Oh Ed

Was I the only one jumping for joy to see him back??? Soooooo glad to see that Ed is back on the Bachelorette!!!
He is my only hope for Jillian. LOVE HIM!!!

As for the other guys......
Wes~It goes without say... TOTAL DIRTBAG! Why she's even remotely attracted to him is beyond me! And who in their right mind is going to buy his CD? Especially after seeing what a snake he is. Ughh.
Reid~He's alright but he's not emotionally mature enough for her.
Kiptyn~She's obviously way more into him than he is genuinely interested in her...I think he'd totally break her heart if she were to choose him.
And poor Michael.....he was so adorable and I just loved his cute family. Too bad he was so young! He should be the next Bachelor.

But HIP HIP HOORAY that my Ed came back!

How it all began.....

JUNE 24, 2000

(I know, I know - it's LONG!!! But I have to document for the posterity...) Has it really been NINE years since Chris and I were married? That truly boggles my mind!

I'll never forget sitting in a health class ten years ago at UVSC... I was an independent, excited about life 20-year-old who was ready and eager to take on another year of college. I had sent out a missionary earlier that summer whom I had met my first year up at Utah State University, but I was already enjoying my new found "singlehood" and was having fun dating various people, writing my missionary, and just enjoying the thrills of student life. I in no way was looking to be married and in fact I was hoping for the opposite for a few years. Well, - as I have learned in life - sometimes PLANS CHANGE!

So I was sitting there in class when I saw him. The cutest red-headed boy I'd ever layed my eyes on walked into the classroom and sat down several desks ahead of mine. I had never really been attracted to a red head before, but this one caught my attention and I was somehow intrigued by him. If anything, I was happy for the prospect of having a cute boy to look at in one of my classes. That is, until a few days later when I dropped the class for another one that worked better with my schedule. I remember thinking that I'd probably never see that cute red-head again on a campus so large.

A few weeks later I was walking from my car to my student apartment and I spotted him - that same red-head! What were the chances?? I came to learn that he was not only in my ward, but he lived in my SAME apartment complex. Oh - and he had a name - Chris. Over time, my roomate Jill and I became friends with he and his roommate, Josh. Friends was all however...Chris and Josh were both freaked out to learn that Jill and I both had missionaries that we were writing! :) By then I really wasn't too interested in being more than friends... I was having fun dating other guys I had been meeting, writing the mish of course, and getting to know a variety of new people. Weeks went by and Chris took interest in the (loud :)) girl that lived across the hall, but our friendship continued. I would give him advice on how to 'win' her over, and he would talk to me a little about the missionary situation. I would walk over to the library in the evenings to study and always sat in the same place. Chris caught onto this, and started to make appearances in the library as well. He later started walking over with me to "study". But we would end up just doing a lot of talking and goofing off together. Walking back from the library one night he got up the nerve to ask me out. I was a little perplexed because he was supposedly kind of dating that girl who lived across the hall from me (who by the way was a year younger than myself and who - how do I say this nicely? - drove our entire apartment crazy because she was a little um - obnoxious way to late into the night & also whom I didn't think was cute enough for him... Jill - help me out here- you know what I'm saying!). Inside however, I was elated. I had tried playing it off as though I wasn't interested in him that way, but deep down I knew there was something about him that had drawn me to him the first time I laid eyes on him and I was attracted to the idea of finding out just what that was. Needless to say, I agreed to go out with him.

On our first date we went on a group date to the "Extreme Fun Center" in Orem and did a little sparring, obstacle courses, jumping in those bouncy houses, etc. I'm pretty sure he was impressed by my skills, because later that night he tried really hard to hold my hand while petting his friend's dog at the same time as me. Nice, ay? Well, I can't remember if I really let him hold my hand that night, but nonetheless I was humored by the whole situation. He asked me out again, and had another group date and he impressed ME this time with his cooking skills! He cooked fajitas for at least 12 people. On our third date, we went on yet another group date, this time to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights and then to the symphony. We were standing there, looking up at the beautiful Salt Lake Temple, when out of the blue I had this distinct impression that THIS was the guy I was going to marry. It was a surreal experience - but the message was very clear. It COMPLETELY freaked me out! We hadn't even kissed yet! Well, that is until my doorstep that night. So the story goes on, but

about six weeks later we were engaged, and 5 months later married. So there you have it! One of those whirlwind, only-in-Utah dating stories. The poor missionary ended up with a 'Dear John' on Valentines Day (I had no idea that would happen and I felt awful when I heard), and the girl across the hall was a little jealous, but we all came out okay. :) One more neat thing to add, is that after we were engaged, we decided to read one another's Patriarchal blessings. We were astonished to discover that we had our blessings given on the EXACT SAME DAY! September 15th, 1996 -- my 17th birthday. It was a neat confirmation that we were doing the right thing and especially incredible to think that we were promised many of the very same things on the same day!!!

