Happy Birthday Anne!

This shout out goes to my very cool sister-in-law, Anne McNally Anderson! She is one of the most creative, talented and funny women that I know. It truly makes me sad that she lives in Austin and that we don't get to hang out on a daily basis.

(This is us singing you Happy Birthday now)! Hope your birthday is a great one, Anne!

Project Organize - Part 1

This post is basically just for my Mom so feel free to disregard if you find this too mundane. (I am celebrating a small victory here though.) Since we moved into our home in March there have been several unfinished projects that stare me down each day. They haven't broken me down to complete them mind you, but they linger and cause me a kind of guilty stress on a daily basis. Well, last week I completed one of those projects and it felt so good! I know that many people would have ensured that their closet was the first thing organized in their home but I managed to get by without having it done. (Of course, I have rotated the same 7 outfits for the last 5 months but it worked - sort of).

I really should have taken a "before" shot too, so that you could experience the true transformation but I will try to describe the chaos that was my closet. In the center of the closet was a pack-n-play that was actually set up. There were 3 laundry baskets divided into tennis clothes, running clothes, and "I have no idea what to do with these clothes". The shelves were a mish-mash of heaps of clothes which desperately needed some sorting and thinning out. After a mere 3 hours - VOILA! (Kind of makes me wonder why I didn't tackle this sooner).

I guess that all I have left to do is to go shopping. :)

Side note - Jason pointed out that this entire rack is workout clothes! I think that I need to spend some time diversifying my wardrobe and less time in workout clothes.

The Pirate Dragons

Jackson has really gotten into soccer in the last 2 seasons. Jason and I were laughing at how he used to get upset when someone wouldn't "share the ball" and we'd have to spend half of the game consoling him. If Jackson doesn't consciously think about it, now he is the one that wants to be the power forward and score all of the goals. This season, he and his teammates are working really hard on passing and staying in position.

It has been so much fun to see Jackson's footwork skills developing over the course of the last 2 seasons as well. His coach is very big on good ball handling skills and we can see how much more confident of a player that has made him. Soccer games are not a bad way to spend a Fall Saturday morning if you ask me.

Latest Review

If you liked the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, you'll love The Mermaid Chair. It is essentially a book about a middle-age woman's path toward self-discovery and the redeeming power of love. If it sounds like a "chick read" it is and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Those kind of books are very therapeutic for me.


I loved Goose Girl by Shannon Hale and found Austenland to be not quitet as enjoyable of a read. It was still a page turner and cute but I just didn't LOVE it like I did Goose Girl. I am still going to read another one of her books, Enna Burning and will let you know what I think of it. Anyone else read any good books lately?

3 Cue Balls - well, almost...

The plan for 3 bald little ones has been in the works since Kate's diagnosis in April. After nearly 2 full years of a COMPLETELY bald Ava, she chose this summer to start growing hair! (Who knew at the beginning of this year that she'd be the one of our 3 with the most locks this Fall)?

Well, once we took off the rest of Kate's hair, Jackson couldn't wait to shave his head too. He patiently waited until tonight when we were both at home and had some time to make this a family affair.

Jason figured if we were going to shave Jackson's head that they should have some fun with it. Let's hope that we NEVER see Jackson looking like this as a teenager!

Before..........................After

Either way, we think that he is one handsome little boy!

Pokemon Crazy

Holy smokes! Does anybody else have a child who is completely obsessed with Pokemon? I mean, I don't think Jackson has ever seen a Pokemon show but apparently when every other Pokemon obsessed boy in his class introduced him to the world of Pokemon he was hooked. Now Jackson can only talk about Pokemon and the virtues of one over another. I sit with glazed eyes while I try to pretend that I am somewhat interested in the subject matter. Even though I think spending tons of money of trading cards is completely ridiculous, he's enjoying the collecting so I've let it go.

I have shown my utmost support, infact, by planning a Pokemon themed 8th birthday bash which will be held in our home (cringe). Wish me luck!

Happy 50th Briarlake!

