Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas Eve 2013

Christmas Eve at the Hansens!

 We missed Dustin and Sarai who were back in Washington for the holidays. 

Isaac and Lexi's hello to each other...

Some good old fashioned cousin love!

Cousin Crew! 

A few more are currently being processed for next year's Christmas. 

Hansen Clan (minus Dustin and Sarai)

 The Festivities were hosted by Becky's brother and sis-in-law this year - Uncle Lonnie and Aunt Marsha (even though it was at the Hansen home). As tradition, we sang the Danish (shoot or is it Welsh?)song Jimmy Boker (sp ?) - Lance's props included (bottom left pic), had a parachute drop that went along with the story told by an apostle (of course I can't remember which one..??) of the kids in East Germany, candy bar game that included cash and gift cards courtesy of super generous Uncle Eric, sang Christmas carols to bells played by us, and the sweetest manger scene put together by Aunt Marsha. Very fun night and perfect build up to Christmas and the true meaning of the season!

December 2013

 So it's April, and I just uploaded our Christmas pictures onto my dying laptop. Awesome, I know. I was sure doing so would crash it but this is proof that the laptop lives on... for now! I feel like we have to get a new one every two years... am I wrong to think that $1000 computer should last longer than that?? So irritating! So there it is... my lack of blogging is explained! :)

Here is a little bit about how we spent our December....

Chris and I have been married for a long time. I cringe at the actual number because it makes me feel old. :) Like really old. But in 10 (okay plus 3) years we have never bought our own Christmas tree. (Except for the first year we were married and actually bought a real one....which died, and we had to tie the stiff spruce back on our car to return to Home Depot for a new one. We've gone artificial ever since. Which I totally prefer:)) 

Anyhow, for all those years we had this silly little 5 ft artificial hand-me-down tree that was probably at least 25 plus years old -  that my mom and Reed had so kindly given us our second year of marriage. They also later gave us a much better one, but that one is for our basement. 
This little Charlie Brown piece of work sat upstairs in our Living Room, year after year, for all to see. I was fine with it, really, and just grateful to have something, but in my heart I've wanted to get a nice, taller, prelit tree for years. 
Well, turns out 2013 was my lucky year! 
With the help of a $150 Visa gift card I'd been saving (for something real good), and with the rest of the money coming from our good old bank account, and the help of an enticing 20% off sale at Taipan, I was able to talk Chris into purchasing our first tree, that we ourselves, picked out and paid for. 

Aaaand, of course, somehow I didn't even take a picture of the whole glorious tree... but you can see the bottom of it in the pics above...so you get the idea. :)  As for the ornaments, they are still our humble ones that we've had for years... so, maybe better ornaments will come another year, but hey, one thing at a time. :) Finally getting this symbol of Christmas made me SO happy.

I got my tree!! 
From that point, we could move on with all Christmas festivities...& they went a little like this...

  We had to visit our favorite Thanksgiving Point to see the lights, give our regards to the Reindeer, and to have some hot chocolate. Love that place!

Emmie had her preschool Christmas performance. She did a fabulous job! 

(She's right in the middle by the candy cane...)

Love this cute girl!

After Parker got home from school that day, since Emmie was already spruced up, we thought it was a great time to visit Old St. Nick. I have the THIRTY DOLLAR "professional" picture somewhere downstairs (which I am too lazy to get at the moment), but I'll have to add it later. Love that in order to get any sort of picture, (which in my mind equates to any future memory of the day) you have to first buy their crazy expensive one. Yes, I'll whine about it....again... this year.

 Parker asked for the new Super Mario Wii game, Lexi wanted a baby doll, and Emmie a camera. 

 Random pic of this cute girl after church one Sunday...

If you look closely you can see Emmie's earrings.... oh wait- I mean, the ornaments that she kept taking off of her baby christmas tree and hanging from her ear all month long. By the end of December, most of her ornaments were somehow mysteriously missing from her tree....and strewn all over the house...on a sidenote, this is the chosen spot where Emmie likes to "teach" Lexi school. :)

PRESCHOOL PLAYGROUP

This cute little foursome had an exciting day at preschool  and went on the Polar Express (for pretend) - hence their jams. Afterwards it was our turn to host playgroup, and we had our own little Christmas celebration by decorating  sugar cookies and playing Christmas Bingo while listening to some Christmas tunes. Love this time of year! &. I'm tellin' ya, these kids loooooove Bingo! :)

Parker's school has a 'Christmas Sing' every year. Call us bad parents, but we lucked out and first grade was FIRST, so we were only there for about 15 minutes (opposed to an hour and a half - yay for us!), but he did great! He's on the back row middle, in the dark blue, gray and white striped sweater. Awesome pic, I know. :)

