The Hansen Family

2011-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Jordan lost his first tooth this morning! He has been wiggling it for weeks and was so excited when it fell out while brushing his teeth. Hopefully the tooth fairy will remember to come tonight - she has a history of forgetting to come to our house.

Madison sung at her 3rd grade talent show and then was chosen to sing at the school Spring Luau in front of all the students and their parents. The video is of the 3rd grade talent show. She was super, super nervous and it shows. The video from the Luau accidentally got erased, but she wasn't as nervous and she did a fabulous job! She loves singing and has worked so hard this year practicing and improving her voice.

Josh had his tonsils out a few weeks ago. He was having problems with sleep apnea, snoring, gagging, talking clearly and sore throats. It was no wonder - his tonsils were so big they were touching his uvula, even when he wasn't sick! The surgery went great and he has healed quickly, but we did have a rough few days after the surgery. He definitely wrung every last drop of sympathy he could out of it. Even now, weeks later, he still will sometimes say, "I swallowed and my throat didn't hurt at all!" He is now talking more clearly and his sleep apnea, snoring and gagging have disappeared. Yay!!

Madison and Jordan are playing softball and t-ball and having a lot of fun! Madison's team won their first game last week and she played fabulously! Jordan's first game is next week.

Mikey is 18 months now and starting into the terrible twos. He has started talking a lot more lately and his favorite words are 'NO', 'DON'T' and 'MINE'!

I finished up my classes a few weeks ago and received my new valid teaching license in the mail yesterday. I have been applying for all the teaching jobs I can find. I have also been busy substitute teaching a few days a week.

Justin started working for Deals That Matter in April and is enjoying it. It is a fairly new company and Justin is loving being a part of building and expanding it. The only downside to his new job is that it is down in Sandy, so he has a long commute again. We are planning on moving closer to his job sometime this summer. It will be nice to cut his commute and have him around more.

January in Review

2011-02-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

January was a busy month. I started back to school, taking six credits so I can renew my teaching license. I am taking a Children's Literature class and a Reading Assessment and Intervention class. It is fun, but definitely crazy trying to find enough quiet time to do schoolwork while taking care of 4 kids!

Jordan turned 6 in January.

He invited his friend Aubryn over to play and decorate cupcakes.

Then we had a build-your-own cupcake bar for the family party on Sunday. He picked out all the flavors for the cupcakes, fillings, frosting and toppings. Everyone had a lot of fun mixing and matching the flavors to create their own cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Jordan!

We also got confirmation that Josh is severely allergic to peanuts, as well as trees, grasses, pollen, dust mites, cats, dogs, molds...the list goes on and on. He now has a couple of epi-pens just in case he eats anything with peanuts in it. He goes back to the allergist in about 6 weeks to deal with his seasonal allergies.

Christmas Adventures

2011-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

Riding the Front Runner down to Salt Lake City to see the lights on Temple Square.

Bowling & dinner, being shepherds, visiting Granny, Grandpa, and the cousins in Panaca, and our gingerbread houses. This year our gingerbread village included a cell tower, a castle, a barn, a Christmas tree, an igloo, a playground, an Ecuador orphanage, several amazing architectural creations and a few little houses.

Christmas Day!!

All my siblings (except for Megan, our Missionary, and Rachelle, who is in Ecuador) plus spouses, kids, my Mom & Mike, and even a roommate were here for at least part of the day. It was so much fun, not to mention loud and crazy, spending Christmas with the whole family! We were so blessed by some Christmas Angels who helped make Christmas wonderful for our kids this year - thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2010-11-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

2010-11-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Mikey!

*Adorable pictures all taken by my amazing sister Arianne!*

Mmmm, cake.

Lots of fun presents!

I think the kids had more fun with the balloons from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Pippin than they did with all the new toys..

Cousin Boston - priceless!

Halloween!

2010-11-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Justin was a pirate, Mikey was a lion, Joshua was a pumpkin, Maren was a blue fairy, Madison was the Little Mermaid, Jordan was a black dragon (with a long, stuffed tail), and I was a spider (sorry, I didn't get a picture of myself). Madison insisted that she needed red hair in order to be Ariel, so we dyed her hair. She absolutely loves it and is so sad that it will wash out within a week or two.

It rained for a while during trick-or-treating and we got soaked, but we still had lots of fun and the kids got tons of candy.

Happy Halloween!

2010-09-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally moved and settled. It has been a crazy, busy month!

In the middle of packing up I made a wedding cake:

It was lots of fun to make, even though the timing made it somewhat stressful.

A week after the wedding cake we moved! It was crazy trying to decide what to take, what to store and what to get rid of. It is amazing how much stuff we had accumulated, even though we had moved less than a year ago. We ended up getting rid of a lot more stuff than we had originally intended because the truck we rented wasn't big enough. Thank goodness the guys from our ward who helped us pack the truck were great at Tetris! Jordan and Josh took turns riding in the truck with Justin - they thought it was a great adventure!

The week after we moved was Boston's birthday. Happy birthday Boston!! He loves construction vehicles and had a construction themed party. I got to make his cake! It was so much fun being close enough to make his cake and attend his party. We are looking forward to being able to attend all the family events this year!

Madison and Jordan are loving school! They think it is great fun to attend the school where Mamah works.

Mikey got his first real haircut recently. He didn't even look like the same kid when I was finished!

Before

After

Madison got baptized last Saturday. We are so proud of her decision to be baptized! She looked so pretty in the gorgeous white dress from Mamah and Popi! Almost all of my family was here, along with her Granny and Papa and Justin's sister, Michelle, who came all the way from the Denver area. Granny and Papa gave her scriptures. Madison kept saying, "Scriptures are so precious. They are the best gift I've ever gotten."

Month in Review & BIG Changes

2010-08-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

So, once again it's been a while since I have posted. Lots has happened in the past month. The biggest news is that Justin found a new job! Yeah! We are so excited (mostly)! However, the job is in Salt Lake City, which means we will be moving to Utah in 2 1/2 weeks. We will be living with my mom in Pleasant View for at least a few months while we get back on our feet. We have mixed feelings about the move. We are sad that we have to leave our friends here in Henderson, our amazing ward and our new home that we love. But, we are excited for a promising new job, being closer (much, much closer...) to my family, and the opportunity for me to sell cakes. Justin left on Sunday, started his job yesterday and will be back in 2 weeks to move us. So here I am again, sorting through stuff and packing boxes and being a single mom of 4 for a few weeks (Luckily, Renea and Larry will be taking Josh and Jordan up to Panaca on Friday for a week or so, so that I can get more stuff done. Thank you so much Renea!!). And to top it all off, I agreed to make a 4-tier wedding cake next weekend. Life is definitely crazy here!

Madison's 8th birthday is today. Happy Birthday Mad!! We went to the Shark Reef with Stacie and her kids to celebrate and then came home for pizza, cake (to see more pictures of her cake go here) and ice cream and presents. The kids had a ton of fun! It's hard to believe she is 8 years old already - it's amazing how fast kids grow up! She is so excited to be baptized in a month. She told me today now that she is 8 she is much more responsible and grown up. She cracks me up! She also wrote herself a birthday poem:

My Birthday

by Madison Hansen

Today is my b-day,

I love my b-day.

Mom made a tinkerbell cake

but the tinkerbell on top is fake.

