Notes to L&J

More pictures!

2011-05-24T15:41:00.001-07:00

6th Month Update

2011-05-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

As you can tell blogging is not my biggest talent. So here is an update from our family over the last 6th months! Check out the slide show for new pictures. Captions can be seen by rolling your mouse over the picture.

Winter:

- We took the kids skiing 4 times this winter and Julia loved it. Luke- not so much! Julia improved so much that she could even go on the chair lift this winter.

-Mike had to travel to Italy in November for work and I joined him for a week vacation at the end of his work assignment. We celebrated my birthday and an early 10th year wedding anniversary. We had an amazing time and I fell in love with Mike all over again!

-We zoomed over the holidays, spent all of January and February sick (all of us) and were finally healthy to go on a Disney Cruise to the Mexican Riveria with Grammie & Papa and the 2 great grandmas the first week of March.

- Just 6 weeks after the Disney Cruise we took Luke & Julia to Hawaii for a week in April.

Admist all the traveling Luke turn 3 yrs old in January and Julia turned 5yrs old in May. Both of them did gymnastics and Itty-bitty baseball in spring. We signed Julia up for Kindergarten in February and Luke up for his 1st year of preschool and I cried at both events! We also found out some exciting news this spring that I am expecting and the newest member of our family will join us the 1st week in October. We are all excited!

However, with everything going on this past winter and spring we still found time to just enjoy being together as a family. Mike and I are grateful for the opportunity we have to be parents. We feel extremely blessed that we have 2 healthy and active children- did you notice I did not add "normal" in that sentence. We also feel extremely blessed for Mike's talents and job. The greatest compliment I can give Mike is no matter what type of day he has at work he always comes home happy to see me and the kids.

Enjoy your summer!!

Summer & Fall Updates

2010-11-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick run down of the past few months:

-Had a great summer attending Hayley's wedding in NY, camping on Martha's Vineyard, and camping up in American Fork Canyon. We can say that we vacationed where President Obama vacations (Martha's Vineyard), but I doubt he visited the luxorious Martha Vineyard Family Campground. The kids loved the camping and Luke would roll over every morning and first things ask Mike, "Dad, when are we going to the beach?".

- Julia participated in a 4 year old soccer league and loved it. We were a little bit surprised on how aggressive she could be. We had to have a few talks about letting other members of her team have a chance in kicking the ball. But it was sure fun to see her race up and down the field every Saturday.

- Luke succeeded at potty training with bribes of new hotwheel cars and tell him that if he wanted to do itty-bitty basketball this winter he had to be 3 yrs old and potty trained! Worked like a charm!

- Julia was a fiftys girl for Halloween and Luke was a cowboy. Julia called her Halloween costume her poodle princess costume, since she had no idea what a fiftys girl was. Mike was a ghost buster and Les was a skeleton.

Here are a few pics:

Kids love slimy fish- not Mom though!

2010-06-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

This past week I spent Monday- Friday at a Continuing Education class at BYU to earn some college credit towards my re-certification in school counseling. So....we have no new pictures. Thought you would just like this one from our last camping trip. Mike is one of the best teachers around. He would never admit it, but he super patient when it comes to teaching our children- guess who will be the one to teach our kids how to drive! He is also really good at thinking of new things to teach them. Here is a picture of Mike teaching our kids to fish.

Next week I will post some new pictures of us at Cowabunga Bay water park and our new tile backsplash in out kitchen.

4 yr olds & Friends

2010-06-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

It seemed like the day Julia turned 4 yrs old all she wanted to do was play with friends. I swear even on her birthday she woke up asking if she could have a friend come over. When we went camping in May she scouted out this little girl who looked about her same age, went straight up to her, asked the little girl to play, and they were instant friends for the rest of the weekend. She is social, sweet, good at sharing, creative, and full of energy- who wouldn't want to be her friend. But, she is my daughter- so I always think she is amazing. Anyways here is a picture of Julia and our neighbor friend Taylen. Taylen has a little sister who was born the day before Luke and they are crazy together. When you ask Julia who her best friend it is always different, but I think if she really understood what a best friend is she would say her brother. Julia and Luke are usually inseparable. They wake up asking for one another, Luke always does what Julia does, and Julia is usually the only one who can understand and make Luke happy. They run around all day being mischievous together. I hope their relationship always stays this way for them, but for right now I feel so blessed to see their little relationship blossom!

A break from posting

2010-06-13T16:37:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I have last posted anything on our blog. I would like to say it is because we were traveling around the world, or remodeling our house, or having more babies, or being super-mom- but in all honesty it was a chosen break. Yes- I was busy being a Mom to 2 toddlers, being a wife to a husband who works long hours and gets to travel around the world for work, and fulfilling my church calling. However, in no way was I busier than most of you. It was a chosen break for my own personal sanity. Have you ever noticed that no one posts on their blogs all the awful things their kids do, all of their horrible pictures, how much weight they have gained over the past few months versus how much they have lost, what their house looks like on a daily basis, or the mistakes they make on a daily basis. Back in the fall I would spend a hour or so a day looking at blogs everyday and what I noticed is that after I was done seeing all the amazing things people were doing, I felt horrible about my life. I was crabbier with my kids, frustrated that we weren't taking amazing vacations like all of my other friends, frustrated that I hadn't lost all of my baby weight with Luke, or had any big announcments. A good friend of mine from NY wrote this on her blog "Sometimes it seems hard to know who we are to the world, who we are to others, what whey see when they look at us, and what they think when they think about us. And so we use the people in our lives as mirrow for ourselves." (Thanks Tracy- you are always inspiring!) This is what I realized- I was using other people's blogs as a mirror and standard for my own life.