Even though it must have been 0 degrees out, we had to visit Temple Square! We froze our little rear ends off & it  was so cold it hurt but so worth the trip! (In my eyes anyways. Chris might have a different opinion on that.;))We randomly ran into Steven and Kylie while eating dinner  in the food court at City Creek. It was a fun surprise to see them for a minute! Somehow however, we managed to lose them before heading across to Temple Square while I took Emmie to the restroom. It was so freezing we just never met up again. We of course had to stop and see Uncle Mark's fountains at City Creek. I have to say they are pretty awesome and I love that they dance to Christmas music. The peaceful feeling on the temple grounds is one that I just cherish and helps me to feel the true meaning of Christmas and what the season is truly all about. Being there makes me feel inspired and in awe and there is just no denying was a special place it is. I LOVE going there!! 

And... finally it arrived! Christmas Eve... oh the anticipation!! :)

How blessed are we to have this cute little trio in our lives?!

More blessed than we deserve, that is for sure!

The gymnast

 This cute girl had a little gymnastics "recital" in December to show off what she has been learning. It was really cute (& low key - held during her normal a.m. class time) and she was SUPER proud of the medal that she received at the end!

  Watching this little gymnast takes me back....

In my buffer days,  I did gymnastics competitively and I loved it. It's all I did for a few years as a kid. I would go right after school for 3 1/2 hour classes and weight training 3-4 days a week and then meets (competition) on Saturdays. At school, the boys would line up to arm wrestle me at recess all to be embarrassed to have a girl take them out (okay - they were 5th and 6th grade boys- not so impressive on my part!). And during kick ball, I could kick the ball so hard I was nick named "Shera" by my 5th grade class. I felt a sort of pride as they would chant my name when I was up to kick.  You wouldn't believe it now, but I'm telling you, I was buff. :)   By the time I was 13, I was completely burned out of it, and decided I wanted my childhood back, and with no encouragement to keep going, I quit. It was fun while it lasted though and helped me make dance company in middle school even though despite a few dance classes I was not a dancer (but I had impressive split leaps and I could tumble:).

It's fun to watch my kids try different things and see what they like! We'll see if this is something she'll want to stick with. Emmie is actually tall for her age so far, which can be a disadvantage. The average height of a gymnast is 4'11. It's actually blamed for stunting growth though... which must be why I'm 5'1! ;)

November 2013

 The week before Thanksgiving, the Dallas Hansens,  (Eric stayed in TX to work) came for a visit!

We were soooo excited to meet Parker, Emmie and Lexi's very first GIRL cousin, Miss Isabel, who was born in September. She is pretty much thee cutest thing and we were all smitten right away!

Had to take advantage of the first fam photo op after Sunday dinner and Uncle Brett's birthday celebration. Brett and Bethany had just recently announced their pregnancy, as well as Dustin and Sarai! We're really excited about more new cousins joining the fam in the next few months!

Cute cousins! 

Parker, Isabel, Emmie, Lexi and Isaac

We spent Thanksgiving the following week with the Hansens. It was fun to have the Loncyznas, Leons, and sweet Aunt Gloria (Lance's sister) and cousin Hollie join us! 

Thankful turkeys. 

The kiddos worked on these on Thanksgiving day while I did a little cooking (& I mean little - my contributions to the feast were just molasses cookies and a relish tray), but sadly I still didn't have time to help Emmie fill hers out...& lame that apparently we didn't make one for Lexi...?  Parker however whipped out his gratitude feathers in about 60 seconds. It startles me sometimes the way he attacks a project without really thinking first. This was one of those. My thought process is clearly a little slower than his. :) He loves this kind of thing though and he isn't rushing just to get it done, it's just how he operates. 

He's a pretty practical dude. I love how he is thankful for blood and skin and sign language. Those are some good things. :)

It's almost Valentines Day...so let's talk about Halloween :)

 We totally reused costumes this year for Halloween... and I didn't feel one ounce of mommy guilt for it! Parker really wanted to be Super Mario again (the costume fit even better this year), Emmie wanted to be Snow White and wear the dress up she got for her birthday, and Lexi... well she wore Parker's old Mickey costume from when he was 2. 
Everyone was happy, I didn't spend a dime- or ridiculous amounts of time on costume details that only get covered up by a coat (& let's be real - no one really cares), and the kids loved their anticipated, SIMPLE, stress-free Halloween! 

And so did I. :)

 And Chris especially loved the part that our bank account went unaffected (as did I). :)

 Mickey (with a bow?), Snow White and Mario

 

Emmie was thrilled to get to wear a little make up!

That was one of my favorite perks about dressing up for Halloween when I was a kid, too. I think we're related. :)

{Rewind to the afternoon... }

After preschool, the little little princess transformed into my assistant chef as we baked some sugar cookies. 

