Last Day of the Year...

I would say that New Year's Eve and Day are by far our favorite holiday. Not because we are looking forward to a new year. Not because we have amazing resolutions. Not because we are wild party animals. It has to do with the food. And this year didn't disappoint.

The Hansen side was in charge of the shrimp and crab this year. I being a super thrifty budget shopper scoured the sale ads to find the best deal on crab legs and shrimp. We were able to get 11 lbs of crab and 6 lbs of shrimp for a relatively good price. We also drove around to 4 different stores to buy horseradish to make cocktail sauce. We finally found it. I whipped up and amazing batch, and then left it at home. There is another point on my complete moron chart.

I, with the help of Brian, whipped up some amazing salads. We made potato and macaroni salad. Then I made ambrosia which is always a big hit. (don't ask me why, I find it to be icky, but that is just me) We decided to store and transport the stuff in disposable aluminum pans. I guess the salad look very professional because Shay asked if we had the salad's catered.

We left early in order to arrive at Bachan's in time to help with the rest of dinner. We were the first to arrive and were able to help a little. We shredded chicken for the won ton salad and helped roll sushi with the other girls.

Auntie Sam made a delicious dessert which the little girls, Essence and Farrah, helped with. All 3 looked as if they were in heaven working together. It was adorable.

There was so much food and we all ate too much.

We hung out, talked, played cards, played Uno and watched TV. Everyone who stayed watched the ball drop in Time's Square and drank sparkling cider.

Now let the I haven't done this all year jokes begin.... I am usually the perpetrator of those jokes.

Family, Food, and Fun. It can't get better then that. Here are all the pics and video.

Snow Day!!!

This beginning paragraph really has nothing to do with snow. But, I didn't want to do a whole blog post about Valkyrie. Brian, the boys, and I all went to see Valkyrie the day after Christmas. It was actually a really good movie despite the reviews. A truly wonderful story about heroic men standing up for what is right.

Now to the white stuff....

The boys got new sled/snowboard things from their Auntie Lisa for Christmas. There is a great place to go sledding not too far from our house. We got all bundled up and headed to the hill. It was a really cold day, I think about 20 degrees plus wind. Lisa's crew, Vicki and Richard all met us there. The boys performed some death defying stunts and even created a jump. I cannot even count the number of times they went up and down the hill. Josh helped Farrah and Mya go down the hill several times. He is such a nice big cousin. The girls absolutely loved sledding. Jalon went down one time and then made some snow angels. He didn't seem to be as into sledding as the big boys.

After our toes were about 2 minutes away from frost bite we all headed over to Lisa's for lunch.

Another fun family day.

Pictures and videos here
and here

Christmas 2008

It all started with a little snow... and it ended with 2 feet of the white stuff!

We woke up Christmas morning around 8 am. When I say we, I mean Brian and me. The kids had been up for a while begging us to drag ourselves out of bed. The boys shuffled through their presents and picked out the biggest one to open. Much to their surprise, it was a laptop. Xander had only been asking for his own laptop for years now. My kids now have more computing power than anyone else in the house. They were very excited and grateful. They know how much laptops cost because Xander had been saving up for one. The last present they decided to open was their Karate Gees. They had tossed those aside thinking it was just clothes. They were THRILLED to get a year of Karate lessons that would start after the holidays. We had been trying to find a local place that we liked for quite a while. Just about a month before Christmas a Bobby Lawerence Karate studio opened about 5 minutes from home.

Oh I can't forget Taffy. She got a bit Dingo bone. Her favorite kind of bone.

Brian was very easy to shop for this year. He had been wanting an air compressor and electric razor for months now. He has me feel his smooth face all the time. (granted it takes him 3 days to grow a 5 o'clock shadow) Now he making lists of all the tools he can get to go with the compressor.

Brian got me the best presents ever. I got a new stainless steel programmable Crock-Pot. (seriously people, I have wanted one of these forever) He also got me a gift card to Zappos.com for new shoes. A new dustbuster. No more lugging the big vacuum out to clean the stairs. YAY! A new trifle dish. And a buffet serving bowl set. It was awesome. I guess he does listen when I ramble on and on about the crazy stuff I want. I am pretty sure he cheated and went over budget on my gifts. But, I cannot complain because everything was fabulous.

The boys made pancakes for breakfast and they were delicious. After that we all looked outside and saw the massive amount of snow we had received over night. And it was still snowing. They all bundled up and went outside to start the massive chore of shovelling snow. It took them almost 2 hours to clear the 2 feet of snow. While they were out there the channel 2 news team came by and interviewed Brian and the boys. Josh was so excited to be on the news again. He had previously been on the news with his boy scout troop while helping neighbors that had their basements flood during a rain storm. Josh actually got the most airtime in the broadcast. And Xander ended up on the cutting room floor.

While the boys were shovelling I was busy getting the turkey ready. This year's turkey was lovingly named "The Redneck Turkey". I had forgotten to buy string to properly truss the bird. I had to zip-tie the legs together and use toothpicks to hold the wings in place. It actually turned out to be a beautiful bird, after the fluorescent green zip-ties were removed.

We packed up the turkey, gravy, and cranberries and made our way in the snow to Lisa's house. She was nice enough to host Christmas this year. She had her basement all set up with tables and chairs. She decorated the tables really nicely with cute centerpieces and candy. Everyone was able to make it despite the blizzard. I guess most of the valley was missed beside West Jordan, South Jordan, and Herriman. We had a great dinner and then opened presents. The boys once again got such wonderful presents. We decided to draw names this year to make the gift giving and receiving a little more manageable.

It started snowing again around 7:30 pm and everyone decided it was time to get packed up and head home. No one wanted to get stuck in the snow and several of the cars did not have 4 wheel drive.

Another Merry Christmas under our belts with many more to follow.

Click here to see pictures and video of all the festivities.

Christmas Eve 2008

We made our annual trek to Uncle Niels and Aunt Dorothy's for Christmas Eve this year. The drive there and home was free and clear of snow, despite weather reports to the contrary. We had to drive home in a blizzard the year before and were pleased that was not the case this year. Alan and Marie were able to make it out this year. LeeAnn and Jason stayed in Georgia awaiting the birth of their little girl. Hopefully they can join us next year.

