Wow! Josh is 14 years old today. I can barely believe it. It seems like yesterday he was the wide eyed inquisitive toddler. He still hasn't lost that spunk or thirst for knowledge.
We woke him up at midnight to sing happy birthday to our big teenager! Today he is at school enjoying all that it has to offer.
Tonight he has requested a trip to the Chinese Gourmet buffet.... and I am sure many will join us to watch the spectacle of him eating mussels by the minute.
We took pictures of bees. And Brian eating bananas.
And driftwood.
And crawfish.
And adorable teenagers named Josh.
And hawt husbands named Brian
And cute boys named Xander
And brothers fishing.
And Grandparents watching
And fathers with sons.
And goofy faces.
And loving spouses.
And proud boys showing off their catch.
On Saturday we drove up to Strawberry with Richard and Vicki. As you can see we had a great time. We didn't catch one fish. But the boys were able to rake in about 30 crawfish. They seem to enjoy catching those the best. Especially Josh. He loves to see how may he can catch and compare them in size.
The weather was a little chilly and it drizzled rain. But that didn't stop our fun family time. There were lots of laughs, treats, walks, and just plain silliness. Oh... and good food. We headed to the Hub in Heber after fishing and ate yummy greasy goodness.
That night Mark and Molly were babysitting their nephew little Xander. They invited us over to play cards. We hung out, ate pizza, and got our butts kicked by Mark.
On Sunday Mark and Molly had the whole crew over for Sunday dinner. They made a pork dish that is featured on "Once Upon a Time in Mexico". And if I wasn't too lazy to google I would find the name for you. It was pure pork bliss. I will tell you that. Then.... more cards... 2 epic battles raged that night. They were really long poker games. But we all had lots of laughs and fun.
On Monday we spent the day and evening with good friends at a BBQ. Plenty of good food, friends, laughter, and kids to keep us busy all day long.
The boys just began their 7th and 8th grade years on Monday, August 31st. We are so thrilled they are in a new charter school called Early Light Academy. We love the focus on collaborative learning and customizing the curriculum based about the children's level of knowledge. I know the kids will both strive in this type of environment. They encourage free thinking and discussion. It engages the kids and provides a hands on learning. I am also excited about the parent involvement required at the school. The school is fostering a community and in order for it to run successfully it requires teachers, students, and parents to all be involved. It will be fabulous for both Brian and I to really take an active role in the boys education rather than just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Another aspect we enjoy is the uniform and dress code policy. It made school shopping so easy and allows school to be about learning rather than the latest fashion trends. The boys actually love their uniforms and look so handsome heading off to school each day.
We are just starting into our second week but already can see how much the boys are enjoying the school.
I only took a few pictures... but I don't know where they are located. I will post a link when Brian is able to locate them. :-(
On August 29th we celebrated Josh and Xander's birthdays with a big joint birthday bash. Because the park pavillion worked out so well we decided to reserve it again this year. I loved having the playground and the fishing pond to keep the little and older kids entertained. It makes for easy hosting and clean up too. Plenty of seating and space for everyone.
The night before I prepared the majority of the food. Made 48 "ghetto cupcakes" as I so lovingly referred to them. (ghetto because I tried to frost them all pretty but just wound up making a big old mess) Chopping up fruit. Making mass quantities of pasta salad and preparing the chicken and pork for the next day. Brian was preparing for a business trip and was up until 2 am building a website. Mark actually came over and played Starcraft with the boys until 2 am. So I had plenty of company while cooking.
The party was so much fun. The boys loved having all their cousins there to hang out with. They even fed the ducks with all the little kids. It was very laid back this year and I spent a lot more time visiting then I did last year.
The boys received wonderful gifts as usual. Thanks to everyone who always spoils them rotten! We are excited to have several new games to play.
Our baby turned 12 on August 26th, 2009. Where has the time gone? We woke him up at midnight to sing him happy birthday and give him his present. He spent the whole day play his new Wii game. We celebrated with his normal requests of homemade mac n cheese and chocolate cake with chocolate chips. We had a big birthday celebration later with our extended family.
Warning... super long... kinda boring post. But the video I made is kinda cute. So you can watch it first and read on if you want.
Okay... so we haven't really gone to Vegas 200 times. But we sure do love to get out there a few times a year.
We hadn't really gone anywhere this summer because of baseball, work, my knee and just life in general. So we planned a quick weekend to Vegas. This time Mark and Molly were able to come along on the adventure. We have never been on a trip with them other then just camping a few times.
On Thursday the 20th of August we got a kind of late start and met up with Mark and Molly in St. George. Then headed out for the short drive into Vegas. There is something magical about driving into Vegas at night. You can't really beat the ethereal glow you can see MILES before you even come near the city. As is customary we blasted "Viva Las Vegas" as we rounded the last bend before you can see the whole city stretched out before us.
This trip we actually stayed on the strip. The Sahara had sent us a free room for 2 night and I cannot pass up freebies. So our 3 night stay only cost 50 dollars. Everyone knows how budget consciousBrian and I are so it was perfect. Definitely not the newest or nicest hotel on the strip. But it was relatively clean, free of bugs, and as Brian puts it "had a bed and shower". So it fit our needs well. Plus... it's VEGAS how much time do you spend in your room?
