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!

Guess His Age

Last night we took the kids to the movies and as we were buying the tickets we told the ticket guy that Jase was still two (two and under get in free) and the guys looks at the two of us and sternly asks, "He's two?!" Jeremy and I both look at each other and I say, "Ya, his birthday is next month." And then the guys looks at us like, "Ya, I've heard that one before." It made Jeremy and I feel kinda dumb, but we're being honest, he really is two still.  We decided that maybe next time we should bring his birth certificate with us. I told Jeremy when we got into the movies that maybe it's a good thing we don't  have to try and convince anybody he's still two all the way to February, when he should have been born!

Land of the Free

Being as how today is veteran's day I am thankful for the obvious...my freedom. As I drove around today and saw all the flags flying I couldn't help but think about how blessed I am to live in such an amazing country. I am sure a lot of times I take for granted the freedoms I enjoy and I know I don't fully understand the sacrifices that have been made in my behalf. I am just grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who allowed me to be born in this day and time and has given me the opportunity to choose for myself how I live.

Day 10

Today I am thankful for the great neighborhood we live in the awesome friends we have. 

Tonight Jeremy and I hosted our annual neighborhood hot chocolate party and it was really fun...at least we thought so. This year I decided to try my hand at making donuts rather than the scones we have done the last couple year and I have to say they turned out pretty dang good. I surprised myself,  and with the rest of the treats everyone else brought we had a pretty good thing going. We have a nice park with a lit pavilion and plenty of grass for the kids to run wild. It gave us a good chance to chat with everyone and catching up on all our busy lives. 

I am grateful we live in a place where we feel safe and my kids can run the neighborhood with plenty of friends and I am grateful for the friends Jeremy and I have also. We're truly are so blessed with  nice home and a beautiful place to live. 

Family Pictures 2011

Finally, without further adieu, here are our 2011 family pictures taken once again by my good friend Kourtney Jackson (318photography.com). We love her work and think she is awesome!  She did an amazing job of capturing that one second when our two year old was actually looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. I was super worried about Jase and he definitely was a lot of work, but I think he stole the show this year. His cute, crazy, busy little personality shines in these pictures and I love them. Kylie of course looks as adorable as ever. She takes this pictures taking business pretty serious and is great at the "posing and smiling."  Now I just have the overwhelming task of deciding which pictures make my wall. 

Day 9

Today I am thankful for lazy days. I didn't have a thing I had to do, which meant I barely got dressed, but I was able to read Jase a million books, played Princess Yahzee with Kylie about a 100 times and watched hair tutorials I found on Pinterest with a good friend of mine. I also made a pretty good dinner and now my husband is during the laundry. I mean really, what is there not to be grateful for on a day like that?

Day 8

Today I am thankful for my warm house and sweaters and blankets and coats and scarfs and gloves and boots and heaters because I have realized, and maybe it's my old age, but I absolutely HATE the cold. 

Forever & Ever

Today I am thankful for eternal families and the chance I have to be with these guys for ETERNITY!

DAY 6

Today I am thankful for rainy, NOT snowy winter weather where I had the chance to cuddle up in my bed with my whole family and watch a movie...for about the 2 seconds it lasted until Jase got restless and ran off to find his toys.

No Crazy In-Laws Here

Today I am very thankful for Jeremy's family.  I was extremely fortunate to marry into a really great family that welcomed me with open arms from the very beginning...No crazy in-law stories here. Jeremy's parents have always been very kind and generous and are extremely thoughtful. They have gone above and beyond in more ways than we can count and we will be eternally indebted to them! I have also been blessed with amazing sister-in-laws (and brother-in-laws too) who have become great friends of mine and my kids LOVE their cousins and any chance they get to hang out with them!  Family is so important to me and I am grateful we love close enough to get together often. Today we celebrated my father-in-law's 60th birthday by going to lunch and then watching Jeremy's nephew play in a football game and I am totally honest when I say I look forward to these times when we can get together. 

Papa Smurf

Can you guess what this is?

If you said Papa Smurf, the turkey would thank you! 