Niels and Dorothy were wonderful hosts as usual. It was very kind of them to open up their home considering they were leaving early the next morning. We had a fabulous dinner (I made sugar brown potatoes. 20 cans later and my hands were ready to fall off) and the traditional rice pudding after (there is a Danish name for it but I cannot recall the spelling and I am blogging at 12:45 am and too tired to google). The kids all exchanged gifts and came home with so many presents.

We made it home just in time for the great snow of 2008!

Check out all of the Christmas time festivities here.

Introducing Josh the Cellist

Josh joined his junior high orchestra this year. He chose the cello, which can be rather challenging for a novice. However, he took on the challenge and has become an amazing cellist. He surprises me everyday with his dedication to learning and practicing. He is playing pieces that you would never expect a novice to tackle.

We had the opportunity to see his first concert of the year. It was a beautiful Christmas program. The school choir also was able to perform at the concert. I think the highlight of the evening was the cello solo. Josh and the few other cellos did a spectacular job. Auntie Sam, Auntie Sharon, Essence, Lisa's crew, Richard, and Vicki all made it out to the concert. They were all as impressed as we are.

Josh was not nervous at all and smiled throughout the concert.

We are proud parents.

Xander's Christmas Program

As most of you know, Xander is in his school choir again this year. He absolutely loves choir and performing. It takes a lot of dedication because they have to wake up early each Wednesday, even when off track. The choir held a Christmas concert this year. It was so much fun to watch Xander and his friends sing and be filled with so much joy. It helped remind me what Christmas is all about. We were so pleased that Vicki, Richard, Lisa, Shay, and all the little ones could join us that evening. Xander enjoyed having an audience watching him show off some of his self made dance moves. His bum-shake left us all in stitches.

Black (Cold and Wet) Friday

Brian and I were on the hunt for the perfect Christmas present for the boys. (It is a secret since they read this blog too). And it just so happened that Best Buy had the presents we wanted on sale. Mark was nice enough to come along in case it was only 1 per household. We all got up and met over at Best Buy around 2:30 am. The ad's all said they would give out tickets starting around 3. The line was pretty long when we got there, but it condensed as the tents and canopies were taken down. We waited and waited and waited and it started to snow and rain. We were a little cold and wet. But we toughed it out and continued to wait. Finally around 4:30 am the Best Buy employees came out and started to hand out the tickets. We were about 10-15 people away from getting the tickets for the items we wanted. DARN. Plus Brian and Mark almost had to beat up some guy (well at least in their minds) who was trying to sneak past us in line. So dramatic!

Mark had also seen similar items for sale at another store so we headed over there. This time we were again about 10 people away in line. It just wasn't meant to be. But it was still fun! And a great experience.

Brian and I went home and slept for a while and Mark went shopping for Molly's presents.

Thanksgiving Part Deux

We had my family over on actual Thanksgiving Day. Well most of them. Jacqui's family, my Mom's Family, and Jean-Marc's family were all able to join us.

I cooked a really big 20 lb turkey that day. I started it at about 2 pm in my awesome roaster (Thanks Vicki). It can cook a 20 lb bird in 3 hours, that is amazing. It was actually a pretty relaxing day. We had spent the day before cleaning carpets so I was really just left to cook the day away.

Dinner was great! Everyone hung out until about 11:30 pm. Brian, Mike, Danny, and Jacqui all played cards. The kids hung out in the boys room playing with IPods and wrestling around. They also played Wii and check out our new Nemo Fish and Anemone.

Here are the pics.

Thanksgiving Part 1 (Hansen Crew)

We were very lucky and got to host 2 Thanksgiving dinners this year. I know what you are thinking, how is hosting 2 dinners lucky. I actually prefer it. I make a pretty darn good turkey if I do say so myself.

Lisa, Shay, and kids usually go to St. George with the Stucki's for Thanksgiving. Mark and Molly usually spend it with the McQueen Clan. So, for the last few years we have all been getting together to celebrate and early Thanksgiving. This year we were skipping that tradition and were all going to go to Bachan's to celebrate Auntie Sam's birthday. But Auntie Jo came down with a case of Shingles the day before and none of us wanted to catch that. I thankfully had a turkey laying around (really I did. Again, weird I know) and planned an impromptu Thanksgiving Feast for the Hansen crew.

I think we pretty much had all the goods. Turkey, salad, sweet potatoes, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, pumpkin pie, and most importantly each other. (wow... that was cheesy. But true!)

We all hung out and the kids played guitar hero. Good times, good times.

Here are pictures of both Thanksgiving's. Kind of poor quality because they are camera phone pics. Our camera battery died and we didn't get the new one yet.

Twilight

I will start this post with... YES! I did read all 4 books in the Twilight series in 4 days. So, what?!?!?!

Mark, Molly, Lisa, Shay, Auntie Sam, Brian, and I went out on a Twilight movie date. I reserved seats at The District and we got to see the movie on the 2nd day after it came out. Needless to say I spent most of the movie apologizing to Brian and reminding him he was going to get a steak dinner afterwards. Lisa really enjoyed the movie, minus the annoying people laughing at the most inappropriate times. I thought it could have been made so much better. I was rather disappointed. But, not enough to not go see the next movie in the series.

After the move we all went to Ruby River steakhouse for dinner. That was so much fun. We have not all went out together before so it was a great treat. We will definitely have to do it again.

No pictures... Which is sad because my hair looked really cute that night.

Report Cards

Just a quick Shout Out to Xander who pulled off STRAIGHT A's for his first report card of the year! YAY Xander!!!!

Halloween!!!

We love Halloween in the Hansen house. We celebrated many ways this year. We had a thrilling Pumpkin Party, I volunteered at Xander's school carnival, and for Xander's class Halloween Party. I was in charge of the Monster Claw. By far the most fun game!

Of course the most important part of Halloween was trick or treating. We started out by eating dinner at Bachan's like always. She made a wonderful dinner of soup, salad, and bread. Auntie Sam was there too! It is always fun to see her. Then all the kids got ready in their costumes. Josh was a dead person, cleaver through the head accident. That'll get you every time. Xander was Dr. X Death. Maybe he is responsible for the cleaver accident. Michael was the Joker. Pretty scary if you ask me! Jalon was a very realistic Batman. I almost forgot it was Jalon. Farrah was a Princess riding a magical unicorn. She even had beautiful princess makeup and glitter. And Mya was a princess ballerina. Complete with flowing curls and a tiara.

