I am exhausted

I love Christmas time and everything that comes with it. But I must admit, I am tired. I know I am not the only one that feels that way...I hope...

• Cramming all the wrapping paper and boxes into a garbage can way too small.
• Finishing off all the goodies so they won't be able to tempt me on January 1st...ya know..."I am going to be skinnier day!"
• Endless amount of pine needles to vacuum from my now dead Christmas tree.
• Finding places for all the new toys to hide...
• and parting with old toys to make room for the new ones (my kids really hate the DI because it takes all their toys away...really, I am just addicted to getting rid of unneeded things ;)
• Coming down from sugar highs.
• Affording enough batteries to power all the toys.
• Catching up on laundry that has stacked up.
• Figuring out things for the kids to do while they are home.

I am sure there are a lot more, that is all I could think of for now.

**Without sounding like too much of a downer...I am so grateful for these things because it means I have people to take care of...

Enjoy your New Year and put down that cookie! Or mail it to me!

Merry Christmas!!!

We are so grateful for all of you and for your friendships!!! This has been a great year for us. We have been so blessed and have grown and learned so much. We are greatful to our Savior for his atonement and making it possible for us to be a family! We hope that all of your Christmas' bring you joy and peace and love!

Baily & Mommy Date

I took Baily out by herself the other day. I don't think I have ever done that before. I realized the other day that she is kind of smooshed in the middle of our busy life, and while she is great and usually goes with the flow I thought it would be fun to have some one on one time.

We went to Subway and had lunch. She was so excited to eat the double chocolate chip cookie!

It was kind of crowded at Subway and as we sat down to eat we were just talking and I asked her to say her ABC's. She sang them at the top of her lungs! It was adorable. We got some great looks!

Then we went Christmas shopping and she picked out something for each family member. It was so fun and I made a promise to myself to spend more alone time with each of my kids. It is so vital and I really had fun just talking and playing with my silly, smart, imaginative 3 year old.

SNUG as a BUG in a RUG

The kids get to sleep in the same rooms every Friday. They live for this night and love it. I love it for 2 reasons. #1-I get to put them to bed early so that by the time they actually do fall asleep after all the giggles that it isn't too late. #2-It is one of the only times that they are not arguing, but actually having fun and enjoy each other.

So when I went in to check on them this is what found. Kylee and Tyler, asleep in the closet. It reminded me of when they were younger Kylee was 4 and Tyler, 2. This how I found them then, asleep in Kylee's top bunk. Cute Cute!

Uncle Troy and his SNAKES!!!

My brother is one of the best people I know, and that fact has not gone unnoticed for my children. They absolutely adore him. He has married an amazing woman (love you Rae!) who is one of my best friends and they have two of the cutest boys on the planet. The day that they moved here to Utah was one of the happiest days of my life and sometimes when I go to their home or they stop over at our house I am still amazed to have them so close and be able to have our kids play and grow up together. I just love it, and I love them.

They graciously watched our kids for us on Monday so James and I could go out and celebrate my birthday (I'm pushing 30!) and while they were there they were able to watch my brother's 2 snakes (red tailed boas) feed on rats, they held them, and were able to help give the snakes a bath. Now...let me just say that they did not get their love of snakes from me. Snakes have always been and will continue to be the #1 thing that I am afraid of!

Kylee is the cutest, girliest tomboy you will ever meet and absolutely LOVES the snakes. She was so honored to be a part of the who ensemble. Tyler was equally as excited. Baily wanted nothing to do with them. Here are some pics of their night. EWWWWW!

Malia even got in on the fun. If I didn't trust my brother as much as I do and know the snakes are harmless I would have been mad at him for letting my little baby touch the snake! Notice how he is holding the head of the snake far away from Malia. Tell me it doesn't just give you the willies though!!

Here is Zachary (almost 10 months) and Malia playing together.

Thanks Troy and RaeLynne for being such a good Uncle and Aunt to my kids!

Can you hear the bell???

Believe in the magic of Christmas.

Sit down and watch the Polar Express. It will put you in the Christmas mood!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!

