last second. Thankfully she didn't seem to know the difference. I will make it up to her next year.

Isn't my sister amazing! Grace know that Melissa is the cake decorating master. Grace actually asked Melissa to make the cake for her party and made the Hello Kitty request herself. So funny.
Nail polish. What was I thinking. At least she liked this better than that stupid doll house!
Grace lines these things up just like Eric lines the toys up on his shelves. He loves it!

Grace turns 3!

2008-08-07T15:43:00.002-04:00

Grace turned three years old on July 13. I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone and what a big girl she has become. Currently her favorite things include: anything Disney Princess, Power Rangers, dancing and singing (mostly to the music she creates in that crazy little mind of hers), reading and books, and bubbles. She is so smart and the temper tantrums aside, is really funny and a joy to be around! I decorated the night before so she woke up and was very excited to see table.
In case you were wondering, she is three.

We tourterd ourselves over what gifts to get for her. We went back and forth about so many different things and finally settled on this folding princess castle thing. It was a total bust! She has played with it once. How annoying. Last week we bought her an automatic bubble blower for $1 on clearence and it is her favorite toy. I should have guessed.

2008-08-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

Since Grace was about to turn three and still can't swim, we decided it was time for lessons. Grace was so excited and Ella had to get in the pool, too. Neither of the girls know how to swim yet, but we are going for round two in a few weeks.
Ella loved her lessons. She worked on blowing bubbles, floating, kicking, etc. The only problem we have now is that she THINKS she can swim. She will just walk right into the water off of the side of the pool and when I hold her in the water she tries to wiggle out of my arms and pushes me away. Trouble.
Grace did really well in her class also. She worked on most of the same things Ella did, but was in the water without mom or dad. She listened really well to her teacher which always makes mom happy. And even though she can't swim, she had a very proud moment. On the last day of class the teacher allowed the kids to jump off of the diving board in the deep end. Grace wanted nothing to do with it, but I walked her over so she could watch the other kids. After a short pep talk, she agreed to try. The first walk to the end of the board went slowly and ended with her walking back to me and not jumping. She said she wanted to try again, so when her turn came up she walked to the end of the board (a little more confidently this time) stood there for a while, counted to three, waited some more, and then jump in. It was awesome. She loved it and did it again.

Happy Fathers Day...better late than never!

2008-07-07T15:47:00.006-04:00

On fathers days, I was really sick. I didn't get out of bed most of the day and I even missed church. Well, Eric was a VERY good sport and didn't complain once about the fact that he not only got ignored on Fathers Day, but also got stuck watching the girls the whole day.

We decided to celebrate the next Sunday and the day went much better. While the girls let Eric sleep in at little, we prepared our now famous green eggs and ham. Grace also signed the card she picked out for Eric and wrapped his gift. And yes, he did eat the breakfast we cooked. What a great sport!

Eric is an amazing dad and all of his girls, myself included, are so thankful that he is ours!

Green Eggs and Ham, Part 2

2008-07-07T15:34:00.004-04:00

For fathers day, we decided to have another go around with Green Eggs and Ham. This time we skipped the healthy version and went straight for the food coloring. I have to say that the final visual was quite impressive. Here we colored some water with the food coloring and then soaked the ham in it. It actually worked!
Because we didn't want the toast to feel out of place, we added some green to the butter. Tricky, huh?
Mixing the eggs...yum!
Our masterpiece. It actually tasted great, except the ham really dried out after I cooked it. However, if we contract some strange disease or cancer, it can likely be blamed on the excess of green dye #42 we consumed this day.

Temper, Temper

2008-06-21T22:18:00.005-04:00

So we went out to dinner last night and I got my drink to go. Actually it was the drink that Grace and I were sharing. This fact will become important as the story unfolds. Any way, as soon as we got in the car Ella began to pitch a fit because she wanted the cup. Thinking it was kind of cute and funny that she wanted it so badly, I gave it to her to she what she would do.

Apparently she was thirsty.
Really thirsty.
This is Grace, bring Grace (don't ask) and waiting very patiently for her turn with the cup. All she wanted was a quick sip of lemonade.
Well, Ella didn't like this idea very much.
She was obviously not in the mood to share.As Grace was finishing up her turn, I think I actually heard Ella saying, "Give it back now! I want it now! I am going to keep screaming until I get my cup back." Seriously, her communication skills are well above average. Grace finished her turn and gave the cup back. Ella miraculously recovered from the heart failure she had been suffering from only moments before.
This time we heard her say, "Ha, you guys are suckers!"