We got a late start at trick or treating, about 7:45 so we had to be quick and efficient this year. Jalon did great keeping up with the big boys. I got the impression that as long as there is candy involved he is willing to run for it. Farrah visited about 10 or 15 houses and just chose to relax after that. She said she had enough candy. Josh, Xander, and Michael agreed there was no such thing as too much candy. Taffy had fun trick or treating too. She got a lot of practice at being calm. She really wanted to chase the boys. People started to turn out their lights about 9:00 pm so we decided to call it a night. The kids got so much candy and then Bachan gave them a GIANT bag to split up between them. The night ended with all the kids playing trade the candy. Even Jalon and Farrah were trading. I am not sure they understood to trade things you don't like for things you do like because they were trading straight across, Doritos for Doritos. So cute.

We got home and packed up Brian for his trip to Chicago...

Pictures are not organized yet on Flickr but you can scroll through the photo stream to see them. And when they are organized they will be under "sets" then Halloween 2008.

Pumpkin Party

Since Halloween is Brian's favorite holiday I can pretty much plan anything related to it and be sure he is on board. Our family has a tradition of going to the pumpkin patch and spending a good 2 hours searching for the perfect pumpkin. We take 2 wheelbarrows and fill them with any pumpkin that might be the "one". This year we invited Julie, Aimee, and Lisa's family to come along. The kids loved wandering through the patch inspecting each one carefully. The kids also got to wander through the patch's corn maze and play on all the really cool antique tractors. Plus I got to test out my skills as a pumpkin spokes model

We all headed back to my house at which point I sent Lisa and Shay on a date. Pumpkin parties are just for kids. (Yes, Brian and I count as kids) We spread out a large disposable table cloth on the floor and let the kids have at their pumpkins. The older kids were so sweet and helped the little ones. In the end they all made very frightening Jack-o-Lanterns.

I made homemade mac and cheese for dinner per Brian's request. The kids all loved it and there wasn't a leftover to be found. After dinner the kids made haunted graham cracker castles. Pretty much like a gingerbread house, only Halloween themed. There was frosting and candy and messy goo all over. The kids were in sugar craft heaven.

While the houses were being constructed I whipped up a batch of chocolate cupcakes. Julie, Aimee, and I decorated them like jack-o-lanterns. I must say that I may have a new profession as a cupcake decorator. I at least rivaled a 3 or 4 year old with my artistic ability.

While all the bigger kids crafted away Mya and Taffy became even better friends. I cannot even put to words how cute they are together. Mya follows Taffy all around and wants Taffy to lick her fingers. She literally shoves her fingers in the dog's mouth. If Taffy is laying down, Mya will lay next to her. I am kind of worried my dog may want to follow her home one day...

See how the fun went down by clicking HERE!!!

We're Ethnic

Well... maybe not us exactly. But our taste in food is. One of our family's favorite foods in Vietnamese Spring Rolls. We have shared this meal with my Mom's family on many occasions. She is the one who introduced us to the joy of Vietnamese food.

We decided to share our love of this genre of food with some of our other family members. We invited Mark, Molly, and Vicki over for a wonderful meal. (Lisa's guys were in Disneyland and Richard was stuck in bed with back problems). And because my Mom had fed us this meal soooo many times she and her family came too. The spring rolls are made from thin rice paper dipped in warm/hot water. From there you add rice noodles, meat (we used beef and catfish that night), and various veggies (lettuce, sprouts, purple basil, mint, cucumbers, green onions) and then roll them up. We make a dipping sauce out of fish sauce (yup you guessed it sauce made out of fish) sugar, water, lime, ginger, and garlic.

I guess the meal was a great success because there was NOTHING left over.

Boys and Their Toys

Brian and his friend Trey took the day off of work and went ATV riding out at 5 mile pass. It is just west of Lehi. They left about 8 am and didn't come home until after 5. They took a long ride on the south side of the pass and almost ended up in Eureka. Very little talking, a lot of fast moving machinery, loud rumbling noise. Perfect atmosphere for male bonding.

T-Mobile

For about 2 years now, the boys have been asking for cell phones. And for the same amount of time Brian and I have been adamantly saying NO. Xander always sang a little song of "T-Mobile" anytime we passed the store. Where do they ever go that they don't have access to a phone? We know all their friends phone numbers. Cell phones in little boys hands would just get broken. You name it, we probably used that excuse. Then heck froze over.... well close enough.

We decided to disconnect our home line because it was never used except for by the kids. But doing that would leave the boys with no access to a phone. What to do? Well I had been contemplating a cell phone switch and researched the various companies and plans. We found T-Mobile actually had the best family plans. Who would've known Xander's little jingle would be so prophetic.

Well needless to say we were the best parents in the whole world for about an hour. Then came the cell phone rules. No taking it to school, no long conversations, no inappropriate joke texts, no taking it to family houses and or events just to name a few. (with the exception of a few snafus they have been doing pretty good with the rules)

Their reactions were priceless... so much so that I must have to pay to have access to them on video and picture. Because I can't find them anywhere. I am sure we will have them on Flickr at some point.

Happy Birthday Brian!!!

Brian turned 33 on September 23rd. Notice how I can mention his age with no problem? Strange isn't it? I cooked his traditional birthday dinner of pork roast. It is seriously one of his favorite things to eat. If only all wives could have such a not picky husband. I am very lucky! I usually make him a chocolate cake but was all out of cocoa. So I opted for birthday zucchini bread instead. Brian was so happy that Lisa, Jalon, and Farrah called and sung him happy birthday. Vicki and Richard stopped by and wished him a happy birthday also. Our birthday media players arrived that day so Brian had a fun night loading his up with pictures, music, and movies. He loves electronics and this turned out to be no exception. It was a perfect evening as a family celebrating!

I LOVE YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Steph turns... well... um...

It was my birthday on September, 21st... yay... rah rah... and all that jazz. I don't care to mention my age... I actually try to just pretend it is like any other day.. Brian and the boys are very sweet and try to remind me. We all went to a very nice dinner at Rodizio on Saturday night to celebrate my and Brian's birthdays. It was great spending time with my 3 boys. On my actually birthday Josh made a tasty pancake breakfast. We then had the usually Sunday dinner crew over to our house for dinner. I made Chicken Kiev for the first time. It was inspired by my Wii game "Cooking Mama". I will say it turned out really good for a video game meal. It was great to see everyone at Sunday dinner. Richard and Vicki got Brian and I some cool dutch oven supplies. We love to dutch oven! Josh and Xander bought me a fantastic professional mandolin slicer. I have wanted one forever and it was a terrific surprise. Brian and I bought each other identical media players for our birthdays. Actually the same one we got Josh for his birthday. Xander is a little sad now that he doesn't have one. I can already foresee what is going to be on his Christmas list!

