one day at a time

2011-10-30T08:42:00.002-07:00

I put together a little highlight video for Sam's football team I wanted to share:

Sam is #27

Joe helped coach again this year, and Sam loved every minute of it. They went undefeated, too!!!!

May 2011

2011-10-30T08:02:00.005-07:00

It was a cold and rainy June, but I added some super hot water to the pool to make it more bearable for the little kids to hop in the kiddie pool. It was almost summer, and everyone was getting antsy for the weather to warm up -- it just needed a little help.

Chloe is always so great and lets Jake play with her and her friends every day. I am so grateful for that!!!!!! Jake just loves her!!!!!Geddy loved watching the kids jump in the pool. He was afraid to get in with them, though...........water is scary to him, I think!
Baby Sophie falls asleep in weird positions all the time!!! She got a little tired in her bumbo, and so she just put her head down and took a nap. I think I've done that a few times, myself!

Chloe did an amazing job at her dance recital! That's her on the floor in the front.
Grandma and Grandpa even brought her some flowers!!!!!

Jake was very proud of her!
Aunt Katie graduated from high school, too!

We love her so so so so so much - there isn't a nicer girl in the planet!
Chloe and Jake played t-ball together for their first year on the Red Sox. They were so dang awesome! When Chloe was going in for a point one time, she tried to slide in to make it BIG! The sweet little thing was a little early in her slide and got stalled only halfway between third and home! Instead of getting up and walking in to home plate, she continued to scoot herself the whole way in using her hands. I'm not going to focus on the fact that she was the last run and that the teams were changing sides, and the rest of the teams were all heading to the dug-out, I'm going to focus on the fact that she followed it through the whole way to home plate. When she finally got there and stood up - the whole crowd cheered like crazy for her!!!!! I've never been so proud and so mad that I didn't bring my camera that game!!!!!

Jake's buddy, Jack was on the team with him - it was a lot of fun for them even though this picture doesn't show it!

They are so cute together. People ask if they're twins all the time!

Naughty Mommy!

2011-10-12T21:53:00.002-07:00

I have been such a bad mommy-blogger! Life keeps on happening, I keep on taking pictures of it all, but does the blog get updated? No! Not for months now! It's been a pretty wild summer and fall, but I want to get some of the events covered, so there's going to be a TON of updating over the next little while!

Here's a few of the girl's 6-month session. Lucy was the first to sit up on her own - even before 6 months old! Sophie was still a little tiny and scrawny, so she didn't sit up on her own until she was about 6 1/2 months old, but she was crawling within 2 weeks! I'm guessing that just sitting there wasn't enough for her - she has places to go! Lucy would just sit there and stare at all the places Sophie was going with total jealousy on her face. I'd put Sophie down on the floor to sit by her toys, and she'd immediately "frog-hop" over to where she'd rather go. It made Lucy a little frustrated with herself - we could see it all over the grouchy faces she'd pull watching her sister. It was pretty funny!

Whenever I put the girls next to eachother, they'd start examining eachother. Sometimes it would make them mad when an ear or an eye would get clawed at, but mostly they were just confused about what was happening!
Sophie - the sweetest little angel ever!!!!!

Lucy - she's such a funny and loud baby! She wakes up in the morning (or middle of the night) singing. Her singing is really more like bird whistling, but it's cute and it's loud and sometimes it scares me out of a deep sleep at 3 in the morning!
This is Sophie.
This is Lucy.

This is Princess Chloe - the best helper/big sister/daughter/friend EVER!
Oh, my...........life is wild around here, but it's so fun, too!

Spring 2011 - whew!!!

2011-07-17T08:00:00.005-07:00

It's been so crazy around the house, that I've let my blog posts slide! So, I'm doing a little recap of what's been going on the last few months. There will be more catching up, but this is a start . . .
I always wonder and worry. Up here, in Morgan, it seems like winter gets longer and longer, but a few flowers finally did peek through right about the time "winter despair" was setting in.
Cole did a great job on his history fair project. the 4th grade always has a history fair, and he did it on the Rocky Mountain Elk. His amazing drawings really added to his display!

Jake is always wearing some sort of super-hero costume, and I had to grab a few pictures one day. Isn't it adorable to watch a 3-year-old get dressed on their own? I especially love it when arms and heads get stuck in the same holes! I guess it's kind of mean to just sit back and watch, but how else will he get the hand of it -- I'm not going to be helping him get dressed when he's a senior in high school!

Chloe is always right next to me all day long. I love how much she talks. I don't understand how her lips can move so much without every taking a break! It's so funny sometimes!

I am SO in love with seeing her dance! She's always making up her own dances at home!

Chloe's clogging team did an amazing job at Lagoon this year. I think they placed 8th out of the age division of 3 - 8 year-olds and out of hundreds of teams from all over the place! Good job girls - it was adorable!!!

I did preschool pictures again this year for Chloe's preschool. The picture day fell on "park day" so I got a few minutes to watch the kids eating their lunches on the bleachers. It was cute to see how all the kids interact with eachother. They're at such an innocent and sweet age. Chloe doesn't mind playing with the boys at all (and vice versa!) In fact, she has a "boyfriend" from this class. His name is Zac and he's really cute. Chloe confessed to me that she and Zac had kissed once in class, but that it was okay because Teacher Melanie didn't see them. GREAT. It's beginning already! I'm a little nervous about all of this - aren't boys supposed to have cooties?

Springtime in the orchard

2011-06-17T16:05:00.003-07:00

Finally!

2011-06-11T21:28:00.002-07:00

It's finally turning into spring!!!! It's felt like winter was NEVER going to end! I never did get a good picture of Sam by this barn I love for his birthday picture. Since it was the end of January and I had just had the babies, and I was pretty much under lock-down at home with them, I never got a chance. It finally warmed up a bit and I was finally going to get the picture of Sam as an 8-year-old with his cute, long, shaggy hair, but I guess he and Joe had different plans! He came down the stairs one afternoon, and said, "Surprise!!!!"

Joe had buzzed his hair!

REALLY?!?!?! Without clearing it with me first?!?! REALLY?!?!?!

So, this is the birthday shot I got of him:

Luckily, he's a pretty good-looking kid. His good-looks and awesome personality make this hair-do an okay thing.

mckenzie hansen photography's photostream

2011-06-09T22:08:00.001-07:00

mckenzie hansen photography's photostream on Flickr.

It's very official - we blessed the twins!

2011-05-23T22:24:00.002-07:00

With the girls being born in the winter, I've been a tiny bit neurautic about germs and keeping them inside and away from people. I pushed back blessing the twins for a few months just until they were 3 months old.

It was this huge deal with two babies! I had so much going on and trying to get the house clean PLUS the people in the house clean - whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Luckily, it all came together and the babies even got to wear clean blessing dresses! It kind of seems like I'm drowning in spit-up these days, and Lucy can't wear one outfit for longer than 2 hours without having it soaked through with spit-up!

The blessing day was great. I was trying to get used to carrying two infant seats around, and they really don't fit in a pew at church - so we took up the whole front row and I was nervous to be there in front of everyone - so sure that one of the babies was going throw-up or poop on me right there in the front row. It was very nerve-racking, but then everything went fine. It was all so fabulous - no tears, no spit-ups, no poop, and Jake even fell asleep on the bench next to us! It was like the girls knew exactly what was expected of them. It was all just lovely!
Sophie
Sophie
Lucy.
. . . . and Lucy got mad.
I'm so in love with them! It's completely insane having 2 babies at the same time, and I realize now how easy it was when I just had one to take care. BUT -- it's so much more fun at times. Getting them to laugh at the same time is the most fun - it just makes my day of getting nothing done completely worth it.

