VOTE

I voted early yesterday. Make sure to make time for that.

Odd Sighting Of The Day

An emu running down the street.

Then a few hours later I saw him again after they had tranquilized it and were loading it into the animal control car. I guess he escaped from one of the local emu farms?? HAHA

(not the emu but an emu)

More Twilight

New Harry Potter Trailer!!

Can't Wait!

Funny Emma

Sorry, one more then I have to go to bed.

So we're sitting in the car today and Emma says "Mom, today at school I saw somebody park their car in the wheelchair spot. Where are all the wheelchairs supposed to park?"

He thoughts are pure comedy sometimes!!

Happy Birthday Enoch: Part 2

So I so far have only mobile blogged about Enoch's birthday but it was a lot of fun and Meg made the cutest cake so I had to add some more pictures. Enjoy! (That is if you like pictures, if you don't just close your eyes and scroll down :) )

Frightning

This is just to let you know how brilliant I am sometimes. Yesterday I changed my ring tone to help me get into the holiday spirit. I didn't think much of it and this morning me and Hannah were in sitting on my bed when from my bathroom came a loud creepy vampire voice saying "I VANT YOU TO ANSWER YOU PHONE" Well, as we all know Dan is still in Dallas and I'm not used to hearing any other voices in my house let alone a mans voice. It scared me so bad that I screamed and shook like someone who just saw a ghost. I had forgotten I changed the ring tone and it was at it's loudest echoing in my bathroom. Hannah jumped too and asked "What was that mommy?" with terror in her little eyes. I have never had anything startle me so bad in my life. I thought someone was in the house. After I screamed I thought "Did I just scream?" because it all happened so fast and then realized what it was. I was shaking for five minutes. It's not wonder I hate scary movies.

Milky Monday

Just wanted to let everyone know how my Monday started out. I was just about to head out the door to take Emma to school when I thought I really should pick up their cereal bowls and put them in the sink. As I went in the kitchen and picked them up Hannah came in after me holding one of those huge balloons that have a rubber band tied to the end of it so it can go boingboingboingboingboing. Anyway, as I'm walking Emma's empty cereal bowl and Hannah's still half full cereal bowl to the sink she comes in and whacks the bottom of her bowl with the balloon. I don't have time to react and next thing I know I have fruity pebbles in my hair down my shirt on the floor and a huge wet milk spot all over my pants. Well I had to hurry to get out the door so I threw on a jacket and drove Emma to school a big milky mess. Because of the whole fiasco we were late and her class had already headed inside so I had to get out of the car and take her into her class room with fruity pebbles hanging from my hair and my huge wet milk spot on the front of my pants. I got a few looks from people and had to chuckle a little. I'm sure I looked ridiculous. I tell ya, being a parent has brought me to new levels of embarrassment.

Happy Birthday Enoch

I'm mobile blogging so this is the picture you get. (more to come) Enoch (my brother's middle child) turns four on Tuesday so we had a party for him today. I can't belive how big they are all getting. We love our Butter Boo. (his nickname, don't ask, my brother made it up) Never a dull moment around here!!

To: ME From: ME

Thank You
Your Welcome




Hanson - Go

My Sanity Savers

Here is a list of things I do or use to help save the last bit of sanity I have as a mother.


My car box. I have a Tupperware bin that sits in between my girls as they ride in the car that is full of papers, pens (not crayons, they tend to melt in the summer) books, toys, gameboy, my old camera, happy meal toys, ect that the girls can play with while I drive in peace. Yes, I have to constantly pick things up back there but it's worth the peaceful car rides.

My Stories. I have a tape recorder that sits by their bed so that I can play stories for them to help them fall asleep. My girls have always been good at going to bed and I think this plays a big part. I don't put songs on because that tends to keep them awake, it has to be a story.

My craft box. I have a box full of markers, glue, glitter, scissors, ect that I keep in my closet so when I need a little time to make a phone call or work for a few minutes I can get it out with a pad of paper and let them create.

My sucker bag. I keep a bag of dum-dums in the front seat of the car. That way if the bank is out of suckers (kids always know when you are at the bank) or if they want a treat, I'm always ready.

My cell phone. It's amazing how long you can keep a kid quiet in a waiting room while they play Pop-It or use my ear phones to listen to music.

PBS Kids. I do my best to get my children learning at a young age and I really love that PBS helps me do that. My two year old searches the house for super letters. It's wonderful.


So, as a parent, what helps you keep your sanity?

Fall Pictures

I took some pictures of the kids playing in the yard yesterday. They are all so cute!!

Update: Congratulations

So remember how I mentioned in my last blog that it had been a year since we had any new kids? Well, we just found out yesterday morning that Chris & Meg (my brother and wife) are expecting their fourth child next June. I still can't believe how she doesn't wait three years in between kids like I did because I know it takes me a LONG time to forget how much I did not enjoy being pregnant. The only bad thing is now we are outnumbered. My parents will have nine grandkids but there are only eight of us. I can't wait to add more chaos to the mix, it makes things fun and keeps us all on our toes. We are all so excited for them!!