It was a great birthday thanks to a wonderful family!

Lagoon Day

Brian's work rented out all of Lagoon on Friday evening. And I can truly say that is the only way to go to Lagoon. It was open from 5-11 pm so the weather was nice and comfortable. The lines for the rides were short in comparison to normal days. And it was free! You really can't beat any of those things.

Brian was able to score a couple extra tickets because his friend at work couldn't go. We decided to take my little sisters. They are nearly the same age as the boys so they all get along well. We grabbed some McDonalds on the way there to save a little money over buying Lagoon food. When we got there the kids wanted to go on the Colossus first. They did that then moved to the Spider (which they wound up going on about 4 times throughout the night). Brian loves the Spider, also. He said it is like a new ride every time. Brian, Josh, and Xander went on the go-carts and Xander was finally tall enought this year to drive his own. They had a great time bumping and trying to get ahead of one another. Xander got a little sick on one of the roller coasters and had to sit a couple rides out. After that he did feel good enough to go on the big white roller coaster. I think everyone's favorite ride was Wicked. Xander and I sat that one out not having death wishes of our own. I can only describe that ride as CRAZY! Brian tried to win my a giant bear by getting a ring over the bottle ... I truly think it is impossible.

Check out our fun here.

Lisa's Birthday

It was Lisa's birthday on September 17th. We went over to her house to play with the little kids while she and Shay went to dinner. Vicki was there babysitting and we just like to play with little kids. The kids were so cute as usual. They played in the sandbox and showed me all around. Farrah has it all sectioned out: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom. It is a very complete sandbox. When Brian got there Farrah went up to him and said "Do you have some gum? I knows you do I can smell it!" We all got a really great laugh out of that. Brian and Richard ran to the store to get a little birthday cake for Lisa and we all sang her happy birthday. We didn't cut the cake because Jalon wanted so bad to have a cake for Lisa and he was already in bed. She said that when she brought it out the next day he was so happy to celebrate with her.

Happy Birthday Josh!!!

On September 8th, 2008 Joshua Brian Hansen turned 13 years old. Yes... he is officially a teenager. I can barely believe it. It seems like yesterday when Brian used to sit him on the counter and sneak him Lucky Charms. Now he is in middle school and such a smart and handsome young man. We are lucky to have such a great boy!

Josh got a really cool video MP3 player for his birthday. It is a Zen by Creative. He really loves to listen to music, as do most teenagers, so he was really excited. He also added a bunch of family photos and a couple movies on there too.

We went out for Josh's Birthday dinner at his request. They gave him giant piece of ice cream cake for his birthday. We then stopped by Marble Slab Creamery for dessert. (The picture above is not of the actual dessert. It is just a funny picture of Josh with dessert.)

Big Birthday Bash!

We had the boys combined birthday party on September 6th. With their birthdays only being a couple weeks apart it is the easiest way to get everyone together. It was a great turn out with 30 people coming out to join us. We reserved a pavilion at a park in Herriman and it worked out great. We had plenty of space to accommodate everyone. We also had a playground and fishing pond to entertain the kids and any some of the adults :-). I spent the late morning into the afternoon preparing food for the party. Brian also helped cut up the fruit we served that night. He also BBQ'd up some awesome chicken. Boy did we have A LOT of food. Brian was smart and told me to buy a cake this year to save stress. I am glad he has some sense in him because I sure don't.

We had a great time visiting with all the family. The boys really liked seeing so many people there to celebrate their birthdays. It started to get a little cold as the sun started to set so we rushed into cake and presents. The boys received such thoughtful gifts from everyone. They loved each and every one.

The party was stress free and went so smoothly... I can't wait til next year!!!

Click here to see party pictures and videos.

Cows and Sheep and Pigs OH MY!

It was time again for our annual family trip to the Utah State Fair. We went on opening night with Richard and Vicki and got in for 2 dollars a person. A great savings! As everyone knows since Brian and I went on a budget we are conscious of every cent we spend. We started out by looking at all the animals. The boys are a little older now so it isn't "cool" to look at the animals so they protested a little a first. But, as soon as we started into the first building they got so excited to see all the animals and their bodily functions. I think we heard at least 10 times that night "Look that one is peeing!" The pigs are A LOT less smelly opening night then they normally are. We were kind of disappointed at the size of the piglets this year. They were really big. I like them tiny. Bachan had the boys go on a really cool virtual reality rollercoaster ride. They loved it and we could hear them screaming from outside. The boys also did the bungee trampolines. Neither of them flipped but they sure went HIGH! We walked through all of the commercial buildings and saw the usual stuff... salsa makers, super shamee's, knives, and pots and pans. This year there were this really cool snap on caps that make your cans of pop like bottles. Vicki was very nice and bought me some. Brian got some nice welding gloves for his dutch oven cooking. Josh got an awesome pocket knife, he loves to collect things. Xander made a wax hand, something he wanted to do since last year. Even Richard got something, a GIANT knife. Don't mess with him! Josh, Xander, and Brian went on the big yellow slide. A great tradition as Josh pointed out. I am glad to see the boys are starting to appreciate family traditions.

Check out our Flickr site for all the fun!

Labor Day 2008 in Hoop Lake

We had a wonderful Labor Day this year. We headed up to Hoop Lake for a family camp out. The day before we hit Costco and Walmart to stock up on everything we would need. We left on Friday at about 11:45 am. That was after a last minute stop at Walmart and a run home for a forgotten wallet. We caravaned up with Richard and Vicki. The trip there was really smooth. I had packed everyone lunch and we ate in the car on the way there. We did stop at the store in Mountain View for a couple extra potatoes because for some reason I thought I was short. The road into Hoop Lake was better than ever. It used to be sooooo rocky and uneven but they have really made great improvements.

