a day in our life...

Birthday party

2012-01-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday we celebrated Sterling's first birthday with some of our family. It was a fun little celebration. He didn't know what to think of the cake and didn't really like the piece that I put in his mouth but he did enjoy playing in the frosting. Here are quite a few photos from the day.

Also, a big thanks to Mindy for taking so many of the photos for us!

The fam!

Before the party. Brooklyn touching the cake

It was a goofy party... and look, we have a goofy girl!

Sterling's cake and hat

A photo from each month since he was born. It is amazing how much they change that first year. And if you're counting, yes, there are 14 there. I included a photo from the end of January, when he was first born, and a birthday photo.

He loved the fire; kept reaching out for it

Ethan and I helped him blow out the candle

See what I'm talking about... Goofy boy!

My nephew Rigdon

Sterling didn't eat the cake, however he loved eating the candle. Wax and all!

Some of our "goofy" guests; my sister and her husband. This was the best photo of the day for them!

Ahhh, he's cute!

And another... because they are both so cute!

Kisses to Aunt Crystal

Mom's turn... nope, no kiss for me, I got a hand of frosting to the face! I took a kiss anyway!

Grandma and Grandpa Hansen and cousin Connor

Mindy and Jed

Helping him open his present from my parents

He loves the book! Thanks Mom and Dad!

My hot camera man ;-)

Cory gave Sterling to Mindy to try to get her to be baby hungry again.

I don't know if it worked?!?!?!

My cousin Jessica, her husband and son Crew stopped by!

So sorry no picture of cute Jessica; what was I thinking! I was probably talking!

We enjoyed relaxing and visiting with family

Crystal and her son Easton

Cory's grandparents showed up a few hours late; which worked out perfectly because we got them all to ourselves. I think they liked it too because they got a lot of hugs from the kids!

Overall, it was a nice day.

We finished the night off with a babysitter and dinner at Garcia's with Carl, Judy, Jed and Mindy. It was nice to have an adult night on the town.

And as always the conversation was lively ;-)

Happy Birthday Sterling! Here's to another great year!

Had his first year appointment today, some of his 1-year stats:

Height: 29 inches (20%)

Weight: 19 1/2 lbs (20%)

Has 8 teeth (4 on top/bottom)

Got 5 shots today, cried for 30 seconds and was done

And just for fun...

Loves Cheerios, cream of wheat, applesauce, banana's, crackers, carrots and potatoes

If he bonks his head, he'll stop, and go into what Cory calls his "Zen mode" where he pauses, regroups quietly... and then keeps going. No tears. It's pretty funny to watch! And quite impressive ;-)

Takes 2-3 naps a day (1-2 hours each)

Walks 6-8 steps quite well; still prefers to crawl, it's faster

Goes to bed at 7p.m. and sleeps until 6-7 a.m.

He loves the dog licking his hands

When he wakes up he says "gawk" which is "dog" and looks for Kola

Loves to play in the bath and be really silly

When he has his cuddly jammies on at night it is his sign to be and act silly; it is pretty funny

He gets really silly when he has a full tummy

Loves remotes, touching buttons, and daddy's phone

When you ask for kisses he starts sucking in his cheeks really fast and making the "kissing sound," it is so funny! He gives great kisses

Says: ma ma ma, da da da, ut-oh, gawk

Look who's 1 year!!

2012-01-27T19:37:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it's been a year already!

I also can't imagine life without this sweet and silly and lovable little boy in our family!

He makes us smile EVERY DAY!

Here are a few photos of him this month doing what he does best... bringing a smile to our face!

He loves to look and play with books

and I love his little side profile while he's concentrating!

I took these one day while Briggs was playing with Sterling... talk about melt-my-heart!

I love Briggs' smile and Sterlings below

... they were having so much fun!

Sweet nuzzles and loves

The other night the kids were sitting on the counter eating ice cream cones (not something we do very often) and Cory was holding Sterling on the counter and Sterling was loving everything about the sink so Cory decided that he could take a bath in the sink. He LOVED it! He loved playing with the hose, the faucet, the water, the bowl and spoon we gave him to play with it, and he especially loved the ice cream that Briggs kept feeding him!

Our banana boy who needs a hair cut... and a bath for that matter!

He loves crackers!

This is how I found him last Sunday when I got home from a meeting... sound asleep!

And this is an hour later after his haircut and bath

Today, since it was his birthday, I took some time to take some fun photos of him. We are celebrating his birthday tomorrow. Here are some of my favorites. This series of pictures I took in a matter of seconds; he was being so silly!

Birthday boy!

Being really silly. He did this the other night for like a minute and a half (no exaggeration). So funny!

Happy Birthday little buddy! Here's to a wonderful year!

cute notes...

2012-01-18T19:35:00.008-07:00

Last weekend we got to go up to some friends home in Island park to hang out with family and go

snowmobiling (more on that later) and on the way up there Briggs wanted to do some writing.

Rewind to earlier in the day.

Cory forwarded me this article (also below) and I was so impressed that yes, it brought tears to my eyes (Cory is probably shaking his head right now and thinking how different girls are from guys ;-) but it was really neat. I was so impressed that I printed off the article and put it on Briggs' desk because I knew he'd like it... and really, who wouldn't love to have their children turn out as good-hearted as Tim Tebow and be an excellent role model at the same time?!?!?

Briggs read this and told me all the things he loved about the article telling me that it was the best story he's ever read. He brought a pen along on our trip to highlight the things that were "really important to him."

So cute!

Later that evening he came up and gave Cory and I both a note that he wrote! I loved this!

This letter below is about the trip he took with Cory, Ethan and a few YM in our ward, from when they took a little trip up to Rexburg to see the BYU-I center and campus and the Rexburg temple. He really enjoyed his time. I loved what he had to write about! Very sweet!

it's all worth it...

2012-01-12T21:44:00.005-07:00

Last night I got home from the temple and asked Cory how the kids were. He said, "so good." Of course I asked him about it because I knew that they did something really cute or sweet. He told me, after the boys went to bed, he went and sat on the floor in the hallway by their bedroom and just listened to them talk. They were laying on the top bunk together and Briggs was reading to Ethan. He said it's times like this that really make it all worth it... I agree, it is the silly giggles, laughter, sweet moments of love and peace in our home that I cherish.

Briggs and Ethan really love each other and love to be around each other and to do everything together. Sure, they sometimes fight and they don't always agree... that's what siblings do, but at the end of the day there is genuine love and concern for each other and boy do they love and adore Brooklyn and Sterling. A parent can't ask for more than that!

Just today during quiet time Brooklyn put herself down for a nap. I went in to check on her with Ethan and I watched him walk over to her bed and sweetly kiss her arm. Melt my heart. Those two sure love each other and love to be together.

They also totally adore Sterling and love to make him smile. Sterling loves to act goofy and make people laugh... boy he has a fun personality! In fact, just yesterday I couldn't find Sterling anywhere. I knew he couldn't have gone far. After scouring almost the entire top floor I went into my bedroom and I saw the bathroom door shut. I opened it and this is what I found...

...a very quiet Sterling, nestled with his back in the corner, with the all the toilet paper pulled off the roll... his dimpled little hands just picking the paper apart little by little. Oh, he makes me smile!

I really love being a wife and mother! I am not perfect at it but the things I learn every day from my children are helping to shape me into the wife and mother that I know I have the potential to become... I wouldn't trade it for anything in the whole world. It is the hardest thing I've ever done but it is by far the most rewarding. When I look back on the years, sure I remember the multitude of tantrums my kids had, (some of my children seemed to have them for months on end) but I mostly remember all the soft and sweet and funny moments that have made my life so bright. Kissing their sleepy cheeks each night and whispering in their ears that I love them and believe in them. I wouldn't trade it!

Whenever Cory and I look back on the pictures from years past it always brings an ache to our hearts. We often lament that we'll never get those moments back. Yes, they are in my memory, and I'm sooooo glad I took so many pictures, but time has a way of going so very fast. I guess to love is to hurt. I know I'll never get to hold my baby briggs again, or kiss Ethan's full toddler-cheeks, or squeeze Brooklyn's baby chunky thighs and smell and snuggle my newborn Sterling but I wouldn't trade my life or experiences for anything.

I have so much to be grateful for... and most of all I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who trusts in me, and in Cory, enough to raise his sweet and special children. It's all worth it!

Silly sleepy heads...

2012-01-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Not silly... just sweet

I love my kids... it's true.

But after a long day, nothing makes me happier than when 7:00 rolls around and its beeeeedtime!!

Which also means that if Cory is home he is "up." We made an agreement long ago that I'd take the morning and he'd take the night. It just works for us. He's a night owl, even more than me and doesn't like to get up as early as the kids, and I can't sleep well after the kids are up so it just works well for us.

Well, since I posted yesterday Briggs in Sterling's crib and how the boys think it is funny to sleep in different ways, I thought I should post some pictures I've been saving up (I think I have more in my picture database but you get the idea.)