And here we are NINE YEARS LATER! I can't believe it! We've truly been blessed. We sacrificed much to forge through and get Chris through EIGHT years of school to attain his Pharmacy degree. It has rewarded us with job security and a comfortable, stable income for our family. Education truly does open the door of opportunity and I'm so grateful to Chris for working so hard for so many years to get us to this point. It was well worth it and has been a joyous and refining journey over the years. The completion of school for him along with the birth of our 2 beautiful kids are our greatest achievements thus far. Marriage isn't always easy, that is for sure. But the best things in life never are and are so worth every bump in the road, as long as they are taken together.

Here's to a WONDERFUL LIFE!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Chris!

I love you!

Card from a 2 year old

Is the picture below a great one? No. Is it the most recent of the three of them and the best of the few I took? Yes. :) Chris unfortunately had to work on Father's Day. However, that doesn't mean that he got out the door without some celebrations first. Father's Day morning, Parker lovingly gave Chris a 6 a.m. wake up call and dragged him downstairs to excitedly present him with the card he had ever-so artistically made for his Daddy the day before (I was still sound asleep and didn't even realize that Parker had taken note of the drawer I had tucked the card into!)

Here is the card: It reads:
Dear Dad:
You are nice and fuzzy. I like to play with you. I especially like to roll the ball with you. You are silly. I want to go to Disneyland with you.
I love you, Dad!
I of course wrote it for him, however he narrated every word to me with no help! I thought it was so cute. I had to repeat back the "fuzzy" part to him three times to be sure that is really what he had said, and sure it enough, it was. He makes me laugh -what a little character. He even signed his signature "P" at the bottom (the bottom of the P is cut off in the pic, but for the record it really is a P, not a D.:)).
In addition to the card, Parker also gave his Daddy a mini-sized soccor ball (made for smaller kids) so that he can teach him to play the team sport, as Chris' entire family are longtime soccor players/fans.
Among a few other clothing items and gifts, Chris also received an exciting leaf blower for the big day. We later went over to enjoy some dessert with extended family on the Hansen side.
HaPpY FaThErS DaY, Chris!
Our kids are blessed to have such a great guy as their Daddy!
We love you.

Forget the dinosaurs, where are the bones?

Last Wednesday we went to a free dinosaur exhibit down at BYU. Beforehand, we told Parker that we were going to go and see some dinosaurs. His eyes got big and he said, "Are they nice ones?". We went on to explain that the creatures lived a long, long time ago and so we were just going to be looking at their bones. Upon arrival and after assessing the T-Rex (okay, I'm not completely sure that's a T-Rex) Parker said, "I want to see some bones. Where are the bones?" We said, "These ARE the bones, Parker. You're looking at them." A couple minutes later he repeated, "But where are the BONES? I want to see some bones!" He went on to question us about this over and over again. Chris and I just had to laugh. He didn't quite get it.

Emmie on the other hand, was quite impressed and was clapping at the dinosaurs from her stroller and flashing them big grins.

This is the perfect example of our kids these days and their personalities.

Parker's never quite satisfied... But Emmie, she's pretty easy to please.

On a sidenote: The middle pictures are of a CROCODILES HEAD who was 37 FEET LONG! CRAZY! That big guy was found in Texas.

In Parker's defense, I can't really blame him for not really comprehending the whole dinosaur thing. It's hard for ME to wrap my 29-year-old brain around the idea that these massive guys really once roamed the earth, so I guess I'm not too worried that he really isn't getting it at 2! :) In thinking about it even more, he is OBSESSED with feeding the dog her bones and has quite a strange fettish with them, so I think he must have had it in his head that we were going to see an exhibit of doggy bones. After all, that is his understanding of what bones are at the moment.

Sorry to disappoint the little guy! :) Maybe we'll just have take Parker on a whirl around PetsMart for our next little field trip...