The spot we normally get was already occupied but we did get a great open spot with a good view of the lake. We got set up very quickly and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. Grandpa was teasing the boys that he wasn't going to take the 4 wheelers out until Sunday. He knew they were so excited to go riding since they just got their OHV permits. They went on their first ride to help Richard and Brian get firewood. To say the least they are hooked for life. They really loved it. They did a great job even though the bikes are pretty big. That night we had a great campfire and roasted marshmallows.

The next morning Brian made us a delicious pancake breakfast. The boys helped cook and it turn out wonderfully. The boys took their first ride up and around the saddle with Brian and Richard. They had a couple tricky spots to get out of but they did really well. Brian, Josh, Xander, and I took a short ride to go shoot BB guns that afternoon. We found a great private spot and the boys got lots of target practice in. By the time we got back Mark and Molly had arrived with Scout and Uno. They were well on their way to having their AWESOME truck tent set up. Molly helped get the dutch oven stew ready for dinner and we had a great meal. We made S'mores and sat around the campfire talking for most of the evening.

Sunday was our last full day there. Brian, Mark, Josh, and Xander woke up really early to go on a ride. They went to see the giant beaver dams in the area. When they got back Brian again made an awesome meal of dutch oven cowboy breakfast. It was a little chilly and rained off and on throughout the day. We kept a campfire going the whole day. That afternoon we played a really fun card game called "Crap on your neighbor" that Mark and Molly taught us. It is an awesome game and I am sure we will play it again. Mark and Molly decided to stay for dinner, thankfully, because we had tons of ribs. We thought for sure there would be leftovers... but the all the guys took care of that. Mark and Molly left about 8:00 pm and Brian and Richard decided to break down the easy ups. Right after they were taken down the sky opened up and it started to POUR rain. Not just a little, a Ton! We brought as much stuff in from the rain as we could but some stuff was left out to brave the cold and wet. Richard and Vicki came to hang out and play games in our trailer for a while. We drank hot cocoa and had a very nice time.

About 3 am in the morning nature called and I woke up. To complete COLD and DARKNESS. The batteries in the trailer were dead. I gently jostled Brian and said "I think the batteries are dead" and he sprung into action. I seriously have never seen the man move so quickly. He check the breaker and the interior fuses and all seemed to be in tact. Thankfully Richard had a small generator that we borrowed so we could run the heat that night. Little did I know it had been snowing. I went to the bathroom and didn't notice that.

We woke up in the morning to about a half inch of snow and it was STILL snowing. The boys all braved the snow and got all the wet, soggy stuff packed away. We left on a very muddy dirt road. Brian did so well maneuvering the trailer and truck through the slick, muddy hills. There were a couple times I thought we might slide off the road but he was able to save it. On the main road there were a few bags of garbage that were flapping in the back of the truck. Brian was so worried about being embarrassed from garbage flying from our truck he decided we needed to pull over. We found a spot that we could pull over and he proceeded to bungee down the garbage. We wouldn't want to be "embarrassed" by flying garbage you know. As he was doing that we saw my Mom and Danny's truck fly by... then stop. They were on their way home from Flaming Gorge. They turned around to see what was going on. And thankfully they did. Just as they pulled off the road we were trying to get back on the road and got STUCK. The side of the road had thick CLAY/MUD and we had sunk into it. Danny hooked us up to his truck with our tow rope and we were going to get saved. Just then a police car pulled off and was able to stop traffic so we could get onto the road. Now, imagine the main road coming from Flaming Gorge on a holiday with everyone heading home. Now, imagine that road with traffic STOPPED. That line of cars was so long. I am glad we didn't have to go through the embarrassment of garbage on the road... ahahahahahah.

We made it home in one piece and unloaded all of our wet stuff. It was actually a good thing it snowed because it motivated us to clean and organize all of our camping stuff.

It was a very fun trip. We love to camp with our family. Not too mention we had some cool adventures to talk about when we got home. Check out our pictures... until later....

Happy Birthday Xander!!!

Alexander Hideo Hansen turned 11 years old on August 26th, 2008. He wanted us to wake him up on midnight to get his present. Brian and I woke him up and he looked at his present and went right back to sleep. We got him a Ripstick for his birthday and he loves it. He rides it almost every day. He is turning into a great young man and makes us smile and laugh everyday!

Josh and Xander were able to take their OHV certification class on Xander's birthday. They both passed with flying colors and are both certified OHV riders.

Middle School Already?!?!?!

On August 25th, 2008 Josh started the 7th grade and middle school. He is now a South Hills Tiger. It is a great school and we really enjoyed visiting it with him on back to school night. He is really excited to be in Pre-Algebra and Orchestra this year. He is learning to play the Cello. Josh reported that the food at school is very good. Also the hallway intersections are very crowded in between classes. He also says he never wants to miss a day because it will be too much work to make up. It is a very exciting time for him as he approaches the teenage years. We are very blessed to live in an area that has such great schools and opportunities for the boys.

Vegas BABY!

We took an very impromptu trip to Las Vegas on August 23rd. Brian's Great Uncle Tamio was having his 80th (I think) birthday party at the California Club Casino. We were not planning on going but we decided to surprise Vicki/Mom/Bachan and head out there. Luckily we were able to find a great room at Fitzgerald's that was right across from the Fremont where everyone else was staying.

We left home at about 4:00 am on Saturday. (We had dropped Taffy off at my mom's the night before) I had stayed up and packed us breakfast and lunch for the way there. It was a great drive out there. The boys slept most of the way and had DVD's, MP3's, and gameboys to keep them busy.

We got to Vegas about 10 am and went immediately get tickets to see Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Brian found a great place to get tickets for almost half off. We headed over the Venetian and went to see all the famous people (well at least wax replicas of them). It was really creepy how much they look like the real people. Josh got to see his idol Jeff Gordon which he loved. Xander liked everything. Especially the interactive portions where he could golf with Tiger Woods or play hoops with Shaq. Brian got to see the Rat Pack and compare hair styles. It was so much fun and highly recommended for all.

Right after that we decided to head over to the party so we could see everyone before it was over. We ate our lunch on Las Vegas Blvd out of our awesome 12V cooler that we got from Richard and Vicki. I think one of our favorite part of the trip was that we saved so much money packing food. We did pull off the trip for an amazing price and still had a great time.

We got to the party and proceeded to surprise Vicki. Check out her reaction. She was so happy to introduce us to everyone. It made the whole trip seeing how happy she was. The boys loved surprising Bachan and seeing how glad she was to see them. It was nice to see all of the California crew again.

