The Hansen Family

My Birthday Lunch

2009-08-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yes... it is me again... Sheri.... posting for Tracy. It was her birthday yesterday and here we are at lunch together. I hope she had a fun day shopping!

2009-07-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

So what has been happening with the Hansen Family? Well, a lot, but the only things I can blog about are the events where I was present to take pictures. This is Sheri... Tracy's sister, and I have taken it upon myself to update her blog since she has been absent from the blogging world for a year now. I have posted all the pictures I have from last August to the present.

Maybe one day she will come back!!!

4th of July 2009

2009-07-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Camping near Woods Canyon Lake

May 2009

2009-07-09T19:51:00.001-07:00

Fun with the parachute on a windy night

April 2009

2009-07-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Easter Picnic

March 2009

2009-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Emma at Grandpa's

March 2009

2009-07-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

An early swim in March

January 2009

2009-07-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Snow Trip

Christmas 2008

2009-07-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures taken with Great Grandma Lewis at Christmas

December 2008

2009-07-09T19:16:00.001-07:00

Adult Standage family dinner at PF Changs

Halloween 2008

2009-07-09T19:14:00.001-07:00

Pictures taken at our cousins house halloween night

Sept 2008

2009-07-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Taken at the wedding reception of a friend

August 2008

2009-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Tracy's birthday lunch with the girls

August 2008

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

Some cute pictures from Bryce's birthday party at chuck e cheese.

Kaylee's Birthday- Aug 2008

2009-07-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Kaylee had a party with her friends and then went to see the movie Clone Wars.

July 2008- Grants Birthday

2009-07-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Grant and his Uncle Brian share the same birthday and Grandpa Standage's is 4 days earlier. We celebrated them together at Grandma's house.

addendum to July

2008-08-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry, what a ding dong I am. I thought I hit the end of my pictures until I published. The pictures at the bottom of July are of Grant's birthday. He turned 11 years old. We gave him a microscope and telescope. Now he can check out all the dead bugs and stuff he wants. I suggested he could use the telescope to spy on people. He thought that was horrible. He informed me that was not right. What a great kid!

July highlights

2008-08-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

I did this a little backwards. This should have come after the second entry. Oh well. 4th of July weekend, we went camping with my family. We had such a great time and the weather was awesome. It actually rained most of the time. We also went in to see fireworks in Heber. That was a lot of fun. I bought the girls matching shirts. I also bought Grant a shirt, but in true Grant fashion, he didn't wear it.

For the 24th of July, we went to St. Johns for their Pioneer Day celebration. Davin's brother, Todd, and his family come to visit from Florida every year for this. We love to get to see them and spend time with them. Our kids got along great too! It is also so nice to enjoy some nice weather. It nice to actually be able to go outside in July.

Scott, Kelsey, Grant, Kaylee, Sarah, Kate, Belle, Emma, Sterling (not wanting his picture taken at all!), and Curtis. I sure do get a kick out of that Sterling. He's a keeper!

Davin and I with Todd and Ember and Dad and Mom Hansen.

Can't wait to see them next year!

June highlights

2008-08-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

So I has been a crazy summer and as you already know, I didn't blog. So now that the kids are back in school and my life is back together again, I will probably just do one blog per month and hit the highlights. This is June. (sorry about the crooked pictures, I still don't know how to turn them)
Kelsey had her dance recital and did a great job! She was confident and smiled the whole way through. Unfortunately, I didn't see it because I had to go to traffic court that day. I did see her dress rehearsal though and Davin filmed it too, of course.

June 25 was Emma's birthday. 4 years old! My baby is growing up. We celebrated her birthday at my parent's house with a combined party with her cousin Kate. Sheri made this awesome princess cake. It was so cute!

Best buds!

Emma with all her gifts. She had such a fun day! I love that little girl!

8th grade graduation

2008-05-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the last day of school and Kelsey's 8th grade graduation. We bought her a new dress, of course, but the last minute she decided not to wear it because she has another dress that matches her friend, so they decided to wear those. Oh well. After graduation, we thought it would be fun to take her out to breakfast. Everyone else had the same idea. We went to IHOP and found out it was an hour wait and Denny's had a half hour wait. We were not going to have time before my other kids got out of school, so we went to Krispy Kremes and got a dozen donuts. Oh well.

The girl next to Kelsey is the one with a matching blue dress.
Breakfast!

Later that day, we had planned a swim party for the kids and their friends. Of course, it rained. Oh well. Most of the kids swam anyway. FREEZING! They had fun doing other things like riding the golf cart around and watching movies too.

2008-05-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

(does anyone know how to rotate pics, i forgot)

This last Friday, I took Kaylee out for her day with me. She chose to go shopping at the toy store to spend her money. This is what she bought. As I walked down the "girly" aisles ( you know dolls, dress up clothes, and barbies), she said "mom, you know I'm not a girly girl." She was more interested in Legos, Bionicles, action figures, and weapons. Gotta love her!

