Dad, you're...

Just a quick line from the Brin-ster that cracked me up. Matt was heading out the door for work this morning and Brinley said, "Dad, you're stupid." She immediately realized that this was not appropriate and changed it quickly to, "Dad, you're (looking around to find a replacement word) pants."

This is Brin at Aunt Katie's wedding. Looking at this, it's hard to imagine her being naughty.

Koolaid is not Kool

Today, my girls and I were making taffy to celebrate pioneer day (a few days late, I know). I had all of my ingredients out, just like a professional chef, when I see that Brinley is checking out the koolaid packet. I know that my insticts should have told me to smile at her and subtley move it to an unreachable location, but they didn't. Instead, my mom alarm went off about 10 minutes later when I noticed that the koolaid and Brinley are AWL. I run praying that she hadn't ripped it open on the carpet. I find her in her bathroom with a fuming red mouth, hands, and dress. She was trying to clean off the mess to conceal the evidence but the more water she used, the redder she became. I was thankful that she was in the bathroom but the package of drinkable fun was still missing. I do a quick scan of the area and found it on my bathroom floor. Yeah! I can sweep and mop it...easy, peasy. Not easy, peasy. The more I tried to clean it, the redder my bathroom tile became. I used about 50 wipes to get the tile clean but the grout was still redder than red. I started having visions of me being 80 years old still looking at that hideous tile grout. Then I had a revelation...clorox bleach sticks. I love those things. I wasn't convinced that they'd work but within two minutes, my grout was back to normal and my bathroom was saved!

Now, I was very thankful that it did not end up on my carpet, but this brings me to another story, involving Brinley. A few weeks ago before church, she came up to me with bright red fingernails that she had obviously done herself. I sent the troops looking for the location, and we discovered that she had painted her nails behind a chair in our basement and left some evidence on our new beige-ie carpet. I was sick. Are we going to be one of those families that trashes everything nice in sight? Can't we have anything nice? Thank goodness for google. After a minute of research, I learned that baking soda works well on removing fingernail polish. And it did. Put that one down in your mental filing cabinet.

Now, I'm going to turn my up my alarm and remember that Brinley is obviously a lot more mischevious than all of my other girls combined. It's time to hide everything red and stainable and keep her in my sight.

The Month of Paige

Note: I originally started writing this post in April, but got gave up when I experienced technical difficulties. I wanted to post her baptism video, and even though all my ducks seem to line up, I still can't get it to work. So anyway... here is my April post in June...minus the video. I'm having blogging issues today...what is up with the spacing?

It seems as though we have been celebrating Paige's birthday for an entire month. She turned eight on March 27th, was baptized on April 9th, had a b-day party April 15th, and just spent the last of the $$$ from her gift cards a couple of days ago. Here are some of the highlights...

Her b-day was on a Sunday, so here she is in her new church dress with her new scriptures and bag. (Pictured next to Paige is the family camera hog. She never misses a photo op.)

Here she is glowing in her baptism dress. We were lucky enough to go to Logan (for Katie's wedding) the week before she was baptized and take pics of her at the ole alma mater and the temple.

I let Paige pick out her dress (with a little bit of direction), and I think she did a great job. It was a little painful ruling out all of the bedazzled dresses, but it was worth it in the end.

I don't know who thought it was a good idea to put parking behind the bride's bench (a man, I'm sure), but I still love this view.

Baptism day with G-pa and G-ma Anderson

G-pa, Sue, Adam, Debbie, Abbey, and our fam

Here Paige is with her hilarious friends. I never thought I would throw a hamster party, but I did it, and it was awesome! I'll have to post my tutorial for making hamster beds and bedding, so you won't have to reinvent the wheel for your next hamster party. Stay tuned.

