Disneyland

{Yes, back to blogging and determined to catch up!!:)}

DISNEYLAND 2013
On April 19th we left on an 11-day trip to California, 5 of which we spent in the Happiest Place on Earth! Yep, I said FIVE and we loved every minute of it!

Our hotel was the Anaheim Marriot Suites & with our package came free breakfast every morning. This wasn't just some lame continental breakfast... it was  the hotel's amazing in-house restaurant and it was SO GOOD! It was a buffet of fresh blueberry pancakes, French toast, a chef stood by at the omlette bar to whip up whatever kind of omlette you wished... there was bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, bagels, toast, cereal... anything and it was SUPER DELICIOUS!! We ended up being later than we wanted to the parks most days because we were enjoying our breakfast a little too much... but it was so worth it! And it was FREE! (We did tip the waiter of course!) I have to make note of it because as silly as it sounds, it really was one of the highlights of our trip, haha!

We spent 3 days in Disneyland and 2 in CA Adventure Park.

The weather was nice, but totally bipolar! Thank goodness I threw in leggings for the girls, and had to take them on and off depending on the time of day. It made for interesting outfits during the leggings-on moments, (they were long and didn't look so hot with their skirts) but they were just glad to be warm when we needed them!

 

CA Adventure Park!

(P & I in the front row)

 

The Tower of Terror. Parker of course loved. Emmie, on the other hand, was traumatized for life by this one. I will blame it on her Father who thought she was fine to go... and myself who reluctantly let her. When she came back wide-eyed and white as a ghost I knew we were really, really bad parents. Who lets their four year old ride the Tower of Terror?! Poor thing! She didn't scream or cry but her face said it all. Needless to say, she was not a returning passenger for this one.

Emmie was big enough for the Matterhorn this year, and at P & E's request, it was the first ride we rode of our trip and the very last. They LOVE it! Emmie was so brave and it didn't even make her flinch. I was desperately trying to hold onto her from my seat right behind her but she couldn't have cared less- wasn't scared at all.  I bet they went on it 8 or 9 times. Sadly, Big Thunder and Space Mountain were closed, but they both also loved Splash Mountain! My four-year-old was WAY braver than her thirty-something Mom on that huge hill. She loved it! Another one that she loved were the tea cups.

Another favorite was the (upside down!) Mickey roller coaster in CA Adventure. Emmie was too short for it (thank goodness;) so us girls stood on stand by while the boys rode it a bunch of times. I usually love roller coasters but I find that the older I am the less brave I am. Last time I rode this I got a huge headache so I elected to just sit this one out. Sadly, we didn't make it on the much-talked about new CARS ride. Whenever we went to use our Fastpass, it was broken down. :(

On Wednesday Steven, Kylie & Jack (who live in San Diego) came up and spent the day with us at Disney. It was so fun to see them and the kids loved seeing their cute cousin again! We actually randomly arrived at the exact same time and they parked right by us in the garage so we entered and exited with them. Talk about perfect timing. :)

Lexi liked the characters from afar but once up close she would lean as far away as she could from them. P & E had fun filling their autograph books.  

This little girl was such a trooper! She did a LOT of waiting while her older sibs rode the rides ( she could actually ride a good majority of them), and I don't think she cried once, sleep deprived and all! In the bottom left pic,  she was wandering around a shop grabbing all the characters while we waited for the others on Splash Mountain. She had just begun walking a week or two before, so she definitely had the shaky-baby walk going and people kept pointing out the cute little "walking" baby, thinking that she was much younger than she is. I heard several people say how "cute it is when babies walk at such a young age". I just smiled and didn't bother telling them that the "baby" was actually 19 months old, although she looks more like a 10 month old, LOL.