Things do not look good for us. She is really getting out of hand.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

2008-06-21T21:52:00.005-04:00

Girls Camp is next week...the theme is "Steadfast and Immovable" and the stake is using lighthouses as the logo. Each ward had to select a lighthouse for their banner and we picked the St. Augustine Lighthouse. We thought it would be fun to visit before camp.

This is the rag-tag group traveling in the Hansen van. We left the house before 7am so the girls rode up in their PJ's.

This is a picture from the bottom step...the first of over 200. What a chore for the lighthouse keepers who had to climb the stairs every two hours, from dusk to dawn, carrying a heavy bucket of fuel for the fire lighting the lighthouse. See, I was paying attention to the tour guide!
I loved this. I came around the corner and all the girls were just standing there, looking out across the ocean and city. What a great picture!Of course they also had to pose!
Look closely and you will see Eric standing at the top. He was such a great sport. We need a priesthood holder to go with us and he agreed. I actually volunteered him, but he went very willingly and was wonderful. He helped take care of the little girls, kept the older girls entertained in the car and I think he actually enjoyed himself!
Just a group shot. If you look closely you will see Ella in my lap. She thought she was really cool to be part of the action and totally posed for this shot!The leaders...and Ella.

Green Eggs and Ham

2008-06-21T21:14:00.005-04:00

This week at cooking class we created our version of "Green Eggs and Ham." Ms. Erin read us the story for inspirations and the rest is history. Erin is the BEST. She is so creative and PATIENT. I will be sad when Grace has to go to "real"school and we don't get to come to these classes!
This is Ella showing her total disinterest in what was going on. She just wanted to get down and play.

Grace is a pro at dumping ingredients in the bowl, a prerequisite for cooking class.
The drink today was a kiwi-honey dew melon frozen drink. Sounded like a random mixture, but it was actually really refreshing.
Okay, Okay. So the ham isn't green, but it was Graces favorite part.
This is a picture of the green eggs. I figured we would just add a few drops of green food coloring to the eggs and call it a day, but there were other plans. Erin used a recipe from the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook that used spinach in the eggs. All of the moms really enjoyed the recipe, but the kids weren't quite sold.

Give Kids the World

2008-06-14T08:02:00.008-04:00

On Wednesday night for mutual we volunteered at Give Kids the World. It was amazing. I had heard of the village but had no idea what it was or what exactly they did there. Here is a quick review. Give kids the World Village is a vacation destination for families with children who suffer from life-threatening diseases. It partners with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The families are treated to an all-expenses paid vacation to Orlando, including accommodations at the village, rental car, food, tickets to all the local theme parks, and lots of love and activities at GKTW. At the village itself are over 100 villas (2 bed rooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, family room) where the families stay, two pools, a movie theater, mini-golf, ice-cream shop, carousel, castle, lounge area, and lots more that is escaping me at the moment. GKTW relies on donations and volunteers do a better part of the jobs each night. I really had an amazing time. It was of course heart breaking to see so many beautiful children suffering in such difficult circumstances, and I honestly didn't think I was going to hold myself together. But when we got there it was so wonderful to see these families enjoying their trip and having fun together. They all seemed to have escaped their difficult realities, even for just a week, and were simply making invaluable memories together. My only job, besides driving around the massive train all night, was to smile, and talk to the kids, and be excited about what they were doing. I loved that no one had an agenda other that genuinely enjoying their family. Anyway, it was really a great experience and I will be taking Eric back soon.

Bishop Ables and Rachel had cafeteria duty. They were amazing, especially because they were on their feet the whole night. This was probably the most labor intensive job of the night.

So they gave Bethany and me the assignment of driving the train around the village all night. We were responsible for picking families up and driving them to their destination. I have to say that I was totally surprised when they gave us this job. They just handed me the key and a walkie talkie and sent us off. Are you kidding? I guess when you rely on volunteers, you have to trust everyone. Fortunately we received minimal training and no one got hurt. After getting over the initial surprise of the trust offered, I really got into and had a blast.