The first night we got in late. All the guys (Josh and Xander included since they are getting to be pretty manly in their old age) unpacked the 2 cars. Brought it coolers, suitcases, laptops... you know, the necessities. I was wiped out so Brian went down and played for a few minutes before bed.
Friday was our first real day there. We woke up and ate breakfast in our room. Not room service but all the goodies we brought from home. Eating breakfast and lunch with food we bring from home opens up our budget to have so much more fun. Mark and Molly did the same and I think they noticed a good amount of savings too. We headed down to the pool and spent the entire morning in the pool or poolside (even Brian... yes he was in a pool). For being an older hotel the pool area and pool itself were really great. And Friday was a record hot day so the pool was really the place to be. The boys had underwater breath holding contests with Mark. I am pretty sure Mark is most proud that he beat them both.
Lunch was back in our rooms then we got ready for the day. All of us, including Mark and Molly, loaded into the PT Cruiser and headed out to see what kind of adventure we could find for the day. Our favorite place to find discount tickets in Vegas is Tix4Tonight. Once again, they didn't fail us. We were able to get tickets to the Knights of the Roundtable dinner show at the Excalibur. I was thrilled when Mark and Molly said they wanted to go see that show too. We hadn't wanted to bring it up thinking they might not be into it. But they both seemed to have fond memories of going there as children.
Off to the arcade at the Excalibur. I think all the boys, Mark and Brian are counted as boys, had a blast at the arcade. I even slipped in a little air hockey and whooped on Xander. Josh was the big winner and score hundreds of tickets! Mark won Xander a Panda in the crane machine after we had all tried and failed miserably. Unfortunately, we had all left and Mark had no one to celebrate his big win with. However, he is the crane master and did show off his skills many times. Josh even got in on the crane action and won a panda. Xander saved most of his spending money and bought a magic trick. He is our budget master! Little did we know that just across the street the NewYorkNewYork houses the best arcade I have seen in Vegas. We will be frequenting that from now on. Because it was THAT good.
The show and dinner were great. Eating with your hands is always fun and takes you back to childhood memories. Well maybe not for me because I don't like to have dirty hands. Xander's expressions and sound effects during the show were priceless. He was truly mesmerized by the entire things. I hope he never loses that sense of wonder. Josh really loved the action and the fight scenes. And Xander had a mystery to figure out during dinner. Someone had kidnapped his new panda and was holding it for ransom. They were sending him pictures and money demands. Thankfully the panda was returned safely.
That night all us over 21ers played a little. None of us won. But it was a lot of fun. I think Mark even took a roll at the craps table for the first time ever. For the most part we all stuck to blackjack. I know that Brian is in heaven playing blackjack with his brother. He has talked about doing that for years and has just had the first opportunity over the summer.
Saturday morning brought more of the same... breakfast... swimming... Brian forgetting to take his iPhone out of his swimsuit before dipping in the pool. Oh wait! That last part was NOT the same. Yup... Brian sent his iPhone to a watery grave. But being an ever prepared boyscout he had his old phone packed with him. So at least he wasn't without communication completely. I have to say I was really impressed with how well he treated the situation. He did not let it adversely affect the fun time we were having.
That afternoon Mark and Molly headed over to visit some friends they have in Vegas. Our little family headed over to the MGM to check out the lions. The boys really loved seeing them that close. Plus they had BABY lions. Josh took so many pictures of them. Then we headed over to M&M World and braved all the CRAZY tourists. Because of course we aren't crazy tourists.
Then that night.... BELLAGIO BUFFET BABY! It makes all the bowls of cereal and PBnJ's worth it when you get to experience a meal like that. Mark and Molly had raved about the buffet from a previous trip they had been on. I have to admit I was a little skeptical. But they were right. It was amazing. Ostrich, duck, elk, sushi, kobe beef, crab, and some of the best shrimp I have ever eaten. And that is just to name a few of the things.
Well since we were already there we of course checked out the fountain show at the Bellagio. I really prefer the show at night with the lights and the glow of the Paris Eiffel Tower right across the street. It is probably one of my favorite parts of Vegas on each of trips.
We hadn't been to the pirate show at Treasure Island for a very long time. And after this trip I don't think we will be going back. It is no longer a pirate show... it is sexy sirens in barely there clothes singing and dancing. Just not the same... and pretty much entirely LAME!
Brian and Mark were the only one's awake enough to play after our long day out. I think Molly and I both were just going to lay down for a "minute" and just slept through the night.
The next day we had to head over to China town and pick up the required pork buns. It isn't a trip to Vegas without pork buns. I was smart this time and called the night before and reserved some for us all! YAY! We wandered through all the little shops and looked at all the fun nick nacks.
I almost forgot... We went to the Vegas sign. Us and about 50 Harley dudes
And I think we created a new Vegas tradition courtesy of Mark and Molly... Hot n Juicy Crawfish. It is in China town right down the road for casa la pork bun. M n M had seen a show on the Travel Channel that featured this restaurant. It was great fun. Plastic bibs and table clothes. Pounds of shrimp and crawfish. Xander tested out the EXTRA hot sauce. He wanted to be like the people in pictures on the wall. Not a place for a first date... but a place for lots of family fun and memories.