Pretty in Pink

Catch up time again...For Macy's party this year we went with the "Pretty in Pink" theme...ahhhhh! Once the guests arrived, they received a little purse with coupons to buy lots of girly pink gear. They bought tutus, bracelets, ring pops, rings, notebooks, and hair flowers. Girl heaven. (P.S. I hope you recognize Macy. She has lost a couple of teeth and worries that no one will know who she is anymore.)

The new and improved 6 year old Macy.
My new favorite word is tutorial. The handles of these bags are made from bracelets. Very clever!
The smorgasbord. The party girls.

Here's Macy gliding on her new pink scooter. Look at that form...I think I should sign her up for ice skating lessons.

A Post For My Dad and Mom

If you've ever been in my parent's home chances are you've probably seen my dad leaning over a garbage can sanding. He is the king of wood projects. He's supplied the whole Relief Society with cut and sanded wood for "homemaking" meetings...for years. The women in our family have also utilized his skills and woodworking shop. If he had a nickel for every frame he made, he would be one rich muchacho. He's very talented. I used to think that I would marry a woodworker. I thought it was in men's blood. I was shocked when Matt didn't really have an interest in making furniture. So I've decided to make it my calling. I decided that I might have a little bit of my dad's woodworking DNA in mine. Anyway, here's what we've been up to.

A cute little farmhouse bed for Avery's AGD

Avery helped me assemble it. She also woodfilled, sanded, primed, and painted it.

This picture is for my mom. I'm sure she thought that those painful days of 4H sewing projects would never end, but they did, and I can sew. (Note: I need someone to have a real baby, so I can make this blanket in full size. I love it.) Avery (very meticulously) sewed the mattress and pillows. She did a great job!

Here's a bed I made for Macy. This was my first project and holy cow, I learned a lot. First being...make sure the Home Depot guy supplies you with the correct wood.

I also DIY'ed the duvet from Target sheets. I plan on making pillows...maybe I'll take advantage of Avery's newly acquired skills and have her whip them out for me.

It is FAR from perfect, but I'm glad it's done.

A big thanks to Matt for letting me live the dream. He didn't once question the credit card bill for my many trips to Home Depot, he was my human clamp when I needed an extra hand, he donated an air compressor from work, and he was master of the nail gun.

She Looks Like An Angel

It's amazing how quickly a mom can forget what a handful a 2 year old can be. I'm no psychiatrist, but she seems a little bipolar to me...either a super sweetie or super terror. Here is some evidence...

Here she is being a cute little mommy with her baby...how sweet.

Oh, she fell asleep on the stairs, how innocent.

Look there is Brinley with Hello Kitty panties on her head. What a ham!

What a funny kid, with a funny face!

But the tides turn. Here she is with her latest artwork. Matt and I had JUST finished painting our walls and were putting the supplies away when we heard the sound any parent would recognize...crayons on the wall. (Note: Brinley is on my lap as I am typing. Now she is acting as though she has multiple personalities. She just said,"Oh no, she wrote on the wall, not on paper. She is sick.)

She attacked some bread I had made for a primary fireside. You think a mother would know better.

We definitely have our ups and downs, but she is laugh out loud funny and a blessing to our family. For the record...

*She likes to put socks on her hands and call herself a princess.
*Here is a conversation she has multiple times a day with Matt...

-------Matt: You're goofy.

-------Brinley: (at mock speed) No, I not goofy, I Brinley.

*The other day I was buttoning up my pants and she sincerely said,"What-sa-matter? Your pants fall down?"

*Loves, loves, loves her cell phone and CTR ring.

*Her favorite church song is "Stars are Gleaming"

*Her favorite musician is Katy Perry. Nothing warms a mother's heart more than to hear her two year old singing about Daisy Dukes and Bikini's.

*She likes to eat with a "Foon".

Note: To close my case, she just put panties on her head again and got the leg hole stuck under her chin. The funny never ends.

NoteII: We have 4 little moms in this house, so I'm often heard saying..."you're not the mom" to one of my children. On Tuesday (Jan. 25th), Brinley said,"I'm not the mom, I Brinley."