The night that Steven and Kylie were there, we walked right onto "Small World" as the parade was going. I had forgotten how that ride is about three hours long! In the middle of it, Emmie had that dreaded look of panic on her face. I knew immediately she had to go to the bathroom. The ride went on and on and then of course there was a big hold up with the boats and we sat there stuck for what seemed like forever. E was about in tears and ready to pee her pants.  I seriously contemplated jumping out and pulling her through the emergency exit but FINALLY our tour of the "Small"(But Really-Long-World) was over. She and I sprinted to the nearest restroom, barely making it. As she was finishing, I heard the Cinderella chime of the clock striking midnight, indicating closing time(which in D-Land in April is 8 p.m.). I  looked at her excitedly in the stall and explained  that the familiar sound was Cinderella's clock. Her eyes widened on her cute, super sleepy, dazed face, and she gasped as she tried process what I was telling her.
 Making one of my favorite moments of the trip, she looked at me in all seriousness and drama that only Emmie can convey, & said, (eyes wide as ever),
"Is she COMING???".
I love my Emmie.
& this is why I love Disney.
The wonder and awe and believing  in something magical that ignites the imaginations of us all through this awesome place.
 

Another one of our favorites from this trip was Goofy's Kitchen. We went there in 2010 and knew we had to go back. And we didn't regret. It's pricey, but so worth it! Our kids loved it! We had dinner there on our last night and had great food, way fun character interaction...it was the perfect way to end our Disney adventure. Minnie was especially excited that us girls had coordinating outfits. She doted on Parker like crazy and made him blush a few times.
 I love that my kids think these peeps are real. I realize that it won't last forever and I'm going to relish every minute of their young innocence.
 We love you Disneyland!
We had such a wonderful time and the kids are asking when we get to go back!
Next stop? San Diego!

Easter Getaway

A week after the wedding we headed down South to St. George for warmer weather and for a Spring Break/Easter getaway.

My heart melted when I looked up to catch this on one of our excursions...:

 

 *SIGH*
These two BFF's had a great time hiking, swimming,  & playing at the park... not to mention the Easter Festivities.

 

Hiking in Snow Canyon! P was pretty excited to come across the lava rocks & insisted on a pic.

Hiking in Pioneer Park... this place is awesome! P & E loved exploring the red rocks here and Lexi was such a trooper strapped to Chris' back in the hot sun.

On Saturday we hit the Arts festival in town and enjoyed some Van Gogh, a carousel ride and snow cones, which proved to be a little piece of heaven in the blazing heat (Chris will tell you it was 76 degrees but I'm telling you it was more like 96:)).

On Easter Eve back at Grandma Jane's and Gpa Reed's we did some egg dying and had a yummy BBQ.


Easter morning we threw on our Easter getup (which yes, conveniently was also our wedding gear the week before), took a few quick pics and flew out the door to make 9 am church. Poor Lex, you can tell she looks sick. She seemed to have a little bit of a cold, but, two days later, while still in St George I noticed that her heart rate was really rapid and that she seemed to be breathing funny. She also had a fever of 103. She ended up in Instacare and had a steroid injection because of stridor breathing and a diagnosis of an ear infection and Croupe. Strange, because she hadn't been coughing but the doctor said she was on her way to becoming dangerously ill so it was a good thing we took her in. Poor Lex. Needless to say, she and I sat out the rest of the activities on the trip.
Back to Easter....

The kids loved the Easter Egg hunt after church and I loved (as much fun as it always is), not running from place to place like we usually do on this day.

Easter is such a special day and I'm grateful to be able to reflect on the life of our Savior Jesus Christ, his atoning sacrifice and for the celebration this holiday signifies of the Resurrection. Having lost loved ones prematurely, I am especially touched on this day and grateful for the knowledge that not only does our Lord and Savior live again, but that through him, and because of him, we have the promise of eternal life for our loved ones as well!

Easter Getaway - Success! :)
 

Happily Ever After

It was a cold & snowy March day, but the clouds parted and the sun greeted our faces as we came out of Sarah and Shad's temple sealing.
 

The very happy couple!
Sarah waited for Shad as he served his 2 year mission to Africa, so this was a long-awaited day for them!

 

The Six Hansen Sibs surrounding their Baby Bride Sis

The reception was DARLING and these pictures don't do it justice! The food was amazing-  and I forgot to take a picture of the adorable cookie  bar - my favorite!

