The Hansen Family Blog

2011-2012 New School Year!

2011-08-09T01:11:00.018-04:00

Well, another summer has flown by and our family has officially entered the world of middle school! Here are a few pics of the kids flashing their digits (representing their grades and Jackson with an "m" for middle school) and their smiles. :) Time really does go by too quickly!

Ava's teacher is Mrs. Spencer and we are so excited about it! Although her BFF, Bailey, is in another class this year her other closest friends, Coco and Alima will be joining her. I will have the pleasure of being her room parent again and am really pretty excited about it.

Kate's teacher this year is Mrs. Rich. She is known as a creative and fun teacher who I know will make this a very special year for her. She too, has several great friends in her class including Lucy, Maddie, Kelsey, and a super cool "boy" friend who shall remain nameless. :)

We put Jackson on a bus for the first time as he set off for middle school. There were nerves, jitters and tears (ok most of those were from me) but he made it there and back in one piece. I really didn't enjoy those junior high years so I am dreading guiding my pre-teen through the drama that accompanies that time of life. Gratefully, Jason only has good memories of Jr. High so perhaps Jackson will follow suit.

They come in 3's, or so I'm told...

2010-05-11T15:13:00.010-04:00

And I'm really hoping that it is true because...

#1) Last Monday our basement flooded (This isn't a picture of our basement but it helps you get the idea)

#2) Then on Tuesday I broke my ankle while running to the car- this is the best that it looked!

#3) Finally, on Wednesday I drove through my garage (trying to drive with my left leg). I know, I know, I'm never living that one down! Unfortunately, this IS a picture of my house!

Seriously. It can only get better. Right?

Digging in the Dirt

2010-04-12T21:06:00.011-04:00

Jason and I learned many things from building our first home and would actually enjoy doing it again, now that we have that experience under our belt. One thing that we learned is to be present when the landscapers are putting in the sod and planting! Our sub-par, contracted, landscaping team, simply covered up large plots of dirt, concrete, old bottle caps and garbage with pinestraw (that's the southern equivalent to mulch) but not a plant in sight around the side and back of the house. Side note -we did really like how the front yard turned out though.

We've had good intentions of tackling the left over landscaping project for the past 2 years but haven't ever managed to get to it. It's like we've been busy or something! Well, spring break found us with a spare moment so I headed to Pike's Nurseries for some guidance. The heaven's apparently took pity on my serious lack of gardening skills and put a landscape architect in my direct path. Moments after I walked into the store, an employee approached me asking how he could help and yeah, he had no idea what he was getting into. I immediately confessed that I was a novice in the gardening world and then showed him the barren pictures of the outside of our home and told him that I need landscaping that was easy to care for. That angel then sat down with me and literally mapped out a landscaping plan, (including dimensions and directions) for our planting endeavor!

The side of the garage - Phase 1 before

The side of the garage - Phase 1 after

For those gardeners out there - We planted a Tea Olive at the front corner of the garage and the shrubs are Cleyeras. Truth be told, it wasn't nearly as complicated as I'd expected (once somebody told me what to buy, where to put them and how to plant them - hee-hee). But then again we started with the easiest part of the plan. The kids loved mixing the dirt and running through the sprinklers all day long. Not a bad way to spend the day together in my opinion (Jason and his back have another one I think). I'll post phase 2 this weekend. This is what we are starting with ...

Ava Update and Funny

2010-04-11T18:51:00.003-04:00

That Mavala stuff is a MIRACLE! Ava did in fact cry herself to sleep that night (in my bed) and woke up the next morning with a very bad taste in her mouth but NEVER sucked her thumb again! Two days later we were driving home from the airport when Ava says to me, "Mom, I didn't suck my thumb the entire day - not when I was at home, not when I was driving in the car, not when I was watching TV..." (you get the idea). We stopped applying the Mavala to Ava's nails after the 2nd day and she hasn't even once put that little thumb back into her mouth. Yea!!!!

Now for the funny. An hour ago Ava was sitting on the counter while I was making dinner. We had a discussion that went something pretty close to this...

Ava - "Mom, Kate told me that I can only be one thing when I grow up".
Me - "You can be as many things as you want to be. You could decide to be one thing and then change your mind and do something else".
Ava - "I want to be three things"
Me - "Oh really? What are those three things?"
Ava - "1) A doctor 2) A dolpin rider and....(long pause) 3) I want to clean toilets with that brush thingy".
Me - Laughing hysterically. Can't respond for 30 seconds and then can only hug my funny little girl.

It's No Joke

2010-04-01T22:15:00.004-04:00

Despite a very teary protest, we applied a little Mavala to Ava's right thumb this evening. Over the past 2 years she has blossomed into a full blown serial-thumb-sucker. We have tried all kind of motivational tricks of the trade but she was not buying into any of our schemes. When we once asked her why she wouldn't stop sucking her thumb her reply was, "Because I don't want to and it tastes like 'nilla (vanilla)". So there you have it.

The industrial strength, nail sucking deterent arrived by UPS today. We figured that April 1st was as good of a time as any to begin the intervention but I didn't count on how truly upset she would be. I tucked in a tearful little girl moments ago and said a silent prayer that she wouldn't cry herself to sleep tonight.

Have you ever been this tired?

2010-01-02T23:04:00.004-05:00

You may recall the post last fall where Ava fell asleep standing up. Well, she may have outdone herself today. After Ava changed and showered this afternoon, I told her to go to her room and put on the clothes I'd laid out for her. About 15 min later I found her on the steps outside of my bedroom, sans towel, but with her clothes laying next to her. She was so asleep that she didn't wake up when we dressed and put her in bed. It was the most bizarre thing... Wonder where she gets her uncanny ability to sleep anywhere?

Kate's Journey Part 1

2010-01-02T19:09:00.001-05:00

This is a new year for the Hansen Family - the first since 2007 that is CANCER FREE! Our leukemia journey with Kate will never be forgotten but we are happy to move forward to healthier days!

At Kate's end of chemo party in August, Jason made this wonderful DVD chronicling her last 2 years. Since August he's been asking me to put it on the blog but I encountered some technical difficulities. Due to the length of the clip we had to separate it in into two parts. As I just watched this again my overwhelming feeling was of gratitude. Our family has been blessed! We hope that 2010 brings your families an abundance of blessing too!

Kate's Journey Part 2

2010-01-02T16:18:00.001-05:00

Emmett's One!

2009-12-11T13:52:00.019-05:00

This year has definitely been the fastest one yet. I can hardly believe that 365 days ago I was snuggling my newborn baby boy at Northside Hospital. Sigh... In an effort to make up for my sadness, we planned a really fun night with our little family. It was so much fun that they kids just barely went to bed at 10:30! The party started at Emmett's favorite Mexican restaurant (ok - so maybe it was ours, but he still enjoyed it). Then we came home and things got crazy (ok-so maybe not crazy, but definitely silly).

Emmett was all giggles while we were singing Happy Birthday to him. This one has no problem being the center of attention.

He went to town on the cupcake, attacking the cake before we were finished singing. Once his hands were good and chocolatey he didn't like that his hands were dirty though! How can I have two boys that are so the same?
Love those messy birthday faces!

Time for presents. He kind of got the idea of opening the gifts.

Reading books from Gramma Hansen.

How cute is that hat? Hansbergers, You Rock!

"Kissing Dad" - which is a lot like biting Dad.

Trying to get a hug in between the playing.

Who knew that a 10, 7, and 4 year old could have so much fun playing with a 1 year old's toys!
Time for a bath and bed for everyone.

The End. Couldn't resist that cute 1 year old little bottom!

Elf Yourself

2009-12-04T09:30:00.002-05:00

A little fun holiday project from Jackson to you. He was so excited to do this. I got a serious kick out of him giggling watching all of the options. Love these 10 year old boys. Easily amused I tell you...:)
Hope that you are all finding time to enjoy yourselves during this hectic holiday time!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/joWJrqDsvhmI0n0flhLQ

I'm no Kenyan....

2009-11-23T20:09:00.012-05:00

But I still had a blast running my 2nd full marathon! On October 25th, 2009 I participated in the Marine Corp Marathon, in Washington D.C. where I ran as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team-In-Training.

Due to a heavily over committed fall, I wasn't as well prepared for this race as the last one. I'd like to think that I made up for my lack of training by slowing my pace down and savoring the moments. I might have to do that every time because the event was absolutely fantastic! We had sunny 63 degree weather, a highly scenic course where we ran through all of the major sites, and the crowd support rocked!

Here are a few of my favorite motivational signs from the day:

- Pain is weakness leaving the body

- Release your inner Kenyan

- Never given, always earned

- Pain in temporary, pride is forever

But my favorite one, the one that made me laugh outloud at mile 23 was...

- Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much a**

How awesome is that?

I truly loved every minute and am looking forward to the next race. Speaking of....my brother, CJ and I are running the Thanksgiving Day 1/2 Marathon in 2 days. As long as the weather is good, we should have a fun time. Our goal is to finish it under 2 hours. My PR is 2:02 so I am pretty sure I can reach it. Wish us luck! If things go really well, he may even consider doing a full with me next time. (Now I just have to keep up!)

Grateful...

2009-11-23T19:45:00.006-05:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints put out this timely message and I feel that it is too awesome to keep to myself. They sure hit the nail on the head! (as usual ) :)
If you haven't seen it, I hope that you feel as much thankfulness as I did after watching it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuwid8_O8dk

Thanks Heidi!

2009-11-17T12:19:00.011-05:00

Wow. A dear friend, Heidi Jamieson, did an amazing photo shoot for us last July. You may remember that we met Heidi and her family when both of our families were on the same Make-a-Wish cruise in February. As Jake (the Jamieson's son) pointed out, both he and Kate have the same type of leukemia, are both 7 years old, both have ports and are both terribly silly. What else does a friendship need? I'm pretty sure that they are kindred souls because they became instantaneous friends from the first moment they met. Kate is still asking us when we can see Jake again. Jamieson's, are you free in March?
I am just getting around to making prints from the photo shoot and thought I'd share the cuteness with you. These are seriously only a few of the great shots. I am holding off on posting my favorite so you'll be surprised when you get the Christmas card thought.
If you live in Utah and you need a photographer, look Heidi up!

I knew I could do it...

2009-11-13T15:38:00.004-05:00

Was Ava's reply when she took off on a 2 wheeler today! This afternoon she asked me to help her ride her bike and within 15 minutes she was balanced and only falling occasssionally. Those who know Ava well can appreciate how cute it is when she falls and then pops up exclaiming, "I'm OK, I'm OK!" That girl has some serious determination that I can only imagine will serve her well in life.

