Shots, Shoes and a Haircut

It's been quite the day! This morning, I picked Thomas up from kindergarten with some bad news: we had to go to the doctor to get the last of his two Hep A immunizations. He cried the whole way to the doctor and tried to reason with me, "I'll just tell the doctor that I want ZERO shots, Mom!" I told him it was okay to cry and that yes, it would be scary, but that he is a very brave boy. So, we go into the waiting room and do some homework (which he loves--clever, eh?)and he was okay for the moment. Then the nurse called his name and the tears began again. He was still pretty brave until we got to the little room and he saw the bandaids, then he started trying to bargain with the nurse: "I just want a bandaid but NO SHOT PUNCHERS!" The nurse told him that he would just have one "shot puncher", which made him cry even harder. I held him on my lap and the nurse suggested that he close his eyes. Tom closed his eyes and the nurse quickly seized the opportunity to give him the shot in his leg. "It's all over!" She exclaimed, and Thomas opened his eyes and looked around, then smiled. "I'm safe now!" he said, and grinned the rest of the time and the whole way to McDonalds. Moral of the story: nothing is worse than anticipation!

Tommer wasn't the only Hansen child with drama today. I picked the boys up from Sara's this afternoon and Gordon was screaming. Not brat screaming, but really hysterical "I AM IN PAIN" screaming. It was awful-- he couldn't sit still in his carseat, just arched his back and screamed. We didn't go home-- we went straight back to the doctor's office. When we got there, I took Gordon's little Nikes off and we went inside. By the time we got to the registration desk, the crying had ceased completely and Gordon was actually smiling! We decided to stay in the waiting area for a little while, just in case, but Gordon's mood just continued to improve. So, after about ten minutes, we went home. He's been fine ever since, so the only thing Chris and I can think is that he either had some sharp gas pains or something, or that his shoes were too tight. Whatever it was, it certainly added some drama to our evening and I'm so glad my sweet little babe is okay! (I've been giving him extra kisses tonight!)



After all of this, I felt I could use some pampering and look-- I had a hair appointment! Yippee! So, I decided to take some self before and after pics. I took two before pictures-- the first is how I normally fix my hair because I am lazy, and the second is to show what a mess it is when I take it out of its clip-- YIKES! My hair hasn't been cut in a while, so it has gotten quite scraggely. I went to a new person-- a cute girl in my ward, Becky Twedt-- and she did this great head massage thing before she cut my hair. So relaxing! Then she cut my hair-- just a trim-- and straightened it. I love it! Here's the after-- am I cute or what? ;)

Deck the Halls

We had a very fun evening! After work, I took the boys to Michael's to pick out a new Christmas Wreath. We used to have one, but I think it must not have survived our move last year. Since Michael's was having one of their great 50% off sales anyway, what better time to pick out a new one?
The boys were very good while we were at the store. They both "oohed and ahhed" over all of the Christmas stuff-- it was really cute. One funny thing-- while we were waiting in line to check out, I was browsing through a magazine. Shame on me for not paying attention. Gordon managed to grab one of the fancy little candies they have sitting on the counter (Lindt Chocolates, I think) and unwrap and stick it in his mouth. He was being so quiet, I didn't even notice-- until I looked up to find white chocolate dribbling down his chin! I bought the candy, of course, and pulled the cart away so that he wouldn't get any more. Clever little stinker!

So, now that we were really feeling the Holiday Spirit, we came home and put on some Christmas tunes and got out our decorations. Here are some of my favorites:


Marilyn made this adorable little snowman for me over the Thanksgiving weekend. Is he not the cutest thing?!

The Myers family gave us this great house last year and the boys were so excited when I got it out. Each little drawer is numbered and is big enough to hold a little prize for every day until Christmas. Last year Thomas could hardly wait to get up in the morning just to check what his prize was for the day. It will be fun for Gord to participate this year!


And finally, my Santa Clause-- I just love this guy! My mom and I both bought Santas one year after Christmas and he has been one of my favorite decorations ever since.




We also hung up our stockings and got out all of the Christmas books and DVDs. So fun! I love this time of year!