Tyler turned 6 today! It was a wonderful day! I am so grateful for the past six years that I have had with Tyler. He is so special to me and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite things about Tyler.

1-He is very tender-hearted

2-He is very wiggly-constantly moving. (I have to tell him to stand still when he is talking to me so I won't get dizzy.)

3-He has the BEST laugh

4-He is kind to his sisters

5-He loves to add

6-He is learning to read

7-He is very gullible

8-He loves fudge (or sweets of any kind-his first real word was "cookie")

9-He eats all the food off his plate-no complaints .

10-He loves to draw

11-He wears a hole in the left knee of his pants almost as soon as I buy them

12-He makes the coolest gun noises

13-He has asthma

14-He sleeps very deeply

15-He says "thank you" or "I love you" to me everyday without fail

I am a lucky mom to have a son like Tyler. He lights up my world and I can't wait to spend a lot more years with him! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!

Me and My Teddy Bear...

Baily was in her first dance recital on Friday. It was so cute! She was actually one of the only girls that were dancing and remembering the steps. I wish she payed attention like that at home!!! We were very proud of her and I think we have a natural born dancer on our hands...

Here she is with her friend.

Sorry this picutre is so fuzzy.

The Attitude of Gratitude

I love this time of year with Thanksgiving only a few days away. Thanksgiving is a simple holiday, but such a meaningful one. We have so much to be grateful for, and I know that gratitude accompanies happiness. #1- I am most grateful for my boyfriend, James. How the heck did I ever deserve this man! I must have done something really right up there! He is the kindest, most understanding, forgiving, silliest, happiest man alive. I love you James! The picture of the sunset is because he never lets a good sunset get past us. He has taught me to enjoy the sunsets!

#2- My kids, of course! They remind me every single day, whether I want to or not, to capture the sunshine! Because of them I see beauty, happiness, simple pleasures, joy, forgiveness and pure love. I love who I have become because of them.

#3- I am grateful for our freedom. It really is something that is taken for granted too often and something that is so huge, and important. We probably don't even realize how lucky we are to have it.

#4-My cozy bed! I love sleep. Love it! I don't get near enough of it, but there isn't anything better than getting into a warm cozy bed and letting your body relax!

#5- My friends...that includes all of you, and my mom and sisters especially! I have often found comfort in you, and love that I can depend on you and that we can help support each other through rough and happy times in our lives. I love my girls!

#6- Slippers. I get so excited when it is cold enough to wear slippers. Even though I hate the cold, I love that I can keep my toes warm in a cute pair of slippers!

#7- Autumn. I love everything about autumn. The look, the smell, the tastes, EVERYTHING. Autumn will always be special to me because it was autumn 2 years ago when I learned how to truly be happy. I was able to let go and put a lot of my fears and anxieties in their proper places and let myself be happy. You know how certain smells can remind you of things, that's how autumn is for me. (this could potentially be a long one, so if you are curious about my journey to happiness, let me know and I can give you more details. I love talking about my struggle to overcome my anxiety, but I won't bore you now!)

#8-I am grateful for my cell phone. I am. I love my cell phone. Well, not exactly right now because I am punishing myself with the cheapest saddest looking phone I could find. Why??? you may ask?? Because I am cursed. No, really. I have gone through 7 cell phones this year alone. One was dropped in a cup of apple juice, two went for swims in the toilet, two just stopped working, one took a dip in a cup of Dr. Pepper (curse you Dr. pepper!!!) one went swimming in the dish water. Fluids+Me+Cell phone= DISASTER!!! So-even though I stink at taking care of them (boy this is embarrassing!) I love them.

#9-I am grateful for change. I am a person who thrives on it. Especially little changes, like rearranging the furniture or my kitchen appliances. I am grateful that Heavenly Father allows us to be constantly changing and faced with change. I don't love all change, but most times looking back I can see how much I have grown because of it. There is a story of a man who noticed a butterfly struggling to break free of its cocoon. He watched it for a minute and then decided to cut the cocoon to help the butterfly emerge. It worked, and the butterfly was free. Well, what the man didn't know was that the struggle to free itself from the cocoon was what made the butterfly's wings strong. That butterfly went its whole life unable to fly because its wings where not strong enough... Change. It's a good thing. Don't be afraid of it.

