Oh my goodness am I tired! We woke Saturday morning and headed to church for the girls volleyball game, victory! Wha Hoo! Leticia has really blossomed into the athlete over the years. It has been so fun to see her self-confidence grow as well as her abilities. Sierra hurt her thumb the night before so she cheered from the sidelines. Malia was nervous and didn't know about joining the team but she played well and even made contact with the ball several times, give it time little one you'll get the hang of that serving thing! I must admit it was a little hard to just be a spectator this season. The past 7 years I have officiated, coached and been an integral part of the program functioning. It was fun to just be a cheerleader for my three beautiful daughters!
We headed home for our traditional Saturday family pow wow. I make the list of items that need to be completed and then we discuss the privledges that come with completion of chores. We have a family cheer and everyone happily goes off in their different directions to begin the list. Ha happily is usually not the word I use each Saturday, but hey things gotta get done.
The list looks like this:
Daily chore completed
Weekly chore completed
Bedrooms organized and carpet walkable
Bathroom chores
Clean laundry put away and Dirty clothes in laundry hamper
Homework completed
I say totally achievable in two hours minus homework but you would think I am asking them to reinvent the wheel some days. None the less they work hard and get it done.
While the girls got busy I cut Corby's hair, began the reduction of the mountain of laundry staring at me, made lunch, and arranged a doctor visit for the throbbing thumb crisis. I was supposed to attend a neighbor baby shower but it just isn't happening with all that was on the list.
Bria's birthday is Monday so I took her on a special date to purchase the items for her upcoming party. She is such a fun girl all the time but especially one on one. We went to Costco and Walmart. She was big to walk and stay right by me and carried quite the convo with me. She chose the decorations for her big day and ice cream. It was so fun to just be with her.
When we arrived home,we found the chores were completed and the privilege for today was shooting at the gum range(prep for the upcoming hunt). But much to our dismay the shooting range closed at 4 and weren't accepting any new comers so bummer of a birthmark for us. I continued the laundry process and helped Teesh tackle her bedroom. She has been organizing the room for months. So we dug in deep and in a little over an hour the room was finished. She needs to go through a few more piles but she can walk on carpet and most everything is in it's place.
Corby and I then were off to the Stake High Priest Social which I had been cooking Kuala Roast in the crock pot for the past 16 hours for it(let's talk torture, my girls were smelling it all day but didn't get to eat any). The social was normal, a bunch of old people talking and I feeling a little unnoticed while Corby performs his duties. I survived and we arrived home by 7:45. Sierra had a work party I took her to then continued the laundry and after the girls were asleep I sat down on couch, folding clothes of course to watch a little television. I love to watch 48 Hours Mystery or Dateline.
All in all, it was a very packed normal Saturday for us but we survived and now we are ready for Sunday!
On Monday, the 17th Leticia walks in from school and places a jar of sand in front of me.
I knew exactly what it meant and began screaming, my baby just got asked to homecoming. She looks at me questionably and says how did you know that! Oh little one I am one wise owl. Anyway, Sierra helped Leticia put the pieces of paper together to figure out the message in the bottle or jar;) It said,
"Leticia, will you go to Homecoming with me?" Ryan.
I asked when the dance was and Teesh nonchalantly replies this Saturday, What? are you kidding me? We have less than a week to pull this off. Lace up your running shoes gals, we are about to run a marathon with no training. We finished the evening chores and headed out to find a dress. Now, word to the inexperienced such as I. Dress shops close at 6pm so when you begin the process at 7pm it tends to cause a prob. but because we pay our tithing and all the stars aligned we were able to locate a modest(as modest as they come) dress that was on clearance.
A dress under $50 and my favorite color on Teesh, beautiful girl!
We were able to find a dress, sweater, shoes and accessories all in one evening of shopping. (sort of one evening of shopping, Leticia had to go the next day to a different H&M's for the shoes in her size). But I have to say that was pretty amazing to find all we needed in such a short time. We got Teesh's dress from Dillard's.
The day of the dance we had Tina, our neighbor/friend do Teesh's hair. She did a great job and did it under an hour. Teesh had been camping with her dad and took a wrong turn so her all-afternoon-to-get-ready was gobbled up and she had less than 2 hours to pull this off. Thanks Tina, you did an amazing job.
while Tina was doing Teesh's hair her daughter Kali said, "Teesh will be the prettiest princess at the ball" I couldn't agree more Kali!
While we waited for 5:30 to arrive I took some photos of Teesh. Sierra gave Teesh some pointers on how to stand and what to do on her date. It made me smile because I saw myself in Sierra. I also had to smile because sweet Teesh said, "Oh, all these pointers are making me nervous". At 5:20 I sent the family out back to make it less awkward and we waited for his arrival. He was punctual. He rang the doorbell and Corby greeted him. He was shy so he just stood there on the porch. Corby asked if he would like to come in. We asked if we could take some pictures. He pulled out a camera from is pocket and said, "My mom asked if you could take some for her too." It was such a priceless moment. But it did make me think, boys don't get to have their moms involved. See one more reason I am so lucky to have daughters!