We all drank so much water while eating spicy sea creatures we only made it about 15 minutes out of Vegas before we all had to pee.
On July 31st were were able to go see some sort of stock car racing (hey, at least I know they are called stock cars) out the the Miller Motor Speedway. We had never been there before and were all excited to go. The race was really fun and we had a decent view of the track. It is difficult to watch races on road courses so we probably won't go back. But it was a fun experience.
After the race we headed over to the Tooele County Fairgrounds for the demolition derby. We got awesome seats at the top of the stand so we could see all the action. I did not get funnel cake and am still traumatized from that. They had so many heats and it was one of the longest derby's we have been to in a long while. Plus... fireworks afterwards. You really cannot beat that!
We were all starving after the Derby so we hit up Del Taco for a midnight taco run. The kids thought it was so fun to go through a drive through this late. I couldn't help thinking we were just preparing them for many teenage years to come.
No we didn't trek across the country in a covered wagon. But we did eat some AWESOME BBQ and watch fireworks.
On the 24th we went over to Bachan's to have a great BBQ. Tim is a lean mean grilling machine. He sure can cook a burger! It is always great to hang out with everyone and visit. We really need to do this more often. On the 25th we had a great and busy day. We were planning on going swimming at the public pool but Molly invited us to swim at the McQueen's. She was going to be there watching her nephew little Zander. The boys created all sorts of tricks to go down the slide. Played with their pool torpedoes and we all just relaxed in the nice warm pool.
That night we headed to the Salt Lake Bee's game. Vicki, Richard, Auntie Sam, Auntie Sharon, and Essence were all able to come. It was a great game even though the Bee's lost. But there were several bat breaks and home runs. Those are always fun to see. After the game was over there was a beautiful fireworks display. They let anyone who wanted go down on the field to watch the show. It was a front row seat and you could really hear them go off. The ground shook a little and you could feel the heat. The boys got to run around the bases and meet Bumble which is always their favorite things to do at the games.
As part of our anniversary gift this year Brian purchases tickets for us to see George Strait at the USANAAmphitheater. It is a great concert because we both actually like George Strait.
I had never been to USANA before so I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to see the stage and just with the general idea of sitting on the grass. Thankfully we got there in time and stood in the longest line I have ever seen. Thankfully we were near the beginning but it literally wrapped around to the back of the HUGE parking lot.
We finally got in and found a great spot on the grass. It felt great to sit on the cool grass because it was over 100 degrees that day. Brian left to find us some drinks and didn't come back for over 30 minutes. He got lost in the crowd. I am sure all the people just look like a sea of vagrants when you are looking for your spot. I kept saying how I felt like we were in a refugee camp full of rednecks.
George Strait was exactly how you would expect him to be... AMAZing
Fabulous concert and a wonderful way to spend date night with my hubby!
Since the weather has improved in July we have been going swimming at least once a week. I am no longer a scary shade of ghost white, Xander will jump off the high dive, and Josh is swimming like a champ.
Both boys were able to test and receive their orange belts in Karate. In September they will test for their purples belts at which point they can start sparring.
We won the charter school lottery this month. Both boys have been accepted to Early Light Academy. A fabulous new charter school in our area. I am excited to take a larger role in their education which this school will allow.
We went to Obon again this year. Another great Hansen Family Tradition. Only this year we could really only go for lunch. We got all the usuals... sushi, teriyaki chicken, somen. All delicious. Great time as usual.
Instead of staying for the dancing at Obon we had to make a slight change of plans. Josh's team was playing in the first game of the district tournament that same day. (Thanks to all who came out and supported him) The team did really well but still lost. Thankfully it was double elimination and they had a chance to play again on Monday. Monday's game was cancelled because the other team had to forfeit. So they automatically moved to the 3rd round. Josh did a great job in the game. Catching a ball that was far out in right field. He had to run and really reach for it. But, the team still lost. Herriman placed 3rd in the district and now baseball is officially over. Josh had a great season, learned a lot, and has many new friends and memories to look back on.
The 4th was on a Saturday this year. Which means we got to have Friday the 3rd of July off of work. YAY!!! We headed out to Willard Bay to play on the beach. We invited Lisa and her little ones and Richard and Vicki to come along.
It was a beautiful sunny day. I stopped at the dollar store and got some fun beach toys for the little kids. It was well worth the money. They loved digging in the sand and playing with the beach balls. The boys and Jalon spent most of the day in the water splashing and swimming around.
I packed a lunch for everyone and we just enjoyed the afternoon together as a family.
On the actually 4th of July we had a very busy day. We packed another picnic lunch and headed up to Logan for the big Cache Valley Cruising car show. I cannot even guess how many cars were there. Well over a thousand... or maybe it just seemed that way. All the boys (Especially Brian and Richard) were in car heaven.
We made it home just in time to throw together a macaroni salad to take over to Richard and Vicki's for a family BBQ. Then we did our night of fireworks. Josh and Xander put on a great firework show this year. Farrah and Jalon loved the sparklers. Brian and the boys played around with sparklers and the camera to take some cool photos.
June brought us warm and sunny weather... OR NOT! June was chilly and rainy. But that wasn't really a big problem for us since our sprinklers were broken. We appreciated the precipitation keeping our lawn mostly green. Thanks Mother Nature!