They constantly make me smile with the things they come up with. And some of these don't look all that comfortable if you ask me ;-) Here are some of the funny ways we've walked in to see the kids sleeping.

One night...

Ethan looks comfortable with Briggs' legs in his face ;-)

Another night...

Yet another night... and probably my favorite!

I think they get a "10" for creativity on these below!

And another...

And Sterling

Just because this is so cute and because it looks so extremely uncomfortable. I wish I were that flexible.

Melt my heart...

2012-01-07T23:10:00.001-07:00

I never really know what I'm going to find when I go kiss our boys goodnight.

Ethan and Briggs love to sleep in funny ways (pictures coming soon... I have quite the library ;-) so that when we come in to kiss them goodnight we will see them sleeping funny.

Well, we've just introduced Sterling into the boys room and when all the boys went to bed Briggs was upset and crying and Sterling was crying too... they were in good company with each other. So when I went in to kiss them this is what we found.

Melt my heart. I love how both of their elbows are up above their heads and Briggs has his arm under Sterling. Such a sweet brother. He has a hard time listening to him cry; wondering if he has an ear infection or something ;-) so I know his sweet little heart and he was comforting him.

Boy, I love my kids... life would be so boring without them!!

To Montana for New Years...

2012-01-07T15:02:00.008-07:00

Wednesday-A late start, travel, lasagna, games

For the New Year we planned a little trip to Montana to see my side of the family and to catch up with some friends.

It was a good time.

We decided to take our HUGE lab with us.

I didn't however account for her panting and doggy breath breathing on me (not on Cory for some reason ;-) for the first hour there and the 2 1/2 hours on the way home. It took her a while to settle down. We even stopped to get a couple bones for her but she preferred to look out the front window and breathe on me. Ugh!! I guess that's what I get for suggesting we bring her!

What you see here, with the three kids, only lasted until about Rexburg with the warning that we were moving Briggs up to the middle seat not 3 minutes after we left home. It was clear we weren't on our "A" game when we thought that one through.

On the way to Montana I read the entire book "Return from Tomorrow," by George Rutchie, to Cory. The book is about a soldier who died in an army hospital and 9 minutes later returned to life and he "tells of his transforming encounter with the Son of God, who led him to encounters with other nonphysical beings." It really was an incredible book. Very eye-opening. I am just a little obsessed with stories like this. They really have opened my eyes and helped me gain a greater perspective on life, and life after this life.

When we got there, my parents waited to eat dinner with us at 7:30 (very unexpected, but sweet!), then we put kids to bed and played games.

Thursday-Fudgescicles, key-lime pie, Olive Garden, and forts

Thursday we went out to see my brother's new Chiropractic office (which is REALLY nice and opening in just a few weeks) and to get adjusted. Then Cory and I went to lunch with Spencer and Jacque and their boys at the Olive Garden.

When we got home I saw a big bag of limes in my parents pantry and decided to make a key-lime pie for my Dad (one of his favorites.) When Cory remarked that my Dad gets more Key-lime pies than he does Banana cream pies I knew I was also going to be making a few of those too ;-) Anything for him!!

The boys enjoying a fudgesicle. Many a fudgesicles while we were there!

Ethan and cousin James

Looks yummy!

Thursday night the boys got to sleep in a fort... Grandpa's brainchild. They loved it! Brooklyn wanted to sleep in there. Cory gave the warning that one problem, from any of them, it was straight to bed. I think Brooklyn was in there for about 2 minutes before she was wisked off to cry in her bed.

...the adults (Spencer, Jacque, my parents and us) stayed up and played games

Friday-friends, family, food, banana cream pie, a massage, and yummy bagels

Friday was a crazy day. We met up with my cousin Laighton and his family at the church gym so our boys could play soccer with their boys; it was fun to catch up with them. Later that night we ate a nice dinner at Spencer and Jacque's house and learned a new game called Acquire. When we got home we put our kiddos to bed and headed over to Laighton and Katie's for a few rounds of Jamaica. It was a great time; they're totally our style and we loved hanging out!

"Llllllay-ton"

(a silly inside joke)

Saturday-A visit with friends, fondue, and ringing in of the New Year!

New Years eve we were able to stop and visit my dear friend Ursala and her husband who were visiting from Ohio. We hadn't seen them since Ethan's 3rd Birthday in Ohio! So it was fun to catch up!

New Years eve fondue dinner

We cooked steak in oil (scrumptious!), shrimp, and a swiss/gruyere cheese fondue with bread, ham, and vegetables and then for desert a chocolate fondue with toffee, fruit, crackers. It was yummy!

We were so glad that my Grandparents were able to come eat with us! I enjoyed having some one-on-one conversations with them and my Dad. I especially enjoyed the touching stories of my Grandma and their late dog Sparky (a very smart German Shepherd that I remembered as a child). Sure love them!

All the adults stayed up and played games (Cory, my Dad, Spencer and I played some interesting versions of trump) and we rang in the new year with banana cream pie and 3 types of sparkling cider. We hit the hay shortly afterwards. I easily could of fallen asleep 3 hours before; I was pretty beat.

We left for home early the next morning. It was a fun trip!

Part 8... Soccer and pizza

2012-01-07T13:46:00.007-07:00

The day after Christmas was our last full day with my sister, April, and Kaya. We decided to go get some energy out at the church and let the boys try out their new soccer balls and nets. Brooklyn and Kaya brought their coloring.

It took a bit for Brooklyn to warm up to sharing with Kaya but by the end they were holding hands ready to go to the gym. It was pretty cute!

Lots of kicks...

After soccer we headed to our now favorite pizza joint about 30 minutes outside of town. YUM is all I have to say! I'm not even pregnant and I crave that pizza! I'm glad it was as good as we talked it up to be... it had been a year since we'd eaten there! The kids liked playing in the dingy arcade in the basement... I, on the other hand, preferred to stay upstairs with the Christmas lights and big fireplace! It is quite quaint if I do say so myself, especially during the holidays!

Kaya fit right into our family

Kaya and April

Randomly, on the house, they brought out 3 huge, warm cookies baked in a griddle topped with ice cream, whipped topping, and chocolate. Yum!! That was a pleasant little surprise and treat!

It was a fun last day. We ended the night playing Jamaica (which is a fun game by the way), just us girls and Candace's old roommate Ashley, from Rexburg. April also enjoyed feeding the two babies ;-) It's safe to say they were loving her!

Good times!

...And I think that's finally a wrap on our Christmas holiday!

Part 7... Christmas Day

2012-01-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning started around 7:30 at our house. We had the kids come into our room first where we had morning prayer and then we took them out to see what Santa brought them. They weren't disappointed... they must have been "nice" because Santa brought them what they asked for and a little something extra.

Santa remembered our two visitors...

I think the elves must have stayed up EXTRA late to make their stockings ;-)

We were so glad to have them with us!!

Aunt Candace and her friend April

Santa did not disappoint with Brooklyn this year. She LOVES her dolls!

Most of them dressed modestly... we have daily discussions about that ;-)

(conversations she initiates!)

Pillow pets are in the house!!

Brooklyn a Ladybug, Ethan a Boise State Bronco pillow and Briggs a Philadelphia Eagles pillow! They've been eyeing those pillows for a while now. That was a total surprise for them! They have slept with them ever since.

Sterling with his monkey... he could care less really... but I guess Santa didn't want to leave him out of the stuffed animal excitement.

Briggs' gift from us. These boys love LEGO'S and building things with daddy!

Sterling loves his phone from Aunt Candace and April

Briggs reading the book he made and illustrated for Brooklyn. It's pretty cute! It is full of things he likes to do with Brooklyn, like jump on the trampoline, play pillow fight, and trick her "hey there's a cheetah behind you!" He thought that was pretty funny! It was so cute to watch him show it to her!

Ethan giving us his gift from school. He put it under the tree a few weeks before Christmas and he was supposed to do it when we didn't see him do it so it would be a surprise for us. It was pretty cute when he told us that he put it under there one day when we went downstairs... sneaky, sneaky!

The kids using silly glasses they got from Grandma and Grandpa Jones

Shortly after lunch (lots of leftovers) Candace and April went to pick up April's 4-year old niece Kaya (I hope I spelled that correctly, pronounced Ki-ah) a few hours away, and she was able to spend a few days with us. Talk about a sweetheart!

Christmas night... after the kids were nestled in their beds with their pillow pets and cuddly sleeping bags we skyped with my parents while we opened their puzzle game. It was a good time. My parents still can't figure out how we got 27 pieces of puzzle out of the box in 12 tries... a mystery... hmmm...

It was a team effort to get the puzzle pieces out

Cory and I working together... A good testing game to see if your compatible for Amazing Race... someday... maybe someday we'll be brave enough to audition, but for now we'll take what you throw at us Mom ;-)

It was a very Merry Christmas indeed!

