A Glimpse.......

Our house is just like any other house. Rough and rowdy with 2 boys and 1 crazy girl. We have our fair share of temper tantrums, wrestling matches, fighting, hitting, complaining and the list goes on. We definitely have The Good, The Bad and The Ugly! But today I got a glimpse of the good (the REAL GOOD). Now don't get me wrong, this has happened before and I'm sure it will happen again, but today I am especially grateful because I needed it. I dropped Chase off at preschool and a friend volunteered to pick him up and then take him to her house for a play date for the rest of the afternoon. At about 12:30 I received a call from her telling me that Chase wasn't feeling well and that he had a fever. I told her that I just had to wait for Carson to get home from school and then I would come and pick him up. A few minutes later Carson came bursting through the door excited to have a short day (due to Parent-Teacher Conferences) and ready to play with friends. I explained that we would have to go pick up Chase before he could do anything. Needless to say he was disappointed that he would have to wait. We got to her house and went in to pick up Chase and while I was chatting with her I looked towards the car and noticed Carson walking with his arm around Chase's shoulders. What a sweet sight. I got into the car and noticed Carson helping Chase buckle up and then he turned to Hayden and started playing with her. The entire 15 minutes in the car was peaceful. When we got home I laid Hayden down for her nap and came out to find Carson getting Chase a cold glass of water to help with his fever, he then got Chase some ice-chips to chew on. All of this being done without my prodding. After Chase was done with his ice I took him into his room for a nap. Carson came with me and helped tuck Chase in and told him to sleep good. When we left Chase's room Carson acted as though nothing were out of the ordinary and proceeded to make plans for the rest of his afternoon. As a mom you look for those little moments when your children actually act like the people you know they are. What a blessing it is when you actually get a glimpse into that really amazing side. Just made me realize even more how much I love my kids and how grateful I am to be their mom. Even though we'll still have the temper tantrums, hitting, complaining, etc......

Quail Lake-Labor Day weekend.....

Having a four day weekend is wonderful, but it presents issues about how to keep the kids entertained. Earlier on in the week I told Cody that we needed to plan something for Saturday. We usually end up waiting until Saturday to talk about it and then we can't decide so this time we planned ahead. We decided that we'd take the boat out to the Lake. We called a couple of our friends and planned on leaving Saturday morning at 9. We got to the lake and spent the day tubing, rafting, bbqing and relaxing. It was so fun to get away and the kids had a blast. For lunch we bbq'd hotdogs and then spent a few more hours tubing. We ended up heading home at about 4. Thanks Afualo and Sandberg families, we had a blast. We should try to be social more often!

sUmMer ProGrAm paRtY 2o09

After a long and busy summer we calculated each of the boys points to see if they had accomplished enough goals and earned enough points for their Summer Program Party. Both boys had earned their required points. Chase with 100 points and Carson with well over his goal of 150 points. We had homemade pizza (made by Dad-wish I had a picture of him tossing it in the air), played Buckaroo-Junkyard Jalopy-and Hayden's favorite Hungry Hungry Hippos. We gave each boy their certificate and a little toy and finished off the night with hot fudge sundaes with lots of toppings. We are so proud of you guys for reaching your goals. Can't wait until next summer!

A few of the things Carson accomplished:

-Read stories to Hayden
-Bore his testimony
-Read articles out of the Friend
-Vacuumed the Explorer
-Memorized a scripture
-Brushed teeth morning and night for 2 weeks
-Hit a home run
-Played catch with someone everyday for 1 week
-Read 400 pages of approved books
-Watered the flowers and the garden
-Did 3 secret good turns
-Sat reverently in Sacrament meeting


A few of the things Chase accomplished:
-Learned to count to 25
-Brushed teeth morning and night for 2 weeks
-Learned to like a new vegetable (squash and cucumbers)
-Went 1 whole day without going to timeout
-Went to Primary without crying
-Sat reverently in Sacrament meeting

(Some of these things they did more than once along with a few other things to earn their points)

Carmel Junction.....

Well, it was time for another trip to Carmel Junction. We got babysitters for the day and headed out for a fun day 4-wheeling. This time it was a small group that went, just Cody and I, Mom & Dad and Lisa & Jeremy. What a fun day and a nice break from the kids who were happily at home playing with their cousins. Some of the more memorable moments were: Dads funny Bang-Bang story, Love letters in the sand, Cody running to beat the timer (twice), bees following me and only me, Lisa's face as Jeremy flew through the water, Cody's lovely portrait pose, Mom's comic story (Sweaty-Pie & Angle Face), Ice-cream from the dairy (what's in that ice-cream?), Jeremy going all day long with a cut finger that ended up with 7 stitches. All in all it was a great trip. We came home exhausted, but happy. And the kids had a good day too!

