Couple of things

I just had to post some things to remember.

Yesterday, Jeff and I went to the temple. (Thank you, Jodi, for taking the kids.) When Michael got off the school bus, I was still getting ready. He looked at me and smiled and said, "Mom, you look pretty!" Awwww. That was really sweet. But then I realized that what he probably meant was, "Mom, it's about time you got your hair out of that ponytail and brushed it!"

Faith has become a screaming banshee. Anytime she doesn't get her way, or the toy she wants, or the seat she wants, or whatever it is she wants, she starts screaming at the top of her lungs. I really hope this phase doesn't last long. My ears and my sanity can't take it.

But even with her screaming, I think she is the most darling girl ever. She calls Lauren "the baby," and will say, "Hi, the baby" to her. When she goes to bed, she has to give everyone loves. And if she misses someone, she asks me, "Daddy, loves?" Sometimes she even gives her toys loves (Jeff laughed when she gave a ball loves down in Delta - I think that night she really was just procrastinating because she wanted to stay up with Grandpa). Every time I turn on the computer, she runs over and says, "See Abby!" So I pull up Mandi's blog and let her see photos of Abby and Matthew. (By the way, Mandi, post some new ones, okay?)

Lauren is usually sleeping until 5 or 6 in the morning, which is very nice. She is smiling and starting to coo, and I just love it. I haven't caught one of her grins on film (um, memory card?) yet, but hopefully soon. Today she saw herself in the mirror, and grinned. It was so cute. She has been pretty fussy in the evenings lately. I'm hoping this is just the normal fussiness that babies have, and not a consequence of my diet. With both Michael and Faith, I had to make changes to my diet because of their food sensitivities. So far with Lauren I've been eating normally, and it's been okay until the last week or so. Hopefully she'll move past this phase soon. I'm really addicted to Maceys green onion cheese balls and Ritz crackers, and I'd hate to give that up.

Thankful Thursday

1. Primary in Delta. For two of the last three Sundays, Michael has gone to primary in my parents' ward. I've been amazed at how much he has learned. He was singing a new song, telling me stories from the scriptures, and even saying that he wants to bring scriptures to church.

2. Relief Society in Delta. Last Sunday we had a lesson that really affected me. It was from President Monson's talk "Be of Good Cheer." The feelings and impressions I had were not specifically related to what the class was talking about, but it motivated me to put a plan in place to overcome something that has been a real challenge for years. I'm still working on the plan, so no details yet. But soon... very soon. "The future is as bright as your faith."

3. The gym. I went last night for the first time since Lauren was born. And guess what - I had more endurance that I thought I would. Yay!! I've had a lot more energy lately, and I feel motivated to exercise and eat better. I actually WANT to exercise. That's a big change for me.

4. Rolls on Lauren's thighs - so cute.

5. My home. So it's old and doesn't have the best layout, but I do love our home. We're working on getting the basement insulated and sheetrocked - what a pain in the neck. But it will be nice to have that major project finished.

I'm alive!!

The kids and I went to Delta without Jeff last week. I don't like being a single parent. It's crummy. But Dad and Mom were WONDERFUL with the kids, so it wasn't nearly as hard as it could have been. Especially Dad. He could get Faith to eat anything, go to sleep anytime, sit quietly at church..... Wish I could do that.

Monday the 18th was a holiday, so Jeff didn't have to work. He planned to spend the day working on our basement, and as anyone with little kiddos knows, you get a lot more done when said kiddos are not around. My parents had planned a trip to Quartzsite, Arizona, to visit my grandparents during that week, so the kids and I took advantage of the timing and went with them. We drove to Delta on Saturday the 16th, and left for Quartzsite on Sunday after Sacrament Meeting.

We spent the night at Railroad Pass, just outside of Boulder City, Nevada. We crossed Hoover Dam on Monday and looked at the new bridge they are building, which will pretty much eliminate cars driving over the dam in the future. It's amazing to see the way the bridge is being built. Last year we made this same drive, and they only had one section of the arch on either side completed. Now the arch is finished, and if we make this trip again next year, we'll likely bypass the dam entirely.Quartzsite was fun. It was nice to see Grandma and Grandpa, even though they were busy working at the QIA and we didn't get to see them too much. Faith started calling them bee-bama and bee-bapa. It was so cute.