I do have an amazing life, husband, and kids- please don't think I take these things for granted but maybe you would have to live in Utah to understand how I am feeling. Utah has a culture of always being better than your neighbor-looks, possession, you name it. Since I didn't grow up in Utah this lifestyle of overstating all your accomplishments is sometimes a bit to take. So.... I decided that I would try blogging again- thanks to much nudging by the Grandmas. But I have limits- twice a week for 20 minutes (and this includes facebook!). My children need a happy Mom who is not does not spend her life sitting in front of a computer or constantly hooked up to the internet.

So....Here are some current pictures of the kids and a list of what has been going on:

- Luke turned 2 at the end of January

-Julia turn 4 in May

-Julia finished her first year of preschool
-Julia had her gymnastics graduation

- Mike had his birthday in May too!

- Julia had no cavities at the dentist

-We went camping at Palisades State park and had lots of fun hiking, fishing, swimming, canoeing, riding bikes

-Took a family vacation with an old mission companion of Mike's and his family to Lav Vegas in April

- Mike visited Singapore at the end of January and brought back lots of fun stuff for the kids.

-Helped my sister Hayley moved out of the BYU dorms and are excited to travel back to NY this summer for her wedding!!

Picky Palate

2009-11-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

Check out this cool giveaway: http://picky-palate.com/2009/11/26/magical-santa-letters-giveaway/. Wouldn't Julia and Luke love this!!

September

2009-10-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

At the end of September we headed to Hilton Head South Carolina with Grammy and Papa. We spent a week swimming in the ocean, riding bikes, playing tennis, and even some outlet mall shopping. Luke and Julia were addicts of the beach!

Sometimes it is so fun to get together with friends you met years and years ago. It is fun to see how their family has grown and yours too at the same time. At the beginning of Sept. we had the opportunity to head up to a ranch in Wyoming with our now Idaho Potato Farmer friends. We had a great time 4-wheeler, fishing, playing in the mud, and building campfires. We wore the kids out so much that for the 1st time they slept in the car on our way home.

Where did we go?

2009-10-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

It seems lately that I haven't made my blog or really anything on the computer my priority. This is probably evident since my last entry was June 30th and it is currently Oct. 20th. So for the next few days check out some pictures from the last few months:

July:

Mike and I took a extended weekend trip up to Park City without the kids. Went hiking, golfing, and even hit the outlet malls. It was great to get some us time and some good amount of sleep. Especially since I came home and got bronchiotis the following week.

August:
-Flew back to NY with the kids to spend 2 weeks with my family.

-Luke started the Little Gym during Julia's preschool class one day a week. Luke loves the little gym and it is fun for me and him to have some one-on-one time together. Luke has a great time, running around, kicking balls, playing on the mats, and jumping off everything high thing possible. The comment I heard the most on his first day was, "Wow, your little boy has an amazing ability to kick a ball". My only reply, "Yep! Such a blessing when he decides to practice his kicking and throwing of balls in our house"

-Julia started preschool- We considered preschool a success, especially since when I picked Julia up from preschool on the first day, I asked her how it was and she shouted at the top of her lungs "Mom, we got to use glue!". My reaction- preschool is worth every piece of money, because glue, my house, and a patient mother don't mix well at my house.

"I don't want to go home!"

2009-06-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Julia wanted me to post some pictures of her in her new gymnastics class. She takes the 3 yr old gymnastics class at our local community center and loves it. At the end of her first gymnastics class she started to cry and I thought, "Oh no, she hated it". But no, no, no- she was crying because she didn't want to go home.

Mike's fishing buddy!

2009-06-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the kids fishing at Utah Lake. Julia was a master of swinging her fishing pole all over the place and getting her line tangled. Luke turned out to be our expert fisherman. He caught his first fish ever Saturday (actually the only fish anyone caught). Mike let him hold the pole while he rigged up the other line and the next thing we knew Luke had a fish on his line. He was pretty excited and didn't want to throw the fish back. Mike was super proud, I was amazed, and Julia went back to throwing rocks in the water. Now every Saturday morning Julia wakes up asking if we can go fishing- she wants to get even with Luke and catch her own fish.

Love of Balls

2009-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here is Luke's real true love- balls! Julia was wheeling her baby all around the house in her stroller the other day, so I said to Luke, "Go get a baby and wheel it around in the other stroller". This is what he decided upon!

Maren & Jordan's Temple

2009-06-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we took the kids on a Sunday afternoon to walk the Mt. Timpanogos Temple grounds. Julia was quite disappointed that the Temple was not opened on Sunday. She couldn't understand why the people who worked in the Temple needed a day off to go to church. Her argument was this: "Why do they need to go to church when they can just go to Jesus' House everyday?". Even though the Temple wasn't opened she still thought the doors were pretty cool. What she did think was amazing was that her Aunt Maren and Uncle Jordan were married in this Temple. So now the Mt. Timpanogos Temple has a new name: "Mares and Jo-Jo's Temple". As you can see neither of the kids were too keen on getting their picture taken that day.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2009-05-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the Hansen household we are pretty excited about our newly landscaped garden! Julia was especially excited about her pumpkins and the possbility they could grow to 20 lbs. Mike is ectstatic about his tomato plants and the many batches of authentic Italian pasta sauce he will be making. Les smells the basil plants everyday and is researching zucchini bread recipes. Luke, well since he doesn't really eat anything besides yogurt and fruit snacks he just ignores the garden. Check back in a few months and see if we can really grow anything!