This is the very nice man who train us on the train. I drove and Bethany was the conductor. She sat in the back with the passengers and radioed info up to me. She was also responsible for the wheelchair lift. This completely freaked her out, but she got the hang of it by the end of the night. Plus, we only had to use it two or three times, so that helped.
Steven at the carousel. He was the lone young man of the night and held his own quite nicely.
Abby and Cailyn were working in the castle when an American Idol cast off was spotted. He was touring the village and signing autographs. He was actually there to perform at "Village Idol", the activity being held for the kids that night.
This picture may help. See I wasn't making it up.

Here he is performing.
Heidi running the carousel...with her signature style, might I add.

The is the inside of the castle. Each star on the ceiling represents one family that has come to the village. The entire ceiling of the building is covered, and they have had so add additional areas to hold the new stars. There are over 80,000! Isn't it amazing to think how many families have been blessed by this amazing organization.

This is the group of us!

Happy Birthday Grammy

2008-06-06T17:06:00.007-04:00

Even though we cannot be with you on your birthday, we wanted you to know that we are thinking of you.

Here you will see Grace working in her newest medium, the theater. She made these puppets and practiced her play all day yesterday. However, the play she performed was completely different than anything she had been working on. I guess she thought you deserved an original.

Hope you have a wonderful birthday! We love you so much and your real birthday present will be arriving late Tuesday night...definitely a sacrifice for us, but we thought you might like him back:)

Have a great birthday and enjoy the show!

(watch the following videos in order)

Father and son football

2008-06-01T11:26:00.007-04:00

Eric and his dad coached their first football game together last week. It was the Spring Jamboree game and Harmony won 28-13. The night was really special and was a great ending to what was otherwise a difficult spring.

The boys have been working out together everyday after school. Don't believe me, here is proof. Both complained about the shirts they had to wear for the game, but I think they secretly liked that the shirts were a bit on the tight side:)

Ella is most definitely Grampy's biggest fan. She is seriously in love with him. After the game I let the girls play on the field. When Ella got loose, she went straight for Grampy.
The boys together on the sidelines.

Ella is a Florida baby. She refuses to keep shoes on and usually takes off her socks. At the game she was barefoot and loving it. She especially liked how the grass on the field felt on her feet. She was a mess when we got home, but quite happy.

Birthday bowling trip!

2008-06-01T11:18:00.005-04:00

To celebrate my birthday, we decided to go bowling. It was the first time Grace had been and we all had a great time. Ella got to stay home with Grampy...it was so great to get to take Grace by herself. I think that was her favorite part of the night! I am a bit disappointed, though. Apparently there are little ramps available for small children that are supposed to make bowling easier. They just set the ball in it, give it a little push, and away the ball goes. I had never heard of such a thing and no one at the bowling alley mentioned it. Who knew? Well, apparently everyone I know knew about these things, but failed to pass along the info until after our trip. Oh, well. We will be prepared for next time.

Sneak Peek

2008-05-11T22:51:00.004-04:00

This weekend there was a preview of a new ride opening at Hollywood Studios. Annual pass holders could come early to try out the ride before it opens to the public. We almost skipped it, but are so glad we went. "Midway Mania" is officially me new favorite ride at Disney. Just waiting in line kept us entertained. The line was a replica of Andy's room from toy story and no detail was spared. Disney never fails to impress. The ride is reminiscent of the Buzz ride at Magic Kingdom, but way better. It is 4-D...you ride through different midway games and shoot at changing targets, setting off various effects and new targets. My description is seriously lacking, and the ride really is awesome.

This is the entrance to the ride. The creativity and detail is an indication of what was to come. As for the random Disney employee, Eric was waxing friendly and invited him into the family photo. It made his day and his fellow workers were surprisingly jealous not to have received a similar invitation:)

A quick family photo in the line. This Mr. Potato Head was anamatronic and interacted with the crowd waiting in line. He told jokes and provided some entertainment while waiting in the hour-long line. And despite the picture, no, I am not expecting baby number 3.

Ella was a huge fan of the Mr. Potato Head. As soon as he came into view, she started clapping for him and didn't stop until he was out of sight. If really was quite cute.

Grace sporting her 3-D glasses. the ride was great for her because she could play by herself and actually was able to score some points. As a side note, potting training is a joy. We were half way through the line and she informed me she needed a potty break. So of course I was that person heading the wrong way in line saying "excuse, me...I am sorry, can I squeeze through here, we need to make a quick potty break"...you get the picture. People were generally nice and moved for the cute little girl who need to go potty. However, the entire line must have suffered amnesia as we had to "cut" back through the line to rejoin our family. Apparently they had forgotten we had previously passed them and as I tried to re-enter the line, I was met with a bit of opposition and some not-so-friendly glares. Oh, well. Another adventure in potty training.

