The Children's Museum

 On New Year's Eve day we took the kids to the Children's Museum in Pheonix. My sister Ashley knows a lady that works there and was able to get us, along with Her and David and Lexie in for free.  WE weren't sure what to expect before we got there, but we certainly were not disappointed!! The kids pretty much ran around like crazy and we just followed them. There were even a few things that kept us adults entertained and laughing right along with the kids. 

 One of our favorites was a maze made of swimming noodles. We ran back and forth through that a million times. 

The store what the higlight. I think it's the only reason Lexie came. She was just as excited as the kids were to play in it. They went shopping several times and had fun being the cashier. It was definitely the most popular spot and those carts were hard to come by. 

The Art room was one of my favorites. They had a huge rocket that kids could paint, what I am sure was the color of the day. I can't even imagine how many coats of paints are on that thing.

This picture kills me. The art room also had a puppet theather. Kylie jumped in there and put on a show for us and then begged for Jeremy and David to get in. Jeremy REALLY didn't want to and tried every excuse not to get in there...until he noticed the puppet had a tongue!! And that was it. It didn't take anymore convincing after that. He jumped right behind that curtain as fast has he could and him and David put on quite the show!! We had a good laugh that's for sure. I think it's obvious to say we all had a good time.

Snow Fun

On Monday we packed up whoever could go and headed up to Show Low to play in the snow. The kids were super excited! They LOVE the cabin and the snow is a blast for them.

 They were especially intrigued by the huge icicles hanging off the house. Jeremy tried to break big ones off for them, but it was a pretty solid piece of ice.

 We don't come well equipped for this type of weather so after a trip into town to get some snow gear we took off on the Rhino named Roxy with sleds and a snowboard in tow.

We pulled two sleds and a snowboarder along the back roads behind the cabin and the kids had an absolute BLAST!! I was shocked how long they rode those sleds. It was so funny to watch them.

They hung on for dear life and laughed during the whole ride. There were several times we hit really soft snow it would spray them in the face, but they didn't care.  They would just lick it off and keep riding.

We got pretty wild a few times. Ashley had Kylie on her back and Jase rode Jeremy with David on the snow board and we tore up those roads.

 Look at those tongues. Like father, like son!

We even talked my parents into a ride and got going pretty fast with them on the back.

Jeremy thought he'd show off his mad sledding skills and gave us a pretty good show.

 The next day we went back out for more and took to the sled hills.  My dad and I went back in to town for drier gloves and all we could find were pink ones in Jase's size. He didn't care though, he was just happy to have warm dry hands. And despite the look on his face, he really did love sledding down the hill.

And of course so did Kylie.

We definitely had a good time!! It's fun to get away and spend time doing something we normal don't get to do.

The Tale of a Loose Tooth

Did you happen to notice Kylie's front tooth that hung a good two inches (ok... maybe not quite) below the other in this picture?

Well, here's a close up.

Kylie is extremely freaked out about having her teeth pulled. I don't blame her, I really hate loose teeth also.  She doesn't mind when they are loose she just doesn't want anyone coming near it once its very ready to come out.  This tooth was BEYOND ready to come out! She would breath and it would flutter back and forth. When she would sleep it would fall back and her gum was starting to bruise. It looked really sore, but she insisted it didn't hurt and clearly didn't mind the fluttery tooth.  We did EVERYTHING we could think of to bribe her into letting someone pull it out. My mom offered her twenty bucks, we told her Santa would bring her a extra gift, or the tooth fairy would bring extra money. My mom promised her she would get out the Easy Bake Oven and make a cake with her once it was out, which actually intrigued Kylie the most, but still not a enough to pull it.  So after spending a day trying to entice her with anything we could think of and it only frustrating her to tear on a few occasions she went to bed on christmas eve with that darn tooth still attached. 

But we had a plan:

The second that girl fell asleep the tooth was coming out! We waited and waited and waited and finally she fell asleep. So Jeremy went in plugged her nose so she would open her mouth, and pulled that tooth that was  laying on it's side. She didn't even flinch!! She shut her mouth back up and that was it. We debated what to with it next, but since we were sure she would probably be mad at us for pulling it we decided to leave it on her pillow for her to discover in the morning. 