Best pic I got of my babies in the chaos that goes on right before a wedding reception!
 Notice P's cheeks... they are stuffed with lemon drops which he kept stealing throughout the night. At one point I caught him with EIGHT in his mouth at the same time! He ended up with one crazy canker sore the following week and I don't even want to think about what the findings will be at his next dentist appointment.

Check out Miss Pouty Pants!

In my efforts to eliminate a lot of red eye in this pic, I somehow managed to give half of us
glowing-alien eye instead... and I can't fix it!
Oh well, we look... cool, right?  :)

Mmmm the cupcakes were SO good. And Cousin Chunk - he is just SO cute!

 

 

The night ended with some pretty sweet dance moves!...

But my favorite moment of the night was the bride dancing with her Dad.
Such a tender scene....and I'm not gonna lie - I had to get a tissue.
So sweet!
 It can't be easy to give your baby daughter away on her wedding day and I could just tell that she and Lance were savoring every second of this historical dance together.

Congrats Sare and Shad!
Shad is just such a great guy (!!!) and we are super happy to have him join the Hansen Crew!

Last year's funny sayings...

I ran across a notebook that I kept last year of some of the funny things Parker and Emmie said. I had intentions of recording it all here, so that I can laugh at these things forever, but never did. Some of these are from 14 months ago, but, better late than never!

EMMIE winter/spring 2012
- 3 years old (& a few at 4)

E had quite the imagination at 3. She would tell us the most random, outrageous stories, and she would recite them with such fluidity and ease and such a straight face that it was a bit disturbing incredulous that  the lying skills imagination of such a young person could be so sharp. 
Here's an example of one that I wrote down:
We were driving when she suddenly yelled out,
 "OH NOOOOOO! Some bad guys hit my elephant, and now he's dead!"
Me (confused) - "Ummm, your stuffed elephant in your room?"
E- "No! My real one, in the forest! Some bad guys jumped out at him and said, "PEEKABOO!", and they hit him, and now he's dead!". (Said with all seriousness and drama imaginable!) She went on to whimper for her loss for hours after the "incident".

2/27/12: Hands on her hips, jumping up and down she explained, "This is what I do when little tiny bad guys come!".

In the early months of 2012, Emmie would always say, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?". This particular time she finished with, "I have to go to the bathroom! Now!".

2/17/12 - Commentary on my homemade mac n cheese:
"Mmmm! Tastes like sugar cookies!".
No wonder it's her favorite dish! Sugar cookies for dinner? Yes please!:)

2/8/12- Was playing in the bathroom sink and when I told her to drain it, she said, "But my MERMAIDS! They have to swim!!".

3/2/12: "Mom, could you help me eat? My hands are kinda busy right now.".

"Mom, if I'm freezing, I'm frozen!"

A Harlem Globetrotters commercial was on TV and she exclaimed, "FOOTBALL! I LOVE football!".

Me- "Emmie, these things don't go on the stairs." 
 Emmie- "WELL, RAPUNZEL and I are having a sleepover!".

"Mom, call Santa RIGHT NOW and tell him that I am the goodest and that Parker is NOT!".

"Well, when I was a kid with my old parents...." (She used to tell us all the time about her "old family")

(Talking on her phone..) "Well, I will beat you up!!".
Me- "Emmie, don't talk like that".
E- Well Mo-om, I'm talking to a bad guy!".
Well in that case....

10/21012  Playing with an entourage of stuffed animals and me trying to put them away..."No, don't take Darth Vader! But he's so handsome!".  ???

12/2012: "Mom, if we put TWO lip glosses on, (head nod), STYLISH!!!"

PARKER: 5 years old

2/1/12 "Mom, am I going to be Lexi's Mom and Dad when I grow up?".

2/7/12 "Mom, I found one of Emmie's elastics in my pants. I wonder how it got there? Maybe a genie put it down there..." Hmmm...maybe...