Gramma and Grampa Visit

2009-11-12T20:51:00.008-05:00

As usual, we ran Gramma and Grampa into the ground with our crazy schedule this weekend. As usual, they didn't complain one bit. And as usual, we want them to come back quickly! I don't have very many pictures because Grampa takes them all and I hope sends me some copies (hint,hint). For posterity sake, Friday we picked them up from the airport, ran to swim practices and then out for a yummy Mexican meal at Monterrey. Ava had her class stuffed animal, Flipper, so he came to.

Saturday - Jackson, Jason, Emmett and G&G went to Jackson's soccer game while the girls and I went to the church for the Primary program practice. We met up at home after lunch and spent an hour tackling the leaves in the front yard. Next, we were off to some friend's home to watch the BYU game. She'd made some delicious food and were had a wonderful time visiting. Gratefully BYU creamed Wyoming and the rest of the day was spent with happy husbands! To make the day just a big more jam packed I did a 10 mile run with a friend and then Gramma and I ran to Target for a few short hours. Soooo glad we did that because we were very productive and seriously whittled down our holiday shopping lists.

Then Sunday, we went to church. The kids all participated in the Primary Program and it was wonderful. I got teary at several points during the program but was especially touched when the children sang, "The Family is of God" with all of their hearts. There was no way that you couldn't feel the spirit in those moments. We had a wonderful Sunday dinner with friends and then Gramma and I packed up the Christmas presents for her to take back to Utah. Phew, I am tired all over again thinking about it. :)

We are so grateful to have such a wonderful Gramma, Grampa, Grandma and Papa! Our children are very blessed to be surrounded by loving grandparents. Hurry Back Y'all!!!!!!!!!

Littlest Ballerina

2009-11-12T20:41:00.004-05:00

Ava began taking a weekly ballet class in October. She is having such fun and can show me all 5 positions. When asked what her favorite part of ballet is she replies, "the kitty part". Not really sure what that means but gratefully she seems to know.

When Ava began taking off her ballet attire the other day I had to snap these pictures. This is such a fleeting stage...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-10-31T20:53:00.014-04:00

We sure had a fun day today and hope that you did too! The weather was dreary, damp and drizzly but that didn't stop us one bit. This is such a fun holiday and we made the most of it! Here are a few pics of our little ghouls and goblins.

It is quite a chore to get Emmett to look at the camera. We weren't sure whether we should call him a silly monkey or a howler monkey. It varied from minute to minute. That little boy is developing very healthy lungs!

Ava wavered between wanting to be a ghost and Fancy Nancy this year. In the end, the pretty clothes swayed her to the girly girl costume.

Kate was really excited to dress up as Lucy from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She was disappointed when she realized that Lucy wasn't the one with the bow and arrow though. It's all about the accessories I tell you!

Jackson really didn't care what he was going to be for Halloween. I just didn't want any scary masks or gorey creatures so we settled on GI Joe. I know, I'm no fun at all.

Ava was such a trooper tonight. She even came home once to dump her bucket in order to lighten her load for more goods!

Kate made a quick costume change and immediately began dividing up her candy into piles upon returning home.

Jackson just dove into his candy until we called uncle and made him brush his teeth.

Can you relate?

2009-10-29T16:42:00.003-04:00

I laughed so hard that I cried when I saw this napkin. A little too close to home perhaps?

Silly Boy

2009-09-18T19:46:00.009-04:00

Emmett is seriously a funny kid. He pulls the most hilarious faces and keeps us all laughing. These pictures were taken in a span of 2 minutes the other night.

I Haven't Died, I'm Just Overcommitted!

2009-09-04T01:05:00.002-04:00

OK- There will be no apologies for my blogging hiatus but I really have missed checking in on all of my friends lives. I am seriously overcommitted (No way you say. Carolyn taking on more than a sane person would?). That's right people, I may have to be medicated for this condition. Well, since science still hasn't discovered a way to actually be in 2 places at the same time, the blogging has taken a serious back seat.
Suffice it to say that the Hansen crew is alive and well and I will getting back to my usual posting patterns this week. Until then, a virtual hug from me...to...you. :)

Peachtree Jr. Road Race

2009-05-30T23:15:00.005-04:00

Jackson has run several races to date, but this was to be Kate's first race. I guess we should have thought to prepare her for the mayhem at the start of the race but really had no idea it would be so crazy. I guess that happens when you have 2,200, 7-12 year olds all trying to "win" it. So Kate got knocked down, skinned her knee in the starting gate but Jackson made it though without any trauma. He told us that he finished the first mile in 7:15 and the entire race in under 15 minutes. He really likes to run and we are hoping that the love continues.

Seriously now, he's smiling while running that pace!

She's 7!

2009-05-30T22:30:00.012-04:00

(Look how long her hair is getting! Those bangs have almost grown out.)

Kate's closing words for the day were, "Today was so much fun, I don't want it to end"! I guess that means she had a pretty great birthday. She had one crazy busy, fun-filled day that went as follows .

1. Woke up at 5:30 am in order to make to the news station for a spot on the morning news. Kate is the honored hero for the upcoming Team-in-Training Nike race in San Francisco. Here is a link to the spot from this morning. She was nervous but I think did great!

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=130812&catid=40

2. After her 5 minutes of fame, we headed over to Piedmont Park for the Peachtree Jr. Road Race. Over 2,200 kids ages 7-12 participated in a 3K event in the park. This was a bittersweet event because Kate got pushed to the ground (by overzealous runners eager to make a break away) within the first 100 yards, scraped her knee and was whisked away to the medical tent. We didn't even see it happen and kept looking for her at the finish line. We eventually found her when somebody told us what had happened. She was really disappointed that she didn't get to run the race. Here is a pretty cool picture of her with her friends, Ben and Will, before the race started though.

3. After a nap, she bounced back though, for her super fun birthday party. Kate's party started at 12:45 pm at The Movie Tavern. She (and 22 of her closest friends :)) got together to watch the movie UP (which by the way- I LOVED!!!). This was both, one of the most successful and easiest parties we've ever done for the kids. The theater provided pizza, popcorn and drinks for each child. I provided the party favors and a cupcake cake and everyone had an awesome time at the movie. No clean up, no prep work - HOLLA!

4. At 4pm we came home, opened up all of the loot (er - I mean, 9,000 Littlest Pet Shop Toys) and spent the rest of the day playing with the toys. In honor of Kate turning the big 7, the family each said 7 things that we love about Kate. These are some of my favorites.

1. Carolyn - She is silly, wacky, zany, kooky and in general we love her goofiness.

2. Jason - She is a great listener and not just when we are asking her to do things. She listens quietly when we talk and is interested in what we have to say.

3. Jackson - She has a great imagination and can draw very well.

4. Carolyn - She is an awesome reader. She's flying through those chapter books now.

5. Jason - She is the best snuggler around. She always wants someone to lay down with her every night and cuddle.

6. Jackson - She is really good at gymnastics.

7. Carolyn - She has a smile that melts my heart. Those dimples are to die for.

He's Got it Figured Out

2009-05-25T21:38:00.005-04:00

Out of the blue Jackson hits me with this one...

J - Mom, when I grow up I'm going to be a scientist. And I am going to find the cure for leukemia.
Me - Wow, that would be amazing.
J - Yea, I think that the key to being a scientist is figuring out how everything fits together.
Me - Sounds like you've been thinking about this for a while.
J - (Long pause) I think that there are like, only 1 or 2 pieces missing too, so when I get those I'll be able to put the puzzle together and cure leukemia.

How cute is that?! I love how wonderfully simple things are in the mind's of children.

Instead of going to bed...

2009-05-20T11:12:00.006-04:00

my children do this,

and this with their stuffed animals before finally falling asleep!

What do yours do to avoid going to sleep?

Mud Bowl 2009

2009-05-19T22:38:00.007-04:00

Jackson participated in his first highly competitive soccer tournament this weekend. His team was slotted in the most competitive level of the tournament playing the #1, #2, #3 teams in the state! We parents think that we worked almost as hard as the kids by cheering them on through 2 days of rain! Jackson's team tied the first 2 games 1-1, won the third game 1-0 and had a heartbreaking loss of 3-2 in the championship game. While the boys would have liked to have won, finishing 2nd in such company isn't too shabby.

By the time the final game began the field was a complete mud pit! This picture of the boys warming up doesn't even begin to do justice to the state of the field but you can get the idea.

Since joining his U-9 Academy soccer team last fall, Jackson has made some amazing progress. He has lost all fear of colliding with other players in an effort to get the ball, has learned to stay in position and is starting to get a better handle with ball control. All of the parents at the tournament had a blast watching their kids have such a good time. What a great way to spend the weekend and end the season. Good job Jackson!

A discussion with my 3 year old

2009-05-18T02:09:00.006-04:00

Ava - Mommy, I need an ipod like Jackson and Kate.

Me - Oh, really?

Ava - A pink one.

Me - Um, huh.

Ava - Yeah, with Poker Face (a song by Lady GaGa) and Hannah Tanna songs on it. Okay?

Me - I'll get right on that (thick with sarcasm).

Let me just say that I fear for her teen years!

Beatnik Cafe

2009-05-16T22:03:00.006-04:00

Jackson's class has been doing a poetry unit for the last month. His last assignment was to memorize a poem and recite it to the class. The teacher (with the help of several parents) transformed the classroom into a cafe complete with "mood lighting". The kids dressed in the "coolest" attire and gave snaps after each reading. It was such a fun idea and a great way to end the unit. Here is Jackson reciting Robert Frost's, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Can you dig it?

The second poem was an original by Jackson that I cut off by accident. It is a triolet (not even going to pretend that I remember what that means nevermind his other poems which included a quatrain, cinquain, couplet, limerick, haiku and clerihew.)

Take It Easy On Me

How unkind to kick me around

When all I do is roll around

In the air, in a net, or on the ground

How unkind to kick me around

Colorful feet coming to surround

Running around making horrifying sounds

How unkind to kick me around

When all I do is roll around

The Dreaded D Word

2009-05-14T21:45:00.005-04:00

I don't know about you parents but our third grader's school year was filled with project after project. That means that the last year of my life was one project after another. Normally I didn't mind so much but the second to last assignment of the year was to read a fantasy book and then do a diorama of a scene from the book. He also had to type up step-by-step instructions of how he made his diorama. Oh, how I cringed when I read the word DIORAMA. Don't ask why, people. I don't know. Perhaps it is because I am more scientific minded (translation - NOT creative) but ever since my own diorama fiascos in elementary school I seriously loathe that word. Thank goodness for small miracles, Jackson knew exactly what he wanted to do and came up the ideas on his own. We spent a couple of evenings helping him fine tune a few details but he did the bulk of this project.

After all of his work though, he wanted to keep the diorama forever. I wanted it gone within a week. The compromise - keep it around for a couple of weeks and then take a picture of him with the project and blog about it. As you can see, now we have it forever. :)

She's Joined the 2 Wheeler Club

2009-05-14T21:06:00.009-04:00

You Go Kate!!!