We were all, including her I am sure, very relived to finally have it out. She was actually really excited the next day to discover it on her pillow. And I have to say I can not get over how CUTE she looks with out it.  Her smile is darling and she a cute little lisp to go with it.  It was a happy day  and not only because it was Christmas.

Grandma lived up to her end of the deal and they spent Christmas afternoon cleaning up and baking a cake in the Easy Back Oven. 

She served it on the tea set she plays with at Grandma and Grandpa's and that tiny little bite was actually pretty good. Between that and the $2 bill the tooth fairy left she was one happy little girl without that tooth. 

Christmas Morning

It was finally the day we had been waiting for, Christmas morning!! Jase had a rough night sleep and we were all pretty tired, but that didn't stop us from waking up as early as possible to see what Santa brought. Traditionally al the kids have to wait at the top of stairs while mom and dad ooo and ahh over all the gifts and then when we got permissions we ran down as fast as we could. Kylie, Jase and Alex were lucky enough to wait on the bottom landing so they would be plowed over by all the bigger kids (ie my siblings)

 The kids were excited to see that Santa did in fact come despite the fact we weren't at our own home and we also forgot to leave him a treat! I didn't take a ton of pictures I think because I was too caught up in enjoying the moment. 

 Our plan was to get up early enough to open Santa's presents, head off to 8 o'clock church,come home eat my dad's famous french toast breakfast and then finish opening the rest of the gifts, and that's just what we did.

 I loved having Christmas on Sunday! It made it the perfect day. My parents ward had a beautiful program which the kids both got in a nice power during so they were ready to face the rest of their day.

After all the gifts were open the rest of day was spent low key in our pajamas playing with toys and relaxing. My mom put on a nice Christmas dinner and we ended the day visiting with extended family.

On a fun side note: My sisters and I made the Christmas card my Grandma sent out this year. This is a picture similar to the one she used. My grandma always chooses a fun picture with her and some of are kids or grandkids or great-grandkids and we were lucky enough this year to be chosen. My Grandma is one AMAZING lady so I feel extremely honored!

Christmas was a success! I think everyone seem to walk away pretty happy, I know I did.  I got some really fun, thoughtful things I am very excited about!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

We headed back down to AZ for Christmas this year.  We have been looking forward to this for a long time and kids couldn't believe it was finally time to have Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We left Friday night after work to make sure we were there  for the tradition breakfast with Dad/Grandpa we have every Christmas Eve. It was something my parents started when we were really young as an excuse to wake us up early so we would go to sleep easier that night. 

We told my family that we would tell them on Christmas whether we were having a boy or girl and of course they talked us into tell in them on Christmas eve rather than waiting until the next day. I made a deal with them if we told them, they had to give him/her a gift for Christmas. They all agreed and most did. 

We came home from breakfast and Kylie opened a gift that relieved that we are having a GIRL!!! She was really really hoping for a baby sister and was really excited about it after she opened it and saw the pink. (Side note: I went on Christmas vacation without my camera sim card! I CAN NOT believe I did that so I borrowed my mom's camera, but clearly had a hard time figuring it out at first!) Se carried the outfit around for awhile and  planned out which pair of socks would go with each onsie. Everyone had a really fun reaction and it was definitely worth the wait to surprise them!

Later that evening my  parents invited all the family over for dinner and a program. 

We were also surprised by a special visitor!! Santa came for one last visit. He said it was just starting his Arizona route, but decided he wanted to come see us first. Kylie thought that was so cool. She said that Santa must have thought they were really special. 

 Some of the kids didn't like him as much as the others, but Kylie and Jase seemed to know what to do. They both hoped right up on his lap without hesitation to make sure they got in any final requests. He was a very fun Santa and we all had a good time with him!!

After he left we acted out the nativity and lucky (I guess you would call it lucky) for us we don't have too many little kids so my mom got a hold of some adult costumes and we all had a chance to participate!...well actually I didn't participate in the actual nativity, but I did organized it all.