Xander finished up his baseball season. The Astros were able to pull off one win this season. And Xander was able to get a few hits in. He played 2nd base most of the season and did a great job. His coach noticed a big difference in his ability from last year to this year. But most importantly he loves to play and has a great time.
Josh finished up the regular baseball season and was asked to be part of the Herriman League's 13 year old All-Star team. He was so excited that all his hard work and practice had paid off. He had a great regular season pitching and started off the All-Star tournaments the same way. More info on All-Stars to come in July's post.
Brian replaced the brakes in the truck in June... here are his pictures and stop motion videos.
We had a couple birthday parties in June. Our niece Sara turned 6 and our niece Mya turned 2. Both were supposed to be outdoor parties but rain put a damper on the festivities. Here are some birthday party pictures and videos.
Father's Day was great fun. We were able to use the picnic site Lisa had reserved for Mya's party that got rained out. I bbq'd some ribs and chicken and we all roasted marshmallows. It was a great night and the weather really held up. We all pitched in and got Richard some folding 4-wheeler ramps. Brian fears for Richard's life every time he uses his homemade ones. Pictures.
We were also able to travel to Wendover for our 12thanniversary in June. Mark, Molly, Lisa, and Shay all came along too. We all go rooms and spent the night. It was so much fun. We got to have a great dinner at the seafood buffet. We all hung out, talked, and laughed for over 2 hours. After that I introduced Molly to the wonderful world of penny slots. And Brian got to play Blackjack with Mark. He has been wanting to do this for years and finally got his chance. He was in heaven. Mark did well picking up the game and I think Blackjack may have a new biggest fan. In the morning we all got together for breakfast and then EVERYONE played Blackjack for a while. Such a Kodak moment but you can't take photos in the casino.
Well our trip to the Snake River was technically in June but it deserves a whole post to itself. We travelled up to Oregon to stay in the Farewell Bend State Park on the Snake River. It is a gorgeous park and the campsites are amazing.
We had planned the trip with my Mom and Danny but were so happy that Richard and Vicki could come along. And thankfully they did. On the way there we ran out of gas... that's right people... gas. Our truck was sputtering along the side of the road begging for some fuel. Richard was close behind us and save the day with a 5 gallon jug full of the good stuff. We severely miscalculated how much gas was in the tank. I guess when the meter reads 20 miles to empty it really means it.
The boys spent most of the time fishing with Danny hoping to catch some giant catfish. Josh had the most luck over the weekend. He caught 4 big ones. Xander had one that got away after getting stuck in a bush. They were also able to swim and splash around the banks of the river.
The weather held up and it was nearly 90 degrees the whole time we were there. I was actually pretty thankfully for the air conditioning in the trailer. And my knee held up even after the 8 hour drive there.
It was really great trip. And more memories to hold on to.
Oh where or where to begin... it has been a long time since I have even paid attention to our poor family blog. I am just going to do an update per month considering how far behind I am.
Spring had sprung and May was fun! Lame attempt at poetry. Baseball was still in full swing. The boys each played at least 2 games a week plus Josh had practice everyday. Add in karate and school=still busy boys.
Xander had a 2 spring concerts this year. He sang at Abravanel Hall again as part of the Discovery Gateway fundraiser. He also sang at his school. It was great fun to see him sing and be his normal animated self. Thank you again to everyone who were able to make it out. Pictures
Josh had his end of the year cello performance at South Hills. He amazed us with his natural ability for playing the cello. He has amazing form and practiced so hard. He did a fabulous job and it made us so proud to be able to witness his success. We didn't snap any pictures because I forgot the camera (I blame my knee surgery 2 days before) But Brian did record it with the camcorder.
I had some knee surgery in the middle of the month. Ouch. We had to cancel our planned trip to Bryce Canyon because of this. Lame me. Oh... and I went through some root canal hell for about 4 weeks leading up to knee surgery. All is well now. YAY
Brian and Richard went to the St. Anthony. They had a great time and both look forward to their annual trip there. Pictures and Videos
LeAnn, Jason, and their new baby Mya along with Marie and Alan were all in town for the last weekend of May. DeAnn was nice enough to host a big family BBQ. It was great seeing everyone that we normally only see around Christmas time. The kids had a blast playing with their cousin and we all had a great time visiting. Pictures If I missed anything I will blame the drug induced haze I was in for the majority of May.
Because we in the Hansen house obviously don't get in enough baseball we decided to go to the Bees' game on Saturday night. Actually Richard and Vicki had the whole suite for the night and were nice enough to invite us along. Auntie Sam, Lisa, Jalon, Mark, and Molly also were able to go. The boys were thrilled when we surprised them with the fact we were going
The weather appeared as if it wasn't going to cooperate. Xander had a baseball game earlier in the day. It was so cold and it started to rain. Thankfully the weather cleared up just in time for the game. There was even a little blue sky for all of us spectators. The field was very empty. I guess few were in the mood to brave the cold weather. Being in a suite we were well protected from the elements. Vicki and Richard had the suite stocked with all sorts of goodies and drinks. It was "sweet"! So that last joke was probably more funny in my head. The boys also went and got some giant hotdogs with all sorts of messy toppings.