Happily Ever After...

My cute little brother and his darling fiance, Kylie, got married last Thursday, June 11th in the Salt Lake Temple! It was SUCH a fun day. Steven was beaming with pride as he escorted his stunning bride around the rainy temple grounds. She looked so beautiful in her white dress and red sash - I LOVED it! There was a huge downpour of rain just prior to them exiting the temple, but luckily it cleared up for family pictures. Unlucky for them, the rains turned back on after the family portion of pictures ended. JUNE 11, 2009
The reception was at a place called the Canterbury up in Bountiful. What a neat place! The colors were red and pink with a lime green accent, and everything looked super cute. Parker was in HEAVEN.... between the yummy candy bar (is that the cutest thing? Bethany and Brett had one too and whoever came up with the idea gets a giant gold star - LOVE THEM! ) and having TONS of room to run around, it's pretty safe to say he had a ball. He even snuck into their getaway limo (a surprise for Kylie) to test it out before the bride and groom made their way into it. Parker and Emmie got their grooves on when the music turned up and the dancing started. Emmie (who was sooo tired by that point) got this huge grin on her face, laid herself on the floor, and just started rolling around and laughing to the beat. I was so busy laughing and snapping her picture, I'm not sure anyone else even caught the moment, but she definitely had me smiling! She loves music - it's so cute.
At the end of the night, the happy couple made their exit through a man made hall of sparklers and off they went into their white stretch limo....
What a GREAT DAY! Exhausting with kids, I tell ya, but so fun.
I am soooo happy for them and I'm thrilled to be getting Kylie as a new sister!
CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS S&K!!!
What are the newlyweds up to now???
Oh they are off honeymooning on a Caribbean cruise....
Nope. No jealousy here. Not at all.
Okay, maybe just little. More though of just the thought of an hour or two of just laying in the sun with a yummy fruity beverage with a little umbrella in it with NO INTERRUPTIONS would give me great satisfaction. I don't need the whole ten day trip. Just a couple of hours of it. THAT'S what makes me breathe out a "Wow, that'd be nice" sigh.

Anyone else???
You have to have small rambunctious kids to even begin to relate to me here. :)

9 months already??

Our beautiful little Emmie is 9 MONTHS OLD!

Although she is growing up way too fast, we are having the time of our lives watching her grow and are thoroughly enjoying every minute of her stinkin' cute little personality. She is the SWEETEST little thing and we feel tremendously blessed to have her in our family.

Here are her nine month stats:

WEIGHT: 17.68 lbs, 31st %ile

HEIGHT: 27 inches, 34th %ile

HEAD: 17 inches, 28th %ile

Our Little Em is constantly on-the-go and into everything! She is still putting every little trinket she can find into her mouth, and is still OBSESSED with eating paper. I have to swab her mouth intermittently throughout the day to see if she's snuck (is that a word?) anything past me and sure enough, often I'll find paper stuck to the roof of her mouth or packed into the side of her cheek. I'm not sure what this means except that maybe we have a future scrapbooker on our hands???

In case you're wondering, no, we really don't have paper just lying around everywhere... but if any form of paper is to hit the ground, the little stink will suck it until it fits into her little chops... i.e. one of Parker's flash cards or memory cards, a clothing tag that was just removed, etc. etc....the second she sees it, she grabs for it!

The girl LOVES her big brother! If she hears his voice, she has to go hunt him down. Parker doesn't as easily return the adoration, but he definitely appreciates that his sister thinks he is hysterically funny. Emmie LOVES her brother's silly antics and he sure can make her giggle.

She is saying "Da Da" and "Ma Ma" and loves to clap her hands. She is such a happy, happy girl and I am happy to report that she is pretty much back to sleeping through the night.

She isn't quite standing by herself yet, but is constantly pulling herself to a standing position and is cruising a little bit. She tries to climb the stairs and we are having to constantly keep an eye on her. I am so not ready for her to walk so I am hoping she'll keep at this pace for at least a few more months! :) Don't grow up TOO fast on us, Em!

We LoVe YoU EmMiE!

Thanks for all the smiles you bring into our home everyday! We adore you and couldn't have "ordered" a more perfect little girl.

I still can't believe you're ours!

Hello summer BBQ's!

We just got....

A PATIO!

Hooray!