Jarom Turns One!!

I know, I know, we have so many kids it's hard to keep up with who's who. Jarom is my brother's youngest son and also the youngest grandchild for my parents. We haven't had any new kids in a year, can you believe it? He turned one today and had a really great time enjoying his cake. Enjoy the pics!!

The Birthday Boy

Kids Love Presents

Chris And Meg

Amber

Cole

Me and Nikki (aka Serena & Venus)

My Brother Chris

Sierra

Hannah

Clean Up Time

Kyla

Papa And Cali

Enoch

Gabe

Emma

Cali

Midnight Suprise

I was laying in bed Wednesday night when around midnight I heard water running. Being a woman I have the ability to hear things in the night. Anyway, I was wondering why there would be any water running. I didn't start the dishwasher no one had been up to use the bath room and I saw my husband turn off the sprinklers when he was here this past weekend. At first I told my brain in was nothing and tried to roll over and ignore it, but of course I couldn't so I finally got up and started inspecting the house. I heard a spraying sound coming out of the garage. When I got out there I found the expansion tank on the top of my water heater spraying full force all over my garage wall and car. At first I didn't know what to do so I just stood there and stared. Then I climbed up on my car to get a better look at it while getting wet. I tried to put my finger over the hole (I know probably a dumb idea, but it was my first one) but the pressure was too much and I just got wetter. I found a knob that I thought controlled the water flow and turned it off but it just kept spraying. I finally picked up the phone and called my dad. I was trying to explain it all to him when the spray finally started to slow down. I guess the knob I found was the water shut off but the pressurized tank had to empty. My dad talked me through turning off the pilot light and gas so that I could go to bed and he was there first thing in the morning to remove the old tank and replace it. It's a good thing I have family so close with Dan being away. I don't know what I would have done and I'm sure I would have payed someone a lot of money to come and fix it for me. Thank you daddy!! I keep thinking it's a good thing I didn't just ignore it. I would have woke up to a flood.

Deep Thoughts by Emma Hastings

Emma: Mom, I think heaven looks like God.

Me: That's a beautiful thought Emma.

Emma: I bet it has a moustache.

The Waiting Game

In my job I do a lot of waiting. (This is where my blogs come from, my mind wondering while waiting) I have a couple days a week that I'm so busy I can't see straight and my phone never stops ringing then I wait, and wait, and wait. This isn't a relaxed waiting, it's a stressed anxious waiting. My problem is I can't seem to ever stop waiting. I've always got this sense inside me that says I need to be doing something else than I am actually doing. My brain is always two steps ahead and it makes it hard to actually relax and enjoy what I am doing or not doing for that matter. I know part of it is that I am a woman because it seems that most men I know are rarely ever thinking ahead. I'm thinking that I should try yoga or maybe read up on Zen, but who has the time. Does any one else suffer from anything like this?

Priceless

I had to share this picture taken last year when me, my sister and my dad were in Las Vegas. (Dad for work, us for Hanson) We rode on the Big Shot located on top of the Stratosphere hotel. It was, as always, awesome. The look of terror on my face is priceless.

(click to enlarge)

Which Reminds Me

My neighbors car horn went off again in the middle of the night. It's not an alarm that goes honk honk honk honk it's like someone is laying on the horn and it hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonks for over an hour straight. This the second time this has happened in the last few months. Last time we ended up calling the police and while we were on the phone with them it finally shut off. I think after so long the battery dies. The thing is, both of the people that live in this house with the honking horn are deaf. It's not like I could go over at three in the morning and knock on their door and say "your car is malfunctioning". I bet they get up in the morning and have no idea why their car battery is dead, again. I guess I should stop them the next time I see them outside and try to explain what's going on. I'm sure we could get it communicated one way or another.

Hmmm??

After an overwhelming vote (ok, only 9 votes) it was decided that the spider had to die. I don't know if it just got cold outside or that my spider reads my blog but he has been no where in sight since the poll closed. I'm hoping he didn't read my blog and now is waiting up in the heater vent above my bed to come down and bite me in the middle of the night. Great, now I'm going to think about that every time I get into bed.

The Rat Pack

Last night I went with my parents, aunt and uncle to see The Rat Pack at Kingsbury Hall. It was amazing.

New Twilight Trailer

For those who care.

Funny Thought

I find it funny the sounds you can get used to. As if you almost become deaf to them. My phone is constantly going ding-dong all night as my emails come in and I sleep right through it, but when I stay up at the cabin everyone is asking what that noise was that kept them up all night long. Also, the fact that me and Dan had to get a new alarm clock a while back because we got so used to that beep that we would both sleep though it as it went off for an hour. But yet when the neighbors car was honking for over an hour one night I was wide awake. It was no louder than our alarm clock. Weird.