The blissful month of May!

2009-05-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

May is always a great month here at the Hansen household. Both Julia and Mike have birthdays, kids are no longer sick, the inflatible pool is previewed for the first time in the backyard, and flips flops can be worn everyday. We've had a great birthday month with Julia turning 3 years old!!! This is great news for Mom, because no longer when people ask me how old my kids are I don't have to say 2 and 1 years old and have people look at me like I am nuts . Now they are officially 3 and 1 years old! Julia loved her princess castle cake that mom made for her and all of her presents. She was especially excited about her scooter. Two weeks before her birthday she found a $10 bill at the park and after that event she kept telling me that I needed to take her to the store so that she could buy a scooter with "HER money". A week later Mike had his birthday and had a lively party with just the four of us. We were a little bit birthday-ed out from the previous weekend and Mike was happy with his pizza and brownie cake.

Sooooo............As we end May, let me tell you my favorite things about these 2 birthday people!

My Favorite things about Julia Elizabeth Hansen

She is awesome at sharing with Luke and is truly a kind and loving big sister.

She is funny, curious, and energetic.

She is a big helper to Mom and is always willing to help when it is pick up time.

She reminds me daily that Heavenly Father loves me (and her of course!)

She always wants to say the prayer and loves to sing primary songs

She loves to wear my shoes!

My Favorite things about Mike Quiz Hansen

He is a mean griller and omelet maker

He is a huge help with the kids

He works very hard and supports our family so that I can stay home with the kids.

He is my best friend

He is a great teacher

He still loves me after 8 years of marriage!

Enjoy the birthday pictures!

A picture to describe my house!

2009-04-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

My 2 toddlers seem to take this to heart!

Who likes to sleep in their own bed- not me!!

2009-04-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

I don't care what those hotel commercials claim about their beds being the most comfortable beds found anywhere- nothings beats your own bed in your own house. In the last 2 weeks we traveled to San Antonio, Texas for a week, came back home for 3 days and were off again up to Idaho for Easter visiting the Hansen Family.

I am going to brag a bit- oh so sorry- but we had a fabulous time in San Antonio! When we flew out of Salt Lake we were in the middle of a snow storm. When we landed in Texas it was 80 degrees and sunny!! We took the kids all over, wore them out completely, and loved every minute. Check out the slide show for pics. Click on the bottom of the slide show for captions!

My Aunt Karen and Uncle Joe live in San Antonio and they were sweet enough to have us over for dinner one night. It was a ton of fun to see them and our pep talk to the kids about no running, no touching anything, no screaming, no destroying anything was successful. Here is a picture of my Aunt, Uncle, myself, myself and Luke and Julia acting innocent and angelic!

New Pics & Life Happenings!

2009-03-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

I thought my blogging vacation should probably come to an end seeing that it has almost been 2 months since I posted anything and the fact that both sets on Great-Grandparents (Dickens & Minicks) on my side of the family called on the same day last week wondering how we are doing. We have officially survived the winter season of the flu and are more than ready for spring to make its appearance here in snowy Utah. Yep, we still have snow on the ground here-aren't you all jealous!

Check out life's happenings in the past 2 months:

Mike took Julia downhill skiing for the first time last weekend and she loved it! She was begging to keep skiing when it was finally time to leave the ski slope. She could ski down the bunny hill/rope tow hill all by herself by the end of the day. Our friends, Russ & Heather Christensen brought up their little boy Noah who is about the same age as Julia and the two of them had a great time. Look how tiny their skis are! Check out the slideshow for skiing pictures.

Luke is officially a car fanatic. He loves to hop in his little tikes care that Mom rescued from the DI and beep the horn. He spends a good part of his day climbing in and out of it- even right after bath time!

As far as Mike and Les go we don't know where the time has gone. Mike recently laid 4 truckloads of gravel on the side of our house and Les has done the usual day by day activity: Take the kids on a animal outing (zoo, dinosaur museum, aquarium, pool-yep it has a monkey and parrot slide, cabelas-stuffed dead animal capital of the world, farm country, mall- even the mall has animals in it- just check out the carosuel, library), done a million loads of laundry, cooked to many dinners, worked out while watching "Sesame Street", and pretended to be a normal mother!

Sequencing

2009-02-08T15:17:00.000-08:00

Here's what occupies Luke these days. I am really grateful it is the weekend and Mike is home. I truly thought I might lose my mind these week! It was a long week of Julia telling me she is grownup and can do everything I ask her not to do because....guess what she is a grown up!

Morning Reading

2009-02-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me that starting so little my kids have loved books. Here is a precious moment from that past few days. Luke loves to crawl up on Julia's bed and this is what I found one morning. Today I am just plain grateful for books and the ability they have to teach & entertain!

Go Cougars!

2009-02-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to a BYU Men's Basketball game at the Marriott Center down in Provo. It was Luke & Julia's first BYU Basketball game and Julia woke up first thing Saturday morning singing the BYU Cougar fight song. Both Julia & Luke were a little bit timid at first with all the noise, people, and the huge arena. Can you tell by the pictures?! In the end we had a great time!