After the party we headed to the hotel for a quick swim. It was about 105 degrees so the water felt great. We had lots of swimming races in which Brian usually won (he is really long so it wasn't a fair race). Josh did win a few times and was so proud. Josh also could swim underwater and hold his breath longer then anyone else. Xander really built up his confidence in the water and was swimming like a champ. He even came in 2nd on one of the races. Our FAVORITE race was the doggy paddle race. Brian has a very cute way to prepare for the race. Ask him next time you see him.

That night we met Richard and Vicki at the Fremont Buffet for an awesome dinner. The boys all love buffet food. Josh and Xander can put most grown men to shame. After dinner we headed down to the strip to check out the water show at the Bellagio. It took us 2 hours to get there because of traffic and an accident. But the show as usual did not disappoint. We also got to see the flower display at the Bellagio. They change the display every season and it is always so pretty. Not too mention it smells great.

The next morning we met most of the Utah crew at the 4 Queens for breakfast. It was nice to see everyone before we had to head home. We went and picked up pork buns (probably the most important thing to do while in Vegas) and got on the road. We drove home so fast so we could make it to my mom's house for dinner. I think we only stopped for 13 minutes total for gas/potty breaks. Taffy was happy to see us and had a great time playing with my little sisters.

Click here to see all the fun we had in Vegas... hopefully we can go back soon.

Happy Birthday Richard/Dad/Grandpa

August 28th, 2008 Richard turned 60 years old. YAY! We all went to Richard and Vicki's for carrot cake and ice cream. All the kids and grand kids were able to make it. It turned out to be a great impromptu party. Jalon and Farrah were able to help Grandpa blow out the candles which they loved. We also got to see all the great stuff Richard and Vicki had purchased for the new puppy they were getting for Richard's birthday. How exciting!!!!

Brian Goes to New York

Brian went to New York to do user testing for his work's new website.

Here are some cool pics from his trip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samsushiro/sets/72157622083252529/

The Sky is Falling... REALLY

Okay... so it was really meteors, but oh well!!! On Monday, August 11th we went on a little adventure. It started out with dinner at El Pollo Loco as all great adventures do. Then we drove up to Wasatch County and went high up Center Creek Canyon. We found a clearing off to the side of the road and set up our mini-camp. We came armed with sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets. Which was perfect seeing that it was under 50 degrees up there. We all snuggled up and looked up at the sky. We saw our first meteor almost immediately. We braced ourselves for a truly amazing experience. We all scanned the sky. Josh was seeing one after another. We were talking, giggling, and enjoying our little family. It turned out we were only able to see a few before we had to head home. Peak viewing time for this meteor shower was about 2 am. But it really isn't about seeing shooting stars in the end, it is about family, and loving the time you are with them.

Who Doesn't Love Crashing Cars?!?!?

We spent the evening of Saturday, August 9th at the Salt Lake County Fair in South Jordan, UT. We didn't go on rides, or even pet sheep. We saw the demolition derby. It was so much fun, as usual. The derby started a little late due to a couple HUGE rainstorms, but we found a way to stay dry. The cars, smashed, crashed, started on fire, steamed, and kicked up mud. It didn't disappoint. Brian took cool videos and pictures for all to enjoy. After the derby there was an amazing fireworks display. We had a BLAST!

Dear Mom and Dad...

My first week of school was AWESOME!! I had so much fun. I got to be part of the presidency. I have everything I need, like a nice teacher. I love 6th grade.

Love,

Little Xander

This is a note Xander brought home after completing his first week of 6th grade. Jordan School District has year round school during elementary school, so he started a new grade on July 28th. He has a great teacher name Mrs. Wendling. We met her at parent teacher conference and were very impressed. I will be volunteering in Xander's classroom throughout the year.

Xander loves school. He wakes up every morning at 6 am and gets ready for the day. He does his chores and daily reading in the morning so he can spend the afternoon on homework and playing with friends. He has great habits which will just help him have a terrific 6th grade year.

It Passed the "Trial"

On August 2nd, 2008 we took a day trip up to Trial Lake in the Wasatch/Uintas... who knows... just right above Kamas, UT. We left home about 6 am and arrived there around 7:30 am. Richard and Vicki were already there waiting for us. Auntie Sam, Auntie Sharon, Lisa, Shay, Essence, Jalon, Farrah, and Mya all came up too. It was so much fun spending time with everyone. We had a great potluck lunch of sandwiches, chips, fruit, and most importantly Rice Crispy Treats. No fish were caught all morning. Then at about 2 pm the fishing started to get HOT. Richard was catching one after another. He caught about 5-6 total. Then Xander started reeling them in. He caught about 5. Josh caught a giant rainbow, not trout... but UMBRELLA HAT. So funny!!! Josh also started to fly fish and was able to catch about 4. Brian and I each caught 1 so we didn't get skunked.

Brian spent most of his day helping the boys and I with our poles. He is always so nice to help us, even though he sacrifices his fishing time. He has really been working with the boys to show them how to set up their own poles. They even started their own tackle boxes. They will be masters just like their Dad soon enough.

Taffy enjoyed splashing in the water and playing with all the kids. She also enjoyed barking at nearby dogs... much to our displeasure.

On Sunday I cooked up all the fish we took home, plus a few we had caught in Lava Hot Springs, ID. Richard, Vickie, Auntie Sam, Mark, and the Stucki guys all came. Everyone ate a good portion of fish, none more than Josh. I think he ate 4 or 5 of those bad boys.

Browse here to check out the pics and videos from our great family day!!!

Directions to Herriman Cove Pond

Directions to the pond from I-15 Southbound:
click View Larger Map below for exact turn directions


View Larger Map

24th of July 2008

We haven't been on many camping trips this year. But we took a long 4 day weekend and headed up to Strawberry Reservoir. Here are some pictures/videos and below is a brief recap of the weekend in Brian's words:

Took us about 2 hours total to get to Renegade which we found out was nowhere near Haws Point because I had misread the map online ...duh.
We bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco and Stephie made nigiri with nori and green beans for early dinner.
We went fishing the first night and caught nothing but chubbs. Josh caught a bunch of crawdads that we boiled up and at that night.
The next day Josh and Xander and I hiked up the mountain behind camp and took some neat pictures.
We had dutch oven chicken stew that night. And then more fishing near Big Hole on the north side of Haws Point
The next morning was dutch oven cowboy breakfast. We learned that we need more coals to cook eggs and that you have to have them on the lid even if its just eggs.
We went swimming and we also happened to put some worms in the water even though it's not really fishing at 1:30pm
We came back to camp and found that a family with some cute kids in a black Cadillac Escalade had some battery problems so we fed them and gave them a jump start.
That night we had dutch oven chili with dutch oven cornbread. We stacked the dutch ovens for the first time. Something I have always wanted to do.
The next morning it was off for some more fishing and then back to pack up and head home ...
Great trip overall.