Now it's your turn to find things to be grateful for!!!

My Wierdo's

Hey, I know they are weirdo's, but they are MY weirdo's!!! Oh, to be a child again.

It's Official!!

My baby is a walker! She has been taking steps here and there for about a month, but she decided that today was the day. She has been walking everywhere now. She was in Tyler's room this morning and she had a toy hammer. I looked over at her and she would hammer on his bed, then walk over to his dresser and hammer on that, then walk over to the toy shelf and hammer on that. It was so cute!

I can't believe my baby is so big. It is just as exciting and touching to see her grow and learn as it was with our first baby. It never gets old! Each child brings so much joy to our lives!

Malia Saying "Thank you"

At dinner tonight Malia was saying "thank you" over and over again. We were cracking up at how cute it was. And of course I pulled the camera out and she wouldn't say it anymore. After some proding by Tyler and Baily she said it again! SO ADORABLE!

Our New Favorite TV Show

We have discovered a great new show on Discover Channel. Man vs. Wild! It is the best show ever! It is about a man named name Bear Grylls who strands himself in remote places and teaches you how to survive.

Baily calls it the "yucky show" because of all the bugs, snakes, spiders, zebras, camels, elephant dung (he squeezes the dung to get the fluid from it) etc. that he eats. We just sit there in front of the TV completely mesmerized.

It hilarious because when Bear eats something gross our jaws all drop and we watch as guts and whatever else comes squirting out of his mouth. Every now and then one of us will even dry-heave. It's great! You gotta check it out. It is so fascinating.

My dirty sink, and my happy kids!!!

My kitchen is a disaster, but at least my kids know that I can still act silly! I decided to make tonight different. Different how, you say...well here is a run down of a typical night at our house...

...Get homework done without any one's brain exploding...making a somewhat nutritious meal without the house burning down...reading books without me falling asleep and drooling on the kids...all four kids jammied, teeth brushed, prayers said, clean hands and face in a reasonable amount of time, and then the next hour is me practicing an insane amount of patience until the very last eye is closed, and no one is getting out of bed for "one more glass of water." Then there is the jungle of dishes and toys to wade through. I try my best to get the house in order so we don't wake up to yesterday's mess.

...Tonight we turned on the radio (which happened to be Christmas music) and danced, played tag and rolled around on the floor. The kids have this new game where they all hold onto the back of my shirt and I run around the house shouting "Has anyone seen my kids!" It's quite amusing. And yes, my shirts get stretched out. :)

I made a goal a long time ago to never let my kids go to bed angry or sad. Sometimes in all my exhaustion I forget that when I am tucking them neatly into their beds. I hate the guilt I feel when I am lying in bed and I realize all the things I didn't do for them or the time I didn't spend with them.

I must say, even though my kitchen is a mess because I am now too tired to clean it after all that running around I did, I am glad that my kids went to bed with a smile on their faces. I am not sure if the smile meant, "My mom is the coolest Mom in the world!" or "Gee, my mom is a goof ball!" Either way, the dishes will be waiting for me tomorrow.

A New Addition to Our Family

Some would say that I am a gluten for punishment. We know have 2 hamsters (one went the way of all the earth) :( and two cats.

I succumbed to a lady out in front of Walmart with a box full of free kittens and Kylee's pleas and kitty cat eyes, (aka: puppy dog eyes). I wish I would have taken a picture of her face when she picked up the cat out of the box. She promised me she wouldn't want anything every again (that's a classic line) if she could just "HOLD ONE!"

It was like an out of body experience because the next thing I knew we were driving home and Kylee had a kitten in her lap. I am a sucker, I know, but if only you could have seen her face :)

Autumn (the cat) is one of the most beautiful Siamese cats I have ever seen. She has the sharpest blue eyes and we all love her (even Dad...he says Autumn reminds him of a cat he had growing up.)

So, forget your local zoo, COME VISIT THE HANSEN'S!!!