It was just finished on Tuesday and I am so excited about it that I had to share.... I feel like we just added square footage onto our house & it's so nice that Parker can go out and ride his trike around without constant supervision (he obviously doesn't get far, but still!). :)
One summer project down....now we're contemplating finishing the rest of our basement.
If anyone knows of a good licensed electrician in the Salt Lake/Utah Valley area that may be in need of some work, please send their names our way!

Specs

Hey Grandma Jane.... are you missing anything?

I think someone over here may have found your glasses....:)

Might I add that he thinks he's pretty hot stuff in them, too.....

Can't argue with that, can I?

Dear Roxy

Dear Roxy: I owe you an apology. I am so sorry for sucking your tail up into the vaccum last week while I was cleaning the kitchen floor. It was completely unintentional, as was the way I frantically switched it to two other settings making the situation worse before finally turning it off and helping to free what was left of your precious little tail. You had such a hurt look in your eyes, and despite what you may have thought, it was purely accidental. I truly wanted to cry for the pain I caused you. I am so sorry!

The truth of the matter is that

somedays I just have way too many little ones under my feet. It gets really tricky dodging everyone. I will have to try harder though, that is all there is to it.

Oh, and please forgive Parker for thinking the ordeal was hysterically funny. His continuous laughter was completely inappropriate. Someday he'll understand that pain inflicted upon you is no laughing matter, and he'll be sorry for getting a kick out of it.

Please find it in your heart to forgive us.

Sincerely Yours,

Michelle & Family

Spoiled

On Mother's Day morning, the cute boys in my life

(shown here:)made me breakfast and then sent me on a treasure hunt. Yes, a treasure hunt. My sweet husband is not only good looking, but he's also creative & thoughtul!

So check out my treasure: That shiny beauty is just what you think it is -- A NEW LAPTOP!
I was so surprised -- I had no idea that was coming! We inherited my little brother's laptop four years ago when he left on his mission & I have LOVED it, however, it is slowly dying. I've been afraid to load pictures onto it for about a year now and so whenever I want to make a blog post, etc or do anything with photos, I have to go to our office in the basement (the only finished room downstairs). So, he gave me this so that I can do everything I need to from wherever I want to!
What a guy, ay?
Thanks again, Honey.
I LOVE it!

Yeehaw

WeDnEsDaYs.... I love them!

They are Chris' day off so I either am able to get a lot accomplished on those days because he's home to help with the kids, or we get to go and do something fun together!

Last week we opted for FUN and went to the

Thanksgiving Point Farm. I love that place. It's cheap to get in and it makes for a fun family activity. (Oh, and I really really love the precious little goats!) This was our first trip there this year and Parker was finally old enough to actually want to go on a pony ride. He rode twice and our little cowboy was all smiles. As was Emmie - from her stroller.

It was great to be outside and enjoy the nice 70's weather.

It's so nice to be out of hibernation. :)

Who knew?

LIVING PROOF THAT

BLIND DATES

REALLY CAN BE A DREAM COME TRUE: After being set up on a blind date a year ago last December, Chris' sister, Bethany got married to Brett last Saturday!

It was an exciting day and we are sooo happy for them!

Congratulations, you two!

Hope you're living it up in Hawaii right now.

And who is the genius (I am of course totally kidding here) behind getting these two together? Ahem. Not to take credit or anything, but it was none other than myself! :)

It's amazing how what is simply meant to be is MEANT TO BE and how it all just comes together as it should.... with a little help from the Mastermind above that is... :)

8 Things Tag

I was tagged by my friend Sara...it was fun to read hers, so I thought I'd play along, too.

Here goes...

8 Things I’m Looking Forward to:
1. Disneyland with my kids (coming September 2009)
2. Getting out of grad school student loan debt (coming 2050…)
3. Finishing our basement
4. Finding bedding I love so that I can finally decorate our master bedroom (low on the priority list however)
5. To be done with nursing so that I can have my body back and my hormones “normalized” for a minute
6. Summer… warm weather, playing outside with my kids, parks, barbeques, snow cones, the zoo…
7. Watching my kids grow and develop their talents
8. Honestly, life is pretty good these days….I’m just trying to enjoy the moment - as cliché as that may sound