All it took was a spring evening, some bug spray and determination and voila - Kate was off on her own! She is by far, the most timid of the oldest 3 (case in point is that Ava was begging us to take her training wheels off while we were coaxing Kate into losing hers) so it took her a while to decide that she was up for the challenge. Each time during the last year she would simply respond that "falling off of a bike hurts" if I ever broached the subject of learning to ride a 2 wheeler. Then in the last few months she learned that several of her friends had taken the plunge and become official 2 wheel riders. I'm pretty sure that their tales gave her the needed courage to give it a go.

I only spent 5 minutes holding onto the back of her seat and little by little she gained confidence, first on the grass and then onto the big concrete circle at Heritage Park. When it was getting dark and we needed to head home Kate just kept circling the field and laughing when we said stop. Her record without stopping was a whopping 6 loops. All Kate could talk about on the ride home was who whe could get to go bike riding with her. Are you up for it?

Grandma Reichstetter

2009-05-13T23:31:00.008-04:00

Today is my Grandma Reichstetter's birthday. She died of lung cancer when I was only 9 years old and that still makes me sad every time I think about it. There are so many things that I would have liked to have shared with her since that time. Although I was young when she left the earth, these are a few of the things that I remember about her.

- She would waggle her index finger at me, feigning displeasure when I would sit in her rocking chair. Apparently I loved the attention because I looked for every opportunity to hop in her seat (even if the arm on the chair fell off every time I touched it).

- She had a "secret attic" entrance in her closet that I found completely amazing.

- She could feed squirrels from her hand.

- She had a beagle named Holly that she loved dearly. When Holly died, my Mom had to go and collect all of her belongings because it made my Grandma too sad to see them.

- She had a cookie tin in the kitchen and always made sure to give us some treats when we visited. I remember buying her stickers to go on the tin that said "Keep Out" because we were always trying to snitch more.

- She taught me how to play solitaire.

- She could peel an apple in one long peel and on that note, made an amazing apple pie.

- She encouraged my Mom to put me in gymnastics because I literally rolled all over her house.

- She collected Hummel figurines.

- She had a beautiful flower garden in front of her house in the Oaks.

- Made the best creamed corn ever.

- I knew that she loved me and I loved to be around her.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:52:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the women in our lives! A very special "I love you" goes to my Mom, Mary Hansen and their Mom's, Grandma Reichstetter and Gramma Watters because really, our mothers wouldn't be the amazing women that they are without their Moms! Hope that this day was a great one for you all.

I HATE DOGS...but don't tell Jackson.

2009-05-03T21:12:00.010-04:00

OK- So I had a dog growing up and I really loved her. I don't know what happened between now and then but I've got to tell you that the love is gone. All I think of now when I see a dog is work. Buying dog food, taking it to the vet, taking it for walks, cleaning up the ENDLESS hair and now I add cleaning up dog diarrhea to the list. Yes, I said diarrhea. The D word is out and no less gross for it.

We woke up this beautiful Sunday morning to a very concerned Jackson standing by the side of our bed. In a blurry state I remember something about Bodie, bad smell, blood and diarrhea. Well that last word got me up in a hurry and we rushed out to see the damage. I was very concerned myself when a horrific odor greeted me at the top of stairs but was grateful to find that at least the mess was pretty well contained. While Jason took the kennel outside for a good hosing off I tried to keep Ava out of the remaining mess. Jackson took Bodie out for a very long walk and then gave him a bath (Side note - Jackson has got to be the most fastidious, dog loving owner that ever was - well maybe 2nd to Grampa Hansen). Anyhoo, after a cleansing bath Bodie saw fit to promptly relieve himself of the remaining contents of his intestines all over my dining room floor, living room and hall. (I consider that a non-contained mess and was seriously unhappy at this point.) If I hadn't been completely disgusted by the unfolding scene I might have actually laughed out loud to see Jason chase our continuously pooping dog while shouting, "No Bodie, No!"

I swear, if this little boy didn't absolutely love his dog... I tell you, there is no end to a mother's love! :)

Easter Fun

2009-04-12T21:59:00.013-04:00

There were so many Easter activities that I held off from posting because it was too overwhelming. The first of our 4 egg hunts was put on by our neighborhood association. This was a pretty low key, yet fun event and according to the kids, it had the best candy!

The next egg hunt took place at Camp Sunshine only a few hours after the first one. They put together a lovely day for kids with cancer and their families. The afternoon was jam packed with face painting, egg dying, a puppet show and arts and crafts for hours! The event ended with an egg hunt, the likes of which I've never before seen. They had so many eggs that within seconds each child's basket was overflowing. Ava was hilarious to watch because she only wanted to collect the pink eggs.

Our next egg hunt took place the day before Easter at one of Kate's best friend's house. She and Emery have become such good friends and we just love to see them together. It is wonderful when you see your child nurture a friendship with another sweet spirit. In truth, Lily, Ellen, Kate, Ava, and Emery all play so well that the parents actually get to visit when we get together! We love the Ryan's so much and are really hoping that they stay in Atlanta when their residency is over. Poor Jackson is the lone older boy at these get-togethers though... We think that when he's a bit older those odds won't seem quite so bad? ;) (except for the sisters part - that's just weird people!)

Lastly, Jason invited a couple over for dinner on Easter! Now, although I was looking forward to having the Vellingas over, I was a little bit stressed about cooking for guests on Easter. A holiday meal is a lot of pressure for a first visit don't you think? In the end I decided to cook a roast (Mom Anderson style) which turned out great (by some small miracle)! Perhaps it had something to do with the 20 phone calls back and forth to her regarding each and every detail of the cooking. Whatever the reason though, I'm just glad we didn't end up ordering out for Papa Johns on the sabbath ;) Unfortunately, our own egg hunt was a huge disappointment to the kids I think. Jackson and Kate are obviously getting older because their comment was that the baskets were "way too easy to find". I guess we are going to have to step it up next year!

In the Easter bunny spirit of things I have one last funny story. The day before Easter, Jackson and I had a discussion that went something like this:

Jackson - "Mom, tell me the truth. Is the Easter bunny real?"

Me - (After considerable internal conflict) "What do you think?"

Jackson - "I think the Easter bunny isn't real. I mean, how ridiculous is that - a bunny running around to everyone's house and hiding eggs."

Me - "You are right Jackson. Your Dad and I really hide the eggs and make the baskets but please don't spoil the secret for Kate and Ava. Let them figure it out when they are ready."

Jackson - (LONG pause followed by a sigh) "What about the Toothfairy and Santa. Are they real or not?"

Me - (Again with the internal conflict) "What do you think?"

Jackson - "I don't think the Toothfairy is real. I mean, how ridiculous is that - a fairy flying to people's homes and collecting their teeth? Weird."

Me - "Well, what do you think about Santa?"

Jackson - "Oh, I think he's real."

Me - "Yeah, me too." (I mean, how ridiculous is that - an old man flying to everyone's home in a single evening giving gifts to everyone. I guess that scenario is the plausible one?")

Maybe I wasn't totally honest but I just couldn't let the magic die even if just a glimmer of hope remained that it was true.

Oh Lordy, Lordy, Jason's 40!

2009-03-29T23:55:00.007-04:00

So the big guy turned the BIG 40 on March 29th! Anybody who knows Jason knows that he is very young at heart even if he's technically over the hill. :) I have to say that I don't think the number 40 bothered him one bit. I have to remember that when I become old like him. Hee-Hee.

The kids and I planned his gifts for several weeks and had such fun coming up with ideas. We wrapped 40 gifts (both big and small ones) for him to open individually. The gifts ranged from homemade gifts from the kids....

To the "Big" gift, which was a trip to Greece for just Jason and I! We leave in October for a full week of fun in the sun. Here is Jason pulling one of his very silly faces when he opened the plane ticket. In truth he was completely surprised and for those of you that know what a snoop Jason is will appreciate how amazing it is to really surprise him. I loved it!

You Know You're Tired When...

2009-03-25T15:57:00.009-04:00

Moments ago I peered from the kitchen to see sweet Ava's face resting peacefully on the arm of the couch. She had definitely been tired so I wasn't surprised to see that she'd fallen asleep. I was surprised when I walked in to the living room and saw that she had fallen asleep standing up! She was so wiped out that she even stayed alseep while I picked her up and laid her on the couch. Clearly our decision to have the girls share a room will have to be re-examined. :)

Little Lizard

2009-03-19T15:30:00.003-04:00

This video totally captures Emmett's happy little disposition. It also accurately depicts how active this boy is with the sleeping being the only time I can find him still. He also constantly sticks his tongue out like he's tasting the air. It cracks me up. Oh how I love my wiggly, little lizard!

Fancy Nancy

2009-03-18T11:05:00.004-04:00

Ava is 100% Fancy and we love her for it. She had some money to spend from Christmas and once she spotted this Fancy Nancy get-up in Target, she was in love. Have you ever seen a cuter Fancy Nancy?

I particularly love that she had to wear her outfit even when she was riding her bike because really, every activity requires a little fanciness! Ava never leaves the house without a little bling and a purse of some sort. She loves to fill her bag with all sorts of treasures that have nothing in common except that they caught her eye. Just another thing I love about her (except when I'm in a rush and waiting for her to fill her purse)!

Snow Day

2009-03-03T01:42:00.011-05:00

As much as I wished the snow day had arrived on December 25th, we were thrilled when the snow began to fall on March 1st! It snowed and snowed and snowed (at least by Atlanta's standards) and by then end of it all we had al least 3 inches of snow! You can tell that we don't get much snow by the colorful outfits my kids are sporting. We had to bust out our ski clothes (unused for the past 2 seasons) plus random winter coasts and piece together some semblance of snow clothes. It was hilarious! The kids braved the cold for hours while the parents took shifts of 10 minutes at a time to enjoy the weather. Here are my little bunnies (with a neighbor) making a snowbunny of their own!

There was certainly ample snow for Kate to make a snowman of her own.

To have a snowball fight.

To make snow angels and of course sled down our rockin' hill.

It was such fun to hear the kids squeal with delight as they bounced around in the yard. They were lucky enough to have the fun continue into Monday when school was canceled. Yes, where we live they actually cancel school if there is a threat of bad weather so I was not surprised to wake up and find that although it had stopped snowing late Sunday evening, school was canceled on Monday. So, we've had our snow fix for the year and in 2 days were are going to have temps in the 70's. I love Atlanta!