On the way back from Quartzsite, we took a detour to Oatman, a tiny little town on Historic Route 66. In Oatman, there are donkeys that wander the streets, and the tourists pay $1 per carrot to feed them. Well, some tourists do. We didn't. We just took photos.
There was a funny man on the boardwalk there who made a balloon hat for Michael and a "short-necked giraffe in camouflage" for Faith. Hers had a little loop on it so she could wear it like a bracelet.
We ended up spending an unplanned night at Railroad Pass again, because when you have to stop for a 4-year-old's bathroom breaks, as well as frequent meals for a nursing baby, you don't get as far as you'd like to as fast as you'd like to. So we made it back to Delta on Thursday evening instead of Wednesday.

On Friday I made a cake for my niece Averie's first birthday. She has a stuffed octopus which she loves, and Callie asked me to re-create it for her cake. Here's the result:
And here's the toy, the cake, and a "smash cake" for Averie:
This was a fun project, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think Averie liked it, too, although she wasn't feeling well and only ate a little bit.
Jeff drove down on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday we had a Hansen family activity. We had planned to go sledding, but due to a lack of snow in Delta, we played Family Feud instead and had a chili cook-off. It was a lot of fun - but I learned that I'm not nearly as good at Family Feud as I thought I would be. I won't be trying out for that game show.

We came home Sunday evening, and I've spent about six hours today on the computer, catching up on facebook and blogs. Oh, and doing our taxes. I got those filed today. Now we are eagerly anticipating a return that we'll really never see, because it's already been spent on a new furnace. So much for that trip to Italy.

Thankful Thursday

1. Sleep. Lauren slept 8 hours last night! Woo-hoo! That doesn't mean that I slept 8 hours. I just can't bring myself to go to bed at 8 pm. But I was asleep by 10, which means I got 6 hours in before Lauren woke up. It was so nice.

2. Facebook and blogs. I'm not very good at keeping up with old friends. But I've been able to find a lot of my old friends through Facebook and blogs, and it helps me to feel like I'm still connected somehow.

3. My mom sold our car! Yay!! Thanks, Mom. We didn't get quite as much as we had hoped, but at least we can reimburse our savings account and take the car off of our insurance policy, which will help me feel a lot better about our finances.

4. A (semi) warm basement. Our freezing cold basement is now almost pleasant due to our new furnace and the new register in the sewing room. Still not as warm as the upstairs, but I never really expected that.

5. Rebates. When we remodel our basement, we are going to put insulation in the exterior walls. Did you know that the utility companies offer rebates that will more than pay for the cost of the insulation? So if you do the work yourself, you come out ahead - potentially hundreds of dollars. Looking forward to that.

A Decade in Review

My sister did this on her blog, and it was fun to see how much really happened in the last 10 years. So here goes:

2000: Spent the entire year as a missionary in the Portugal Lisbon South Mission - four months in Setubal, four months in Cape Verde, and four months in Amora and Arrentela. Was companions with one of my all-time favorite people (Becca) and broke the mission rules and called home, because I had boils on my feet and couldn't walk and the area doctor was thousands of miles away in Germany and the doctor in Mindelo (Cape Verde) told me they might have to do surgery. Sometimes it's okay to call your mom.

2001: Came home from Portugal and moved in with my grandparents in Huntsville. Started working at the Best Western High Country Inn as a desk clerk, and started back at Weber State in the fall. Totaled my third car and bought a two-door Ford Escort.

2002: Left the hotel after the Winter Olympics, and started working at the IRS as a Tax Examiner. Moved with Callie into an apartment in Layton. Met/dated/broke up/dated again/got engaged to Jeff. Moved into a basement apartment by myself in Ogden. Graduated from Weber State University with a Bachelors Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Latin American Studies.

2003: Married Jeff in April. Was furloughed from IRS, then called back, then furloughed, then called back.... Found that working opposite shifts was really hard. Quit working at the IRS and started the greatest job I ever had at the Church News in Salt Lake. Had our first Christmas together in our tiny basement apartment.



2004: Went to Yellowstone with Jeff's parents in January. Took a 2-week trip to Portugal in May, and learned that visiting the mission is better as a tourist. Also learned that it is possible to travel to Europe with only one backpack each, and Rick Steves writes amazing tour guide books. Bought our first home in Washington Terrace and was called to be the Relief Society President in our student ward. So glad that student wards don't have much in the way of funerals. Also found out we were expecting a baby.