This last weekend was also Father and son outing with our church. Grant and Davin went and acutally spend Friday and Saturday night there. They had a good time and I was glad they were able to spend that extra time together. Grant evidently spent most of the time playing in the fire (pyro boy!) and chopping wood with our hatchet. The weather was around 75 during the day (love it) and 34 at night (not loving that). I was glad they had a good time.

10 things I love about my mom

2008-05-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

1. She is a giver. My mom LOVES to give gifts. I always remember as a kid at Christmastime, she would tell us Christmas was going to be sparse, and then SURPRISE, out comes a big box of more presents on Christmas morning. I also remember a time when she decided as a family we were going to give our Christmas to another family in need. She is still always giving us great gifts and I have to say our kids are even getting more spoiled.

2. She has always been there for me. As a teenager, this was so important to me. I knew I could always come home from school with my "daily drama" and talk to her about it. She would always listen to me. She is still there for me now, more than ever.

3. She is fun to be with. My house was always a great place to be with my friends because they loved my mom too. She has always been my mom first and friend second. She is"one of the girls" now and I love hanging with her.

4. She is forgiving. I know that every single one of her kids (including myself) has broken her heart at least once. She has never held that against us or reminded us of it. She just loves us no matter what.

5. She loves to help. Whether it is her family or friends or whoever is in need, my mom is always willing to help and give of herself, even when it is an inconvenience to her.

6. She loves to travel. I share this passion with her. My mom has been to many fun places in the world and comes home from them planning the next trip. I especially love the trips we have been included on. My parents really are fun to travel with.

7. She's tough. My mom is a trooper. She's not squeemish or wimpy about anything! (I wish I was more like that). She is actually more apt to kill a bug than anyone else in our family. AND she has given birth to six kids, two at home, and four with no drugs!

8. She's friendly. My mom makes friends everywhere she goes, even to the grocery store. I remember as a kid thinking my mom knew everybody and everybody knew her.

9. She has suffered more than any mom should. She has watched children suffer from major accidents, deal with the consequences of poor life choices, and has also lost a child. She is truly tough. I am amazed at her strength. She is such an example. I hope I never have to go through half what she has with her children, but I admire and respect her for it.

10. She is a wonderful grandma. I know my kids adore her. She is always spending time with them and having fun with them, plus as I mentioned earlier, she spoils them incessantly. They KNOW she loves them by the way she treats them.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Your beautiful! Your the best. I love you so much. Thank you for all you have done and still do for me. Thank you for loving me. You are a great example to me and I want you to know how much I appreciate you.

(I hope your crying mom, because I am as I write this...another trait I got from you).

MY SISTER?

2008-05-05T19:25:00.001-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago, Kelsey and I were hanging out before a Christian photo shoot she is doing for a friend of ours. As we were talking, the man portraying Christ asked us if we were sisters! I can only tell you that REALLY made my day. I don't know if it is because she looks older or I look so incredibly young ( I am going to choose the latter) but either way, I felt great!

Fun days

2008-04-28T11:24:00.001-07:00

Last night, we decided to have a smores night again. It was Grant's idea. I came up with a new easy yummy smore. We roasted chocolate marshmallow (didnt even know these were in existence before) and put them on chocolate covered graham cookies. They were sooo good.

I love this picture (sorry its crooked, I forgot how to rotate it). This is what Emma came outside in, panties and boots. Gotta love it.

Last Saturday, we took the kids to Natural Bridge up past Payson. It's their favorite thing to do. We had so much fun. We were plenty wore out when we left. I'm pretty sure I was even snoring and drooling on the way home.

I'M BAAACK

2008-04-21T11:05:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a long time since I blogged.

About a month ago, I took Kelsey to get a photo shoot done with Helen. My goal is to try to get her started in modeling. I hope I do better at that than blogging:) These are some of my favorite pictures taken. I know I am her mom and certainly biased, but I sure do think she is absolutely beautiful.

There are more photos, but I cant find them right now. I will post them later.

Thank you Helen for a job well done. Check out her link and website www.bounceproduction.com

St. Louis

2008-02-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

Having breakfast at IHOP at 1:00 in the morning with some friends: Sherri, Brian, Adam, and Sarah.

SNOW!

There was an underground museum under the arch that we walked through.

I thought Davin looked awfully cute with his hoodie.

There it is! The St. Louis arch.

This last weekend, Davin and I went to St. Louis for a leadership convention. We had such a great time. I definately came back inspired to be a better person. I have decided to make changes in a few areas of my life. I am very glad we went. But it was cold! It snowed most of the time we were there and the wind was biting cold. We did get to go see the arch, though. That was pretty cool.

President's Day

2008-02-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

Most of the kids time was spent in the water. I am glad I took an extra pair of clothes.

Kelsey spent a lot of time doing this with the little ones. She is so awesome.