Chloe was answering some questions about me for mother's day, and one of the questions was "what does your mom do best?" Her answer was "she does the babies". I have my hands so full of baby stuff and I'm so crazy nervous about germs and too much noise, that I have to really talk myself down. That's when I realize how wonderful all my kids are. They have lost a lot of attention from me, but the best thing is how patient they are with me and how much the absolutely adore the girls. I think it could be easy for a child to start to resent the other babies for taking up so much of my time and energy, but I really don't get that vibe from them - thank goodness! They are so wonderful! Chloe always helps me out with anything I ask her to do and she does it with a happy face. I adore her happy spirit so much!
Jake just kills me! He is so funny with the girls. If anyone is getting too loud around the babies, he shushes them! He's very protective and so in love with them - I'm sure he'll take great care of them as the big brother!
One thing about Colten and Sam is that they are always so ready to help hold babies for me. I never have to ask them twice to help me with the girls (their chores are an entirely different matter!).

I tried to make the day very pink-y!

Jake ended up naked, of course!

And the girls got lots of love from their Grandparents!
I wanted a few pictures of all the little cute things that go with having girls. There are a LOT more adorable accessories for girls than boys!
And one more of my little comic-relief! Love you, Jake!

Finally Springtime!

2011-05-23T17:00:00.002-07:00

Chloe has been trying to wear her summer clothes for the past 6 months (when it's been way too cold!), and now I'm finally giving in and letting her! All my kids have LOVED being naked, and it seems she is no different!
We went to visit some family for Easter. The kids LOVE seeing their cousins. Will is the same age as Jake - so it makes it especially fun for him. They play so well together . . . . most of the time (they are only 3, you know!).

Jake's new love/obsession is Batman. He even LOVES the old 1960's Batman and Robin movie!
The boys had a little fun with cookies.
Chloe started playing soccer! This was her first game and she was so proud of herself for making a goal! It's so funny to watch the girls play - they politely stay out of each other's way and don't want to be too pushy by kicking the ball away from another girl, or do anything even remotely rude!

Yeah for spring - it means summer's almost here!!!!!

Happy Easter!!!

2011-05-02T13:43:00.003-07:00

Springtime around Morgan is great. It usually can get pretty windy and I have been able to get kites miles up in the sky - holding onto them for dear life. So far, it's been a little disappointing for little Jake. He was so determined to get his Buzz Lightyear kite up, but there was no wind. I've learned that there's really no reasoning with a 3 year-old, so I just grabbed my camera.
Sam was smart and learned that if he just kept on running, he could get it to fly a little bit -- which really only mad Jake more mad!
The community Easter Egg hunt is always wild, but that doesn't stop us! Here's Jake checking out the competition.

Colten was sweet and offered to run with Jake to make sure he got a few eggs! Such a great brother!!!
Jake was a little nervous at first.

These pictures make the egg hunt look kind of calm, but that's because they were taken after the insanity ended. I'm not joking -- grown men - fathers were tripping over and knocking down little kids in their rush to get eggs for their own kids. If I had a whistle, I would have been calling "foul" on all those fathers! I saw large men completely flatten 3 year-olds, land on them, and then get up and run away after the eggs without checking on the child they just almost killed! I lost my own kids in the rush - so I just hoped and prayed they'd make it out alive! One father was carrying his own 2 kids on his shoulders, and he tripped - sending all three of them to the ground - hard! Colten - the stud he is - saw a special egg that had a number on it (meaning it wins the child a big easter basket full of candy). Another father saw it at the same time and it was a mad dash to get to the egg. The man dove for it, but Cole was faster and dove right under the guy to land on top of the egg like he was playing football - so Cole got possession of it!!!! I swear that a few rules need to be made as far as letting adults help their kids - it was funny at first, but the more I thought about it, the scarier it got! One of the little boys I was helping up off the ground was completely scared out of his mind after getting plowed over by some random father. Good job, Dads! It's really impressive to see you going after those eggs at any cost - hooray for you!
Chloe made a killing somehow, and she even started giving her eggs away to some other little boy!
In the end, we all survived and had fun! It's still a pretty cool thing that the community does up here!
Sweet Sam didn't get one of the numbered eggs this time, but someone was nice enough to give him their extra one!

Jake thought that the whole egg hunt was the coolest thing ever!!!

Pinewood Derby - here we come!

2011-05-01T09:23:00.005-07:00

This year, we had some fabulous help with our cars - apparently they don't come out of the box the perfect weight! We were bound and determined to get those cars all the way to the finish - so we added some pennies, and we were set! This was the first year the boys were able to do the race (poor Colten only had a block of wood with sanded corners and wheels last year!).

Chloe was the perfect cheerleader as always - she was just so happy to be a part of the excitement!
I took the girls out - which turned me into a crazy person! I had to ask everyone that wanted to hold them if anyone was sick in their family! What's wrong with me?!?! I'm so darn paranoid about them getting RSV - they RARELY go out - only if they absolutely have to! Jake was 6 months old and got RSV in May - so I'm more paranoid about it with these girls since they're younger and there's 2 of them - it would be so hard if they got sick at the same time! At least they're good girls - it would be so hard if they were really cranky!
The funny thing about this picture is that it was before the race. Cole's car didn't even get to the finish line at first - so they were both expecting to lose. These are insanely fake smiles - done just to get mom to leave them alone!
Once the race began, Jake was mesmerized. He kept shouting "whoa!!!!!" as each car flew down the track.
Sam and Cole were really really nervous.
I love this picture!!!!! Nothing makes me happier than when the brothers are being sweet with eachother!

and the results are . . . . . . . . .
Colten took 1st place!!!!! He kept beating all the other cars - he was so shocked!!! Sam was so close, too! He took 4th or 5th - so he was VERY close to placing. When the night, was starting Joe told them that the Hansens have had a long line of disappointing pinewood derbys, and not to cry if they get their butts kicked!
The best thing of the night - Sam told me later that night that he's so excited that his brother took 1st place. He was so sincere and had such a great attitude about it that it made my heart just melt!
Jake was so happy, too!

And of course, Jake ended the evening half-naked!

Hangin' at home

2011-04-25T22:51:00.002-07:00

Winters last forever. Especially when I'm basically a shut-in trying desperately to keep the twins away from germs and sicknesses! Every time the sun shines, I get this "christmas-eve" type of anticipation! It's still cold outside, but it's coming -- I just know the warm and happy weather will be here soon! I have huge plans to take the kids to the park at least every other day - my house will stay cleaner because of it -- yea!!!! In the meantime, it's been pretty crazy and pathetic around here. The girls love to trade off with their nap-times. I work so hard to get one baby happy or asleep just to have the other one wake up! It's a wonder that I can even get the dishes done and dinner made! I REALLY don't want the girls to get bigger or grow up or anything, but it might make my life a little easier when they can finally sit up on their own!
Until they can sit, we have bumbo chairs all over the house!
My little sweetie, Jake, gets so upset when he sees blood! It's just as bad if someone else is bleeding, too! This time, it was just an old scratch, but he insisted that I document the "blood" since it looks so very terrible!

Sweet Sophie - always smiling even when she gets woken up from a little nap too early.

Have I mentioned that Cole is the biggest help ever?!?! The reason why he has his shirt off is because I make the boys take off their shirts or change them after school so the babies won't be as exposed to all the yucky germs at school. I'm so paranoid this time around!
Lovely Lucy!
Chloe is such a fabulous helper! I just adore the way her mind works - she's always making me laugh!

My big girls!

2011-04-22T20:02:00.002-07:00

The girls are now 3.5 months old! They are smiling and laughing and rolling over - I'm just loving it! Newborns are so sweet, but when they start smiling at me now, I can completely forget about all the housework I can't get done - it's just too wonderful to play with them! I think I'll start initialing the pictures of the twins so the rest of the family can know which is which - the one above this is Lucy.
Sophie. She almost refused to stay on her tummy - I had to work fast for some of these shots!
S.
S.
L.
Jake wanted to have a nakey picture, too (since he's usually naked anyway!).
L.
S.
Sophie kept spitting up!!!! AAAHHHHHHH! My life is so covered with that stuff these days!!!! But . . . . aren't they such cute girls?!?