We bought ice cream.

It will make me scream!

Happy B-day!

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My 30th birthday was on Sunday. Justin has been teasing me a lot lately that I am going to be old now. But honestly it doesn't bother me (I'm pretty sure it bothers my mom though - love ya mom!).

We (the kids and I) spent most of July up visiting my mom and keeping an eye on Chris and Maren while my mom was at school everyday and Popi was at work. We had a lot of fun going to the trout farm, going to parades, watching fireworks, going swimming, playing the wii, going to the movies and hanging out with the family. The last week we were there we went up to Lava Hot Springs for a big family reunion. Justin flew up to interview for a few jobs and then came with us. We had a blast staying at the old schoolhouse inn, going swimming, tubing the river, roasting marshmallows, playing games and hanging out. Thanks Mike and Mom for a fabulous trip!!

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While we were at Lava we celebrated Josh's 3rd birthday with a pinata (Thanks Arianne!), cake (with chocolate chips, a helicopter and a rainbow per the birthday boys request), ice cream and lots of presents.

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I am working on creating a new blog for my cakes: iceddelights.blogspot.com. Let me know what you think!

Michael is getting so big. He will be 9 months old this weekend. He is crawling everywhere, including up the stairs, pulling up and walking along everything, babbling constantly and eating everything in sight. He thinks everything around him is hilarious and that sleeping through the night is optional. He also doesn't have any teeth yet, although that doesn't stop him from eating! This is a picture from the stake 24th of July activity - he LOVES watermelon!

Memorial Day at Granny and Papa's

2010-06-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

We went to St. George over Memorial Day weekend to attend Justin's parents' sealing in the St. George Temple. They were sealed by Justin's Grandpa Banks, who also sealed us. It was such a neat experience! Congrats Larry and Renea!! We spent the rest of the weekend in Panaca with all of Justin's siblings and their spouses and all the nieces and nephews. On the way up to Panaca we stopped at the volcano just outside of St. George. Everyone except Renea, Emily and I (and the 4 kids under 3) climbed all the way to the top. We also celebrated Christopher's 15th birthday while we were there with a skateboard cake. The kids had a blast hanging out with their cousins and sleeping in a tent in Granny and Papa's backyard.

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Dance

2010-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Madison's End of Year Dance Review

She did a fabulous job!!

Preschool Graduation

2010-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Jordan graduated from preschool on May 14th. Granny and Papa were able to come down and attend, which made it extra special. We have some awesome video of him picking his nose during the program - good blackmail when he's a teenager, right? He is really excited to be going to kindergarten next year!

2010-06-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! I have tons to catch up on since I last posted! Here's what you missed:

I was released from the cub scouts and have a new calling as the 1st counselor in the Primary. I work with some amazing women and it is tons of fun!
I started an Etsy shop. It doesn't have a lot in it yet, but I'm working on getting more things made and listed. Check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleMonkeyStore
Justin has been playing stake basketball and loving it!
Justin is looking for a new job (if you know of anything let us know!)
Jordan graduated from preschool (pics to follow)
Madison had her end of year dance review (pics to follow)
Madison finished up 2nd grade and received lots of awards (straight A's, perfect attendance, etc). She is looking forward to 3rd grade.
We are trying to potty train Josh, only somewhat successfully
I spoke in church. Justin was supposed to speak too, but I guess I got a little long-winded (I know, hard to believe, but true) and left him no time to speak.
We took a trip to Panaca (pics to follow in another post)
Michael is now 7 months! Where has the time gone? He is sitting up, scooting everywhere and will soon be crawling. He is also working (still) on cutting 4 teeth, which is so much fun!
I am still teaching piano lessons and will (most likely) be getting 3-4 new students this next week.
Justin, with the help of his dad, finally finished patching and texturing the hole in the bathroom wall where we removed the medicine cabinet. Now it is all painted and looks great!
We (well, mostly Justin and his dad) cut out a wall so we have access to the dead space under our stairs. We will eventually put a door on it and use it as a food storage closet.

... and that's our lives in a nutshell!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't post much (Beth does most of that), but I wanted to thank all of the wonderful mother's in my life. I grew up with a great mom who took excellent care of me and my siblings and was super fun to be around. We learned the gospel in our home at her feet and we were encouraged to become our own people. I love you mom!! Happy Mother's Day!!

I have been blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law that I get along with famously. I tell her I won the in-law lottery because she is so wonderful and I feel like a natural part of the family. She raised such a wonderful daughter that I could never thank her enough for what that has done for my life. Thank you for your daughter!! You are wonderful!! Happy Mother's Day!!

My sisters are great mom's too but I don't have a lot of experience with them as mothers but their kids don't seem to be too messed up so that says something. They were wonderful sisters to grow up with and I love it when we have a chance to spend time together. Thank you for all you do. Happy Mother's Day!!

I have some wonderful sister's in law that are excellent examples of mothers as well. Your children are growing up wonderful as well. I don't express my love for you much but thank you for what you bring to my life. Happy Mother's Day!!

I grew up close to my aunt who was, in many ways, like a mother to me as well. Thank you, Aunt Carol, for being there and helping to raise me. I'm sure you don't get thanked for that much so for you too, Happy Mother's Day!!

Of course, grandmothers can't be forgotten either. They taught my parents how to be good parents. I love you and owe much to you too. Happy Mother's Day!!

Now, for the one closest to me: my wonderful wife.
She deserves the prize!! She has to put up with me, which really isn't easy. She takes care of our children and she is raising them as wonderful little people. She is amazing. I can't ever find the words to express what she means to me. I have tried writing poetry and songs but I don't ever feel like they say nearly enough. She is so wonderful and beautiful but she seems to not know it. How crazy is that? There are things I wish I could do better for her because she deserves the best and sometimes I feel like I am not giving that to her. She is the most wonderful woman I have ever met (sorry mom). Thank you for all that you do for me, Beth. You are wonderful and amazing. I am constantly in awe at you. I won the wife lottery too. I love you soooooooooooo much. Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Spring Break Fun

2010-04-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

We spent the entire week of Spring Break up in Utah. Here are some of the highlights:

Visiting Grandpa and Grandma Banks:

It was great to see them. We also visited my Grandpa and Grandma Pippin and my Grandma Holladay (our kids have 5 living great-grandparents!), but unfortunately forgot to get pictures with them. Grandma Holladay was at my Aunt Joyce's house, so we got to see the whole Glen family too - so much fun to catch up!

Hogle Zoo:We had lots of fun at the zoo with Arianne, Dustin and Boston. Our favorite animals were the baby elephant, the giraffes and the huge gorilla that came right up to the glass!

Playing in the Snow at Mamah and Popi's:
Rather than stay in Sunny Southern Nevada, we decided to spend our spring break in the cold and snow. The kids, except Josh, loved playing in the snow (although it did take lots of convincing to get them out there). Even Mamah got in on the snowball action! Josh was extremely upset about getting snow on his boots and then had a complete meltdown when he fell off the sled face first into the snow.

Easter:
Coloring Eggs... Easter Egg Hunts... A Visit From the Easter Bunny...
One Big Sugar High

When we got home we discovered one of our (dead) cypress trees had blown over in a wind storm while we were gone. Luckily nothing was damaged by it.
Jordan had a lot of fun helping Justin clean the mess up. We have a couple more cypress trees that are dead and are definitely going to be taking them out soon so they don't get blown over too.Also this month: Michael's 1st Food - oatmeal cereal. Yummy!