(Pictured colored in nursery in December)

p.s. Grandpa and Grandma Hansen were in Florida over Christmas so we went and spent an evening with them the Tuesday before where we were able to exchange gifts and decorate sugar cookies; it was a fun evening! We also looked at lights and went to visit Cory's Grandparents. While there, the boys were building lego's on a lego table and Sterling kept going over to the table and ripping off their lego creations and throwing them with a vengeance behind him. He was pretty serious and it was pretty funny! He was not to be deterred either! It was both frustrating and funny to the boys... and to me. I couldn't quite remove him from the table because it was pretty entertaining! Brooklyn enjoyed looking at Grandma's fiber optic tree and doing a sticker and coloring book that Great Grandma gave her. As always, it was wonderful to visit with our family!

Part 6... Christmas Eve dinner and program

2012-01-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

We were sick over Christmas... every year I think someone is sick. But we made the best of it. This is how I found Brooklyn during the day, trying to sleep off her sickness in her cuddly sleeping bag she got from Aunt Candace and April (they got to open this present the night before because all the kids slept by the tree while Aunt Candace and April watched them)... they loved that.

The hair train
Getting ready for our candle-light dinner and Family Christmas program

The kids coloring away the afternoon while I made rolls, cheesy potatoes, broccoli salad and ham for our annual candle-light dinner!

As was tradition when Cory was a child each of the boys seat the girls but pushing in their chair

The kids loved the flameless candles and illuminating everything on their plates with them.

After dinner we headed over to our church building and had our Christmas program with Cory's sister Mindy and her family and Mother-in-law. They were sick too so we made great company together ;-)

2011 Family Christmas Program

Ronin on piano “Good King Wenceslas”

Briggs on piano “The Christmas Tree”

Briggs on piano “Old Saint Nick”

Accompanied by Lisa

Lisa on piano “Velvet Tear”

Aubrey singing “God Help the Outcasts”

Brooklyn showcasing her painting

Sterling dancing to “All I want for Christmas”

Candace on guitar

Connor on the Violin “Up on the Housetop”

Mindy on piano “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cory on guitar “Silent Night”

Everyone sing on second time through

Video Presentation

Merry Christmas...

The highlight for me was Brookyn and Rigdon's spontaneous duet of "I am a Child of God" it was really cute! After our program we had pretzels, angel food cake, bananas, marshmallows, and cinnamon bears all dipped in chocolate. It was super yummy!

We finished off the night at home new pj's and setting our our stockings. This year Santa got homemade chocolate candy.

Part 5... Mountain River Ranch

2012-01-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

December 23rd

My sister Candace and her friend April were able to come from Washington DC to spend Christmas with us; we were so excited to have them! A week or two before they came I got a call from my sister saying that they wanted Cory and I to plan on going out one night so they could spend some one-on-one time with the kids... no complaints there! It was really sweet of them.

So I arranged for us to go out to Mountain River ranch for a horse drawn sleigh ride, prime-rib dinner and an Old West holiday show (It was my year to plan our anniversary and it didn't happen because of this and that so hopefully this counts for something ;-). It was really an enjoyable night and it was fun to do something different.

We left April and Candace with some sick kids (poor Ethan was pretty out of it with his cold; they were troopers) and we arrived about 7:30 p.m. While we waited I people watched, took pictures, and had hot apple cider and Cory enjoyed his smart phone ;-). About 8:00 we left on a 1/2 hour sleigh ride in 9 degree weather. It was COLD but I got to snuggle up to Cory under a blanket as we rode around looking at thousand and thousands of Christmas lights and the steam coming off of the horses.

When we got back to our starting spot we were seated for dinner. They divided us into 3 groups (basically 3 long tables) and we had to each sing, dance etc. for our dinner. The best group got to eat first. We came in 2nd and Cory and I even did a cheesy square dance. The dinner was pretty good and I liked that they seated us next to other couples so we weren't just thrown into a big group. We enjoyed visiting with those around us. After dinner they had an Old West Holiday show and it was quite entertaining.

Totally my thing... Cory said so himself.

It was a fun night!

Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary hun!

I love you more today than ever!

Part 4... Letters to Santa

2012-01-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Letters to Santa...

December 13th

After seeing Briggs' letter to Santa for a "cool soccer ball" Ethan added the word "CKool" under his name; I thought that it was pretty cute!

Ethan trying to find the right paper and stickers!

Boy, Briggs looks just like me as a child!
I will have to get my first grade photo out and put it up against his!

In the middle of our letter writing Brooklyn got a special visitor at the door. It was Taide, a little girl from her primary class. She drew her a picture and brought her and the boys cookies; it was really sweet.

Brooklyn was pretty excited!

This is the little girl that she always talks about in her pretend play and that she makes pictures for all of the time.

Letter mess... and yes, Brooklyn dressed herself ;-)

Brooklyn's decorated letter... you should see the back ;-)

The Santa Drop box...

...in a perfect world Santa mails back the letter with a "NICE" stamp on the envelope but apparently when we mailed the letters on the 15th we missed the unspoken deadline and they got lost on the way to and from the North Pole. I guess in a perfect world we would have mailed the letters off at the beginning of the month ;-) Good thing I took lots of pictures!

The kids were excited to mail them off

I'm not going to lie... the Santa is kind of creepy! I think next year we opt to mail them at the Santa in the Mall. But the kids did have fun and then afterwards we went and looked at lights.

Part 3... Mall

2012-01-04T09:58:00.003-07:00

On December 14th Briggs had a little Christmas Concert at a VERY VERY crowded Barns and Noble in the mall (definitely a ploy to bring parents into the-too-small-concert-area to watch their kiddos sing in hopes that they break out the pocket book... no, I know some of the money goes to the school and that's great, but there has to be a better place... maybe in the middle of the mall... I'm just sayin'). So crowded that I couldn't hardly get him in any of my photos, which means I didn't even really see him most of the time. But... he did a great job! They sang songs and then his class did a reading that he was excited about.

Brooklyn and Ethan watching on. Grandma Hansen was also able to make it!

Then off to visit Santa

It just worked out that way and I was glad to check that off the list

(for the record, that was typed in a totally excited voice ;-)

Briggs with Santa

I love the photos of Ethan with Santa that I couldn't just pick one... or two...

...so I settled on three ;-)

Oh, that boy makes me smile!

What didn't make me smile was the awfully grouchy photographer lady who was mad at anyone who wanted to take their own photos!

Oh, well.

Brooklyn wasn't so sure... but she did manage to ask Santa for what she wanted.

We forgot the kids letters to Santa, but we mailed them off the following night.
(get excited for the next post ;-)

And it wouldn't be a Santa picture if it weren't for the classic kid screaming on Santa's lap!

It's real life folks! No doctoring here ;-) There is so much to love about that picture!

After Santa we took a little walk through the Hallmark store and of course having 4 boys in our midst we hit up all the sport stores in the mall... the boys admiring sports pillow pets!

Love love love this picture!! Everything about it! Look at our cute Sterling's face looking at his Daddy... I love it!

Boise State's BIGGEST fan wearing Boise States BIGGEST hat!!

It was a fun evening! And that's a wrap for December 14th!

Part 2... discovery and friends

2012-01-04T08:42:00.002-07:00

The day after we got our tree decorated Sterling was enamored with it. He loved pulling off the bulb ornaments, putting them on his mouth, and shaking the lights. He was so cute to watch!

Oh... I love this little boy! Not to mention he is so cuddly cuddly in his pajama's!!

Baby's first Christmas

He is our oldest child on his first Christmas.

He still didn't get it but he was into the tree much more than our others on their first Christmases!

He is sooooo his fathers son... looks just like him!!

Later that day I went in to check on him and found him like this. That can't be comfortable!

Brooklyn had her little friend Savannah over for a little afternoon fun. They did some painting together!

She is the sweetest little thing!!

It's fun to have friends on a cold winter day!

A few days later I came down the stairs to see this... Brooklyn reading to Daddy with a plethora of books. It was pretty cute listening to her!

Christmas fun... Part 1 of many...

2012-01-03T20:40:00.001-07:00

So this is about 3 weeks late which is indicative of how I've been keeping up my blog the past few months. But for my family book and for our loved ones here is what we were up to in December. I love to get a good clean start on a New Year so I do not wish to drag December far into the next year so this will be quick, with lots of posts coming in rapid succession... hold on to your seats. Lots of pictures!

We were a little late getting our tree up this year (a cardinal sin to many but we managed to by the 9th... yikes I know!) but boy did we score with a great tree at a great price of $39! I loved my Charlie Brown tree last year but who wouldn't love a 9 foot perfectly full tree that smells absolutely wonderful! It has to be one of my favorites! The kids loved the excitement of decorating the tree! And Sterling loved all the lights! I always love to see how our little babies/kids react to all of the lights and bulbs and excitement; it makes it so fun! The kids loved decorating the tree and putting on all of the ornaments!

So without further ado...

At the end of the night Cory read the kids a Christmas book and then off to snuggle in their warm beds.

Sterling already fast asleep...

(click to view larger)

Gingerbread houses with friends...

2011-12-14T11:13:00.002-07:00

Last week, we had our good friends, my former roommate, and her family over for dinner and gingerbread houses! The kids had a a great time and of course we had a great time catching up!

