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!!!!