Smart #@$

My memory is not what it used to be, so I'm going to hurry and jot down a conversation that happened during lunch today.

Paige: (said something witty, that I have already forgotten)
Matt: You're quite a Smart "A"! (Note: He really said the letter "A", though still inappropriate).
Paige: No, I should be a Smart "P".
Avery: Yeah, I'm a Smart "A".

Got to love these special family moments!

Boo "Who"!!!

Brinley Lou Who

Nice Bum...where ya from?

Mace sporting her 50's wear.

"Slug Bug!"

Paige's Jack-o-lantern Grin. She lost 2 teeth in one day last week. It's a Hansen Family record!

"Slug Bug!"

Our punkins at the Pumpkin Patch

Not many things beat kids and their love of Halloween. I have had so many memories swimming through my head this week that I thought I'd take a moment and share. (Note: Every memory involves by eternal friend...Cindy. We had a great run together!)

Memory #1: I was in third grade, and we had a Halloween school carnival. Karen Christenson was running the cakewalk. She was my friend's mom, so she let us hop in (for free) whenever there were some open squares. Needless to say, I won! I picked out a prize that was actually two cakes. I was so excited that I could have one and my friend could have the other, that I failed to notice that the frosted "cakes" were shaped like loaves of bread. When we finally got back to her house, we sliced them open only to find fruit cake. Who donates fruit cake to a school cakewalk? Probably a "fruitcake".

Memory #2: When it came to costumes as a kid, I think I was on my own for the most part. When I was in 4th grade, Cindy and I were brainstorming and came up with the idea of being "Old Granny Racecar Drivers". We wore wigs, motorcycle helmets, granny clothes, and made ourselves a cardboard car to cruise around in. We were the hit of Heyburn Elementary. (This is where I came up with the "slug bug" idea. I tried to get them to wear motorcycyle helmets and grandma wigs, but they both declined my offer.)

Memory #3: One year, there was a rumor going around that there were devil worshippers in the area looking for blonde/blue eyed girls to sacrifice. I was in the clear, but Cindy was about as blonde and blue eyed as a girl can get. We were out making the candy rounds and a guy in a mask started to approach us. We were convinced that it had to be a devil worshipper coming for Cindy. We ran for our lives until we found a safe haven in a ward member's home. Come to find out it was the bishop's son who I think was about 30. Creepy!

Memory #4: Back in the 80's, candy was not given out in abundance like it is today. When a house had the "goods", everyone knew it. Anyway, there was a scouting report out that a family we knew was giving out popcorn balls. I was sure I knew where the house was, but Cindy was sure it was another house. Cindy was semi-related to this family, so I trusted her. We were SOOO tired after hitting the pavement for hours but decided that walking a few blocks for a popcorn ball was worth it. Come to find out, it wasn't the right house, and instead of getting an oversized popcorn ball, we got a tiny tootsie roll. I think we both wanted to cry.

You've gotta love Halloween!

10!

Hard to believe, I know, but Avery has hit the big 1-0! We've been so blessed to have her in our lives this long.

She was supposed to have a camping themed b-day party with friends, but yadayadayada she got in big, big trouble and ended up with just a family party.

Here are the dancing queens...having the time of their lives.

Here is Matt BBQing in the rain again. Our last 3 b-days have been cursed by bad weather.

Just some things about Avery....

*She loves to read. Her goal is to make her school's Battle of the Books team this year. They have to read and study 40 novels and then compete against other schools in a quiz bowl. Our school has won the past few years, so this is a really big deal.

*She plays the violin in the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony. She started playing when she was 7, and the only reason I let her start so young is that she used to pretend to play the violin when she was tiny, probably 2. She'd get out 2 spaghetti noodles, put one under her chin and move the other one across it like a bow.

*She has a great little memory. I love it when it comes to practicing spelling words but hate it when she remembers what a terrible mom I've been in the past.

