snow much fun

On the 23rd we went to Globe for the day and was hoping to play in the snow. We had a good day as the kids played with cousins. We did get to take a few of them up into the Pinals and found a couple of inches of snow up at the top. It was good snowball snow it packed fast and easy. We didn't have a sled or tube but tried to compromise using a plastic lid and metal lid. Neither one worked well, but I think if there were more snow it would have worked a little better. To bad we couldn't have gone three days later when the bigger storm rolled through.
Those who went: Spencer, Caden & I with cousins Talia, Dana and Roman.

Dana and Talia

Ganging up on me

These "shields" were our make shift sleds

Looks like Talia found some yellow snow


On Christmas Eve the kids were able to open up one present which were new PJ's.


Christmas was wonderful for us this year. The kids had a great time as we opened presents and relaxed at home. This was the first time in eight years that Spencer, the kids and I have stayed at our own home for Christmas day. We missed seeing family, but enjoyed the day.

Holiday fun

Friday the 19th was a fun day. To start things off, Caden had is holiday program that morning at school. G-pa Steve and G-ma Vicki came down the night before and were able to go watch it and Spencer was also able to stop in from work to see it all. I only had my video camera, so the pics I took are not that great of quality and I didnt get still shots of the program, I just recorded it. They sang a variety of songs... from some day to day ABC's to some patriotic...Grand Ole Flag to some Christmas songs...Santa Clause is coming to town. It lasted about 40 minutes or so and it was alot of fun to see the Kindergarten class in action. They all did really well and seemed a little nervous to start, but had proud grins when it was all over.




As soon as the girls and I left there, I took Paxton down to story hour at the town library. At the end of the hour Daisy had climbed up on a chair and it started to tip back. (I started over to catch her, but it was one of those moments you see it all happening and it seems like slowmotion, but you cant get there fast enough). So as she tipped she hit the back of another chair on the way down and now has her first shinner. It looks worse in person.


Later that night Spencer and I went to a Christmas Party hosted by the Coleman's. This was a fun filled night, we had a great time! Good food, fun games and a great time had by all.
Here is Ray carving the Ham while Rebecca made sure he did it right.

I had no doubt Spencer would be at the front of the line.




Rebecca and Rudy


Brian and Jenny (Our hosts)


Pam and Jimmy


Curt and Bonnie


Elena and Ray


Spencer & I


Roxanna (husband Joe was coaching a H.S. basketball game)


A quick note about Rocky (aka Roxanna). She filled the role of "game show host" and wrote up some quick questions for a game that was basically The Newly Wed game. She is hillarious and crazy and blunt and just goes for the juicy questions! It was fun, revealing, embarrassing at times and I cant remember the last time I laughed that hard or for that long! I'm glad she was there to help entertain us all.

We had a gag gift exchange and Spencer's was the funniest with the classic toilet bowl wreath. Curt and Bonnie were the lucky recipients.

Rebecca showing off her gift


As we returned home late here was our night owl Paxton still up with the babysitter.


Then Saturday night we had Spencer's squad party. Again, it was alot of fun. Games, food and fun people. Here are a few shots from that night as well.

"that kid"

Think back to the days of elementary school.... Can most of you remember the kid that got sick and threw up in class? And for the next X number of years he was known only as "the puker" or other tease worthy, similar names.

Well, earlier this week, my kid became "that kid". On the way to school Caden told Spencer that his stomach hurt. Spencer asks "Do you need to poop?" No, and that was that. He didn't complain much more than that.

30 minutes later the school nurse was calling and I was picking Caden up. Oatmeal and bananas all over the classroom floor. The class got some extra playground time while the custodian cleaned up. His class had two kids day before go home with the stomach flu and he was unlucky enough to catch the bug.


He was pretty wiped out most of the day and day after. Poor boy couldn't keep anything down. He did good at home though. We gave him a bowl and three other options. If your feeling sick, run to 1) the toilet 2) the trash or 3) outside.

Two days later he was able to go back to school. We asked him if anyone teased him about the incident. No, not one. So I guess the extra playground time paid off.