Dallas Trip

2009-02-27T08:05:00.017-05:00

When I realized that the kids had both the Friday before and Monday after President's Day off, I knew that I had to take advantage of that opportunity. So, when I got a Travelocity update for $150 tickets to Dallas, it was a done deal. Kate, Emmett and I went to visit some of our favorite people, The Hatch Family, and Jackson stayed behind with Jason because he'd committed to a soccer tournament that weekend. I was waffling about what I should do with Ava but in the end decided that I didn't want Jackson to feel bad about being the only one left behind, so she stayed. Big mistake. The day I was packing and Ava realized that she wasn't coming, she cried hard for over an hour - not a temper tantrum kind of crying but a real heartbroken one. Through the tears she kept saying, "But I'm a good girl". That about killed me and I had to tell her over and over again that she wasn't being punished and that she was going to have fun with Daddy. Gratefully, she tired herself out and fell asleep on the car ride to the airport so there wasn't another tearful good-bye.

From the time we arrived in Dallas, Kate and Abby were attached at the hip. They had the absolute best time together just hanging around and being silly together. I just know that those two girls are going to be best friends forever.

Sarah fell completely in love with Emmett and was the perfect helper the entire weekend. She is going to be the BEST babysitter ever!

We were lucky to eat at Joe T. Garcia's, a famous Dallas Mexican restaurant. The fajitas were yum, yum, yummy!

Valentine's Day was super fun thanks to Anne and her uncanny ability to think of the perfect thing for everyone. The

kids all got giftcards to Target and we spent a really fun afternoon with them while they shopped to their hearts content.

It is wonderful to spend time with friends that no matter what you do it is fun. The kids all just hung out and played in yard for hours on end, creating a "Cool Kids Clubhouse" and making contraptions like this one. What in the world? Well, at least they had fun and so did I! We already miss the Hatches like crazy. Can't wait for the next trip.

Emmett's Blessing - February 8th

2009-02-24T11:40:00.018-05:00

I am woefully behind on my blogging. After looking back at the 2007 blogging book I really appreciated the memories that I had recorded. So, this year I may not always be spot on with my blogging but I am going to document those important events in our lives. This is after all, the best journal I've ever kept.

Emmett was blessed on February 8th in the Brockett Ward. It was a special day for many reasons not the least of which was that he shared his blessing day with my Mom's birthday. The weekend was a total whirlwind of fun and family with both sets of grandparents making the trip out to Atlanta. My Dad arrived on Friday early morning and we were able to catch up and visit. Ava took him out to her favorite "hot lunch" spot, The Grove. Shortly thereafter, Mom and Dad Hansen and Mom Anderson arrived on the scene.

Saturday morning the guys went to "Flapjacks and a Flick" at the local movie theater where they watched the Pink Panther 2 and ate pancakes to their hearts content. The ladies headed over to the nail salon for a mani/pedi together.

This was Ava's first experience at the nail salon

and although she had a hard time sitting still, I think that she really loved every minute of it.

Kate, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran and knew exactly what colors she wanted. Purple for the fingers and pink for the toes! Being the kill joy that I am, I suggested that she reverse the two in light of church the next day and she reluctantly agreed.

Sunday was a wonderful day - hectic and harried but wonderful! Jason had to leave early for a bishopric (church) meeting so I had to rally the troops alone. I had the bright idea to get some pictures before the blessing which made us 5 minutes late for church. Classic. I do love this picture of the 4 kids though.

We made it though and Jason gave Emmett a wonderful blessing. We were thrilled to find that one of Jason's childhood best friends, Garin Hess, was in town and came to our ward for church. It was wonderful that he was able to take part in the blessing.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of the little man in his raw silk blessing gown (or dress as Gramma Hansen calls it).

This is Emmett just before church began. Fed, content and happy. He slept for the entire 3 hours of church.

Of course, he woke up as we were getting into the car and decided that he was indeed hungry. Look at that bottom lip!

PC or not?

2009-02-23T21:13:00.004-05:00

Three times now I have had people tell me that Emmett has "chinky" eyes! Yes...they all said "chinky". Seriously now, who says things like that. I am not in the least bit offended or shocked that they think his eyes are slanted but because they each used a term I have always believed to be a slur. I am wondering if I am mistaken about this though because one of the people that made the comment was actually an Asian girl in her early 20's. Even if it isn't a slur, I honestly can't imagine myself ever using the word. But just for the sake of argument, does anybody know the answer?

As a funny aside, this weekend one person gently asked in a round about way "what my heritage was". My reply, "Scandinavian and German". Their reply, "Hmmmm. Nothing else? Really?" It made me laugh and hey, at least they were polite.

All Smiles

2009-02-23T08:27:00.008-05:00

As previously posted, Emmett has found his voice and is easy to smile. He reminds us a lot of Jackson at this age in that his arms and legs are always moving. Apparently he's got places to go.

The smiles come toward the end of the clip so hang in there. Enjoy the cuteness Grandma and Gramma!

Blogging Book

2009-02-19T13:41:00.005-05:00

Grandma Hansen won the favorite Christmas gift award, when she made a book out of my blogging from 2007. The tears flowed as I looked back over that year and all that we went through as a family. The book is something that I'll treasure forever.

I was so happy with the book that I wanted to create a book for 2008 and one of Kate's blog too. I was so disappointed when I went to Blurb's site and found that they no longer had access to Blogger's accounts though. For those of you that don't know, you can literally download your entire blog to Blurb and then you simply arrange the text and pictures to your liking. Well, good news! Blurb again has access to blogger so you can easily create your own book. Blurb is very user friendly and easy to navigate so check it out if you are interested.

Growing Like a Weed

2009-02-18T10:11:00.007-05:00

Emmett had his 2 month doctor appointment yesterday and he's definitely been doing his share of growing. He is in the 50th percentile for each area of growth. These are the stats:

Weight - 11 pounds 4.5 ounces

Length - 22 3/4 inches

Head circumference - 15 5/8 inches

Emmett began smiling 2 weeks ago, cooing and trying to "talk" back when we talk to him. I am amazed at how his gummy little smile melts my heart. The whole family is gettting a kick out his increased responsiveness and the kids try so hard to get those smiles. Emmett also began sleeping in his crib and wakes twice at night for feedings (can I get a whoot-whoot?). In other news, he is in 3-6 month clothing, loves car rides and is fascinated by his crib mobile.

Two months have flown by and we continue to feel so blessed to have Emmett as a part of our family.

PS-Emmett is wearing his blessing gown in the picture in case you were wondering what I was doing to my child by dressing his "like a girl". Fret not, he is normally dressed appropriately, this was the only smiling picture that I have right now.

Sagamore Math Tournament

2009-01-24T23:59:00.002-05:00

Can you think of a better way to spend your Saturday morning than sweating it out with math problems galore! I'm quite sure that I wouldn't have chosen that path when I was 9 years old but I'm certainly not Jackson. He has been looking forward to the annual Sagamore Hills math tournament for weeks and even passed on a Dynamo swim meet to be able to attend.

Gratefully, he was rewarded by making it into the top 25 finishers and competing in the finals round. We sure were proud of our little math whiz...He must get it from Jason!

1 Month Visit

2009-01-15T10:39:00.002-05:00

Emmett had his big 1 month visit on Monday, the 12th and he is growing like a weed! Here are the stats:

Height - 21 3/4 in

Weight - 9 pounds 13 ounces

Head Circumference - 14

So, in the last 3 weeks he has gained 2 and 1/2 pounds and grown so much that his newborn outfits don't fit him anymore. Sigh... (At least he's still smaller than Jackson was at birth.) During these first 4 months they change so quickly and I'm really trying to slow down and enjoy it all. Even those late nights wakings aren't nearly as difficult as they were with the other kids. While Emmett hasn't proven to be my "easiest" baby, I think that I am really enjoying this stage more than ever before!

Insurance

2009-01-14T15:15:00.003-05:00

I just got a letter from Viacord, a cord blood banking center, telling me that Emmett's cord blood harvest was successful. They need to have at least 100 million nucleated cells for a transplantation and they counted 881 million in the 121 ml collected - putting us in the clear. Now, while we are not planning on EVER having to use this, I know that like all insurance policies, just having the plan will ensure Kate's cure without relapse.
I have to put a plug in for Viacord who has put together a program called Sibling Connection. Any parent with a child on active treatment is eligible for free harvesting and storing of the new siblings cord blood for 5 years. What a wonderful thing to do for families with a child with cancer! Thanks Viacord!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T19:53:00.003-05:00

I hope that today everyone found a bit of joy as you celebrated Christmas. We have had a great time together with relatively few squabbles even. :) Jason's parents are visiting and we are having a great time with them. I am pretty sure that my kids are wearing them out but they don't let on and in fact, seem to keep up quite well.
Last night we had an unintentionally, hiliarious Christmas Eve. The kids and I spent a long time making sugar cookies for Santa. By the time we were finished it was late but we'd promised to reinact the Nativity story. So, we busted out the felt puppets that I'd made back in Ann Arbor and went to town (no pun intended). During the course of the next 1/2 hour, Ava stepped in Santa's plate of cookies, Jackson knocked off one of Baby Jesus' eyes, Kate and Ava were crying and by 9:45pm we were begging the kids to go to sleep! Mom Hansen said that it was so typical of family gatherings that she was having a hard time not laughing. In truth, it was very funny and definitely the stuff that memories are made of.
I hope that fond memories have been made for you and yours this holiday season! Merry Christmas!

12 YEARS!

2008-12-22T16:15:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Jason and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. (I use the word celebrate loosely, as it was a Sunday and we have a 10 day old infant). Nevertheless, it was a great day to remember how truly, madly, in love we were and how good we have still have it!
I love you Jason!

1 Week Old

2008-12-18T15:15:00.006-05:00

I'm not sure if it is because Emmett is my last baby but I am so loving every minute with him! I am somewhat hesitant to gush on and on about him, for fear that I'll jinx what we've got going on, but I can't help myself. Emmett has the sweetest, most calm and pleasant demeanor I could have hoped for. He is also proving to be a farily decent sleeper going 5-6 hours at a stretch. People have said, and I have found it to be true, that having a baby at this time of year is wondeful. The season is already such a happy time that it only seems natural to add more joy with a newborn!
Having a baby also teaches many important life lessons. Here are a few "lessons learned" in the last 7 days.

1) There are few things that melt a heart like a smile from a sleeping baby. If we could all be content with so little.

2) There is nothing like a Gramma to delight and bring joy to your children. (Not to mention bringing joy to Jason and I in the form of - dinner, clean laundry, entertaining the siblings and chauffering a healing Mommy.)

3) It isn't wise to try on your pre-maternity jeans 6 days after delivering. Just don't do it.

4) It is wise to stay in the hospital for as long as they allow if you have children at home. By the time I went home, I was in a much better place, mentally and physically by staying that extra day.

5) It is true that your heart does grow with each new addition to the family. There is more love to share when you thought it impossible to love any other children more than those you already have.

6) Going to sleep on your back is a wonderful way to sleep! I have missed it so.

Deliciousness

2008-12-14T13:01:00.020-05:00

I was given the option of staying in the hospital until tomorrow or going home today. Maybe it's because I have another 3 children at home but for the first time I opted to stay in the hospital another day. So far I've watched two movies, snuggled endlessly with Emmett and updated his baby book. It has been heavenly.