Sun, Sprinklers, and Popsicles

2008-05-11T21:43:00.004-04:00

As the weather is getting increasingly warm, we have moved the fun outdoors. Who knew that a simple lawn sprinkler could provide such fun? Add in some Popsicles and call it a day. In these pictures, Grace was with some friends...as you can see everyone is having a blast.

This is my favorite picture. I looked up from my book and saw the kids all sharing one Popsicle. Grace's was the last one standing and she was sharing the wealth:)

For some reason, Grace was following Gabe around like a puppy this day. She normally is "just not that into him" but when the sprinklers came on, she was all over it.

Who doesn't love italian ice?

2008-05-11T21:32:00.003-04:00

My favorite treat these days happens to be Italian ice. Grace recently discovered the sweetness and consequently has started to share with Ella. As you can see, they are both huge fans:) Oh...my children usually do where clothing.

Nashville anyone?

2008-04-28T21:06:00.006-04:00

In April, Jenny orchestrated a trip to Nashville to surprise Jolie for her marathon. We were all bummed that Jenny couldn't run in Bosten, but were thankful that meant we got to see her and the girls for a weekend getaway. For Jennifer, Riley, Ella and me, it was our first trip to Nashville. Although it was a quick trip, only 36 hours including travel time, we all had a great time and were successful at the original task of surprising Jolie...yea! Plus, we got to spend time with Beau, an added bonus!

Ella loved Riley. i think she needs a brother...or he needs a little sister. No pressure, Jennifer:) This is Jolie's cheer section for the race. Thank goodness for Jenny, who was able to understand the race route and pick the perfect spot to surprise Jolie. It was great watching all the runners go by, waiting to see Jolie and freak her out with all the unexpected guests.

This is a forcast for Jolie and Beau in a few years...just kidding, or am I? Beau was such a great sport as he put up with all the ladies interupting his weekend! And, for the record, Beau is hillarious:) This is Ella enjoying her 1st Cheetoe, compliments of Jennifer. I have to say it was a life-changing moment for her...I could see it in her eyes, can't you?

Outside a great evening dinner at Hard Rock. Hanging out at the airport before the big trip.

This was Ella's first trip on an airplane. She was such a good girl and was charming the pants off of everyone sitting near us. This is us with our crazy caravan of "stuff" after we got off the plane.

Riley and Ella cheering on their favorite runner of the day. Ella in her first cowgirl hat. This was quite the giftshop and we had to atleat try hat on while in Music City.

Somethings never change. If this same group of girls visited Nashville 10 years ago or 20 years in teh future, we would have posed for this same silly picture in exactly the same way. Jenny and Jennifer in their new tanks...I really need to think about getting some new friends:)

If you look in the background, you will notice the flashing lights of a highway patrol. Apparently we were driving on the freeway late at night with no headlights. We will blame it on the rental car and call it a day. Jennifer and me loading up the cart for the trip home. We got plently of offers for help, but no one knew who they were talking to.

Dad's Big Day

2008-04-14T22:56:00.006-04:00

Over spring break, I spent the day with my parents to help them get the house ready for the eventual move. Eric graciously agreed to keep both girls for the WHOLE day. Really...I left at 7:30am and didn't get home until after they were in bed. As if that wasn't enough, he then got quite brave and decided to take them to Animal Kingdom. This was very impressive, considering that he had never left the the house alone with both girls...let alone spearhead a trip to Disney. And he even had the thought to document the day with a few pictures. I continue to be impressed.

Ella's new pleasure is pulling Grace's hair. It started as her defense strategy at home, but has escalated. The stroller is her favorite because all she has to do is lean forward a bit and she gets a hand full of Grace's hair with ease. Any pony tail Grace has is always pulled out before we reach our destination. She above picture for a great example of the post-hair-pulling hair style.

Ella seriously loves the Disney Characters. She always smiles at them and loves to kiss and touch them. It is so cute...mostly because Grace wasn't that way. She always wanted to see them, but after standing in line for 30 minutes and finally getting our turn, Grace would see the character and freak out. Repeat 2-3 times per Disney trip. She is getting better:)

Maybe not!