After the party was over we opened our PJs and headed to bed. I didn't get a picture, but it's another tradition of ours to all sleep in the same room on Christmas eve night. So all those that could, slept over and we all piled into my little sisters' room. It was wall to wall air mattresses and super fun except for the snoring men in the room. (Maybe that means your too old for stuff like that when snoring is involved!!) It was still fun to hang out before we all fell asleep though.

Pictures Say a Thousand Words

Photo courtesy of Kourtney Jackson

Ok well, this picture has words, but the looks on their faces pretty much say it all!!

Come the end of May we'll be a party of 5! It's been a long hard road full of disappointments, tears, prayers, fasting, doctor appointments, medications, diet changes, running and nasty herbs, but we couldn't be more excited for a healthy, growing baby with a strong heartbeat. We've been hesitant to share our news because of a few scares we had in the beginning, and I can't help but to have a minor nervous panic attacks right before every doctor appointment in fear that I will go and find there isn't a heartbeat, but so far everything is looking great! We even found out the gender last friday at my appointment, but we're keeping that a secret until Christmas!

We couldn't feel more blessed and are truly grateful for this chance to bring a new baby into our family.  Kylie can't hardly wait and insists it must be a sister. Jase doesn't really have a clue what is going on, but when it's brought up he likes to pull up his shirt and show me the "scarf" on his belly.

I'm one of the lucky ones that doesn't really experience morning sickness. I'll feel a little queazy sometimes during the day, but it's nothing I can't function with. My biggest problem is my energy level. I seriously can't get enough sleep and if it wasn't for two crazy kids I just might spend my days in bed. We are hoping the next 5 months pass quickly and with the plan and precautions my doctor has set into place I am pretty confident we won't be meeting this baby any sooner than May.

Felix Family Christmas Party

Last night we had the chance to get together with Jeremy's family for our Felix Family Christmas Party. Our house in St. George is sort of a central point for everyone coming from either Cedar or Mesquite so we offered up our home for the festivities. Our kids were bouncing off the wall all day in anticipation of all their cousins.  They absolutely love any chance they get together with all of them.

Grandma and Grandpa brought all the fixing to make fun trains and air planes out of candy. The kids of course thought that was so fun. Jase being a train lover and Kylie being a candy lover made it an all around win-win situation for both of them. 

 Then we managed to settle the kids down  long enough to get a few bite in them before they were too distracted by all the commontion and the anticipation of present opening.

We took an updated (for now anyway) picture of all the kids and then Grandma Felix read us a Christmas story about Jesus's birth and gave all the kids a little statue of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.

Then finally it was time to open presents! Each year the cousins draw names and we have a big gift exchange along with exchanging gifts among the adults. Everyone was pretty excited about what they got and we had a good time hanging out, playing and visiting for awhile.

Later, after dessert, we headed to the temple to enjoy the lights and the nativity. The kids were sad to leave and even sadder to see their cousins go. We love getting together with family and Jeremy and I both commented on the way home that we really should try to make a better effort of getting everyone together more often. We really don't live too far away (except Zane and Olivia in Provo) from each other and we really enjoy the times that we do.  It certainly was a great way to kick off the holidays and we're anxiously counting down the days until Christmas!  

So Tell Me

how many three year olds do you know that still sleep in a crib? As far a I know, I don't know of any and I wasn't going to let Jase be the first. So the night before his third birthday we switched Kylie and Jase's rooms around and he slept in a big bed for the first time. Call us lazy parents if you want, but he has been an amazing sleeper that has always laid right down in his crib, has never climbed out and often plays in the there for long periods of time in the morning or after naps. Why ruin a good thing especially when we haven't needed the crib for another baby? But three IS getting a little bit old and we are hoping to start the dreaded potty training soon and I certainly can not imagine a potty trained kid still in a crib. 

Doesn't the pink wall look nice with Jase's bedding? Obviously we have some repainting and decorating to do.