What a Game!!

Chris and his dad went to the game on Saturday, while Marilyn, the boys and I stayed and watched it on TV. I'll be perfectly honest: the way that BYU has played this year and the way we really haven't been able to count on the Utes being consistent, I was worried that Saturday's Holy War would end up in a complete route by BYU. Fortunately, this was not the case. After two scores by the Cougs, the Utes regrouped and completely dominated the second and third quarters. The game was super close-- with Utah ahead most of the game!-- and it actually came down to a final play, when BYU's Cryin' Quarterback, John Beck, threw the winning touchdown pass with no time left on the clock. 33-31 was the final score in favor of the Cougars. It was incredible! Both teams played extremely well, so even though BYU won in a heartbreaker, at least the Utes gave them a good run.

Chris's reaction: "Sometimes you need a loss from BYU to keep you humble."

And at least we got to see John Beck cry some more...

Thomas took this picture of me watching TV. He's not a bad litte photographer, is he?

So, both teams will head to bowl games in the next month or so, which is exciting. We really had a great time watching the Utes this year-- and nothing better than a close one to end the year and keep the rivalry going strong! GO UTES!!!

Thankful

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I started the day waking up very early and driving to Idaho Falls for the "Race to Feed the Hungry" 5K with my mom and sisters Ann-Michelle and Caitlan. This was our first race and we had fun. We didn't win, but I felt great that at least we finished! We're planning another run on New Years Day-- the Resolution Run, also in IF. It's been fun training and I'm hoping to keep improving!


After the race, I headed back to Logan to pick up Thomas and Gordon, then the three of us went to Salt Lake City to celebrate Thanksgiving day with my in-laws. I am annoyed with myself that I didn't take any pictures of Marilyn's table-- it was beautiful! Not just the food-- the traditional tastiness of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, have I missed anything?-- but the whole table setting was gorgeous. Marilyn is the perfect hostess!

Poor Chris had to work on Thanksgiving and the day after, so he missed the big meal. He did stop by Angie's diner and get some ham (they ran out of turkey) and I think he probably relished sleeping in late on Friday morning. At least he'll have some good time off at Christmas. Gotta love the life of a journalist-- the news never sleeps.

On Friday, Grammuh and Grampuh took the boys and me to Tom's favorite place: the planetarium. He's such a funny little boy-- every time we visit my in-laws, he requests to go to the planetarium. They oblige him more often than not! During this visit, we saw a 3D movie called "Santa vs. the Snowman"-- a little cheezy, but the 3D was really cool. Tom was a little nervous about it-- particularly during the dinosaur previews-- and watched with one eye covered by the 3D glasses and the other bare.




On Friday night, I put the boys to bed, then drove to Logan to pick up my hubby. We drove back to SLC together and spent the rest of the weekend there. Saturday was primarily consumed by the game (see above post) but we did get the chance to go to a late movie with our fun friends, Ryan and Nickie Stanton. We saw The Prestige-- I still can't decide if I liked it or not. It was weird and creepy, but as Ryan said, it kept our attention the whole time. Well, like it or not, it was great fun hanging out with our friends!

After church at Chris's parent's ward on Sunday, we were pleased to get a visit from Mike Crosby and his cute daughter, Kira. Chris and Mike have been friends since they were really young and they had a good time catching up. Gordon was napping at the time, so Thomas and Kira played nicely. I really enjoyed watching Thomas play with Kira-- she is a very sweet little two-year-old girl and a little shy, and Tom was very kind to her and engaged her really well. It's always fun seeing your kids play well with others!

Finally, late Sunday afternoon, we drove home to Logan. Whew! We really did have a great holiday weekend and I'm so thankful for all of the wonderful people in our lives that made it so! We love you all! ♥ ♥ ♥

Brotherly Love

Ah, the joys of having boys. For those of you who know my children well, you know that the bully in their relationship is most often 18-month-old Gordon. We're constantly advising Thomas to stick up for himself-- after all, he is almost four years older and twice as big as his brother! So tonight, our Tom decided to fight back. I was upstairs and heard Gordon's scream of pain and hurried downstairs to find him bleeding from the corner of his eye! I asked Thomas what happened and Thomas said, through tears more dramatic than his victim's, "I knocked him." I hugged them both and cleaned Gordon's cut, which turns out to be fairly small, then got out the camera to capture the apology hug. Gotta love brothers!