Holly also taught me how to affix the graham crackers together using straight warmed-up-to-a-boil-sugar (we used 1/2 cup of sugar in a small pan and turned up the heat to about med/high and let it melt down until it's brown and bubbly with little/no stirring; we dipped the sides of the graham crackers in the sugar and attached them together... it assembled 5 houses) and it was incredible. It literally affixed the crackers together like glue with 3 seconds (caution it is HOT; definitely an adult activity!!). No, hold-the-graham-crackers-together-for-30-minutes-to-make-sure-it-dries-hard-enough-to-decorate and then it falling if someone touches it too hard; I will forever do that in the future!

Here are some photos from the night.

Victoria, Cort, Crew, and Holly

Another great idea that I borrowed from our ward Christmas party cookie decorating station was using ketchup and mustard bottles to put the royal icing into and using that to squeeze it out. It worked like a charm and it forever changed the way I look at decorating gingerbread houses...

not to mention that it kept Sterling entertained as he chewed on the top

I love little kid fingers. Here are Brooklyn's. By the end she won the award for the most candy used. I don't think there was an uncovered spot on her house or plate. It was pretty cute!

I love Ethan's concentration

Daddy helping out the kiddos

All the kiddos with their houses

They turned out pretty cute!

Welcome home Briggs party!

2011-11-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Cory prepared a spur-of-the-moment "Welcome Home Briggs" Party; complete with confetti, party hats, banner, and music! I thought it was so cute and creative... what a fun daddy! Grandma happened to arrive a few minutes before Briggs (for his piano lessons on Wednesday's) and she joined in the fun. Even Kola, our dog, got to come into the living room for the fun, hat and all! (she's usually only allowed in the kitchen).

Right before Briggs got home! Ethan looks a little too excited to throw confetti ie. paper shredder scraps!

The sign that Cory drew and Ethan colored!

Right before Briggs came in the door. Sterling is so excited!

Kola... well, maybe not so much!

I was in charge of starting the music, "We are family" and taking pictures. I didn't get any great ones of him coming in the door but we had some great music ;-) He was surprised and a little perplexed!

So fun!

Kola is a good sport!

All the mayhem!

Sterling doesn't know what to think.

I am still finding little papers two weeks later! But it was worth it!

Gratitude!

2011-11-24T19:38:00.001-07:00

Today we spent Thanksgiving with Cory's family. It has caused me to reflect how grateful I am for not only my extended family but to have been raised by good parents. I'm so grateful for my life, my husband, my children, and even more, gratitude for my religion, my loving Savior and my Heavenly Father. I'm so grateful for good friends, teachers and those who've made an impact in my life, for my freedom, to live in America, for love and forgiveness, for the laughter of my children, for the funny things my kids say and do that make me smile every day and for so many other things that make my life so rich and full. I feel truly blessed!

Yesterday was Cory and I's ninth anniversary; I can't believe it's been nine years. As I reflect over our life over the past nine years, there has been a lot of love, learning and growing a together and there is no one else I'd rather be with or experience my life with! His love has helped me grow; he has seen in me what I haven't always seen in myself and I'm better because of him!

We really weren't able to celebrate our anniversary, aside from some sparkling cider with the kids, (we plan to do something in December) but I took some time to go through the blog books I've made over the years and I traveled back in time with so many memories that we've made over the years. Seeing Briggs grow from a baby to now. It was fun to see where we were in our life when we added each of our children into our family. Our travels with our job across the country and our adventures there. I remembered all the great friends we've made along the way; friends we'll have forever! It has been good! I look forward to another great year ahead of us!

I got a hankering to go through some old photos. Here are some of us 9 years ago...

Dating...

Cory's birthday; a month after we started dating

... back before we knew anything about love and life ;-)

Those were good times!

A photo my dad took of us!

Skydiving... apparently before we had too much to loose ;-)

A rush for sure, but we both agree that we'd never do it again! We can cross that off our bucket list!

Our engagement photo

Our Wedding

Idaho Falls Temple

Dancing at our reception! I love this photo!

Thanksgiving football; days after our wedding

Love this!

Our first year

Back when we couldn't get enough of each other ;-)

Ooooh... to go back in time... you all know what I'm talking about ;-)

I love you hun!!

Sun Valley... Conference weekend...

2011-11-07T12:01:00.009-07:00

Early in October we were able to take a little family trip up to Sun Valley to do some family bike riding; which we LOVE to do. A big thank you to Cory's parents for allowing us to use their condo time share! We had a great time!
We left Friday after school and drove up there. After getting unloaded it was time for bed. The next morning we took off on a bike ride. It was pretty chilly outside with a little rain; moments when I was really feeling underdressed and then the sun would come out and we would be roasting. We packed a picnic lunch and ate at a park. Saw the silliest looking dog we'd ever seen (got a kick out of Ethan and Briggs' reaction)! Learned that Ethan can do the monkey bars like nobody's business... I had no idea. And watched Sterling crawl up and down the hill.
We also hit up this little Toy Store along the way and took a break to feed Sterling! Oh, and there was a garage sale with the coolest travel trunk from the old train that used to go through the area and I so desperately wanted it but there was no way it was fitting in our car! A big bummer for me!

We also rode our bikes around the Sun Valley village and stopped to reminisce about going to see Harry Potter on our honeymoon at this theater almost 9 years ago.

The village is super charming and reminded us a lot of Disneyland where they have Tangled, The Sword and the Stone and old Carousel. It was really nice! I couldn't believe all the beautiful flowers! I think I really need to work on my flower garden next year!

We went to this old fashioned candy store and the kids all picked out a transformer ring pop for their treat... even Brooklyn... she definitely has brothers! I got some yummy hand dipped chocolates! Totally satisfying!

This was from Saturday morning; walking around the resort. Sterling was O.U.T.

So cute!

The view of the condo we stayed in; it brought back a lot of good memories for Cory, as he and his family would stay here often when he was a kid.

"Daddy NO kisses, I have Chat-stick on!"

We wanted to go on our little trip when the trees would be turning and I think we picked a great time.

Our little girl is getting so grown up!

Looking at all the fish in the pond

Goofy kids!

Ooohhhh I love them!

Seriously where did that Ethan boy come from?!?!? He is SOOO silly!

My handsome husband!!

I love this picture of these two!

Wrestling on our murphy bed! This is real life around our house! But usually there are some tears in there too! Brooklyn may be a girly girl but she loves to wrestle with the boys! It's the only way I'd have it!

Saturday after our bike ride we came back and listened to Conference, gave Sterling a nap and then mid-afternoon Cory took the kids to a park while I made a nice spaghetti, salad, french bread, and root beer dinner! The kids loved it! Then Cory took off to attend the Priesthood session while I put kiddos to bed (which didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked! Not.At.All! I guess that is life with little ones!)

Sunday we got up, ate breakfast and took our time getting loaded up in the car. We drove to Picaboo, Idaho and tried to stop and see a wonderful mentor and friend of mine from 9 years ago; I helped up at her ranch getting her yearling colts ready for her annual horse sale before Cory and I met and I really wanted to see her again.

The first time we tried to stop they weren't home so we decided to go to the only place a small town of about 128 people have to eat; a convenience store/restaurant, where we had some lunch and Cory played catch with the boys. After about an hour we tried one more time (my husband was great because he knew how disappointed I was when they weren't home the first time) and I'm so glad we did. They were home and we had a wonderful visit with Katie while Rob enjoyed playing catch with the boys! I sure love that woman! She taught me so much about life, communication, and horses, and was ever-so-patient with my un-ending questions! I really feel like we are kindred spirits (that was a little Anne of Green Gables ish wasn't it?) but it's true, and I was so glad to see her after all these years.

Picaboo, Idaho

Enjoying his spoon

Brooklyn eating her burrito

Playing catch

Brooklyn hugging Sterling

The convenience store/restaurant

More and more catch... now with a little competition!

Rob and KatieWhen I got home and uploaded my photos I noticed that Sterling has his hand right on her chest... it made me laugh! Must be a boy!

The tree that myself and the other two girls who worked on the ranch gave to Katie; a gift that would keep giving each year so she would remember what a great influence she was on our life. I was glad to see it thriving!

It was a wonderful trip!

Halloween happenings!

2011-11-06T19:31:00.002-07:00

Here are some photos from the trunk or treat we went to last Saturday night. The night before we went to the kids school halloween carnival. Cory said he felt like Halloween lasted all week long and there's some truth to that.

Brooklyn really wanted to be "Beauty and the Beast" this year. When I said, "oh, you mean Belle?" she replied with "NO, Beauty and the BEAST!" but when it came right down to it, when we were at the store and saw the Tinkerbell costume she knew that is what she really wanted to be. She loved wearing make-up and while I was putting green eye shadow on one eye she would inform me that I needed to do it on the other eye. She's funny.

Ethan was a A.R.F. or as Ethan called it an "Arff" trooper from Star Wars. Briggs was Master Yoda (his favorite) and Sterling was our adorable little skunk. I remember so well when Briggs wore that costume when he was a baby. He was so cute and cuddly!