8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Took care of my kiddos
2. Played ‘hide and seek’ the blocks with Parker at least 7 times
3. Negotiated (successfully) with Parker to eat some chicken at lunchtime
4. Went to the Hansens and ate some authentic Mexican homemade tacos whipped up by my brother in law, Zach (which by the way were delicious)
5. Jumped on a tramp with Parker and our nephew Atticus

6. Played Wii Fit for a few minutes while being instructed by my bro in law, Dustin

7. Drove home with 2 screaming kids an hour and a half past their bedtime

8. Watched Little People Big World with Chris before crashing into bed

8 Things I wish I could do :
1. Take my kids to the grocery store without Parker having a major meltdown

2. Snap my fingers in the morning and have my hair done and makeup on

3. Afford to have all of my laundry dry cleaned or done by someone other than myself

4. Go somewhere tropical with my husband

5. Leave the house without it taking a good hour to pack everything/everyone up

6. Go back to school and get a masters degree in Occupational Therapy or counseling

7. Sing (I’m with you Sara – I can’t carry a tune to save my life)

8. Ensure my Emmie and Parker’s protection from all the scary things out there in the world

8 Shows I watch
1. American Idol! It makes me so happy….

2. The Bachelor (I admit it too, Sara – you’re not the only one!)
3. Little People Big World
4. The Office (although I’m like 5 episodes behind)
5. The Today Show… no – not all 3 hours – I’m lucky if I get 10 minutes in but I LOVE to watch the news and be up on current events
6. Jon & Kate plus 8 (on occasion…)
7. What Not to Wear (maybe once every few months?)
8. Little Einsteins
(The only one that is a priority these days is American Idol… I’m always so sad when it ends!)

8 People I tag
Jeanine
Ali
Jill
Amanda
Alicia
Marsha
Karen

Cami

Curlers for calics

I bought these curlers for Emmie a few weeks ago in hopes to try and tame her unruly calic that sits right up front and insists on standing straight up at all times....

(I just wanted the tiny ones but had to purchase this whole pack to get them, in case you were wondering.) After spotting them in the drawer the other morning, Parker exclaimed,

"Hey Mom! What are THESE for?

BIG BOYS???"

The sweet little guy was so serious about his question & then his own immediate guess at the answer that I couldn't help laughing & I smiled about it the rest of the day.

Oh how I love my little P....

Feelin' like a lucky girl

Things have been a little hectic with life this last couple weeks. Or really you could say this last couple of MONTHS! Things should start slowing down for a minute & today is the first day that I can even remember that I don't have something scheduled or something I am crazy busy with and having to get done. Well, besides cleaning and doing laundry since those things have been somewhat neglected amidst the chaos and my house is a total wreck- - but I'm not stressing over that today. We'll leave that to tomorrow. I felt like such a lucky girl waking up this morning and knowing that I had nothing on the agenda. And to top it off, I woke up to this beautiful bouquet: with an attached giftcard and sweet note from my husband saying that I have a facial scheduled for me today at 4:15!

HOW SWEET IS THAT?!

I really am a lucky girl.

THANKS HONEY! You're the best. :)

I've had several facials done at this spa before and it was seriously one of the most relaxing things I've ever experienced!
Hope you're having a good day, too!

Welcome Home Zach!

Yesterday, Chris' youngest brother, Zach, got home from serving his 2 year mission in North Carolina (Spanish speaking!). We were all so excited to meet him at the airport...Oh the anticipation!HOORAY!!!Parker was just a month older than Emmie (9 months) when Elder Hansen left, so we were sooooo excited for Parker to be reunited with Zach as Parker just adores all of his uncles and we knew he'd love this one, too! Then again, it'd be really hard not to love Zach! He's truly one of the kindest guys you'll ever meet. His big grin is purely genuine!Parker and Uncle Zach, already having fun together!

Chris and his siblings, minus Eric (who lives in Texas).

The missionary with his adorable Grandma and Grandpa LonczynaWELCOME HOME ZACH!

We are so proud of your service this past two years and can't wait to catch up on all that has transpired in the time that you've been gone!

And the fun events don't stop here.... Bethany and Brett (above left) are getting married a week from Saturday! It's an exciting, busy time to be a Hansen!

Goodbye sleep and get on your running shoes, Emmie is in the house!

SHhhhhh.......

Do you hear that? Ahhhh. It's almost hard to even recognize these days....yes, that's right.

It's PEACE AND QUIET!

You better read fast because who knows how long it will last....!