2/4/12 ( I was nursing Lexi) "Mom, will Lexi have milk in her dimples too someday? Oh, I mean, nipples."

2/24/12 Lexi was four months old and Parker said, "I think Lexi likes this world!".

"No one's cuter than Lexi".

As I was trying to snap a photo P said, "Just 2 pictures, Mom. I need to get back to coloring."

We were at McDonalds and there was a little boy at the table next to us eating a hamburger. Parker looked at it and said, "Mom, what IS that?". (I realized at that moment that my kids have never had hamburgers, haha!)

2/2012 (Parker was 5 years old) "Mom, how many weeks until Easter?"
 Me-"6".
 P-"Oh, so, 42 days?".
Totally normal to be doing multiplication in preschool, right? This kid is a bit of a math whiz I'm tellin' ya!

3/2012 P- "Mom, I hope that when we're resurrected, that Heavenly Father gives Lexi back to us, because she's the best baby!!". Me too buddy!

8/2012: P-"Mom, why does Roxy (the dog) wrestle?? She's a GIRL, plus, she's OLD!!". Good question, Bud!

8/28/12 "Mom, I wonder why Heavenly Father doesn't answer MY prayers... because I always pray to help us share toys, and then we never do!".

8/2012-"Mom, can I be done with my French fries, because they're a lot of fat!". 

The Green Holiday

 

St Patrick's Day...

I know, it's a lame holiday.
But for the fun of the kiddos, I play along.
Kind of. 
It fell on a Sunday this year, so the kids dressed up in their green the Friday before for school, since Emmie was having a St. P's party that day.

This little cutie showing off her newly acquired skill of standing (without assistance)!



 We had no Leprechaun tricksters this year, but the kids did find baggies of green treats on our doorstep after church.  Nothing too exciting but the kids thought it was awesome.
 I'm all about trying to create awesomeness for my kids, but
why I contribute to the crazy parade of sugar that begins on Halloween and marches right through Easter, is a good question. The six pounds that I've gained since Christmas is so not cool, and the only thing I can really attribute it to has been my lack of self control with all these sweets in my house! I never creep over a certain weight, unless I'm pregnant, and I'm a little freaked out to see triple digits on the scale!
It's truly a little ridiculous all the hoards of candy we end up with post Christmas, V-Day, St P Day and Easter.
I'm thinking next year we'll just celebrate with green smoothies and call it good! As for Easter.... carrots and deviled eggs will have to be our new go-to.
As Chris says, "It's got to stop!".
I concur. Yes, it does.
Meanwhile, you'll find me on the treadmill.
Well, hopefully anyways. :)

 

March Sunday afternoon impromptu photo shoot

The weather is finally warming up around here. Well, maybe not today since it (barely) snowed here last night, but on a whole,  the much-anticipated signs of warmer days and the end of hibernation are finally taking notice. Our tulips are budding up through the ground,  the neighborhood crowd of kiddos are reuniting on their bikes and scooters, little knocks of friends asking to play with P and E are rapping at our door, and the sun which has been rare this last 4-5 months is making a welcome appearance. I am an admitted homebody, so I don't mind the excuse of staying in and laying low during the winter months, but by the season's end I am itching to get out again and interact more with our amazing friends/neighbors on our street.

One Sunday afternoon in March, it was barely and finally warm enough, so I conned our crew outside right after church to take a few pictures.

Lexi wasn't so willing for the group pics (this is the best I could get her), but warmed up after a bit. She is quite the moody little one so that kind of sums her up, although in her defense it was also lunch time and her afternoon nap was calling her name.
 On a side note, Emmie is a bit overdressed, even for church, but she wore this dress to Uncle Dustin's wedding in October and we are trying to make good use of it (and no better place for doing that than church, right?). Also, E insists on wearing that necklace (which is mine) every time she wears this dress.
 She thinks it's just so "stylish".:)

This little 6 year old is getting so big! His size 6 pairs of pants that he just started fitting into last Fall are already just about too short on him. Good thing we will be transitioning to shorts soon.
His reading skills are pretty amazing and he can read just about anything. When my phone dings with a text he will run it to me, telling me what it says. Not sure I love that. :) And our days of Chris and I being able to spell things to each other when we don't want our kids to know what we're talking about are over...we're entering into a new phase!
This early riser is such sweet little guy, a definite chatter box talking nonstop from sun up to sun down, and so smart it's a little scary at times. He is excited to start the spring soccer season and he is also playing T-ball this spring with a bunch of his buddies. He LOVES to play outside and be with his friends.