Baptism

2010-03-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that

Madison's Baptism will be

September 4th at 5:00.

We'd love to have you join us!

Pictures

2010-03-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

We got pictures taken of the kids on Saturday. Here are some of our favorites:

New Car!

2010-02-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

We have a new car! Yippee!!

I flew up to Utah about a week and a half ago to get it (cars are lots cheaper up there). Arianne, my amazing sis, took a break from glazing all the cabinets in her house to pick me up and drive me all over creation to test drive cars. We hit a bit of a snag, but after some amazing problem-solving by my mom and sis, we were able to work things out and buy a van. It is still a little weird to be driving a minivan (all my siblings and a lot of our friends seem to think it is hilarious that we gave in and got a minivan after being so emphatic about never driving one), but it is so nice to be able to go places as a whole family. The kids love it too!

Even though it was a little stressful, it turned out to be a really fun trip. I got to spend time with Arianne and Dustin and their adorable little boy, Boston. I also got to see my brother Daniel, my mom, my brother Ryan, my Grandma Holladay and my sister Rachelle.

2010-02-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

It was almost 70 degrees here today...
and yesterday...
and the day before.

I love Las Vegas this time of year!

January Chaos

2010-02-02T22:19:00.001-08:00

Wow! I am way behind on blogging! I keep thinking life is going to calm down a little, but it never seems to. Maybe that's just life with 4 kids - constant chaos.

We started out the month with a New Year's Party at our house. We invited a bunch of friends to come see our house and have fun and yummy food with us. It was great hanging out and celebrating the new year with everyone. Madison and Jordan actually stayed awake until midnight with us!

Madison started at her new school and loves it. She has a great teacher and is making lots of new friends. Her new school is only about a 1/2 mile from our house, so we walk to pick her up at least a couple times a week (loving the Vegas weather!).

Jordan turned 5 this month. We celebrated with a surprise visit from Mamah (Popi was in town for work and she decided to come down too), a birthday dinner at Applebee's and then presents and cake and ice cream back at home. He chose a blueberry cake with blueberry cream cheese filling and marshmallow buttercream, all covered in marshmallow fondant and served with mint chocolate ice cream - a fabulous combination! He loves dinosaurs these days, wanting to be a paleontologist when he grows up, so he wanted a dinosaur cake (and it had to be orange and blue, just like Buddy from Dinosaur Train). Jordan really enjoyed spending his birthday with Mamah and Popi! On Saturday, rather than have a party with his friends, he opted to go see the dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum. We also got to see lots of cool animals (stuffed), live snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, sharks, and sting rays. We even got to watch them feed the sharks!We've been busy doing lots of little projects around the house, including painting the downstairs bath and Madison's room. Hopefully we will get the boys' room painted soon, too.

Awesome gold color that my mom and sister helped pick out. It took 3 coats of paint!

Perfect little girls room - cotton candy pink!

Last week Jordan (and later, Josh) got the flu. Justin was wonderful and got up with him in the middle of the night and then changed his puked-upon sheets and started a load of laundry. The next morning we went to throw the load in the dryer and discovered the laundry room floor covered in liquid laundry soap. The brand new (Costco-size) bottle of laundry soap must have fallen off the top of the washing machine, breaking open and completely emptying all over the floor. It took me over 4 hours to clean it up, scooping up as much as I could salvage and mopping the rest of it up with towels and then finally the mop! I was so sore the next day I could barely walk!

We are down to one car right now, which is really frustrating. We outgrew our Santa Fe when Michael was born, but put off buying a van so we didn't mess up our house loan. We took two cars everywhere for a while, but finally sold my car a few weeks ago. We figured it would be no big deal to get a loan to buy a car since we have (or had) great credit and a decent down-payment. Unfortunately, when we applied for loan we discovered that due to our mail not being forwarded (FINALLY got that fixed after 2 phone calls plus a visit to the post office), we didn't receive (thus, didn't pay) our final internet bill and it got sent to collections. Big sigh... so much for almost perfect credit. So now we are trying to get things sorted out with the credit bureaus, which could take several months, and trying to get by with only one car. We have rented a car a few times so that we can go places as a family (like church) and Justin has been trying to work from home a lot so I can take Jordan to preschool and Madison to dance. It is amazing that one $50 bill can affect one's credit so drastically. Hopefully it will all get sorted out soon and we will be able to buy a van.

Michael is getting big. He is smiling and laughing and starting to interact more. He loves to watch his crazy siblings and all their antics. He has also discovered his hands, sucking on them constantly and starting to reach for things.

2009-12-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

The last month has been crazy! Here are some of the highlights:

Michael ~ 2 1/2 weeks old:

We moved Thanksgiving weekend. My amazing Mom and sisters (Arianne, Rachelle and Maren) all came down to help us clean, pack and move. We couldn't have done it without them! We are still working on unpacking the last of the boxes and organizing everything, but we absolutely love our new house!

We blessed Michael on December 6th, our last Sunday in our old ward. While our family was all here, we rode the Santa Train in Boulder City:

Our great big family (and this is only part of them) and Michael's blessing pictures (taken by my talented sister, Arianne):

We also have attended several parades and a dance show that Madison participated in:

We spent an evening decorating gingerbread houses (really graham cracker houses). Not much candy made it onto Joshua's house - boy, was he ever on a sugar high that night...

We visited the Cactus Garden at the Ethel M. Factory and saw Santa. It was cold, so we didn't stay long, but the lights were beautiful and we all had a blast. Michael was asleep and warm in the stroller, so he didn't make it into any of the pictures:

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve eating our big Christmas Eve dinner, reading the Christmas Story, opening Christmas pjs from Mamah, leaving out cookies and hot cocoa for Santa and reindeer food for the reindeer:

And finally, celebrated a fabulous Christmas Day in our new house! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us get through the last 2 months. We are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends! We love you!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

Madison made her first homemade bread last night almost completely by herself! Justin told her what to do and helped her take it in and out of the oven and she did the rest herself. It was delicious! She was so excited to have a sandwich made with her bread to take for her lunch at school today.

It's Official...

2009-11-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

We are homeowners!! We got keys to our new house yesterday! We are planning on moving on the 28th. In the meantime, we have lots of cleaning and packing to do. I will be sending out an email beginning of next week with our new address and phone number - if you aren't sure if I have your email address and want this info please post a comment here and let me know.

Introducing...

2009-11-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Justin Michael Hansen
born November 7, 2009
at 3:22 am
8 lbs. 11 oz.
21 inches long
We didn't want to use another "J" name but what can you do? He will go by Michael.

The kids are having a lot of fun holding and loving their new brother. He doesn't know what to think about it yet.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Our 3 little ghosts!

Josh refused to let me put any make-up on him.

With Vampire Daddy.

I didn't really dress up this year - I just wore a black shirt and skirt and stuck a witch's hat on my head.

Our Jack-O-Lanterns: Joshua's car, Jordan's face (including squiggly mouth, a chin, ears, and who knows what else), Madison's ghost, my witch and Justin's Bat.

House!!!