Sheesh. I'm exhausted. I feel like this last few months have been so crazy busy, I haven't had a moment to sit down - let alone think. You may recognize that I've had a little lull in blogging lately...Why is that, you ask? (I know you're really not wondering, or even caring - I just have to pretend that you do to make myself feel better about life ;))

Well, it's been in large part due to this sweet little face: Yes, our sweet little angel Emmie, who hardly made a peep in her first six months of life, has really become quite - how should I say this - BUSY? SPIRITED? SUPER QUICK BUT CLUMSY? ACCIDENT PRONE BECAUSE SHE'S TRYING TO DO WAY TOO MUCH WAY TOO EARLY? NO LONGER MY INCREDIBLE SLEEPER THAT I COULD JUST LAY DOWN AND SHE'D FALL ASLEEP?... Yeah, basically all of those things and more but I can't come up with one word to combine it all.

So basically, to sum it up, my baby is growing up. *SIGH* Yes, I knew it was inevitable but I just didn't expect the mobility part to onset quite so early.

The main milestones that have brought about these changes???

Two things: 1)TEETHING. It happened right at six months. Her two bottom middle teeth sprouted through & since then the girl has only slept through the night a couple of times, and it takes a lot of work to get her to sleep. The hardest part is that she screams now when putting her down, which keeps up Parker, or vice versa, which has made the bedtime routine last up to 2 and a half hours which is really no fun. That right there has eliminated any small 'blog' time that I used to be able to squeeze in. My fingers are crossed that this 'phase' will change back over quickly...

2) HER LIGHTNING CRAWLING PACE mixed with her awfully early attempts at being an acrobat keeps me from cleaning, cooking, sitting, eating, using the bathroom, etc. for more than about three seconds at a time. She gets from here to there in a flash and has definitely been working her tail off to let her presence be known in this family for the last 8 weeks or so. In turn I have been running ragged to keep up with this precious and not so "quiet" anymore baby girl, all the while trying to keep my animated, somewhat demanding little Parker entertained. Anyone with a mobile infant knows what I am talking about. How about using an exersaucer or a bouncer, etc. to contain her? Those don't satisfy her for long at all. This girl wants to MOVE! OR be held. That works too, but it keeps me from the three seconds of 'free' time to get anything somewhat accomplished.

The Stink Bug is already pulling herself to a standing position...much to my dismay. 7 months is WAY too early for this if you ask me. I am definitely not one of those moms who thinks that having an early walker means that my child is destined for Harvard...I just think early mobility sets them up for a lot more accidents. And it has... she's already got a scar on her elbow from falling and I think she's bumped her head more in her 7 months than Parker has in his 2 1/2 years. There is plenty of time for the awkward frankenstein walk later. So I am hoping she is satisfied with just pulling herself up for at least 5 months or so. :)
Oh, and so much for the Bumbo chair... she gets herself out of it! This is partly where her acrobatic skills have come in handy for her.
Onto some of her other skills...
She's getting more used to baby food and cereal although I wouldn't say she loves it yet, she DOES love these dissolvable rice crackers for babies called "Mum Mums" that my sweet friend Karen introduced us to. She has also started saying "Da da".

Despite her hurry to grow up on us, one thing that has stayed the same is that she's still a total sweetheart. We LOVE having this baby girl in our family! She is all smiles (unless I put her in her crib), ADORES her big brother with whom she LOVES to share bathtime with, has an insatiable hunger and radar for paper, wants to be in on the action at all times, already has a teasing sense of humor, still has a crazy (& I mean crazy) calic in the front of her hair, has the cutest dimpled chubby cheeks you'll ever see, and has the most precious countenance (mixed with a bit of impatience these days, but who isn't at fault for that once in a while?).
She is so much fun - just like her brother - even though some days the pair of them completely wear Chris and I out.
But... that's what parenthood entails... and that's partly why I love blogging... because so many of us are in the midst of this crazy, busy fulfilling time of life. We can understand and relate with each other's experiences, all the while recording our own moments so that we can still cherish them in years to come, when our memories are a little faded and our brains are completely fried due to this role called
MOMMYHOOD. :)

If you actually read that entire post - BLESS YOU! And thanks for tuning in to my ridiculously long posts. :) If you did not, I don't blame you!

Easter. What else?