As you can tell from the photos Teesh did not take Sierra's advice but non-the-less it was a perfect evening. They ate dinner at TGIF, attended the dance then grabbed a cold stone ice cream upon Leticia's return.
It was magical and I couldn't have been more happy!
Leticia Elizabeth Hansen you are beautiful inside and out and I am so proud of you.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Happy Birthday Bria
(Part 2)
This year I thought it would be so great to have our first friend party. Bria and I went on a special mommy daughter date to purchase the supplies. She knew exactly what she wanted, so we went down the appropriate isles and she filled our cart up! It was so fun to be just one on one with her. Bria has such a fun loving personality. She can have a conversation with you like no other 5 year old. She continually cracks me up!
We purchased the invitations, balloons and many more exciting items. Leticia helped Bria fill out the invites and Bria signed each of them (on several she forgot the "R" but she was able to squeeze it above, such a resourceful girl)
She invited 10 friends to her first party. Her party was set to begin at 2:30. All morning long we waited for the big hand to be on the correct number so the fun could begin. We were thrilled when all 10 friends were able to join us. We played "Did you eat my cookie" "Musical chairs" and busted open the princess pinata. We ate cake and ice cream and opened gifts. Each friend held their gift over Bria's head and said "Heavy heavy hang over thy poor head what will wish with a bump on your head" then the friend would bonk Bria on the head. They all laughed and laughed and the bonks got stronger and stronger.
Bria was spoiled! She got so many great items. Her favorite was the Polly Pockets and Princesses! She received games, coloring books, drawing supplies, jewelery making kits, stuffed animals(also a favorite, carries it everywhere) gooey bath stuff and so much more.
Bria Paige we love you and can't believe you are already 5. Stop growing up little princess, we love you!
We started the day off with crepes, per Bria's request.
and decorated her door with streamers and twirlies. When she came out of her room she cracked me up as she seemed scared and didn't know what to do with the new door arrangements. She quickly became brave and joined the family for the birthday song for our special 5 year old birthday girl.
I love love love birthdays! I have a tradition of giving the day to the birthday girl. She gets to pick everything about the day, what we eat, what we do, no responsibilities and every once in awhile we celebrate with a friend Party. Bria was invited to a friend's birthday that was held at Jungle Jim's in May and ever since she has said that is where she wants to celebrate her birthday. I knew it would be a pretty penny but groupon had a sweet deal so I snatched it up and off we went with a few friends to Jungle Jim's. We had the entire place basically to ourselves as most kids are back in school. Brynlee and Kale came from Hyrum, Ryli and Sady from the gym and our neighbor Addison joined myself, Ada, and Bria for a rockin good time. We drove bumper cars, safari jeeps, roller coasters, swings, carousels, space ships, and so much more. We played and played until carpool duties called and we had to come home.
When we arrived home, we played some more with everyone listed above except Addison. For dinner, Bria wanted hamburgers and french fries,(her absolute favorite thing) so we fired up the barbie and dinner was a success. Grandma Hansen came by around 7 for cake and ice cream and Grandma and Grandpa Ellis called to wish Bria a happy birthday. She loved receiving a phone call. She told multiple people she talked on the phone. It brought back memories of when I was in elementary and my dad would call during school and the office would get me out of class to take the call. Oh, what precious memories those were. Side note, sorry!
Aunt Cindy made our bunny cake and with a few strong breaths the candles were blown out successfully. It was a great day and we so appreciated all the support from family and friends to make Bria's day special.
fun family traditions....spanking machine
Something that our family does to celebrate birthdays is to create a spanking machine. The birthday girl crawls through everyone's legs and goes as fast as she can as everyone gives her a spat on the behind. As you can tell from Bria's face she is thoroughly hating this. Love family traditions.
When we were on our California trip this summer, I suggested since we have never been to Moab we should go over Labor Day Weekend. I am not sure what overcame my senses since our children do not travel well, but none-the-less another road trip for the Hansen Family. Stickers and videos are a blessed item in the traveling process. It is amazing how removing a sticker from one sheet to another can occupy the brain for hours, who cares it was quiet while we traveled.
We left Saturday about 11o'clock and arrived in Price for a delicious lunch from Wendy's. I had a baked potato and have to say it really hit the spot. It is funny with our families appetites right now any fast food receipt is between $22.00 and $25.00. I remember when we could eat out for under $10!