I think one of my favorite things about all holidays is the excuse to make yummy cookies. I would make them all the time except that I would easily be 10 lbs heavier...no thanks... so I just try to stick with special occasions but it's something I love to do! 

 

 Chris had to work (again) this year. Not super awesome but it really wasn't a huge deal. Thankfully, the Hansens came to our rescue yet again and helped take the kids around trick or treating. I went for a few minutes but was relieved to switch out with Becky as my vertigo had me spinning big time. :)

By the end of the night, kids were thrilled with their candy loot, and Chris and I were thrilled to be able to steal some in the subsequent weeks. :)

Like I said before, it was a win-win Halloween for everyone. :):)

Random Fall 2013

Sisters! 

Such lucky girls to have each other!

We've lived here for 6 1/2 years (time flies!) and we've had this beautiful view to look at everyday. It's been bittersweet as construction crews have taken over developing the land back there (currently still just building roads) beginning last Fall. Parker's finally hit an age where I have let him roam back there a bit with his buddies...(kind of an awesome playground for little boys) and soon it will be gone and developed into a neighborhood! After purchasing our home at the height of the recession (2007) we have been "under water" on our home for years now...like everyone else who became homeowners that year. But I'm happy to say that we bought in a great area (location, location, location! & being the smallest house in the neighborhood can be a good thing:)) and we are no longer underwater! And with the new custom homes set to be built back there, our home price should just rise because of it. So while we love the view, we can't totally complain about getting new neighbors! :) 

Not that we plan on moving....we'd love a tiny bit more space, but we'd want to stay in this area for sure and everything is so darn expensive over here! What we have is what we can afford, lol. :)

As long as great new friends/neighbors replace those sunsets, I'm okay with the change. I think. :)

Parker loved "crazy hair day" at school!

The Preschool Crew of Blondies... 

seriously, the cutest playgroup ever. I love these kiddos! We have playgroup once a week after carpooling to preschool together. It works out awesome and they play together so well!

We had the best Fall!! The weather was soooo nice. Definitely my favorite time of year and I was so grateful that Utah's stinky snow didn't set in too early and ruin it all like it does some years. 

Me and the Lexi Girl. 

Love her so much!

Emmie: "Hey guys! We can use these as our mouth covers for when Mom tells us to 'zip it!'." 

(Shoot is my punctuation right??)

Apparently I said that a lot this last Fall because they ran through a lot of stickers....;)

Fall Fun

More Fall Fun...

Hee Haw Farms

 October 2013

The Petting farm, giant slide, wagon ride, courtyard games, "haunted" wagon trick-or-treat ride.... what's not to love?? This was a really fun morning and the kiddos especially loved the huge slide- made apparent by the 50 turns they took chasing down it.

For the record, when you have bad vertigo, a corn maze is not very therapeutic, helpful, or awesome! 

 I was probably a few weeks into therapy by that point and feeling somewhat better but this was not a good idea! We thought the wagon was dropping us off at the pumpkin patch, not a maze!:)

I love this
 (now that it's January, I'll call it that) 
 time of year!!!

Lexi turns 2

This Little Miss Itty turned 2 in October.

TWO!

It's gone by waaay to fast. To say that we adore this pint-sized Delight is an extreme understatement. She is the essence of joy. Truly! She is SO. MUCH. FUN and we just can't get enough of her! 

Her 24 month stats: 

 WEIGHT: 20.72 lbs: 4.85%ile

HEIGHT: 30.5 inches: 0.28%ile

HEAD: 18.75 inches: 62.59%ile

 

Here are 24 things about Lexi at 24 months: 

1. She can count up to 13 (gets a little mixed up after that) all on her own, and from 5 back down to 1. :)

2. She LOVES Minnie Mouse (appropriate since she herself is "mini") and her pink and black satin blankie that Grandma Jane made her. She must sleep with them both (and currently 7 other "friends/babies in her crib). She also has to have her glow worm on and a sippy of water in her crib for her to go to sleep. 

3. She still sleeps in her crib, and takes 1 afternoon nap, anywhere from 1-4. (Anyone who dares knock on our door during that time, also known as "quiet time" at our house, is toast. :))

4. She loves her "milky" baba's, with chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed in....that addiction is to blame on the endocrinologist...;)

5. She wears size 12 month pants and is still itty bitty. The pediatrician is pretty confident that we will have to start growth hormone therapy for her next year....

6. She has really cute naturally curly, scrunch-and-go hair. :)

7. She LOVES to sing. LOVES! Her little voice is the sweetest and she is pretty amazing at carrying a tune for a 2 year old.  Her favorite songs at the moment are: I am a Child of God, I am like a Star Shining Brightly (real name?), and the ABC's. 