Our elementary school is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. One of the recent events was a 50's themed soc-hop at Briarlake complete with ice cream bar, hula-hoop and costume contests. Jackson dressed up for the occassion and even won the costume contest for his grade. (He scored a gift card to Brusters, our favorite local ice cream shop). The fact that he is long overdue for a haircut certainly helped in pulling off the duck tail! We think that he makes one cute little greaser.

I'm that wife

Kate had the week off of chemo last Thursday while her body was trying to build her counts back up. As luck would have it, my tennis team needed me to play in a home match that morning so I agreed. I dropped the kids off at my friend's home and headed to the courts at 10:30.
Well, all three matches before mine went to 3 sets and it was after 11:30 by the time I got onto the court. As the match began I realized that my friend, Clairon, had to leave to pick her son up from kindergarten and she wasn't going to have enough room in her car with both of my kids and her 3 children.
I frantically called Jason's cell phone and then his office but couldn't get a hold of him. I lastly called his lab to try and track him down with hopes that he could pick the kids up and bring them to the court. Luckily, his tech, Michael, answered the phone and I asked him if I could talk to Jason. Michael said, "He said that he's in the middle of an experiment". To which I replied, "Well, tell him that I'm in the middle of a tennis match". (Try to imagine those words being spoken with a head-bob and a particularly sassy tone.) I swear, as the words were coming out of my mouth I couldn't have felt more ridiculous - unless perhaps I also stomped my foot and demanded a pony!
I'm not that kind of wife! Right?
Lucky for me, I have an amazingly understanding husband and he saved the day by bringing the kids to court where my teammates watched them for the remaining 1/2 hour. Sadly, I lost 7-5, 6-4 but Jason scored big points with me! I'll have to think of a way to make it up to him.

Super Suppers

I am completely in love with Super Suppers! Shortly after Kate's diagnosis my Mom bought me a few meals from them and encouraged me to keep several back-ups in the freezer for those times when you need a quick but tasty meal. (We also received a few meals from My Girl Friend's Kitchen and loved those just as much.) If you haven't ever heard of these you've got to look them up and see if there is one locally. They are everywhere!

The easiest way to go (and yes I have done this) is to place a call and pick up those delicious homemade pre-packaged meals, complete with cooking instructions. Alternatively, you could make a date of it with some friends and put together you own meals. They put out all of the ingredients, recipes and packaging. All you have to do is show up. I swear it is that easy and pretty fun if you go with the right crew!

Let me know what you all think!

Heebie-Jeebies

Those of you that have never been to the South may not be able to appreciate the full shock of this story but you can substitute a cockroach for any other terrifying insect and you'll get the idea!

Today while driving to tennis practice, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. When I turned my head I saw a HUGE palmetto bug (that's what the Southerners call those outdoor roaches) on the passenger side floor. I swear to you that I almost wrecked the car! My body instantly tensed up and I couldn't stop looking at the ground for fear of it crawling onto me.
I know that it is completely irrational but I absolutely freak out when I see a roach. When a bug makes its way into my house Jason or Jackson have to spray it and pick it up because I just can't do it.
Well, by the time I got to the tennis court I'd lost sight of the bug. I thought it had crawled under the passenger seat but wasn't sure. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot I jumped out of the car, grabbed my racket and by the time I got to the courts I had nearly stopped shaking. I told my teammates the story and gratefully, nearly all of them had similar stories and could empathize. (I was kind of afraid that they would think I was a northern wimp :)) One offered to drive me home, one offered to call her exterminator and another offered me her car until the roach was found! However, my teammate Anne, (who does not share my irrational fear of roaches) was so sweet and offered to investigate and rid my car of the creature after practice.
Happily, the roach was in plain sight in my cup holder and Anne bravely scooped it up and threw it outside. I tell you, I have goosebumps and shivers as I type this story! Yuck, yuck, yuck!
This is almost enough to get me to move to the West, except there they have scorpions...

We're Still Alive!

Jason and I competed (sort of - you'll have to use that term loosely) in our first triathalon this morning. We drove down to beautiful Peachtree City at 5am for the good times while our very sweet neighbor, Jo, watched our kids. Neither one of us knew what to expect and were both pleased to find that we finished feeling pretty good (I know, we were surprised too)! Here is a post race shot - medals and all.