Summer Program 2009

So we kicked off our 1st Annual-Hansen Family Summer Program a couple of weeks ago at FHE. This is something that my mom did with us when we were kids, and it was something I wanted to continue with my own family. Since we aren't moving back to our house for about a month we are definitely going to have to work hard at keeping the boys busy! Both of the boys have a list of things that they can do this summer that will earn them points. (This helps when they come to you and say they are bored.) We set a goal for each of them and if they earn these points Mom and Dad will have a Summer Program Party to celebrate at the end of summer. Both of the boys were anxious to start and they are both doing 1 or 2 things from their list everyday. Hopefully this will help us keep busy this summer. And hopefully they will both reach their goals so that we can have a super-fun Summer Program surprise party! Good Luck Boys! Maybe this will help you keep your kids busy this summer.

Summer! What do we do now?

I have been so excited for summer to come, but now that it is here I am a little bit worried that I'm not going to be able to entertain my kids. We don't move back to our house for about a month so we definitely are going to have to think hard. Today we built a hut and that seemed to keep us busy for a little while.

After lunch and naps we headed up to the Rec Center. Aunt Lisa was supposed to join us, but she couldn't make it. The kids had fun swimming and eating the snacks that we brought. Mom even took Chase down the Hydro-tube (I'm sure that was a sight!)

We spent the last hour playing on the splash pad.

Grandma even came up with a list of things to do, here it is:

-Work on Summer Program
-Throw pitches at the wall and catch them
-Pull 50 weeds in the garden
-Pick up the rocks in the lawn
-Find a worm
-Bird watching
-Play trains
-Learn something new out of the Encyclopedia
-Count to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's
-Burp the ABC's

Well, 1 day down! How many to go?

Carson, Carson, Carson......

"You know, The Fourth of July isn't just about fireworks. It is also the day we celebrate when they wrote the Doctrine in Covenants!"


For Mother's Day one of the things Carson gave me was a coupon for a free day of babysitting Hayden. I told him how excited I was to use it. He then explained that it expired today and that I wouldn't really be able to use it today since Dad was already home to watch Hayden. Well, I guess it's the thought that counts!

Hayden's 1st Birthday!

Hayden turned 1 on March 15th, 2009. We enjoyed having family over to celebrate with us. Both of the boys had birthday badges on their 1st birthdays so we decided that Hayden needed one too and couldn't help but put her in a crown. Surprisingly she kept it on for the entire party including her bath.

We enjoyed taco salads for dinner and then Hayden "Dug in" to her flower cake. To "Unsticky" her we stuck her in the bath after she was done. She loved her flower cake and everyone else loved the flower cupcakes. (On March 7th-Hayden got her first two teeth, just in time to enjoy her birthday cake)

Hayden posing in her crown. What a little princess!

Present time proved to be quite an adventure. She loved playing with the wrapping paper and tissue paper. She loved her new trike from Mom and Dad, her new bumble-bee pillow from Papa and Grandma, new clothes from Grandma and Grandpa Jackson, and her new ball and EXTRA BIG SUCKER from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jeremy.

We had a great time spending the day with family. Dinner was Yummy and the company was even better. Hayden must have realized it was a big day because she decided to take her first steps today. She is growing up so fast.

Playing Catch Up!

Wow, time has flown by. I can't believe it is May. March and April were really crazy months for us. Between birthdays, Spring Break, Camping trips and much more, I really haven't had a chance to sit down and blog. So over the next few days I will be playing catch-up. Sorry for all of the old stuff, you will just have to forgive me. I will try to get us current as soon as possible, but for now you will just have to step back in time a few months as we try to get caught up!

Happy 7th Birthday Carson!

Carson turned 7 on March 13th, 2009 and there was lots of celebration. We took treats (Ding-Dongs, his favorite) into his class. When we got there they sang to him while he passed out them out. When we got home from school his present was sitting out in the front yard. He looked out the window and noticed a new bike on the lawn. He was really excited and took it for a ride immediately. After we put Chase down for a nap Cody, Carson and I decided to take a quick bike ride down to visit Papa at work. It gave Carson a chance to try out his new wheels. We got home just in time to get ready for Carson's birthday party. We drove up to the Rec Center to wait for everyone to show up. When everyone got there we walked over to a big grassy field where we enjoyed cake and opening presents. The kids started playing a game of tag so we didn't rush to go swimming. When they were done with tag we gathered everyone up and went to the Rec Center to let them swim for a couple of hours. The kids all had a great time swimming, splashing, making a whirlpool, and going down the hydro-tube with Cody. After all the parents picked there kids up we headed for home, tired but happy. Carson and his cousins decided it was a good idea to go and visit a few of the neighbors to inform them that it was his birthday. One neighbor (Tom) gave Carson a pack of gum and another neighbor (Tractor Bob) gave Carson, Chase, Shyanne and Sierra a Tractor ride around the neighborhood. Boy, were they excited. I guess it pays off to inform people that it's your birthday. We finished off the night with Carson's favorite dinner Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. On Hayden's birthday a couple of days later Carson got his Light Saber cake. It was my first attempt at using fondant. What a fun experiment and even though it didn't turn out quite like I had pictured Carson was really happy with it. Can't believe you're 7 Carson. We love you!