2005: Remodeled the second upstairs bedroom for the baby. Started going to the Washington Terrace 2nd Ward. Michael was born in June. I quit my job and learned to be completely financially dependent on Jeff. Transition to stay-at-home motherhood was SOOOO hard, but definitely worth it. Sold my Ford Escort and bought my parents' Mercury Sable. Realized our toilet was sinking into the floor, which prompted a major remodel of the upstairs bathroom.

2006: Went to San Diego for our anniversary, where we happened to see the Oscar Mayer weiner-mobile, and on a dinner cruise at the Great Salt Lake for my birthday. Found out we were expecting again. Tori was stillborn, four months early, in October. Most spiritually challenging experience of my life to date. Learned that angels attend us, and pain fades over time. Started work at the Best Western again as a desk clerk, because I am a happier person when I have something outside of the house to do. Traded in the Sable and got a Chevy Malibu. Ripped out the breakfast bar and created a decent dining room. Was called as Second Counselor in the Primary, then as President.

2007: Went hiking in Southern Utah with Mom and Dad. Hope to go again someday. Found out we were expecting yet again. Spent the entire pregnancy paranoid until the 22-week mark had passed. Michael and I went with Mom to visit Mandi and her family in Dallas. Remodeled the basement bathroom, except the shower. Still have to do something about that.

2008: Faith tried jumping feet-first into the world in February, but the doctor felt it would be better to do a C-section. Got a promotion at work to Front Desk Manager. Took Faith to New York City with us in August and found that New Yorkers are among the nicest people on earth. Especially if you're holding a cute 6-month-old who coughs until you look at her and then breaks out in a darling grin. Went to a New York Giants game and learned to navigate the subway system with a stroller. Michael started pre-school. Took the kids to Quartzsite with Mom and Dad to visit my grandparents between Christmas and New Year's. Jeff ripped the carpet out of our bedroom and refinished the hardwood floors. Painted the kitchen.

2009: Found out we were expecting another girl. Put the house up for sale in hopes of moving into a bigger one. Painted the living room. Was released as Primary President. Went to Washington DC with Jeff (and no kids!!) in April. Michael started his second year of pre-school. Lauren was born December 1. Contract with the Realtor ended with the home unsold, so we started the refinance process and plan to stay, remodel the basement (including the shower in the bathroom), and make it work.

I'm sure there's a million other things that happened in the last 10 years, but these are the major highlights. I'm sure the next 10 years will bring even more exciting changes to our little family.

The Urge to Purge

AUGH!!! All of this junk is driving me crazy! Since Jeff and I will be turning one of the basement bedrooms into OUR bedroom, we've had to completely empty it for "demolition" to begin. There's paneling and ceiling tiles to come down, and carpet to come out. We found that the ceiling tiles are glued to drywall. Why would you do that? Is the mudding and taping of drywall so hard that instead you pay even more money to hang disgusting ceiling tiles? I'm so confused with why our home's previous owners made some of the decisions they did.

Anyway, so yes, all of the books, puzzles, games, random furniture, etc., that has accumulated in that room for the last five years now has to go somewhere else. And even when the room is finished, it will be a bedroom, not a junk room anymore. So I have been on a de-junking tirade. Victims of the tirade include most of our Christmas decorations (the ones we didn't even get out this year, and didn't miss); our Brazilian and Cabo Verdeano music; all of the sticker books Michael has finished; about half of our toys; the kids' Halloween costumes; and even the huge bean bag that used to belong to my parents. That's the only thing that I really think I'll miss. The kids LOVED playing on that bean bag, and Jeff and I really enjoyed watching them play on it. But seriously, where could we keep it? I posted it on FreeCycle today, and someone picked it up this afternoon.

Some things went in the trash, some went on FreeCycle. I've posted some of the other things on KSL classifieds, and the rest will be stored in our attic until warmer weather arrives, at which point we will have a yard sale. My hope is that we'll make enough money to buy the king-size bed that we've always wanted. Anyone who wants to join us in the yard sale is more than welcome.

One Month Old!

Lauren is one month old today. She is growing so much! I don't know how much she weighs, because she hasn't had a doctor appointment in a couple of weeks, but she is getting cute rolls on her thighs and is really filling out. She's a mellow baby, which is a huge blessing. She is getting pretty good at holding her head up, and she has started smiling, which is so much fun. She tries so hard to make eye contact, focus, and follow movement, but so far she usually just goes cross-eyed.


And side note - my new digital camera (thanks, Jeff!) is MUCH better at the closer shots.