To be honest I didn't watch much of the game. I was busy playing with my iPhone taking and uploading pictures. I did get to see some awesome plays and a bat breaking. That is always cool. No bat breaking in little league. I would say the highlights of the night were when Bumble, the team mascot, came into the suite and let us take a ton of pictures. Vicki even snuck in a little smooch. Watch out Richard... that bee is a ladies man. Xander was so excited. That was all he had talked about was seeing Bumble. After the game (the Bee's won) Brian and Mark took all the boys down to the field where they got to run the bases. Jalon was very serious about making it all the way around. Then they got to meet Bumble again and get autographs.
Auntie Sam recently won a whole Wii system with all sorts of goodies at a work drawing. That night she gave the boys Mario Kart and an extra wheel from her winnings. They were thrilled and so thankful to say the least. We went immediately home where they proceeded to play. Brian and I even teamed up over the Wii internet and played against Mark and Molly. Brian and I have a little practice to do before the rematch. But we will be victorious!!!
Here are the rest of the pics and videos from the night of fun.
Auntie Sam was so nice and threw Maria and Daniel a baby shower for their upcoming arrival. Because there weren't going to be girly games Auntie invited all the guys to come also. I told Brian about it and he said emphatically (many times) "Boys don't got to baby showers!!!!" I being really quick caught on after about the 10th time he said that. And changed the invitation... "Auntie Sam has invited us over for a family dinner with presents." He was finally in.
We headed up to Bachan's for the party. Well with a slight detour. Brian had forgotten all the NuSkin products he got for Bachan and rad home quickly to get them. Auntie Sam took care of most of the food and had a great BBQ planned. Uncle Tim cooked the meat on his giant man BBQ. I am pretty sure Brian has BBQ envy now. After dinner Ria opened up her gifts. She got some great stuff. Amy had even sent some adorable hand decorated bibs for Ria and Daniel. I didn't make a list of all the other items but I think she got a gift card, a high chair, a pack n play, some cute outfits.
After all the festivities I was able to give Bachan a facial treatment with the Galvanic Spa Brian had just gotten for her. It was fun to do all sorts of girly stuff. I love all the facial products that Brian took to Bachan and Auntie Sharon... I hope they love them too.
We decided to stay home for spring break this year and explore all the wonders of Utah that are on our back porch. And thankfully the weather cooperated.
Thursday (April 9th) was our first day of Spring Break and Brian had a meeting at work that he was not able to cancel. So I decided to just spend the day with the boys at Classic Skating. Lisa and Shay along with all their kiddies decided to join us. My friend Christy and a few of her kids also came. The boys rollerbladed and spent hours on the bouncy equipment.
Friday was the official start of our "staycation". We decided to go up to Ogden and visit the Eccels Dinosaur Museum and park. We had a great time. They had a few animitronic dinosaurs which were pretty lifelike. They had a decent fossil display also. Xander and Josh love to soak up knowledge so they read about all the different dinosaurs. Josh also continued his love of photography and took so many pictures. Lisa and her little ones were also able to join us this day. Her kids really love walking around outside and seeing all the giant dinosaur statues. The outside was such a perfect set up. Great little trails and scenery. Not to mention the end of the park was a playground for all the kids to play on.
After the dinosaur park we headed over to the Hill Air Force Base Aerospace Museum. I initially was just going for the guys but it turned out to be fascinating. I could not believe some of the planes and helicopters that people actually used to fly around in. And nuclear war heads are giant... just in case you were wondering. Brian and the boys were in heaven. This kind of museum is right up their alley. I can't even list off everything we saw there. Mya was probably the cutest at the museum. She kept following Josh and Xander around pointing at everything the were pointing at. She was acting like a big kid. Truly adorable.
Saturday we went downtown to eat at Brian's favorite, heart attack on a plate, deli... Siegfrieds (I totally spelled that wrong I am sure.)After that we just headed up to the Utah Museum of Natural History. I think our favorite exhibit was the live frog display they have going on right now. The frogs were so vibrant colored. Not to mention a lot of them were poisonous. You wouldn't think a cute little pink frog is poisonous... but you would be wrong. I guess they don't need to use camouflage because they are deadly. Josh had a great time photographing the frogs and the live insect display. A couple of the spider exhibits were empty. I am not sure if that is the best thing to have... EMPTY spider cages!!!! The boys actually spent a large portion of our time at the museum putting on a puppet show. It was great fun. The dinosaur and fossil display was actually far more extensive then at the dinosaur park the day before. We also got to see museum employees uncovering and preserving some fossils. A very delicate process.
Brian and I went out to dinner with a group of friends to Tucanos a little later that night. The food and company was fabulous. Then we went on the great Easter hunt of '09. I typically have all of our Easter shopping done weeks in advance. However, this year I just procrastinated. We hit up 3 stores before stopping at Walgreens where we hit the mother lode. I bought like 40 dollars in candy just to make up for being a slacker mom. I spent the rest of the night stuffing plastic eggs and preparing the boys baskets.
Sunday was Easter and we had Richard, Vicki, Mark, and Molly over for breakfast. I was sick that morning because I took some medication on an empty stomach (thanks root canal). Brian and the boys were very sweet and made breakfast for everyone. Creamed Easter Eggs and biscuits. Then Vicki, Brian, and the boys all headed off to church while I slept off my stomach ache. After church we all headed over to Bachan's for Easter dinner. Tim made a great turkey and there was just too much food to even mention. We just spent the evening chit chatting and having fun with our family. It was a perfect way to top off our "staycation".