Since I have a few minutes, I am posting a couple of yummy pictures for your viewing pleasure. I am determined to hold this little guy as much as I can, for as long as I can because I know that this time will be over all too soon.

The sunken-in chin cracks me up. I remember Jason and I both looking at each other when Jackson was born and each asking if the other thought the chin was normal for a newborn.

Oh I love those binky pictures! He is such sweet little snuggler, I can't stand it!

Here he is in his going home outfit, testing out the carseat. Too bad you can't see just how adorable this kimono wrap is.

EMMETT ANDERSON HANSEN

2008-12-13T15:58:00.010-05:00

I have found that whenever I ask (or don't ask) for peoples' opinions regarding our baby name choices, there are strong feelings. Some of you preferred our other names but in the end, Jason truly loved Emmett, and I came to appreciate that he really connected with that name.

So there is no going back now, our 4th child is Emmett Anderson Hansen. I would ask a favor though. Perhaps you can reference this in the future and remind Jason that I don't always get my way!

The Story...in it's unedited, non-Reader's Digest version!

2008-12-12T11:20:00.019-05:00

On December 10th we posed as a family of 5 for the last time. This is a tradition of ours and the pictures have been fun to look back each time we welcomed a new addition to the family. Can you tell how excited the kids were to meet their brother?

Another tradition of ours is taking the final pregnancy picture by the crib just before departing for the hospital. This shot was taken at 4:30 am on December 11th, which explains why I was having a difficult time coming up with a genuine smile!

This smile was all real though because by 5:45 am I was all hooked up and awaiting the anesthesiologist. The epidural was interesting this time for sure. Although it was a relatively easy insertion, the first epidural only numbed from my toes to the top of my thighs. Totally counter intuitive I know, but the doctor said that it happens sometimes. To try and fix the situation they first gave me a second dose of anesthetic through the epidural. This suceeded in furthering numbing my toes and climbed only a little higher to the bottom of my pelivs which was definitely not high enough for surgery! In the end, they had to take the epidural out and replace it with a new one ,in a higher position. That time it worked like a charm and we were off to the OR.

At 7:44am Chase arrived into this world with a healthy set of lungs. Jason was even able to video tape his entrance, which was very exciting as we'd been told that by friends that they no longer allowed the videotaping of deliveries. Emmett weighed in at exactly my predicted weight of 7lbs 6oz and handily winning the bet to Jason's predicted weight of 8lb 12oz and the OB's guess of 7lb 12oz.

Here we are in our first family photo, blissfully happy together! So far Drew has proven to be neither like Jason or myself but seems to take after Mary Poppins -as he's practically perfect in every way! He took to nursing like a champion, is sleeping 4 hours at a stretch and has even declared his love for the binky!

We think that he has continued with the Hansen tradition of looking exactly like his siblings too. Sometimes I see more of one child or the other but you can easily tell which family he belongs to.

Jackson and Kate did amazingly well at school toughing out the long day until they could finally meet their little brother. Chase is one super lucky boy to have so many people that already love him.

Ava did great with our friend, Angela, today. She slept tuntil 8:30 am, helped stamp Angela's Christmas cards and was spoiled with a "hot lunch" at our favorite lunch spot, The Grove. Even with all of her fun times, she was beyond excited to meet her brother, Quinn.

Here we are, now as a family of 6. Mom is looking a lot more tired/drugged but is unequivocally ecstatic!

It's Baby Time

2008-12-10T18:08:00.002-05:00

In 11 hours we'll be at the hospital being prepped for c-section #4! On Monday, my OB's father died. We got a call from his office saying that we'd have to have a different doctor perform the surgery and that they'd had to change my c-section time from 11am to 7am to accomdate his schedule. That translated into us having to leave for the hospital at 4:30am in order to be prepped and ready for surgery. It made me pretty nervous at first because plans had been made for the kids and everything had to be revamped but I am so grateful to good friends for stepping in and even coming to the house at 4:30am! I also had a phone conference with the new doctor and feel a lot more comfortable with him too.
Everyone in our family is ecstatic and jittery as we prepare to meet our newest addition. You can almost feel the electricity in the air. In an effort to focus some of the excitement, the kids are making cards for him right now. Now I just have to pack my bag and try to get some sleep (not likely).
Next post, cute pictures of our little man!

Lovies

2008-11-30T22:20:00.003-05:00

Ava has always been quite attached to her lovie. She has, infact, had 3 of them and was never the wiser until this summer. I tried to pull a switcharoo because her lovie was getting so dingy, tattered and generally germy in appearance. When I gave her the new soft, beautiful lovie she hugged it for a moment and them promptly put it on the ground. She then looked at me and said, "I no want clean lovie. I want yucky lovie". She found her yuckie lovie later that day and refuses to give it up. I have tried putting both of them in her bed, carrying both around but somehow her clean lovie ends up under her bed, on the floor or stuffed in the closet and the yucky lovie is held tightly in her little fist and snuggled up against her face.
Let's hope we never "lose" yuckie lovie!

Belly Shots

2008-11-30T22:03:00.009-05:00

There you go! After putting it off for as long as I could, I am finally posting a few belly shots. These pictures were taken today, 11 days before D-Day. Now perhaps our familes can kindly stop the threats?

Bless Jason for being the camera man and putting up with me. The photo shoot ordeal went something like this, he'd take a picture and then I'd look at it commenting that there is no way I was that big. I would then insist that he try again. Alas, after 20 or so pictures and angles, I came to the realization that I really do have that big of a belly and that just maybe, I am not "all belly" as people keep telling me. (Big liars!)

It is a bittersweet feeling as the pregnancy comes to an end. I am so excited to meet this little guy but sad to know that this is it and I won't ever be pregnant again. After tonight, I am also sad because the photo shoot made me realize how many hours are ahead of me at the gym! :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T12:23:00.007-05:00

Our family continued the Thanksgiving tradition, for the fourth year, with celebrating with friends in Suwanee, GA. The a few of the kids commented (and we agree) that Thanksgiving is so much more fun when surrounded by lots of family and friends. The weather for the ocassion was Atlanta perfect (translation - sunny and mid 60's). The gorgeous weather did make me a little bit sad that I wasn't running with my friends in the Atlanta half marathon this year though. It was a great day to run, unlike last year when it poured on us. Alas, we'll see what next year brings.

The festivities began with the ever popular Turkey Shoot. Jackson and Kate really loved nailing their Dad with paintballs and even Ava got in on the action this year, going back for multiple turns. After the Turkey Shoot, the kids played with each other, the Dad's perused the ads and the Mom's feverishly worked to get the meal ready. Allison said that she believes we are getting closer and closer to perfecting the meal and I have to agree with her. All I need is Grandma Whittier's cranberry frozen dish recipe and then the dinner really would be perfect!

After dinner, the Dad's tore the kids away from the Wii and everyone threw frisbees, played b-ball and rode the Green Machine (remember that?). We ended the evening with yummy pies and sitting around the firepit outside visiting together. It really was a wonderful day!

A Boy and His Dog

2008-11-10T13:52:00.009-05:00

Jackson turned 9 on the 23rd and got a dog for the event. We fostered "Benny" for a few weeks and have decided that he's the one for us. Jackson is leaning toward changing his name to Max and we think that it will stick. Max is very good natured -translation- he let's Ava play with his ears, crawl on him and in general torture him without even seeming bothered.

The first few days were kind of rough as we figured each other out but now Max is fitting in quite well with our family. Jackson is every bit as good of a pet owner as we'd hoped. If anything he is a Nervous Nellie, doting on him too much. We'll see if it lasts.

I Passed!!!

2008-11-03T12:36:00.003-05:00

Every 6 years I have to retake my board exams (and pass) to keep my certification as a PA. Not that I was pushing it or anything, but my license was set to expire on the 31st of December and I took my boards last Monday. It seemed that nobody else was worried but I was definitely nervous about the outcome. That anxiety probably came as a result of being totally unprepared for the test. Let's see, I mostly felt unprepared because my total study time was around 2 hours. Now, I am not lazy but just stretched to the max and I truly had to extra time to fit in studying. This drastically contrasts the last time I took the boards as I was fresh out of school and additionally I studied all day for 2 weeks straight.

Lucky for my patients, I guess I've learned a thing or two and haven't forgotten much over the past 6 years working in the Emergency Room, because I passed without a problem. Whoo-Hoo!!!

Halloween Fun

2008-11-01T15:21:00.010-04:00

As usual, a good time was had by all on Halloween. I love, love, love decorating for this holiday and had such fun planning for the big night. Unfortunately, Ava was truly terrified of half of our decorations though, so we had a lot less spooky effects this year. There were several rooms in our house that she hasn't walked through in a month even with all of the accomodations.

On Halloween night, some friends came over for chili, cornbread and yummy treats and then the Dad's and kids hit the neighborhoods. I'd say it was a success in the kids eyes as Jackson had to stop back home once to empty his bag before heading out for more goods! Kate and Ava didn't last quite as long but they had loot o' plenty. I expect they'll eat it up for 2 days and then grow tired of it like they usually do. Then I'll toss the rest! Here are a few photos of the cuteness.

Jackson (and every other 9 year old boy) chose to dress up as Indiana Jones.

Kate elected to be a cheerleader but when asked if she wanted to start doing cheerleading she said, "No, I do gymnastics". Way to go, girl! :)

Ava originally wanted to be a ghost but due to the lack of creativity/time on her Mom's part, she was talked into being a princess which equally thrilled her

Big Girl Bed

2008-10-31T09:16:00.005-04:00

Although Miss Ava is well over 3 years old, until last night she still slept in her crib. She did so because like her siblings she did not attempt to climb out even once she knew that she was able. In preparation for the baby and the girls sharing a room though, we decided it was time for her to make the transition. We picked out matching sheets and"birdie" blankets which made the girls both very excited and set things up yesterday. This was what I saw when I arrived after the show. Made me tear up that she is so big!

WICKED AWESOME

2008-10-30T23:41:00.006-04:00

My Fall Festival Co-Chair, Angela, and I treated ourselves to this amazing production as a congratulations on another successful festival. (We are going to have to do this every year) Despite husbands being out of town, a Cheetah girl concert (more to come), soccer practice carpool, and the night before Halloween, we made it happen and are so glad that we did.
I'd heard a lot of great things about this producation and was certainly not disappointed! The playwrite cleverly tied in all of the elements from the Wizard of Oz while explaining the "wicked" witch's story. If you have a chance, go and see the show. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Trailer

2008-10-27T23:30:00.001-04:00

I'm really not a groupie, but...