This little 4 (and a half- as she declares) year old is so sweet, most of the time. I have found that she's super easy going-- when she's not around her antagonizing big brother, who really eggs her on. As long as she is not being teased, she is very loving and affectionate. She's been taking gymnastics since September and loves it. We carpool every Monday with her friends and then they have playdates together afterwards. It is so cute to listen in on them playing "house". She loves getting her headband curls (can be found on pinterest) done at night after baths. It's so fast and easy and saves her and I both the headache of doing her hair the next day. She may love sparkles and princesses but also loves dirt and bikes running with the boys. She has recently admitted her love for our next door neighbor Connor, and tells Heavenly Father about her "boyfriend" in her prayers and her plans to marry him and to please bless him. Parker and I try our best to stifle our giggles when she professes such things mid-prayer.
We're not always successful.

Lexi loves her "Darder", and her Emmie (who went inside because she was too cold). She is lucky to have siblings who are so sweet to her.

This little Peanut just turned 18 months, however, her 18 month appt isn't scheduled for another month (long story). In the back of our minds, we continue to worry and wonder about her lack of growth  as it's apparent that she's hardly grown since her last check up, but we're so busy running after her and picking up her tornadoes that we don't have time to worry too much. Which is good, as she is probably just a very petite little Miss! She still fits great in her baby car seat, so when taking her to the store I still tote her around in a shopping cart in her car seat, and she's so light weight it doesn't even hurt my back! Not something that can be done with most 18 month olds. :)
 Her mind is sooo sharp, and her already large vocab grows everyday. She has started to repeat back whatever you say to her and is first to say "ME!" and fold her arms when I ask who is going to say the prayer.  She is gifted in the art of  navigating herself onto everything dangerous she possibly can scale (her fave is to stand on top of the kid-sized wooden table), resulting in lots of close calls and mad dashes to her rescue.
She loves to be the center of attention. She is so sweet and cuddly one minute and the next shows off her red hot temper, screaming at the top of her lungs, most of the time at her siblings, who can enrage her just by looking at her wrong. Hopefully this is just a little phase! ;)
She is most definitely a strong-willed little girl but is so much fun and such a gift and we are so glad to have her in our family!

Sum it up already!

This Winter...

There was lots of snow!
(Our fence is in there somewhere)

Which resulted in snow-removal bonding...

& Roxy swimming in powder.

There were LOTS of sick days & more doctor visits than can be counted...

There was lots of amusement for these two derived by their invented & beloved "Bow Game".

There was lots of mischief...as evidenced here by the suspect's own wall inscription.

There was lots of loving this baby girl...

& there was lots of walking practice.
Go, Lexi, go!

There was lots of using Dad as a human pyramid base.

And there was even more snow!!
Aghhh!

 

New bar stools were bought and are a new favorite seat in the house.

And the cutest fur coat was sent and loved and put to good use from Aunt Suesan.

 

There was lots of  taking care of babies.

These two have continued to think that Kindergarten and Preschool are the best things that have happened to them thus far...

And whose to say otherwise?

This one loved celebrating her half birthday at school...

And this one has been given countless standing ovations for finally standing.

Lots and lots of family birthdays were celebrated.

And the kids got the Peter Pan blu ray for Valentines Day and hoards of candy from school.

I framed & gave printables this year as one of my favorite things at the annual & anticipated 
Favorite Things Party...

And that about sums it up!
Winter has been a-okay, but we have spring fever and are ready to break out of hibernation!
SO glad it's here!!!
Bring on the sunshine!