Memory Grove

Hansen and I walked to Memory Grove a while ago. In fact it was the night of the last Jazz-Laker's game. So whatever day that was...weeks go by and it seems like two days to me. I got some pretty cute pictures of Hansen running around with his blanket. He went through a phase when he wouldn't put it down. I like that park because the sun goes down sooner because it's in a ravine. Plus there are dogs there for Hansen to admire. On the way back I got some pictures of lamp posts. I really like pictures of lamp posts and one day I'm going to get a copy of the Montmartre's steps in Paris because it's one of my favorite photographs. It looks a lot like this but without the people, taken from the left side of the railing, and in black and white. I want a really big print of it. Here are the pics of Hansen at the Grove and also my attempts at lamp posts. Sorry the pictures are not in order or in the place where they make sense. I haven't mastered picture placement on my blog yet. Some day...like most things in my life that I want. But don't worry they will all happen...some day. I'll talk about those things another time.

I got, forgot

This is a strange little phrase I would say when I was little.  I remember I couldn't just say the word forgot unless I said, I got, first.  I thought of this because I was thinking of some of the things Hansen says.  For ball he says galldy gall.  When he says more he says ma-more.  All gone is gall gie(rhymes with pie).  And my favorites are still goggie(doggie) and ka(duck).  He does say some things the way they actually sound like hi, go, show, cow, moo, choo choo, and key(monkey). He hasn't started saying two words together, with the exception of all gone, so he has a speech therapist that comes to our house.  Today was actually the first day she came and she played with him and showed us how we can get him to say more words.  She taught him to say please by signing in the half hour that she was working with him.  So I continued asking him to say please throughout the day whenever he wanted something.  He signs it really well and I think the hope is that he will eventually say it.  It's amazing how receptive kids can be if you will just spend the time with them. I know that one day he would probably talk on his own but he gets really frustrated with us because we don't always know what he wants and that ends up in him having core meltdowns.  I am hoping that with the speech help we can start to limit these ever so popular occurrences.   Oh and on a somewhat related note, I linked the Gub Chronicles to my page.  It is Hans' blog that he was required to set up for a school assignment. He called it gub because that is what I used to call bugs.

Bologna or baloney?

When I think of the food and the weird way it is spelled I also think of when we say it as a way to tell someone they are full of it (or baloney).  I bought some bologna the other day because it's probably been over 10 years since I've had any.  It's not too bad and it makes a nice snack sandwich when you are just staring into the depths of the fridge wondering what in the world you want to eat and when in the world you might figure it out.  I think another reason I bought it is because it is spelled so funky like.  It looks like ba-log-nah.  It's fun to say it the way it is spelled. I've always wondered why it's spelled that way.  If anyone can fill me in that would be awesome.  I bet Trestin might have the answer. For some strange reason sometimes he knows things like that.  And another thing-What do you all think of bologna?  Gross, good, or shouldn't really be allowed on the shelves?  There is no wrong answer.

Platform 9 3/4

We all know about the mysterious platform nine and three quarters from Harry Potter. It's the number of the platform the students board the Hogwarts Express to get to the school. The non magical folk or "muggles" of course don't know it's there because the students have to run through a stone pillar in order to get to it. Hansen and I went for a walk the other day and I noticed these cool addresses on the doors in the mall. One can only imagine what's really hiding behind the stores that only us "muggles" can see. Perhaps a secret meeting place for witches and wizards or maybe a store full of magic doodads and magic candy. It's fun to wonder.

Working and Dreams

On May 1st I went back to my job I had before Hansen was born.  It is a really easy job and I don't have to think too hard or do any customer service, which is very stressful to me.  Then the next monday I started babysitting my niece for my brother.  I do that two days a week for 8 hours.  I work at my job for 5 hours two days a week.   I went from an everyday mom with just Hansen and I to a working mom who has to figure out how to get things done now that there is more stress on my time.  It keeps me busy and helps me remember that all things pass and one day I won't have to work.  I want to go to school and learn foreign languages.  I think other languages are so interesting and I think it would make me feel better about myself to have a skill like that.  Hans was so sweet on Mother's Day.  He got me two books.  One is called Horse Miracles, it has inspirational stories about horses and how they protect the people they love and who love them.  The other book is called Horsekeeping on a small acreage.  It was very thoughtful of him to get this book for me because it proves that he listens to me when I talk about what my dream in life is and that he wants me to be able to accomplish it one day.  I want to have horses of my own and possibly have a place where I can board horses for other people.  I feel like myself when I am with these majestic animals.  I feel so at peace when I can spend time with a being that is so nonjudgmental and who enjoys my company.  I also get this peaceful feeling when I am with family and good friends.  I want everyone that I know and love to remember that nothing, not even a horse could replace the love I feel from you.  I cherish our time together.  I just have this dream to be with horses too.  I think we all know that dreams are what keep us going in this sometimes monotonous and challenging life.  If we didn't have dreams then who would we be?  