Malia Turned ONE!!!

Happy Birthday Malia!!!When I think back on this last year, and how insanely fast it went by I can't help but be a little sad that my baby is already one.


But, it has not only been one of the best years for our little family in every aspect, but the joy of having Malia in our lives has been so amazing. Words could not express how much that little chunka-monk is loved.

When we first learned that I was pregnant with Malia I was 100% sure it was a boy. I just knew it. And our first 2 ultrasounds confirmed my feelings. It was a boy! You can imagine our surprise when the 3rd ultrasound (I was lucky enough to get an ultrasound at each visit) revealed we were having a little girl! Girl #3! I will admit that I was shocked, but looking back now and knowing that Heavenly Father gives us exactly what we need, I am so grateful for my Malia.


She is our joy, our love and we have been so lucky to have her in our family.

Happy Birthday Malia, aka: Me-me, Leah, monkey, Me-uhs, chunks, Lee-lee (she has a lot of nick-names...we better lay off the chunks or she might have a complex...but who can help it with those irresistibly kissable chunky cheeks!!!)

Sigh...

I have never considered myself very politically knowledgeable. I had to sit with a dictionary tonight to understand some of the words that were being used by the media. But as I sat and watched Obama become the 44th president of the U.S. I felt a couple pf things...

#1-Thank goodness it is OVER!!!! Hallelujah!!!

#2- We can only hope now that Obama will not be as far off to the left as he presented himself in his campaign. Hope that he will lead our country in the next 4 years and uphold the Constitution that our country was divinely built upon.

#3-To me this is a sign of the times. The government will hang by a thread (a smaller one than it already does) and maybe this is where it is heading! I am all for raising my kids in the second coming!!!

#4-I want to set aside for now the issues that have been beaten to death in the drawn out years leading up to this night, and I want to say this...I love God. I love his son, Jesus Christ. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and his church, which I know to be true. I love my family. I love life. I love America and I love that it was given to us to live freely in. Come what may, those are the only things that matter!

I Grad-gi-ated!!!

I received a diploma today from the Institute of Children's Literature. It was a course on writing for children and teens. I have loved writing for as long as I can remember and have notebooks full of poems, short stories and even a novel.

I learned so much from this course and have narrowed down my area of expertise to writing short stories for 8-12 year olds. Hopefully in the near future I will start submitting my stories to publishers. Most likely children's magazines. It is a good feeling to finish something and come away a better person, and writer.


Ya me!

Cheesy gold rimmed frame, here I come!

Sugar High!!!

That sugar high includes mine! I am guilty of thieving my kids candy when they aren't looking. Come on, I know you do it too, or did, or will or whatever.

Halloween was great this year. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love to see the kids dress up and we have a great time trick-or-treating with my family. Good times!!

Here is Kylee aka Hermione from Harry Potter. I think she looks just like her :)
Tyler was a knight. The costume fit him when we bought it a month ago, but he has gone through another growth spurt, aka: eating everything he can get his hands on, and so it was a little tight.

Baily was Tinkerbell. It was the perfect costume for her. When I told her that Tinkerbell could fly and that she had a magic wand that sprinkled magic fairy dust her eyes got really big and she said, "I want to be Tinkerbell forever!"

Malia, my little Pepe Le Pu! A friend of ours let us borrow this adorable costume. She actually didn't mind wearing the hat. It was cute to see her chubby cheeks poking out. It was really cute when she would crawl around and the big tail in back would drag on the ground!

"Mom, let's do goga"

After we took the kids to school the other day we got out of the van and Baily saw my yoga mats that where sitting in the garage. She said, "Mom, let's do goga." That is what she calls it! so cute!

James and I use to take a yoga class together and it is something that I really love to do. It was so fun to take time out of our busy lives and do some yoga. The thing that yoga helps me remember is to breath. Take time to just breath!

Baily just follows right along and does it with us. I just love this picture! Don't you love James' totally awesome pajama pants. I know your jealous!