8. Like her big sis, she is a thumb sucker. 

9. She loves to play house and school with Emmie. Emmie goes around singing to her, "Lexi- WHAT DOES THE "G" SAY?! (To the tune of, "Who let the dogs out?!") And impressively, half the time Lexi gets the sound right... "G, G G G!". It's pretty entertaining. :)

10. Her favorite foods are: Cut up chicken (dipped in ranch please),  soups (chicken tortilla, cauliflower cheddar, creamy potato...), potatoes, rice, cheese, cheese sticks, Danimals, peanut butter and honey sandwiches (no crust please), taquitos, waffles, pancakes, bacon, cottage cheese, manicotti, noodles, homemade (or not) mac n cheese, french fries, apple sauce squeezies, green smoothies, cereal... overall she's a pretty good eater these days for a two year old, I can't complain.

11. Her expressions are the best... she has the biggest, cutest smile and I love it when her eyes get all big when she's describing something to me and she throws her arms up in the air... 

12. She loves to make us laugh and is such a little performer. She'll walk away from us in a shuffle/march with her eyes wide and eyebrows up all the while throwing us a glance over her shoulder, because she knows it makes us laugh.

13. She loves to read stories and will bring me book after book. We read a lot of Sandra Boynton these days. 

14. She's not been a great sleeper for probably 9 months. Teething is partially to blame but I'm not sure. I can pretty much count on a wake up call around 3 a.m. and sometimes numerous times leading up to midnight. 

15. She's a great little talker and pretty much says anything....but is sometimes hard to understand lately.

16. She has colored on more walls (& furniture) than our other kids ever dared did combined. 

17. She has an incredible tolerance for pain. It makes me nervous sometimes because it's hard to take an injury (like when a heavy barstool hit her head a few months back and left an indent - I still wonder if it cracked her skull) seriously when she only cries for a minute. 

18. She still sits backwards in the car and still fits in her baby car seat. Backwards is the safest (according to the experts) so I leave my kiddos that way for as long as possible. With the rate that she's growing, she'll be backwards til she's fourteen. :)

19. She's really sharp. She remembers things we teach/tell her really well and seems to really comprehend things. She really reminds me of Parker at this age because of that. 

20. Her favorite "shows" are: Mickey Mouse Club House, Princess Sofia, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. 

21. She went to nursery at church for about 3 weeks happily/willingly... but then I had to take her out for a little sabatical to avoid germs for the holidays. She hasn't been back since but hopefully she'll ease back into it soon. Her nursery teachers adore her. :)

22. Her eyes have turned a pretty greenish color recently & she has killer eye lashes. :)

23. Her two front teeth  make me smile and when she gives kisses, she sticks them out giving a slobbery tooth-kiss. 

24. She likes to be rocked before going to bed (for just a few minutes) while we sing a few songs, and when she cuddles up on me during this process she always swishes my hair out of the way, telling me, "Mom your hair's cazy (crazy)". 

...I could go on and on!!!

She is such a fun, bright, sweet (with a pinch of feisty), loving, exuberant, HAPPY girl and makes such a great little companion. She loves to be held and I love that her tininess makes doing so, so doable. :) We just adore her to pieces and are so blessed by her in our family!

Her birthday... we woke up and did presents first thing as we do in this house for birthdays before Chris left for work and P for school. She got a big Minnie Mouse and was a happy girl! She also couldn't put down the Animal Crackers that I had slipped in with one of her gifts, as can be noted in the pics. 

A few days later, when Chris had a day off and P had early out day at school, we went to... of course, Thanksgiving Point and hung out at the Farm since this little cutie loves animals. 

I think it's safe to say she's the cutest little 2-year-old Cowgirl in all the land!

Seeing the goats. 

I heart the goats, what can I say. 

  I also heart these peeps. 

Riding the wagon...how did this threesome get so big all of a sudden?? 

Gma & Gpa Hansen happened to call while we were there and came over on a whim to have dinner with us at the Emporium. They were taking off for Texas that week and then off to New York and wanted to celebrate with Miss Lex before they left & we were glad they came. 

And the celebrations continued as they do in our family!

The next week my Dad and Melissa had us over for a party for Lexi. I was grateful to Melissa for doing that... I was still in the middle of not feeling good and had just started physical therapy for my inner ear/vertigo problem and was not up to all the prep that goes into  having a houseful of party goers!

 Have I mentioned how much we love Melissa?! Not only is she one of the warmest, sweetest, most upbeat people you could know, she is also an amazing cook! Those cupcakes have Lindt chocolate balls hidden in them. SO yummy!!!

We lucked out because Steven, Kylie and Jack were in town to join in on the party!

Happy Birthday to our Baby Girl!!!