Ogden sure is getting nicer

What once was an old run down train depot town is now starting to be a little more pleasing to the eye. I was lucky enough to ride the Front Runner to Ogden yesterday with Crystal and some of her friends. We took our kids and went to the Tree House Children's museum. We let our kids run around what really is a giant two story play room for 3 hours while we got to talk about a few other things besides our kids. It's always nice to get out and do something new that you most likely might not end up doing again. With no nap Hansen did have a little melt down. We went to the Subway at the train station before we went home and when I took him out of his stroller he started crying and collapsing to the floor. He wouldn't get up off the floor and one time when I picked him up off the floor there was a wilted piece of lettuce on his cheek. I thought that was pretty gross but he obviously didn't care. I decided to go outside with him to see if he would calm down. There was traffic and I think the loud sound of it drowned out his crying and he decided to stop. When we went back inside he ate almost a complete six inch by himself. I think he was hungry. He fell asleep on my lap on the way back home from Ogden. It's only supposed to take an hour but it takes 20 minutes longer than that. I guess they are still working out the kinks. I know there's got to be someone smart enough in that operation to get the problems solved. Good luck Front Runner staff! The train is a really smooth ride but is going to be kind of expensive to ride. We got to ride for free so that was cool, but from now on ya gotta fork over the money if you want to ride.

When he was still a baby

Well I finally figured out that I can post more than 5 pictures on one blog. You just have to do them 5 at a time. So this is Hansen from birth to one year and you all know how he looks now at 2 years because that is what the rest of the blog is full of. I know there are only 12 pictures and there should be 13 but I took his 10 month picture too close to when he was actually 11 months so I counted those as one.

Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus?

Well I hope that two nights in a row makes it official.  Hansen has gone to bed without any bottle or sippy cup, no crying, and I didn't have to check on him.  When I shut his door tonight I think I heard the Hallelujah chorus, it was fantastic.  The only twist is that today when he woke from his nap he got himself out of his crib for the first time ever.  So maybe that is my cue to get his big boy bed back out again.  I liked the fact that he couldn't get out of his bed because I got to choose when I got him out, but I guess there are always adjustments to make as kids get older.  He seems like such a big boy sometimes.  Where did my baby boy go?  I'm so proud of him.

A strange and hopeful happening

A few days ago when we put Hansen to bed he took one sip from his bottle and gave it back to me. This is very good because we are trying to break him of the habit. So after that I left the room and of course he started to cry. I read in my Parents magazine that a good way to get your kids to go to sleep on their own is to tell them you will be back to check on them in a minute, and then wait longer every night until they get bored of waiting and eventually go to sleep. Well I went back in and set his bottle by his side and told him it was time to go to sleep. He was quiet after that!! I was so excited but still wasn't sure how it was going to go. Now tonight he has a cold which I'm not happy or excited about but I knew he probably wouldn't want any milk so I just gave him his sippy cup with water in it. To explain the sippy, I have been giving him his bottle and sippy for the past few nights. It usually goes like this. We put him in bed, have prayer, tell him goodnight, then shut the door. He then cries and I wait for a minute. Then I go back in, give him his sippy , tell him it's time to go to sleep, and then I leave. It worked like a charm tonight so I'm hoping above all other things right now that this will continue to work. I don't think I will stop checking in on Hansen after the one minute because after I check on him he is usually fine even if he is still awake and playing in his crib. He goes to sleep eventually. Now the next step will be to get him into his big boy bed. The strangest thing about this whole thing is that I remember telling Hans a few months ago that I hoped Hansen would just not want his bottle anymore just like he kinda stopped breast feeding at 8 months. Well if this isn't quite the same I'm still alright with it, but it seems like it might kind of be the same. The other thing I left out is that every week I reduced the amount of milk I was giving him in his bottle. We started at 6 ounces and got down to 2. I guess he didn't really think it was worth it anymore. Thank goodness for the advice of others the world around.

Yesterday was cool...

In more ways than one. We had an appointment for Hansen in Bountiful yesterday at 8 am. I'm not normally even out of the shower by then. So my friend Crystal invited me to come over afterward. I was glad because I hadn't seen her and her boys in a while. Hans also had a day full of homework and he is much more productive when he has the house to himself. So I got to spend the day with Crystal and have some adult conversation and leave any worries I might have had at my house behind. So thank you Crystal. It also snowed. It seemed so crazy because it was 80 degrees the day before. I love Utah for its ever changing weather. Today on the other hand has been pretty uneventful. I drove to the library with Hansen then we stayed at home the rest of the day. He's been needing to sit on his "naughty mat" for letting milk dribble out of his mouth. I don't know why that is something he enjoys doing. Hopefully I can get him to stop doing it.