 
 
  

Cuddles and Snuggles

Thomas has been feeling a little bit sick the last couple of days. Last evening, he didn't have a lot of energy and just wanted to cuddle and snuggle with a blanket on the couch. Gordon thought that looked like fun and was insistant that I put him on the loveseat with a blanket. They looked so cute that I had to take pictures. As you can tell from Gordon's messy face, we had spaghetti for dinner. I also love their almost identical crooked smiles. Way too cute!

Our little Pilgrim

Yesterday, Thomas came running out of the school with the rest of his kindergarten class wearing this funny pilgrim hat. He is having so much fun at school and it's especially cute to see these kinds of projects that he made all by himself. We're thankful for our great 5-year-old!

Our first Away Game!

It was freezing in Colorado Springs, but we bundled up and cheered for our Utes at our first away game! Well, I guess technically we've been to several in-state away games at BYU and Utah State, but those don't really count as there is usually a huge Ute contingent and you don't really feel all that "away". At Saturday night's Utah vs. Air Force game in Colorado Springs, however, we were definitely in the minority.

When we arrived at Falcon Stadium, we were excited to learn that parking is free on the government-owned property at AFA. Cool! I was also very glad that I bought the tickets through Utah, since the Ute section was very small. It was nice to be able to sit by other people dressed in red. As you can see, Chris felt quite comfortable cheering for his team!

The first touchdown was scored by Utah, but Air Force managed to keep the game exciting by matching the score. It all came down to the last three seconds, when Utah's kicker made the winning field goal. What an exciting game!

So, it all comes down to next week's big game at Rice Eccles Stadium vs. rivals BYU Cougars. It is true that the Cougs won the Mountain West Title this week, but I think for both teams, the season really rides on this game. I'll admit, BYU has a great team this year, but we're certainly hoping the Utes pull out all the stops and put a little damper on their great season! :) Go UTES!!

Weekend in Colorado

On Saturday morning, Chris and I dropped the boys off at Grammuh and Grampuh's house (THANK YOU!!!), then headed to the airport to fly to Denver, CO for Chris's birthday trip. It was such a fun weekend! After arriving in Denver and picking up our little rental car, we drove up to Fort Collins to meet Emily and Jon at Young's Cafe, a tasty little Vietnamese restaurant. The food is so tasty-- they really should call it "Yum's". Mmmm...
Anyway, it was great fun visiting with Emily and Jon. We even had a little bit of time to visit their apartment and their kitty, Oscar. Emily is due in just a few weeks with her first baby, so it was fun to see her in her last few days of pregnancy. She's so little-- I don't even think you can tell that she's pregnant from this picture.
After a too short afternoon in Fort Collins, we headed South a couple of hours to Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy. See above post for details on the game.

To end the night, we drove back to Denver and ate at Red Lobster before spending the night. We were able to sleep in a little bit on Sunday morning and flew back to Salt Lake and our little boys in the early afternoon. It was a fast trip, but we both had a great time in Colorado!

My new hobby

 Yes, I've started knitting. Inspired by Kristine and taught by Karin and my mother-in-law, Marilyn, I am now enjoying a new crafty pastime. I'm not very good or fast at it yet, but I can feel myself getting better.

Originally, I had these big plans for making scarves for all of the females in my family, but since my first scarf is taking a bit longer than I imagined, I think I'll have to save those ambitions for next year. Oh well, at least I should have this one done to give to someone for Christmas. Or keep it myself. :) 

Visit with Poppa, Sue and Buddy

On Sunday, we enjoyed a nice visit with Poppa and Sue and their cute little dog, Buddy. The boys got along pretty well with Buddy, except that Thomas got a little nervous when they were playing. Gordon, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of the poor little dog. He followed Buddy everywhere! Luckily, the fascination didn't last too long and Buddy was able to seek refuge on the couch next to Poppa.