I thought Marci's version of handing out candy was the most creative! She said it's amazing what you can make with some cardboard and duck tape!

None of the kids were brave enough to put their hands in the pumpkins except Briggs (and it was his first year doing it!) Granted, we don't carve pumpkins every year but the kids had fun. Cory helped Briggs carve a Dracula and me and Ethan worked on a silly smiling pumpkin!

Brooklyn liked scooping the seeds in the bowl

Ethan's seriously goofy smile!

The finished product! It was a COLD COLD night!

This is what Sterling's been up to lately. I love his little calve muscles. This little one is into everything these days!
Halloween night

... around 5:30 we headed down to go Trick or Treating with cousins and hang out with Cory's parents. It was sooooo cold and windy outside that the kids only really made it down one long block and then one other little area and then we headed over to say hi to Cory's Grandparents (minus Brooklyn and Sterling who stayed warm at home with Grandma and Grandpa) and then we went to Cory's old neighbor Wilma (91 years old and as peppy as ever; I hope I look as good as her at 91!). What a sweetie! After that we went back to Cory's parents house where they had sugar cookies to decorate and hot chocolate! It was a fun evening and we loved hanging out with family!

We have the cutest skunk on the block! For real!!

Not happy! He wiggled right out of Grandpa's arms!

Now he's happy... doing what skunks do best!

With Cousins

My nephew really looks like Harry Potter...

Cold girl... this was the face for the 2nd half of the block... followed with "will you hold me?" over and over! The sky was really pretty, though this picture doesn't do it justice!
Overall it was a Happy Halloween! Until next year!

Project... kids creative space

2011-10-31T12:07:00.002-06:00

Several months ago... I mean several months ago... I was talking to a girlfriend of mine on the phone. At the time I was trying to come up with a design for a creative space for our kids but I was having a hard time integrating my then tall-black-and-contemporary-bookcase that held all the kids books (a bookcase I no longer loved) when she said something that gave me a great idea. I would make some short bookcases to house their books (sell our other bookcase that really didn't fit anywhere) and integrate a table top of sorts for a place for them to color, paint, cut and do whatever their hearts desired. And this space was born. After several months of shopping, creating, working and some awesome help from my Dad (who installed the light and dimmable switch down low for the kids, helped me secure my bookcases and put together the table) it was finally done! Just ask my husband; like most of my projects it took entirely too long but as always is a labor of love.

The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE their space! If I don't see them they are usually down on the table coloring and cutting; and making a HUGE mess!!

I found the "Color Outside the Lines" canvas at Hobby Lobby and knew that it was perfect for this space. My mom thought it was sending mixed signals to my kids but I love it!

I personalized the desk by modge podging their names on the front and then I used polyurethane over the top when I did the rest of the desk. I had no idea how possessive they'd be about everyone sitting in their own spot. Briggs likes it because then nobody gets in his space; and he's pretty particular.

When I was in Montana in August I hit up a few thrift stores and antique stores where I got all the containers (old blue tackle box, silver candle stand, green tool box, glass cups etc) to hold supplies.

I also added some old school papers on the underneath inside of the table top just for fun!

At one of the antique stores I found this old-school paint set. (inside)

Talk about inflation. New, this cost only $.79 cents and I think I paid $6.00. Totally worth it though!Ethan especially loves the crazy scissors and has several times thanked me for them because they are SOOO fun!

I found some old rulers at a thrift store

I bought these at JoAnnes and each of the kids has a place to put projects in

When the table was first finished (end of September) I noticed that if they colored on both sides of their paper that it would leave horrible crayon marks on the table so each of the kids made a fun placemat to color on. It has helped tremendously.
I also bought the bench at an antique store in Billings. It couldn't have worked out better! It is one of my favorite things about the space!

I bought this frame at Hobby Lobby and thought it was fun for the desk. My mom helped me make the word "Create" (and a few others) on her cricket machine.

I made a cork board using a frame that wasn't being used.

Several years ago my Mom made the "Hansen Family Art Gallery" for our kids and I haven't had the perfect place to put it until now. I think it worked out perfectly.

I love the space!

9 months!!!

2011-10-29T15:12:00.000-06:00

Our little Sterling boy gets more and more fun as the days go by! Some fun facts/milestones about Sterling this month:
He now has five teeth; three on the bottom and his two front teeth have been coming down for a few weeks nowHe loves food... still. He's added finger foods to his diet and he is getting good at feeding himselfHe sleeps from about 6:30p.m.-6:30 am each nightHe loves to play with his toys and put everything in his mouthHe's standing up on everything and has fallen several times; including fallen on our stair landing twice. After that he has avoided the stairs pretty wellHe even let go of holding on the sofa while standing; then sat downHe loves for me to lay down and put him up on my legs and bounce himHe has a bright smile that makes our dayHe sits on his knees and likes to bounce on the bedLoves to sit and play in the bathThinks his brothers are hilarious
He doesn't like being hungry... being tired... or having a dirty diaper
Other than that he's such a fun little guy!
Here are some bath photos. Every kid has to have them right!?!?!?! Well, we can now consider it done ;-)

This is his excited face! He is so funny!

What a cute little bumbo!! He just got done with a big dinner and a bath so his belly is super full! I couldn't resist!

Flag Football

2011-10-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

I decided I better just start putting my pictures on here because the month is getting away from me. Here are some photos of Briggs last football game... well, there aren't really any great ones of the game, it was cold and I got a little distracted between needy kids, timeouts and runs to the car. But it was a fun season. Cory coached a few of the games and it just so happened to be the only game I had my camera and we took a team photo.

Briggs loved playing and I can seeing him becoming stronger and better each year! My boys love sports! There is not much more to say about that! Probably his favorite time playing was the game before this where they played a night game with lights. Briggs said it reminded him of when football teams play in high school. Oh, and of course, weekly snacks and drinks!

Pre-game warm up!

Happy boy!

So goofy!! This is her silly face!

Ethan loving his little brother!

Sterling wanting nothing to do with that toy. Now, I remember... he was tired!

A pre-game performance!

A little chat with Spidey!

I'm sure he's looking at Grandpa Hansen right here. When he looks at him, this is about all he Sterling gives him for an expression. It's kind of funny!

Brooklyn being silly with Grandpa

Beautiful fall night...

2011-10-21T08:00:00.005-06:00

Here are some photos I took this week. I was loving the warmth of the sun and wanted nothing to do with being inside! I got a kick out of Brooklyn reading this American doll magazine that showed up in our mailbox. A little weird since we don't own any dolls ourselves or subscribe; but she loved it!

So intent! She didn't even know I was snapping photos all around her!

The boys had their friend Eja over and were playing football. I got some fun ones of the boys!

It's what brothers do...

Brooklyn had to get into the mix. She's a tough little girl!

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE these!!

BEST BUDS!!

All things Halloween...

2011-10-20T14:49:00.000-06:00

Halloween is in the house!! And I couldn't be happier! Actually it's been in the house since 3rd week of September ;-) I was a bit early this year!! I. love. this. time. of. year!
There is nothing like crisp autumn Idaho air, fall leaves, family bike rides, football in the front yard, family walks around the block with our dog, and yummy treats. Oh... and... this adorable and super simple halloween skirt my friend invited me over to make at her house this morning after she saw my obsession with Halloween the other week. She has 6 girls and had a lot of fabric and was so sweet to have me; I think it turned out adorable and Brooklyn has been wearing it ever since we got home. I especially love the orange ric-rac!

Here are the Halloween decorations I put up this year. It was so nice to have my HUGE bookcase done in my living room and I could actually put some great decorations up there! The only think I haven't delved into yet was some fun food (Melanie would die right now ;-). I plan to make a few fun recipes this weekend from here. I think she has the best no-fail recipes out there!

I finally bought a spooky tree. I've been eyeing them for years now and with a great deal at JoAnnes I couldn't pass it up!

I think it's safe to say I like all things witches! I also added these to my halloween decor this year.
I found this pottery mirror at an antique store with my mom and sisters and it fit perfectly!

When my Mom was down last month we got together with my sister and made these cute Spooky blocks. I love the way they turned out.

I also found this cute black feather wreath at JoAnne's and decided it was time to take down my egg wreath that goes so well in my living room.
Ethan and Brooklyn were trying to see if they could reach the feathers. You can see Brooklyn is getting quite close!

And last but not least, when my Mom was down here she gave me this cute little sign. If I'm feeling "witchy" I switch it to say "in" or leave it on "out." I suppose if my kids think I'm being "witchy" they can do the same thing ;-) Cute idea!

Baby Graham

2011-10-20T08:34:00.002-06:00

Last Friday Cory and I had the opportunity to travel to Salt Lake (kid-less, a BIG thanks to my in-laws) to attend a benefit dinner for our dear friends little baby who was diagnosed several months back with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. It was a wonderful evening. They auctioned off several items that were donated generously by several business in Utah and Idaho; I was really touched by the amount and generosity of people out there! All of the proceeds go into a foundation to help pay for their ENORMOUS medical bills; I couldn't imagine... really. They have been through so much!

