Straight No Chaser

I just wanted to share with you all something Spencer and I came across last year. We really enjoyed this version of
12 Days of Christmas.

It is a fun, short clip. So if you have 3 minutes, click this link to You Tube and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GUU1YbP_E&feature=email

loose ends

Well, I have a few loose ends to tie up. Remember I mentioned I did a horrible job at getting pictures of the tour? Of coarse I did. I was focused on riding and I wasn't going to just carry along my camera. But, I finally got an email with some pictures from my brother-in-law. His (then girlfriend) was there to take all of our warm clothing back to the hotel after the race started, and she took pics with his camera afterward.
I hope I didn't make the ride sound all easy in my last post, because here is the proof that I was drained by the end. (Pictured here: Kimball, Talmage, Me, Ben)

Me & Ben

So here are some of the loose ends. I forgot to give all credit to my amazing trainer/husband, Spencer. I have my own personal "Chris Carmichael" here. He set up my daily rides and kept me on schedule, pushing me along the way. He watched the kids so I could train, which also translates to him giving up some of his own training time, so I could get in more.

I remember when I was single, thinking of one thing I wanted in a spouse was someone who was active and we could do sports/exercise together. At least have some common ground there. Well, I got that and then some. He is great at helping me in that area. Yeah, I complain at times, but underneath it all, I like it!

Here we are after I finished. --Thanks babe for all your time, knowledge and pushing to get me to this point.

I also forgot to say thanks to Dad Hansen and his goal of going for the family award. Behind that goal, was paid entry fees, sponsered us all with a family cycling T-shirt, a cycling jersey, hotel rooms at the tour and dinner afterward. He also set up monthly training rides for all us that could get there to ride them, so thanks!

And I cant forget my Dad and Vic. They came down and braved the weekend watching the kids for us so we could go. They survived it and even got two annoying NOISE making toys from the dollar store for the kids. I'm sure it was their idea of a good time! I see it happening somthing like this.... "Here are your new toys, but you cant open them until tomorrow morning when your parents are back, then enjoy them to the fullest!"

Thanks for helping us out!

Tour de Tucson

The much anticipated (and sometimes dreaded) weekend has come and gone. This past Saturday was the Tour de Tucson, my first one to be a participant in. I had a great time, it was fun and the weather was perfect for the race. (mid 70*s)

For those unfamiliar with it all, this year the Tour was a 108 mile ride. There was also an 80, 66 and 35 mile rides. Spencer's family has been riding in it off and on for years now. Mostly his dad (12 or more times) his mom, brother Taylor and Spencer. This year the 108 had 3,633 riders finish and for all distances combined, there was a total of 6,483 finishers.

So this year Spencer's dad wanted to go for the "family award", and as I said before, 10 of us signed up to ride. We don't know yet if we got it, I guess that will take a few weeks.
Here's a look at the overall finishing time and place of our family.....

Dad Hansen -4:52:01 platinum ~ 343rd place

Taylor - 5:02:30 gold ~ 424th pl

Spencer-5:23:59 gold ~ 727th pl

Talmage- 5:48:14 gold ~ 1001th pl

Kimball-5:49:07 gold ~ 1024th pl

Lisa-6:04:29 gold ~ 1319th pl (average speed 17.7 mph)

Lindsay-7:08:49 silver ~ 2281st pl

Mom Hansen-7:15:17 silver ~ 2386th pl

Rachel-7:56:02 silver ~ 2767th pl

Mckay- 8:19:02 silver ~ 2970th pl

A few points of interest from the day were:

1) Dad Hansen~ his first platinum finish for the Tour de Tucson

2) Taylor~ got two flats and wrecked 2miles from the finish requiring layers of stitches because the cut was to the bone by his right eye. Face hit the pavement and sunglasses broke, cutting into just right of his eye. Despite this he fixed the flat the wreck caused and finished, missing platinum by only 2 1/2 min., then went to urgent care.

3)Kimball~ also crashed. Was looking down to stretch his neck, looked back up only to see a 'keep left' sign right in front of him and "BONG!", nailed it head on. Rode away with some scrapes on his arm and a bruised ego.

Not knowing if platinum was even obtainable for me, I really wanted to try for it. I was very happy with my end time, but at the same time thinking where I could have pushed harder or what I could have done a little different to close in on those few minutes. I guess I may just have to attempt it again.

I did however fail miserably this weekend at taking pictures, so this is all I have until my Bro-in-law sends me some.