The kids had the day off school again and Davin and I did not have to work either, so we went out to Queen Valley with my mom and dad, Sheri and her kids, and Jason, Vanessa, and Boe. We picniced next to a creek. My dad recently purchased a new toy, a souped up EZ go golf cart. So we had fun riding this and the quad around. Kelsey spent most of her time on the cart. It is a really fun toy, because all the kids can go at once. It is really fun for mom when all the kids go at once. I spent most of the day sitting around, which was wonderful! Davin and the boys went shooting guns for awhile too. They took Grant, and even though he was not allowed to shoot, he enjoyed it. It was a fun day.

I am spoiled

2008-02-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for sisters and sisters-in-law who take care of me and my blog. The new look this time is in thanks to Vanessa. Isn't it cute? Thanks girl, I love it! I'll let you know when I need another update!

Emma's new "do"

2008-02-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Kelsey, Emma, and I went to get our hair cut. Emma really got hers cut. We finally got rid of all that yucky baby hair. But not the curls! However, Riann did flat iron it. I thought she looked completely different! When she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't like it. She said, "I want my curly hair". I still think she is the cutest thing! (Thanks to Sheri for the pictures. I can always count on her to have the camera)

please sir, I want s'more

2008-01-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

This picture is funny. I kept trying to get a picture of the chase, but I could never get it, so Davin and Emma posed for this.

Winding down.

I am the Achievement Day leader in my ward over the 11 year old girls. Last Friday, we had a daddy-daughter date in our backyard, making smores. So since I had leftovers and had three firepits still, Davin and I thought it would be fun Saturday night to make a fire and have smores with the kids. The older kids came out, made a smore, ate it, and went back inside. So much for that. Davin, Emma, and I stayed out all night. Then Davin and Emma spent part of the night playing and chasing each other. That made it worth it. I love to see that.

MLK day trip

2008-01-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

on the way up the trail - Emma's taking a break

Enjoying the ruins at Tonto National Monument

We decided to put Grant and Emma to work

Playing at a creek

Tortilla Flat

These were the doors to the bathroom stalls in Tortilla Flat. Looking good!

We had a fun day yesterday. Since it was MLK day, the kids didnt have school and Davin and I didnt have to work. So we decided to take a road trip. We had a couple of extra kids that I was watching for a friend and my mom and dad came too. We went to some indian ruins, Tonto National Monument. We had never been there before. On the way home, we stopped by a creek to let the kids play. We also stopped in a little town called Tortilla Flat near Canyon Lake. We had a good time. I love days like this.

It's not funny!

2008-01-17T19:23:00.001-08:00

Did you ever notice that God has a sense of humor? I have been bragging up until now that my family just doesn't seem to get sick. You guessed it. I think God was up there laughing, saying "Oh yeah, we'll see about that." Sunday night, I woke up to Kelsey telling me that Kaylee had puked in her bed. So of course I was up all night with her. Then Monday morning, Kelsey called me from school sick. Tuesday night it hit me and I just got over it this morning. So now I am crossing my fingers and hoping no one else gets it. I have been humbled.

best friends

2008-01-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

now, everyone has to have a bathing cousins picture, right?

We have had Boe over a lot lately because Emma daily asks for him to come over and play. It is acutally quite nice for her to have someone to play with and these two get along so great. I took them to the park the other day and they had so much fun.

16 wonderful years

2008-01-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

Today is Davin and mine's anniversary. 16 glorious years! I can actually honestly say that. I really did marry my best friend and I love him more every year. I also thinks he gets so much better looking the older he gets. I look forward to spending the rest of my life and eternity with him.

Disneyland

2008-01-04T06:09:00.000-08:00

Emma and I spent alot of time together. She was just a little under the size to ride the big rides,so her and I would do what she wanted when the others were on those rides. This was at the Tarzan house. We also went on the Jungle Cruise when the others were on Indiana Jones. She really liked that ride. Her total favorite was the Casey Jr. Train Ride. We did that three times. This was the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show. Emma HATED it. She looked like this through the entire show.

We were on the Riverboat ride when we passed the pirate island and saw Jack Sparrow doing pictures. Kelsey wanted a picture with him so bad. Unfortunately, he stopped doing pictures right before we got over. So we had our picture taken with these guys. They were fun. On the way back from the island, Jack Sparrow was on a ferry going over and we just missed that one too. Bummer.

We spent 15 hours at Disneyland. The kids were so pooped. It was so crowded. I could not even imagine that many people. It sold out. The standard wait for the good rides was 1 1/2 hours. I would never go at the holidays again. It was fun, but it really was crazy. More time was spent waiting than anything else.

Mickey! Need I say more?

The end of a long day. We were so exhausted. Happy New Year! 2008 is going to be great!

Christmas

2007-12-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I dont know how to make my pictures turn, so you will have to turn your head.

Jason and Boe spent Christmas Eve with us.

