100 Things About Me

A friend did this on her blog and it was so much fun reading about her that I thought I'd take a page from her book. We'll see how well you really know me...

1. My middle name is Marion and maiden name is Anderson
2. Have 4 brothers and 1 sister. I'm the second oldest
3. Have completed 2 half marathons
4. Want to run a full marathon within a year
5. Had my first child when I was 25 and third child when I was 30
6. It was love at first sight when I saw my husband
7. He waited to notice me until I passed out in an Anatomy TA lab meeting
8. I was born in Cheltenham, England
9. If I could live on a beach I'd be the happiest woman alive
10. Have an intense hatred for cockroaches (and I live in Atlanta!)
11. Skipped the 2nd grade
12. First book I remember falling in love with was To Kill a Mocking Bird
13. Have had 6 surgeries (3 c-sections and 3 ankle surgeries)
14. Got accepted to Physician Assistant Graduate school and found out I was pregnant 2 weeks later. Deferred for a year and started when Jackson was 6 months old.
15. If I didn't work in the ER I'd love orthopedics or cardiology
16. I have been told that I am a good friend
17. Wanted to go on a mission but met Jason before I had the chance
18. Always cry when my Mom leaves after visiting
19. Was a competitive gymnast but broke my back in a car accident my senior year in high school
20. My first love broke my heart at the tender age of 19
21. My parents forced me to go to BYU for the first year. Then I loved it.
22. Lived in Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates for 2 years
23. Have wonderful memories of building forts in our woods and selling vegetables from our garden at our roadside stand
24. Wish that my grandmother hadn't died when I was 8. I'd like to have know her better
25. Hold the record at my elementary school for the flexed-arm hang
26. Got my ears pierced in the 6th grade after getting straight A's
27. Had a horrible, horrible teacher in the 4th grade who still teaches
28. Have become in love with the colors brown and pink over the past year
29. Can still do an ariel and a back handspring
30. Want to have a tummy tuck when I am done having kids (a 10 pound baby and a 5'1" woman do not make a good combination. I mean skin only has so much elasticity!
31. Love family traditions
32. Wish that there were more hours in the day. If there were...I would scrapbook, play tennis and organize to my hearts content (things I can't seem to find time for now)
33. Am pretty sure that I have a touch of OCD. Can't stand germs and I am passing that on to my children ugh!
34. People used to think that my brother and I were twins and that I was a boy too
35. Had a terribly short haircut until I was in the 7th grade (see above)
36. Am a fiercely competitive game player
37. Started skiing when I was 5 but started snowboarding in college and haven't skied since
38. Used to wear glasses as a child. Had both a lazy eye and was far sighted. Grew out of both of them, gratefully.
39. Love the Beastie Boys and a lot of rap music that my husband can't stand
40. My parents wouldn't let me go to the Beastie Boys concert in the seventh grade
41. Kissed 2 boys in one night during college
42. Donated plasma in college
43. Wished I had lived in the dorms as a freshman
44. Still ocassionally have terrible nightmares
45. Love to shop at the outlet mall
46. Was a "late bloomer"
47. Can't wait for the next Harry Potter book to come out
48. Went to Spain for a summer when I was high school
49. Went to Austria and Prague for a semester during my junior year in college
50. Would LOVE to travel more now
51. Sometimes bite my nails, sometimes don't. Usually pick my cuticles. Bad habit!
52. Feel most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt
53. Never want a TV in my bedroom or a playstation in my house
54. My dad had my childhood pet shot when she was old and full of tumors. Pinnie was a black labrador and was 14 years old. (yes, I am still holding a grudge and can't get over that)
55. Am a professional sleeper. Can fall asleep at a moments notice.
56. Love dark chocolate
57. First car was a mint green Aries station wagon
58. Taught the 6th grade for a year. It wasn't for me...
59. Would not describe myself as creative
60. Am completely in love with my 3 children
61. Don't like change. Cried from Rhode Island to Utah when I went to college
62. Due to a ridiculous number of parking tickets I can not park on BYU's campus ever again
63. My feet have grown an entire size since my first child was born. Used to be a 5 now am a 6
64. Had been pulled over 13 times before I got my first speeding ticket. I like to go fast...(and have a way with words)
65. Loved Ann Arbor, Michigan but not the weather
66. Want to own a boat and teach my kids to waterski
67. Can't remember how many boys I have kissed
68. Love chick flicks
69. Hate scary movies of all varieties
70. Was a great waitress. Worked at the Underground and Los Hermanos when I was in college but don't miss it
71. Took the MCAT and applied to medical school
72. Glad I didn't become a doctor. Life is challenging enough!
73. Can be pretty bossy but try not to be
74. Am a hopeless romantic but never fell for the guys that were
75. Wore size 6X in the sixth grade
76. Still consider my best friends from high school, Susan and Sarah, to be my best friends
77. Love thunderstorms and blizzards
78. Just celebrated my 10th Wedding Anniversary
79. Favorite holidays are Halloween and Christmas
80. Have become a Sudoku addict
81. Can't stand the gum popping sound
82. Should drink more water but prefer Diet Coke
83. Broke my ankle when I was holding my 14 month old son and slipped on ice. A mother's sacrifice for her child...
84. Still have a plate and 3 screws in the left ankle
85. Am able to memorize things with ease
86. Have triangle pinky toes
87. Miss the cute bras I used to own
88. Wish I knew how to french braid hair, especially now that I have 2 daughters
89. Don't mind doing laundry but hate cleaning the bathroom
90. Am the 1st counselor in the Primary Presidency and I love it!
91. Love to get flowers
92. Will move into my new house in 3 weeks
93. My brother threw up in my hair while I was sleeping on a plane ride from the Middle East. Still traumatized!
94. Played the piano until I was in the 6th grade. Wish I hadn't quit.
95. Went to Hawaii on my honeymoon
96. Worshipped Mary Lou Retton when I was in elementary school
97. My engagement ring fell to the bottom of Lake Powell less than a day after I got it
98. Am looking forward to getting a new BIG diamond someday (ha)
99. Love a bargain but can't sort through things at yard sales, estate sales or even big store sales
100. Miss my friends that are scattered across the country