While at the dinner they mentioned another fundraiser (more Idaho based; I'm not sure about shipping stuff, though I'm sure something could be worked out) with some other great items that were donated. I believe the auction goes until the end of this week (sorry I'm a little late posting this) but if you have a chance to check it out, spread the word, and/or make a bid I know they would be so appreciative!

And just because I want to remember. Every time Briggs would say his prayers he'd pray for Baby Graham and that he'd get better, grow up and bear his testimony, and that Sawyer (Graham's 2-year old brother) would be good for Nathan and Sadie. I just think he is sooooo sweet!

Cory and I came home with this fun painting; perfect for my kids area downstairs and as Cory remarked "soooo me" and a gift certificate to Boodocks in Utah.

Look who's 7!!!

2011-10-17T21:16:00.000-06:00

Briggs just turned 7 on the 7th! Boy do we love this little boy!! I asked him some questions that I thought would be fun to get his answers. Here are some of his favorites:
Favorite part of his birthday: "bowling and miniature golf"... part of school: "soccer outside, centers inside"... church song: "Helaman Stripling Warriors"... story: "Nephi"... thing ever: "school"... treat: "transformer ring pop"... food: "salad"... toy: "lego Star Wars"... holiday: "Can I say two? Halloween and Christmas"What do you want to be when you grow up? "Football player for the Eagles"... part of our Sun Valley trip (coming soon): "bike ride"... show to watch: "transformer"

Briggs and Ethan have really been into Star Wars so it was natural to believe that Briggs would request such a cake... and I wasn't wrong. A Yoda cake was what he really wanted and I think it turned out pretty cute. Most importantly though, he loved it! Brooklyn has since requested a princess lea cake next year. So funny!

The day after his birthday we took the cake, presents and Grandma Hansen with us up to Rexburg to eat pizza, bowl and play miniature golf. We met my sister and her family as well. It turned out to be a really fun evening and the kids loved it!

Brooklyn LOVED bowling! Every time she got a pin down she'd throw her arms in the air and yell "I WON!" and if she didn't get anything she'd say, "oooohh, I didn't win."

She was also everybody's cheerleader. Without fail if someone (especially Daddy) got some pins down her arms would fly up in the air and she'd run and give him an excited hug! That alone was totally worth it all! Boy I wish I could just freeze time sometimes!

My niece Ashlyn enjoying cake

Ethan all about the Star Wars legos

We sure love our Briggs!! Here's to another year!

Old School

2011-10-13T22:19:00.002-06:00

Last month for my sisters birthday we headed to Rigby in hopes of going miniature golfing. When we got there it was closed, so we improvised and found an old park with old school equipment and the kids had a blast. It really was a beautiful evening... and they enjoyed the pizza as much too.

Lots of photos of Brooklyn because the boys weren't so interested in my camera.

My niece Ashylyn

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these photos of Cory and Brooklyn. They were so fun to watch!

He is such a good daddy!

Silly Ethan boy!!

Silly Uncle Gabe and Ethan

September Blessing

2011-10-02T21:19:00.050-06:00

A few weeks back (I'm embarrassed to admit how long ago because I have so much to catch up on) we got to attend the blessing of my newest nephew Easton. While most of the family was in town we decided to take a few photos of the grandkids.

Ethan, Briggs, James, Brooklyn, Sterling, and Ashlyn
Baer and Easton not pictured

All the kiddos minus Baer; who was greatly missed!

I had my Dad snap a few photos of me with my kiddos (Cory was in meetings all morning so we missed him). I love the gardens at BYU-Idaho; they are really stunning. A lot has changed since I started school there many moons ago ;-) (boy, if that phrase doesn't date me ;-)! If you hear me say I walked to school both ways uphill in a snowstorm... please stop me!)

In case you're wondering, my kids have lemon drops in their cheeks! Still cute!

Brooklyn giving kisses to Grandpa Jones!

Love this!

My sister and her family with parents

A proud papa

Easton

Uncle Gabe picking Ethan's nose

Sterling

The men folk minus my handsome husband!

It was a nice day!

Look who's mobile and 8 months now!

2011-10-02T19:58:00.002-06:00

Well, it seems I just posted just a few days ago about Sterling turning 7 months (I'm in serious catch-up mode) and now he's been 8 months for about a week. Here are a few things about Sterling this month

*Got his 2nd tooth September 16th (bottom right)
*Started crawling everywhere. He started by doing the plank position and then falling forward. He also gets up on all 4's and crawls like that a bit.
*Sat up by himself the first time on the 18th. I often find him sitting up in his crib when he is awake and he crawls and sits everywhere.
*Stopped nursing on October 2nd; not his choice, but rather mine. He was so easily distracted that it became very difficult.
*Daddy says he has silky kissable cheeks!
*He likes to stand in daddy's hand and balance in the air (he's actually been doing that for several months now).
*Kola our dog sits protectively around him when he is sitting out on the grass. Sterling is okay with her as long as she doesn't lick him. It is really cute!
*He has this cute side smirk that he gives you when he is just waking up or mildly amused.
*He sleeps great through the night from about 8-6 ish.
*He is quick to smile and finds Ethan hilarious.
*Arches his back when he's mad or doesn't want to be put in his high chair.
*Loves banana's, green beans and rice, and really any baby food. He doesn't seem to care for rice cereal but prefers oatmeal cereal. I think it is a texture thing for him. He likes more texture.
*As always, he's a bright light in our family! Here are some photos I took last week. Please forgive the picture graininess on blogger; I still haven't figured that out and I'd rather spend my time posting, regardless, he's a pretty cute subject!

He loves to play with my necklaces; actually he likes to chew on them!

Such a little boy! Here he is with the boys Bakugan book that he just stole from Brooklyn's lap; about 5 seconds later she took it back! I love his little face and expression!

Because it just made me smile!

2011-09-25T21:35:00.000-06:00

My kids make me smile every day. I love the things they say and do... most of the time ;-) I love seeing how they grow and develop. Here is Briggs' drawing from a book he made at school called "All about me."

He told me that his teacher showed him a new way to draw people with "thickness." Previously he just drew stick legs coming from the head and arms coming off the legs. He was so proud of his "new" hands too (with circles and then fingers coming off them). He also pointed out to me that he noticed some people in his class drawing flipped hair for girls and he "thought that was a good idea" so he did that for me and Brooklyn ;-) (how could I keep a straight face as he was explaining that to me... so stinkin' cute!) I asked him if my those were my black legs and he said yes. (Again, another smile) He explained that the boys are wearing shorts (coming out from the head) and the shirts are "short-sleeved" on the arms. Really, how cute! I also loved how he spelled Sterling "Strleig" when I first saw the drawing and then he wanted to know how to really spell it so he fixed it. He also spelled Ethan's name with an "en" and then he fixed it.

Tonight I came into the boys room after they were in bed and Briggs had his journal out and this is what he drew and wrote about. So cute! He hasn't written in his journal in a while. I think he was reminded about it today during sharing time in primary where we were talking about things you can do now to prepare for a mission and one of them was "writing daily in your journal." I'll have to ask him if that's why tomorrow.

So it went something like this...

2011-09-18T10:00:00.001-06:00

The setting: Carpooling Briggs (almost 7) and his friend Dylan (age 8) to flag football practice with all my kids in the car.

The exchange:

Dylan: Did you see the Philadelphia Eagle game the other day? They won!
Briggs: No they didn't.
Dylan: Oh, yeah, that game they didn't. Did you know their quarterback got arrested?
Briggs: Oh, Michael Vick.
Dylan: Yeah.
Ethan: What does arrested mean?
Briggs: When they take you to jail. What did he go to jail for?
Dylan: I don't remember... oh, yeah, I remember. He had contracts with people and they'd bring their dogs and they'd fight each other.
Briggs: Oh.

I sat there driving with a smile on my face. My boys just had a successful sports talk, knew what they were talking about (it helps that Briggs loves the Eagles and wears their uniform often), and I thought it was just so cute!

I'm sure as we continue to carpool there will be many more "sports" talks along the way!

There is just something about little boys! So cute!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

2011-09-17T20:12:00.001-06:00

September 8th we took to whole family to the fair.

I love this small town fair! In fact, most other fairs don't interest me like this one does.

There are great animal exhibits, 2 free petting zoo's, a free sports area, that my kids/husband loved (run by my old friend Cory Smith and his wife). It was fun to see a familiar face and catch up with him. A wonderful photography pavilion that I love walking through. Yummy scone nuggets that I could eat over and over.. I'm not kidding either! In fact is my fair food of choice. Forget the burgers, the corn dogs, corn on the cob, barbaric turkey legs, ice cream, fudge or fancy sandwiches, just give me some scone nuggets with cinnamon and sugar and some yummy honey butter and I'm happy as a peach! I only indulged in one plate and my hubby and kids helped me eat it; probably a good thing! But boy, do I look forward to those every year. The indian relay races are also fun, though we didn't make it there this year.