The slideshow above is some of our fun. Check out the rest here .
Baseball season is upon us again. And while it is one of our most favorite times of the year, it is also our most busy. This year we also have karate added to the mix so we have had a lot of running around. The boys also have spring concerts coming up, Josh for orchestra and Xander for choir. Xander is also part of his school production of Hamlet coming up in June. He is playing Horatio.
This season Xander is playing for the Astros. Josh was on that team for 2 years before moving up. Xander has his same coach, Jason, as he had last year. Jason is great with Xander and recognizes how hard Xander tries. Xander has made amazing improvements in his game over the last year. He even caught a line drive and participated in a couple double plays. He is on 2nd and is very worthy of his post. He knows the rules and follows them well. And the weather has been holding up pretty well. We have only had one freezing cold game so far.
Josh has moved up to the Babe Ruth league. He is playing for the Yankees. Josh has the opportunity to travel a bit and play against the Riverton league. We really like Josh's coach this year. He is no nonsense and keeps the boys (and a girl) in line. Josh is pitching for his team this year. He is an amazing pitcher. Sports really come easy to him and pitching was no exception. He pitches fast and pitches strikes most of the time. Now if we can just get the other teams to stop hitting the balls. Josh plays short stop and tried his hand at catching when he is not pitching. He has made a couple great catches at short and helps his team immensely.
We are really proud of both our boys being able to keep up with the hectic schedule we have right now. They both keep up with their homework and most of their chores. I am sure we will have more updates as the season progresses. Thanks to everyone who has braved the weather so far to come see games. The slideshow is just a few highlights of the baseball season so far.
I am not sure if that is how you spell it... but you all get my point.
On March 27th Josh and Xander had the opportunity to test for their yellow belts in Karate. They both passed with flying colors. Josh is in the teen adult program and had to do a majority of his test by himself. I was extremely nervous for him. That is a lot of pressure to do all those move alone. But he handled it like a true man. We never saw him sweat. Xander got to do his testing with several other kids. He was really on top of things. I dare say he was one of the best.
I am so impressed with the amount of skill each of our boys have acquired in such a short amount of time. It takes a lot of focus and discipline to do marshal arts and they both have exceeded our expectations. It was a true joy watching them show off their skills. In true Mom fashion, I think I may have shed a tear.
Jalon came along with us to the yellow belt test. He was worn out from his fun day with Josh. He fell asleep sitting up on the floor. It was adorable.
Jalon was having a bad day on Thursday so Lisa called and asked if Josh could talk to him. Josh is such a nice boy he was able to cheer Jalon right up. Josh told him what a cool big kid he was and invited him to come over and play after school on Friday. Lisa brought him over at about 11:30 am and the boys spent the whole day together. They played Wii and computer games. The played fetch with the dog. They wrestled around. Had a "big boy" lunch. Jalon just chatted and chatted with Josh the whole time. I really think he enjoyed having the full attention of his older cousin without anyone else around. Jalon told Josh several times throughout the day he was having "the best day ever". He also said Josh was his best friend. It was really quite sweet. It also makes me thankful to have such a nice, caring teenager. He really wanted to make sure his little cousin felt special and had a great day.
I wish I would have taken a picture. But I couldn't find the camera.
It was a beautiful 70 degrees this last Saturday. We decided to go on a picnic, head to the batting cages, and play some mini golf. Brian was in Memphis for work and we had to go without him.
First we headed to Subway and grabbed some lunch. We had our picnic at Rosecrest Park. It was absolutely gorgeous. The boys took their mitts and played a little catch. We headed over to Mulligans in South Jordan for batting practice. The boys each had a chance to hit 60 balls. They had so much fun. Those machines pitch really FAST.
Last, but not least, we played some mini-golf. Some of my children think that I cheat at miniature golf. I prefer to think of it as creative play. Not all of us are gifted. Xander was able to get a hole in one. Which was pretty awesome. However, Josh got the most AMAZING hole in one ever. It bounced off a wall, up into the air, and landed smack in the hole. It was pretty cool. Even with my creative play, I still lost. I guess some people would blame it on my "cheating"... but whatever!!! hahahaha We had an fabulous time.
After our fun day out we headed up to Lisa's for a BBQ and movie. Shay made some great burgers and salmon. Then the boys all watched Hancock and Lisa and I watched Twilight. I actually enjoyed it a lot more the 2nd time around.
Baseball season is upon us again. It always surprises me how quickly it sneaks up on us. Xander had tryouts on March 12th and Josh had tryouts on March 17th. The were each moving up to a new age group this year.
Xander is going to be on the Astros (the same team Josh was on for the last 2 years). Xander also has his coach from last year, Jason. He is a great coach and really recognizes just how hard Xander listens and tries. Jason mentioned how improved Xander has gotten just since last year. Which of course made Xander grin ear to ear. He has been practicing with Josh and wants to be a baseman again this year.