Goodbye Saturday Ski Days!

2011-04-21T23:19:00.002-07:00

Since November, Joe has been such a stud Dad and has been taking Colten, Sam AND Chloe Skiing every Saturday! I think he only missed 2 or 3 Saturdays since November! Chloe was so cute, and ALWAYS in the mood to go skiing with him (the boys had to be convinced some days when they were her age!).
They boys are now able to ski everywhere Joe likes to ski - which helps to make it a fun time when it's just a "big boy day." These were pics of one of the places they hiked up to before skiing down. I am so proud of the boys for being so fearless and being to talented on their skis!

Sam slipped down a little one time - hiking can be a little scary and dangerous!

This is a picture of Chloe in her "pizza" pose which she has long since grown out of! Good job, Chloe!!!! Joe has big plans for her - involving ski teams, park city schooling, and gold medals!

Sam "World Champion" Hansen

2011-04-21T19:12:00.002-07:00

Sam did wrestling this whole winter - November through to April! He rocked at it, and I was so relieved to notice that he wasn't complaining about going to all the practices this year! He just buckled down and practiced hard, and he was able to walk away from the year with a great feeling of triumph. Since this is all getting turned into a journal at the end of the year, I don't feel to bad bragging about how well he did. There were some meets that no other kid could even score a single point on him. He has got these certain moves down so that as soon as the match begins, he's got the other kid pinned in two moves and 10 seconds later! As a mother, I have a hard time really enjoying wrestling because it can be such a gut-wrenching thing to see a child when he gets stuck and can't move and loses. That's why I'll never be in love with wrestling like I am with the other team sports my kids do throughout the year, but Sam never walked away from a match feeling down on himself - he was always floating through the air. So, as for this year, I enjoyed watching him do wrestling. It was a great thing for his self-esteem. The sad thing is that even though these pictures show how great Sam was, it's a little sad for the little boy he was wrestling! Sam is in the red singlet.

So, a funny thing . . . . . Joe taught Sam a kind of dirty move where he covers the other kid's nose with the crook of his elbow so the kid will automatically lean back to breath and that would do the final act of getting the kid pinned. SO, Sam did that move on a tougher kid and it worked! He pinned him! The teenage judge didn't disqualify him or anything because Sam is so innocent and humble when he's doing the matches, but he did tell Sam that it's illegal to cover another kid's nose when he's wrestling. Sam looked over at Joe and said in a VERY loud voice, "Dad! He said I can't cover the kid's nose!!!" I'm hoping that Joe was convincing as he tried to play it off and act like he didn't coach his son to do that illegal move!!!!

Deer Valley Fun!

2011-04-05T07:58:00.003-07:00

This year, Joe took the boys to the ski competitions at Deer Valley. The boys had a lot of fun and got to meet some famous skiers. It's always a good time with Joe!

2011-03-25T22:57:00.001-07:00

The girls are getting fun! They smile all the time now and they try to play with toys - so fun!

Sophie is such a great sleeper - she even falls asleep under her play gym while Lucy is playing and singing and kicking!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-18T09:26:00.002-07:00

SO, since the twins were born, I've been pretty pathetic with my "love baking" (that which is baked for no other reason than to show my family I love them). Yesterday (St. Patrick's Day), Chloe was feeling a little neglected and was asking for something yummy, but there was nothing in the house since I don't go anywhere these days. Luckily, my friend told me about how to make these rainbow cupcakes - so within an hour they were made!!!!
You take a cake mix, and divide it into a few separate bowls and add some food coloring - so easy!
Then you dish a little bit of each color into the cupcake liners, and . . .
they come out of the oven looking like this!!
Of course, while they are baking you need to lick your dishes clean!
I had some little pink ball sprinkles, and I mixed them with some yellow food coloring, and TA DA! Lucky Rainbow Cupcakes for the kids!!!

Chloe, of course, had to decorate her own.

Jake loved them so much that while I was upstairs showering, he was sneaking into the kitchen to get his own. I came down to 7 cupcakes that had no frosting on them!!!
Yum!

Sophie and Lucy are totally smiling and talking now, and I just can't get enough! This is Sophie!
Colten has been a HUGE help to me with the babies, and I don't want to forget how willing he is to help now (since it might change later!).

About this fish . . . . . .
This is Chloe's fish "Rainbow Tail." She loves her, and she got her at the begining of school. This fish wants to live FOREVER apparently! One day, while I was doing the dishes and talking on the phone, I decided to clean the fish jar in a very lazy manner. I was just pouring out the dirty water and adding clean water until it was all replaced with clean water - smart, right? Well, I don't know how it happened - it all happened so fast! The fish flew out of the jar and right down the disposal drain. I panicked and screamed and lost my mind for a second thinking about sweet little Chloe and how heartbroken she'd be - so I hiked up my sleeves and went about it. The fish isn't even an inch long so it was hard to find, but I kept trying. I finally found it. I think it was flopping around underneath one of the disposal prongs, and it was SO SO SO slippery! It took forever just to get it to hold still in one place so I could get a hold of it, and I was certain that it would be pulled out suffocated or that I had squished it trying to get a hold of it!

BUT IT LIVED!!!!! It has a tear in it's tail, but it survived! This is one little tough fish that has a big will to live . . . . just like our 1 remaining chicken!

Jacob Hansen

2011-03-03T23:40:00.003-07:00

This is my little cuddle-bug. He has SO much personality! I love how big his emotions are and how sweet he is too me (when he's not mad at me and calling me a "poo-poo guy").
Here he is with one of his best buddies, Jack Hurd. They play really well together, and it's nice to have a friend for him that we see all the time! Plus, they're only a week apart in age!

"i punch you"

A few that got lost in the shuffle . . . . .

2011-03-03T23:33:00.002-07:00

Sam and I got to go to a Utah game this fall. The weather was supposed to be snowy and freezing, but it ended up so great! Our seats were protected under a big over-hang, so it was just perfect. Sam is so funny. He always has his emotions running at full-power --- especially for his teams, so he cheered loudly for the Utes!

Sam got some great snacks from Grandpa Steve who never disappoints!
These are from Sam's end of the season football party. I put together a slideshow of the games and we had some great snacks, but the best part of the party is always hearing what the coaches have to say about each player. Okay . .. . . . the trophies weren't too shabby, either!

Here's Sam!

Sam -- 8 is great!!!!

2011-03-03T23:21:00.002-07:00

Sam is growing like a weed! I can't believe how fast 8 years old has come! I still remember holding him in the hospital 8 years ago -- he was such a cute little peanut! Anyway, since he's such a funny party-guy, we had like 3 birthday parties for him! You can never blow out enough candles, right?

Jake has a little habit of losing control of his mouth whenever candles are around - so Sam took a few precautions.

It was so wonderful to be able to Baptize Sam the day after his birthday and on the same day as the big family party! He was grinning from ear to ear the whole time, and as he was getting out of the water, he exclaimed, "yes!yes!yes!" because it was just such a happy thing for him!!! Colten gave the talk, and did an awesome job! 10 years-old is pretty young to be giving talks at baptisms, but he pulled it off perfectly and I know it meant a lot to Sam who looks up to his brother so much!
For his friend party, we grabbed 10 friends, and hit Chuckie Cheese, and then went to see TRON 3D. When out insane group ran through the movie theater, I got a lot of looks. One lady was laughing about all the boys, and said "Oh, you brave woman!", but I had my friend, Kim, there to help - there's nothing we can't handle!