2009-10-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

We are so excited! We finally found out the offer we made on a house was accepted!! The house is a short sale and we have been waiting for more than 2 months to get the offer approved. They want to close on it in less than a month! So, along with having a new baby, we will be moving the end of November or beginning of December! Life is crazy (good crazy though)!

Guessing Game!

2009-10-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

Now that we only have about 2 weeks 'til our little guy is due, we thought it would be fun to have everyone guess what day and time he will arrive, as well as his weight and length. We will write down everyone's guesses in his scrapbook, so please leave a comment with your guess!! Just like with the name game, the winner gets a treat!!

Thanks to everyone who left a comment with name ideas. It has really helped us narrow it down a little bit, although we still haven't decided on a name for sure. So, if you haven't left a comment with a name yet, go ahead and do so now - we'll accept ideas right up until he's born!

Pick the Name Game!!

2009-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

K- it is countdown time (about 4 weeks) for our baby to be born and we are drawing a complete blank on names. We need your help!!! Please post your best baby boy names - both first and middle names - in the comments. If we pick the name you suggested I will send you a special treat. We do not want a name that starts with 'J' - we've got too many 'J's' already. For family: both Jordan and Joshua's middle names are family names and we would like to use a family name for this baby too - please give us ideas of good family names to use.

Thanks for all your help and may the best name win!!!

Funny boys...

2009-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Just a couple funny and sweet stories from the last few weeks...

Josh recently had to have a little blood drawn (no big deal - he's fine!). Our pediatrician's office is great - they put numbing cream on his elbow so it wouldn't hurt so bad. When they took the blood he only cried for a minute and was fine as soon as they were done and put the band-aid over it. On the way home he became extremely annoyed with the band-aid because it prevented him from bending his arm. So after we got home we took the band-aid off. He was left with a tiny little red spot on his elbow. Apparently, this tiny red spot, which didn't hurt anymore, was too much for him. Every time he saw it he started sobbing hysterically. He would try to pull his sleeve over it to hide it, but it wouldn't stay down. So, I put my hand over it and he was completely fine. After holding my hand over it for several minutes I tried to remove my hand and once again he started sobbing. Again with the hand - he was fine. After another 10 minutes of that I tried to move my hand and again he started sobbing. So, since he was annoyed by the band-aid and I obviously couldn't sit there with my hand on his arm for the whole day, I got out my concealer, put a little dab of it on the red spot and voila! he was completely fine!!

A couple of nights ago Jordan woke up crying just before 11:00. Justin and I were getting ready for bed and both went in to see what the problem was. He had had a bad dream - terrible enough that he had wet the bed. As I was getting him cleaned up I tried to get him to tell me about his dream. All he would tell me was that there was a dragon. When I asked him to tell me what happened with the dragon, all he would tell me is that he didn't want to tell me the rest because then I would have the same bad dream. Then he just let me give him a big hug and went back to bed. Isn't he just the sweetest thing? So concerned about me, even when he is clearly terrified! Moments like that make me love being a mom!

Justin's Birthday

2009-09-29T11:46:00.001-07:00

This last weekend was Justin's birthday. We celebrated by having a few friends over for cake and ice cream. Justin also enjoyed watching a lot of college football. He tried to stump me by requesting a cake that looked like an apple pie. He seemed a little disappointed when it turned out to be the easiest cake I've made in quite a while. The top and bottom crust are made of sugar cookie dough. Inside is layered apple pie filling, buttermilk spice cake and whipped cream cheese filling.

I also made another cake (same flavors) and covered it in buttercream and sprinkles for the kids. We needed both cakes just to hold all 33 of his candles, which he blew out in one breath!

This last week Madison was also honored as a Super Citizen at school. They had a special ceremony, recieved a certificate and then were treated to donuts and juice. Of course, I forgot the camera... Good job, Mad!!

Jordan's 1st Day of Preschool

2009-09-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Jordan started preschool this week. He has been looking forward to it for weeks now. Eric, one of his good friends from Primary is in his preschool class. Jordan was so excited when he found out they were going to be in the same class. Personally, I feel a little sorry for his preschool teachers - when Jordan and Eric get together they tend to be a little silly and wild. He goes to preschool 3 afternoons a week, during Joshua's naptime, which gives me an hour and a half of uninterupted quiet time!

Back to School

2009-08-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today was Madison's first day of 2nd grade. She has team teachers (Mr. Hardy and Ms. Barnes) this year and a very large class. She is excited because several of the kids in her class were also in her 1st grade and Kindergarten classes. This morning she said she was most excited about having fun teachers and most nervous about meeting the new kids in her class. After school she said, "It was the best first day of school ever!"

Shark Reef

2009-08-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon it was my turn to host book club, so Justin took the kids to the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay for a few hours (isn't he wonderful!). They had tons of fun and saw lots of cool fish, sharks, a sea turtle and even lizards. Joshua seemed to be most impressed with the big lizard (Komodo Dragon) - he was still talking about it last night.

Skate Park Fun

2009-08-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Last week Justin took the kids to the neighborhood skate park with their bikes. They all thought it was so much fun and couldn't wait to show me. So Saturday morning we all went over so they could show me how much fun it is. After a while Jordan and Josh got tired of riding and decided to just run and chase Justin and Madison around.

Animal Cracker Wedding

2009-08-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Jordan playing with his animal crackers this morning:

"These two are in love. They are going to get married."

(singing) "Dum-dum-da-dum. Dum-dum-da-dum."

"Do you take this boy to be your husband?"

"I do."

"Do you take this girl to be your wife?"

"I do."

"You may kiss."

"They are married now."

"Now they are going to have a baby."

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Birthday Hoopla!

2009-08-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Madison turned 7 today! We celebrated her birthday on Saturday (which also happened to be my birthday) with a Little Mermaid party. The kids had octopus hot dogs on green seaweed (Ramen) with goldfish crackers and blue kool-aid. Then they played in the sprinkler and threw water balloons. Josh and cousin Logan running up and down the hill.
We also had a very wet limbo contest...
Jordan opted for the duck walk method, complete with quacking.

... and a pinata.

And finally a Little Mermaid cake. Madison requested a strawberry cake with strawberry filling and strawberry buttercream. She was also adamant that Ariel be sitting on the top of it holding a seashell (complete with a pearl inside) and that Flounder had to be on the cake somewhere, too. Unfortunately, Ariel doesn't look quite like Ariel, but Madison was happy with how she looked (and that's what really matters)! Justin's sister, Michelle, and her two kids, Ana and Nik came all the way from the Denver area to visit this weekend, too. Justin's mom also came down from Panaca. Justin's brother, Andrew, and his family drove up from California on Saturday to see them. So we had a very full house! It was a lot of fun having them here! Madison especially loved having the cousins here to help celebrate her birthday (we ended up with 16 kids at her party)!

The kids and their cousins: Nik, Madison, Ana, Payton, Jordan, Millie, Logan and Joshua (4 week old Dallin was also here but didn't join in the photo shoot).

My amazing friend, Stacie, brought me a quilt for my birthday. It is so cute - all made of t-shirts that she got from Justin! There are t-shirts that my kids have worn, some of Justin's old t-shirts, and even the t-shirt from Girl's Camp the year I was a YW leader! And to top it off, she made it in less than a week - serious talent! THANK YOU STACIE!!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

2009-07-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Josh turned 2 today! It is hard to believe he is already 2 - it seems like just yesterday he was a tiny baby. But he is definitely acting like a two-year-old - he is constantly saying 'Mine' and 'Do it self'.'