2008-10-27T23:20:00.003-04:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Twilight series books to the point of basically forcing them upon my friends. That being said, I haven't elevated myself to the status of groupie - book signings, Twilight Mom groups, etc. Until today, I would see those Twilight movie countdown tickers on people's blogs and think, "Really?" I was lukewarm (at best) about the movie because nobody, and I mean nobody, can duplicate the Edward that I have going on in my head! Well, idealized Edward or not I was hooked after watching this trailer! Add me to the list of those counting down the days until this movie is released! What do you think?

News at Last

2008-10-23T20:47:00.003-04:00

Jason's biopsy results came back showing no evidence of lymphoma or sarcoidosis. Whoo-Hoo!!! What they have diagnosed him with is an orbital pseudotumor. They said that he has had some chronic inflammation in the eye which has fibrosed and is now afffecting the eye muscles. We don't know why there is inflammation in the first place but they are going to try a month long course of steroids and see if there is any improvement. It is unlikely that there will be but we are going to try it first and then go on to eye surgery if need be.
Jason has been referred to yet another specialist for the surgery. We hope that when we meet with him we get the same story. As you can imagine, we are very happy that the origin of Jason's problem isn't anything very scary and now we just want him to get back to seeing with both eyes! Stay tuned for more Hansen family oddities :)

9 Year Old!

2008-10-23T08:01:00.005-04:00

I can NOT believe that our little boy is 9 years old today! A cute couple was sitting in front of us at church on Sunday about to have their first child. She was due on Oct 15, like Jackson was, and is overdue but patiently awaiting the arrival of her little one. (OK, so anyone who remembers us 9 years ago remembers that we weren't patiently waiting, but you get the point. )

After talking to them, Jason looked at me and said, "That was us 9 years ago". We then surveyed our clan and for a moment were awestruck with all that can happen in such a short period of time.

Time passes too swiftly for my taste and I hate change. Really. One thing that hasn't changed for me though, is how completely in love I am with this boy! From the moment I laid eyes on him I was so smitten. Here are a few things that I love about Jackson.

1) He is such a kind big brother who truly loves his sisters. I doubt there was ever a sweeter big brother.
2) He loves to snuggle with me and still asks me to lay down with him at bedtime.
3) He kisses my belly every time I leave.
4) He loves to learn and tries his best.
5) He has such a funny sense of humor and is easy to laugh.
6) He is a good friend. I love seeing the way he treats his peers.
7) Has a smile that melts my heart.
8) Is as tenderhearted as they come. He can sense our moods and gives a hug, smile or lends a hand when we need it.
9) Loves to be active and doesn't argue with my no video game rule :)
10) Will always be my firstborn boy and has a special place in my heart that can't be replaced.

I love you Jackson!!!! You make every day brighter because you are in the world!

Making Room...

2008-10-16T15:11:00.005-04:00

Athought I wouldn't really call us hasty (we've been looking to buy a car since Ava was born) we went to look at a car Tuesday night and ended up driving it home 2 hours later! We have been scoping out prices on Toyota Sequoia's and Volvo XC90's for a long time and I happened across one Sequoia that was a steal. I am already loving the extra room in the back and being able to tote more friends to sports and playdates. I am also very happy to have one less thing on my "to do" list before our newest arrival makes his debute.

The new car experience was one of mixed reviews for our kids though. Jackson was so excited that he literally jumped up and down for joy at the lot. Ava cried the whole way home asking for her "little blue car" and Kate was somewhere in between. We were a little surprised that the girls felt so attached to our Escape but as we explained to Jackson, it is the only car they have ever known. We went back to the dealership yesterday to try and take a picture of them in the car but sadly, it was already off the lot.

Farewell to our trusty little car and hello to more space to welcome baby boy into the world!

Eye Biopsy

2008-10-15T13:52:00.005-04:00

This past month has been trying to say the least! We kind of joked about Jason's eye but in truth, things weren't very funny. Jason continued to have double vision since it began and was referred from doctor to doctor. Bottom line was that the problem likely didn't come from the sinus infection but they didn't have a reason why. They gave us several very scary possibilities all of which made me cry one Friday. Then the last doctor that we met with said let's not speculate but instead recommended a biopsy of Jason's eye muscle and from the back of the eye where the inflammation was prominent. (Does anyone find it hilarious that they put this on Jason's head before surgery?)
Jason had this procedure exactly one week ago and we are still awaiting the results. Our hope is that the results will point to idiopathic (meaning they don't know why) and that it won't be one of those other scary diagnosis.
I would post an after photo of the surgery but it even made me a little squeamish and that is saying something! I'll keep you updated as more develops.

Crazy!

2008-09-05T20:56:00.003-04:00

So, it all started 3 days ago when Jason began to complain that he wasn't "seeing right". (OK, it actually started about 1 week ago when he started getting a cold, but nothing severe developed until 3 days ago.) Then yesterday he confirmed that he was actually having vertical double vision. That is never good and represents something going on with the cranial nerves, so he headed straight in to see the neuro-opthalmologist. After a thorough exam, they diagnosed him with a 4th cranial nerve palsy and ordered an MRI. The MRI was done this morning and about 5pm they called to tell him that he had an orbital pseudotumor. Now, don't fret - it isn't a tumor! It is called pseduo because it acts like a tumor but there is nothing cancerous going on here. It is caused by severe inflammation in the orbit and in Jason's case a part of the brain. We are hopeful that this is a result of a serious sinus infection. Apparently, the MRI showed some horrible sinus infection that has gone crazy spreading into his orbit and cavernous sinus (part of the brain.)

For now, Jason is sporting a saaaweeet eye patch because if he only looks out of his left eye he doesn't have the double vision and his right eye doesn't hurt quite as badly. He is taking his antibiotics and we are having fun telling a lot of pirate jokes. We'll keep you posted but for now, here's a picture to make you smile - it makes me laugh out loud! Arrrrgh!!!!

Weekend Recap

2008-09-02T12:00:00.006-04:00

We had a great time in Charleston this past weekend! Jason and I would love to take a few days alone there, stay in a B&B, and see a bunch of things that wouldn't have interested the kids. The city was beautiful, the beaches were fun and time with friends was great. The only problem was that it was too short - isn't that always the case?

Kate, Jackson and Ava loved making cinnamon rolls with our host, "Grammie". On our way home Kate asked if we could go back this weekend and see Grammie and Papa again. Hilarious! It took Kate 2 days to realized that they were actually the grandparents of her friends and not just named Grammie and Papa. Sometimes we worry about her...:)

Highlights for Jackson included watching Planet Earth DVD's, finding seashells and boogie boarding. He really got the hang of boarding this time and was bummed that the weather didn't cooperate for him to go back for more on Monday.

I love those long weekend getaways...when is the next holiday?

PS - See how blog-worthy you are, Stuckis?

Labor Day Vacay

2008-08-28T15:58:00.002-04:00

We have lived here for 6 years now and never ventured over to see beautiful Charleston. Our entire family is really looking forward to this 3 day getaway with friends. I know, I know, summer just ended so how can we possibly need a getaway? Trust me, we do!

Poor Jason has 3 grants due between now and the first of October and has been going crazy working on them. I am in full project completion mode and I feel the impending doom (did I say doom, I meant birth) of our newest family member. Between being the Fall Festival Chair at our elementary school, Primary President at church and working to save up for maternity time off, I too could use a weekend getaway.

PS- I don't know exactly what "where history lives" means and I doubt that I'll find out on this trip. Our prefect vacation is one where the only goal is to spend some time at the beach. We can't wait to enjoy the time together as a family!

Cutest Bag

2008-08-20T21:51:00.009-04:00

So maybe Ava didn't need this for preschool but it was so dang cute that I would have bought it even if she hadn't particularly cared for it. It turned out however, that she is in love with this bag and has taken to bringing it everywhere! She currently has it filled with her Littlest Pet Shop toys, a magnifying glass and a panda bear. I think you'll agree that she looks tres cute sporting her tote!

First Day of School

2008-08-11T12:15:00.005-04:00

So hard to believe that another summer has whizzed by and that we have begun the 1st and 3rd grade with Kate and Jackson.

They are both still young enough to look forward to school and their excitement was contagious. Despite the excitement, of course I still teared up when I hugged Kate goodbye. Some things will never change!

Jackson was playing it 3rd grade cool but I know that he secretly wishes that I'll come by for a visit today. :) Last night I was talking to a friend and totally freaked myself out when I realized that he'll be going to college in 8 years! How can they grow up that fast? It really isn't fair!

Surgical Experience

2008-08-10T23:49:00.003-04:00

On Friday, Jackson had a dermoid cyst removed from the top of his ear. He has been anticipating this for months but unfortunately, the anticipation did nothing to calm his anxiety about the procedure. Over the course of the last 4 months, he has asked me hundreds of questions about how it would feel, where he'd be, what it would look like, etc.

For an adult, this simple procedure would probably have constituted a visit to the doctors office and some local anesthesia. No biggie. Because children are much less predictable in their reactions to procedures though, the plastic surgeon puts them all under general anesthesia. Jackson's surgery was scheduled for 2:30 pm and because he was going to go under general anesthesia he couldn't eat for the whole day. (He actually did pretty well with that even when his sisters were eating their soft pretzels and icees in front of him.) We made it to the hospital and through pre-op but then hit a little snag in the plans when they informed me that I couldn't walk back with him to the operating room. Some ridiculous policy about not allowing pregnant women in the OR because of the "anesthesia gases". Ummm, seriously? Are there no pregnant nurses, surgeons or techs in this hospital? Are they having mutant babies? And would 5 minutes in the OR put my unborn child at such a risk that there is a strict policy? I digress... I was most sad that I hadn't been prepared for their policy because Jason was at work and nobody else was with us.

When they said that I couldn't go back with Jackson he started to tear up. Thankfully I was able to calm him down and he bravely walked along through the OR maze to his room. I too felt like crying as I watched him walk alone. On the way home he confided in me that he was scared when he was waiting for the sleepy medicine. Of course he was scared! I told him that I am scared every time I have to go to the OR to have my babies. I told him that he was so brave and that seemed to make him feel a lot better.

It's hard to tell what his ear will look like because the steri-strips are blood tinged but hopefully it will be just fine. Jackson's only complaint is that he can't go swimming for a whole week! In my opinions this was perfect timing for the surgery because Dynamo swim team starts next Monday and school starts this week. Speaking of school, stay tuned for first day of school pics tomorrow!!!

Simple Joys

2008-07-28T10:02:00.003-04:00

You know that you are pregnant when a happy, happy day includes a night where you didn't have to get up to pee once! I just realized that last night was the first time in 5 months that I went with uninterrupted sleep and since I couldn't reach Jason at work with the joyous revelation, I must share this with you. I know...you are blessed to share in my news.