Happy Birthday, Sam! We love you so much and you are such an important part of our family. You keep us on our toes and laughing day after day!!!

Just chillin's at home . . . . . every single day!

2011-02-24T23:40:00.003-07:00

Sweet little Chloe is always up for going outside to play in the snow . . . even if it's just to tag along with the boy's war games! As I watched them through the window, I though it was so adorable watching the cute, little, fluffy pink person running around after all the camo-wearing boys. I can't wait for the twins to get old enough to play tea-party with Chloe!

While all the craziness is forced outside, I like to cuddle with these little things! This one (above) is Lucy.
Lucy.
Lucy.
Lucy.
Sophie.
Sophie.
Sophie.

Colten got first place in the inspirations contest at school for the picture he took of a moose in Yellowstone!!! Yeah!!!!
I am so happy that Jake is sweet and careful with his little sisters. He is SO SO SO in love with them, and is always ready to help me with them!

This is what makes winter fun!

2011-02-21T14:39:00.002-07:00

Every Saturday Joe takes Colten, Sam, and Chloe skiing for a few hours. It's so great to have a fabulous ski resort 20 minutes from home. Chloe is on her second year, and she's amazing! She loves to go - jumps at the chance every time, and she's already comfortable on the blue runs! Pretty soon she'll be trying to keep up with the boys on the black runs, but for now, she makes Joe promise not to take her on any of those black hills just yet.

The boys go skiing on the mountain without Joe since he stays with Chloe on the easier hills. I admit, I'm a little nervous about them on the big hills without a parent, but so far so good.

Chloe is so happy to have time alone with her Dad. She loves it so much, and it's the best thing for them!
I'm really in love with how good and patient he is with her! I know it's a lot of work, and not a lot of fun skiing for him, but it will all pay off when he can ski the big hills with all of his kids in about 6 years (I will be back at the lodge ready to feed them hot chocolate and cookies, for us!).
These pics were from Christmas Eve - Aunt Patty and Katie were so wonderful and came up to ski with the kids. They are so in love with their Aunts.
Sam's such a stud - always ready to pose for a picture!

A little catching up . . . . hunting 2010

2011-02-21T14:32:00.002-07:00

The boys look forward to this event all year long, and so Joe was bound and determined to shoot a deer for them (he had already gotten his elk on the first day of hunting - without the boys). So, they got one.

They went up with their Grandpa and uncle Tom and his son, Jack. It was quite a party!
I think the coolest part of it all was probably using the horses to pack their animals out.

Everyone had fun (even though Sam looks like he had the worst time ever! That's just part of being 7, right?).

Wow! 1 month old today!!!!

2011-01-29T21:54:00.003-07:00

I'm so in love with these girls! A month has just FLOWN by, and they are doing so great! I'm completely out of it and sleep deprived, but I love spending all this time with them . . . even at 3 in the morning. We are blessed to have such happy, and perfect little angels in our family.

2011-01-25T23:40:00.002-07:00

At the hospital. . . .

2011-01-25T23:22:00.005-07:00

The twins are here!!!

2011-01-13T01:23:00.004-07:00

I don't know how I got so blessed, but my girls are so good for me for pictures! I think I tend to like some of the sillier ones (where Lucy is making her trademark "kissy" face) just because I want to remember the funny and adorable things about them at this age. Lucy was making this face off and on since the moment she was born - so now I've got a funny picture of it!!!

Okay, there's something about twins that just makes me so excited and happy. I wonder how aware of each other they are, and if they really do calm down when they're together or if that's just me making up things in my mind. In 90% of the ultrasounds (and there were A LOT!), the girls were face to face and hand their hands all over the other one's face, so I like to think that they are already best friends.

This one is Sophie.
This one is Lucy.
Lucy was always making faces. She also more awake than Sophie it seems. She wasn't super thrilled with Joe holding her up, naked, but she stayed calm.
This is also Lucy - she also always has her legs straight out whenever she can. She even like to sleep like that!
This is Sophie. After all the trouble she was giving me in my belly, I was sure I had my hands full with her, but she's been so easy!!!! She's so calm and sleepy and easy, and I swear her smiles are real and they're meant for me -- I just love it!

Since absolutely nothing fits, they live in these jammy-sacks. Pants don't stay on and neither do socks!
This is of the girls in their bed one morning. They have the same poses when they sleep! They always have their hands up by the heads, and if you put them close to eachother, they'll try really hard to grab on to the other one!

Lucy.
Sophie.
Sophie.
Lucy . . . . of course!
Lucy . . . . normal.
Oh, my gosh! I am having so much fun with them. Although it's crazy and constant and hectic around here, and I'm changing, and diapering, and feeding and burping and loving them all day long, I love it and it's more blessing than I deserve. I am so grateful for this overwhelming job that I adore!

Jake's big 3!

2011-01-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

Happy number 5, Chloe!

2011-01-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Crazy Jake

2011-01-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Jake falls asleep on the stairs. It's a little scary, but he runs around at full-speed all day long, so it's understandable!

Halloween 2010

2010-12-21T09:11:00.001-07:00

It's a tradition -- every year, we meet with as many friends as we can to take a picture in front of the old pioneer cabin in Morgan before all the trick-or-treating begins. It's turning into a fun thing I look forward to seeing every year - just like the picture of when the kids go to the mall and sit on Santa's lap. It's a picture that is so fun to look at year after year to see how everyone is changing and growing. It will be great for embarrassing them and their friends when they're older!
Chloe was a rockin' bat this year. I tried so hard to steer her towards all the gorgeous pettiskirt-princess creations on etsy, but when she saw this outfit, it was love at first sight for her. The purple and black striped tights really rocked her world!
Notice the broken wing? That's because we LIVE for Halloween around here and have to try things on for everyone that comes over to our house!
Jake is so in love with all the Spiderman movies (just like Sam was!), and had to have the outfit with all the muscles so he could "punch all da bad-guys in da face!"
Sam went for scary and a little bloody with the Grim Reaper costume, and Colten took off with his friends as soon as we finished with the first picture - so I didn't see him the rest of this night! He was a hunter that got mauled by a bear. Lovely.
If I could wear a costume everyday, all day long, it would be just like Jake's Spiderman costume. He LOVES it! Can you tell he feels awesome?!?!
I love how Morgan is so safe, and how the whole community comes out to see everyone and to trick-or-treat at all the businesses. It's one of my favorite days of the year (and this year, it wasn't even on the actual trick-or-treating day - which rained like crazy!).
Chloe's preK teacher found us - she was all dressed up like Mrs. Potato Head! Chloe LOVES her and going to preK!

This is Chloe's new pose she does for me whenever I have the camera around my neck. Lovely, huh?!?!

This was the actual Halloween night - so dark and cold and rainy! It was such a switch from the day before - which was gorgeous! Sam needed something a little warmer - so he got mauled by a bear, too!
Trey Miles came over to go with us. He looked pretty natural as Bob Marley! We downloaded a few songs of his to get the kids fully educated on what to be singing that night for Trey!

We joined up with Jake's little buddy, Jack - so they could figure out the whole trick-or-treating thing together. At first, Jake wasn't too sure about what was going on - the rain was just so distracting, but as soon as he realized that he got candy at everyone's front door, he was off! Nothing could keep him from those doorbells, and he LOVED the haunted house/porch!!! It was funny!
For some reason, Jake kept showing me his bum! He wouldn't walk until I took a picture of his "cute bum!" So, does this mean that I pinch it too much these days?!?!? He's got a GREAT opinion of his little body and his "cute bum"!

I love Halloween! It's so fun to see the kids getting all dressed up and everything! My older boys are getting to that age where they just run off with their friends, but I feel a lot safer having them up here in Morgan where there's almost no crime. We always find them . . . eventually!