We celebrated yesterday by having some friends over for pizza and cake and ice cream. Joshua didn't seem to quite understand what all the fuss was about, but he sure enjoyed all the attention and presents.

Moo, Baa, La La La by Sandra Boynton is Josh's favorite book. (If you have little kids and haven't read it, you really need to). He makes all the animal sounds and even insists on sleeping with the book. So I made him a 'La La' cake:

This is the picture from the last page of the book. It is all buttercream. The cake itself is a white cake with pink cherry filling.

Licking frosting off his finger...

Blowing out his candles. I love the intense look on his face!

Mmmm...

2009-07-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yummy chocolate pudding!

It's A Boy!!

2009-06-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

We found out on Wednesday we are having a boy!! My mom, sister Arianne and Madison came with us to the ultrasound. Madison was so excited to see the baby - he was yawning and wiggling a lot during the ultrasound - but she was a little disappointed to find out she is going to have another brother (she really, really wants a sister).

Happy Anniversary!

2009-06-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was our 10th anniversary. I can hardly believe we have been married for 10 years!

My wonderful mom flew down on Tuesday afternoon with my brother, Chris, and they and my sis, Arianne, helped Justin arrange a huge surprise for me. Justin took me out to dinner and then we went on a gondola ride at the Venetian and finally surprised me with a room my mom had gotten for us at the Venetian. My mom watched the kids for the night and Justin and I had a wonderful time. He is such a great guy! I love you Justin!

My mom had to fly back home on Thursday evening - I wish she could have stayed longer! Thanks Mom for everything!! You are amazing!!

I'll bring the cake...

2009-05-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Warning! Super long post!!

This last week has really kicked my butt! I have spent the last few weeks working on flowers and decorations for my step-brother Phil's wedding cake. In the midst of all that I started out this week by making a 1st birthday cake for the daughter of some of Justin's high school friends. I didn't have time to get a very good picture of it, so this is a picture I stole off their blog:

Last weekend was also our Stake's Father and Sons Campout, so Justin took the boys to that on Friday night. Madison helped me finish up the cake and then I took her to Applebees for dinner - she loves Applebees! The next morning I made crepes for her (she ate more than I did) and then we went shopping! We used the gift card she won from the book contest. She had the hardest time deciding what books to spend it on, but finally settled on a couple more books in the fairy series she is reading and also a book from a new princess series. We also got her some new shorts and some ribbon to decorate her new shirts and made what was supposed to be a quick stop at Costco. We were quickly reminded why I never go to Costco on Saturday - UGH! We spent the rest of Saturday (and part of Sunday) doing laundry and trying to finish up stuff for the wedding cake.

Monday morning I got Madison off to school and then Jordan, Joshua and I headed up to Utah. Everyone was so worried about me driving up to Utah by myself with the boys. My mom even offered to fly someone down to drive back up with me. All in all, the trip went really well, aside from the road construction traffic in South Salt Lake and the throwing up just 30 minutes from my mom's house (why, oh why did I give Josh a banana when I couldn't watch to make sure he didn't shove the entire thing in his mouth all at once...).

I spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday and half of Thursday standing in my mom's gorgeous kitchen baking and decorating the wedding cake and cutting up fruit for the luncheon. Luckily, my mom's neighbor has a little boy that is Jordan's age. They played together all day on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Jordan was completely entertained while I decorated! I had a few minor catastrophe's with the cake, but luckily was able to fix all of them.

Thursday afternoon I loaded up the boys and the cake and drove (cringing every time a hit a bump in the road) all they way down to Draper for the luncheon and reception. The reception was held in a beautifully decorated greenhouse. I got the cake done just as the reception was starting. It had a few minor flaws (most of which I'm sure no one but me noticed), but overall I was happy with the way it turned out. Plus Phil and his new wife Chelsea seemed to love it!

The bottom tier was white chocolate cake with strawberry mousse filling and white chocolate almond buttercream. The middle tier was dark chocolate cake with dulce de leche filling and marshmallow buttercream. The top tier was cardamom spice cake with peach filling and cream cheese icing. All three tiers were covered in white chocolate fondant with handmade gumpaste orchids and kumquats.

Jordan and Josh enjoying the delicious ice cream at the reception.

Jordan playing with my brother Daniel, his adorable girlfriend Amy, and my brother Michael.

Phil and Chelsea cutting the cake.

Friday we spent washing dishes and tableclothes, putting away all the decorations from the luncheon, and cleaning my mom's kitchen (which I'm sure has never been that messy before - thanks for letting me use your kitchen all week Mom!). I also made my little sis, Maren, a cake for her 12th birthday! (Forgot to get a pic of it - oops)

Saturday, the boys and I drove all the way home... completely exhausted! My feet and legs still ache from being on them for so many days straight. I am really glad I don't have much going on this next week because I think it is going to take me a few more days to completely recover.

While we were gone, Justin and Madison rode bikes, went to the park, played Barbies (what a good dad!), watched movies, cleaned the house and went to the water park. Madison really missed Jordan and was so excited to have him come home.

Our Award-Winning Author

2009-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Madison! Her school had a book writing contest and she entered. They announced the winners this morning and she won!! She got an award certificate and a $20 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. It was so fun to watch her face as they read her book to a multipurpose room full of people. She was beaming! Here is her book (sorry - the scans don't do her pictures justice):

A Bird by Madison Hansen

Once upon a time there was a bird.

One day it flew to it's friends house. (The bird on the bottom is saying "Come on!")

The bird had so much fun at his friends house. (The bird at the bottom is saying, "It's so much fun!")

That night he had a sleep over at his friends house. The end!

Easter and Spring Break Excitement

2009-04-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We were all sick for Easter this year (except for Justin), so we are a few days late with this post. Here are some pics of the kids coloring Easter eggs:

Hunting for eggs:

We spent Spring Break up in Utah this year. We had tons of fun hanging out with all my family (except we didn't get to see Daniel). We went and saw Monsters vs. Aliens, hung out with the family, played in the backyard. But the biggest thing we did was throw my Mom a surprise birthday party with all her family and neighbors. Anyone who knows my Mom knows she is impossible to surprise, but somehow we managed to do it! Arianne, Mike Vause and I worked hard planning it for weeks beforehand. A special thanks to them for all they did! Jordan almost gave the surprise away - he told my Mom, "It's your birthday and it's a surprise!" When she asked what the surprise was Madison told her, "We're not telling you." Luckily I overheard and intervened before she could pry the secret out of them. Jordan also told her that she was turning a big number, but that in four years she was turning a really, really big number! You gotta love kids! Happy Birthday Mom!! We love you!

My Mom had to work on Monday and Tuesday. She felt so bad that she wasn't there to entertain us, so she kept trying to give us things to do so she wouldn't be bored. Little did she know, I (with tons and tons of help from Justin) was spending those two days baking her birthday cake! I got started both mornings as soon as she left and then we would hurry and get it all cleaned up and hidden away just before she got home. She kept teasing us for being so pooped when all we'd done is spend the whole day hanging out doing nothing!