Sledding Fun

The kids are "learning" about winter in school but don't have much opportunity for hands on experiences living in Atlanta. We decided to supplement their education and take a "field trip" to Utah and Montana this winter. Here are a few shots of the fun time we had sledding while in Utah.
Ava would not keep her mittens on and she completely lost it when we had to go. She would have spent the entire day sledding if we'd have let her. I think we have another child with a need for speed on our hands.

Family Home Evening Lesson

Our family has really made Family Home Evening a priority for the last 6 months or so. We are having a good time together and the kids look forward to it (which is quite a switch). This past week we introduced the Primary theme for the year "I Will Follow Him in Faith" and read a story about a child who was scared while trying to go to sleep at night. In the story the child said a prayer that he wouldn't be scared and after that he felt comforted and was no longer afraid. He realized that the sounds from the closet were really him breathing hard and that the monster arms were the sleeves of his shirts. He had faith that his prayer would be answered and the fear was gone.
We defined faith and told the kids that the opposite of faith is fear. Then we all memorized a few lines that we could say when we felt afraid or needed to have faith. They are the following: Be of good cheer. Have faith and confidence. The Lord will not forsake you.
Well, last night Jackson was trying to go to sleep and as usual he couldn't stop wiggling long enough to fall asleep. He came out and said that he was having a hard time making him mind stop thinking. I asked him if he'd counted sheep, closed his eyes and even sung a song and he quickly told me that nothing worked. I then thought about our FHE lesson. I asked Jackson if he remembered those 3 lines that we'd learned on Monday night. Interestingly, I had only remembered the first and paused after, "Be of good cheer" trying to remember the next line. Jackson beat me to the punch and finished the saying. He said that he'd try that approach and see what happened. I went in a few minutes later and he was out. That was so much nicer than feeling frustrated and urging him to fall asleep over and over.
I was not only amazed by Jackson's ability to memorize and retain but even more by his faith. He believed that if he asked for help to fall asleep he would receive it. I love that each day I learn more and more how to become a better person from my children. What a blessing they are!

The Next Tiger?

Jackson surprised us by asking for one and only one Christmas gift this year - golf clubs. He had a little plastic set when he was a toddler but outgrew those and decided that he wanted to start golfing. We thought it was a whim but as the fall went on he continued to say that that was all he wanted for Christmas. So...Jason got him a few lefty clubs and the boys went out to the driving range last week for a few hours. Jackson found it a little bit harder than he thought it would be but he had a great time. Now he wants to take a few lessons.
Boy is it hard trying to maintain balance in my childrens' lives. Jackson is swimming 2 days a week, has an after school art class once a week, soccer will soon begin which is also 2 days a week and he wants to golf too. When we try to get him to narrow it down he says that he wants to do it all. Hopefully he'll decide on one over the other shortly because I don't want to decide for him.