Sam's Football Team 2010

2010-12-17T08:55:00.002-07:00

Sam started playing football this past year. It was such a great experience for him! Having 2 hour practices 4 days a week, and having to really follow some serious direction from the coaches, ended up being the best thing in the world for him. He just lived for it and loved it all. He never complained about getting ready for practice or anything - so I am a big fan of intense organized sports like football -- they teach the kids a lot about life! He also got to have his dad be one of the coaches, so it was a great thing for them to be together so much. It was Sam's first time getting his dad as his coach, and he loved every second.
His friends also all played - so that was a huge perk for him. At recess, they'd all go out to play football and somehow Sam and Branson and Taft would end up on one team and the other team would have like 15 other kids, but the weird thing was that was how they picked it! Joe witnessed one game at recess that was probably the most unfair and completely illegal game ever - and it was the little trio that ran all over the other team. I guess with football, aggression goes a long way!
Here's Sam with one of his best buddies, Branson. They were pretty tough!
Joe was a great coach for them. He was in charge of defense, and when the boys would completely shut the other teams down, he would get a little bit excited. Okay . . . . really excited!

So, Sam is not a big kid. He's only like 53 pounds, but what he lacked in size, he more than made up for in drive! He held his own and was really helpful to the team! He played running back and defensive end, and he never got hurt - he just constantly surprised me by how hard he hit the other guys. He loved it! Joe shaved off his beautiful hair for football. I think I almost cried! It turned him into quite the little thug on the football field!
Really, I have to say that I was quite surprised that he was as focused as he was with all of the talks from the coaches, and all the plays he had to memorize, and all the exercise he had to do at practice!

They boys would even go and get dressed for football just so Joe would throw them a few passes in the backyard on the off-days.
I loved these pictures of Joe talking to Sam during the big tournament game. He and Joe really bonded throughout the whole season.

Branson and Sam are such corn-balls!

First day of school

2010-12-08T09:06:00.002-07:00

I look forward to the time of year that school starts! I love how excited the kids are, I love how they get to see all of their friends at recess, and I love how they get a little time apart from each other!

Every morning after the boys leave the house to walk to the bus stop next door, Chloe and Jake race into the living room to watch for the bus. They are both SO excited for the time they'll be old enough to ride the bus to school (for Chloe, that's just next year!!!). As soon as the bus picks the boys up . . .

. . . . they run to the front door to wave "goodbye" to them as it passes. One time last year, Chloe wasn't dressed - just in her Ariel undies - and was so desperate to wave to the boys, that she ran outside (without me knowing!) all the way to the driveway, covering her little "booboos" with one arm and waving with the other. I know there were a few laughs on the bus that morning! Thank goodness everyone on the bus is in our ward - even the driver - and they weren't too freaked out by the naked 4-year-old waving at the bus!

After school started for the boys, and since preschool wasn't starting for another week, and the fact that this year I've been pregnant with twins, I've had the itch to clean out every single closet and dark little corner of the house because I have very low expectations for my cleaning abilities once I have 2 newborns to take care of. So, I found some moon sand in one of the closets - tucked into the back and out of sight. I was feeling adventurous and needed to clean out the closet in a big way, so I needed something for the little kids to play with to keep them happy while I was cleaning. I didn't think it would be quite as crazy as it turned out. Moon sand isn't really a good indoor toy, I found out. The kids had a ball, but after I got the closet cleaned out and gorgeous, I found this awesome mess! Jake had figured out that moon sand is fun to throw!
For some reason, I really can't remember where the moon sand ended up after I cleaned it all up! My poor kids lose things (that I don't like) when I get on a cleaning rampage - sorry guys!

Colten's Football Team 2010

2010-12-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

Colten loves football. He looks forward to it all year. His best friends all play and most of them got to be on the same team this year! This was Cole's first year without Joe as one of his coaches, but he loved all of the other coaches - so he had a GREAT year! He is number 44 (so the second to last one on the right of these pics).

I went to all of his games, but I was video-taping most of the games, so most of my pictures of just of him during the half-tie break or after the games.

Sometimes, Chloe and Jake needed some breaks from all the football - so during some of the breaks, I'd take them over to the playground when the games were near the playgrounds.
Chloe was too scared to go down this slide (I was a little nervous myself!), but Jake hit it full force and I had to run to catch him at the bottom sometimes because it would just SHOOT him out! I swear it was like 2 stories high!!!!
Here's a few of his friends --Bowen, Alex, Cole, and Trey! They're feeling pretty good - the other team didn't score a single point! Actually, I think they went undefeated until the championships!

Colten, Bowen and Trey. They're REALLY good friends!

They played really well at the championship game, but it was still a hard loss. Cole tried not to be sad, but he was disappointed.

Chloe was always such a happy person at all the games - she'd just find some other kids to play with and was always in good spirits - she's such a blessing to me!!!!!

Colten hits the big 1 - 0!

2010-12-01T21:02:00.003-07:00

Well, it's here! My oldest child just turned 10! It's crazy! I really can't believe the time has gone by so fast. It makes me kind of sad because that means I've really only got about 8 or 9 more years with him!!!!! After senior year, it's pretty hard to hold on to these kids!!!!

A few things about Cole: He's very helpful. I can ask him to do just about anything to help me out, and he does it without complaining. That is really the best thing you could hope for in an oldest child, I think! Especially lately, when I'm at such a disadvantage with this pregnancy -- he's always willing to run up the stairs or run outside and do something for me. I am so grateful for such a helpful child!

He's intensely active and athletic. He lives for football season and it's so much fun to go to his games to watch him. He works so hard at all the sports he plays, that he's in almost every play! We've signed him up for every sport available throughout his life, and he plays at least one sport each season. I think it's so wonderful that he's so active. It's a lot of driving to get him to practices and games, but it's so worth it to see how much the team sports influence his life. I'm grateful that he is willing to put himself out there and work as hard as he does at all these activities!

He's very sensitive. He's all boy, and very athletic, but he's also very sensitive and artistic. I love that he cares how people speak to him, and how he treats his friends. He never gets into fights with his friends (he does tend to get into fights defending his friends, but I think that's an okay thing for now). He has always had friendships with girls, and although we don't want him having girlfriends right now, I really like how nice he is to girls. I really, really hope that I can raise him to understand how important it is to open the door for women, and carry heavy things for them, and to take care of them -- to just be a gentleman. That is VERY high on my "hopes for my boys" list, and I think he's doing pretty good!

He's also extremely talented at art. I swear this child is so well-rounded! He is absolutely OBSESSED with drawing Elk and Deer and stuff like that. His walls are covered in his drawings. He amazes me with how detailed his drawings are. I'm probably a little biased with him, but I've never seen such great drawing from a kid as young as him! He always has a pad of sketching paper in his backpack or under his bed so that he can be constantly working on getting his drawings just right. I absolutely LOVE this about him!

There are a million other wonderful things about Colten I could be mentioning, but most importantly, I just love him like crazy, and I couldn't have asked for a better son. I know he's growing up to be a great man. He's a great brother, and I know he's excited to help me out with his new twin sisters, and that means a lot to me. I love you, Cole!!!!

For his birthday, we went to Boondocks with a bunch of friends. We had unlimited laser tag and arcade games, pizza, and root beer! It was a perfect party place for 10 10-year-olds!
There was a hostess that did magic tricks, and entertained the kids for me -- so that was very nice!!!

When we got there, Jake had already had a huge day - so he slept through most of the party in the next booth over!

He's a huge Utes fan!

I took Chloe off with me to play her first game of miniature golf. It was really cute to see her working that ball into the holes. Sometimes, she would just drag it over! She's just like her mom!

Look! Jake woke up at the end of the party!

Later that weekend, we had a family party, and Cole inherited his Dad's old shotgun. I know it has number or something, but all that stuff is in a foreign language to me -- so it's just a shotgun. Now that he's 10, he can go bird hunting. Great. I really look forward to more dead animals.
Happy Birthday, Colten! We love you so much!!!!!!