It turned out pretty well I think. And it was so delicious! - Dark chocolate cake, marshmallow and dulce de leche fillings, covered in chocolate ganache and chocolate fondant!

Happy Birthday Mamah!

2009-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my amazing mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom and Mamah! We love you!

Happy Birthday Granny!

2009-04-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Justin's Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Granny! We Love You!

I've been picture tagged...

2009-03-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks Arianne! This is the 6th picture in the 6th picture folder on my computer...

This is Josh at 8 days old. What a cutie!

...and the 6 people I tag are: Stacie, Brenda, Dana, Emily, Jessica, and Melissa.

March Madness

2009-03-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been crazy! Here are a few of the highlights:

Josh loves hats! It doesn't matter what kind of hat it is or who it belongs to, if he finds it he just has to put it on.

Josh also had his follow-up appointment for his ears this week. Everything looks great!

Jordan went missing for a few minutes last Saturday and this is where we found him - atop the block wall. Mind you, this is above my head. Apparently he climbed up this old chainlink gate:

I have done a lot of caking lately! These are cupcakes I made for Enrichment Night. They are chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow buttercream and chocolate butterflies. Dawn Esplin came over and helped me make the butterflies. We had a lot of fun making them and she was surprised at how easy they are to make!

This is the cake I made for Stacie Miner's birthday today (Happy Birthday Stac!). It is White Velvet cake with strawberry buttercream and white chocolate fondant.

I made another cake this week for a friend's 21st birthday, but it was kind of last minute and I was so unhappy with the way it turned out that I refused to even take a picture. Hopefully it at least tasted good!

I took on another piano student this month - I now have three students (plus my own kids and hubby). I am hoping to find one more student to teach, so if you know of anyone who wants to learn just let me know.

Justin and I also both donated blood last week. Justin donates blood and platelets regularly, but this is the first time I have donated in probably 8 years. Last time I donated I had forgotten to eat breakfast (I had an early morning class) and did not react well to giving blood - really I couldn't even sit up for hours without getting dizzy. Because of that I have been nervous to donate again, but this time I had no problems.

This week was spirit week at Madison's school. Here she is on Crazy Hair Day: (it's kind of hard to tell, but there are 11 ponytails in her hair!)

Madison was also honored as a Straight A Student at her school this last week. Good job Mad!

I am really hoping the next few weeks are a little calmer, but I'm not holding my breath!

Surgery Update

2009-02-27T11:08:00.001-08:00

We are back home after Joshua's surgery. Everything went great with no complications! Joshua wasn't too happy before surgery - he had a fit when they wanted to put the little clip on his finger to check his oxygen level (of course a few minutes later he was wanting to play with it), he was extremely annoyed by the ID band they put around his ankle, and he was really not happy when I had to hand him off to the doctors. But even with all that, he still charmed all the nurses. They kept saying they might have to steal him and take him home because he is so cute. We are glad to have this over with and are really hoping it makes a big difference. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Surgery

2009-02-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Joshua's ear infections have been back with a vengeance this winter. So tomorrow morning he is getting tubes put in his ears. I know it's a relatively simple and low-risk procedure, but I am still a little nervous about it. Although, it will definitely be nice to not have him sick all the time. We are also hoping it will help with his speech, since he is not talking quite as much or as clearly as he should be. I am also not looking forward to him having to fast - he can't eat or drink anything after bedtime. He really likes to eat and the first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning is tell us he wants to eat. Luckily his surgery is first thing in the morning and we won't have to deal with a hungry, cranky boy for too long! Please pray for him - that the surgery will go well and that this will prevent any more ear infections - and I'll let you know how it goes.

Reading!

2009-02-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

Jordan has learned how to read! We have been working a little bit over the past few months with him on his sounds and decoding words (figuring out what sounds are at the beginning, middle, and end of words). I knew he was getting really good at it, but I didn't realize how good until the other day. I overheard Madison asking him how to spell simple words - cat, dog, etc. - and he was able to easily spell them! So I pulled out a few easy reader books and with just a little help he was able to read them! Now all he wants to do is read. This morning he actually read some books to Josh - so much fun!

Sleep?

2009-02-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Jordan somehow manages to sleep...

... with all this under his pillow.

Comfy? I think not.

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2009-01-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was Jordan's 4th birthday. He had been eagerly anticipating it for weeks. He was so excited he couldn't even wait until after breakfast to open his presents. He also got to move out of his toddler bed into a big kid bed.

Yesterday we had a party for him with some of his friends from Sunbeams and preschool. His favorite show right now is Sid the Science Kid on PBS (he loves it so much Santa brought him a magnifying glass so he could be just like Sid). So we had a science party - we used magnifying glasses to observe things, played What's That Smell, went on a texture hunt, made applesauce (and then ate it!), and estimated the number of plastic bugs in an estimation jar.

When I asked him last week what kind of cake he wanted he told me strawberry - strawberry cake, strawberry filling and strawberry frosting. Then I asked him what color he wanted his frosting to be. He looked at me funny and then said, "Mom, strawberrys are pink." Of course - what was I thinking? So that's what he got (under the pretty blue fondant of course).

On a side note: The other night (about 3:30 AM) Jordan wakes up and comes into our room. He tells Justin, "Dad I peed my jammies a little bit, but not my bed." Justin asks him how he managed to not pee his bed. Jordan immediately says, "Magic." He totally cracks me up sometimes!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

I know it's a tad late, but Merry Christmas everyone! Here are some of the pics from our Christmas activities: Visiting Santa at the Cactus Garden - Josh was not happy about being put on Santa's lap.

Christmas Eve in new matching pajamas from Mamah and Popi.

Madison's favorite princess - Ariel. Thanks Granny!

Lots of new Kid K'nex - hours of fun for the kids (and parents)!

Isn't this the best way to open a present?

Bowling with Mamah and Popi and most of the aunts and uncles on New Years Eve! We had so much fun! Jordan insisted that stomping (see the picture in the top right-hand corner) makes your ball go faster, further and hit more pins... it was quite entertaining to watch.

Madison lost 2 teeth over Christmas break!

Snow Day!!

2008-12-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it snowed in Henderson! And not just a little bit - we ended up with 5 inches at our house!!! It took Justin 3 hours to get home (it normally takes him about 30 minutes). The kids loved watching the snow falling outside the front window. And they especially loved playing in it. I was planning on finishing my Christmas shopping last night, but decided only crazy people would try to go out in the storm.

Earlier in the day the kids (Madison didn't have school because of parent-teacher conferences) convinced me to take them to the park. They had a lot of fun even though it was SO COLD and we ended up coming home after about half an hour because it starting raining. The rain turned to snow about an hour later.

Joshua wasn't too sure about the snow. He was fascinated by it, but did not want to walk through it and didn't like it when it stuck to his gloves or coat.

Madison and Jordan had a snowball fight and then built this tiny little snowman. They named him Frosty.

The snow is the really wet and heavy kind and we went through every jacket, coat and pair of mittens we have for the kids (we aren't especially prepared for this kind of weather). They also soaked through their tennis shoes. Last night I had to throw everything in the dryer so they would have shoes and coats for today. School was cancelled all around the Las Vegas Valley. Madison was really excited to be able to stay home and play today.

Later Justin made this great big snowman. I love his bucket hat!

We still can't believe we got this much snow, but we sure have been enjoying this very rare sight in Henderson. Isn't it beautiful?