Those who came:
Carson, Chase, Hayden, Mom, Dad, Aunt Lisa, Shyanne, Sierra,
Tate, Grandma Jackson, Taina, Logan, JT, Carter, Jack, Nui, Parker

7 THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT CARSON:
-Your honesty
-Your concern for others
-Your love of learning
-How hard you try to do your best
-What a good brother you are to Hayden and Chase
-Your quiet reverence (Dad's description of you, which I totally agree with)
-All of the notes, pictures, and flowers you give us.
What a blessing you are to our family!

Science Fair 2009

Science Fair March 12th, 2009
DOES THE DESIGN OF A PAPER AIRPLANE AFFECT HOW IT FLIES?

Carson really wanted to enter the Science Fair this year. Although it was extra work for us it was a good thing for him to participate in. Cody and Carson made 3 different types of airplanes and then we spent one afternoon at the park and in the gym at the church test flying them. Dad and Carson flew the airplanes and measured how far they went, Mom recorded all the data, and Chase ran around as usual. We stayed up really late one night finishing everything and then a couple of days later he spent the school day standing by his project. The next day we picked Carson up from school and he was so excited because he won 3rd place. On the way home from school he called all of his Grandmas and Grandpas and told them the good news. He took his ribbon everywhere we went for a couple of days. Good job Carson, we are so proud of you.

Glenn Beck-We Surround Them!

Just something Cody and I are really interested in. We won't be watching this live because it's Carson's b-day, but we will be DVR-ing it. We sent in our photo and we are really excited.

We Surround Them-The Unveiling

March 13th on FOX News 5pm ET
Do you watch the direction that America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it? Do you believe that your voice isn’t loud enough to be heard above the noise anymore? Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach…as if you’re completely alone? If so, then you’ve fallen for the Wizard of Oz lie. While the voices you hear in the distance may sound intimidating, as if they surround us from all sides—the reality is very different. Once you pull the curtain away you realize that there are only a few people pressing the buttons, and their voices are weak. The truth is that they don’t surround us at all.
We surround them. So, how do we show America what’s really behind the curtain? Below are nine simple principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common.

12 Values
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Friendship

The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

You Are Not Alone If you agree with at least seven of those principles, then you are not alone. Please send a digital version of your picture to: wesurroundthem@foxnews.com and then stay tuned to the radio and television shows over the coming weeks to see how we intend to pull back the curtain.

Smart Start Soccer

"I am a really good soccer guy!"

-Chase Hansen-

Chase has been doing Smart Start Soccer for the month of February. Honestly he is such a goofball. We spend the majority of our time trying to get him to stop standing on his head. Last week his coach explained the drill and then asked if there were any questions. Chase raised his hand and then proceeded to tell everyone, "When I go poop in the toilet I get Loopy Loco!" Nice Chase. Chase seems to have a way of making us laugh. He is such a sweetie and although he might not be the next Pele, we'll still keep trying.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Hansen!

Well, just thought we'd take a minute to wish Grandpa Hansen a Happy Birthday! The kids got to talk to him this morning and Chase asked Grandpa if he was going to have a Bounce House at his birthday. We just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday and tell you we love you. Things we admire about Grandpa Hansen:

-He is a hard worker
-He serves in the church faithfully
-He instilled in Cody the love of outdoors
-He always has a smile on his face

Hope you have a great day Grandpa Hansen, don't get to crazy in that bounce house!

Does The Incredible Hulk eat waffles naked???

Wish you could see the pictures to go along with this, but you'll just have to imagine it!

Chase is going through an Incredible Hulk phase and he has it in his head that when the Incredible Hulk turns into the Incredible Hulk, he's naked. We have tried to explain to him that he is still wearing shorts, but Chase doesn't believe us. Several times during the last week Chase has come running into the the room stark naked and flexing his muscles claiming to be the Incredible Hulk. This morning while we were eating waffles Chase went into the other room and came back a few minutes later "In Character." He took a few bites of waffles, flexed and then ran out the front door. He hopped on his big wheel and headed for the neighbors buck naked. What a sight! I sometimes wonder what people think when they drive by and see my naked son running around!

