Feliz Navidad!

Our Mexican Feast

Macy and Matt "Siamese Present Wrapping"

Avery and Paige "Siamese Present Wrapping"... Picture #1

Avery and Paige "Siamese Present Wrapping"... Picture #2

Avery and Paige "Siamese Present Wrapping"... Picture #3

Me n' Matt

The Party Pooper (that's why her pants are missing)

We couldn't go to our Ward Christmas Party this year, so we had our very own party at home. We had festive Mexican food (question: are Navajo Tacos considered Mexican food?), played a rousing game of Siamese Present Wrapping, made ornaments, drank Grandpa's Holiday Punch, and played "Sleds" (aka Spoons, only with Sled ornaments from our tree...so creative). The party was a success, with the exception of the present wrapping game. Deep down I knew this was a bad idea, but I didn't follow my intuition. Instead we had 10 minutes of Avery yelling at Paige for not helping and Paige screaming to delete these pictures from the camera. Sorry babe, they are goin' on the blog. Merry??? Christmas!

#66.....Check

Well, I'm able to mark off item #66 on my bucket list....serve on a jury. O.K., it really wasn't on my bucket list, but it should have been. It was quite the experience. I was summoned to show up for jury duty on October 27th and I finished up yesterday...3 + weeks later. From jury selection to the actual trial to deliberation to the reading of the verdict, my inner core was overflowing with a strange combination of frustration, sympathy, interest, and confusion. My case consisted of a soldier stationed in our area gunning down and killing 2 people standing on a street corner hanging up garage sale signs...with an AK47. He also shot at 2 other guys, hitting one, on another street corner on a different night. My 11 new best friends and I found him guilty of on 12 different counts. The thickness of the air during deliberation and the reading of the verdict will be permanently tattooed in my brain. I thought the weight of the matter would be lifting by now, but I have either been crying or on the verge of crying all day today. My heart goes out to the families of the victims and others that were involved.

On a lighter note...there were a few, I mean very few, funny moments, but I have to share them. Lawyer: Who is your cell phone carrier? Witness: I am. Lawyer: No, I mean, which company do you get your cell phone service through. Witness: T-Mobile, they have good rates!

Here's one more... Lawyer: What does a flash suppressor do (to the layman, it's an end of an assault rifle used to minimize the amount of light that comes out when a gun is shot)? Witness: (smugly) It suppresses the flash.

Well, I have to give a shout out to those who helped us or offered to help us these past few weeks. To my parents for dropping everything and showing up 2 days after I was selected. To my sisters for leaving their families to serve mine. To friends who either took the girls for a playdate or helped transport them. We wouldn't have survived without you!

Fright Night!

The Boo Crew

Avery-Greek Goddess

Paige-Kitty

Macy-Tinkerbell

Brinley-Witch

If you feel like your having a de ja vu moment, you're not. I bribed my children with a whole $5/kid, to select a costume from the dress-up box verses buying one at the store. I honestly thought they wouldn't go for it, but they thought it was the best plan ever. This was my easiest Halloween ever! (Now that Paige has some cash, she can stop wiggling all of her teeth praying for one to fall out.)

Britt's Big Day!

The bride and groom (Brittany and Andy)

Brittany and her #1 aunt

Amazing cake made by my sister-in-law, Judy

Here's Brinley with cousin Austin wrapped around her little finger

Here's Brinley dragging Uncle Dale around with her little fingers

Here's Jamie and Collin (thanks to a George Bush cut out and a color copier), so funny

Here's Laura, Brin, Dale, Elder Jensen, and Amanda

and one last pic of Brinley (in case you were wondering, she was my only child there)

I know it's hard to believe that someone as young and hip as I am could possibly have a niece get married, but it's true. My little Brittany Jensen is now Brittany Pinkston...crazy! It seems like only yesterday she was lathered up with Vaseline (thanks to Amanda) and drinking bathwater. Brittany and Andy were married in beautiful Logan on a beautiful fall day.

Apples of My Eye

gourmet caramel apples...kid style

Brin's lickin' the chocolate bowl clean...what a helper

It may feel like Christmas outside (30 degrees is our high today...brrrr), but we decided to do something Halloween-ie inside. We ususally get so junk fooded out that we don't ever make caramel apples, so we decided to make them earlier in the month. The kidos smashed as many goodies on top as they could get to stick and then added a few more for good luck. Yum...better than Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's (almost).

Brin's Grins

Little Brinley turned 1 this summer, so I decided save some cash (and anxiety) and take her out on a homemade photoshot with mom. I wish I could say that she loved every minute of it and was more than cooperative, but she wasn't. My big goal was to get one adorable picture of her in the flowers, but instead she is wailing. I was disappointed at first, but now the crying picture is my favorite. Mom doesn't always know best.