Oh how I love Easter. We had an exciting, busy, fun-filled Sunday. Here is our morning just prior to church....Parker's highlight? Besides the egg hunts, his primary concern for the day was each and every piece of chocolate he found in each plastic egg. He carefully put them into a pile as he opened each egg, while the egg hunts were in progress. Forget the jellybeans, not interested. This little man is all about the chocolate. What about all of the fun presents he got from Grandmas and Grandpas and in his baskets? Even they weren't even as cool as the chocolates. (aka Reeses PB cups and Hershey's kisses and chocolate eggs)

Emmie's highlight? The paper grass in her basket. Her favorite thing to play with and attempt to eat these days is PAPER. She bypasses any toys and will find any magazine, wrapper, or stray piece of paper she can possibly find to put in her mouth. Yes, I have found pieces of the Ensign magazine in her poopy diapers. What a lovely surprise, I know.

Onto Sunday afternoon........

My sweet Grandma on my Dad's side- Mimi (middle pic)- has a huge Easter egg hunt every Easter in her home. She hides over a hundred plastic eggs filled with treats and even money. Whatever lucky soul finds the big, bonus, gold egg, walks away with big money in his pocket. She also always finds the cutest gifts (along with my Dad) to fill up our baskets with. To say we have been spoiled by she and my Dad on Easter over the years is an understatement. They always go the extra mile to make holidays special!

Easter at the Hansens... yet another fun egg hunt, a (very!) delicious dinner and lots of attention for Parker and Emmie from adoring aunts and uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and Great Gpa and Gma. It is always a fun party at the Hansens and Parker just basks in all of the attention. We'll see how this first grandchild thing shapes him over the years. :)

THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING IT YET ANOTHER GREAT EASTER!
P.S. Since Sunday Chris and I have gone on at least another 7 or so egg hunts set up by Parker in our very own family room! Hiding the eggs and having us find them is one of his favorite pasttimes. He sachets around the room and helps us out by saying "Oh! Oh! Here's one! Here's one!" He had teams of people helping HIM find the eggs on Easter, so I guess he's just returning the favor. I just love my Little Parker.


T

A quick getaway

The kids and I headed South for St. George last Saturday to visit my Mom and Stepdad. Chris met up with us halfway through.

Here's a little recap of our trip...Chris was excited to show Parker how to fly a kite, but it was a little TOO windy, so we didn't last long at the park.

Parker encountered a lizard in the backyard, screamed, "Mouse!", and started crying. Reed had to educate him on the reptile he had spotted, and once he learned that they weren't going to attack him, he started hunting for them.

We checked out the pool at the community center, and even went on a little easter egg hunt in the backyard.

An added bonus? We were able to avoid 25 degrees & a snow storm in Salt Lake!

We went to this Pirate's Island restaurant one night. It was really cute and a lot of fun. Parker was entertained playing the arcade games (okay, we all were!). Parker helping Grandma Jane in the kitchen on a step stool, and Emmie just happy to hang out, as usual.

Parker was in Dog Heaven...I dare say that the dogs were NOT! Trying to dodge my 2 1/2 year old the entire time, they were on their toes. There were FOUR of them! Our Roxy came with us, plus their three. CRAZY! But not as crazy as I expected. They are good little dogs.

Parker was endlessly entertained going in and out of the doggy door, which leads into the master bedroom closet.

Oh, the thrills of a 2 year old.......

And one of the greatest parts? The Childrens Place outlet store! I got FIVE of these items for only $1.99 each, and the other two for $2.99! My kids will fit into them next Fall and winter. I got them all for under $20, and had I paid full price they would have been almost $100!
Now that is what I call a bargain!
Yes, in case you were wondering, I absolutely pride myself in & LOVE finding a great deal! :)

THANKS Mom and Reed for letting us come and visit!
Parker is already asking to go back.

VICTORY

THE BIG DAY FINALLY ARRIVED.........

So I've totally put off the potty training thing due to other people's horror stories and my pediatrician's advice to not start little boys until they are closer to three years old.

Well, the big three is quickly approaching us this coming July, and the last few weeks I started feeling gutsy and started talking up going in the potty to Parker. I got him all excited about it and he finally seemed interested, so I decided that once we got back from St. George that we would attempt the dreaded potty training.