Where do we play on a HOT summer's day?

Cascade Springs was the place this day. We were sitting around on a Saturday morning trying to figure out a fun activity for our family that day. We thought of Cascade Springs in between Provo and American Fork Canyons. We haven't been there for several years and thought the mountain air would provide some much needed relief from a hot city day. Richard (Grandpa) and Vicki (Bachan) decided to drive up there with us. After a long, scary, and winding road we made it there alive. The boys thought it was hysterical I closed my eyes on the parts of the road with drop offs. We walked through the 3 loops of the springs and saw gorgeous scenery. The ponds are so clear you can actually see the fish as clear as day. There were beautiful small waterfalls, plus tons of trees and plants. Just a wonderful setting for a nature walk. Have a look at the pretty pictures we were able to take. We took the shorter and not so scary road over the mountain and down into Midway. Then cut back over to Provo Canyon. We all stopped at El Pollo Loco for dinner in Lehi. It was a great way to end the day!

Obon 2008

Obon time came around and we almost missed it. As usual we forget exactly when it was. It just so happened I was looking at pictures from last year and looked at the date. Thankfully we didn't miss out on the fun. We went down to the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple for the festival. We arrive at 1 pm for lunch. Richard, Lisa and her kids, Mark and Molly all came along. We even brought my little sister Julie along for her first time at Obon. We ate wonderful food like sushi, somen, terriyaki chicken, and Spam. I didn't touch the Spam. But those Spam eaters are adamant about how good it is. I will take my food without the jelly coating. Back to the day... after eating lunch Brian, the boys, and I toured the chapel of the temple. A woman asked if the read carpet on the alter had meaning behind it. The tour guide said "I think it was the cheapest carpet." That gave everyone a good chuckle. It was very interesting to learn a bit more about the Buddhist culture.

Later that night Brian, the boys, Julie, and I came back to the temple for the Taiko drums and Obon dancing. It was really hot and I felt bad for the women dressed in Kimono's. They all looked gorgeous and I guess it goes to show beauty is pain. It is so calming to watch the slow and precise movements that the dancers make. I am happy they are dedicated to learning the dancing and sharing them all with us. At the end of the night the audience can join in and dance a few dances also. We all had a great time dancing and embarrassing ourselves with our lack of grace. Check out our Flickr site for videos and pictures of the day.

No dinner plans...

What does the Hansen Clan do if they have no Sunday dinner plans? Call Bachan and Grandpa and invite them up American Fork Canyon for a barbecue. Most of the picnic spots were under construction and we had to go up about Tibble Fork Reservoir to a campground to find a place to picnic. We found a great little secluded camp spot. I made some nigiri and pasta salad before we left town. We cooked some yummy steaks on our portable BBQ. Bachan and Grandpa cooked some corn on the cob in their rice cooker (courtesy of a portable generator). It was a great meal. Brian and the boys started a camp fire and we all roasted marshmallows. It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday night with the family. You can check out all the fun here.

Skating, Bouncing, and Watersliding!!!

We have gone to Classic Fun Center a few times this summer. It is a great place to spend a summer day while the kids are out of school. The kids were able to Rollerblade (Lisa's little ones rode their bikes), go on the giant bouncies (All the kids LOVED Bounce Everest), and also go to the water slides outside. We don't have many pictures because the kids were NEVER holding still.

Boy Scout Camp

Josh had the opportunity to join his Scout Troop (1617) at Camp Tomahawk from July 7th thru July 12th. The camp was located on the east fork of the Bear River in the high Uintas. He had a great time. His favorite story to tell is about getting his Canoeing Merit Badge. He had to row to the middle of the lake with a friend, jump out of the boat, get back in the boat without tipping it, then tip the boat over and drag it back to shore. Then after all that hard work they had to go back out and do it alone. He was very tired that night. Some of his comments on camp were:

The showers were colder than the lake

The food was really good

They went to bed early every night

He told us all about camp when he got home that Friday night. He just failed to tell us one minor detail... One of his friends brought some matches to camp (a big NO NO since a boy scout almost burned down the camp a few years ago, and successfully burned a good portion of the surrounding land) and the boys decided to play with them in the tent. They burned several holes in the troop's tent. Scoutmaster Geist is a saint and was very patient with the boys. Brian went to the troop meeting where a firemarshall came and discussed fire safety. The scoutmaster then said he would patch the tent. Josh had to perform some hard manual labor at home to help understand the severity of his actions. He spent a good 8 hours pulling weeds. I am only writing about this so when Josh looks back in 15 years he remembers the silly things boys do when they are young....

While the cats away...

Well Brian dislikes cats. And I HATE mice... so maybe that's a bad example....

Xander and I were left to our own devices for almost a week. Brian left for Russia on July 5th and Josh left for Boy Scout Camp on July 7th. Xander was feeling a little lonely with no other testosterone in the house. So to perk him up I tried to keep him busy. We went swimming at Dimple Dell and roller blading at Classic Fun Center. It wasn't enough to keep his spirits up. He is a creature of habit and to have his dad and brother gone really got him out of sorts. He was soooooo happy come Thursday the 10th when Brian was due home. He made him a great welcome home sign and we baked some homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Brian always brings us home thoughtful gifts. I always get a bear... but this trip I got a honeybee, inside Piglet, inside Owl, inside Eeyore, inside Rabbit, inside Tigger, inside Winnie the Pooh. It was AWESOME! Brian got Xander and Josh awesome Communist military hats with all sorts of pins.