Spencer and I, layered in clothes ready to head to the starting line at 5am in order to get a good place before the 7am start time.

In the 40*s as we waited. Most of us here from L to R. (Kimball, Lindsay, Mom H., Dad H., Me, (Ben a family friend), Spencer, McKay, Talmage. Not seen in pic. ~ Rachel & Taylor.)

Again at the starting line Spencer & I (Kimball in the back, Talmage in the front)

Now, to get to the point of those of you who made a guess at my finishing time. I felt I had to at least come in close to the guessed times. Spencer told me when he posted his that once I finished the race I would realize that I could have pushed it harder. So with that in mind I was determined to come in under his guess. Amazingly the person who won guessed within 31 seconds of my time. My friend Marinda called out a time of 6hrs 5 min, so to her a gift will go!

And here we sit, the day after on the couch. Asking the kids to do everything for us as we recover. I knew they were good for something, sweet little things!!

Ready or Not

Well, the time is nigh. The Tour de Tucson (109 miles)is this Saturday. A few days ago Spencer printed off the map and went over the route with me. I've been fine up until then and now, when I think of it, my stomach turns over.

Earlier this year Spencer's dad talked about if there were enough family members riding this year, maybe we could get the family award. So 10 of us signed up and it's been train, train, train ever since. (well, for most of us anyway.)

So wish me luck, and no flats. I'm looking to come away from it all without wrecking (because I seem to be good at that)! For a little fun, let me know how long you think it will take me to finish. I'll join in with all the other blogger contests out there and give a prize to whoever guesses the closest time to my actual finish time. ( So Mom Hansen, you'll have to leave another, more exact guess if you want in on this.)

Because this is my first year riding, I have nothing for you to use to figure this. But Spencer has rode it 3times and here are his finishing times....
with only 2 training rides under his belt, (not recommended) 7hrs 55min
the 2nd time , 5hrs 39min
last year, 5hrs 25min

And you all can give a guess for Spencer's finishing time too.

like new again

One of my recent projects that I've finally completed. And it only took me 4 months to get to it. (And Spencer thought it would be the usual 6 months.) I guess I showed him.

Anyway, the first part of July I found these little chest of drawers at the local 'hand me up' shop. I've always prefered the chest rather than the dresser, so I've been looking for a while. Here are the little gems. There are two, exactly the same. All colorful and bright.
BEFORE

And here they are after I finally got down to it and spent a few hours with them. They are going in the girls room along with a new(for us) but really an old mirror that I got at an ebay sale.

AFTER

Halloween

Our Halloween was lots of fun this year. Friday night was adult night. Spencer and I made it to a party at the Coleman's. Boy do they know how to have a good time! Last years Christmas party, this year Halloween's....if your not attending these parties, you are missing out on some good times! Anyway, there were 9 or so couples there, in costume of coarse. We saw Abe Lincoln, Flo (from Progressive Ins.), a nurse, a few witches, some nerdy guy who should have dressed up but didn't and a plug and socket to name a few.

I usually leave these parties with the following: sore abs, 1/2 my eye makeup gone and a headache, all from laughing so hard and so much. Oh and I cant forget that I always walk away with unforgettable and sometimes surprising information about all those in attendance!

So Saturday night was all about the kids, as it should be. For the second year in a row, they have let me off the hook. I didn't have to make a costume! Paxton was Sharpay Evans and used her dress up dress that she got for her birthday this year. Daisy was a bumble bee that we borrowed for the evening. We dug through the "halloween bag" of rags and such and came out with a bib with a sheriff's badge and bandanna on it for Calvin. And Caden came out with this black ninja getup.

We started the night off at the Church doing Trunk or Treat. Again they had the great chili and corn bread along with hot dogs to eat. It's so nice to have something to eat besides candy while we're all up there. This year the boy scouts also put on a haunted house which Caden loved. He went through a lot and finally became part of it, jumping out at people and scaring them. Paxton went twice and said it wasn't scary. Oh quides, they all had fun.

It all seemed to go longer this year, which was fine. We only had time to walk 1/2 a block of homes before the babies had had it and it was too late to go any longer.

Fall break

Our fall break was wonderful. We went to Missouri to visit my family and loved seeing that part of the country at this time of the year. Each year at this time they have a Maple Leaf celebration with activities all week long. So we wanted to get in on some of it. And my youngest brother Luke is leaving on his mission, so we needed to see him before he left. Well, we've been home now for almost three weeks, so I'm way past due on this post, but here we go.