Growing family

This is the new Hansen family picture taken just yesterday. Talmage and Rachel's twins are here! They are each holding one, they are so small you can hardly see them. They are sweet.
Total count right now for the family is 34 and adding another in May!

It's a...

Yesterday was the ultrasound and we are having a boy. Of coarse another girl would have been fine, but we all got our wish when we saw it was for sure a boy! This will even up our numbers so the boys will no longer be the minority.

as wintery as it gets

Saturday AM we went for a walk down to the Kearny town lake. After a day or two of good rain and colder weather, we woke up to a very foggy morning. The kids loved it and thought it was neat that they couldn't see that far. This is about as close as we get to winter-like conditions in Kearny.



About 10 or so it started to clear out and the fun was over for the kiddies.

Welcome home

Paxton spent a week with my Dad and Vicki. She has been waiting for her turn for a while and it finally came. Caden had his turn in the late summer if I remember right. She was supposed to follow, but then I started vball, school started, Dad/Vic remodeled the kitchen and time kept slipping by. So on the 13th, we dropped her off for a week. She said she had a great time, got homesick a few times, but otherwise had full days. Walking the dogs, driving the tractor w/g-pa, exploring at the creek, dancing in hula skirts just to name a few things. A big thanks goes to G-pa Steve and G-ma Vicki for making it happen. We were glad to get her back home!

We picked her up on the 20th and headed to Flagstaff on the 21st w/G-ma Hansen. Spencer went down to Tucson with his brothers Taylor & Kimball and Dad were they rode in the Tour de Tucson again Saturday.


After their morning of riding, they joined us in Flag. Spencers parents have a timeshare there and we just went up for fun and relaxation. We enjoyed the cool weather, time at the park, played pool, used the hot tub, shopped and random games. Thanks for the invite G-pa and G-ma Hansen, it was fun.

Of coarse I had my camera there and only remembered to pull it out the last night there, which tends to happen on most of our trips. So I only got a few shots of the kids throwing food from the loft, while Spencer and Kimball tried to catch it in their mouths. They enjoyed that little game.


From there we got home Tuesday evening, unpacked and called it a day. We had one day to get ready for Thanksgiving and spent that day in Globe with Spencer's Mom and Dad. This year it was a bit of a smaller gathering, but it was fun times and good food!

Here was some of the feast.


Here are some of the feasters.




Another thanks to Mom and Dad Hansen for hosting us.

Problem solved

Back to Halloween. When Spencer got the gorilla costume and walked out with it on, Daisy freaked out. Loud cries and he couldn't console her, because if he tried to pick her up it just got worse. She was very cautious of him when in that suit, especially when he would grunt at her.

(Side note) I remembered the other day sitting at the computer a story a family member had shared. The toddler in the family was afraid of the vaccum. The same toddler would not stay away from the staircase and would tumble down the stairs often. One day they left the vaccum at the staircase and that solved the problem. Sweet little toddler stayed away due to the scary vaccum sitting there.

So back to the story... When Spencer or I are at the computer Daisy likes to come up and sit on our laps. Thats fine until she starts to attack the screen and there is no holding her back. She is relentless and screaming when you are trying to separate her from the screen.

Two days ago I had her sitting on the desk next to the monitor while I was trying to email when she went on the attack. I quickly clicked over to the blog post where I had this picture and enlarged it on the screen.

She immediately went silent, not removing her eyes from the screen as she closely watched that gorilla. She started to back away from the computer and off the desk into my lap. All the while keeping an eye on the screen. If I really want her to back away, I also just have to make a small grunting noise.

I let Spencer in on this and now when she wants up on our lap while at the computer, we quickly pull this up on one tab, just incase we need to click over quickly to keep things under control! Works like a charm!

Jokes on me

Remember this post? I thought I was being so cute and throwing family and friends for a curve. Yes I fooled a few and the rumor mill started that I was pregnant.

Man was my dad mad when he found out through a blog post, or from my brother as he misread the post(like I intended many to do), instead of a personal phone call from me to let him know I was expecting.

