Hansen Family Happenings

I have the craft BUG!

2010-02-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

The final result!

Obviously this is before paint!

With new floors and new paint, I have caught the craft Bug!!

Be careful you may catch it too!

I found a $30 headboard at Goodwill. With a coat of paint it's perfect!

Who wouldn't want your initials on the wall? I feel like I am 18 again!

And of course...life is great when your eyes are on the Temple

What to do next? Stay tuned to find out!

Busy, Busy Bee's!!!

2010-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Our new floors are finally in...and boy are they beautiful!

So long ugly navy blue carpet!!!

I am kind of grateful for that old pipe in our

backyard that decided it needed to break and

flood our house with water!

Look what I got as a result!

Thanks to all our wonderful family and friends that helped out!

We couldn't have done it without you!

Love notes!

2010-02-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to the one's I LOVE!

Candle lit dinner for the family,

yummy treats for my friends,

and popcorn for the best teachers two kids can have!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2010-02-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Emily! I can't believe my baby is 9!

My birthday wish for you...

Stay sweet, and beautiful, and always chase after your dreams!

Love always-

Mom

Home Project #1...A million to go!

2009-11-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

I have always hated the cheap cabinets that are in my house. So, I decided to paint them. I was going to pain them white and do an antique glaze. Someone (I can't remember who!) suggested that I try black, cuz my bedroom furniture is black. It took me awhile to build up enough courage, but I finally painted them. WOW, boy do I love them! Now on to the master bedroom walls, and then the kitchen.

P.S. Sorry the "before" shot is so bad. Someone named either Makenna, Emily, or Ryan got ahold of the camera and deleted the better shot. Oh well, I think you get the idea!

It's Wii Time!

2009-10-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Boy it was Emily's lucky day!!! Today I got a phone call from Dr. MacDonald's office (the girl's orthodontist) telling me that Emily won their summer photo contest and that she won the grand prize. I was so excited for her and felt like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting until I could pick her up from school and tell her. You should have seen her face when I told her (to bad I was so excited I forgot the camera!) she squealed in pure delight. And just what was the grand prize you might be wondering (as if the pictures didn't give that away)? A Nintendo Wii!!!! Yes, that is right we are now the proud owners of this fabulous gaming system. So far we have had a blast bowling, boxing, batting, golfing, and smashing tennis balls. What to play next....? Congratulations Emily!!!

I Love To See The Temple!

2009-08-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that the Temple in the Gila Valley is making great progress! Janae grew up in Thatcher and played softball in the fields where the temple now stands. It is a beautiful sight to see a temple going up in this beautiful valley. The kids were excited to see the temple as well, and we are all looking forward to the open house.

The Bare Necessities

2009-08-01T19:50:00.001-07:00

Matt and I took our kids and went and saw the Jungle Book at the Broadway Palm. We were joined by my sister Lisa and her family, and my parents. It was a lot of fun! There were children everywhere, but that just added to the fun. This was Ryan's first time going to see a live show. His eyes were glued to the stage the entire time! It was a fun afternoon and while we were there we "forgot about our worries and our strife" and made some lasting memories.

Wicked!

2009-07-25T17:29:00.001-07:00

Matt and I went and saw Wicked for our 12th wedding anniversary. It was everything, everybody said it would be! We laughed, I cried and we both enjoyed every single minute of it. Especially the being alone together with out the kids! We love them to death, but it is nice to be able to enjoy time alone with each other every once in a while.

Brace Face!

2009-07-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well it's official! Makenna now has a mouth full of metal. She was nervous on the way to the orthodontist. but, she did an amazing job sitting in the chair for the hour and a half that it took for them to polish, glue, and rubber band her teeth. She looks so cute and will have a beautiful smile at the end of this journey.

P.S. "Brace Face" is a loving term on endearment in our house!

Night out with my Girls!

2009-07-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

If you have girls between the ages of 4yrs-12yrs. Than I am sure you know all about High School Musical. My girls LOVE anything to do with HSM! A year ago, along with my parents and the Stants, we bought ticket for all of us to go and watch High School Musical on Stage at the Broadway Palm. It was a long year to wait for July 10th to arrive. But to quote Makenna, "It was worth the wait." I am so glad my girls have a love for the theater like I do. It was so fun to watch their eyes and smiles! Our next play: The Jungle Book....this time we are taking the Boys!

Pet # two!