It rained on us for most of the drive there and was really coming down as we got into Missouri. In a day and a half's time, they received 5 inches of rain. So much was flooded, including the park were our century bike ride was to begin and end. As well as about 5 or so roads along the route. So after some much needed sleep, we headed over to the bike shop in Joplin and found out that the race was canceled for sure. Disappointed, we went out to see what the damage was for ourselves.

This is the park under water, not stagnant but full on running water. The actual river was off to the side and usually had a 4-5 foot waterfall, but it was completly hidden in the flood.




Because the ride was cancelled, we were able to go watch my niece Sierrah (Andy's daughter) play in her volleyball game. This was one of the youth leages at the YMCA. She is dang good at age 9, and is so tall. She is going to be kicking tail when she gets older!



Paxton had her 5th birthday while we were there. For weeks, she and her cousin Gracie have been on the phone planning what they wanted to do for their combined party. (Gracie, Heather's daughter, is a year older than Pax). Here is Paxton on her B-day.



One of the first things the girls did for their day was has a little spa day. It consisited of: facials, pedicures, manicure (complete with fake press on nails), makeup and hair. Here are a few pictures during the process.








And during all this "girly" stuff, Caden found something to pass the time with his cousins.


And Daisy did as well.


Later the kids spent a couple of hours at House of Bounce. Lots of castles, slides and obstacle courses, all inflatable. They enjoyed running like wild animals all over the place. Afterward we went to see Andy and April's first house. They just bought it and are loving being 1st time homeowners!

Daisy didn't like this slide at all, but the rest of them loved it.




We checked out the maple leaf parade. This parade is huge. It is 2-3 hours long and they broadcast it on tv there. High school bands from surrounding towns march in it and later have a band competion. The kids were not used to this at all. The only parade they have ever seen is the town of Kearny parades. Max time=usually 22 minutes. Spencer asked the kids which parade they liked better this one or the ones in Kearny. Paxton said, "this one, but in Kearny I'd be home by now."
I love this picture with the Town Square in the background.


Oh and did I mention how cold it was while we were there? In the 40's.

They even have the Budwiser Clydesdales in it.


Here we are hanging out at my G-pa Cliff's house.


You know those 3 wheeled, body powered bikes? The Trikke? Well my Grandpa has one and loves it. Spencer and I gave it a go. It was fun and hard. My G-pa got on to show me how it worked and he made it look so easy as did Spencer. It's a workout! I could handle the flats and go down hill just fine, it was the up hill that got me.



Andy, April(his wife) and Calvin.


Uncle Luke, Paxton & G-pa Asa

G-ma Barbie & G-pa Asa with the Kiddos


It was a fun trip and we are looking forward to going back. Maybe in March to ride in the rescheduled ride. It's a good excuse to go again! Glad to be home and glad the driving part of it is all over, but we sure miss them all.

soccer, parades & trips

October has been busy for us and we've been enjoying every minute of it. The kids started soccer and had their first game which I have no pictures of. Caden and Paxton are on the same team, The Green Hornets. They are off to a good start winning their first game 7-6. They both said they enjoyed it and each had ball contact in the game.

Paxton was also in her first parade. She was on the float for the Silver Spinners (baton) and the Jr. pep squad. I also have no pictures of that, but she loved that as well. This was the Octoberfest/Homecoming parade for Kearny. We enjoyed the festivities uptown too this year by playing a few of the games, checking out the booths and the car show.

A few days were spent cleaning, packing and getting ready for our trip to Missouri. This was to be our end of summer trip, but we moved it out to the kids fall break. We haven't got to come out in the fall as a family yet and were excited to be out here to enjoy the leaves and cool weather. Paxton and cousin Gracie have been planning for weeks to have their birthday party together. It also fell at the annual Carthage Maple Leaf celebration, when there are a load of activities going on. One of which is a bike ride ranging from 15 to 100 miles. Caden was entered in the 15 miler and Spencer and I in the 100. This was to be my training ride and first century prior to the Tour de Tucson next month. Plus Uncle Luke is leaving on his mission to Perth, Australia the first part of November and we needed to see him before he left.

The trip got off to a great start as we were loaded and ready to leave as planned when school got out. Spencer and I were not looking forward to the drive with four little ones, but it went well. We made great time compared to previous trips. When it was just the two of us, we could make it in 18 hours or so driving. Traveling with the kids it is usually 24 hours, maybe a little more.

