April 2011 Top Ten...Remember, there is no meaning to the order...

1.A. Guess who is the new seventh grade vice president at the Junior High? Yep our very own Giada!  Have to say her portfolio she had to put together rocked (it might even get its very own post) and she walked out of her interview with the current SBO officers and told her momma, "I think I nailed it!" And guess what?  She did.  Way to go Giada!

1B.  Easter...It was a special time to reflect on the Resurrection of our Savior  and we also enjoyed Grandma and Grandpa's traditional egg hunt.

1.C.  Yep, we really did wake up at 1:55 AM watched whole thing!  Nana and Auntie  Natalie joined us at Nana's house for the festivities.  Senior and Junior enjoyed having the house to themselves!

1.D.  Chocho and Bernina enjoyed a Bobbi Brown makeover at Nordies with Auntie Natalie, courtesy of Auntie Missa!

2.  Ninth Grade is almost over...Bernina was honored at the Eagle Evening of Excellence!  Also a chance to grab some photos of some of her cute friends.  

3.  Matching Easter outfits!  Some years it happens, some years it doesn't...Some years I get a photo of it, some years I don't.  This year they both happened!

4. Traditional Egg Roll with the Hansen's...we seem to make just about everything competitive...even Easter!  

5. Celebrated Queen Bubs 5th birthday in style with a Barbie cake!  Her birthday date was with Mom and Dad at good ole Chuck-A-Rama!

6.  Celebrated Bernina's 15th birthday! For her birthday date she headed to see The King's Speech and then dinner at Ruth's Diner (which happens to be the restaurant that Chocho's parents and Senior's parents first met soon after the "proposal" way back when).

7.  Queen Bubs was a mouse in her preschool play...what a cute mouse!

8. Sunday morning pretend primary with Sister Slick.  They made the shield representing the Armor of God. 

9. Lec/Dem CDT at an elementary school in Daybreak. Again, they danced their hearts out!

10. Spring.Break.St.George.We.Love.It.Seriously!

March 2011 Top Ten...Again In No Particular Order

1.  Wished we were in the Carribean (Jamaica, 2003)

2.  Climbed a few trees in the sun (which was almost nonexistent in March)!

3. Wished we were in Newport Beach with some cousins (Balboa Island Ferry, Jun 2005)!

4.  Practiced our earthquake preparedness and prayed for the people of Japan

5.  Wished we were in SacTown with some cousins ( Jun 2004 at Lake Folsom in Sacramento, CA)

6.  Queen Bubs and Junior took swimming lessons at the bubble...I mean the rec center.

7.  Wished we were in Hawaii (Maui, Feb 2010)!

8.  Once again, the leprechaun stole through our kitchen and turned the milk green!

9.  Wished we were at Lake Powell (Senior and Queen Bubs July 2010)

10. CDT's Concert Week at Capitol Theater..."Through the Looking Glass".  They danced their hearts out!

February 2011 Top Ten...In No Particular Order

1.  Chocho's work on Young Women' s Camp 2011 begins to take shape...Believe me after watching this video you will all wish you could JOIN THE REBELLUTION!

2.  Slick's photo shoots continue to pop up on my camera!

3.  Giada's science fair project won at the district level and headed on to state.  Smarty pants!

4.  Papa announced extended family cruise plans for 2012.  Kiddos can not wait!

5. Senior finally nixed our family tradition of pizza on the china by candlelight for Valentine's Day.  He has been threatening it for years.  Trouble is I can't remember what we did instead...By the way, old picture...Valentines Day 2004 at a church dance.

6.  Puppet Show at Queen Bubs Preschool.  Her hippo was a hit!

7.  Junior changed the lyrics to "Take Me Out To the Ball Game".  Instead of singing, "And it is root, root, root for the home team (ChoCho's version) or Cubbies (Senior's version)" Junior inserts "Yankees" instead.  He says he is a fan (like most of the rest of us).

8.  Built a snowman with our cousins.  Brrrrr!

9.  Celebrated Great-Grandma Howe's 90th Birthday!  Wow!

10. Grandma Elyse was in town and treated us all to yummies at McDonalds!

They Really Must Have Been Listening...

Down South...St. George with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen
April 2003
We headed to sunny St. George for Spring Break this year.  Nearly a whole week spent at Nana's and Papa's condo playing tennis and golf, enjoying the sunny pool, marveling at the beautiful scenery and hiking it too, hanging out cousins and grandparents, shopping and just plain old relaxing! It is one our family's favorite places to go.  The first weekend we were there was conference weekend.  That meant we did not have to head to the church but instead we watched on the television, both Saturday and Sunday, talks from our church leaders...it was fantastic.  The kiddos did pretty good and it was a very inspiring and enjoyable part of our trip.  We came home the following week and as Sunday morning rolled around, I planned to gather the kids around and review on of the great talks from the previous week The Sabbath and the Sacrament by Elder L. Tom Perry, one of our apostles.  But before I could I noticed something magical...the kids were all going about their day in a very-sabbath minded way and in a way that was an improvement over previous Sabbath mornings. They had remembered the talk and were each trying to improve their own personal Sabbath attitudes.  The ripple effect definitely was happening as everyone was inspired by the actions of others.  Mom and Dad didn't have to preach...they had already listened to the an apostle of the Lord and the result was wonderful!  