Kylie read a book at school about a boy who befriended a turkey and then helped disguise him so he wouldn't become Thanksgiving dinner. She brought home a picture of a turkey with the instructions to disguise it somehow. Jeremy, being the creative genius that he is, turned the turkey into Papa Smurf and I think it is so cute!! I was gone while they did it, but when I came home and saw it, I thought it was so funny and way cooler than any idea I had to try and disguise it. 

Today I am thankful first of all, for feeling so much better than I did yesterday and for the type of dad Jeremy is to our kids. He's kind and loving and very hands on. He;s more than willing to help with school projects or reading with Kylie. He loves to play and wrestle around and tease the kids and he's extremely helpful. He is also very diligent in making sure we read scriptures and say prayers as a family every night.  I am VERY thankful for him and the good example that he is!

Day 3

Today I am thankful for a nice comfy, cozy bed...and a toilet...and soft toilet paper (TMI, anyone?) 

It all started early this morning while I was on my run, and if you have never been in this situation it is by far one of the worse situations to be in I think. I was on my way back, but was still probably a good two miles out when I got the worse stomachache of all time. It was extremely uncomfortable to run, but walking only made it that much longer before I would be home. It was a terrible situation, and the longest half hour of jogging/walking in my life. I was so grateful to finally bust through my front door and be home and I spent most of my day curled up in my nice warm bed bed trying to feel better!

I also can't forget how thankful I am for pretty mild-mannered little kids (they definitely get that from their dad) that were more than willing to either watch movies or play with each other while I rested...and also a husband who didn't seem to mind at all that our house looked like a bomb hit it when he got home! I mean, really even on a terrible day, I still have so much to be grateful for and I am definitely thankful for that!!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness

I'm a day late, but I thought maybe it would be a good thing for me to post each day during the month of November something I am thankful for. I have spent a lot of time the last little while really trying to concentrate on all the wonderful things I have in my life. I find that I can be single-minded and put all my energy in something I really want and forget to appreciate all the things I DO have. November seems appropriate for this type of thing so here it goes...

I've got two up my sleeve to make up for yesterday. The first is a given and by far the thing that I am most thankful for and that is my little family. I love my husband and children more than anyone in this world. They make me happier than anyone else.  I am thankful for their patience and unconditional love. They make life worth living and I so grateful for them.

Last night Jeremy and I were talking at dinner about how grateful we are for his job. It's not a dream job by any mean and a lot of days he comes home pretty wiped out, but after some recent developments and changes in his company we are just so grateful they value him and his work ethic enough to let him continue working down here in St. George. In an uncertain economy we have always been blessed with a job and there is no way we couldn't be grateful for that!! 

HALLOWEEN 2011

It was finally time for the "real" part of Halloween as Kylie pointed out on our way trick-or-treating. And the kids couldn't be more excited! We were first invited to go to the college for a truck-or treat put on by all the different sports teams.  The kids loved that. It was a fun place to go for easy access to loads of candy and fun sports players. 

Once again, they were having to pose for a very unwanted picture. They were both anxious to get on their candy- getting way. I think Jase had his eye on the sport's track and all the people heading over there for the goods. 

After the college we headed over to arguable the best trick-or-treating neighborhood St. George has to offer complete with a Santa Clause that hands out ice cream and houses with king size candy bars. Not to mention long, well lit streets with tons of houses. We meet us with some other friends there and had a good time zig-zagging back and forth across the streets from house to house. 

The Santa Clause house had a  huge line last year, but we must have got there just at the right time this year because we walked right up and got our treat.

On the way home we stopped by a house we had heard about that carves over 80 pumpkins each year and displays them around their drive way. It was pretty cool to see. They had some fun pumpkins the kids thought we were neat.  

We then came back home and went around our neighborhood. The last two years we haven't been established enough to really get too many trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood so we have always just had a good time taking the kids out, but from talking to a few neighbors that did stick around this year, they said there was a great turnout in our neighborhood. So I guess maybe either Jeremy or I will have to stay back next year and actually hand out the candy we always buy.