2009-07-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Makenna recently acquired her very first pet. A hamster named Oreo. He is a cute little thing who likes to bury himself in all of the wood chip. All the kids have gotten a kick out of watching him run around and play. The kids love to put him into his plastic ball and watch him roll all over the house.

Sunflowers

2009-07-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved to look at and watch sunflowers. I love the bright colored petals, the dark centers, and deep green leaves. Perhaps that is why my favorite flower arrangement ever given to me was one made up of sunflowers, and why they are now in the decor of my kitchen. But, what amazes me the most about them is how they follow the sun. Even before their beautiful blooms appear the first leaves on the stem bend towards the morning sun. All throughout the day as the sun makes its trip over the bright blue sky the flowers bend and follow the sun until it disappears behind the horizon. There is a spiritual message to be learned by these flowers, one that I was taught by a primary leader long ago. Just as the sunflower follows the sun all throughout its beautiful existence so should we follow THE SON, the Son of God all through out our gift of mortal life on this earth.

Feelin' Crafty

2009-07-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last few days being crafty! I must say that I have missed being able to spend time tuning into my creative side. I think that I need to make time more often to enjoy this side of me. The FHE board I made for our family, and soon will be adorned with head shots of each family member to mark our assignments. The other projects I made as gifts for my sister and two of my friends. If you have any cute craft ideas that you think I would enjoy making...send them my way! I am always looking for something new to try my hand at.

Drive In Movie

2009-06-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

We had a new experience this past weekend with our family. We took the kid's to the drive in movie to watch "UP". The kid's got a big kick out of being able to watch a movie in the back of the van in their PJ's. We had a great time and the kid's keep begging us to go back next weekend! It is a great way to spend time with the family without breaking the bank!

Life lessons can be hard to learn.

2009-06-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

We have had a sad couple of days around our house. Our sweet little pet chicken Angle Rose has gone on to a better place. Yesterday, after church, we had plans to have FHE with Matt's family. Emily had every intention of putting Rosie in her cage while we were gone. But, Emily hit her head on the corner of a dresser drawer and the blood started to gush! For such a little wound there was a LOT of blood. That was enough to put us behind schedule and we rushed out the door and forgot about Rosie! She has been left out before with no major problems so we thought nothing of it when we realized when we got home what we had forgotten to do. I told Emily that she would probably find her outside asleep somewhere. Well... after an exhaustive search of our little backyard we came up empty. She just diapered! Poor little Emily cried her little heart out. It can be really hard to learn the "Circle of Life" lesson. We will miss our little friend and have already printed pictures for Emily that she has placed in her room so that she can always remember her first pet.

Two "chick's" @ play!

2009-05-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

This is a cute video clip of Emily with her pet chick!

Thank you gifts

2009-05-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

With the end of the school year comes thank you gifts. Teachers work so hard that it is always hard for me to find the perfect way to say "Thank YOU!" This year I made a quilt for Emily's teacher and had all of the children in the class sign it. She taught these children for the past two years and enjoyed every minute of it. I don't think to many teachers can say that! For Makenna's teacher I made her a paper covered clip board personalized with her name. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the wonderful teachers out there!

Teacher's are AWESOME!

2009-05-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful that my children have had amazing teachers every year that they have been in school. I am especially grateful for Emily's teacher Mrs. Cox. Emily was able to be in her classroom for both 1st and 2nd grade. She is an angel on earth! She was a wonderful support for our family while trying to help Emily succeed in school. Thank you is not a big enough word to express how grateful I am for her patience, kindness, concern, and love. She will always hold a special place in my heart as well as in Emily's.

Meet Angel Rose

2009-05-15T12:41:00.001-07:00

We are now the proud owners of a chicken! Yes...that is right, a chicken! Emily's 2nd grade class hatched chick's in there classroom as part of a science unit. School is almost over and so they needed to find good homes. Emily kept looking at us with pleading eyes so much so that we eventually agreed that she could bring one home. This is going to be an interesting experience! She is really cute but who knew that they could chirp so loud! I had no idea!

Lead Role

2009-05-15T11:32:00.001-07:00

Makenna got to play the lead role in her 4th grade production "Arizona, How do you do?" She had to memorize all 8 pages of her lines. She was a pro! I think we may have a drama major in the future!

First Harvest

2009-05-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

We are starting to reap the benefits of our hard work. We already pulled up all our lettus and now have a strawberry, a zucinni, and will soon pick a bell pepper and yellow squash. It has been so much fun learning about how all of these different fruits and veggies grow. A major bonus is that the kids are excited to taste test all of the produce!