What a wonderful Christmas we had. Christmas Eve we spent looking at Christmas lights. Then we watched Luke II and decided what gifts we would give to Jesus this year. As is our tradition, the kids all got new jammies that night.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. The kids, except Emma, were up early. We eventually had to go wake up Emma. The kids are allowed to look in their stockings only before breakfast. After breakfast, which of course none of the kids have an appetite for, we open presents. The favorite gift was the last one. The kids opened a family gift with a picture of Disneyland. WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYLAND! I got the proper excited response I was hoping for. It was great.

After Christmas at our house, we took off to Grandpa and Grandma Standage's house. Oh my gosh, did my mom go crazy. Presents for 12 grandkids. It was a little crazy and so much fun!

After dinner at the Standage's, we went to Davin's cousin's house. They haven't seen each other in years, so that was fun. More socializing and food. Christmas was busy (the way I like it) and so much fun, and of course spent with the family which always makes it great.

Christmas Angels

2007-12-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

I wish I had taken my shoes off. I look like a GIANT!.

We have had a nice weekend. First, Saturday night my parents took all of us out to dinner WITHOUT KIDS! (Merry Christmas to us). We went to Chareston's. Then they gave us all a nice gift - 100 dollars. After dinner, my mom pulled out more gifts...chocolates and candies from Sees. We tried to play the white elephant give exchange where you can open one or steal someone elses. That didn't work so well because they were all so good and not many people didnt want their gift. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday, my kids were able to open one gift, their Christmas clothes. The girls were excited about their dresses, of course. Grant, in typical boy fashion, looked at his clothes, threw them to the side, and went about his business. They all looked really great though.

my blog

2007-12-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of comments on how cute my blog is. I need to give credit where credit is due. I did not do this. My sister-in-law Kristen redesigned my blog. She is very creative and good at what she does. Please people, did you really think this was my doing? I didn't even know how to start this blog thing. Thanks Kristen for making me look good.

gingerbread houses

2007-12-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

We actually made these houses last Friday, December 14. I'm just a little late getting them on. What a crazy night! I have seen the pre-made gingerbread houses in the store, but I thought "why would I spend $10 on one house when I would have to buy four? I can make them so much cheaper than that." (mistake). I had the recipe and cutouts already so I decided to make enough to make four houses (mistake). First the dough was so much and so thick, that I burned up the motor on my hand mixer. So guess what? I had to do it by hand! Then the mixture was too big for my biggest bowl, so I had to pour it out on the counter and knead/mix it. What a workout! Then it came time to roll and cut and bake. The only problem was getting each piece to be exactly right to make the house. Not so easy. By the time, we had all the pieces baked and the kids trying to put it all together, it was crazy (and a little frustrating) Most of the roofs caved in taking part of the house with it. I helped Grant with his and decided it would be "Santa Fe" style because I could not get the roof on right. Kaylee's house probably turned out the best because Dad was pretty meticulous in helping her. Overall, it was fun. The kids had the most fun decorating them anyway.

the big 4-0

2007-12-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Davin's 40th birthday party. 40! So old. We had friends and family come over to celebrate (mourn) with us. Thanks to all you who came. Sheri put together an awesome slide show/video with music. It was really great. It was also fun to see some friends we haven't seen in a while.

I still think Davin is the handsomest man I know, even if he is old. Some things really do get better with age.

snow day

2007-12-10T20:57:00.001-08:00

This last Sunday, we decided to play hookey again. Because of the weather, we decided to take the kids to the snow. We went up to the gravel pits by Strawberry. It was so cold! When we got there, the first thing I wanted to do was take a family picture before we got too wet and miserable (keep the smiles you know). Then after our family picture, we got a surprise. Up drives Jason and Vanessa and Boe. Evidently they wanted to take a snow trip too. So that was fun. Poor Grant didn't last long. He stayed out long enough for pictures and a the start of a snowman. then it just got too cold for him. He spent the rest of the time in the car. Kelsey on the other hand was the adventursome one. She was going down the hills. Emma just wanted to take long walks in the snow and Kaylee loved it all. We had such a good time.

hanging christmas lights

2007-12-08T22:04:00.001-08:00

Finally today we hung our Christmas lights outside. I have been promising the kids that we would do this today. Then, of course, it rained. So as soon as it stopped today, we were out putting up the lights. It was cold and wet and muddy but we got it done! (Now I just hope we get them down before February!)

I'm BAAACK!

2007-12-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it has been awhile. I find I get so busy with life, that the thought of coming on here is overwhelming sometimes. But here I am again.