I'm excited to say he has made the transition beautifully. I put him in his bed at night or nap time and he yells for me when he is ready to get up.  This morning I finally went into his room about 10:30 to find him sitting up on his bed playing with his stuffed animals and yesterday after his nap he was calling for me and when I went in he was practically hanging off the edge of the bed, but he wouldn't get down. 

We'll see how long all of this lasts, but if this is any indication of how potty training is going to go that's going to be cake!! I have major doubts though. I have a feeling he is going easy on us now only to show us who's boss once the diaper comes off!  

Jase Turns 3

It's hard to believe my little baby is now three years old and even harder to believe that 

this boy 

looked like this exactly three years ago today.

I have family and friends tell me quite often they can't believe he was once a 3lb 6oz, 16in baby hooked up to crazy tubes and machines when they see the little boy he is now, and to be quite honest I often have a hard time making that connection as well. If it wasn't for his "scarf" as he calls it, there wouldn't be any reminders, except pictures.

I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for the little boy he has turned into. He is a wild little boy with crazy energy that know just what he wants, and always needs it right then! He loves the color green, (which he'll tell you, means go...and red means stop, just incase your wondering) he loves his bike and being outside. He loves nursery and asks almost every morning if it's Sunday.  He would never dream of wondering around with anything less than a shirt and pants/shorts. He MUST be dressed at all times! He loves pickles, peanut butter sandwiches, apples, bananas, Apples Jacks and chocolate milk. He is a crazy drinker and asks for one a hundred times a day. He's very particular about things too. He has to have his covers on his bed and then another blanket on top and that blanket must be perfectly laid out without any wrinkles before he'll settle down to go to sleep. He likes his hair combed and his shoes and socks on. He knows how to count, his colors, shapes and the ABC's. He is great at saying his prayers and gets extremely concerned if we forget to pray for President Monson. He's always asking what things mean and "why" questions are constant.  He definitely keeps us on our toes and most of all keeps us laughing. I can't imagine what life would be like if we hadn't been blessed enough to finally bring this little guy home after 54 long days. 

He's a strong little boy with an incredible spirit to match.  From the very beginning his spirit has always been WAY bigger than he has. I can't even begin to describe the overwhelming power and strength he possessed from the very beginning. I love him more than anything and feel completely humbled to be his mom. It's been an incredible three years and I can't wait for more!

Thanksgiving 2011

As I mentioned before Thanksgiving this year was spent in Arizona with all 72 members of my dad's side of the family. We felt bad for missing Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family this year, but we appreciate that they understood how important it was for us to be at this reunion. Every single family member was there which is extremely rare, but made it a great time!! Each day was filled with fun activities and plenty of time to catch up with everyone.  

Kylie finally had her much anticipated reunion with Tatum.  While Jase was at Primary Children's Hospital we stayed with Tatum and her family and these two became great little friends. Girls seem to dominate the Hansen family and several of them were born right around the time Kylie was which meant she was in heaven! She had a blast with all the kids for those three days. 

We, of course enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving dinner complete with the usual goodness.

We enjoyed activities such as Ashley and David's go-cart, a Minute to Win it game, a 5K and fun run, yoga, black friday shopping, murder in the dark, the car show, golfing, swimming, lots of eating and little sleep. 

We also had a neat family night that Kylie had a chance to participate in. She was assigned as ancestor to learn about and then drew a picture and told us about it. We also watched the traditional family video my mom and sister work so hard to make each reunion.

The last day of the reunion came way too soon, but was also picture day.

 We had one big family picture taken and then took a few pictures of our own. 

This reunion was something we have been excited for, for over a year and half and it ended all too soon, but I am grateful for the time we spent together and the memories we made. I am truly blessed to be part of such an amazing family and was reminded of that several time during the week.

Alright...Alright...