December Madness

2008-12-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

The last week has been super busy for us. We did a lot of fun things, but I am looking forward to a week that is not quite so busy! We started out by making gingerbread men for Family Home Evening last week. The kids had a lot of fun covering them with sprinkles and making a huge mess!

Then we spent the next 3 days making, decorating and delivering ornament cupcakes to our neighbors, friends and the kids' teachers. We ended up making 170 of them! I didn't get a whole lot of sleep for those 3 days, but it was worth it because they turned out so cute and were yummy too! Madison and Jordan loved delivering them and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

Madison made the Sparkler Cheer Team at her school (I think I forgot to blog about that in September). There were over 100 girls that tried out for the team and only 30 made it! On Saturday they marched in the Henderson Winter Parade. It was a little bit cold and windy, but the girls did fabulous! They were so cute!

Watching the parade...

After the parade, Justin and I went to his work Christmas party at an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse - Yummy! The girl we got to babysit just turned 12 and hasn't been babysitting for very long. We were a little nervous leaving Josh with her because we were afraid he would spend the whole time crying (he's a little bit of a momma's boy), but he only cried for a few minutes and she did a great job! Jordan must have had a lot of fun playing with her because after I left to take her home he wanted to know if we could invite her over for a sleepover! He's such a funny kid.

Finally, last night for Family Home Evening we made gingerbread houses (really just graham cracker houses). Josh ate all his frosting and candy - not a single piece made it on his house - and enjoyed every minute of it.

Jordan filling his house with "people".

All the "people" in his house!

Our Gingerbread Village

Madison's Academic Award

2008-12-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Madison received an award today at school for having straight A's - she was one of only 3 from her class to get this award. Along with a certificate she got a bumper sticker (lucky mom and dad) and a gift certificate for a free kids meal at Applebees. We are really proud of her for working so hard!

Sorry about the pic - our camera doesn't do well in the gym's fabulous lighting. Madison is on the left in the front row. Her teacher, Mrs. Leonard, is standing behind all the kids and the principal, Dr. Larson, is on the right in front of the kids.

Family Pictures

2008-12-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

We finally (after talking about it for months) got family pictures taken! Yay! Grandparents can expect copies as part of their Christmas.

Our Little Family

Madison (quite the little poser)

Jordan (don't you love his mischievous grin!)

Josh (he wasn't too happy to be getting his pictures taken, but

we managed to get a few cute shots)

Our 3 Little Monsters

Thankful

2008-11-27T15:20:00.000-08:00

Last year we decided to create a thankful tree during the month of November, writing things we are thankful for on the leaves of a tree. We enjoyed it so much we decided to do it again this year. A special thanks to everyone who helped make our thankful tree so big and colorful this year. A few of the things we are thankful for this year: underpants (Jessica Murdock), opposable thumbs (Justin), going to Chuck-E-Cheeses (Jordan), my new piano (Beth), spoons (Jordan), the earth (Madison), Cougar football (Dustin Duckett), tables to dance on (Joshua), a Democratic president boosting gun sales (Mike Vause), Cherry Coke (Arianne Duckett), the Gospel (Renea Hansen), my school and my classmates (Madison), cake (Beth), holidays and family (Maren Holladay), email and cellphones (Janet Vause), my kids (Jacque McQuaid), food (Larry Hansen), eternal marriage (Phil Vause), and Jesus (Jordan). Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Cake Brag

2008-11-23T20:03:00.000-08:00

Those of you who hate blogs that brag should immediately stop reading... I am just so excited about and of proud of my latest cake and can't help bragging about it.

Our friends, the Mitchells, were able to have their kids sealed to them last Friday in the St. George Temple. Huge Congrats to them!!! Justin went, but I wasn't able to because we didn't have anyone to watch the kids. Well, I really wanted to do something for them, so, of course, I made them a cake. It was so much fun! It gave me the opportunity to try a new technique (I have been dying to try it for weeks now) and I am so excited about the way it turned out! It is called a Frozen Buttercream Transfer, and basically it lets you recreate almost any image on your cake in buttercream. It took me 5 hours just to create the picture of the St. George Temple, plus time to bake, fill and ice the cake itself (cake decorating is definitely a time-consuming hobby)! Anyways... enough bragging. Let me know what you think!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T19:23:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of fun this Halloween! We went to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat and then went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with some friends. When Josh realized that people were putting candy in his bag he started giggling and trying to grab the candy out of the bowls himself. The kids really enjoyed being pirates - saying 'aarrgh' and brandishing their swords. Justin and I had fun dressing up too (although I wished I had worn a short-sleeved shirt - it was 75 degrees and we were all way too warm!).

"Captain Slobbers"

"Captain Eyepatch"

"Captain LooseTooth"

Our Pirate Family

Our yummy mummy cupcakes! (Key Lime Cupcakes filled with Key Lime Mousse and covered in buttercream bandages)

Stop Growling Monster

2008-10-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is Justin doing this post. I thought I would preface with that.

We went to Utah last weekend to attend the baby blessing of Beth's sister Arianne. The day we left to go up Jordan decided to run a fever. We didn't want to get the baby sick so I took Jordan up to Beth's mom's house to spend the night.

I woke up in the middle of the night to Jordan yelling, "Stop growling at me, monster!!"

I asked him what was going on and he said that there was a monster in the room growling at him. I asked if he wanted to get in bed with me and he did.

About an hour later he wakes me up again asking me why I am growling like a monster. I guess I was snoring and it sounded like a monster.

I have to say, I am pretty impressed with the boy because he didn't back down from that monster. He confronted that monster and told it to stop growling at him. What a tough kid.

Llamas speak Spanish

2008-10-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

Conversation between Justin and the kids:
Kids: "Dad, what do llamas say?"
Justin: (not wanting to admit he has no clue) "Llamas say the same thing camels say - only in Spanish."
Kids: "So what does it sound like?"
Justin: "I don't know - I don't speak Spanish."

Justin's Birthday

2008-10-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Justin's birthday was last week (sorry I didn't post about it sooner - we've been without internet for the whole week). We had a few friends over and Justin's parents were also able to come down to help us celebrate. It was lots of fun! Here's Justin wearing his new football jersey and holding his cake:

Masterpiece

2008-09-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

So, I walked into the playroom last night and discovered this beautiful work of art created by Madison and Jordan...

Quite the little Van Goghs, aren't they?

Zachary's Baptism

2008-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

We got to attend our nephew Zachary McQuaids baptism this weekend in Panaca. It was a lot of fun to have almost all the family together - Andrew and Em and kids came up from CA and Michelle and Nikolai even flew in from CO. The kids had a blast running around with their cousins all weekend. I want to let Zachary know how proud we are of him for choosing to get baptized. Thanks to Renea for the pictures - I forgot our camera.

Zach's baseball cake!

Preschool!

2008-09-10T16:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Jordan's first day of preschool. He absolutely loved it! He was so excited to have his own little Cars backpack. He is so independent and had no problem saying 'see ya, Mom!' I was a little sad to see him go, but I do have to admit it was pretty nice to have a couple hours of quiet (Josh's nap time corresponds perfectly with preschool)! Anyway, here is Jordan looking all cute and ready for school:

Sand, Sun & Seashells

2008-09-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fun weekend in Coronado. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

The kids in the big hole they dug.