I already miss summer!!!

2010-11-14T21:41:00.003-07:00

So, there's this field by my house that I'm OBSESSED with! Luckily, my kids are always in the mood to be in a few pictures, so I took advantage of the long wheat one evening, and we did our own photo shoot! I've learned that a few of my own kids can't take me seriously, and just holding a normal smile for me, or even just not being completely crazy, is TERRIBLY DIFFICULT! Oh, well - the silly faces and silly poses can sometimes become my favorite!

Did I mention how lovely the wheat is? I almost lost Jake in it a few times!!!!

This is what can happen when we try to bite a huge sucker! Ooops!

Chloe is such a doll! I love how excited she gets whenever I mention taking pictures of her. I had a couple of outfits made for her this summer, and one of the ladies that made some wanted some pictures of a new design -- so I was happy to oblige!

I love daisies! My whole front yard flower patch is full of enormous daisies. I wish I had some more creativity with the rest of it, but I found myself on a huge daisy-buying moment a few summers ago, and now they're EVERYWHERE!!! I'm not sad about it, though -- they're fabulous (until it's time to chop them down and clean it all up!).
I found a few more pictures of us in Chalk Creek that I want in the journal/blog/scrapbook -- so here's some more!
Jake LOVES riding horses!
We tried to teach Geddy how to swim one day, and he did okay, but he's really not a water-dog at all!

Jackson Hole - here we come!

2010-11-02T21:33:00.002-07:00

So, we weren't going to go anywhere over Labor Day weekend, but with the twins coming soon, Joe and I knew that fun little trips were going to get harder to put together. At 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, we weren't going anywhere, but by 4:30 we had a room booked in Jackson Hole and we were loading up the car to go!!! Jackson is always a good idea, right?!?!

I have a picture up in my house that I love of this barn in the morning, but now I have one of it in the sunset -- so I got a little diversity going now!!!! Yea!!!
Have I ever mentioned how much I love my family?!? They are all so crazy and cute!!
It especially warms my heart when I see Cole or Sam being really sweet and considerate to Chloe or Jake, and it was a little cold outside, so Cole made sure to keep Jake wrapped up and warm when they went to the fence to see the buffalo.

In Grand Teton, there's always a bunch of animals lounging around! It's so fun to see them up close and out in the open! Colten did a really good job of grabbing a few different angles of this moose with my camera. He's already thinking about the school contests he can enter his picture in!
Since Jake is so very much in love with buffalo (gu-gu's), we were bound and determined to find some herds of them up close - and we were so lucky to get so close to such a huge herd! They went right in front of our car, and I was VERY relieved that we were all sitting in the car at the time!!!!! I still think it's funny that Jake, even though he speaks full sentences, still calls buffalo "gu-gu's." I hope that he outgrows that name for them by the time he's in school!!!!
The boys got the chance to float the Snake river with some friends while we were up there. Since I'm pregnant, I stayed with Chloe and Jake (but it was so cold out that I was a little relieved at not having to get too close to the almost frozen water!!!).
They had a great time, and I'm so happy they got that opportunity! We'll have to make that a little more of a tradition, I think!

More end of the summer . . .

2010-10-25T15:36:00.003-07:00

So, life has been completely out of control like never before, and I blame most of it on the required 6 hours of bed-rest a day that my doctor has imposed on me. I know it's good to be super cautious with twins, but it's causing me to get really behind with everything I normally do . .. . . . . including keeping up on all the events of our lives and posting them to the blog! I seriously took for granted the ability to just spend the day puttering around the house cleaning up after everyone, and going to run errands in the middle of the day. LIFE HAS CHANGED A TON IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS! Now, I scramble to get at least a little bit of the house cleaned up after getting 2 of the kids off to school (and if I can squeeze a shower in there it's almost a miracle!) before either my mom or Joe's mom comes over to help make sure that I stay lying flat while taking care of Chloe and Jake. So, I have to lie there for 6 straight hours, bored out of my mind, and when I get the green light to resume my duties as a mother and wife, I have barely an hour before the boys get home from school and it's time to start making dinner, shuttling to and from all the basketball, football or wrestling practices, and trying to squeeze in a few clients' sessions here and there! So, just to keep things afloat, all the extra fun things have gotten pushed aside for a while, and that's why I've been neglecting my family-blogging duties!

So, here' s a few pictures of some fun things that happened the end of this summer that I definitely want in the blog/journal!
I love how much the kids want to pose for me for pictures! It makes things really easy and really fast!
Chloe loves clothes. We got her a new outfit from the Persnickety booth at Swiss Days, and she feels like a million bucks in it -- so it deserves a few pictures, right?
Chloe also is in love with preschool and waiting the whole summer to start up again was KILLING her! This is her first day of her second year of preschool. She was a little bit excited to see Teacher Melanie again, can you tell?!?
Joe does such a great job of taking the kids places! He took them to the Oakley rodeo with a couple of friends, and they had a great time. Here is Cole and his buddy, Bowen.
Cousin Hank was there!
Here's Sam and his bud, Branson. These two need to be watched at ALL times -- very mischievous!
Here's Joe and his Dad, Steve.
Here's the Tom and Sara, Jack and Will family!
Here's Laurel and Hank!
Here's Ben, Brooke, and Baby Tyler!

Joe also took the kids camping this summer with Geddy. The story I get from the boys is that Geddy scared off a mountain lion early in the morning -- thus SAVING everyone's life! Good job, puppy!

The view from Windy Ridge is just so gorgeous!

The boys also hiked the "M" with Joe a few times this summer (I haven't really been up to it much lately . . . . or at all this whole summer!!!). The "M" is the big white M on the mountain that you see when you get off the freeway exit. It's a short, but insanely steep hike and it feels SO good to get to the top!

In August, Joe and I went on a really last-minute trip to Las Vegas to see RUSH play before I had to start bed-rest. It was so great to just get away alone for a couple of days, and seeing them play was awesome. They seiously played for about 3 hours straight and had the funniest videos they had put together! I loved it, and that surprised me a little since I'm a Rush fan by default from Joe. That's also where we got Geddy's name -- Geddy Lee is the lead singer of Rush. In our house, 1980's classic rock will never go out of style!

A little summer re-cap I don't want to forget . . .

2010-09-01T08:23:00.002-07:00

I really thought that the summer was going to be the time to just sit back and relax, but in order to do that, there needs to be a lot of fun activities planned, and that always turns into craziness! We packed a bunch of stuff in this summer, and now that school's in - I've been taking some much needed deep breaths. Who knew summer would be so crazy?!?! Well, I guess the morning sickness and finding out we're having twins probably has something to do with all that!
So, this summer Chloe got to go camping in a tent with Dad and the boys for the first time. She was so excited, and was such a good sport about everything! Geddy got to go, too, and the boys swear he saved them from a mountain lion that was lurking about in the morning. Such a good puppy!

Chloe has her own special way of eating hot dogs. She eats them like a corn on the cob - that helps the ketchup spread evenly on both cheeks!
She loves Geddy, and we're so grateful he's so darn patient and wonderful with the kids! I won't get started on how many time's he's been sprayed by skunks, and how he's too big to throw in my bathtubs since I can't lift him, and how many of the kid's toys he's eaten, I'm just going to try to focus on how I can trust him (for the most part) with the kids. Jake even stuck a fork in his tail one night, and Geddy didn't even make a noise -- he just got up a little quickly and moved away -- such a good boy!
Colten used to be afraid of dogs, and Geddy can still scare him a little when he's running full speed at Colten, but now he's so much more comfortable and confident around dogs!
Jake and I didn't go camping -- I'm kind of a whiner when I'm suffering from morning sickness all day long and Jake still was in his crib. Someday, I'll toughen up again!