This time we made it in 22 hours total, minus about 3 hrs for pit/rest stops. And Paxton made it all the way to Oklahoma City before throwing up! Only 3 hours before arrival, but she did it like a pro. Felt it coming, grabbed the bag without hesitation, and was able to keep it all in the bag. Caden also experienced, quickly rolled down his window and kept his head turned looking out as to not become the next one to vomit. A quick stop to chuck the vomit bag, swish some water and walk around a minute and it was off to Grandma & Grandpa's.

We arrived just as cousins were getting home from school, so the kids were thrilled. Aah, it is always a good feeling to get out of the truck. Stretch, relax, eat something other than travel snacks or fast food and spend time with family. Oh yeah, and SLEEP!

Shifting gears

Ok, lets look another direction for a while. I could go on and on with conversations I've had with my kids about how mean I am as a mom, but let's move on already.


Daisy is going through changes. She was ALWAYS the one you could look at and find a smile. Lately she has taken on a very serious attitude and that stern brow she got from her dad is often on display. She has even played the shy card a few times recently and turned the cold shoulder to people she is usually hugging on and laughing with.

She's been having more crying / screaming fits lately too. I guess we are getting near the infamous terrible twos. We've been through it two times already, so I think we'll be able to handle it.

Something else that is new with her, when talking with her and you tell her some fact or direction and she responds with an "Oh!" all matter-of-fact like, and the pitch of her voice up.

Of coarse it is funnier when you hear it, so I've been trying to capture it on video, but no luck yet. You know when you really want them to perform, they dont.

Also, she has been wanting to sit on the potty as of late. I'd love for her to train early, so each time she wants to go, I get out the kid seat and help her up. She hasn't actually gone on the toilet yet, but it is a funny thing to watch. I dont know who she's been watching in the bathroom, but I'll place a safe bet that it has been someone of the male gender. Here is how it goes....


I get the kid seat on and get Daisy up on it. First thing she does is point up to the window. Yes, she wants me to open it! So I do. Everytime she does this and then will do a little grunt and make a face like she is trying to push. Then just yesterday, we went through all this again and then she asked me for a book! I couldn't help laughing as I got her a magazine. She wasn't happy with that though and so I got her her favorite book and she then was happy.


I also put up a recent picture of Calvin as our header. I've been switching them up lately with our last taken family pics, but he isn't in them. So we need to get some new ones soon. Until then, we'll give Calvin that prime spot so you can watch him grow. He is already 4 1/2 months and is one solid boy. He loves to eat and it shows. Healthy and happy, who could ask for more?

Mean mom (part two)

A follow up from my previous post.

Yesterday we left to go north to spend a day with my dad and Vicki. We had only been on the road five minutes when Paxton asks...

P: Mom, do I have a step-mother?

Me: No

P: When will I get one?

M: You would only get one if dad and I got divorced or if I die and if he gets married to someone new.

P: I want a stepmom because they are fun.

M: Well, I could act like Cinderella's stepmom and have you do all the cleaning and cooking at home and lock you in your room. Would that be fun?

P: No

M: What if I acted like Snow White's stepmom and gave you a poison apple and tried to have you killed?

P: No, I want a FUN stepmom.

M: What would your FUN stepmom do with you that I dont do?

P: She would read me stories and be nice to me.

M: So I'm not nice to you? I've never read you stories? (I'm wondering where I went so wrong with this child.)

P: No, I just want a fun stepmom.

Caden is now joining in saying over and over, "I don't want a step mom" while everytime he says this, she says she wants one.

Then she tells Caden, "I just want one like when mom is running on the treadmill and has a heart attack."

Sounds to me like she's got it all planned out.

lesson learned?

Today after church Paxton had taken the ribbon out of her hair and asked me to tie it around her neck. I complied. As I was tying it in a bow, she says to me....

P: Mom, your nice on Sundays.

Me: Just on Sundays?

P: Yes.

M: So the rest of the week I'm mean?

P: Yes.

M: Why am I so nice on Sundays?

P: You must have learned something from your lesson.

M: What was my lesson on?

P: Kindness.

Hmm. I'm in the Primary presidency, I had no lesson. My therory is that today I was still trying to recover from my 60 mile bike ride yesterday. My in-laws kicked my tail. So I think I just didn't have the energy to yell at and knock them around today!
But watch out Paxie, tomorrow is Monday and mean mom is waiting to make the next 6 days miserable for you!