*She's willing to try anything.

*She has a cute little singing voice.

*She is snuggly. She loves to nuzzle up to anyone who will sit still long enough. I worry about her being a teenager.

Kali and Maka

Kali and Maka are our official Hawaiian names according to some PCC keychains. Cute, huh. Anyway, here are a few of our favorite spots in paradise.

Welcome to the Jungle. This was a little walk on the way down to Honolau Bay -- our favorite snorkeling spot.

Our hotel in was in the cute town of Lahaina. The pool here was "soooo creamy" - inside joke -and so were the macadamia nuts covered in coconut and chocolate.

Matt eating his Cheeseburger in Paradise. We ate at a handful of resturants that were RIGHT on the ocean. It was fun having waves splash into our drink water.

The black sand beach on the Road to Hana -- Beautiful!

The Olivine Pools - Yep, that's me braving a swim mini on my blog.

The Iao Needle

I could go on and on...but I don't want to be one of those people who go on and on. A big shout out to Aunt Katie and Grandpa for watching the kidos and a big mahalo to Maka for an amazing V-day gift. I can't wait to see how he's going to top that next year.

Garett and Ashlie's Wedding

The Beautiful Bride with all of the Beautiful Nieces (This is really sad, but I don't have a pic with the groom. Sorry Uncle G.)

Grandpa and his Girls

They were married in Bountiful but had the luncheon at the Joseph Smith Mem. Bldg. I couldn't miss this photo op.

Wiped out!

It is hard for me to believe that Garett is old enough to get married. I think I first met him when he was 7, before Matt and I were even dating. We couldn't be happier for him, though. He met a great girl, and they are an adorable couple. I have to admit that I was hoping that Garett would marry a "Cougar" (not the BYU kind but cougar meaning older woman). That way I wouldn't have to be the oldest sister-in-law. I have age issues. Honestly, I am excited to have Ashlie be part of our family, and are happy for the new life they are starting together.

If you like Pina Coladas...

Brinley and her B-Day Cake (Note: The divit in the front/center was done by Macy. This is the 3rd cake she hasn't been able to keep her fingers off of. She needs to learn the art of being sneaky. One time she put finger tracks over an entire sheet cake and another time she ate the whole face off her 2nd birthday ballerina cake.)

Playin' in the Pool

Enjoying a Pina Colada...hold the rum

Our favorite grin...extra cheese!

If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, you would have loved Brin's birthday. I planned a pool party, but it was rained out. We had to wait couple of days post-birthday to whip out the pool, but we still had a great time. When she saw her cake she said, "Ew, funny." She also sang the whole b-day song with the "cha cha chas" at the end. Avery tried to give her a candle to lick, and she put the wick side in her mouth. Never a dull moment.

2 is such a fun/funny age. Even when she is being naughty, we can't help smiling at her. These are some little things that keep us laughing...

*She has to get in my bed the second after I get done making it. She loves to be snuggly.

*She just started saying, "No, I don't want to." I think this was her first real sentence.

*She likes the word AWESOME. She's very hip.

*She loves to eat NeeNaws (bananas) and Crackers. She would eat them all day if I would let her.

*She is adorable when she's about to take a nap and says, "Night, night. Love you!"

*She is a hoarder. She wants to take everything she sees to bed with her. I have to slowly sneak things out so there is room for her to lay down.

*She likes to shower with her big sisters and has just figured out how to take off her clothes and diaper.

*She loves to sing "Happy Family", "Moon Moon Moon", and "ABC's".

*Matt gave her a shoulder rub the other day and she said, "Tickle Me."

*She really sees the sense of humor of things and will call them funny.

*She has to climb up on the dining room table every time she is done eating. I think she does this, so we will put her down on the ground. We need to work on her manners.

*Absolutely hates having her teeth brushed. Even Dr. Matt has a hard time getting her to open up.