To my own surprise an "inside" joke was actually being played on me. When the second week of September rolled around and I found out that I am infact expecting #4. WHAT? How in the heck? Ok, ok so I know how in the heck.

Well, now I've had time to adjust to this news and just thought that if you hadn't heard yet, you are now hearing it straight from the source. We are expecting another baby May 7th.

Sweet little Daisy wont get to be the baby for very long, but she is such an easy going, sweet, fun-loving baby that I'm sure she'll be happy to welcome this next one. They will be about 16 months apart, so yes, SURPRISE!!

Treats

This Halloween I got off easy. The past few years I've made the kids costumes. This year, they both wanted to pick one out at the store, and that is just what we did. Spencer wasn't big on the idea. He is all about originality and being creative, not matching every other kid in town with the "in" superhero/princess.

Spencer: "When I was a kid, we had a box of scraps that we rummaged through to make a costume. And contending with eight kids, you had to start early if you wanted anything good....." It must have been really rough growing up in that house!

Caden was the black spider-man


Paxton was a devil girl and was thrilled that she got to wear makeup!


Daisy and I stayed home to hand out candy.


Spencer was able to go through that old "box of scraps" from home and this is what he came up with!

Yes Sir !!

Caden is apparently feeling better today. He stayed home from school yesterday and today. Well, I'll be sending him to school tomorrow for sure.

It's a nice day out and all the kids are feeling better, so we've been outside playing a bit. A little digging in the sandbox and swinging in the swing. Then Caden asked if he could ride his bike down the road and back. I thought, sure, he's been couped up in the house now for 2 1/2 days.

I was standing at the end of the driveway behind the car with him as he was about to start and he looked back at me and said...

"Mom, when I get back from going down the road, I want to see a glass of water sitting right there (pointing to the trunk of the car). That's what I want, because I'm thirsty, okay."

Now where did my sweet little boy learn to talk to his mother like that?

Seasons over

This morning we are at home instead of church. All three kids and down and out. It started with Caden. He got a small rash type/fever blister like thing around his mouth, runny nose and yesterday had a few low fevers throughout the day. Daisy has had a runny nose and goopy eye and occasional cough. Now Paxton has the cough and a few bumps forming on the side of her lip. They are all in good spirits though. In fact good enough that we took some family pictures yesterday.

So I'm taking advantage of a little time here and adding to my list of all the things I've neglected the last three months of volleyball season. We played our last game Thursday. This year was not as successful as the past three for us and now our season is done.

Aside from my day to day stuff (which was neglected also), I've got to get moving on some of these:

Clean fan blades
Clear off back porch
Clean bike room
Shred stacks of papers
Wipe down spiderwebs (outside & some that made their way inside)
Order Daisy's pictures
Update family photo albums
Finish flagstone project
Refinish table top
Organize & check food storage

Spencer claims he is at the top of this list as most neglected! He and the kids once again have been troopers throughout the season. Supporting at the majority of the games and holding down the fort while I'm out gallivanting around. So yes, they do top the list. So a HUGE thanks goes to them, and the need not worry because next year I will not be returning to coach. I'm all theirs. And now I dedicate myself back to being the amazing wife and mother that my family knows and loves!!

Whuff, Whuff

Tonight we had FHE (family home evening), along with all the other mormon families I suppose. Anyway toward the end we ask the kids if they have any talents/tricks/songs they would like to share with us.
Paxton started out with her usual, a somersault. Caden had to up her one and followed with a double somersault.
Earlier in the evening, Paxton was telling Spencer that she was going to sing "Latter Day Prophets" during talent time. So when he asked her if she was going to sing her song, she jumped up and stood up in front of us. At this time, she surprised us and told us she would sing "Who Let The Dogs Out". So this is how it went....

Paxton: Who let the dogs out?

Family: Whuff, Whuff, Whuff, Whuff, Whuff!

Paxton: Who let the dogs out?

Family: Whuff, Whuff, Whuff, Whuff, Whuff!