Here are the updates on Brinley...

*She has just started to really say words. She says mama, dad, bow (ball), hi, bye, hot, teeth, tickle, quack, oh oh (woof woof), up up up, and dinky dinky dink (lyrics to her favorite song), and kind of an amen at the end of our family prayer.

*She also blows on her hot food, says shhhh when it's time to be quiet, blows kisses with with the back side of her hand, loves to click her tongue and spit, and pretends to read books out loud.

*She gets most excited when her sisters leave for school. It's become quite a ritual to wave bye bye and scream as they head up the street.

*She's got some moves. She is a expert at twirling, stomping, and bobbing to the beat.

*She's our human garbage disposal...she will eat anything.

*She is also very regular, if you know what I mean.

Zoo Crew

Big Giraffe, Little Brin

"Egg"cellent smiles

Our View From the Zoo

My "Little" Girls

Well, it's our bi-yearly (does this mean every two years, cause that's what I'm aiming for) trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Matt was rooting for the pet store or the fish tanks at Walmart, but with a little coercion, we talked him into spending the big bucks to see undomestic animals. The girls loved the Budgie Buddies (these little Australian birds that are adorable and eat off of a stick that you purchase from the zoo keepers...Grandma J nightmare). We also saw an adorable baby chimpanzee and baby wallaby that was pet-able (but of course I didn't because I think I have an obscure petting animal phobia). My favorite part of the day had to be the giraffes, but for all the wrong reasons. There was a male giraffe that kept trying to mate with a female giraffe. Avery thought this was hilarious. "Look at that crazy giraffe, I think that he wants a piggy back ride." She kept going on and on and on and was really, really loud. All of these little grandmas thought that it was the funniest thing. I think that it is time to have a little talk about the bird and the bees (elbow, elbow). Unfortunately, our day wasn't perfect. I don't know how many times we had to say "it's not snack time/lunch time" or "we're here to see the animals, not to _____." I know it's not healthy to spoil them and give into every carousel ride and giant, overpriced snow cone, but I don't want them to think I'm a stick in the mud. Anyway to ease my guilty feelings, I bought them a giant Smartie at the grocery store and bingo, I'm the coolest again.

Thirty Somthing

We celebrated Matt's big day this month, and boy, it was a good time had by all. Matt received tons of bike stuff to go along with his brand new road bike (compliments of his business Visa points). We gave him an airpump, on odometer, legwarmers, and a purse ("It's European!" ... for all the Seinfeld buffs.) We then blindfolded him and took him to a restaurant called Fatburger. Now, we are classy people and don't typically eat at joints with the word "fat" in the title, but we made the exception today. (I don't know how it all started, but we've joked about going there for over a year. I figured it was finally time.) We then went home, ate chocolate trifle, and watched Twilight, which surprisingly entertained the birthday boy. Feliz Cumpleanos!

blindfolded on our way to a secret destination

the birthday boy with his Fatburger

This is my all time favorite picture of Matt (if you can't tell which one he is, he's wearing the navy leisure outfit, has square glasses, is giving a big thumbs up, and is sporting a foam hat entitled "Matt"). Whistle, Whistle!!!

Paige's Post

here is our concessions stand

Paige on her big day (nice horsie socks)

Macy and Paige tearin' up the hill

I initially thought that blogging was my easy answer to keeping everyone updated on our happenings, but no ... I'm playing catchup once again. Paige's birthday was a month and a half ago and I'm finally getting to it. Anyway...Paige turned the big 6 this year. We had a Matinee Movie Party showing Barbie's "Thumbelina"! All the party goers received their own little purse with $, faux cell phone, and lip gloss when they arrived. Macy and her best friend, Anna, manned the ticket booth, Paige was the ticket taker, and Avery and her best friend, Aubree, ran the concession stand. It was so much fun and surprisingly quiet. The girls actually sat and watched the movie while eating a mass of goodies. I honestly went upstairs and folded laundry while the big girls took charge. It was heaven! After the party, we took the girls to Tabogan Hill (creative name for our sledding hill) and sledded the afternoon away.

About Paige...

*She is the family "Food Policeman". (I guess this is a common trait in the Hansen family (cough)...Adam).

*She is also always on "Fairness Alert"

*She loves loves loves Kindergarten.

*Like Macy, she also wants to change her name to Gabriella Montez when she turns 18. Sharpay and Kelsie are a close 2nd and 3rd. (from High School Musical)

*Paige is the "Countdown Queen". She is constantly keeping track of the days to our next family member's b-day, the days until she gets to bring home Chester (the class sock monkey), the days until she gets to be the special helper, etc. She gets upset when someone in the class messes up her rotation.