Easter 2009

2009-05-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I am a little slow posting this picture of Easter. But they are so cute that I had to put them on the blog.

Bush-Ba-Gahwa

2009-05-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

During our last spring break we packed a picnic lunch, loaded up the kids and headed to Globe, AZ for a day trip. We were joined by my mom and dad and my sister Lisa and her family. We have driven through Globe countless times but never stopped long enough except to use the restroom. Little did we know that there are ancient Indian ruins just off the highway. We had a great time playing in the park and walking through the ruins. Its a great day trip...just do it in cooler weather!

Ryan Turns 4!!

2009-04-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little man is now 4 years old!!! He is such a wonderful little boy. It is my big helper and my little shadow. We have so much fun keeping each other company while everyone else is at work or school. Now that he is 4...everywhere we go he spots that number! He thinks it is the most wonderful number in the world. He has grown so much and makes us laugh daily. The other day he said, "I am a good boy! But sometimes I am a little pill!" OK... so my words came back to haunt me! I laughed so hard it made me cry. Happy Birthday little man!

Clean and Pure

2009-03-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

Emily's baptism was so beautiful. She was so excited and could hardly wait! All day long she kept looking at the clock waiting for the time to finally come. She looked like an angel all dressed in white. She had many family members and friends come to support her. One of my most favorite things Emily said afterwards was, "Mom, I am so happy I got the Holy Ghost." I am so very blessed to have children who already are showing their strength in the Gospel. Matt and I have been truly blessed. Emily we are so very proud of you!

Thank YOU Uncle Sam!

2009-03-07T13:34:00.001-08:00

This year our tax refund went to good use! We bought new furniture for our living room. The old couches served us well, but it was time to put them to rest! We are loving the new look, and feel of leather. The kids love having a "trampoline" in the back yard, until we can haul away the old couch! Enjoy jumping on the furniture while it lasts kiddos!

"Art" Work

2009-02-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

This is what happenes when you leave a Three year old alone long enough to take a two minute shower...you end up with sharpie body art!

Twinkie Race Cars

2009-02-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was my turn to teach pre-school. This weeks theme is transportaion...Ryan's favorite subject! We talked a lot about all ot the different types of transportation like spaceships, cars, fire trucks, and boats. For snack I had the kids make twinkie race cars...I thought they were so cute I would share the pictures with everyone. Tell me what you think?

Valentines for the ones I love!

2009-02-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

We had a great Valentine's Day. Matt surprised me with pink roses and I gave him some wonderfully smelling cologne. Can you believe he has never in his whole life worn cologne! Matt and I surprised the kids with a little gift. The girls got a new Littlest Pet Shop pet, and Ryan got a Cars flashlight. Latter that day Matt and I got to go have a romantic, kid free lunch. It was a good day.

Valentine Surprize

2009-02-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Today around 4pm the door bell rang. When I opened the door I saw the mail man walking away and a package on my door step. I just love surprises! I looked at the return address and smiled when I saw it was from my dear friend Janice. She has the kindest heart of anyone I know and is always thinking of others. Inside the box was the cutiest heart shaped candy dish, a red candle, heart shaped candy, and a lollypop. I am so glad that we meet each other nine short years ago. Some might call it coincidence, but I call it divine intervention. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was sitting out on the lawn in front of our apartment letting 9mo. old Makenna play. Across the way I noticed that a family was moving in and that they had kids...the crib gave that away! To shorten the story a bit, Janice and I became the best of friends. We have been there for each other through a lot of bad times and a lot of good times too! I always felt that we must have been really good friends in the pre-existence because our friendship has always been so easy and familiar. She is my spirit sister!! Even though we no longer live near each other, our friendship remains strong. Thank you Janice for being there for me. For all of the laughter and tears. Your friendship means more to me than you will ever know!

Testimony

2009-02-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in Sacrament meeting I got up and bore my testimony. It was kind of an out of body experience. One minute I was sitting on the bench and the next thing I know I am standing up and walking up to the pulpit. You all know I hate public speaking, so I was shocked at myself when I realized what I was doing! I share my testimony often with my family and in Primary but, I realized that there is great power when you share your testimony publicly. I felt the spirit so strongly when I was testifying of those things I KNOW are true. My testimony what greatly strengthened as the spirit bore witness to me again of the truthfulness of the gospel. How grateful I am for my membership in the church. It is a priceless gift that I treasure!

It's Great to be Eight!