As expected, the biking was the easiest for Jason and hardest for me and the running was easiest for me. (It felt good to pass runners after being blown by like 100 people during the bike portion). Jason felt like the swimming was the most difficult - citing completely murky, algea filled waters and clamoring people as the biggest challenges. Since it was our first race, we had no time to beat so we both just tried to pace ourselves. Jason finished in 1:46:41 and I finished in 1:41:11. We'll see if the next triathalon will find us with better times. Here are a few more pics of the good times.

It isn't hard to believe that this man was voted best legs in high school is it? I think that those legs are still smokin'. :) Sorry Jason. I type the blog and can embarrass you from time to time.

I knew that the race was going to be good when I picked up my number yesterday and it was 777! Luck was on my side for sure!

PS- You know we are both strong (and brave) people if I am posting pictures of us clad entirely in spandex. Is there no other way? Yikes!

Lessons learned: For the next race, I think I'll actually buy a road bike and ride it before the race day (I borrowed my friends mountain bike with hybrid tires yesterday) and Jason will invest in a more comfy seat. :)

Tennis Anyone?

Jason and I so love this time of year. No it isn't that fall is around the corner or that school has begun again. It is US Open tennis that we love. (We are completely exhausted but we love it!) One of our dreams is to go to the US Open in NY and watch the matches for a full week. Some day.... Until then we settle for staying up until 2 am watching them in the comfort of our own home.
I actually LOVE watching the players amazing tennis skill and not those sweaty biceps and gratuitous fist pumps if that is what you are thinking (I will admit that Federer's last opponent Lopez was gorgeous, but I digress). Andy Roddick and Roger Federer played in the quarter finals until the wee hours of the morning last night and I have to admit that I really wanted Federer to lose! As my brother Craig said, "He's like the Michael Jordan of tennis." Federer needs to be beaten every once in a while and make the outcomes of the matches less predictable. Plus I was totally turned off by his, made for the US Open shoes, that have 3 swiss flags on them - one for each win at the US Open. Over confident much? Somebody has got to take him down! Although my man Andy Roddick didn't win last night, he did put up a great fight and gave us some fantastic tennis to watch. Maybe the next Grand Slam will be his turn. Federer can't stay on top forever. Right?! Somebody please beat him!

Ava's First Day of Preschool!

Today was Ava's first day of pre-school! Too bad it had to be the day after a terrible day in the ER with Kate (see Kate's blog) because I was at home with Kate and her Daddy had to take her to school. It actually may have been kind of a good thing for him to drop her off and save me the waterworks of tears, now that I think about it. If there ever was a Mama's girl, it is Ava. I am pretty sure that her teachers didn't want me to send her with her lovie but I could see no possible way for any measure of success without it. We'll work toward leaving it at home by Christmas. :)

She'll be attending school M,W,F from 9-12. This gives her some time to play with little guys her age and for me to be able to volunteer at Jackson and Kate's elementary school. Hopefully she warms up to the idea soon. :)

A few more cute shots of our littlest one - note the lovie in every picture!

Hansen Family Movie Night

For the first night in a quite a few weeks we didn't have anything in particular planned. So we decided make it a Hansen Family Movie Night. We laid out a picnic blanket, ordered pizza and even broke out our special High School Musical plates (thanks Gramma Hansen) for the occassion. "Chill Out Scooby Doo" was premiering on cartoon network so after the pizza we snuggled up for the feature presentation. Apparently Jason and I were tired though because we both fell asleep during the show. After we put the kids to bed at 8:15 we lasted for about another 1/2 hour until we decided to go to sleep to. We are getting old!