USS Yorktown

Pilot Jackson


Tiger Den


USS Yorktown

Jason and Jackson had a great time on their Tiger Cub campout aboard the USS Yorktown. Jackson had never seen an aircraft carrier and was in awe of it's size. If how little sleep the scouts got is any barometer for fun level then Jason would say the fun level was a 9.5. These are the kind of trips that memories are made of I think.

Girls Weekend

Pink Fairy Princess Cookies


Flour Was Not On Purpose


What Concentration

Jason and Jackson went on a Tiger Cub campout this weekend so Kate and I made a girls weekend of it. Last night we rented a "gymnastics movie" (and I use that term loosely) called Stick It and Kate and I had a great time watching it together. At one point in the movie after an awesome series of tumbling runs, Kate turned around wide-eyed and most seriously said, "I want to do all of that"! I was so proud :)
We had a very fun day today and it ended with some girl time making pink Fairy Princess cookies. Kate really got into it and learned a few basic cooking rules too. #1 Don't vigorously stir flour. #2 Butter alone doesn't taste very good #3 Cooking with Mommy can be fun when she isn't in a rush.
Having so much fun with Kate has made me realize that I need to spend more individual time with the kids. The interactions are so much different when it is one-on-one and they aren't competing for the floor.

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve we went to the Little America buffet and then on to Temple Square. It was a little nostalgic for Jason and I as 10 years before, we had met everyone for breakfast at Little America the day after we were married. The kids were overwhelmed by the volume of treats and we don't know if we'll go back (with the children that is). Kate, especially, became fascinated with the chocolate fountain and we aren't sure if the health department would approve of her tactics for obtaining samples.
We also always enjoy visiting temple square and were anxious to share that experience with the kids. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time together. Chandler (the 2nd oldest Hansen cousin) was so good to Ava. He would follow her around helping when he could and she was too was smitten with him. Makes us wish that we lived closer to the family!

Soldiers Hollow - "It's called tubing"

Don't accidentally call tubing sledding or Jackson will be quick to correct you. Basically the only difference between tubing and sledding is that tubing has absolutely no physical activity involved. After making your way down the hill a magical tow gracefully escorts you to the top. We Americans will find a way to take the physical hum-drum out of every sport!
Nevertheless, tubing in Soldiers Hollow is a Hansen family holiday tradition. The ever popular event is always a huge hit and we were thrilled to be in Utah for the occassion this year. Jackson and Kate loved tubing so much that we hardly saw them the entire 2 hours. As soon as Jackson made it down a run he took off with his tube and cousins for another go. Ava thought that she loved tubing and did although the ride to top was fun, she did not enjoy having to sit in her own tube for the snowy ride down. Perhaps we'll try again when she is 3...

Our Little Princess

The Little Princess

So Happy Together

Looking Like a Toddler

So...as promised, I am going to post a whirlwind of blogs from our adventures over the last month. First is dedicated to our little princess, Miss Ava. Our Best Atlanta friends (see that Alli) gave Ava two little tiara bands and she has fallen in love with them. Ava has a fetish for shoes, bracelets, rings, purses and all that is girly. To capture her at this stage, we even had her 18 month pictures taken with the tiara. She has proven that a girl can wear jeans and jewels and make it look good!

Ski Bums

Little Bunnies

Family Shot

Kate and Cousin Abby



Part of our 18 day vacation extravaganza included 5 days of skiing in Big Sky, Montana. I snowboarded each day, Jason skied a few days and Kate and Jackson tried skiing. This was the kids first ski experience and they are hooked! I can't tell you how surprised I am that they didn't whine, cry or complain even once about the cold. (I, of course, complained enough for everyone about the frigid temperatures.) Given my track record for teaching my children any type of sport, we decided it best to enroll them in ski school. Best idea that I ever had! After only a few hours of skiing they were snowplow turning and at the end of the trip were beginning to parallel ski. Both of the children's teachers said that they had a need for speed. Although they could turn and follow the teachers, both preferred to go as fast as they could down the mountain.
Jackson cried on our last day of skiing when the lifts closed and he couldn't ski anymore. He certainly made my Mom's day when he said that he wished he could live in Big Sky forever!

Coming Along

Front View

Rear View

Front Porch

Great Room



We just returned from an 18 day long vacation (more posts and updates to come later) to see quite a transformation of our home. Here are a few pictures of some updates. The interior paint color is a primer and not the true color. They are waiting to apply to interior color until things are mostly in.
After each round of decisions I somehow think that I am done with the decision making portion of this project. Not the case. Our builder just gave me another 10 item to do list and it needs to be completed yesterday of course! I am not complaining because it is very exciting but I am getting so ready to move back into our home.