I am really grateful for the opportunity I had to go to BYU. Coming from NY where there is not a huge LDS population it was so much fun to meet so many people my age with my same values. Plus cheap tuition, great education, and meeting Mike were also bonuses!

Go Cougars!

Mail & Naps

2009-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we received a package from Italy. Take a look at how it arrived:

Mike wasn't too surprised by the look of this package. Our friends in Italy who sent the picture were not too surprised either. Amazingly everything in the package was intact and nothing was lost.

Here is a picture that totally surprised me on Friday though:

Julia took a nap for the first time in months! Everyday we have quiet time where Julia spends time in room reading or playing with toys, but this day everything was quiet and this is what I found when peeking in. It was a great afternoon for Mom, however not such a great night for Mom & Dad when Julia didn't want to go to bed till 10pm.

I am grateful for those little moments of quiet in our home. They don't happen a lot, but that 1 hour of peaceful time I had to myself on that Friday afternoon made me a happy wife to come home to- sometimes Mom's need a break.

Halloween at the Library

2009-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Coolest part of the public library system: FREE story time every week. I am totally grateful for the librarians at our public library who put up with a half an hour of runny nose babies and toddlers running around, asking nonsense questions, and pulling on their pant legs.

Here is a picture of Julia's Halloween outfit she insisted on wearing to story time today. One mother told me she looked like a Halloween princess lost in a snow storm!

Happy 1st Birthday Luke!

2009-01-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

Luke is officially 1 years old now. He really turned 1 on Friday (Jan. 23rd), but we didn't celebrate his birthday until Sunday. He loved his cake, presents, and the million times we sang "Happy Birthday". He liked Julia's singing of "Happy Birthday" the best.

Today I grateful for Maren, Jordan, Dave, & Ashley who braved the snowstorm and celebrated Luke's birthday with us. It was nice to have some Aunts & Uncles here since none of the Grandparents could make it.

Most of all I am grateful for Luke. He is our little funny man! Here are a few things I love about him:

He loves to say "Hi" to everyone. He usually wakes up before Julia in the morning and when she wakes up he loves to run into her room and tell her "Hi".

He loves to be cuddled and give hugs to Mom & Dad.

He is a little bit more cautious than Julia-ie.. less falls down the stairs, less bruises, and less worry for Mom.

He makes a great dinosaur "Roar"

His legs can run really fast now!

He is our little boy for forever who was sent from our Heavenly Father

Here are pictures of Luke the day he was born and at his first birthday. Check out the slide for more pictures from Luke's birthday!

Bath tubs

2009-01-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

Luke's new trick: Putting all of his food and practially anything that is on his highchair tray on his head.

What am I grateful for today?: Bathtubs. Luke & Julia are currently averaging 2 baths a day due to Luke's new trick and Julia's insistence that she takes a bath too if Luke gets to take one.

Make Believe

2009-01-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

Julia has never been a good self-entertainer. From day one she craved interaction with everyone around her. In her mind toys were only meant to played with when someone else was willing to play with them too. So today when she went to her room and looked at books on her own for a good 15 minutes I was estactic. What was even better though, was when she came out of her room with a princess crown on and said that her friend "Chubby" was tired of playing and she wanted Mom and Luke to play with her now. The mention of "Chubby" and the way she had put on the crown was hilarious. We all took turns pretending to be princesses and everyone thought it was pretty funny when Luke wanted the crown on him.

Cupcakes, Tutu skirts, & a messy house!

2009-01-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

I have been falling off the blog wagon lately. You could blame it on the fact that instead of cleaning the house, responding to email, doing the budget, or doing anything else responsible I have had a great time making elaborate cupcakes with piped candy letters or assembling pink & purple tutu skirts for an upcoming Relief Society craft night. Sometimes it feels so good to let my creative side wander and ignore the cheese sandwich on the floor from Wednesday.
Here is what I have been grateful for since Wedesday:
Thursday- A friend of mine in the neighborhood did a babysitting swap with me and it was my turn to leave my kids. This meant 2 hours of grocery shopping, visiting the post office, and hanging out at JoAnn fabrics with no children. I turned up the radio full blast- no "Wheels on the Bus" song for me! It was heaven and I am grateful for her friendship. Today is her birthday and the fancy cupcakes ended up on her doorstep!
Today- I am grateful Mike has a job right now. Mike came home tonight and told me it took him 45 minutes today just to go through email from acquaintances of his seeking employment opportunities at IM Flash. We will just save our pennies and hope for the best. What a scary time.
Check out the slide show for a few new pictures from this week.

Crockpots!

2009-01-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Mike gave me a new crockpot. I love my crockpot and to celebrate the new crockpot I found a blog where the author cooked in her crockpot every single day (yep-365 days) of 2008. I am thinking the Avocade Chiplote Soup, Barbequed Hot and Spicy Shrimp, Broccoli Beef, Buffalo Chicken Lasagna, Coconut Beef, Pasta Fagioli, and Rotisserie-style Chicken sound delicious.

Check out the blog at http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Thanks to the author for being a dedicated cook and blogger and helping me gain new enthusiam for dinner!

Mr. Chubby!