Last weekend (Thanksgiving weekend) we went up to St. Johns to spend some time with Davin's family. It was SOOOO cold! We loved it! We finally got a chance to wear the sweaters and jackets. I actually got down to 8 degrees at night! We sure did like the leaves, especially Emma! The kids love going up there and it is nice to get away and let somone else do the cooking too!

kaylee's pioneer performance

2007-11-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is a little late. Last Thursday, Kaylee and the whole second grade did a singing performance at her school. They sang pioneer songs. It was very cute and Kaylee did a great job. She was in a song and dance number to "over the river and through the woods".

a day with Kelsey

2007-11-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

So today was my day with Kelsey. We decided to hit Saver's half off everything day. Kelsey was able to find a skirt, dress, pants, and a pair of shoes. Then we hit the mall. Amazing how I took HER shopping and ended up doing a ton of shopping myself. It was a good day though. We were able to talk about friends, her life, and BOYS! I love these moments. They really are special to me and I love to be able to have that one on one time.

messy day at the park

2007-11-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is how you make "angels" in Arizona

The strip down - can you say "white trash"

Kaylee dug a hole an filled it with water

this is by far my favorite picture. Emma can't do anything without getting her face dirty
Today Davin and I took Kaylee and Emma down to the neighborhood park by our house. Evidently, one of the sprinklers broke and flooded a corner of the sandy part. FUN! The girls had a ball! They started out making sand castles and ended up swimming! They were such a mess! The funniest part was watching Emma do the progressive strip down. She started off with her dress because it got wet and on the way home decided to take off her panties because they were too wet. She streaked the neighorhood on the way home.

Halloween

2007-11-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

How "groovy" are we? Davin says he likes me as a blonde.

Grant was Darth Vader (could you guess?). What a character! This year we told Kelsey she was too old to trick-or-treat (I know, mean mom) so she stayed at the house and handed out candy (she still dressed up but missed out on pictures because she took off with some friends while we were taking them). Anyway Grant said HE was too old to trick or treat too and did not want to go. WHAT! I made him get dressed up for pictures (mean mom again) but he pouted so much, I didn't make him trick or treat (does that sound weird to anyone else?) He stayed home and played on the computer and was happy about it!

2007-11-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Kaylee is princess Juliet (Romeo and Juliet). Since her and Emma were my only trick or treaters, she scored pretty well. She was exhausted by the end and had a hard time making it all the way back home (down the street, she had a tendency for the drama).

Halloween

2007-11-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Emma was Dorothy, unless you asked her, then she was Christine (from the Phantom of the Opera). Dont ask why, I dont know. She had so much fun trick or treating. She made sure people told her she was pretty. We were at one house, and the people were talking to some other girls telling them how pretty they were, she got up in front of them and asked "My pretty?"

five love languages for children

2007-10-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last night for family night, I decided our family could use a little more "love giving." I gave a small book report on "The Five Love Languages for Children" which by the way is a must-have as your children get older. The five love languages are quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, and gift giving. I explained each one and asked the kids some questions to find out what they thought theirs was. To my surprise, they all knew right off, without much help from me, what their love language was. Kelsey is torn between gift giving and acts of service, Grant is physical touch with a secondary of words of affirmation, and Kaylee is quality time with a little of physical touch. We were able to talk about what is important to all of us and how we need to share our love for each other in the way they need. We also talked about what hurts each of us the most, so that we can avoid doing that. It was nice. I really enjoyed having us all try to understand each other more. Later on we made caramel apple dip (we were going to do caramel apples, but too many people snuck into the caramels and there was not enough). Then we went for a family walk. It was my favorite kind of day. I love Sundays. We get to just focus on church and family and we don't have to feel rushed with all our daily activities such as work, business, errands, housecleaning, etc. It's nice to just take time and focus on what is importan.

2007-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Kaylee wanted to take these home. They were glued down too tight!

Kaylee is on tv! She's famous!

Kaylee's gold finds. She's rich!

Kaylee and I had our special day today. Every week I try to take one kid out for a "special day with mom". This was her week. First we went to lunch at McDonald's. Then we ran a few errands (I had to squeeze those in sometime), then we went to the Mesa Souhwest Museum a.k.a. the "Dinasour Museum". We had alot of fun together. Kaylee was a little nervous about the dinsaurs at first, but she got used to it towards the end and we were able to go look at them. She struck it rich in the gold panning (and got a little wet). She also found a giant piece of gold. I am hoping she will buy me a car! I love these days I spend one on one with my kids.

pumpkin night

2007-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Kaylee and the cross-eyed pumpkin

Grant and Darth Vader pumpkin

Tonight was the pumpkin walk at my kids school. This morning I went to school and helped carve my son's pumpkin (Kaylee did hers last night). Then tonight the whole school had their pumpkins displayed with candles burnng in them on the soccer field. It was quite a sight! Of course, I forgot my camera so the pictures I took were with my camera phone. they are a little sorry.

Kelsey is also having her first Halloween party tonight. A bunch of 12 and 13 year old girls. I am glad it is not here. She decided to do this because she is now officially too old to go trick or treating this year and she still wants to dress up (I still like to dress up too). This way she gets to still have the "Halloween experience".

kentucky

2007-10-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

FALL! We actually tried to get someone to get a picture of us in front of some trees, but evidently she didn't know how to work the camera. I had to take these pictures while we were driving back to the airport. It was so much prettier!