Josh has moved up to the Babe Ruth league. Which means he will get to travel around Salt Lake County and play other teams in his age bracket. Josh made in on the Blue Jays this year. His coach is great and demands respect from the players. Which is very important when dealing with a bunch of 13 year old boys. Josh is going to have the opportunity to pitch this year. He is over the moon about this development. I think it has been his dream to pitch for a couple of years now. This year that dream is coming true.
Baseball is already taking up a good chunk of our time. The season begins on April 4th and the teams are practicing hard to get ready. We have practice almost every day of the week. Thankfully last week's weather cooperated and it was lovely to sit at the park with the boys. This week is not shaping up to be the same. I am sure I will be spending a lot of time in my heated car.
We celebrated Vicki, Bachan, Mom's birthday on March 15th. Her actual birthday is St. Patricks Day, but it was easier to get everyone together on that Sunday. Not to mention Brian was going to be out of town on her actual birthday, so he appreciated being able to celebrate with his mother. Lisa was nice enough to host the party and welcome everyone into her home again. She and Shay BBQ'd some burgers and hot dogs. We offered to bring the salads and cakes. We decorated the cake with shamrocks per Richard's very specific instructions. Brian and I were a little nervous because Vicki doesn't like the color green. Thankfully, she really likes shamrocks on her birthday cake. Phew! The cakes turned out really well. (okay... so I can bake nice things sometimes. Just not often.) Brian and Xander decorated the cakes with the shamrock designs. They are pretty good artists. I am sure Napoleon Dynamite would be jealous of their skills.
It was a nice night and we all had a great time. I know Vicki appreciated having her family with her to celebrate.
Xander read on the Internet how to make a rainbow cake and has been wanting to bake one for a while. I have no clue where he gets his urge to bake from. I would rather walk on hot coals than bake. Cooking I can do. Baking I can do without. And if you have ever seen one of my cakes you would understand why. I am sure they taste okay, but looks wise, they should be taken out back and shot. Luckily I can cook... so all is not lost on me. Back to Xander... so he decided he wanted to make a rainbow cake because it was our turn to make dessert for family dinner. He got the recipe, followed all the directions, and the outcome was fabulous.
February marks a lot of birthdays in our family. Bachan, Farrah, Jalon, and Aria. We had a great time celebrating each of them.
We headed over to Bachan's to celebrate her and Aria's birthday. Tim and Sharon made a nice dinner and we had cake and ice cream. Aria had a great time devouring her cake. And of course opening presents.
Jalon and Farrah's birthdays are just a couple weeks apart so Lisa had a giant celebration at her house. The kids had so much fun playing with all of their cousins. They also got so many cute presents. Of course my favorite present was the pretty dress I got for Farrah. I absolutely love shopping for little girls.
It was a beautiful (almost) Spring day, on Saturday, February 21st. Brian had been wanting to take us to a Chinese hot pot restaurant down in Provo. He called Mark and Molly and they were able to come too. Mark and Molly lived in China for a while and were familiar with this type of place. They also were able to bring their cute nephew, little Xander. It was pretty funny because he was so shocked that there was another Xander besides him. We had a great meal and it was a lot of fun. Definitely a place to go with family or friends. It would be awkward to fish food out of a pot with people you barely know. I love that our kids are so willing to try and usually like different types of food. It makes our job as parents a little easier.
After lunch we decided to go on a drive to soak up the gorgeous day. Brian had been wanting to take the boys to see the giant windmills at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. So we decided to take a drive. The windmills were not turned on and I forgot to take a picture... but they are really BIG! Brian decided he wanted to get a great family picture somewhere in the canyon. So we kept driving, and driving, and driving. I finally had to mention that we were only about 15 minutes from Price before he stopped. We may have made it all the way to Moab if I didn't say something. We were able to snap a cute picture and head back down the canyon.
I always enjoy talking with the boys and goofing around on our car rides.
Brian's Great Aunts (Utako, Hatsumi, and Kiku) from California were all able to come out the week of Bachan's birthday. It is always wonderful visiting with them. They are all so much fun to hang out with. We love hearing stories about their family's in California and everything they have been up to.
I made dinner one night while they were here and took it over to Bachan's. Just to give everyone at Bachan's a break from cooking a big meal. We were able to go over the next night too and visit. Then they were able to go to Lisa's house for the kid's birthday party. It was so nice to be able to spend so much time with them while they were here. And it is obvious how much Bachan loves having her sisters around.