Balance In All Things

2008-07-15T11:47:00.003-04:00

This morning we had our follow-up ultrasound with the perinatologist. He said that everything looks better than good, that this baby is anatomically "pefectly normal". What more could we ask for?
We are so very happy for Jackson (and my inner need to have balance in all things) as today, it was indeed confirmed that this little guy is a BOY! Now, if you have any boy name suggestions, please do send them our way - we are struggling.

County Swim Meet

2008-07-11T12:31:00.011-04:00

On July 2nd and 3rd, Jackson and Kate competed with their swim team, The Barracudas, during the county wide swim meet. They both had fun and did a great job! Kate's getting psyched up in the picture to swim like "white lightning". I think she reminds me of LL Cool J. What do you think?

Unfortunately, Kate's heart wasn't in it on the prelim day and she didn't place high enough in her individual events to swim in the finals. She placed 21st overall for the backstroke but was seeded 11th I think. Her relay team stepped up the second day, moving up from 9th place in the prelims to finishing 5th overall in the county. Way to go Kate!

Jackson finished 8th in the individual medley, and his team finished 8th in the medley relay and 5th in the freestyle relay (they were DQ'd in the last race though for an early start - I think it was a rough call if you ask me).

The coolest part of the meet was that Jackson finished 2nd overall in backstroke and set a new pool record for the 8&U backstroke. One of his coaches, Andrew, previously held the record and it had been in place for the last 10 years! Each meet of the year Jackson improved his backstroke time while secretly trying to beat the pool record. I found this out toward the end of the season when he told me that he was going to beat the record at the county meet. In the prelims on the 2nd, he came close to the 22:24 record with a time of 22:56 but on the 3rd he did it and finished with a time of 21:54. When this boy sets his mind to something he gets it done. If only I could be like that! Our friends videtoaped his race and posted it on You Tube. You can find it by title "Action Jackson Breaks Pool Record" or click on this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52qf-IWMx4k#

Alaska....Here I Come!

2008-06-18T13:53:00.002-04:00

Our TNT team will depart Atlanta tomorrow am at the unearthly hour of 6:05am. After a 2.5 hour flight to Minneapolis, we will take another 6 hour flight to Alaska. Then we get to hang out in Alaska on Friday, run our race on Saturday morning, hang out on Sunday and take the red-eye flight late that night.
This summer has been so packed that I am just starting to get excited as I pack for the event. Now I am really looking forward to this race and only wish that my family was going to be there too. I promise many gorgeous pictures upon my return!

It's How He Rolls

2008-06-17T11:18:00.003-04:00

Actual Conversation: Sunday, February 15th 1:30pm

Mom: OK, kids time for a nap.

Ava: No nap, no nap, no nap!

Kate: Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!

Jackson: Mom, I don't take naps. It's how I roll...

What?

Barracuda Swim Season

2008-06-15T22:11:00.007-04:00

You know that I have been busy because we have already had our 3rd swim meet and I haven't posted a single picture yet. I figured that I'd better get to it before the season ended!

Jackson is doing a great job on his backstroke, freestyle and butterfly. He has also been competing in the IM races this year. The IM (individual medley) is a length each of backstroke, butterfly, breastroke and freestyle. It is painful to watch (Jackson says it's more painful to do) but he has gotten first for the last 2 meets and beat his best time by 23 seconds during the last one! We are so proud of him!

Kate is also a super duper backstroker, coming in first or second each meet. She swims freestyle too and is really getting her breathing down. She cut all of her times in half from last season to this one. What an amazing change in one year!

Peachtree City Youth Triathlon

2008-06-15T21:28:00.007-04:00

Jackson had so much fun at the triathlon last year he wanted to participate again. He swam 100 meters in a pool, followed by a 5K bike ride and finished up with a 1/2 mile run. Jackson definitely exceled in the running, finishing 2nd with a pace of 7:42. Not too shabby, eh? (I am quite sure that I would have been hard pressed to keep up with him!)

There is another youth triathlon in July at Six Flags and he is trying to convince us to go to that one, too. (I am sure that is has nothing to do with a secret hope that we'll stay at Six Flags for the day.)

As I watched Jackson particpate, I felt a pang of sadness that Jason and I wouldn't be competing in the Peachtree City triathlon together this year. We had a great time doing that last year but I'll have to just cheer him on from the sidelines this time. I leave for Alaska on Thursday and it will be my last race until this little one arrives. So that I don't go crazy during the last half of my pregnancy, I have begun planning my races for next year. It will be here before I know it!

Good-Bye Palmers

2008-06-13T21:22:00.004-04:00

One of the very sad things about living in a college town is that we have to say good-bye to friends each year. Today was a sad one for the Hansen family as we said goodbye to the Palmer family. This picture was taken today as they loaded up into the moving truck and headed out for Connecticut. They are driving on to a new adventure and we are missing them already!

Here are just a few things that I will miss about our friends:

1) Running at Stone Mountain with Clairon. How many other friends would put up with increasing their mileage from 5 to 10 miles because I was training! She was pure motivation for me and I loved our talks while we ran.

2) Seeing her sweet boys at Primary and having them give me hugs.

3) Having a friend for Jason that enjoyed talking science with him. Trust me, those are rare and Jason will surely miss Matt!

4) Knowing that Ava was always loved and taken care of while I was at the hospital with Kate. Clairon has taken her nearly each visit since Kate's diagnosis.

5) Having Clairon there at book group. I really appreciated her perspective on nearly everything.

6) Christmas Caroling Party at their home each holiday season.

7) Easter dinner with them - kind of became a tradition for the past 3 years.

8) Friends to call on and count on. It's pretty neat to have someone that you know you can count on and vice-versa.

Good luck Palmers!

12/11/2008

2008-06-12T16:23:00.003-04:00

It's true... :)

Ava's 3!

2008-06-02T16:22:00.011-04:00

Between Kate and Ava's back-to-back birthdays our family has had enough cake to last for the year! We had barely put away the wrapping paper from Kate's gifts before we had to bust it out again for Ava. I am so very glad that the next celebration won't be until October!

We had a really fun day and enjoyed celebrating Ava's birthday as a family. Mostly to appease Ava, the entire family had a special lunch date with Jason at our favorite Mellow Mushroom pizza joint. Ava's repeated questioning of, "We go party now?" and "I have party, ok?" precipitated that idea. We thought we could hold her off until evening if she had a lunch out with Daddy. It worked - well, partially the lunch and largely letting her open one present while we were there. Ava really got that she was 3 years old today and understood that that accomplishment necessitated presents and cake.

I think that we lived up to her 3 year old expectations and threw her a wild family party complete with dancing to Mylie Cyrus. In Kate's words, "it was rockin'." Ava loves her talking/moving baby doll and Winnie the Pooh telephone (thanks Aunt Shauna!) and we love our 3 year old big girl!

These are a few videos from the party. The first is of us talking to Ava and the second is singing Happy Birthday to her. They are too cute!

Kate Turns 6!

2008-05-30T20:08:00.008-04:00

We can't believe it but our Kate is 6 years old today. The day was entirely as she requested beginning with Lucky Charms cereal. Then on to the pool where we spent 7 hours playing in the sun and eating popsicle after popsicle. She said on more than one occassion, "It's my birthday Mom, so can I ________. " Smart little girl, eh? As each hour passed, she begged for "one more hour" at the pool. I couldn't refuse the birthday requests.

After the pool we came home and had the family party. Kate's meal of choice-spaghetti and meatballs with a side of strawberries and sourdough bread. How lucky am I? It's a good thing it was quick to prepare as we were all famished from the day in the sun.

Everyone had fun watching Kate open her presents but Jackson and Ava really enjoyed feasting on Carvel ice cream cake. For my family members reading this, I know you are totally jealous as you imagine me eating those chocolate crunchies! Kate's favorite gifts were a Hannah Montana/Mylie Cyrus CD, Tiny Ponnieville My Little Ponies and The Last Unicorn DVD.

All in all, this was a wonderful day to celebrate Kate and to remember that very special day when she joined our family.

A Patriotic Performance

2008-05-23T23:04:00.003-04:00

All 5 kindergarten classes at Kate's school put on a Patriotic Performance yesterday. Words fail me (I know that is a rare event, but it's true) as I try to describe just how amazing the performance was. Every one of those kids learned each word to the six songs that they performed and one of the songs was even done in sign language! One boy in Kate's class recently had his father leave for a 14 month tour in Iraq. They dedicated the event to him and those kids sang their little hearts out. I am pretty sure that there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium!

The first clip is of Kate leading the Pledge of Allegiance and the second is of the signing song. The quality isn't great because we were using my camera but you'll get the idea.

Father and Sons Campout

2008-05-23T22:23:00.008-04:00

A week ago, Jackson and I went on the annual Church Father and Sons campout up in Lake Alatoona, which is about 45 min north of Atlanta. Unfortunately, it started by getting lost and driving around for an extra 90 min but wefinally made it.

We had plenty of time to cook our hot dogs and chow down on some s'mores (a lot of s'mores). Jackson had never had one before and his first was not his last. After a short program by the Church leadership, we headed off to our luxurious two man tent for bed. I realized that when camping, an 8 year old's clock gets kind of messed up as Jackson stayed awake until at least midnight (probably longer, but I drifted off). At 3 a.m., it started raining very heavily. This, of course, woke Jackson up, who then woke me up to tell me that he was awake and it was raining. After an hour of heavy rain, we both went back to bed, only to wake up again as soon as their was daylight at 5:45 (did I mention an 8 year old's clock get kind of messed up?). We headed to breakfast, which consisted of eggs, pancakes, bacon and cereal. After the whole evening, we were pretty exhausted (okay, at least I was pretty exhausted).

Still, Jackson said, 'Dad, this was one of the best days of my life.' While, sleep derived, I could only say the truth, 'Me too, buddy.' I wouldn't have it any other way.

My Buddy

2008-05-21T14:56:00.006-04:00

This blog is not about bragging. It is merely an expression of awe over my 3rd child. I am by no means declaring her my favorite mind you, but she has been the easiest of my three, hands down! When Jackson and Kate were 3 years old, both they and I were ready for a few days of preschool each week. Against my better judgement, I enrolled Ava in preschool this year and then withdrew her when one month I realized that I'd paid a month's tuition and only taken her twice. I'd only taken her twice because she slept until 9am every morning and was then much fun that I hated to part with her.

One day last week, Ava and I went to a Mommy and Me swim class, followed by a trip to the gym and then we rounded out our afternoon by sharing a salad on the patio at Chipotle. (That's right, she even likes to eat salad for lunch - sounds too good to be true doesn't it?) My other children would have complained about my lunch selection ad nauseum, until I finally caved and went next door for some chicken nuggets but not Ava. As I sat on the patio chatting with her, I realized that I couldn't have asked for a more perfectly suited little buddy. Her good natured temperment allows her to go with the flow and tolerate so much of the running around that we do. I just love that she is happy to hang with me and I am so lucky to be able to spend most days enjoying her company. I am especially grateful to have the mornings with her because once Jackson and Kate get home from school she often has to take a backseat to them and their activities. I know that if I have more children there is no chance to duplicate this little spirit so I am going to enjoy every minute I still have her at home with me. From experience, I've seen that the time goes by WAY too quickly!