This is the Ohio river. It is the border between Indiana and Kentucky (little geography lesson here)

Houses like this were everywhere. We thought they were so cool.

This was the Thomas Edison house. Evidently he lodged here for a while. Not as exciting as we thought it would be and it wasn't even open.

Ok sorry. I know it has been awhile since I have blogged.

This last weekend, Davin and I flew to Indianapolis/Louisville for a leadership convention. We flew into Indianapolis because it was cheaper and drove down to Louisville. It was about an hour and a half drive, but what beautiful country. It was so nice to actually SEE fall colors all over and so many trees! As we drove into Louisville, it was storming pretty bad. The sky was dark and the rain was coming down heavy. We kept hearing these siren noises. At first we thought there was a train or something nearby. Then we realized it might be tornado sirens. We turned on the radio and sure enough we were driving in the middle of a tornado warning. SCARY! The newscaster was telling everyone in downtown Louisville (exactly where we were) to get indoors and seek safety (basement, bathtub) NOW. I really was terrified. I was literally shaking. We go to our hotel and checked in just in time to watch the storm pass us. Tornados never did actually touch, but it was quite an experience nonetheless.

We had such a great time. We spent some time on Sunday to do a little sightseeing. Unfortunately most thing were closed. We ended up spending some time with some friends down at the Ohio river. It was a great weekend.

2007-10-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Kenyon Robson tagged me to tell 7 things about myself, so here goes.....

1. I grew up on a mini-farm. I have milked goats, eaten rabbits (until I actually watched my dad butcher one), fought with geese (they are mean) and cleaned up after ducks. I have fed chickens and collected eggs. We also had cows, pigs, horses, and mules. I think I got them all.

2. I met my husband on a blind date that he actually set up. We were married 9 months later in the Mesa Arizona temple.

3. I have four amazing, talented, beautiful children. They make me laugh, cry, and yes sometimes they make me yell.

4. In a matter of 4 years, Davin and I lost 6 loved ones to tragic deaths. December 2000, Davin's niece lost her daughter in birth. February 2001, I lost my brother to drowning. August 2001, Davin's brother lost their son in birth. 2002, Davin's foster/adopted sister watched her biological sister get mauled by pit bulls. August 2004, Davins's brother was killed in a car wreck. November 2004, Davins cousin committed suicide. (Ok sorry about this one, it's a little sad....moving on.)

5. I love to travel. I dream of traveling the world. I also dream of traveling the U.S. in a motorhome. Some of my favorite vacations: Disney Cruise, Ensenada cruise with parents and siblings, Florida, and a road trip Davin and I took when we were first married up to Yellowstone Park.

6. I am a native of Arizona. I know so what, but there are not that many of us. I remember when the closest grocery store to us was more than 10 miles away.

7. I absolutely love my nieces and nephews! I don't know if many people feel the way I do. I really could keep all of them. In fact, I have offered but no one will take me up on the deal.

Ok, there you go. Now it is my turn to tag....Jenifer Winger and Randi Boyle

Tonto Natural Bridge

2007-10-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it has been awhile since I have been on here.

Today, Davin took all four kids and a neighbor kid up to Tonto Natural Bridge in Pine. They had a good time. They hiked down to the bridge and the kids had a blast playing in the water and sliding down rocks. Both Kelsey and Grant came home with holes in the butt of their pants. Afterwards, they went into Pine and got ice cream and enjoyed it on the front porch of the "Pine house" (Davin's grandma's old house). They went shopping at the thrift store, which is always something we do there. They spent their quarters, basically.

Davin did all this on his own. I was not able to go. What a trooper! He is such a great dad.

girls weekend

2007-10-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

This last weekend my mom, my sister Sheri, my sis-in-law Jamie and Vanessa all went on a girls retreat. Jamie was able to get us rooms at the Westin Kierland. So nice and luxurious! Thanks Jamie. We had the best time. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera,but don't you know Sheri remembered hers. Check out her link to see the pictures and our agenda. We had so much fun! I really did not want it to end. What a great bonding time we had.

Metroid Samas a.k.a. Grant

2007-09-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not have boys old enough, this is Samas. This is a character on the video game, Metroid Prime. It's become one of Grant's favorite games. He lives and breathes the game. We have drawings and "instruction booklets" that he has made about the game and character. This is his latest. Now he has become Metroid Prime. What an imagination! I love it!

annivesary and new sister

2007-09-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today would have been the 9th year wedding anniversary of my brother, Aaron, and his wife Jamie. I remember that day like it just happened. Unfortunately, Aaron and Jamie only celebrated 2 years together before he got called home. Fortunately for all of us who loved him, he gave us two gifts before he went; our new sister, Jamie and his son, Brett. They are both very special to our family. Thank you, Aaron. We love and miss you.

haircut

2007-09-23T13:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Kelsey, Sheri, and I went to get our haircut. Kelsey really got hers cut. She had long hair and decided to go short. It's alot like Sheri's style. I love it! She looks so grown up. She even got her eyebrows waxed! Of course, she didn't like that and swore to never do that again. My little girl is growing up into such a beautiful young woman. I am so proud of who she is becoming and of course, I think she is gorgeous.