This year's Valentine's day was marked by the great sickness in our household. Josh was the first one to get sick, right after our trip to Vegas. Next the sickness spread to me, Brian, and Xander respectively. Josh rebounded very quickly with just a day of fever and a few days of congestion and cough. Xander had a fever for about 3 hours. Brian and I were not so lucky. Here is a copy of my personal blog post on the day:
Here are the ingredients for a wonderful Valentine's day: 1-You and your spouse wake up in the middle of the night (at separate times) with raging fevers. 2-Feel a little better in the morning determined to carry out your day's fun plans. 3-Find you 11 year old has also caught the nasty cold that is travelling through your house. 4-Cancel your plans because you don't want to be over 2 hours away from your sick child. 5-Have a stroke of genius and decide that a movie is in order to salvage the day. 6-Take some more cold medicine in hopes to keep your fever down. Remind your husband to also take his meds. And make sure your 11 year old is also medicated. 7-Go to the movie and proceed to be jabbed in the side by the gentlemen sitting next to you. 8-Make up snide comments in your head about said man who is at the movie all alone. 9-Realize your fever is coming back and think that your stroke of genius was really just plain stupid. 10-Barely make it to your car because your whole body aches. 11-Take some ibuprofen and head straight to bed after seeing that 11 year old was feeling better. 12-Tell your feverish hubby to also go to bed on your way up the stairs. 13-Sleep for a glorious 2 hours until a little voice tells you that dinner is done. 14-Come downstairs to a lovely meal of rib-eye steaks, baked potatoes, and corn. 15-Remember that the only semi-healthy person in your house is 13 years old and cannot drive. 16-Know that your very sick and feverish husband went to the store and prepared a delicious meal instead of resting. 17-Notice your husband also bought your favorite steak sauce. 18-Get a cute little stuffed animal from your very sweet kids. 19-Your husband bought you a box of "Turtles" because one of your favorite phrases is "holy turtles". 20-Become humbled and grateful to have such a fabulous family that will put aside their own ailments to make a special night for you.
Anyone that knows me also knows I am not a touchy feely mushy lovey dovey girl. I do not require love notes, chocolates, flowers, or hearing "I love you" all the time. I haven't heard the words "I love you" once today, but my family's actions make that very apparent. I always say actions speak louder than words. Even though it was not conventional, and we are all sick, I wouldn't change a thing. It really was the BEST Valentine's Day ever. Thanks to all my special guys! I love you!!!
We have been so busy lately that we decided to take a break and head to Vegas for the weekend. I talked to Brian about going on Wednesday and we left on Friday. Brian decided we should keep it a secret from the boys so we could surprise them. Thankfully we only had to hide it for 2 days. I couldn't keep it a secret for much longer than that. I was far too excited.
We left our house right when Brian got home from work. Took Taffy over to Mark and Molly's (thanks again guys) and were on the road. We left Marks house at about 6:30 pm and were on the open road. The road trip went without a snag. I had packed up lots of snacks and drinks. The boys brought the laptops to play games. And we had plenty of music. I LOVE driving into Vegas in the evening/night. You can see the glow from the city from over an hour away. And there is just something magical about driving over that last hill and around the bend to see the city. It amazes me every time we go.
I was able to find a great deal on a hotel at Sam's Town. It isn't on the strip but it is just about 10 minutes away. It is a great place to go with kids. They have a bowling alley, movie theater, arcade, and a fantastic atrium area. It really exceeded our expectations.
We woke up the first morning and ate a quick breakfast. (I packed cereal and milk... all part of our super budgeting) We all headed down to Tix 4 Tonight to try and get into a show for that day. The boys wanted to go see Popovich Comedy Pet Theater at Planet Hollywood. We were able to get tickets for half price. After that we went back to our hotel and went to the arcade. Xander spent all his tokens trying to win a DS Lite. Josh was a ticket fanatic and earned about 900 tickets. He got a hacky sack, magnetic bearded cowboy, disappearing ink, a bunch of army guys for Xander, and a whole lot of candy. We then had a great lunch of PB and J, grapes, and chips. (packed our lunch too) Like I mentioned, the hotel had an awesome atrium with a giant rock waterfall with animitronic animals. They had a water and laser show several times a day. We we able to catch an afternoon show and evening show. It was really awesome. Almost like a mini-Bellagio water show.
We showed up at the show about an hour early and we the 4th group in line. That was pretty exciting because it was general admission seating and we really wanted good seats. The show the boys picked was great. There was juggling, pet tricks, and dancing. It turned out to be so funny. We all giggled for most of the show. The animals were so hysterical. I find it amazing when people can train animals to do those kind of tricks.
It was dark when we got out of the show so we decided to drive up the strip and enjoy all the lights and signs. Brian did a time lapse video of us driving the strip. It seems as if we drove the whole strip in a matter of a couple minutes.
All the boys love buffets so we decided to eat at one for dinner. The hotel had a really nice buffet that we enjoyed. We we all pretty tired from a busy day so I am not sure if the boys ate to their true potential. The food was great and it was nice to talk about all the fun activities we had done that day.
We woke up the next morning and packed up to head out. Brian made another time lapse video heading down the strip in the daytime. Our first stop was the world famous Las Vegas sign. They have parking there now so it makes it easier to get a picture. We then stopped by the Mirage. It is a very pretty hotel and the GIANT aquarium by the front desk is really cool. Plus the parking garage had a great view over some of the strip and we able get a great family picture. Our next and probably most important stop was China Town to pick up pork buns. We got quite a surprise when we headed that way. They were celebrating Chinese New Year and the place was PACKED! We couldn't find a place to park anywhere. Brian dropped me off and I ran in to get the goods. They were all out! OH NO! We were able to get 4 chicken buns so it wasn't a complete loss. But we are definitely going to order our buns the night before and have them put on hold.
Driving home was pretty uneventful. We were all excited to get home and see our little dog. Taffy had a hard first day when we were gone. But by the second day she was a little more relaxed and enjoyed herself a bit more.
It is so nice to have been able to get away and recharge. And Vegas is probably one of our favorite places to do that.
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Our Handsome Guy
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