Snack gone bad

Sometimes the forces are conspiring against me I swear! So, I was trying to get some errands done before the kids got out of school and we had to get to the grocery store. Ava and I were really hungry though so I stopped at Smoothie King and picked up a 32 oz strawberry yogurt delight. Ava never drinks a lot but insits of her own cup so usually they give me a small cup that I can pour some into. So today I pulled around to pay and asked for a cup. They told me that they couldn't give me a cup anymore. What? So I said, "Can I buy a cup please." "Um, no we aren't doing that anymore either", the cashier replied. Seriously folks. What kind of establishment needs to make that a policy? No extra cups? Anyway, I wasn't going to let that get to me, I thought I'll be flexible. I decided to give Ava my drink until she tired of it and then I could drink the rest. So I strap her into the cart with the tub o' smoothie in her little hands and lap. She's drinking happily as we begin shopping in the produce department. While choosing some strawberries I hear, "Oh, no...mess Mommy". I turn around to see the entire smoothie on Ava's lap, legs, shoes and dripping through the cart. Nice!
Gratefully, there was a kind employee who grabbed me a roll of paper towels to clean Ava up. That was hilarious. I stripped her down to her diaper and bagged up the mess. Then I used an entire roll of paper towels wiping down everything and finally put her back in the cart. As long as we were there I was going to get my shopping done so I continued through the store with many a strange look from other shoppers as they stared at my 2 year old sporting only her huggies. The judgements were nearly audible but we got our shopping done and are all cleaned up. Good Times! :)

New Favorite Meals

So all of you probably make each and every one of your meals from scratch :) but I am one of those that often needs to rely on a quick meal or else go hungry. I recently tried this Kashi meal as well as a Southwestern Chicken and Chicken Pomodoro. They were all great! The fact that they are relatively healthy (as far as frozen dinners go) is a plus too!

Book Reviews

While on vacation I was able to read quite a few books and I enjoyed each and every one of them. Here are a few thoughts.

On the recommendation of my friend Emily, I started this series. I really enjoyed Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin so I grabbed the next 2 to take with me on vacation. Just the kind of fun quick reads that I needed. They are not a series but each book has the same characters in it, just one of them is spotlighted as the main character. Each of them are at different stages of their lives and I just loved them all for different reasons.

Ummm, LOVED it! (No surprise there). It was easily as captivating and overall wonderful as Twilight and New Moon. These are a series, so if you happen to be of the few people that haven't read them you really must, just start at the beginning.

So I was kind of skeptical when I began this book but after a few hundred pages I was into it. I am amazed that she was able to put out 7 books with equally intriguing twists and turns. Quite a fun read.

While I don't think I would have chose this book based on it's description, I had to read it for book club and really enjoyed it. It is a fantasy book in which 2 boys struggle with being pushed out of their childhoods too early. Gives you something to consider about our humanity and was a nice deviation from the above mentioned reads.

This was such a great book that was recommended to me by my niece, Lauren. I did fall in love with the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the writing. I am looking forward to reading more books by Shannon Hale.

Summer Cold

Those two words are definitely a contradiction in terms and yet I still have a HORRIBLE summer cold. It is kicking my butt! My only friends for the last week have been these two little items:

I have so many things to do and this is really putting a cramp in my style. I have been trying to will myself better but to no avail. Well until then my laundry, dishes and dust bunnies will wait.

First Day of School

So before I get into the vacation blogs, I thought I'd begin with the present day. Today Jackson started the 2nd grade and Kate began Kindergarten. Despite going to bed at midnight, they were all smiles and eager to get out the door for their first day. Our cute idea of pancakes and pictures were lost on them though. They couldn't wait to meet their teachers!

I have found that Jackson is most ready to talk about his day when he's going to sleep. Just before nodding off tonight he told me that his teacher called him something he'd never heard before. He giggled and said, "She called me "Mr. Talks-a-lot" and then she laughed". Let's hope that Mrs. Roseberry is still laughing in a week and that Jackson is talking less in class.

Kate is lucky to have Mrs. Law for kindergarten (the same teacher that Jackson had). Kate came home today with her "Super Kid" star and was so proud of her first day at school. Jackson and Kate saw each other in the hall and stopped to give each other a hug. How cute is that? I can't believe that I had 2 children in elementary school. Like Jackson said tonight, "it won't be long before we're going to be in college". I almost cried...

I'm Back!

Wow, that was quite a vacation! As soon as I can unearth my camera from the mountain of dirty laundry I'll get to blogging...