2009-01-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for the funny little things that happen each day. Often they help a long day move along. Here are few from Lehi UT:

- Julia got a new little table for Christmas that we keep in kitchen where she can eat her meals and use as a craft table. Along with the table came a pink stool and a blue chair. Yesterday she pulls out the stool from underneath the table and says, "Hey Mr. Chubby. You can sit on the pink stool for lunch." Mike has been telling me that she has an imaginary friend she calls Mr. Chubby, but I really didn't believe him- well he's right! So now the daughter of a former school counselor has a friend named "Mr. Chubby"- real politically correct!

-Luke has a new trick where you give him a piece of food on your finger and he bites at the piece of food and growls like a tiger at the same time.

-Click on this link to see a video off of YouTube that Julia thinks is very funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJOE1GyJwSk&feature=PlayList&p=889139AF17B8289B&index=19

Last of all here is a first for Luke: a Mohawk!

Jumping Beans

2009-01-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

We currently have 2 1/2 feet of snow in our front yard and it is snowing as I type. The ever ending saga of being housebound in the winter with kids that challenges every mother has officially arrived at the Hansen household this week. So today I called up a few girls in my neighborhood and we all caravanned to the Kangaroo Zoo. The Kangaroo Zoo is a warehouse filled with inflatible bouncing toys for kids. Julia and all her little buddies jumped for 2 hours straight. Luke had a great time hanging on to Mom for dear life everytime I tried to put him on a bouncy toy. Eventually he decided to venture off on his own as he tried to see how fast his new little walking legs could take him.
Tonight I am grateful to the 3 Moms in my neighborhood who ventured off with me, Julia, and Luke. It was so fun to visit with these 3 girls and hear that my frustrations as a mother are pretty common.

PS-Sorry forgot the camera today.

Update!

2009-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Since it has almost been a whole month since I last posted anything, let me give you an update on the latest happenings:

Our basement is finished with new drywall, baseboards, paint, carpet, and tile!!! All courtesy of our December flood.
Noel, Amber, and Greg Dickens spent a little bit of time with us before they headed up to Idaho for the holidays.
We were snowed in for Christmas and had a great time spending the holiday with just four of us. It was peaceful and so fun to watch Julia and Luke be amazed by all the activities.
We have lots and lots and lots of snow and Julia has made good use of her sled!!
We finally made it up to Twin Falls Idaho to visit the Hansen family for New Years.

I added a slide show with some pictures from Christmas for all to enjoy. As I looked back at these pictures I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has sent me these two little energetic spirits. As we had our little Christmas Eve activities of singing carols, reading the nativity and lightling candles for Jesus, it was so fun to hear Julia ask all sorts of questions about baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and the birth of the Savior. I am grateful for the little bit of time we had to slow down and spend time just the four of us together during a holiday season which is usually filled with parties, extended family members, and gifts.

We are still alive!

2008-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

We have had a few inquiries as to the status of our household since I have not posted anything for almost a whole month now. Well let me tell the chaos that has occurred here!

We arrived back in Utah from our Thanksgiving vacation with 2 sick kids and a sick husband. Julia ended up with a double ear infection.

Christmas parties galore

Our basement was flooded with sewer water and a plumber, a disaster service company, and the insurance company were all called in.

I was in charge of our centerpieces for our ward adult Christmas party and in charge of the Relief Society Christmas Enrichment Dinner & Program

Luke had a huge diaper rash that included blisters all over bottom area and spread upwards- if you get my drift!

And did I mention its almost Christmas!

So I am really wishing it was January right now, but for the meanwhile here is a picture from our warm and sunny vacation to Marco Island!

Nov.19th & 65F

2008-11-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that today, Nov.19th, it was 65 F here in Utah. To make the most of it we headed to the zoo with our neighbors Jeanette and her little boy Alex. Julia ran circles around Alex and everyone was exhausted by the time we left 3 hours later. I am grateful for this little time in our lives where Julia and Luke are home with me. No school to run to or sport practices to shuttle them to. It was great to go to the zoo and practically have it all to ourselves!

Tomorrow we are off to vacation- so no posts for 10 days!!!

Crafts galore

2008-11-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to find something fun and easy for Julia to do that would help her understand what Thanksgiving is all about. We tried making cookies for her nursery teachers and writing a thank you card. It wasn't too successful-Mom ate way too many cookies and Julia was more interested in playing with the nursery teachers' children instead of giving her teachers the cookies & cards.

Luckily fate was on my side today and I found my new favorite website at http://www.makeandtakes.com/. They have a cute little paper turkey with paper feathers that will transport easily in the suitcase. They were using the turkey as a countdown calendar for Thanksgiving, but I think this will be a great way for Julia & the Thanksgiving guests to write what they are thankful for on the feathers.

So..............tonight I am grateful for all of those little teaching moments you have with your children. Hopefully this project turns into one of those awe-inspiring moments. Most likely though, I can just picture a lot of glue on hands and maniac scissors flying around in a 2 year-olds hand.

30!

2008-11-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am grateful to have had 30 years of good health, loving friends and family, and opportunities to learn and grow.

Aunt Mares

2008-11-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

We are lucky enough to have my sister Maren and her husband Jordan live close to us. Julia loves them and gets so EXCITED when they come over. Maren is a talented hairdresser and tonight Maren gave Julia her first haircut. As you can see Julia was a little bit nervous at the beginning. By the end she loved it and kept going around showing everyone her new haircut.