Paxton: Who let the dogs out?

Family: Whuff, Whuff, Whuff, Whuff, Whuff!

On and on, we never got past these two lines.
Don't worry, the closing song was a little more reverent.

EVENT-ful weekend

Second EVENT-ful weekend is done! And I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Friday I took the girls up to Globe and left them again with G-ma & G-pa Hansen. Caden had 1/2 day at school and Spencer went in early to get home early, so we could get on our way down south to Douglas.

Once there, we met up with Spencers brother Taylor and his wife Erin at packet pickup and spaghetti dinner. Erin and I were registered for the 45 mile race and Taylor for the 92 mile. (There are two other distances at this event. A 157 mile and 252 mile race. I cant even begin to comprehend riding for over 12 hours to do that '252'.) At the close of the evening we check into hotel selected by Taylor. This was a very cool hotel, it is just over 100 years old.


So, I said I enjoyed it more than I thought I would....the month of September, Spencer set my training and I was feeling ok about making the distance. It was the weather report that I was watching the few days prior to the race that had me thinking/feeling, "what in the heck did I get myself into? why am I even going to show up to the race at all? and...I'm so mad at Spencer for talking me into this!"
Forcast was this: Race start time 69 (not bad I guess), rain showers (I wreck just fine on my own on a dry road, I dont need wet conditions to increase my chances), and winds at 25-35 mph. This I really wasn't excited about. The past week or two the winds had picked up here in Kearny and I felt my rides were so slow and I know that those winds were not as strong as the ones predicted. I hadn't even thought to far into this whole commitment. As I was complaining about the upcoming weather, Spencer informed me that it is always windy down there. I guess this is something I should have known and if I had, may not have agreed to ride. Nevertheless, Saturday morning arrived and I was at the starting line. The temp. was ok, I was just a little cold which I would be fine once riding. Here is Erin and I before the race.



Getting started...


The temp. wasn't bad at all and it didn't rain on our course during our ride . The wind however was definately present. We had a lot of crosswinds, the help of a tailwind for a few miles at about 22miles into it, more crosswinds and a good strong head wind in the last quarter or so of the race. After all the different thoughts that went through my head, I was really glad I did it. Just like my mother-in-law said I would be! And thank you Spencer for pushing, training and motivating me to try it.

For weeks, Spencer and Taylor had pitted us against eachother. So on our ride we talked about holding hands and crossing the finish line together, just to spite them! Well, in the end we both sprinted to the finish. About 3 miles or so before the finish we came up on and passed a lady who caught on to us and drafted in to the end. As we turned the last corner I no longer was thinking about Spencer/Taylor's smack talk of who would beat who. All I wanted was to beat her in, but she beat us to the finish line. Here we are

After it all!

My final results were: Out of 59 total riders for the 45 miles I finished 23rd. Of the 59 riders, 14 were women and I finished 4th among the women. My final time was 2:31:23. Not bad I thought for my first race. Last year Erin was the 1st female finisher, and this year she beat her time by about 4 minutes, so it was a good day!
A few more pictures of the hotel lobby and then we were off to pick up the girls in Globe and give Paxton a few birthday presents.




Yes, you heard right. We abandoned Paxton on her birthday. In our defense, she chose to stay with G-ma & G-pa rather than go to the bike race. Some of her cousins were up visiting with G-ma & G-pa also, so she didn't seem to care that we weren't there for most of the day. After the race started Spencer and Caden called and sang Happy B-day to her, so she was still feeling loved!

Paxton turned 4 on Oct. 11th. She had fun with cousins and grandparents. It was Octoberfest in Globe, so they got to go have some fun at the park with events going on there and some face painting also. Here are a few pictures of her opening presents. A makeup case full of nail polish and lip glosses.


A Hanna Montana microphone that transmits through a radio, she loves to perform!


A tea party set from G-ma & G-pa


Here is a picture of the birt-day, birt-day, birt-day girl!!


Pax and I


And we decided to take a snapshot of the family as if we had spent the whole happy day together!