Playing in the waves.

Justin boogie-boarding.

A very, very sandy Joshua having a blast at the beach. It took two baths and a swim in the hotel pool just to get all the sand out of his hair and ears!

First Day of School!!

2008-08-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today was Madison's 1st day of school. She was so excited! Her first grade teacher is Mrs. Leonard. She sounds like a really fun teacher - in their classroom they have a frog, a snake, tadpoles, a gecko and crayfish. One of her best friends from her kindergarten class is in her class this year too - yeah! Jordan was really sad when she left for school, and even sadder when we reminded him as he was getting ready this morning that his preschool doesn't start for two more weeks.

Craziness

2008-08-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a whirlwind of a trip to Utah. In 10 days we had my birthday, helped my grandparents move, went to my 10-year high school reunion, celebrated Madison's 6th birthday, spent a day at Hogle Zoo, threw Arianne a baby shower, and had my Grandpa and Grandma Pippin's 50th Wedding Anniversary party. It was a lot of fun, but I think I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!

I can hardly believe Madison is 6 now - she is growing up too fast! She was adamant that her cake and filling be chocolate and that there was chocolate in the pinata (a girl after my own heart). She also wanted her cake to be a Barbie cake and her pinata to be a heart, so, of course, that is what she got. Justin was amazing and helped me glue all the little crepe paper squares on the pinata.

A bunch of our big and crazy family helping us celebrate Madison's birthday!

Dark Chocolate Cake with Crazy Crunchy Filling, Marshmallow Creme Buttercream and Marshmallow Fondant.

We had a ton of fun at the zoo! Here we are (my mom, my brother Christopher, my sister Maren, Justin, me, Madison, Jordan and Joshua) in front of the Elephant Encounter. My brother Daniel and his girlfriend Amy surprised us and showed up a little later. Madison and Jordan were a kind of afraid of this big metal elephant because it made noise. It took us a while to convince them to stand that close to it to take a picture.

Posing with the cute baby giraffe.

All of us waiting to ride the zoo train.

My gorgeous sister at her baby shower. Her baby boy is due on September 12th. She is going to be such a cute mommy and her husband Dustin is going to be a fabulous daddy!

I spent 2 days in Ariannes kitchen helping her fill her freezer with meals for after the baby is born and making the cake and cupcakes for her shower. One of her favorite desserts is angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream, so I made her a fluffy white cake with strawberry filling (even the cupcakes were filled). It was a lot of fun making the little shoes and the little baby sleeping on the football for the top of this cake!

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary Grandpa & Grandma Pippin!

My grandparents never got a wedding cake, so I made this cake (and 6 serving cakes) for them for their anniversary party. Dark Chocolate Cake with Dulce De Leche Filling and Buttercream Icing. Very rich and yummy!! Mike Vause took leftovers to work the next day and got me a marriage proposal. Justin wasn't too keen about that and was ready to go down and defend my honor... lol!

Josh turns 1!

2008-07-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

It's official! Joshua is not a baby anymore! He is now a walking, talking, one-year-old! Saturday was his first birthday. I can hardly believe he is one already - the past year has just flown by! Granny and Papa (Justin's parents), Aunt Jacque and our friends, Sam, Stacie, John, Allie and Ginny Miner all came to help us celebrate his birthday.

Josh also starting walking this last week! It is so cute seeing him toddling around, chasing after Madison and Jordan. He is still a litte unsteady on his feet, but he is getting faster and steadier everyday and it won't be long before he can actually keep up with them.

Joshua's birthday cake! The bottom layer was a white velvet cake with strawberry filling and the middle layer and cupcake were dark chocolate cake with a dulce de leche filling - all covered in marshmallow creme buttercream. Yummy!

He wasn't quite sure what to think of the cake at first...

but he definitely decided he loved it after we gave him the whole cupcake to eat!

Opening presents. For some reason he really liked this card and kept picking it up to 'read' it.

Jordan clowning around with Aunt Jacque!

Camping

2008-07-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

We went camping at Eagle Valley this last weekend and then spent a couple of days with Justin's parents in Panaca. It's been a while since we have been up to see them, so it was nice to spend a few days up there. The kids found Justin and Andrew's old scooters and skateboards and had a blast trying to figure out how to ride them.

Joshua's first camping trip! He was completely covered in dirt only 5 minutes after we got there.

Madison's fish! She reeled her fish in all by herself and then couldn't wait to eat it for dinner that night.

Jordan relaxing after a long day of fishing and running around. He has had his glasses for a month now and is finally getting used to wearing them. Isn't he cute?

Swimming at the Spring with Granny. Josh loves water and couldn't wait to get in. Madison and Jordan took a some convincing - they were a little afraid of the tadpoles and tiny fish.

Josh fell off of Jordan's lap while we were camping and landed right on his nose in the dirt. He ended up with a mouth and nose full of dirt and he skinned his forehead and nose up pretty good. Now I can't beep his nose (which he thinks is hilarious!) for a few days...

We've got a climber! Nothing is safe now!

As many of you know, Josh has had persistant ear infections since December. We finally got in to see the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist a couple weeks ago. He still has fluid in his ears, but hasn't had an infection in about 2 months, so we are going to hold off on ear tubes for now. Josh loves being in the water and ear tubes would have meant no swimming and no playing in the bathtub for at least a month, so we are glad he doesn't have to get them right now. If he gets another ear infection (there's a good chance of that once it gets cold again) we will go ahead and schedule the surgery. Cross your fingers that his ears will stay clear!

Madison's Dance Review

2008-05-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Madison's end-of-year dance review was last night. She was so cute!! Afterwards, Justin gave her a big, colorful bunch of tiny little roses. She was so excited to get them and had to show them off to all the other dancers. These videos were just taken on my digital camera, so the quality isn't fabulous, but it's better than nothing.

This is her jazz performance to 'The Best of Both Worlds.' Madison is the short one on the end. It's really too bad that this is a little washed out and you can't see her facial expressions - they were hilarious. They have been practicing this dance for most of the year -Madison would come home from dance every week singing this song - and it was fun to finally see them perform it.

This is her tap performance of 'School Days.' Again, she is the little one on the end... Please pardon the jumpy filming - I had a very wiggly Joshua on my lap.

She also had a ballet performance to 'Alice Blue Gown.' Unfortunately, between a wiggly Josh on my lap and Jordan getting stuck in the chair next to me and needing help, the video is mostly of the floor, ceiling and other people's heads. Justin also recorded it on our video camera, but I don't have the software (or the know-how) to transfer them to my computer. So, I'll have to wait to post this performance until he remembers to bring his laptop home from the office.

Welcome!!

2008-05-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

We are finally joining the blogging world! I've been thinking for a few months now that this would be a great way to keep all our out-of-town family and friends up to date on our crazy lives. Coming up with a name for our blog has been challenging. Anything with the name Hansen in it was already taken, so we had to be creative. On Sundays, while getting ready for church, Justin likes to tell Jordan that he is going to 'get the chicks' because he look so handsome. One Sunday, Madison declared that she was also going to get the chicks. We explained to her that chicks are girls, so only Jordan could get the chicks. She thought about that for a minute and then announced, "I'm going to get the roosters!" We have laughed about that for almost two years now and thought it would be a cute name for our blog.