A to Z

2008-04-14T22:11:00.003-04:00

Heather, if you ever questioned my love for you, you no longer have to. I am generally morally opposed to completing these things (way too much pressure for me), but for you I would do anything!

A-attached or single: Definitely attached to Eric, Grace and Ella. And to my favorite Reef sandals:)

B-best friend: Eric...I know I sort of have to say that, but he does rank pretty high on the list. Plus, all may lady friends are wonderful.

C-cake or pie: Most surely cake...never been a pie girl, not even on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Honestly, though, I don't love either.

D-day of choice: Any day when we get to spent time together as a family.

E-essential item: Toothbrush (no explanation needed), Reefs, and Cell phone...even though I can't seen to answer it regularly.

F-favorite color: Black. It's not as dark as it sounds, I just really like black.

G-gummy bears or worms: Bears! Haribo are hands down the best. Although gummy anything works for me.

H-hometown: I claim Florida as home. My parents are still in Windermere, but St. Cloud is where we have planted some serious roots...house, job, babies, church...

I-indulgence(s): Cherry Slurpee...it always does the job:)

J-january or july: July, because Eric is off from work and we have lots of family time. July also seems to be a pretty productive baby month for us.

K-kids: Grace...she will be 3 in July. She is completely full of life and has a head of crazy curls to match. Ella will turn 1 in July. She is quite possibly the cutest, sweetest baby ever. Really.

L-life is incomplete without: my little ladies.

M-marriage date: December 20, 2002

N-number of siblings: I'm the 3rd if 4.

O-oranges or apples: I would normally say apples. However, the last few navel oranges I've had have been pretty dang good.

P-phobias or fears: Something bad happening to one of my girls...I am totally freaked out by the idea of one being kidnapped. It borders on obsessive.

Q-quotes: Are you kidding...I rarely recall my name on a regular basis, let alone some phrase said by someone who is very likely more intelligent than I am.

R-reason to smile: too many to count.

S-season of choice: Spring. Anyone who lives in Florida knows that summers here are way over rated.

T-tag: My BYU ladies.

U-unknown fact about me: I actually have a bit of a sailors mouth. I am quite good at keeping the inappropriate language to myself, but on the rare occasion I embarrass myself and cause Eric to roll his eyes.

V-very favorite store: Target, of course.

W - worst habit: Nail biting. Yes, I am nearly 27 and I still bite my nails.

X-x-ray or ultrasound: Ultrasound. So many reasons why...no radioactive issues, immediate images, motion, and because that's how you get to see your little ones:)

Y-your favorite food: Anything from Cafe Rio in Utah. I have tried to duplicate the recipe and have come quite close, but nothing beats the real deal.

Z-zodiac sign: Taurus. I fit the bill for sure.

Happy Hunting

2008-03-24T23:28:00.005-04:00

Oh, Ella. I never put bows in her hair, but found this one at Melissa's house and just put it one her for fun. I couldn't resist. She is such a little goober and just smiled through it. No egg hunting for her yet, but we managed to remove Easter basket grass and a purple jelly bean from her mouth befor the afternoon was over.

Grace and Kenley with their Easter eggs.

Melissa, Wade and the kids were wonderful and had us over for a family Easter egg hunt. Better yet, Melissa made up an Easter Basket for Grace with lots of greats goodies! What a wonderful sister! I am not sure what Grace enjoyed more...her cousins or the candy.

Easter Egg Fun

2008-03-24T23:09:00.007-04:00

Grace had a blast decorating her Eater eggs. She was determined to do everything by herself and actually did a really great job. She did, however, have a hard time understanding the difference between the real and plastic eggs. All of the eggs had serious dents and cracks by the time we were done. Oh well. Please pardon the nudity...so much easier than the alternative.

Dance Party

2008-03-24T22:48:00.003-04:00

After dinner with Ryn and Jennifer at Downtown Disney, we decided to head to the splash pad, but when we arrived to splash we found that it had been transformed into a pint-size dance party.

The kids were going crazy and I have to admit that I very much enjoyed the new Hanna Montana single. I love it!

This clip is from when we first got there, but by the end Grace had nearly mastered some serious High School Musical dance moves. Thanks to Ryder and Riley for waiting so patiently in their stoller!

Test Run

2008-03-21T13:45:00.004-04:00

Here are a few random pictures of the girls. This is mostly just a test run to see if I can figure out how to actually post a message on this thing. Hopefully I get it out and there will be more to come!