Not Just Your Ordinary Wall Decor

Was it somewhat angular letters done cross-stitch style with colorful embroidery floss?  Or some sort of florally script in an ornate gold frame?  The mental picture of a little wall hanging varies within my mind but the profound message it conveys something steady and strong within my heart:  "Choose Your Love, Love Your Choice." Read about that little message in President Thomas S. Monson's, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a living prophet of the Lord--a seer and revelator just as the prophets of old, recent conference address.  

Sixteen years ago, I was lucky enough to have my true love choose me (he would say he was lucky I chose him...in reality it probably goes both ways...haha) and I have to admit I love my choice every single day!  Doesn't mean everything is always peachy-keen but it does mean I have power to use perspective and unselfishness when times get a little bumpy and if I choose not to, well, then, I am not choosing happiness. Feeling like you have control of yourself is important to me.  Recognizing my choices are within my control is pretty empowering!  

November 29, 1994
ChoCho and Senior
You can't tell that Senior is wearing blue socks (hey, they matched the dark blue suit he wore to the temple) and his tux is a little short (that is the reason you should try on your tux before the big day).  We also got left at the temple and had to call from a pay phone (no cell phones back then)  and have someone come and pick us up.  Yep, I rode to the temple with my parents that day and he rode with his parents (you know it is bad luck to see one another before the temple on the day of your wedding...at least that is what he told me when I asked him the night before what time he was going to pick me up).  After the ceremony and family pictures, our photographer continued to shoot photos of the two of us and everyone else headed home (without telling us or realizing we had come with them) to prepare for the rest of the festivities leaving the newly-married downtown with no car...once we figured it out we called Senior's little sis and little bro and they drove back down and picked us up.  We treated them to lunch at Training Table.  Kinda crazy but lots of fun!

Grammar Lesson

Cutie friend giving us our grammar lesson...

Be and Do.  Every thought about the relationship between two little words we use all the time?  Those two little words that are connected in ways that when understood can be life-altering.  Check out this talk given just ten days ago by one of the church leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  You can read it, watch it, download it or print it.  What attribute or way of being are you gonna focus on this week?  Following Elder Robbins advice, I thought back on the scriptures I studied this AM and decided that humility should be the "Way of Being" for the week...guess what we will be talking about as we drive a crazy carpool tonight (based on the evening calendar eating dinner all together tonight might not be in the cards)? Any suggestions for teaching kids and grownups about being humble?

A Little Slice

An hour later Slick, Giada and friend

This week we've been registering kiddos for school next year...helped us feel like summer is right around the corner!  Thought a good little slice for the week and for posterity's sake might be a glance at what classes they have signed up for...three youngest don't have as many options as the two oldest!

First day of school 2010  Bernina and a friend off to 9th grade

Junior:  Preschool at our favorite place...they've all gone to the same preschool.  We love you Miss Jennifer! Plus he will continue "Talking Time" through Headstart and the school district.  Still working on that speech thing.  He is coming along well.  Talking a lot more when he wants to but just sounds pretty sloppy (that's what they call it...a sloppy talker)...been stuttering a lot lately.  The speech therapist says that we don't need to worry about that now.  Not unusual to hear a 3 year old with a stuttering issue but if it is still happening next year we will have to work on that.   

Queen Bubs:  Kindergarten here she comes!  Might opt for afternoon though.  Never done that before.  Still haven't quite decided...pros and cons.  Heard that sometimes afternoon class is a little more mild-mannered and they seem to get more done in the same amount of time...But if she does afternoon on preschool days she and Junior won't have much time together (nor will I have a kid-free couple of hours).  Still leaning towards the afternoon thing.  She could walk home with Slick which would be fun.  Crazy part is that Junior's preschool is longer than Queen Bubs' kindergarten class...go figure.  Kindergarten around these parts is only about 2 hours and 35 minutes 4 days a week and only 2 hours on Fridays...

Slick:  Moving on to fourth grade.  Seriously...I can't believe she is already that old! She'll be in the wing of the school with the fifth and sixth graders...whoa! When I hear her in the computer room practicing her typing skills it kinda freaks me out!  Especially 'cause it just seems like yesterday Bernina was doing the exact same typing assignments and I thought she was SO old! Slick is gonna be headed to college before I know it!  Stop girl...don't grow up so fast.