Texas Stadium Here We Come

Our tickets for the Giants Vs. Cowboys football game came in the mail yesterday. I admit, I'm not a huge football fan but in my family it's hard not to watch a lot of it. Or at least be forced to stare at the TV while it is on. The Giants are my husband and my brother in law Kwinton's favorite team so they figured since Dan was in Dallas they wanted to go see the Giants play the Cowboys. The game is December 14. Although I'm not so excited for the football, I'm very excited for the experience. How often do you get to go to a professional football game living in Utah.

I took this picture of Texas Stadium while driving on the freeway. Don't not attempt.

Should I Or Shouldn't I

About a month ago I noticed this black widow hanging out in my garage. It totally gives me the creeps but hasn't tried to harm me so I've so far left it alone. I keep trying to go out there and kill it but because it's too creepy or because I feel bad, I haven't yet. So now I'm asking you, should I kill the spider? I have posted a poll to the right.

Please please vote, a spiders life or death depends upon it.

Mommy The Helper

I took my first turn at volunteering in Emma's class today. Emma was so excited to have her mom come to class. She has been asking me for days 'how much longer?'. She kept turning to me and waving all day long. I was excited to see how she was in class compared at at home. At home she is very excited and talkative asking question after question, but at school she is one of the quietest kids in the class. I know she has always been a little bit shy but the good thing is that she seems to be taking it all in and although she didn't say anything to the other kids she didn't seem scared, just quiet. She reminds me so much of myself. I'm a little bit shy but mostly just am more of a listener than a talker to people I don't know. I just like to take it all in sometimes before I start running my mouth. It makes me proud to see what a confident little girl she is becoming. She can't wait until I can come back again. I feel lucky to be able to work and get to do things like this. I'm also glad for all of Dan's hard work over in Dallas. Maybe when he gets back I can convince him to take a day off and be a helper at Emma's school. I would be funny to see if he and the children would all survive, he doesn't have that kind of patience.

My Sanity Slipping Away

I'm was either crazy or very lonely because this is how I spent my Friday night.

And People Think I'm Weird

I've noticed now that I have my bed all to myself that I sleep so much better when Dan is not there. Don't get me wrong, I don't like sleeping at my house all alone all of the time but having a bed to myself is really nice. Dan tends to keep me up all night with his snoring, twitching or hitting or kicking me in his sleep. So the other night when he was actually in town I was trying to get to sleep in the middle of the night after taking care of Hannah because she had a fever when he started twitching again. I was just about to wake him up and tell him to sleep on the couch when he twitched so bad he almost jumped out of the bed. I could tell he woke himself up so I asked what was wrong. He said "I had a dream". This wasn't enough information for me so I asked "About what?". He was quiet for a second and then told me he was dreaming that he was fighting a T-Rex as part of his training for his new job. After he said it we both busted up laughing. I've had some crazy dreams but that one takes the cake.

My Love/Hate Relationship With Sonic

Ok ok, I will take a little time away from teasing my husband for another important post.

Like the title says, I have a love/hate relationship with the Sonic restaurant chain. I know fast food is not the best thing in world for you, but I love my Sonic. They have a wonderful chicken salad and any kind of drink you can think of. Not to mention eating fries smothered in Velveeta like cheese is heavenly. But here is my problem, the are ALWAYS either missing something or getting my order wrong. I've had many problems with them forgetting my forks, dressing, straws, among other things or messing up the order by giving me tater tots instead of fries which is par for a fast food restaurant but it's the fact that half the time I ask for something they are out of it that makes me absolutely crazy. They've been out of fries, salad, smoothies, popcorn chicken and once I even waited in line for 20 minutes for two ice creams. When they finally got to me they said sorry for the wait that the had to go across the street to buy some milk for the ice cream machine. Maybe I'm just being picky for someone eating fast food but they make me crazy and if I didn't love the food I would never go back. Once again feel free to post your restaurant complaints here, it's therapeutic.

Update: Wanted Man

I've called on Officer Franc to take over the case of the wanted man. He tells me "Not only does this jacket look good but it helps me be all that I can be". To which I replied "Isn't that the army's slogan?". And he answered "And the airport security guards".

Anyway, Officer Franc has uncovered a few more facts about our suspect.

He is a talented piano player who uses his music to put his victims to sleep.

He enjoys eating hamburgers without meat inside.

He has been known to carry around a women's purse as a laptop bag.

He's terrified of moths and crickets.

He once worked at Hot Dog On A Stick, or at least wore a shirt that might make you think he did.

He is known do dance and sing to his favorite musicals.

He's had about 1,000 kidney stones. (We think it's a world record)

His favorite show is Little House On The Prairie.

And finally, he once tried to blow up his mother-in-laws kitchen with a highly explosive bomb.

Here is a drawing of what this man may look like today. (Pretty much the same, I'm starting to think he's kind of handsome)

Once again we ask that if you have any information, let us know.