But Parker had other plans. On a whim we went ahead and bought 'The Potty' while we were (finally) purchasing a double stroller at Babies R' Us last week. Upon bringing it inside the house, Parker immediately insisted on taking it out of the box, then demanded that we take off his jeans and diaper. O-kay... I wasn't going to start this for another week (this is before St. George), but hey, if the kid wanted to give it a go, I wasn't going to argue with him. We took off his diaper, put the potty in the bathroom, he sat down, and walah!!! To our utter amazement, our little Parker peed in the tiny toilet! He also sprayed the floor, but heck, I didn't even care. My little boy just went pee pee in the potty! He then proceeded to jump up and down, do a VICTORY dance and give us high fives....Chris and I couldn't stop laughing.

In the midst of our celebration, he decided he wanted to do it again.... and again.... and again! Although his tiny bladder was empty of urine, his little body must have been so excited that it quickly made more. The kid was straining like I've never seen to get more and more out, but he was so thrilled to see any drops his body would produce, that Chris and I couldn't help but be happy for him. (This seriously went on for about 45 minutes...) Our baby boy is growing up.

We were so proud! :)

Then out came the big boy pants that I thankfully had on hand, which spurred on more celebrations, as you can see from the pictures. That pose on the right came with absolutely no coaxing.... I was just following him with my camera while loving the show.

Emmie was celebrating too... in the potty box!

She was so happy for her brother and squealed and grinned at all the excitement.

So yeah. You could say that last Wednesday was a pretty historic day in our home.

We're now in St. George and we're back in the diapers, but come next week, we're hoping for more victories and that the little guy will still be excited to fill up and empty his little potty.

Secretly, I'm terrified that this was too good of a start and that come next week he's going to have no interest in this....

If anyone has any good potty training advice ---please share! I'm clueles...

& ALL EARS!!! :)

Where does my time go again?

I saw this article (thanks Jana!) and just had to share... I love it!!! Just click on the image to enlarge and read... I think anyone who has kids can say 'AMEN' to this article!

Just tonight, as 8 p.m. rolled around, I actually debated whether I should:

a) Eat my uneaten dinner that I hadn't yet found time to eat

b) Collapse in my exhaustion on the bed because although I am starving, I am simply too tired to even care about eating

OR

c) Force myself to eat and then enjoy the rare, peaceful quiet that my household is offering me as my kids snore away, and get in my first 'me' moment of the day where I can sit and relax for more than 15 seconds without being needed by a little person...

Yes, today I chose C. Sometimes, by the end of the day, I just don't have the energy to return a phone call, to finish up the laundry that I didn't quite finish earlier on, to work on a craft or hobby that is just going to create yet another mess for myself to clean up. Sometimes I just want to SIT for a rare minute. And enjoy it. And recharge. So that I can take on another day of taking care of the two little people that I most love in this world. Because it truly is exhausting and consuming and the word "busy" does not begin to sum it all up.

But although it wears me out, and I can't remember what it is like to have a few hours to myself, it is truly the BEST. And I love it. And I wouldn't change it for the world. But until one has kids, they won't begin to understand how hectic yet fulfilling, challenging and rewarding, demanding yet joyous this lifestyle with little ones really is.

Although on the surface it may just look like lots of stinky diapers, temper tantrums, sleepless nights & constant giving of attention, it is so much more. And you have no idea what you are missing out on until you experience it.

I truly LOVE my kids and give thanks each day for the blessing it is of being their mother!

Nothing truly worthwhile in life comes without lots of hard work, that is for sure!

Sometimes I wonder what in the world I did with all my time before I had kids!

Green Day

This little munchkin wore her green yesterday.

(not a great pic, I know but one of the only ones I took of her yesterday...)

THIS one, however, did NOT...(Daddy dressed him. :)) Good thing we had this big green hat for him to wear. He thought it was PRETTY funny to put it on his little sis and watch her squirm while she tried to get it up over her eyes. (Sorry - I didn't catch any pics) He kept telling us, "I'm sooooo BUNNY (funny)!". This is his new favorite thing to tell us. Poor Emmie. I'm afraid this is just the beginning of the big brother/little sister taunting relationship. FUN times. Good thing Emmie is such a good sport. :)

The little Leprechaun and I had fun making some lucky sugar cookies.

Yeah, so, Parky went a little crazy with the sprinkles.

But hey, who doesn't like mouthfuls of green sprinkles???

I know Parker does.

Okay, so I don't mind the sugar either!