2007-09-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

These pictures of Emma were taken on a camping trip we took this summer. The funny thing is, she was just getting started when we took these pictures. She got much worse!

working woman

2007-09-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I started my first day on the job. I recently took a class on medical transcription so that Davin and I could do that from home. I finally got a job, but I have to train in the office for awhile until I am good enough to do it at home. I was actually excited to go! I haven't worked since my 13 year old was born. The pay is kinda sad, but it is mostly paid training right now. I will get more when I come home. It was nice, though, being able to do what I have been training for. Weird that I am excited to work. Good thing it is temporary before that feeling wears off.

What a great day

2007-09-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

This post is for last Saturday. I have not had time to get on and blog it. What a great day! It started in the morning with a book club I went to with some of my company friends. We read and talked about a book called, "Wooden". Of course, there are a couple of books that just have "Wooden" in the title, so I read the wrong one. I had fun anyway and enjoyed listening to the insight from the others. Of course, like any real girl get-together, only about 1/2 hour was spent talking about the book and the other 2 hours was spent visiting and eating.

After that, Davin and I went to a baptism of our friend, Debbie. That was wonderful. She is what you might call "golden". She wanted to set the date for baptism before she even had her first discussion. Of course, that is because of some other wonderful friends, Sean and Angela Barba, who introduced the gospel to her. Sean was also able to baptise her. I was so glad I was able to be there for that beautiful, special lady.

Then Davin and I rushed home, packed up the kids and drove down to Tucson to visit with some of our friends, the Doucets, and have dinner with them. We haven't seen them for over a year, so that was fun.

All in all, a great day!

oh "crap!"

2007-09-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

As you know, we are pottytraining Emma still. For the most part, she does pretty good. Unfortunately, I find the best way for her not to have accidents is to not wear panties. This actually works pretty good. Evidently, that does not apply to being outside. Today, Davin came upstairs and informed me she pooped on the sidewalk outside. Gross! It's like having a dog! We got a good laugh out of it, though. Maybe we should just house-train her. It might be easier.

9-11

2007-09-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today is, of course, the 6th anniversary of 9-11. I am so thankful for this country we live in. I am so grateful for the young men women fighting for our freedom and the freedoms of others. We literally have people like them to thank for our lives. I think of the brave men who believed in a country that could govern itself and won our freedom from England. I think of the brave young men who fough against an murderous, evil Hitler. I think of the brave young men who fought a long, drawn out war that no one understood. All these men left wives, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters behind with no promise of return. Many didn't. All of this sacrifice was done for who? Not themselves, but for all Americans. For us. I just want to say again how grateful I am for these brave self-less soldiers who die so we can live in freedom.

lake trip pictures

2007-09-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

lake trip

2007-09-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

This last Friday, we took our kids to the lake after school. My mom and dad have a boat that we all took to Canyon Lake. It was so fun. We didn't tell te kids we were going. We just picked them up and said we had to "run a few errands". They didnt realize what was going on until we met up with my parents and their boat. We basically had the lake to ourselves. We only saw a handful of other boats on the lake. We rode around for awhile and then stopped at a little island on the lake with picnic tables and a swimming area. We ate and swam. Emma was so cute! She was so proud of herself because she could swim by herself with the life preserver on. She just kept saying over and over "I love it!" Later, Kelsey went on the tube, but it was getting late and cold, so that didn't last long. It was a great time. (Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and we could only take picture with the phone. Problem is now we don't know how to get the pictures off onto the computer. If we figure it out, we will post them)

book report

2007-09-05T19:13:00.001-07:00

I have just finished a book that I would like to recommend to all wives. It's called, Becoming the Woman of His Dreams, by Sharon Jaynes. She talks in depth about the 7 qualities all men want in a wife. She has done interviews and surveys with hundreds of men. I learned alot about some things I need to change and do to be a better wife. I think everyone could benefit. It is also a very christian book, with many referenced to the Bible. Anyway, I really enjoyed it.

Birthday...

2007-09-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ok. So today was the final day Kelsey's birthday celebration. On Friday, her grandma Standage took her out shopping. She got a couple of shirts, jewelry, lotions, and a swimsuit. Today, we had cake and more presents at my mom's house. She received money, jewelry, and a make-up box. Birthdays are DONE! I have all 4 of my kid's birthdays all within 2 months of each other. It's a birthday every 2 weeks. What a relief to have it over.

Kelsey's birthday

2007-08-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Today my daughter turned 13! She is now officially a teenager. Yikes! My baby is getting al growed up. Good for me, she is still nice. She hasn't hit crazy yet. We took her out of school today for lunch at Souper Salad (her favorite) and then we went shoe shopping. She was able to get three pairs of shoes. A few weeks ago, we got her a new cell phone for an early birthday present. Tomorrow she goes out shopping with grandma, and Sunday we are having a family party for her. It's like the birthday that never ends.