Halloween's past

These are from 2006. Hansen's first Halloween. We dressed him and his cousin up as Dorothy and the Scarecrow. Hansen couldn't walk yet so the pictures were really easy to take. It should also be known that we had to make the costumes. It was cool to realize I could actually do something like that.
Here they are in 2007. They don't match but they still have cute costumes. As little girls get older they realize they want to be fairies or princesses. So we can't have them be what we want them to be. So even if we could've thought of something to match with Hansen's lion suit I don't know if his cousin would have approved. It was also hard to get a good picture because there were a lot of people around that day at the Gardener Village and he didn't want to hold still for me at all. But for some reason in this picture he sat on that bale of hay for a good 3 minutes and I snapped pictures like crazy.

I hadn't decided what Hansen could be for Halloween early enough to make him a costume so this one is thanks to Old Navy online. Everyone really liked the puffy butt and the tail. The tail would bounce when he walked. It was funny.

Fun colors

I was sitting in Hansen's room with him the other day and noticed all the colors I have used to decorate his room. Sometimes life allows you to notice silly things like that and makes you want to take a picture of it. That green rug has a strange story behind it though. In the building we live in there is someone on our floor who puts things in the elevator lobby that they don't want. One day I saw this rug and that it was from Ikea. I thought, "why not, I can wash it and it would be just like I bought it myself." It has come in handy as we actually use it for Hansen's "naughty mat." (Just to clarify, he isn't in trouble in this picture). It seems every child at one time or another is in need of one of these. Or is it the parents who are the one's who really need it?

the egg hunt

For Easter we were in Monroe with our parents. For an egg hunt for Hansen I filled a few eggs with candy and hid them around my mom's yard. Hansen didn't really get the whole hunting thing but he totally understood that there was candy inside the eggs and wanted to eat it instead of hunting for more eggs. I kept trying to tell him there was more candy to find but he was only interested in the candy he had in his hand.

Cruisin' in style

Sometimes I don't get the stroller put away right when we get home from a walk. We were getting Hansen ready for bed and hadn't had the chance to actually get his pajamas on him. He loves to get into his stroller in hopes that we will go out again. I had Hans take a picture because I thought it was funny he would get in there without any clothes on. Kids really do the wackiest things.

But I love shoes

The other day Hansen decided to tromp around through the house with my shoes on. I always think it's funny when he does that and even funnier when they are on the wrong feet.

What's behind your couch?

The other day I was looking for a pill case my mom thought she had lost at my house(turns out it was in a pocket in her bag that she doesn't normally put her pill cases in, and I think it took her a couple of weeks to find it). So while in search for the case I pulled the couch away from the wall thinking Hansen might have walked off with it and dropped it behind the couch. Of course we know that isn't what really happened but I did find all these items.

Disney princesses on ice

Yes, I saw the show and I loved it. My mom wanted to take her granddaughter, my niece, to the show. It was really fun. We bought a snow cone that was $12. It's for the cup it comes in, but whew what a shocker huh?! I got to have some dippin dots. Those are so yummy and COLD! I love 'em. All the princesses had a turn on the ice and the most colorful and fun was The Little Mermaid. All the see creatures and their colorful outfits. It was a good way to spend a friday afternoon. Hans walked over with Hansen and we all walked home together. I thought the picture of the two kids holding hands was cute.

Jury duty

Yes I did it, kind of. It has to be done. It was actually quite interesting to see how it all takes place. There were 19 of us lucky citizens. Only 4 were to be chosen!! We were all put into a room for about an hour where it was very silent except for the occasional cough. Then we were taken into the hallway just outside the court room and put into a certain order so that when we introduced ourselves it would follow the order of the paper the judge had in her hand. I was #9. Everyone is asked to tell about themselves, their spouse, children if they have them, what kind of magazines you get, how you get your news(tv, internet, newpaper) and if you are part of any clubs or organizations and if you have leadership positions in any of them. We were asked many other questions to determine if we could be unbiased. Then the council approaches the bench( it's not like it is on tv, we couldn't hear what they were saying) then they come back and start putting X's through the boxes with all of our information on them. I knew which box was mine and was glad to see a good slash mark run through it. The 3 people sitting right next to me were not so lucky along with another that was a few seats down. Those 4 people had to stay and decide whether the young man charged with a DUI was going to remain innocent or be proven guilty. I was out of there by 12:15 and glad of it too because I had a big headache from playing too much peggle on my ipod. And now I have officially served and can't be bothered for the next 2 years.