*She calls Skittles, Skeeters. How Cute!

*Everyone loves to play with Paige. Boys in her class and Macy's friends naturally gravitate towards her.

*She desperately wants to visit China and Alabama.

*Mrs. Ray, her K teacher, says she cries more at school that any other kid she's had in years. In fact, the other day Mrs. Ray asked Paige if she had a stuffy nose and the tears started flowing.
*Competitive whether it's soccer, Old Maid, or simply running up the stairs.

All dressed up with no...

the girls in their new Easter apparel

my two babes

...place to go. I know this is crazy but it is April 12th/Easter Sunday, and our church was cancelled. There was honestly about 3 inches of snow on the ground and the roads were wet...no wind or ice in sight. Now I can understand cancelling church if we lived in Phoeniz, AZ where weather like this is an anonomoly, but we live in Colorado! Since we are saints (and we were already dressed when we got the call), we just headed to another building. Though the wet roads were treacherous, we were blessed to go and return safely (ha ha). Anyway the day turned out better than we could have hoped... the ward we went to had an amazing program, we were able to see some friends that moved to NJ and another family from our old CS ward, and we made it back to see a good chunk of the Masters. Hoppy Easter!

Ode to Macy (our joy)

Well...Macy turned the big 4 last week, so I thought I would devote a post to her and her big day. We had a cooking party where the kiddo's cooked their own pizzas, made salad on a stick, and frosted cupcakes galore. We also played a couple of games and made personalized place mats. It was tons of fun but tons of work. Being a little "over the top" like I tend to be, I decided to make personalized aprons that were cute but not fun to be doing hours before the party started.

Funny things about Macy:

*Macy has OCD issues when it comes to "toe fuzzies". She is constantly checking between her toes and Brinley's for lint.

*She loves to wear makeup...on her forehead. I think that she thinks she is putting it on her eyelids but is missing the mark.

*She loves to cook and wishes she could do it all by herself. The other day she said to me, "I can't wait until I'm 10, so I can use a sharp knife. I want to cut!"

*Macy has a bionic nose and bionic ears. She can sniff out treats in the tallest cupboard or hear our pantry door open from the neighbor's house.

*She is soooo sneaky. Just yesterday, I was missing sick little Brinley's bottle of apple juice. I searched all of the usual places and finally found it in her play house....empty.

*One more sneaky (and unfortunately destructive) thing. I had made 2 Texas Sheetcakes for our YW's New Beginnings Program. Just as I was packing up my gear and heading out the door, I noticed finger tracks not only in the frosting but digging into the cake...the entire cake! I didn't even have to ask who the responsible party was. Matt had noticed about an hour earlier and Macy told him that I had done it. Why would I destroy my own cake? The funny thing is is that he believed her. Love is blind.

*Wants to change her name to Gabriella Montez when she turns 18.

*The other day I was singing, "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home" for her bedtime song. When I came to the last word I stopped singing, so she could fill in the blank. Me: "A great big"

Macy: "snug". How cute!

*Always good for a laugh.

Toothless Gums n' Diaper Bums

I have 2 major weaknesses when it comes to babies....gums and bums. Last night Matt noticed that Brinley's two bottom teeth are almost ready to errupt. It honestly broke my heart. No more empty gummers to knaw and slobber on me. My baby's growing up. Fortunately, she will still have a diaper bum to pat for another year and a half. (One quick Avery funny....Last night Avery was fuming mad that we wouldn't take her to the Air Force Women's BB game. In the middle of her tantrum (yes, she is 8) she said,"Brinley gets EVERYTHING she wants!" Yeah, it's rough being the big sister.)

Christmas Catchup

Brinley's "First Christmas" Photoshoot

The Hansen Girl's Nativity (our Baby Jesus wasn't silent)

Our traditional "top of the stairs Christmas morning" picture

"Holiday Hottie"

Happy (belated) Holidays everyone! I know it's cliche but .... it really is the "most wonderful time of the year"! We were able to spend Christmas Day in Colorado Springs and the rest of the vacation in SLC, Heyburn, Logan, Soda Springs, and Bear Lake. Lots of packing and unpacking and repacking, but it was sooooo worth it. We were blessed to attend my nephew's farewell (look out Indiana!) and see a nephew who just returned from Costa Rica. It's hard for me to believe that I have nephews who are old enough to be missionaries, but I'm glad that I do. I know they think I'm the crazy aunt, but I just want to squeeze em'. Anyway, we hope that we're able to see more of you the next time we grace Utah and Idaho, because we luv you all!