It's FINALLY out.....

Well Carson's tooth finally came out. It actually happened February 7th, but I haven't had a chance to blog.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Carson and I were sitting in the kitchen. He came over and asked me to look at his tooth. I did and realized that it pretty much could come out any time. I told him that he should just pull it out, but didn't think he actually would. A few seconds later he yelled "It's out!" I ran over to take a look and sure enough he was holding his tooth. After calling Dad at work he spent the day patiently waiting for bedtime to come. This was one night where there was no argument about going to bed. That night he received a visit from the Tooth Fairy. She even left Fairy Dust all over his bed. Which made for a really glittery trip to church the next day. Congratulations Carson!

14 Days of Valentines!

I know I have already posted today, but I thought it would be good to get some input. I am doing 14 Days of Valentines for Cody. I have done this for him before, but this year we opted not to purchase gifts for each other. So I am focusing my daily surprises on a service. Yesterday (Day 1) I ironed his shirt for him. Today (Day 2) it will be a back rub or a foot rub since he worked a really long weekend. Tomorrow (day 3) I will let him sleep in. Any ideas? Let me know.

Kids say the darndest things....

Well, one of these days I am going to finish all of my December/Christmas posts, but for now I don't want to forget a few things that my kids have said. I have been sick all weekend with the flu and Cody had one of his long weekends so the kids have been cooped up in the house for two days. Last night we were all about to drive each other crazy so my Mom had the idea of taking the kids for a ride so they could get out of the house. We loaded everyone up and headed over to Walgreens to take a treat to Cody. After we spent a few minutes with him and the kids all got their "Dad Fix" we drove down by the temple so we could count it as our church. (I know it's a stretch, but we were all sick so we didn't make it to church.) As we drove by the Visitor's Center the kids both looked in at the statue of Jesus Christ and Chase asked us who that was. Carson then explained that it was Samuel the Lamanite, at which point my Mom quickly turned the car around and told the boys to take another look. Carson then realized that he had made a mistake and figured out that it was Jesus. Just then Carson remembered where Samuel the Lamanite was. "He's that gold statue on top of all the temples!" Chase quickly jumped in and emphatically agreed with Carson. We tried to tell them that it was actually Angel Moroni, but they didn't believe us. I am not sure where they came up with this, but they were adamant that they were right and we the unknowing adults were wrong.

One morning at breakfast.....

Chase "I want a mustache!"
Me "Oh really?"
Chase "Yes, when my face grows up, I am going to have a mustache!"

Hayden's Milestones:
Christmas Day: Pulled herself up into a standing position
January 23rd: Started clapping
January 28th: Starting to finally get teeth. Finally!
They haven't broken through yet, but almost.
February 1st: Let go of the couch while standing and stood for about five seconds and then
lowered herself to the ground. Stared at mom for awhile and wondered why
she got so excited.
Hayden's Words: Mama, Mommy, Papa, Dada, Baba (bye-bye), Told me Na Na the other day
after I had told her No No

Carson is almost seven and hasn't lost a tooth yet. He's tried to convince us that he has had several loose teeth, but after checking we haven't quite agreed. Then a couple of weeks ago I looked in his mouth and noticed that he had a new tooth growing in behind his baby teeth. I felt the tooth in front of it and sure enough it was loose. Here we are a few weeks later and it hasn't fallen out. Carson is patiently waiting for the day that he will finally get a visit from the Tooth Fairy. I asked him the other day how much money he thought the Tooth Fairy gives for a first tooth. He thought a minute and said "I think maybe a quarter! Well, maybe 2 quarters since it's your first tooth." Whew! I guess he hasn't heard of inflation. I think I got a quarter from the Tooth Fairy and that was over 20 years ago. I really thought he was going to say a couple of dollars.

Happy Birthday Sue-Mama!

Just wanted to wish my mom a Happy Birthday! (Shhhhh she's 59) I feel so lucky to have her as my mom. What a blessing she is to me and my family. These are some of the things that I love about her.



-Complete patience with my children

-Gives good advice

-Has always been supportive of whatever I have done

(never missed any of my games, concerts, etc.)

-They way she taught me to be thrifty

-How hard she works

-Our total agreement about the use or non-use of Ziplocs

-How much she loves my Dad

-Her testimony of the gospel

-Her example of serving our Heavenly Father

-Her Canasta skills

-Everything



I love you mom and I know I can speak for Cody and the kids and say that they love you to. We are so grateful for all that you do for our family. Hope you have a great day!