2009-02-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Emily is turning eight. I remember the little butterball baby she used to be! She has now grown into her own little "adult". I am so grateful for her and her sweet personality. She has a very kind and gentle heart and at times can be extremely stubborn. I hear it runs in our family! I am so happy that she can hardly wait until her baptism day. We have been counting down to the day for months now. Only 27 more days sweet pea!!

Pay It Forward!

2009-01-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

One of my dear friends had this on her blog. I wanted to support her in her desire to help others. So...I signed up! Here is how it works. Because I signed up with my friend she now has 365 days to make me a homemade gift and send it to me. I now return the love by doing the same thing for three people. So, if you are interested in participating leave me a comment and I will put you on my pay it forward list. If you sign up under me you will receive a handmade gift from yours truly within 365 days! You then do the same thing for three people. Sounds like a great way to spread some sunshine in the lives of others.

Obsessed?

2009-01-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Ok...I know I am obsessed. A friend of mine had this quiz on her blog and I just couldn't resist. I think that I need to go to Twilighters rehab! HA, HA, HA! Thanks Tiff!!!

A Day Outdoors

2009-01-20T08:29:00.001-08:00

The weather has been so beautiful lately that we just could not spend our day off from work and school indoors. So...we loaded up the kids, packed a picnic and headed for Usery Mountain Regional Park. We spent a couple of hours hiking the Wind Cave trail. The kids enjoyed a little exercise and Matt and I enjoyed wearing them out! The view of the city was breathtaking and the sunshine magnificent! After our hike we drove the kids to Blue Point on the Salt River. We had a windy picnic and then spent time playing in the river. The only complaint from the kids is that we didn't bring their swimsuits. Who knew it would be warm enough in January to swim in the river!!

New Calling

2009-01-02T08:03:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday I was sustained as the new Stake Primary President. I know, I know...pick your jaws up off the floor! I just wanted to share the news will all of you not to brag but to tell you about the wonderful spiritual experience it has been. I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost and the comfort and guidance he gives to us. I have learned that we can do all things in the Lord. If we have a willing heart, and faith in our Savior he will help us to accomplish his will. I am so humbled that he has put his trust in me.

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year! I love the music, the decorations, and of course the gifts. I love watching the excitement in the eyes of my children as they look at lights, eat yummy treats, and wait for the arrival of Santa. I especially love Christmas because we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior. My testimony of the Savior has been strengthened this year and for that I am extremal grateful.

Cookies for Santa!

2009-01-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas my mom makes sugar cookies and then invites the grand kids over to decorate them for Santa. This year Emily made a big pile and we wondered if Santa would be able to eat them all!!! It was a lot of fun. We especially enjoyed watching my niece Lana pour on the sprinkles! She had more sprinkle on her cookie than there was cookie! We talked the kids into only putting out ten cookies for Santa and guess what....he ate them all! We also sprinkled reindeer food out on the lawn for them to eat and they ate that too!!

Happy Birthday Makenna!

2008-11-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! Makenna turned 10 on Friday Nov. 21st. Ryan and I put out some birthday balloons to welcome her home from school. She was pleasantly surprised! That night we took her and the rest of the family out to dinner at the restaurant of her choice...McDonald's! On Saturday night we invited family over for cake and ice cream. It was a fun celebration. Makenna You are growing up and becoming a beautiful young woman!

Becoming Self-reliant

2008-11-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

Matt and I have wanted for some time now to start a garden. We just didn't know how to do it in our little back yard. We feel strongly that we need to learn how to grow our own veggies and become just a little bit more self-reliant. So, with the help of our brother-in-law Lindsey, Matt got a garden box built. Now all we need it some garden soil, some seeds, and spring to come. Wish us luck!

Trick Or Treat

2008-11-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

We had a great time trick or treating this year. We had a couple of families come over for dinner and then headed out together to load the kids up with sugar. Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but the kids love to dress up so Matt and I indulge them. I think they ended up looking adorable. If you can't tell by the pictures Makenna was a vampire, Emily a pirate, and Ryan was Batman.

Family Tradition

2008-10-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Every year since Makenna was 11 mo. old, come October we make our way to the Pumpkin Patch. The kids look forward to this event and can hardly wait until they can go and find that "perfect" pumpkin. This year Ryan wanted the littlest one. Emily looked for one that was perfectly round, which was hard to find... believe it or not! Makenna looked for one that was enormous, had the perfect stem, and just the right coloring. We were successful in all categories!! Matt and I are so glad for family traditions and that we started this one ten years ago. It has evolved over the years to include dinner afterwards at In-N-Out Burger or desert at home. This year when we came home we had yummy root beer floats.