New things

Two weeks ago today our oven kicked the bucket. At the ripe old age of 50. When we bought this house, we talked about re-doing the kitchen. Metal cabinets and countertops that reminded me of those found in old camp trailers (the kind w/the metal edging). It was just begging for a make-over. So when the oven died, we went back and forth again with the idea of doing the kitchen. After not being able to find a fit for our wall oven unit, we decided to just go for it. Five days later we were hauling cabinets home from the great Home Depot. Then the countertops and ordering new appliances. We figure it can only help with trying to sell this house and in the meantime, we can enjoy the fruit of our labors.

Well, as with any remodeling job, you run into snags here and there and we have! Last Saturday the removal of the old began with Kimball & Alexa (Spencers brother & his girlfriend(not Spencer's girlfriend, Kimballs) ) came up to help. It went pretty well, just took longer than we expected. So with everything out, they begin to install the wall unit cabinets. This all seems to go rather well and is quite easy. We bring in a couple of the base units and put them in place, but dont actually install them. We place a countertop piece over them so we have a little makeshift space to use. It gets late, so everything stops for the day. Next day is Sunday, so we debate if we should work on it or not, being the sabbath and all. Decide not to, mostly due to being dang tired.




Now we've reached another first in our marriage. This marks the first time in our marriage that we have eaten microwave meals. Not at all impressed with it, but sure glad we had it as an option! It's been all microwavable food since last Saturday. No range, oven or kitchen sink. We are just like the old pioneers, hauling in our water from the bathroom! Oh wait, I guess we are better off than they were, because we can get it from there. But we are like Kramer who installed the garbage disposal in his shower so he could wash his vegetables while he showered. Only we didnt install the disposal! But we are washing our fruits/veggies there. Doing our dishes there too. I've got my big bowl or soap water, bowl of rinse water and the dish drainer all set up in the tub. Take the waters outside to dump when finished, so I guess it's more like camping, only indoors. Oh, and along the lines of camping, ever since we brought those two kittens home we've had a skunk visiting us alot. We've been trying to keep the cat food put up at night, but it is still lingering around.

All week long we've made progress on the project and today is a big day to get as much as possible done. We have finally got Calvin's blessing scheduled to be done this Sunday. He just turned 4 months, but with Spencers work schedule this has been really the first time we could do it. So we cant keep pushing it back, the boy is already half grown. At his 4 mo. check up he ranked in the 90% for his weight and his hieght is off the charts! He is a long boy.

So back to the project. I put these nasty metal cabinets up on Craigslist and got a lot of replies. One guy wanted them all and picked them up yesterday. Yea, they are off our porch and I made a little cash off of them. Bonus!


And if all of this wasn't exciting enough, let me tell you about last night...

Spencer got home from work and we were able to get one of the girls I used to coach in volleyball to watch the kids. Spencer, Calvin and I made our 20th trip to Home Depot this week and the kids went to the sitters instead of staying here because of the disaster we have going on. Now to set the scene.

We get back 10pm, pick up the kids and then home. Back the truck in to unload our new appliances. We are at the far end of the driveway, because we need to move the car out of the way first in order to bring in the purchases. Spencer gets to the door by the carport and the kids are all close behind him, I'm still walking up. Spencer looks at me and says,

S: The door is open, did you shut it?
Me: Yes.
S: (checks the knob) Well, it is locked, but it is wide open.

I'm still walking up the driveway, he goes in and the kids start to follow. I hear him then say to the kids.

S: You guys wait outside for a minute. (He starts in to go check things out, Daisy is still following and the other two just stopping. Then I hear this, loud and somewhat frantic.)

S: GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET THE KIDS OUT!

I'm freaking out, I'm trying to figure out what to do first. I've got Calvin in my hands in the baby carrier. The other kids are still about 15 feet away from me. Do I put Calvin down and leave him and run to the other kids. Or do they sense the urgency in his voice and start running out. Daisy wont completely understand of coarse. (all this in my head in nano seconds, I'm sure you've all been there) Spencer is rushing out with Daisy in his arms and the kids moving now on their own, so I keep Calvin and head back toward the truck.

What the heck is going on? Don't you want to know? I sure did at this moment, but first we had to establish who's fault it was that the door wasn't shut when we left. Spencer is blaming me, I am blaming him. Then he says, "There is a skunk in the house."

Me: (thinking) oh crap! He is in there spraying right now because we just scared him and our house will stink forever.

S: (reassuring and I think more hoping) I couldn't smell anything, but I dont know what is happening now.