Joe and the boys went to their uncle Billy's graduation. Samuel L. Jackson spoke to them, and since we're fans of Lonesome Dove (plus we named our horse after his character in the movie - Deets), the boys thought that was so very cool to meet him.

A few pictures from the beach in Newport that I didn't want to miss . . . .

It was Jake's first day at a beach, and he loved it. He walked "with purpose" everywhere he went, and he tried so very hard to be naked on the beach. The sand on his forehead was because he loved it so much, he just kept on rolling around in it!
Joe took the boys to a Dodger's game and got really great seats. They had a blast while Chloe and Jake and I stayed at the condo to do some swimming.
This summer, we had a few problems with our yard flooding. It got so deep that I was worried about Jake drowning! The kids thought it was the perfect swimming pool, and Colten loved tromping around in the irrigating boots. I was just a little stressed out as the water inched it's way towards my basement windows -- because Joe was also out of town, of course! Seriously, these things only seem to happen when he's gone! Luckily, our wonderful neighbor (with his leg in a cast) climbed into the irrigating pipe to see what the problem was. Sure enough, an entire tree had lodged itself into the pipe. He pulled the tree out, and the problem was solved!! But now my field is too dry and could kind of use a little flood. I guess it's never perfect.

In the spring, the boys were able to have a few friends go with them after baseball practice up to Grandpa Steve's ranch to help brand cattle. They were all pretty tough, and there were even a few BB gun injuries to make it a complete country-boy trip!

Being a "rancher" is tough for a kid . . .

2010-08-28T17:34:00.005-07:00

This spring and summer, Colten and Sam worked on raising 2 baby lambs to show and sell at the fair through the county 4-H program. It was hard work . . . . for them and mom and dad! I had to go an catch the lambs a few times in the neighbor's yard when they'd get out of the fence we rigged for them. After having to do that a few times, I finally got it working right - thank goodness!!! It seemed like the lambs would only get out when Joe was at work or out of town - just like the horses! The first time the horses got out in the road, I looked like an idiot chasing them back and forth with nothing but a bowl of grain to get their attention!

The lambs got their own pen that Colten, Sam and Joe would stay near to keep the lambs fed and watered and clean. We were so happy to have some family come up to support the project for the boys.
There was a lot of waiting since there were so many kids doing it this year!

Sam isn't old enough to show and auction off his lamb, but Colten is. He did a great job with it for his first year. He got some blue ribblons, and looked really professional showing his lambs!

The judge was really good and explained every little thing that she judges on to the rest of us.

Chloe, as always, was a great sport and was just happy to be with everyone!

It was a lot of work, but it was fun.
Sam showed his lamb at the pet show, and he was thrilled to get a trophy for it.

Jake was a pretty good sport. He just walked around with me looking at all the animals. It was pretty hot, though, and when he was tired, he'd just put himself in a time-out in the shade.

Sam, especially, got sad about where the lambs were going after the fair, and made sure that I took pictures of them so he can have a picture of them by his bed to always remember "his cute little face."
It was definitely the "real deal" when he was up for auctioning off his lamb. There was a huge crowd, and the guy calling out the bids was very good at the "bid announcing". I bet it's really called something else, but I thought it was crazy fast and VERY entertaining. His voice almost made me want to bid on a $3,000 steer!! Good thing I never got a bidder-number! Joe actually bid on a pig - so we've got a freezer full of pork on the way!
It was so cute to see him up there with everyone watching and bidding. I couldn't help getting into it and smiling for him!
I know it was a good experience for Cole and Sam, and it was great for them to have something to work toward all summer - each and every day, but it was still really, really sad knowing where they were going right after the fair - the boys were pretty down about it.

I wish summer would never end.

2010-08-19T10:26:00.003-07:00

My most favorite thing about summer is the swimming lessons. I got Cole, Sam, and Chloe going to a couple of sessions of lessons just because that is what summer is all about. Lazy summer days = sleeping in until 10, riding our bikes over to swimming lessons, ice cream afterwards, and friends over for the rest of the day. PERFECT. Okay, there's always a couple of chores thrown in there to keep the kids balanced, but really -- it doesn't get much better than that!
Chloe LIVED for swimming lessons this summer. She would wake up and start counting down the hours until it would be her class's turn. She needed me to teach her how to watch the clock and sometimes it would make her frustrated because she would swear the hands on the clock weren't moving!
She did great, though! No tears ever, and totally willing to go under and jump off the diving board whenever her teacher wanted her to.
Sam loved it, too! He wouldn't get in the pool in California without a life jacket firmly in place, but by the end of the first session, he was jumping of the diving board and swimming all the way back. It makes me feel so much better to know he's not going to sink like a rock whenever he gets in deep water. We have 3 reservoirs within 20 minutes of our house, and there's no community pool up here! I wonder how in the heck our kids are supposed to learn how to become good swimmers?!!?

It would just about drive Colten crazy to sit on the side of the pool waiting for his turn. He would look for any bug or piece of grass that would get in the pool, and that would be his signal to dive in and save everyone from the bug! He wanted to be her lifeguard, but it wasn't really a necessity since the teacher did such a great job.

Colten did great! I can't believe I have a son that is old enough to be diving off the diving board! The time flies by so fast!
Jake was just happy to splash on the side of the pool. In his underwear. Well, at least he has SOMETHING on, right? Out of all of my kids, he is the most naked one. He is definitely not shy about people seeing his "weinen" (that's what he called "it"). So, I think that everyone in Morgan has seen Jake outside riding his bike around in his unders and probably a large percentage of them have seen "naked Jake" on his bike, too! Oh,well, not worth the fight!

We love going to the cabin!

2010-08-09T11:06:00.004-07:00

We spend a week every year with the entire Hansen family (and it's starting to get big!). We love it because everyone makes sure to be there. With some families moving out of state this summer, it was especially wonderful to have everyone there!
Colten is such a stud fisherman. He could sit and fish the entire day. I really can't stand the mosquitos, but they don't seem to bother him. That's dedication to me!
Grandpa Steve could always be counted on to help saddle up the horses. What in the world would we do without him?!?!?!
Chloe loves her uncles and aunts. Uncle Ben stayed with her for a while to help teach her how to fish. Thanks, Ben!
Colten has also become a great "horseman"! He went on some pretty long and steep hikes with the horses, and he did great! I even helped out all the adults when it came time to ride the horses back down the mountain to the corrals (a 3-hour ride!). Last year, he was pretty nervous riding them alone, but he has really "manned - up" in the last year. Now he controls the horse like a pro!

My allergies were SO horrible because of all the gorgeous wildflowers! It got to the point that just looking at the fields of flowers would make me stuffy!
Branson did great with the horses. Joe even let him be in control a few times!

I always love watching the horses roll after you take off their saddles. It's amazing how such a huge animal can just wiggle around on the ground and hop back up like it's nothing.

Chloe got a little dirty at the lakes.

This is Branson, one of Sam's best buddies. He and his brother came up the last day and a half to fish and ride horses. He loved both! I caught him fishing more than a couple of times without anything on the hook! The worm was long gone, but he didn't care -- apparently, sometimes you can catch a fish on faith!

Jake loves being a "cowboy." He always says, "I, Jacob! I, cowboy!" There's nothing in the world cuter to me than his little "picture grin" he does for me! We are so much in love, and I hope we always get to cuddle and be friends like we do now. He's such a great little buddy!!!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a wonderful week! We had so much fun!Why do I find it so amusing to watch a group pull together for a picture? That's usually when the best faces are pulled!
Ahhh . . . . . so put together!
Jake and Hank LOVE horses -- so there were TONS of rides! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

Joe's cousins were staying just across the field at their cabin, so we got together with them a lot. It was so great for all the second cousins to meet and play together. They all got along so perfectly! They did a lot of fishing, teepee building, four-wheeling, hiking, and air-soft gun shooting. What else could there be?!?!