Trains, Trains, Trains

2008-10-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a really great day! It finally cooled off so we took the kids to the "Train Park" in Scottsdale. I have had people tell me about this place but we had yet to go. It is a treasure in our city! We just happened to go on the one weekend a year they have what they call "railfest". They have people from all over come and set up their model trains. We had a great time going from tent to tent looking at and watching all of the different train displays. The girls got their faces painted which they were reluctant to wash off before going to church the next day. The highlight of the day was getting to ride on a train around the park. Oh and we can't forget all of the inflatable jumping things the kids got dizzy in, or the old fashioned merry-go-round! It is definitely a place we will visit again!

Dinosaurs and Other Stuff

2008-10-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Over our four day October break we went with Ryan's pre-school to the Mesa Museum of Natural History. The kids spent a few days learning about dinosaurs so it seemed fitting to go and look at dinosaur bones! It was a fun and exhausting field trip. We ended up going at the same time as some other school groups so there were kids everywhere!!! We saw dinosaurs of all kinds, watched a flash flood, saw a real alligator, pretended we were in jail, panned for gold, played with puzzles, and even saw an exhibit on poop...that's right poop! If you have never been you should go. It is a fun museum you have to do at least once.

SOCCER!!

2008-10-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

The 2008 soccer season has begun! We now spend most of our week at either soccer practices or soccer games. It is worth all of the time and energy to watch the fun and excitement on the girls faces. This year Makenna is playing on a half of a full size field and is learning how to play each position. Emily is playing on a quarter field and is thrilled that this year her uniform is finally PINK!!! Next year watch out...Ryan will be playing!

Play hard...Crash hard!

2008-09-18T14:27:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a busy day! Ryan long ago gave up taking naps so imagine my surprise when I walked in and found him sound asleep surrounded by Thomas the Train and friends. He was at the gym with me at 8am, followed by preschool from 9am-11am, and then he got to play and have lunch with his friend Bronson. Now I just hope he will be ready for bed tonight and not keep us up until midnight!

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

Ryan's first day of preschool was an exciting one! He could hardly wait to get there. It was a bitter sweet day for Mom. She was so glad that he was eager to learn and spend some time with his friends, but sad in the same moment knowing her baby was off to school. He looked so grown up walking into school with his friend Bronson!

Life Flys By

2008-09-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today I received a request to sign up for first quarter Parent Teacher Conferences. I can not believe that almost nine weeks has past since I sent off my two sweet girls for another year of school. It just seems to me that time has speed up. I long for those days that never seemed to end. When Barney and Elmo where life savers and cherrios was a food group all its own. Ryan has seemed to grow into his own"person" recently. He is no longer my baby but my little boy. I cried when I realized that in January he will be a Sunbeam. Everyday I am amazed at how my children are growing and how much they are learning. The other day Ryan started hunting for bugs and telling me that we need to "slam it!" I love and enjoy everyday that I am the mother of three wonderful children. Even on the days I want to send them to bed at 4pm.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Makenna and Emily are back in school! School started on August 11th. I can't believe that I have a fourth and second grader. They both love their teachers and were excited to see thier friends. I asked them what their favorite thing to do at school was and they said recess...go figure!!!

Tonto Natural Bridge

2008-08-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

We visited the Tonto Natural Bridge north of Payson, AZ. The whole family enjoyed having a picnic and hiking the trails at the park. The natural spring waterfall was beautiful and refreshing.

Summer Vacation 2008

2008-08-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

For our summer vacation this year, we were invited to spend a few days at a cabin with some friends in Pinedale, AZ. Makenna, Emily, and Ryan had a great time playing with their friends, going on hikes and spending some time in the great outdoors. The weather was great and amazing. Makenna’s favorite part about the trip to the cabin was being an eye witness to our friendly neighborhood nightly visitors. The nightly visitors were a pair of raccoons that came to the back patio to snack on some treats. She thought it was pretty cool and she loved to watch the raccoons. Emily’s favorite part of the trip was going on the tree swing, picking wild flowers, and throwing rocks in the creek. At the creek, Janae caught a little frog and showed it off to the kids. Makenna and Emily both loved holding the frog. Emily said the frog was “gooey” and smooth. Ryan enjoyed playing in the outdoors and going on the 4x4 golf cart with dad. It was amazing to see the remnants of the Rodeo-Chediski fire that ravaged the northern part of the state in the summer of 2002.