My friend Crystal

Crystal, who is my friend from about 11 years back, introduced me to the world of blogging. It is really fun for some strange reason. I'm not very good at putting something on everyday. So I just spit out a few every other week or so. I will attempt to get better at this. So back to the actual subject of this blog. Crystal and I, her two sons and my son, all went to the city library about 3 weeks ago. We took traks from my house as far as the free zone would take us and then we walked the rest of the way. Don't worry it was during one of the warm spells we were having. We had a good time and I got a cute picture of our boys playing. We hung out on the roof and talked while our boys ran around. Crystal provided snacks for all of us. Thank goodness someone was looking out for all of us. I'm so glad Crystal is my friend because the way my life is going right now I don't really have much of those. But better to have one really awesome friend than a dozen who you can't really call good buddies.

City under construction!

There has been someone using a jackhammer all day long. I like to open my balcony door to get some cool air into the house and then I realize there is a loud jackhammer going like there is no tomorrow. We have fortunately chosen a time to live downtown while about 30% of it seems to be under construction. Too bad we probably won't be here when it is all done.

Let's get jammin'

I took this picture of Hansen cleaning his toes because I think it's funny and it is something I accidentally taught him. I didn't like the pieces of lint floating in the bathtub so I would always clean them out before I put him in. Now he takes his socks off all the time just so he can clean out the "jam."

Hansen bean turns 2!

Well it was actually quite a while ago but I still want to write about it. My family came over and we had carrot cake and ice cream. There were two bouquets of balloons and Bean got a Cars toybox, a construction puzzle, a big Buzz Lightyear, and lots of clothes. I made him french toast that morning and I believe he ate it, which doesn't always happen. It was a fun day. I also want to post his birth to one year progression. I only got this blog a month ago right before he turned 2. So I'm going to put the pictures here now. I hope everyone enjoys them.

The joys of rush hour?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending about an hour driving in rush hour traffic. I don't normally need to go out at this time so it got me thinking of ways I might be able to enjoy it.
1. I got to have my sunroof and windows open because I wasn't going so fast that it was too loud I couldn't hear the radio, and the breeze was quite nice.
2. How often to you get to go parade speed when you aren't actually in a parade?
3. I like to pick one car in each lane to watch to see who actually is in the fastest lane. It usually ends up that we all get there at the same time. Although it seems that the fast lane comes to more complete stops than the lane to the right of it, which was the lane I was in.
4. You get to see what kind of cars are on the road. It's good research because we will need another car someday.
5. You get to notice the surroundings more. When driving 5 miles per hour you can afford to take a look around once in a while.
6. You can concentrate on what those country singers are really singing about.
Even after all these "wonderful" things I do have to say that it gets old after about 30 minutes. My condolences to those who deal with it every day.

The Cake

January 19th my brother got married!! I'm so happy for him and his new wife. They let me make the wedding cake! I had never done anything like this before and I wanted to thank them for giving me the opportunity. I learned a lot and it was really fun.

The awesome walls

Today I hung up all my pictures on my walls. It sounds really good but the sad thing is we have been living here for 7 months. It obviously takes me a while to decide what to put where . I also put up a paper towel holder because I was really tired of having a roll on the counter all the time(I have really limited counter space). Don't you just love the tiny screws they give you to put it up. If you try even once to rip a paper towel off one handed you end up with the towels and the holder on the floor, not to mention two giant holes in your wall. And who likes to have to use two hands all the time? Most of the time you are in a situation where all you have is one hand to retrieve the towel with. Well I put mine up with some wall anchors and longer screws than the half inch ones they came with. I think the one handed ripping is going to be long lived.

The Farm

Today Bean and I went to the Wheeler Farm.  We saw horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, and a lot of ducks and geese.  Pigs are VERY stinky.  The farm was really muddy.  Bean likes to see animals but calls them all goggies(doggies).  He really enjoyed chasing the ducks around which I thought was really gross because their poop is everywhere, along with a ton of mud.  Kids just don't care what they step in but I was getting grossed out so I had to take him back to the car.  Also when I was holding him his muddy shoes were touching my clothes.  I don't mind getting dirty if I'm planning on it.  Mud is ok but poop?  Ya get my drift.  I  think we will go back when the ground has dried out and there is a light breeze so maybe the smell of the piggies will be blown the other direction.  It is also to be understood that I love horses and want some in the future.  I guess it was good to see the other animals on the farm because I think I will limit the animals I have to horses.