Chloe got to spend time with her cousin who is also named, Chloe. They thought that was so cool! Same age, same name, same favorite color! Best friends from the begining!

There was a LOT of junk food - so Jake had a great time!

This is one of the teepees the kids built outside our cabin.

This might be a little TMI, but it's a story that must be remembered: Colten had proven himself a good and cautious driver of the ranger to me this week, and so I let him take his friends on a few excursions without a parent. I'm not sure he's really old enough for that, because one afternoon I saw what happens when you give a kid too much freedom.
He wanted to take Bowen and Branson and Sam and Chloe over to Ladies Lake just to do some fishing off the side of the lake. It's understood by now that he is NOT to get in the paddle boat without both lifejackets on and a parent at least on the bank of the lake. I was really tired, so I just let him go. About 45 minutes later, I went to check on them. I pulled up in a four-wheeler, only to find that NONE of the boys had ANY clothes on. They were all trying to cover their parts with their hands or hats, but it was too late. I saw it all with them dancing around naked, having a mud-fight. My sweet, darling, innocent Chloe was looking just a little distressed all alone in the ranger. Thank goodness she had her clothes on, too - that would have been too much for me!!! All I could do was pull up to her really fast, and have her jump on with me. Before I spun out of there, I told the boys that I expected them back at the cabin in 5 minutes with something covering themselves. The picture above is of them heading back to the cabin. They thought they were SO funny!
Needless to say, they were stinky, and gross, and dirty -- so that meant a full-blown group shower, a big "talking to" about staying safe and making smart choices, and a lot of giggles and snickers from the other 15 people who were all around to watch the festivities!
Singing around the campfire was great, and stuffing those double-sized smores in their mouths was definitely a favorite for the kids.
This is Bowen - one of Cole's best friends. He came up for the last day, too!
This little group of kids turned out to be quite the little trouble makers! Somehow, they found some little 22-gauge bullets (I think that's what they were, but I'm probably wrong), and the oldest one there knew that you can put stuff in the lighter of the car. They didn't plan on the bullets actually exploding, but they did. One of the girls got her hand burned, and we're all hoping they learned a little lesson about playing with things in cars (or rangers) -- I know I sure did!
These are the teepees the kids helped their cousins build. Colten and Bowen slept in one even! I was so worried about bugs and animals and being cold (because it got down to the low 40s by 10 p.m.!), but they said they were sweaty!
This is the whole family group! All the Hansens and the Garffs in one picture! Windy ridge is in the back (a favorite hike of everyone's). It's pretty rare to get everyone together like this - so it needed to be remembered! It was a lot of fun!

Parks & BBQs - It's what summer is all about!

2010-07-31T13:41:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago, we got the chance to see some old friends - The Smiths. They were here for just a short time, and we decided to meet them with pizzas at a park. I had to post this picture I took of Sam because this is what I like to refer to as "sweet Sam." Sometimes, he gets out of control and really mouthy, and I have to ask him to bring back my "sweet Sam" so I don't lose my mind and ship him off to Alaska! So, this is "sweet Sam."Chloe is just so happy about absolutely everything, and meeting some new friends was about as exciting for her as Christmas morning!
After playing on the play grounds, we let the boys just wrestle in the shade. My boys LOVE to wrestle - especially if it can end with one of them in tears or injured. I grew up with one sister, and a nice, calm house - so I have no idea what to do when things get rowdy!

It all started so innocently . . . . . just laughing, wrestling, and having fun, but . . . .
. . . . then Sam slapped Colten in the face. Colten may not be as totally aggressive as Sam, but he's A LOT bigger. So, when the bigger, big brother got slapped . . . .
. . . . he made sure to remind Sam who's really the boss. And Sam hated that.
Later that evening, we went up to Midway for a farewell BBQ for Ben and Brooke. They moved to North Carolina so Ben could do his final fellowshipping to be an official orthopedic surgeon. Whew! I'm not sure if I got that all right. This is Jake with his cousin Hank. They're the same age almost! There's 3 cousins that are all 2 right now, and I got a lot of pictures of them running around and playing. We love watching them - they're so crazy!

One side note: Jake is in love with cowboy boots. He even wears them with sports clothes - it doesn't matter how dorky he looks, he's not ready unless he has them on!
Here are the 3 2-year olds. I love them. I wish we had more cousins the same age as my kids. There's Will, Jake and Hank.
Nice boots, yeah?
Jake is very sad because Hank is moving away on Monday to Washinton. His dad is going to become a vet! It's a lot of schooling, though, and he'll be gone for a really long time.

Jake is so in love with horses! It was a fun summer day, but when the sun went down, the mutated, monster mosquitos came out and we had to run for cover because they were aggressive!

Happy 4th!

2010-07-28T13:48:00.002-07:00

The 4th of July was a lot of fun. After Sam's world championship baseball game, we watched the parade and everyone made a killing! The amount of candy the kids walk away with after the parades, just grosses me out!

The fire truck came and hosed everyone down. I haven't jumped in, myself, but I've been told it's a little painful and a little dangerous with all the kids running and screaming and not watching where they go!
The reptile man came, and the kids just loved holding the enormous snakes. Even Chloe wasn't afraid to pick up the head of one of the enormous snakes!
That night, we did the little grocery store fireworks. Chloe loved them, but when they'd get really loud . . . . .
. . . . she'd get a little nervous and look for a place to hide.
Jake did the same thing.Some of the fireworks were pretty loud!

Sam and Joe did a great job of lighting them up for us!

Of course, we had to have sparklers, and OF COURSE someone got burned! Never fails!
No, these aren't our grocery store fireworks, we hit the baseball diamond to get a good seat for the town firework show. They surprised us by setting them off from just behind home plate, and we were just camped out on the other side of 2nd base. So, it was pretty close and bright and RIGHT over our heads! The boys and Chloe got up and ran around in the outfield acting out a battle scene from some epic war movie. There was a lot of dying on the grass that night!

Sam's Baseball Team

2010-07-21T07:35:00.004-07:00

Sam played machine pitch baseball this year with the Rays. He had some good friends on the team - so that made it a lot of fun for him. They went completely undefeated for the whole season and even became the "world champions" after the last tournament game! It was so much fun watching them play and to see how excited they were after every game. It was sports at its finest for my little guy.

One of his best friends, Branson Saunders, was on the team with him -- so even going to practices was fun!
Their coach was awesome -- no pressure on the kids, he just wanted them to know they were doing a great job even when they struck out!
The announcer knows Sam and calls him, "Sam 'the Man' Hansen"
They were SO excited when they won. It was cute!
Joe was there helping out at almost every game, too -- so it was fun to have the whole family there each game.
The trophies were really cool -- little baseball bobbleheads!

The bakery made them custom baseball doughnuts for after the game!!
Even Chloe and Jake got one!!

Colten's Baseball Team

2010-07-21T07:31:00.003-07:00

Colten played his first year of WBBA baseball this year. It's a lot trickier to hit the ball when it's another kid your age pitching to you! He did great, though, and he was awesome as catcher and he also played first baseman a lot.
Being a catcher is one of the hardest positions. He said when the ball comes or it's a foul ball or something, the face mask is a huge nuisance because you've got to get the mask off while scrambling to find the ball, while also scrambling to race back to home plate to get the runner out. Whew! A LOT of pressure, but he really liked it!

The team did great for their first year. There were a lot of close friends on the team -- so that was the best part about it.

Summer has finally started!

2010-06-19T23:30:00.001-07:00

Even though it's been a cold/wet June, we've been able to do so much fun stuff already. The kids even got to go on a boat ride. They looked so cute in their life jackets, that I need to post a couple of pics!