We get the kids back in the truck. Now wondering what the heck are we going to do? How do we get it out? And all without having it spray. He slowly walks back up to the door way and sees it again, but scares it again and runs back around the corner. This happens again only me sneaking up to the door this time.

The baby is crying, needs to eat. Its muggy because of the rain we got, so we put the older two in the back of the truck so it isn't so hot. Daisy inside the back of the cab, me in front seat nursing the baby. Spencer decides to run around to the back door to pound on it and hopefully scare the skunk out. So I'm watching the side mirror to see if it comes out the door and about a minute later here it come! Yea I instantly think, but it doesnt just go around to the side gate, it comes running down the drive way toward us. I'm watching in the mirror and it stops right beside the truck. I yell back to the kids, not to move and scare it, thinking that we finally got it out and now it is going to spray us out here.

It continues on and runs around the corner of the house. The same way Spencer had went to the back, so I yell out "HE'S COMING RIGHT AT YOU SPENCER!" As soon as I finish I hear him yelling "aahh,*#@**... stupid skunk!" (just kidding about the explicit) He comes running back with a crazy look on his face. He met up face to face with him with about 5 feet between the two. At this point Spencer did some maneuver leaning to the side while moving (I imagine something like a football move to avoid a tackle). Then he said the skunk turned and his tail went up like he was going to spray, but then just took off the other way.

Whew. Instant relief that he was gone, but we still had to go into the house and hopes were high that it didnt stink. Once again, instant relief, no smell. Then Spencer did a walk thru to determine if it had done any damage anywhere. Sad to say, there was one area. I was so glad there was no spray, but I guess we scared the crap out of him as well!


Don't worry. Our arguement about who didn't shut the door ended quickly and I accepted the blame (being the better person)! We laughed right after it all and are so grateful it didn't do more while there.

Oh and this was cute. The cats know they are not allowed in. Spencer said at one point as he was looking toward the door when the skunk was still inside, the cats were off to the side and leaning their heads to see in and also watching him. Like kids waiting to see the punishment of the rebelous kid who went against the rules.

And a little glimpse of the progress.

Go-o-o-o Cats!

This past weekend Paxton went to "Cheer Camp". Ray High's cheerleaders put on a 2hr. camp for all the kids who want to be on the Bearcat Jr. Pep Squad.

Last year I somehow got away without getting her signed up, saying that we were planning to move and the house was for sale and so on. Well, the house is still for sale and we are still hoping to move, but we signed her up anyway. Now that she is in Pre-K, there are girls in her class who are also a part of it and she hears a lot about it. I dont think I could have gotten away with not letting her in this year.

Who am I to keep her out of it all anyway, it is what she loves right now. I say 'right now', because I am hoping she will grow out of it. I've never been one who liked cheerleading, so if she sticks with it, I'll really have to learn to like it so I can support her in her interest. (like a good mom would do)
One of the cheers

keeping busy

A while back we started prepping the house for new exterior paint. We went over it all with the pressure washer and it did a great job chipping away at the old loose paint. The original plan was to paint it in one morning with the ease of a sprayer. But that would be to easy and we would be missing out on a great opportunity to teach the precious ones the art of good hard work! That, and Caden has been wanting to earn some money to buy a new bike that we told him we would go half on for him.

So we waited until August to get here, so the heat would be at its prime and we busted out with the rollers. It is a slow process, but it is coming along. We've got a couple of real good workers here. They haven't complain a bit and are doing a fine job. This particular morning wasn't to hot, regardless of how Daisy looks. She is our little sweat box, poor girl, always drenched!




We also pick up two additions to the house last week. A mother cat had her litter at Spencers office. She either abandoned them or was killed in some way. There were 6 kittens and he brought two home. Paxton's cat is "Sleeping Beauty" and Caden's is "Pat". They are really enjoying playing with them, while Daisy just terrorizes them.


And in other news, the kids have started school. Caden's first day was Friday. He is in first grade this year.


Paxton started Pre-K. She goes 3hours ~ 3 days a week. When I was taking her the first day she was so giggly and excited. On the way we were talking about school and she says "I've waited my whole life for this day!" She's been fun to watch these last few days.


We can't forget this girl. I like this picture of this little trouble maker! Something she enjoys doing right now is shaking the heebitty jeebitty out of Calvin while he is sitting in his bouncer. Once I get to her to stop her she just looks at me all innocent with the smallest hint of a smile.