So without further ado... here are some of our photos from the day!

Cory tried to get the boys to climb up onto that ledge above our heads and thankfully they declined. So here is a photo of us with the big cow head!

Have I mentioned just how much I love this small-town fair!

We got there around dinner time. We only seem to last a few hours anyway so the first order of business was getting some grub. The kids, of course, wanted corn dogs.

I love those ketchup faces!

Riding the rides is soooooo expensive (like 3-4 dollars per 1 minute ride) so we told the kids they could only pick one ride. We got some grumbles so I think next year the kids are going to earn their own money to take to the fair; they might look at it a bit differently... In fact I'm almost certain. We're looking to make a change in our family that way anyway. A little more accountability never hurt anyone ;-)

Above: the boys waiting for their caterpillar roller coaster; the same one as last year. Boy how they've grown in one year! They loved it!

Briggs had the death grip on the bar the entire time and Ethan just sat back for the ride. It's interesting how different they are!

After the ride. Maybe a little smile there Ethan!

For Brooklyn's ride she chose (with a little direction from us) a little boat with a really loud bell. It was pretty cute seeing her drive!

Happy Sterling boy!

The kids got to milk this cow. The boys thought it was pretty fun.

It actually sprayed white liquid!

Cory won a wii dance off; it was quite entertaining. I could actually see myself liking it, just not in a public session where someone might remark, like this lady that walked by me, that Cory was dancing even better than that girl (girl on left)!

The kids fed the goats at the petting zoo

I love this one of Brooklyn trying to keep her food from this goat!

I thought this was an interesting unshaved llama (not so cute if you ask me). But he and Cory were looking in the same direction and this picture made me smile.

All done!

One minute he's interested and the next...

Not so much!

And that's a wrap! Here's to another great year at the fair.

And just for future reference. You know like how our parents paid .25 cents a gallon for milk or .10 cents for bread, or .50 cents for a gallon of gas, here are this years fair prices for admittance $6.00 adults, $2.00 kids 6-11 and then a whole bunch more for food (like $40). In fact, aside from 3 kid rides, the rest of our spending went towards dinner and desert. It's all about atmosphere and eating way over your caloric allowance that makes it so great! Totally worth it once a year though!

Until next...

7 months... almost 8!

2011-09-16T11:00:00.003-06:00

Sterling is 7 months!

And boy are we loving this little boy!!

I remember feeling so swollen and pregnant and feeling like he was never going to arrive and now I can't believe he's 7 months already! He is sitting really well now without any help. He got his first tooth on August 8th (the bottom left one) and he has been chewing like crazy and I think his other bottom tooth will be making it's way up in the next few weeks. I definitely know when he's teething because he is a bear at times; not his normal happy little self. He loves his new big crib in the same room as the big boys; no more pack and play for him (at least not exclusively). He is getting up on his knees all the time and he has mastered the plank position pretty well (it's pretty cute!) He pushes himself in circles and backwards quite well. He still grunts for food. It always makes me smile. Perhaps we are raising a little chef who just loves food. One night Cory and I were watching Chopped and when he saw the food on the screen he started grunting... I mean emphatically grunting! He cracks us up. He likes banana's, sweet potatoes, peas, squash and anything else he can get his hands on. He loves paper and putting any and everthing in his mouth. And yes... that is icky newspaper in his mouth down below! He is so funny! He would stop at nothing to get to that paper. Brooklyn did her best to hold him off and then eventually relented! And I just stood by taking pictures... because, really, if it doesn't kill 'em it only makes them stronger. Right?!?!?!

He has a smile that lights up the room. Briggs gets him out of his crib a lot of the time by stepping up on their little padded rocking horse and lifting him out. Both he and Ethan like to carry him around and are good helpers. They also love to hold him in Sacrament meeting at church. He is pretty loved. And within the past week (I know I'm headed into 8-month territory here) but he has found his voice and likes to squeek and squak! It's pretty cute and pretty loud ;-)

A few weeks ago Sterling was wearing shorts and I laid him on his back in the grass. A few minutes later I realized he was being pretty quiet and when I looked over at him he was just looking around, content as he could be, with his legs lifted and hovering over the grass blades; I'm not exagerating much when I say that he held that position for at least 10 minutes. It was so funny. I love that little boy!

I took this photo a couple Sunday's ago in the early evening with Cory and Sterling; it was such a beautiful night. It's hard to tell but Cory is partially in the shade of our lovely little tree. She may not provide much shade right now but she will one day!
Is the Story of The Giving Tree conjuring up any images right now?!?!?

I love beautiful summer nights! And there are too few left.

Here's to another great month!

Puppy dog love... monster cookies... and more

2011-09-15T21:19:00.001-06:00

Today has been a nice day. I did some cleaning. I didn't do any projects (besides update my blog a bit). Made a well-balanced dinner (which hasn't happened as much as I'd like). Used fresh vegetables from my garden, played some soccer with Briggs, got spit up on by Sterling right in my hair and I just enjoyed my kids and family. That's how every day should be if you ask me, sans the spit up (unfortunately I think that's in rose-colored-glasses-land). But for what it was today... I'll take it.

I finally got some vacuum bags for our vacuum and cleaned my floors (it's been a long time coming). I don't know if it is a psychological thing but if my bed is made, and my floors are cleaned I am much more productive during the day. And I just feel better in general; I guess I'm kind of weird that way. But the morning started off with Brooklyn singing (complete with vibrato and a microphone) and doing a performance for Cory, Sterling and me. It was so cute! She is at such a fun (and sometimes difficult) age!

After lunch, while Brooklyn napped, Ethan and I made monster cookies together. He cracked the eggs all by himself and did a great job. He kept saying, while licking the beater, "thanks mom for making monster cookies." I loved my time with him! Then of course we enjoyed some cookies and milk. There is nothing like the crunch of a hard-shelled m&m in my mouth and some peanut butter and of course seeing how happy my kids are.

I took Sterling outside, the day was beautiful, and captured some fun photos of Ethan loving our dog Kola! She is such a good fit for our family and we absolutely love her! I couldn't just pick a few so here is how it all went down.

Puppy love

What's not to love about that?!?!

Sterling likes Kola as long as she doesn't lick his face or brush by him.

Happy boy

What do you have growing in your lawn???

Well, aside from some mushrooms we apparently have beans sprouting in abundance. About a month ago Brooklyn was out playing with her little friend Savannah with a bean and rice mixture I have in a large container with cups and shovels etc. They spilled quite a bit on the grass and I didn't think much about it. A few weeks later we saw these little sprouts coming up all over the place. Unbelievable. They are like the beans that never end. We have a ton sprouting up! We pull them out, or mow them over and a few days later we have a new crop. It is kind of funny... and annoying all at the same time.

You're never too young...

...to learn how to change a battery in a car. This past week our car battery has been iffy at best. Today Cory picked up a battery and wanted to show the boys how to change it. They were attentive learners. Brooklyn also got in there to "help."

A beautiful summer night

Brooklyn giving Cory kisses; she is a sweet girl

We ended the evening going on a nice family walk. Our dog may or may not have pooped in the road along the way ;-) We finished the evening catching up with our brother-in-law Jed (who just got back from Iraq on Tuesday) and Cory's sister.

Today was a good day.

Makes me think...

2011-09-15T08:46:00.000-06:00

I saw this article on my friend April’s blog and I really liked it and in light of September 11th I think it is an appropriate reminder. It was written by our prophet Thomas S. Monson, who i have the upmost respect for, and was published in the Washington Post. It really makes me think about the relationship I have with my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ and their influence in my life. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I am His daughter, and we are his children. I know that he loves me and knows me better than anybody and that knowledge brings me great comfort and peace in my life.

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild

By Thomas S. Monson

Badge from fire helmet discovered in the debris post 9/11/01. (Ira Block)The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, theMormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

First day of school

2011-09-14T11:00:00.000-06:00

So I know this is about 3 weeks old but the kids started school and are LOVING it! This year we got them into White Pine Charter School and I absolutely LOVE their teachers and the boys are loving school. I love carpooling with two other moms because it makes my job pretty easy. But I don't absolutely love that they have a dress code and that they have to tuck in their shirts (I'm kind of anti-tuck for guys unless it's a church/dress outfit) but the boys don't seem to mind... so why should I ;-) Here are a few photos from the morning madness!

In true Ethan fashion. Showing off his Bumblebee transformer backpack. He was so excited to pick it out for school.

Briggs with the same backpack from last year. He couldn't understand why he didn't get a new one like Ethan (because his had a little hole in the front). I told him that it was in perfectly good shape. He was totally annoyed and I told him if he wanted to spend his money on a new backpack he was welcome to do so. He wasn't thrilled with the idea and obviously didn't buy a new one. Hard lessons ;-). But he was super excited for school none-the-less!

Brooklyn wanted to be a part of the morning madness; she is a silly girl!

Sorting school supplies for Ethan's class

Ethan was a little shy his first day but by the open house for parents and teachers a week later his teacher said he was a totally new boy. I'm sure he was making people laugh. He is loving school!