We arrived at our destination around 4PM and once we were settled in our hotel we went for a walk to the visitor center to plan out our next few days. I decided we needed to walk but was warned it was at least 5 blocks away. 5 blocks nothing, we are healthy young-ins, we can do this. I thought since we had been in the Yukon the walking would feel nice. I do forget sometimes the little legs attached to my two youngest get tired quicker than mine and I end up carrying them which adds an extra 30 to 40 lbs to my body. We made it there and back in the 100 degree weather. We did a little window shopping along the way and I enviously watched all the bicyclists.
The following morning we woke and had a healthy breakfast and set out to explore the great world of Moab. We basically drove around deciding where we wanted to spend our limited amount of time(really you could spend a week in Moab, we had two days) and decided to begin our adventures with the Delicate Arch and Fiery Furnace.
We parked our vehicle and began the "little" hike to this fantastic site. We should have read the papers we were given a little more thoroughly because we caught ourselves being a little unprepared for what was in store. The "little" hike ended up being the 3 mile hike. Before leaving the Yukon, I just happened to grab the girls sippy cups (which hold about 8oz of water each) thinking oh the little ones might want a drink.
Anyway, we kept walking and walking and hiking and hiking singing the pioneer children song as this "little" hike continued with no end in sight. I knew we were in trouble when we were out of water and everyone was beat I asked a fellow hiker who was coming back how much longer, his reply I think you might be half way or a little less. Are you kidding me? Half way. I do believe that was not what I wanted to hear.
A kind lady took pity on our family and gave us one of her 16oz water bottle since she could see how red in the face Bria was. Bless you kind lady! Speaking of Bria she did amazing. She walked almost the entire way and hardly complained. My two favorite quotes from her on the hike were, "I'm roasting hot" and "I think we are there now, so we can turn around".
Oh to have a camera to zoom in and see that Sierra is under that beautiful Arch. It was worth all the sweat and agony to get to this gorgeous site.
Doesn't this look like a postcard! Love it, so breathtaking.
There now you can see my beautiful Sierra, along with all our new found friends.
I am not sure the name of this but it was beautiful to look at. Once again my camera has a lot to be desired but this will have to do.
Hurray girls you made it!
The ones in the photo stayed here while Sierra and I continued the hike down to the Arch. It was a bit scary and I didn't feel comfortable having the little ones anywhere but safely on the big flat rock.
On the way down we saw this fantastic petroglyphs. So So cool!
We made hoagie sandwiches for lunch and rested in the Yukon. We drank so much water our belly's girggled and sloshed. It felt good to be in air conditioning and we planned our next adventure.
This time we were fully prepared with plenty of water and full bellies. Our next destination was The Devil's Garden. It was less than a mile hike.
Yo, what's up, said Sierra
We made it! This photo doesn't catch the beauty. Wow, breath taking.
Just a few more angles so you can see that you really want to go to Moab for family vacation sometime soon.
Aren't these steps incredible, so cool.
While we were hiking we noticed some sand and told girls they could play in it on the way down. They had a great time running down it. I wish I had a video because it was hilarious to hear the girls squeal and scream. Oh the memories!
I'm seriously surprised someone didn't face plant it more than they did. They were laughing so I guess that is all that matters.
While driving back to the hotel, We spotted some sand dunes. The girls hiked to the top and then would run down. We stayed until we ran out of sunlight and headed back for dinner.
There was a rock the girls would jump off
At night we squished all 7 of us into a 4 person intended hotel room. Shhhh, don't tell management but sheesh the prices for hotel rooms about kills your budget. I prepared most of our food so we were able to eat in rather than out. One of the mornings a rooster joined our family and woke us all up with it's "cock a doodle dooing". I giggled when I came to and realized what Bria was doing. I really don't know where she gets the ideas she does, but she sure cracks me up on a daily basis.
While we were in Moab, Sierra posted a few pictures on Instagram and my niece Heather was down there visiting as well. We were able to get together with her and her husband, Kodi and cute adorable puppy, Sky. Bria and Ada chased that little thing all over. Every time we see an animal they both very politely ask if they can pet it. It cracks me up to see how out going my two youngest are since the three oldest wouldn't even look at a stranger let alone speak at this age. After spending some time with Heather and Kodi, we took off to see Dead Man's Point and some Canyon Place. I have to say I enjoyed the arches and dunes more than the canyons.
Good thing she is 4! Great shot.
It really is all so beautiful and I know my camera is terrible but isn't the view enough to take your breath away.
Ada began her song of "I want out of my car seat" early on the way home. Thank goodness for modern technology and the movie Lorax it distracted her for a few of the hours. The ride home was filled with a discussion between Corby and I and our future budget changes and where our saved money is being stored. It got a little heated at times but all in all it turned out productive. We were traveling along nicely but when we arrived at the I15 merge we came to a complete stop. We waited for over an hour on the freeway because of an accident.
Arriving home is always such a great feeling! Nothing like home sweet home. With everyone's help we quickly cleaned up and found ourselves relaxing on the couch for a bit before bedtime.
What a great memory making weekend and now back to regular Hansen Family life!