Lest I forget, here are a few things that I have recently thought, "I love it when she does that".
* She says, "I snuggle you", when she wants me to hold her.
* Answers "Sure" or "I help you" and smiles whenever I ask her to come help me with a chore.
* She loves to cuddle up and read a story.
* She howls like a wolf (will add a video clip of this soon) when she wakes up in the morning and giggles when we howl back. For the life of us, we have no idea where she got this from!
* She sucks her thumb and rubs her "lovie's" ear when she needs comfort. I know that I should care that she is still sucking her thumb but I really don't.
* She greets me with an ear to ear smile when I open her door after she gets up.
* She can tell when I'm tired or sick and suggests that we "go sleep".

Evolution of Dance

2008-04-30T21:18:00.001-04:00

This is such a fun one. Hang in there for the first minute, it gets funnier by the second!

Whoo-Hoo!!!

2008-04-21T16:18:00.005-04:00

Next to the day you give birth and maybe the day your child graduates from high school, I think that there are few other days that give you as much joy as the day your child is potty trained!
Ava decided in the last 3 days that she wanted to wear Dora underwear and has been doing great ever since. She is basically accident free and even gives me advance notice that she has to go. Those of you without children can laugh all you want, but I feel like it is a little miracle to see my toddler embrace this new found life skill. It feels like a miracle because I had absolutely NO control over her desire or time frame for this process. I am just jumping for joy that she has decided to and that I don't have to change any more stinky diapers though!

Now, what should I spend that extra $50 a month on....

Ava, Ava, Ava

2008-04-11T23:11:00.005-04:00

I forgot about this story but was reminded when I downloaded the pictures from my camera. Because Kate was admitted to the hospital on Jason's birthday we weren't able to celebrate as a family on the 29th. By the time things settled down it was a few days later and we decided to just wait until Aunt Kristine was in town. While Jason was at a church meeting the kids helped us bake the cake. I frosted it while they were sleeping and we planned to decorate it the next day before his party.

Well, we woke up and got ready for church. I called to Ava to come upstairs and get her dress on but she kept saying no. When I finally walked downstairs to get her, this was what I saw.

In a few minutes time Ava had licked around the entire cake and poked dozens of holes in the top nearly taking all of the icing off. When she saw my open jaw stare she promptly said, "Sorry, Mom". But in truth, I don't think the girl felt bad at all. I think that Jason won't soon forget his was birthday cake masterpiece - compliments of Ava. Pretty fancy wouldn't you say?

Good Day Gone Bad

2008-04-09T22:14:00.005-04:00

Today was a perfect spring day in Atlanta. We had blue, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70's. The kids are on spring break so the day began very leisurely. After hanging out we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the train park. We had the best time all together. Jackson and I tore it up with the aerobie for over an hour. Then he played on the swings until his legs were all worn out. Ava and Kate spent quite a bit of time in the sandbox and followed it up with swinging. I had a Zen moment in the park, watching my kids playing so happily and full of pure joy. Do you know what I mean - when the moment feels perfect?

Almost immediately after that perfect moment, I felt a flicker of worry. Kate complained that she was cold and then kept rubbing her arms. Toward the end of our time there she laid down on our picnic blanket and rolled herself up in it. She said that she wasn't feeling sick and she didn't feel warm to me (probably because I was sweating) so I didn't press it and just let her relax while the other kids finished playing. After a fun 3 hours we headed home for naps. Kate requested a nap (which further concerned me but I pushed it out of my mind). When I checked on sleeping Kate, I noticed that she was breathing very rapidly - 48 times a minute. I busted out the thermometer and she was at 104 degrees! Ughhhh. The moment I read that temp all of those serene feelings dissolved and were promptly replaced with anxiety.

Kate was much more upset this time too. (I mean the poor girl just left the hospital 9 days ago!) She even cried on the way to the hospital and told me that she just wanted to be at home. My eyes too, filled with tears for her sadness.
So here we are again. Kate's ANC is 430 and she has a fever so we're in the hospital for at least 2 days. Hopefully the blood cultures will come up negative in the next 2 days and they'll let us go. This is most decidely not the way to spend spring break!

Mo Willems

2008-04-04T13:56:00.005-04:00

I don't know about your kids, but mine LOVE Mo Willems. I have a hard time reading these books aloud because I can hardly keep from laughing outloud. There is something so basically hilarious about his writing and illustrations that I can't help it.

My friend Angela called yesterday and told me that Mo himself, was going to be at a local bookstore signing books and promoting his new book, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. (This book is as great as his previous ones).

So Angela grabbed Jackson and Kate and took them with her boys to meet Mo. They had a lot of fun and were way excited to meet "a real live author". Thanks Angela!

Budding Photgrapher?

2008-04-02T09:22:00.007-04:00

When I went to download the latest pictures from my camera, I found a whole ton by Kate. Here are a few of my favorite comments by Kate on her photos.

Me: "Why did you take this picture?"

Kate: "So we could see what show was on."

Me: "Why did you take this picture?"

Kate: Giggle...giggle... "Look, those are my knees". (Look carefully at the bottom of the photo).

Me: Why did you take this picture?

Kate: "I wanted to take a picture of her and then cut it out and put it in a picture frame. Then I wanted to hang it on my wall."

Me: Why did you take this picture?

Kate: "Because I knew Ava would love it."

The Family Room

2008-04-02T08:07:00.004-04:00

Slowly but surely is my motto, as far as decorating goes. I am working on it a little here and a little there because if I try to tackle it all at once I get stressed out. We are getting there though and this is the latest update- our family room mantle.

I love the painting that a friend, Cathy, helped me find and so I kind of worked around that. I recently purchased the doors for the walls from Pottery Barn (we had planned built-ins there originally but ran out of $ building) and found the vases and Pussy Willows at Pier 1. (I especially like the Pussy Willows.) Our kitchen, on the other side of the room, has very dark cherry cabinets so I think that the doors and picture frame help to balance out the room. Now I want to get our flatscreen hung up on the wall and work on that wall!

For a Limited Time

2008-03-31T19:07:00.002-04:00

You can donate to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!! Well okay, not really. You can always donate but I am only going to run one more marathon this year (I swear) so for a limited time you can donate through me.
Clicking on THIS will get you directly to my webpage. From there all you need is a credit card and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others (laying it on kind of thick aren't I?). Seriously, Team in Training is hoping to cross the billion dollar fundraising mark this year and we need your help to do it! Thanks for considering the cause. We love you!

2 Little Mamas - Shout Out

2008-03-28T12:44:00.002-04:00

One of my good friends, Sarah, is an amazingly creative woman. (For those of you that know Carly, she is the Atlanta version of her) :)
Sarah recently started an Etsy shop called 2 Little Mamas with her sister and you should definitely check this site out. If I can be so bold, I would also recommend that you return often to see what fun new things she has created. One of my favorite inventions is her Baby Bundle - wipes and diaper holder. It is way cute! Let me know what you think.
While I am on the subject of tres talented friends, you should also check out Carly's Etsy site - Chuckles and Grins. You will be very impressed, I have no doubt.

I'm Sheepish

2008-03-27T22:00:00.007-04:00

I had a hard time coming up with a title for this blog. These were also contenders:

1) I Hate People Who Jump to Conclusions

2) Me Judgemental? No Way!

3) Can 2 Year Olds Really Be Considered Bad People?

If you are confused, first read this where somebody "stole" my phone. In order to create balance in the universe I knew that I had to post part 2 of the missing cell phone story. On Monday morning I decided to go to TJ Maxx one last time to see if somebody had turned in the phone before I headed to AT&T to buy a new Blackberry. On the way to the store I said a little prayer asking that my phone (or at the very least, my Sim card) would be there. As I was walking into the store a thought popped into my head. The thought was this, "Ava was holding a pink Kitty bag when you were shopping". This is very typical for me. I'll let her hold something that she wants so that she's entertained during the shopping but I have absolutely no intention of actually purchasing it. At the end of the night she pitched a huge fit about putting the bag back and I was frazzled leaving the store. Hmmm, perhaps there was a reason that she made such a fuss about having to put the bag back....

After that thought I raced to the back of store and opened the first pink Kitty bag I saw. Guess what I found inside - an empty fruit snack wrapper and my Blackberry!!! As it turns out, Ava is the "thief" of my phone but she is definitely not a bad person and she is decidedly not a litter bug. :)

PS - I have repented of all of those bad thoughts I had and said many grateful prayers of thanks. Sometimes there are happy endings. :)

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:18:00.012-04:00

Is it only my children or does anybody else have kids that freak out when you try to take their picture and the sun is shining? I'm not talking about having them looking directly into the sun either, I mean if the sun happens to be out at all!

It took me about 15 minutes of cajoling and still this was the best picture that I could get of these three! Can't you see the pained look on Kate's face? For sure this wasn't our best Easter picture (we had a hair bow drama too - couldn't find any of our 8 white hair bows) but we'll have great memories nonetheless!

Looking at Ava tonight made me realize how much they've grown in the last few years. I was also telling Jackson some stories tonight about when he was a baby and it made me tear up. Perhaps that is the reason for my nostalgia but I couldn't help looking back over the past 2 years at their Easter pictures. Time goes by too quickly!

This picture was taken last year, just a few weeks before Kate was diagnosed with leukemia. Could you tell that she was sick by looking at this picture? Ava was still as bald as could be too.

And 2 years ago these were our 3 little guys. I absolutely love this picture, even though I vividly recall Kate and Jackson complaining about the sun that day too. Darn those blue eyes! :)

I Hate Bad People

2008-03-22T22:51:00.003-04:00

So my cell phone was stolen tonight. Nope, not lost - stolen! Ava and I were in TJ Maxx this evening and I repeatedly took my Blackberry from her. At one point, I gave up and just let her hold it. Big mistake, big, huge. She left it in the dressing room and when I went back 20 minutes later to retrieve it the attendent said it was gone. Right! I also know that it was stolen because the phone was fully charged (I had just been talking to CJ on it) and yet when I call it goes straight to voice mail.
I just don't understand how somebody can take what doesn't belong to them. Who can pick up a shiny phone, which they didn't purchase, and promptly put it in their pocket? I am too mad right now because a part of me hopes that the universe repays the thief in some fitting way.
Worse than having to buy a new cell phone (as if that isn't bad enough) is having to gather everyone's phone numbers again. So basically everyone I know will need to email me their contact information again because it is all on that tiny little Sim card inside my phone which a bad person is carrying around in their pocket.
Oh, and if you get a call from my cell phone but it isn't me on the other end, please give the thief an earful from me!