MY day

2007-08-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

I had such a great day yesterday. I spent most of the day by myself doing what I wanted. No kids, no responsibility, no nothing. I met my mom and sisters for lunch at Olive Garden and gorged myself. I love that place. Then my mom took me to get my nails done. Then I went to Ross (my favorite store) and I bought some fun new clothes. Thanks to all of you who made my day great.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2007-08-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday! I am now in my late 30s, 36 to be exact. Closer to 40! I still don't feel I should be this old, but I do feel great!

Have you noticed my new blog? My sister-in-law, Kristen, updated me. Thank you! It's so nice to have talented people like Sheri and Kristen helping me out. Thanks girls! Kristen also does this for a business (See her link on my page) if you or anyone you know is interested.

JEROME, AZ

2007-08-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I love spontaneous trips! This last Sunday, Davin and I were laying around, not wanting to get up and get ready for church. Then in about 5 minutes we decided to take a day trip somewhere. 45 minutes later, we were in the car, lunch packed, and headed up to Jerome. I know, I know, watch out for lightning bolts right? (The funny thing is that we had a lesson last week in church about keeping the Sabbath Day holy. I'm pretty sure this doesn't qualify). Anyway, we really did have a lot of fun. Jerome is an old mining ghost town turned tourist town up near Prescott. We toured the museum, had a picnic lunch, and walked around all the shops. The kids loved it (of course, missing church always adds to the fun for them).

VACATION

2007-08-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

floating in the Salt Lake and Timpanogas Cave

Salt Lake Temple

St George Temple

Ok, so I really didn't have much to say about today, so I decided to show some pictures of one of our trips this summer. We had a great summer, so much fun. I love getting away with the family. It really doesnt matter a whole lot what we do, just getting away. My dream life involves vacation at least once a month!

Pottytraining

2007-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ok. So now that my youngest is over 3 years old, we are finally pottytraining. I forget how much I HATE this! She started out challenging, but it seems to be getting better. As much as I hate doing it, it works better if she is naked. Of course, I do enjoy seeing her little butt cheeks. They get pinched quite often.

2007-08-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter did her first photo shoot. She has been babysitting for a friend who is a professional photographer. This was her "pay". We had so much fun. She was able to bring some friends and do "Charlie's Angels" shots. Of course I am biased, but I sure thought she was beautiful. It's hard to watch your children grow up, though.

Make it count

2007-08-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I visited with a friend who recently lost her 4-year old daughter, Deja. She was diagnosed in October with a brain stem tumor. She passed away July 25. The amazing story is her mother. My friend, Angela, has realized that her mission in life is to be a spokesperson for children with cancer everywhere. She was amazing during this time, watching her daughter die. She did everything to make sure that her daughter was happy. She wanted no regrets, she told me. Also wonderful was the testimony that Angela received during this time. She has such incredible faith in her Heavenly Father and Christ. I know that Deja's purpose in life was to help her mother find her mission. Anyone who reads this, please look at the site http://www.2deja.com/ and read the story and pass it on. A cause can only become great when it is supported by many. This could be a great cause, to help other children and their families who suffer with cancer. I'm on board.

THANKS!

2007-08-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog! If you notice the first entry, you will see it has been a long time since my first blog. The reason for this is because my sister encouraged me to get started. However, I soon got overwhelmed with it all and stopped. So my sister, Sheri, got on my page and made it what it is. WOW! She even put the video of my kids in. Isn't that awesome! It' nice to have someone care enough to fill in my gaps (a few of my gaps being organization and creativity and computers). I love my page now and feel better about the whole "bloggin" thing. Thanks Sheri!

Cuppycake Song

2007-08-08T22:17:00.001-07:00

4th of July Campout

special days

2007-03-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I decided I needed (or rather my kids needed) to spend time with each of my kids in a one-on-one activity. The main purpose was actually to help my daughter, Kaylee. She is a "middle child" and has been having a hard time being happy. So that's when I decided that "mommy time" was needed. I decided on Fridays. Every Friday after school, I would take one child out to do whatever they wanted. Three weeks ago, Kaylee chose McDonald's. I had a great time. We just sat and ate and talked about what is important to a 6 year old. She didn't even want to play. The next Friday, I took Grant. We went goofy golfing. I tried to get him to make a bet with me on who would win. He wouldn't go for it, though. Good thing, because I
WON! Not by much though. I am actually trying to encourage him to take up golf. Today, I took Kelsey out and we went shopping for makeup and clothes. She is getting prettier and prettier all the time. I actually love taking her shopping for clothes because she looks great in everything! Oh, the good old days when I looked like that too. My kids are growing up so fast and I realize that sometimes I care more about a clean house that taking the time to spend with them. Eventually, I am going to find myself in clean house with no one to pick up after and I don't want regrets. Time goes past and I don't want to miss any of it.