I want Maren to know how much I appreciate and love her. She is loving, talented, funky, and always fun to be around. Thanks for helping me so much with Julia and Luke. In a year or so her and Jordan will be moving and we will miss you so much. We love you- Les & the munchkins

Mornings

2008-11-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

I am very grateful the Savior created mornings. In the Hansen household everyone is at their best in the mornings. Julia comes bounding out of her room with crazy Einstein hair and chatting away. She is always excited about the new day and it always gives me hope I can survive another day of a messy house, diapers, and toddler meltdowns.

Let's Eat Cake!

2008-11-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

Luke had his first piece of cake today and as you can see he devoured it! He sat for a whole hour in the high chair eating, mushing, and smearing chocolate cake. Bet you can guess what I am thankful today- chocolate cake and the many "firsts" that occur in a babys first year of life.

Our internet server was down yesterday so this post was really yesterday's. So here's a little bonus: This is super easy for little ones to help out with. Somtime I just put all the ingredients right in the pan and mix. That way I don't dirty an extra bowl.

No Egg Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup oil

2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cup water

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 1 9x13 inch pan or 2 round cake pans. Mix all ingredients except 1 cup water. Beat until smooth. Add remaining water and beat for another minute. Pour into pans and bake for 30-35 mintes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

Sleep

2008-11-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a night of good sleep makes a bad day fade away. So.. tonight I am grateful that Luke is sleeping through the night once again. We had about a month of him being sick and cutting teeth where he was waking once or twice. Makes for a much more patient and loving Mom.

Here's a picture of both Luke & Julia sleeping right after they came home from the hospital.

Life Before Kids

2008-11-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who often knows what is best for us, even when we think a different path would be better. Next week the whole fam is flying back east for Thanksgiving and today I was thinking about the joys of flying 7 1/2 hours on an airplane with 2 children 2 years old and younger! Before we had children Mike and I would plan a trip and just go. We went to some amazing places and have amazing memories from those places. However, during that time the doctors and us were also trying every miracle to conceive a child. Sometimes I look at my children and think "oh me of little faith". I am grateful now for that time Mike and I had together to build our relationship. Especially now that we don't have any time together.

Here is a picture of one of our favorite trips- just the two of us in Maui, Hawaii- actually just the 2 1/2 of us-right before we left I found our I was pregnant with Julia!

Short & Sweet

2008-11-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

Today out of the blue Julia came up to me and said, "Mom I love you. I love Dad too" and then went back to playing with her baby dolls. I am grateful that children are forgiving of very imperfect parents.

Things 2 year olds love at church!

2008-11-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

I want to personally thank whoever invented sugar free Ice Breakers Sours. They totally occupied the 2 year old for the last 10 minutes of sacrament meeting today as the speakers kept talking and talking and talking and talking. I also think the greatest invention is the miniature toilets that are in the nursery at church. Julia thinks they are the coolest!

Here's Luke's newest trick!

Songs Galore

2008-11-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

Julia's newest passion is singing songs. She knows the Primary songs better than most of the Sunbeams we have ever taught in Primary. She sings them all day and where ever we might be. Tonight on our way out of a restaurant she starts belting at the top of her lungs "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and of course this makes Luke laugh and laugh. We are officially a three ring circus now!

Tonight I am grateful for the gift of music. Not only for Julia's little songs, but music in general and the amazing ability it has to usher in the Holy Ghost (obviously, uplifting music) and uplift your spirit.

Silly Tricks

2008-11-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

I wish I was a more creative mother. Unfortunately, I am a analyzer and planner type of a person. So all of the fun activities and games I play with Luke and Julia have been thought about for days or stolen from more "on the fly" creative people.

I am grateful for this silly little trick I saw my mother play with Julia when she was an infant. When my Mom went to change Julia's diaper she would put Julia's pants on her head. Julia had a great time trying to take the pants off and giggle at my Mom. So I decided to start this tradition with Luke and here is today's picture of it. In the process he also found his 2 ears and the rest of the day I would ask Luke "Where are your ears?" and he would grab them and giggle.

Thanks Mom for this little piece of inspirition (along with everything good about me).

Blender Wheat Pancakes

2008-11-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for my neighbor up the street and her talents! Recently our ward has been focused on emergency preparedness and food storage. One of my neighbors is an amazing bread maker and last night she did a little wheat/bread making class. I was so excited that I even hired a babysitter to come so that I could go to the class. The class was chock full of info and my neighbor made the yummiest samples. Here is one of the recipes she handed out which we had for breakfast this morning.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup milk

1 cup wheat kernels

Blend in blender or food processor for 4-5 minutes until smooth (if you soak your wheat kernels for a few hours before hand or overnight you don't have to blend them for so long)

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp honey or sugar

Blend on low until mixed (25-30 seconds)

The 1st Snow!

2008-11-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

Snow, Snow, Snow! Julia was beyond excited this morning when she woke up and saw 4 inches of snow in our drive way. Starting at 7am she kept asking to go outside and play in it. Poor girl- it only took us to 10am to finally get everyone dressed and outside. Sometimes Julia & Luke's amazement at new things reminds me how lucky I am to be home with them full time. I would have been so sad to miss seeing Luke stick out his tongue and try to catch the snowflakes for the first time today. So thanks Mike for working hard!