My Soccer Stud

Just wanted to post a few pics of my little man. He is going to be a soccer stud like his daddy. He has great talent for it. (This coming from his very biased mother!) But really, I am very proud of him and Kylee who are both in their second year. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of Kylee playing, the battery died at the beginning of her game, but she is also a great player and is a great goalie.

James and I sometimes argue (all in good fun, of course) as to which sport is better, volleyball or soccer. The other day Kylee came up to me and very seriously, and gently said, "Mom, I am sorry, but I am going to have to say that soccer is the best sport."

Hansen Family Zoo

I asked James the other day, as were were surrounded by our 4 children, and the 4 other kids that we baby sit if when he was a young man thinking about what his life would be at 30 did he ever imagine this? He kinda laughed and said "No." Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my life! I have been blessed with 4 wonderful kids and an even better husband, but sometimes I have to laugh when I look at my life right now. I have to laugh so I don't cry...

Let me give you a brief rundown on my week, I promise it will be brief so I don't confuse and/or bore you.

Monday-Thursday Lyndon(9) and Lois(5) come at 6 am and fall asleep on our couch, then Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Ashton and Savannah come at 7:30 am and stay all day. I take the 4 older kids to school and then I pick up Lydon and Lois from school along with my kids. So from 3:00-4:00 I have 8 kids running around my house. Sounds crazy, right...well you are right. I go to the school 3 times a day (drop off, kindergarten pick up, older girls pick up). Thank goodness for Fridays when we have no extra kids!!!

Why? You may ask, do I torture my self so...well, James and I are desperately trying to get out of debt and this is the best way we can, so that I can stay home with my kids. The money is great and if it wasn't for James being there during the day I couldn't do it.

So each of these lovely Zoo animals represent an different aspect of my life, because I often get confused if I am at the zoo or in my living room. Here we go.

1. The growling lion- Be very sure you do not position yourself in my path when my alarm goes off at 5:55am. I do bite!

2. The elephant-the amount of poo I deliver each day to the garbage can, tucked neatly away in a diaper, is equivalent to this large animal. (Malia and Ashton are in diapers.)

3. The tiger, behind bars- When I have an unsuspecting friend drop in this is how I look, I am sure...desperately wanting to be released from my cage of insanity!

4. The monkey- Did you not here me say EIGHT children!!! I know you have been to the zoo and seen a cage full of monkeys. Need I say more?

5. The Ostrich-Some days I wish I could slap on a pair-o-ostrich legs and run far far away.

6.The Zebra-Here's a little song I learned when I was little...feel free to sing along if you know it..."The zebra, the zebra, I never could decided if he was white wearing black stripes or black with stripes of white, oh please, mister zebra, tell me which is right!" I, like the Zebra, am often in a state of confusion... such as, "What's for lunch?" "Why are you writing on the wall?" "Where did you find that?" "What is in your mouth?" "Do we put noodles in our nose?" "Are you a little girl or a monkey?" "Your teacher wants you to do what by tomorrow?" "Can't mommy just use the potty for one minute alone?"
I am so confused.

7. The duck- I have noticed a little more waddle to my walk. There is this funny thing about too many calories going into the mouth and not enough being burned...I forget exactly how it goes...

8. The camel- Ya know how Camels can store large amounts of water in their humps...well I feel like I have to store up that much patients to get through one day.

9. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming! Try to keep my head above water!!!

Feel free to make your own. It is actually quite therapeutic!

Almost ONE and SO much FUN!!

Malia found a little hiding spot under the sink today. She thought she was pretty sneaky.

I can't believe my baby is almost one! (Nov.7th) She is developing such a wonderful personality. She is definitely a girl with lots of attitude, but she is the sweetest thing ever. She makes us laugh all day long. The last picture here is her goofy smiley face that she does where her eyes disappear into her smile. I dare you to look at it and not smile...just try...

Let it SNOW!!!

I spent half the day in the attic digging out snow clothes for the surprise snow storm that we woke up to on Saturday. The kids LOVED it and where out there most of the day. There wasn't a lot of snow and it melted mostly by Sunday, but the kids where able to make a pretty big snowman. I don't know if I am ready for winter, but it is all worth it when I see my kids so happy playing in the snow!