His first day of school paper; pretty cute

Ethan at his table; his teacher served a mission in Australia like Cory. She is WONDERFUL!!

Saying goodbye to Briggs his first day

Briggs in his class far left

It's of course been 3 weeks since their first day. The boys love playing soccer at recess together. Ethan says he likes to play goalie so he can relax; that made me laugh. Briggs rides the bus home and for the first week and a half we rode bikes 1/2 mile to his bus stop. Fortunately his bus drove past our street and we were able to have them stop just 5 houses down from us. It is so nice to not have to go get him. It will be really nice this winter. He sits by his friend Jeff, from his class, on the bus ride home and they trade pokemon cards. It is pretty cute! Briggs loves taking cold lunch (turkey sandwiches) and loves library time and math. My boys love to tell me what they've done at school. That is a huge improvement for Ethan since last year.

Brooklyn says she goes to "mommy school" which I fully plan on starting up here in the next few weeks as soon as I finish my latest project (it will help with mommy school).

Overall it's been a great few weeks getting the kids on a schedule. It's been great for me as well! Here's to a great new school year!

Huckleberry picking and roast

2011-09-13T15:25:00.001-06:00

This past Labor Day some good friends in our ward invited us to go up to Kelly Canyon and pick wild huckleberries. We left around 3 and drove an hour to our destination on a dirt and rough road. It was a bit overcast and started to rain partway through picking. If you haven't seen a huckleberry (like I hadn't) I didn't realize that these 1/4 inch fruit would take so long to pick. I think we picked an hour and I got about 3 cups worth. But the kids had a good time playing with their friends and eating huckleberries.

A little after 6 we headed down the mountain in search of a great place for a cookout. After several attempts Cory and the boys got the fire going. Below are some pictures from our time at the roast. Unfortunately no picks of huckleberry picking or our friends (we thought we'd be hiking in 1/2 mile so I left my camera behind and our friends didn't get to our cookout until about an hour after I got these; it was getting pretty dark) but I did make some awesome jam earlier this week!

Love that Ethan boy expression

Trying to get the smoke to go away

The only photo I could get the kids to stand together in. I'll take what I can get. Look how dirty they are!

dirt, dirt, and more dirt!

I didn't think these shoes would ever be the same but they cleaned up pretty well!

I love this close-up of Brooklyn.
She has huckleberry juice on her nose and cheek (which one of the little girls with us told her it was blood and she started crying), dirt on her eyelashes and around her mouth. So cute!

Also didn't think this sweatshirt would clean up well but with a little bleach it looks good as new! Probably not the smartest color to wear outdoors in the mountains but it's the only sweatshirt she likes to wear!

True little boy outdoor jeans with light-saber in hand... always. We have future Jedi's in training at our home on an almost constant basis!

Sterling was just so happy (and screeching) just being outdoors.

Briggs took this of Cory and I. Cory looks like he isn't happy about taking the photo. Maybe it was just that his fire wasn't staying lit. It all worked out okay!

Brooklyn helping with the fire

I seriously can't get enough profile pictures of this little girl! Before I know it her little baby cheeks are going to be gone. So for now I just take as many photos as I can just to remember!

Another goofy picture of Ethan!

Eating a stick! What a cute little boy!

Ethan always with a stick in the fire. Totally a boy thing!

And this is nothing related but just because it was funny. Today while I was pumping Brooklyn came in to observe (I was trying to be as discrete as possible) and she asked what it was. Milk, I told her. She asked if the milk was coming out of my tummy? I said no. Then she said, "yes, the milk is coming out of your tummy and when I'm a mommy I'll have milk come out of my tummy too." Then as she closed the door with a smile she said, "I love you sweety mom!" All I could do was smile... then tell Cory when I got a chance. It was too cute!

Montana-2 weeks ago

2011-09-04T22:10:00.003-06:00

Well, I'll be honest, the past 3 weeks have come and gone in a blur, and although the blog has beckoned me to put my pictures up and get caught up I've allowed myself to be pulled in a million different directions in trying to finish some projects that I've wanted to get done (lots of photos coming). And as summer was here in full-hot-force the weather has changed it's tide and fall in definitely in the air. The nights are cooling off. The temperature is in the 70's and low 80's. Harvest time is here and it's time to break out my canner. Football is upon us at our household and the "Hansen Field" has been painted on our back-yard (so lovingly and diligently by Cory) and has been in use for 5 days already. What a good daddy!! The sun is setting earlier. The nightly family walks are perfect. And all I can say is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year!

About a week and a half before school started we had a garage sale and the next day I took the kids to Montana, solo, to make a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Jones! It was fun to have them all to ourselves! I took our bikes with us and we went on a sweltering bike ride (95+ degree weather; I'm not kidding either) and my Mom got a flat tire on the way home. Good memories ;-) We got to see and hang out with my brother and his family a bit and celebrate their boys birthday's. We did some shopping and I also got to go walk around some old antique shops (kid-less, thanks to my Mom) and thrift stores in search of some gems for this creative kids area I am making. I can't wait to have it to all come together and finally be done! I found the perfect antique bench and and old vintagy looking pillow case I am going to make into a pillow for the bench. It will look great with my little white bookshelves, table, and all the other fun things we'll have going on there. So without further ado... here are some photos from our trip to Montana.

My kids with their cousin James enjoying crayon shaped popsicles. Aren't grandparents great. They buy the popsicles I'd never buy! The kids were definitely loving it!

Silly faces

Oh... I love my kids!

These just made me smile! I couldn't just pick one.

Now that's a mischievous look if I've ever seen one.

Brooklyn's sweet little baby face is not longer a baby face. I'm kind of sad. She is growing up and she is definitely changing!

What a beautiful little girl!

My parents neighbors, Mikel and Donna, have been our close family friends for about 30 years. Every time we go home the boys want to ride the riding lawn mower with Mikel. He is sweet to humor them. Here are some fun photos from a perfect afternoon!

Briggs perfecting his Yoda light saber moves! He's pretty good if I do say so myself!

Ethan boy!

Cousin James' turn

Sterling hanging out with Grandma and chewing on her finger

Brooklyn was being so funny. I took a bunch of cute photos of her!

Note that the awesome outfit was totally chosen by my little girl! So sweet!

She was completely fine wearing two different shoes much of our trip! It cracked me up!

One Evening we went to my brother and his wife's home for the celebration of their boys birthdays. Our kids were so excited to be there for that!

Baer loved his car. LOVED IT! Here he is with his mama!

Briggs worked on this book for months for James. He colored all sorts of transformers and power ranger and then stapled them into a book. He was excited to give it to him! I think James liked it too!

Good buddies!

I think this is a cute photo of the boys

My brother and his cute family!

Sterling with my mom; always a standin' when he can ;-)

I think Sterling looks just like Cory here. I also think that Lynn (Jacques Mom) looks really pretty!

The kids got to decorate cupcakes

and eat the frosting...

Ethan didn't eat all of his dinner and was okay not decorating cupcakes until he saw the cupcakes and icing. He changed his tune pretty quickly.

Baer absolutely LOVED this car. It was pretty cute!
The boys thought it was cute too and we talked about how special Baer is on the way home and how grateful we are for him in our life! He is the happiest little guy that you ever met!

A perfect evening!

Jacques cupcake!
Overall it was a great trip!!

The Entitlement Trap

2011-08-22T08:22:00.000-06:00

There is a website for moms and families that I like and that I mentioned here. Well, they are doing a great give-away if you pre-order their book titled the Entitlement Trap (which, I'm sure is going to be an awesome book) and if you are interested in checking it out, do so here! It's pretty easy to enter! If you want to blog about it today, scroll to the bottom of this link and follow the instructions on bullet number 3 and you can get a copy of the book sent to you for FREE! Both ways enter you into a drawing for some great prizes! Have a great week!

Sand dunes...

2011-08-21T15:33:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to figure out why my photos look so darn grainy on blogger but awesome on my computer and can't seem to figure it out (anyone with suggestions? Please help!) so I'm posting these even thought they aren't how I'd like them to look.

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the sand dunes to play and take some photos. Unfortunately we left too late in the evening and got there as the sun was setting over the horizon. We took some photos anyway and they turned out pretty cute! Maybe because my subjects are pretty cute ;-)

Sterling didn't seem to mind the sand!

Brooklyn didn't like the sand on her hands

Meet our new dog Kola! She is such a sweetie! She is a pure-bread 5-year old chocolate lab and she fits perfectly in our family! I went to take this photo and she just plopped herself down right behind the kids like she belonged with them! And she totally does! Pretty cute!

5 years old! Where did the time go? Sure love our Ethan boy!

Ethan also loved to throw the sand!

Briggs. Almost 7!

I just love this one of Ethan!

Cory, Kola and Sterling!

Me and my Sterling boy! Apparently he's not sure what he thinks about my kisses.

Love Love LOVE that boy!

It was a fun evening at the dunes! We'll definitely be back again!