I got a bit distracted this last week being surrounded by so many family and busy with all the activities we had going on to take a few minutes and post each day. But that doesn't mean I forgot about all the things I am grateful for and being with family is always a reminder of millions of all those things. Here are a few things I thought about this week

*First and formost (and the most obvious) I am so grateful for my family!! I love coming home to visit them. We are always welcomed with open arms and a nice bed to stay in. I am grateful for their generosity and love for us. My parents are amazing examples of charity and selflessness. Watching them always makes me want to be a better person. I remember when I was young, I was convinced that when you became an adult you became perfect, and I think I learned that from watching my parents. I just knew they never made a mistake and always chose the right. 

*I am thankful for memories and the opportunity we have to not only make them, but sit around and reminisce about them.

*I am thankful for extended family. We had the rare opportunity to have every member of my dad's immediate family together this Thanksgiving. We're a pretty tight knit family and it was fun to see them all. Everyone's family's have grown and changed and with all the kids running around Kylie and Jase were in complete heaven. 

*I am thankful for my heritage and the generations and generations of church members I come from. I have a long line of amazing examples to follow and I couldn't be more blessed by that. Many family members came across the plains and sacrificed so much in our behalf. 

*I am also grateful for family videos. That may seem odd, but I LOVE them. I am so grateful my parents took the time and made the effort to get out the video camera and record our lives. I think it is so important and so fun to watch. They provide hours and hours of entertainment and remind us of the wonderful childhood we all had. I hope my children enjoy the appreciate their videos as much as I do. 

It was a great week of wonderful reminders of the many blessings we enjoy. I am so grateful for weeks like these and the love and memories that come with them. We truly are blessed! There is no doubt about that!

Day 19

Today I am thankful for a good reliable car that not only gets me where I need to go everyday, but it has also survived many long miles from here to Arizona countless times. I am thankful for car seats that keep my kids safe and DVD players that keep my kids entertained and I am thankful for kids who are good travelers. And last but certainly not least I am thankful we made it to AZ safe once again so we can enjoy a week of family and food and fun!

Something Special

Today I am thankful for great doctors and modern medicine. Without them I am not sure when we would have had Kylie, I am most certain that we would not have Jase with us today and who knows when we would be able to have more.  Getting babies to our family is one tough deal, but they sure are worth every tear, every heartache, every pleading prayer, every smile, every joyful moment, every doctor visit, every shot, every medication, everyday waiting just to see that tiny little perfect spirit finally enter the world and become apart of our eternal family. I am so thankful we have had that opportunity twice and I can only hope it happens a few more times!!

The House Next Door

Today I am thankful that there is finally a house being built on the lot next to us.  I've been waiting for this to happen ever since we moved in. A guy came in a bought four houses in our neighborhood and is either going to rent them or turn around and sell them. We're of course hoping and nice family with little kids move in.

For the last couple days Kylie and I have spent way too much time sitting on her bed watching the workers. I couldn't get over how they mindlessly walked all along the boards without worrying for a second whether they would fall off. They work fast and I can't wait for it to be done. 

Day 15

Today I am thankful for the good schools my kids have and will have the opportunity to attend.  We live in a great area with safe schools where education is of the highest priority. Kylie's elementary is racked number 1 in Washington County and I am grateful for all she is learning. Her confidence has grown immensely, which is something I have worried about all for a long time.  I think Kylie's teacher is awesome and she has really excelled this year.  Education is so important and I am grateful for the opportunities my kids have to learn and thrive.

Day 14

Today I am thankful for pictures. The kids and I did one of our favorite things today which is scroll through the millions of  pictures we have and reminisce about whatever was going on in them. I am always amazed at how long they will sit next to me completely entertained for so long. Jase mostly only likes the pictures of himself and gets pretty good fake laugh going. Kylie likes to tell us, in detail, the story that goes along with each one. I am thankful for the memories they provide of things we may have otherwise forgotten overtime. 

Day 13

 Typically around 8:30 every night we settle down to read scriptures and get the kids ready for bed, but I swear promptly at 8:00 most nights all craziness breaks loose and Jeremy gets the kids so wound up it's not even funny (remember the late night water fight?)...well, actually it's a little bit funny. Tonight went something like this...

Tonight, I am grateful for joy and laughter, especially when it's coming from my kids!