Giada:  Junior High!  She is gonna try out the following:  English, Honors Science (which means another year of science fair...yuck!...but she is got the science fair down pat...this year she won at the school, at the district and was invited to the regional fair but we decided not to go to that...), Pre-Alegbra, Keyboarding Applications, General Music/Choir, Art I, Utah Studies, Honors Reading, Career/Tech Exploration, P.E. and something else I can't remember!  Giada has mixed feelings about Junior High.  A little nervous but pretty excited.  She sure got dolled up cute last night when we headed over for registration.  Looked pretty grown up.  I know she is gonna do great!  

Bernina:  High School Finally!  Signed up for Honors English, Honors Pre-Calculus, Intro to Health Sciences, Spanish I, Honors Chemistry, Release Time (LDS Seminary), AP European History, Debate I, Beginning Girls Choir, an online Fit for Life class  and summer Drivers Ed (yep, kinda crazy...she will have her permit in less than a month).  Bernina is kinda a nerd when it comes to school.  She likes homework...crazy girl.  In fact, as I type she is attending the State Math Competition!  Taking a two and a half hour math test...plus an hour each way on the bus...does that sound like your kind of fun?

Flashback Friday: Buried Alive?!?

Date: Late Springtime sometime in the mid-1980s.  

Place: Edgehill Drive

 I wish I had a picture...but no scanner currently available so we will have do without.  

The grass was green and the dark earth of the flowerbeds were beckoning to be dug under in preparation for the flowers waiting to bloom.  After a day at school, we all headed out into the back yard to enjoy the warm sun that had been missing for so long.  My mother worked in the yard while the rest of us played on the grass.  There were probably four or five of us (my youngest sister probably missed out on our fun) and we decided to get our pet rabbit, Mr. McGregor, out of his cage after a long winter in the garage and let him enjoy the fun in the sun.  Failing to realize that after a long winter spent in a small cage, Mr. McGregor had put on a few pounds, we laughed and hollered as he bounded around the backyard with several children playful (or so we thought) chasing him.  Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and the most awful, blood-curdling screams...sounds that no one would ever guess could come from a cute, white bunny...filled the air.  After a few seconds that seemed like minutes, the piercing screams gave way to a soft moaning and then he drew in his last breath and died.  We could not believe it:  Mr. McGregor, our bunny, dead of a heart attack caused by overexertion  after a long winter spent getting fat in the garage.  A cousin and uncle living across the street came over to pronounce him dead, gather his remains and help us bury him in the pet cemetery in the orchard behind their home.  We dug a grave and all stood round as we paid Mr. McGregor our final respects.  Imagine our surprise and shock when his little body was placed in the grave and he let out a little squeal.  "He is alive!" we exclaimed. Explaining, that it was merely the leftover air leaving his little lungs, our uncle finished the burial.  We nodded our heads in understanding, but still our hearts wondered as we trudged back home, "Bunny buried alive?!?" I guess we will never know...

A Little Slice Plus Apology

One month hiatus...shouldn't have done that...sorry...dealing with some issues preventing my desire to write...not big issues just stuff...some resolved, some not but decided that writing can still happen and creativity can still happen if I choose...so here it goes.

Top Ten In No Particular Order for Today's Afternoon and Evening At Our House (some of it is typical, some of it is not typical)

1.  Sunny and somewhat warm weather...not so typical lately

2.  Crazy dance carpool driving and dance for Bernina and Giada (Thursday carpool logistics are crazy not the actual driving) ...typical

3.  Junior High Wrestling Meet (Bernina must attend as part of her SBO responsibilities)...too typical lately

4.  No church meetings (yet) for Senior...not so typical

5.  Homework for all...typical

6.  Early dinner...typical for Thursday so that Bernina can eat before dance if she gets home in time from the too typical lately wrestling meet

7.  Early bedtime for littles due to number 8 (see below)...not so typical with usual Thursday carpool ('cause they fall asleep while completing the late afternoon leg and then want to stay up all night...I'll be playing music as loud as possible and driving with the windows down to keep them awake today)

8.  Chocho hosting Book Group 8 PM tonight...not typical, just a once a year kinda thing (Book:  Animal Farm by Orwell, Menu: Apple Brown Betty and Animal Crackers by Chocho...I know not too spring-like but if you've read the book you know that apples are a necessary part of a smart animals' diet plus it is easy and I need easy tonight due to number 9 (see below))

9. Nine children (five of our own, four cousins) staying at our house for the next three nights and four days...definitely not typical but definitely fun

10.  Super quick fast forward through American Idol...too typical for one or two of us...Hint hint (it isn't me and it isn't necessarily just the kids)