Fruit Snack & Forts

2008-11-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

The welcoming of November came with rain, hail, wind, and snow today. Since we were stuck inside the whole day and Julia was bored we had a great time making a fort in our living room. I think I loved the fort more than Julia though. I would give her a snack and tell her to go eat it in her fort and she would spend 20 minutes eating fruit snacks in her fort pretending with her baby and singing songs. So if you can imagine we had all sorts of snacks today. Then Luke would crawl over to the fort and pull himself up to it and that would entertain Julia for another 10 minutes.

Some days I am grateful for just the little stuff. The 20 minutes I had to clean the kitchen without Julia today was such a blessing.

Pony Rides

2008-11-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

As a Mom I am the playful at 8am, after that my energy, and mostly my patience, goes down hill. By the time Mike gets home from work the kids are tired of me (and vice versa) and Mike becomes the most playful. I am grateful for Mike and his willingness to help out with Luke and Julia after a long day of work. He is a master entertainer for kids with pony rides of his knees, crazy camp songs, and silly games he makes up. Thanks Mike- You're the best husband and Dad I know!

Here is a picture from tonight's entertainment:

Beautiful Eyes

2008-11-02T14:06:00.001-08:00

So I have to admit that yesterday I fell off the blogging wagon yesterday. Julia, Luke, and I are all sick and I spent most of the day sucking out noses, trying to pacify coughing kids, and trying to catch up on no sleep from the night before. The only thing I was truly grateful yesterday was Tylenol. I have no idea how the pioneers did it. I would make a lousy pioneer. Actually I probably wouldn't be alive. As my obgyn said after Julia was born, "Well, if you lived 100 years ago you wouldn't be alive today."

Anyhow..... today is a little better and I am truly grateful for the opportunity I had to attend Sacrament Meeting today (especially since Julia and Luke stayed home). I am grateful for the spirit that was present as testimonies were born of the Savior and his healing power in times of trials. Some days you feel so "spiritually thirsty" and I am grateful for those members in my ward that followed the promptings of the spirit.

No one wanted their picture taken today, so I found this picture taken of Julia about a year ago by her Uncle Noel. Her eyes reminded me of Luke's eyes so much.

America

2008-10-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

As we were out Trick-Or-Treating tonight, I thought to myself what an amazing event Halloween is. Granted it has its cons; like too much candy to rot the teeth, media that enhances the dark side, and individuals who poison candy or other various malicious acts. But in all reality those things happen everyday. So... in my little suburbia of kids running from house to house screaming for joy and a million little girls dressed up as princesses... I thought it is truly a blessing to live in America where we are rich enough to pass out candy to kids and provide costumes of some sorts above and beyond just a shirt & set of pants to wear. It never seems to amaze me how blessed we are in the United States.

Here is a picture of my little trick-or-treaters!

Prudy Saves the Day

2008-10-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Quick notes for the day:
-Julia still sick with fever & running nose
-Therefore had to miss Ward Halloween Party tonight
-Consequences= No trial run through for kids' Halloween costumes & no free dinner= Mom and Julia extremely UPSET!!

***So.... at the end of the day I am grateful that Mike finally came home from work before 7pm (truly amazing!) and Prudence Pennywise provided amazing dinner recipes of Roasted Tomato & Corn Vegetarian Chili in the Slow Cooker & Soft Whole Wheat Pretzels. If you haven't checked at Prudy's blog at http://www.prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/ you are truly missing out!

Luke was truly glad to see his Dad too!

Little Helpers

2008-10-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Julia started running a fever right around dinner time (oh the evil hour of motherhood) and stayed up most of the night coughing and wanting Mom. This morning despite feeling crummy she was in a pretty good mood. What was even more amazing was to walk into the kitchen and find Julia unloading the dishwasher and putting the utensils back into the drawers. When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I am helping Mama. I am cleaning". I was literally speechless at how sweet Julia was and the fact that she was putting the dishes away in the right spots. Take look for yourself!

As a mother I worry that I do not spend enough time teaching my children how to be polite, helpful, kind, and most important Christlike. Today, though, I am grateful for those little moments when your children surprise you and you realize that you are doing at least an okay job of being a mother.

LMH

2008-10-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today was Luke's official 9 month well-baby check-up and this afternoon as I had some quiet time I reflected on how lucky we are to have Luke as part of our family. Honestly, I haven't always been so excited to have 2 children. It took 3 years for Julia to join our family and when Luke came along 20 months later I was scared and exhausted. Now it is hard to imagine life with out Luke.

Here are just a few of the things I LOVE about LMH:

*He is a great napper!

*He loves Julia and can always make her smile when Mom can't.

*He is a mellow, happy-go-lucky baby (most of the time) thanks to the thumb.

*He is ours for eternity.

He was such a good sport as he got poked and prodded by the doctor and ended up with 2 shots. Here is his stats from today: 29 inches long (75%), 17lbs 2 oz (5%), and 46 cm head circumference (65%)- a Long and Skinny Kid!

Here is a picture of Luke today and one from 7 months ago.

Survival Day

2008-10-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

I LOVE PUMPKIN! I love pumpkin pie, muffins, cookies, soup, cake, milkshakes, anything with pumpkin I love. So... today when Luke was crabby from cutting a tooth last night, Julia was crabby from missing her nap yesterday, and I was crabby due to (like you can't figure that out!).... I decided there was only one way to rememdy this situation: Bake PUMPKIN COOKIES. I found a yummy Pumpkin & Caramel cookie on http://everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com/. Crystal, author of the everyday food storage blog, posts yummy, easy, and cheap ideas for using your food storage. Note: The picture of cookies is also from Crystal's blog.