4th of July

What a FUN day! This has to be our little family's favorite holiday. It could be that I am living with 2 aspiring pyrotechnic engineers and 1 pyromaniac... but I am not sure. :-) We started the day at the Sandy City 4th of July Festival. Lisa brought her kids and I took my little sister's Julie and Aimee. The kids did a couple crafts and went on a few of the blow up bouncie rides. It was hot and we all were starving. The food there wasn't as festive as we would have liked. No navajo tacos or funnel cakes!!! What's up with that?!?!?! So we all headed over to Fudruckers and had some MONSTER burgers. Josh and Brian tackled 2/3 lb burgers. We had to roll them out of there.

Later we went to Bachan Shiba's (Brian's Bachan) for dinner. Uncle Tim flexed his dutch oven skills and made some delicious ribs. I dare to say they rivaled mine in tastiness. The kids all had a giant water fight with water guns, balloons, bottles, cups, and whatever they could get their hands on. A lot of the adults joined in. Eli and Vance really kept the kids entertained in the water for hours. After all the food and fun we started the fireworks. First we went to the church right next to Bachan's to light off the parachutes. The kids love chasing them as they float to the ground. Jalon, Essence, and Farrah really seemed to enjoy the sparklers this year. They were so careful and wanted to keep doing more and more. Josh and Xander are becoming experts at putting on a great show. They planned out each display with precision and we weren't disappointed.

We went home that night and started to prepare Brian for Russia. He left the next morning at 6 am.

Check out Flickr for more of our fun pics.

Baby Fuzzy Turns 1

We celebrated our niece's birthday, Baby Fuzzy (aka Mya Stucki), on June 29th. She turned 1 year old. Her actually birthday was on June 20th but she was a little under the weather for the actual day. We got her the most adorable tutu set from http://www.tutuguru.com/. My friend Deana hand makes them. They are adorable. We got one for Farrah also or she may have swiped Mya's. Mya LOVED her birthday cake and would have eaten the whole thing given the opportunity. What a fun party! Mya also started taking several steps at her party. It was the cutest thing!!!!

Check out our Flickr site for the pictures and videos.

Is that thing safe???

We went to Herriman Town Days on June 27th with Lisa, her kids, Richard (Grandpa), and Vicki (Bachan). They were having a car show so of course all the boys were thrilled. All the cars seem the same to me after the 5th or 6th. They had some fun little carnival rides and blow up bouncies. I normally think that those rides are assembled using a combination of bubble gum and Popsicle sticks. (I am probably right) But I gave in and let the kids go on a few rides. As you can see the 3 big boys had a great time on the ferris wheel. Xander took Jalon on the spinning swings and got a little bout of motion sickness. All the kids made it off the rides with no injuries. I guess they used Bubblicious instead of the generic stuff. They have an awesome dutch oven cook off at Herriman Days. I plan on entering and DOMINATING next year. I make some mean dutch oven food.

Click here to check out our pics. Brian is pretty serious about his car photography.

A TWISTER?!?!?!

It was a dark and stormy night. Thunder clapping and lightening flashing. The sky seemed as if it was going to open up and swallow us all....

That could be the beginning of my best selling novel. Or it was just a crazy storm that blew through town on June 23rd, 2008. The boys ran inside to tell me there was a tornado outside. I went outside to see what all the fuss was about. I didn't see a tornado but there was an awesome lightening show and some funky looking clouds. Brian and the boys still swear a tornado was about to start. I just think they watch too many Discovery Channel shows about storms.

Father's Day 2008

Wow!!!! I am so behind on my blogging.... so here I go in a an attempt to catch up.

Father's day was great this year. The boys bought Brian a really nice aloe vera plant. Sounds like a weird gift, right? Well that is what he wanted. And it was the perfect price range for the boys. They used their own allowance money and purchased it for him. It now sits prominently on the table for our whole family to enjoy. Now if someone could just get a burn so we can use it!!!!!

Brian spent the night before getting his Dad's/Grandpa/Richard's present ready. A little history is needed to explain. Recently, when Grandpa Eli passed away, Brian asked if anyone wanted his extensive stamp collection. No one but Brian had an interest and so he collected THOUSANDS of stamps. Among the treasure we found something REALLY valuable. We opened an manila envelope and found over 40 old letters. They were from Eli's time working at that church office building. They were wonderful letters all expressing their gratitude for the work that Eli had done. It was so amazing to see how his hard work and dedication had touch so many lives. They respected what he did enough to put it in writing. What an awesome testament to the work he did for so many years. Brian knew immediately we needed to preserve these letters for Richard. It was very obvious they had meant something to Eli. The envelope they were stored in had been opened many times. We purchased a book and Brian layed out all the letters/envelopes in chronological order. Needless to say the gift was well received. No one had any clue these letters existed or that Eli had save them all these years. It meant a lot to Brian to pay tribute to his Grandfather for his Father.

We had dinner that night at Mark and Molly's. They BBQ'd some great steaks and we enjoyed spending time as a big extended family.

Anniversary Part Deux

Brian surprised me and bought us George Straight tickets for our anniversary. But the concert wasn't until July.

We got to the USANA amphitheater pretty earlier because our seats were general admission. And thankfully we did. The line was so long. It nearly circled the entire parking lot. Luckily we got there early enough that we were not at the end. We only had to wait about 45 minutes until they opened the gates. We found a great spot near the middle of the stage on the grass.

Great concert... Blake Shelton was awesome too
Fabulous company... Nights like these remind me of how much I love Brian

Brian parked across the street and got a great spot. We were able to get of the concert, walk to the truck, and make it out on the main road in about 22 minutes. Which apparently is rare. Most people I talk to say it has taken them hours to get out.

Pictures

Russia

I went to Russia for work. I think we accomplished a lot and even got a bit of sight-seeing done. I'm too lazy to type. I type all day. Making videos is more fun anyway.

Here are the videos that I recorded in Russia. I was never able to upload them there because they were too big and I think the hotel was restricting bandwidth or something.

I am going to try and post descriptions to most of the pictures in the Flickr set as well.

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty... I mean Fishy

We found an amazing fishing pond in Herriman. It is a great community park located near the Cove at Herriman Springs. The pond is stocked with trout in the spring and catfish once it gets warm. We had a VERY successful fishing trip as you can see. And have gone back a few times. It is a great way to spend time as a family. Lisa guys and Richard and Vicki have also come with us a time or two. Xander is becoming quite a barbecue master and cooked us up some wonderful hamburgers at the pond one night. We have really enjoyed the fishing trips so fart this summer. I am sure we will continue to do more. Check out the videos and pictures of our fishing trips so far...