Here is the recipe with a few changes I made:

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Icing Cookies

1 cup shortening (I used 1/2 cup shortening & 1/2 cup butter)

1 cup sugar ( I used 3/4 cup)

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 t vanilla

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup all purpose & 1 cup whole wheat flour)

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

½ t ginger

1 t salt

Heat over to 350. Cream shortening and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Sift and add dry ingredients. Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 mins. Yields 2 1/2 dozen.

Icing

3 T butter

¾ t vanilla

1/4 C. milk *note from Crystal-3/4 T. dry powdered milk + 1/4 C. Water*

½ c brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Combine butter, vanilla, milk, brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly to rolling boil. Cool. Stir in powdered sugar. Generously frost cookies while warm. Return icing to heat if too thick.Cookies will appear raised when cooked. Frosting will melt on top of cookie.

As you can tell by the recipe- I am truly grateful for Libby's Pumpkin Puree. These cookies made my house smell so good and occupied Julia as she ate 5 cookies. Sorry Mom- no pictures of the kids today- just a pure survival day!!

Monkeys & Bananas

2008-10-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

I remember when Julia was finally delivered the very first thing I wanted to know was her Apgar score (the measure of how healthy your baby is at the time of delivery). It had been a horrific 24 hour labor that ended with a C-section and I was so relieved that my little baby was healthy.

Today I am still truly amazed at how healthy and vibrant my children are. This is a blessing as a mother that I feel I take advantage on a daily basis. However, I try to remind myself of this fact when I find my little 2 year old monkey in the craziest places. Here are some pictures that testify to this fact. Julia was able to accomplish all of these feats in just our short walk to the park and back home.

Counseling Buddies

2008-10-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago Mr. Q and I moved to Boise, ID as a newly married couple. I was young, naive, and homesick as I entered the School Counseling Masters program at Boise State. There were 15 people in the program all from very different walks of life. Over the next 3 years these 15 individuals became some of my closet friends. This weekend 2 of my favorite people in that program visited me here in Utah. We had a great day of shopping at IKEA, eating lunch at Thanksgiving Point, and gabbing non-stop. I am truly grateful for their friendship and a Heavenly Father who placed these ladies in my life.

Here is what I love about each one of them:

Shauna- She is one of the most sincere individuals I know. She understands what it means to be a true friend and is so good at keeping in contact. Just being with her makes you feel special. Also... she drinks Diet Pepsi with her cereal in the morning!

Lynn-Is constantly caring for others. She is one of the most generous and loyal people I know. Her ability to listen and empathasize makes her one of the most amazing counselors I know. Also...she can entertain a 2 year old like no one else! Especially my little Julia!

Shauna & Lynn-Thanks for helping me be a better person-miss you lots-LesliAnn

2008-10-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

On the most hectic of days, the most practical things in life draw my greatest appreciation. Today was one of those days as we headed to dreaded (only to mothers whose children will not stay in the carts) grocery store. I have 2 amazing friends coming into town this weekend and I wanted to have more than 2 day old rice, 1/2 a gallon of milk, and moldy green onions in the frig- so I made the venture.

So... today I make a shoutout to the individual who invented the "car" cart at grocery stores. I am eternally grateful to him/her. I can fit 2 children and groceries in 1 cart!!! Now granted Julia ended up in the grocery portion of the cart by the end of the trip, but the "car" cart seat became a great place for milk and the 24 boxes of Go-Gurt I got for $12 (50cents a piece)!

Screwdrivers & Cords

2008-10-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here is one piece of advice I wish someone had told me before I had children: Kids don't need toys, everything you don't want them to play with is a toy to them.

i.e.= the cord of the carpet cleaner was Luke's favorite today. Now granted the carpet cleaner has been sitting in the kitchen for 3 days now, ever since Julia spilled her fruit shake on the carpet. But come on, 3 days is nothing compared to the screw driver that has been on my nightstand for a month- in case of burglars- right?!

Today though I am most grateful for the beauty of this earth the Savior created. The changing colors of the leaves reminds me of growing up in New York and the longing I have to move back east someday. However, for right now I am grateful for these 2 bright red bushes the closest I can come to the colors of fall.

The start of all of this....

2008-10-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

This morning Julia woke up at 6am and Mike went in to her room to find her with half of her pjs on. Needless to say she was freezing! Mike quickly helped her put her pjs back on and she nestled back into her blankets. As he left the room she whispered to her Dad, "Dad I am going to miss you today." Even in the darkness of an October morning Julia's little rays of sunshine penetrate her parents' sleepy souls.

So...........as the normal craziness of dumped Rice Crispies, stickers on the walls, and Luke's magazine ripping parties filled the morning routine I found myself thinking back to a talk given by President Henry B. Erying in the October 2007 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When his children were young, President Erying began to write down a few things about what had happened every day. President Erying writes, "Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day......More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened."

As a mother of 2 busy little ones, I strive for little teaching moments where the Holy Ghost can fill our home. I want my children to know of my gratitude for them and for my Savior. Personally I want my testimony to continue to grow through the promptings of the spirit.

So join me for a daily testament of the craziness of my 2 little people and the things I am grateful for!