Poppa and Sue brought some fun early Christmas gifts for us and the boys. One of those gifts was the movie "Cars". It's a really cute show and it's become the new favorite. It's only Monday and we've already seen it at least three times! Thank you to Poppa and Sue for the fun afternoon and the great gifts!

Those pearly whites...

Today I took Thomas to the dentist. He has been to this dentist once before, and once again, he did a great job! I really like this office-- it's a pediatric dental office (they don't even treat adults!), so everything is sized just for kids. Even the tooth polisher is extra quiet and isn't as scary as I remember them being! The only thing that made Tom a little anxious was the sucker thing, but no tears, just some tight hand-holding. Afterward, he couldn't stop smiling and said, "my teeth feel slickery!"

By the way, I took these pictures with my cell phone, so the quality is a little less than desirable, but at least we documented the moment! :)


No cavities!


All done! Here's our happy kid standing next to the "Dorie" fish.

I Voted

Well, after all of the crazy political ads, the hilarious late night TV jokes and SNL skits, and the humorous and often charged debates with my brother-in-law (Todd, you know I just love to get you riled up!:) ), it's finally the one day where all of this talk comes down to action. I love voting; it makes me feel like I'm making a difference.

Sorry for no fun pictures this past week. Over the weekend, I was in L.A. at a franchise expo and who really wants to see pictures of that? Chris and the boys spent Friday here in Logan with Marilyn, then went to Salt Lake on Saturday, but apparently Chris isn't as obsessive about taking pictures as I am. Oh well, at least they had a fun time!

The Gift of Appreciation

Every month, I enjoy getting the David McNally Report, a newsletter from a motivational/business speaker. I got this month's today and I found it quite inspirational. If you have a moment, read below and hopefully you'll feel a bit of the Thanksgiving spirit as well.

The Gift of Appreciation

In North America, November is the month the holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated. It is, without question, a favorite time for our family even though our heritage is not American. We value, however, the spirit of Thanksgiving for it is about appreciation, the expression of gratitude for all that is positive in our lives - "the counting of our blessings."

The quickest route to unhappiness is focusing on what we think is missing rather than what is present in our lives. Thanksgiving, if we stay true to its original intent, asks us to reflect upon the abundance that surrounds us, that which can so easily be taken for granted: our health, our work, our loved ones, our friends, the relative peace and safety with which many of us live, the economic system and type of government that promotes freedom of expression and opportunity.

One of the most powerful ways to put appreciation into action is to express to those important people in your life how grateful you are for what they contribute to your life. To be complimented and acknowledged for our value builds our confidence and nourishes our souls. It is rare that a human being suffers from an overdose of recognition.

A couple was celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Over dinner the wife says to her husband: "Darling, you never tell me you love me anymore." He thinks about it for a moment and replies: "I thought I told you that when we got married?" "Yes, of course, you did," she answered. To which he replied: "Well, if anything changes I'll let you know." Humor like this provides a very clear lesson.

I was told by someone I love that I did not "see" her. It took me some time to understand what she meant until I finally realized that I had a blind spot. For various reasons and circumstances I was unable to appreciate her true nature, what I would now describe as her "magnificence." Blind spots can put relationships at great risk.

One of the best investments we can make is taking the time to consider and give thanks for the "ordinary" in our lives - those simple everyday things which, with deeper thought, we discover are quite "extraordinary." Ironically, we end up being the primary beneficiary of this exercise. Peacefulness, contentment, generosity, love and an overall sense of well-being are all activated by having an attitude of gratitude.

So what and who do you take for granted? Start making your list today and endeavor to add at least one new thing or person everyday in November. But, for that special person who came to mind first, waste no time in reaching out to express how much you value and appreciate them being in your life.

Halloween!

 

Halloween! We had a pretty good one this year, though I managed to get a little stressed with the over-planning. Oh well, that seems to be part of my tradition along with all of the other stuff! :)

Our first stop was the Cache Valley Mall on apparently their busiest day of the year. It was insane! There were people everywhere and everyone was dressed up. We met up with Kevin and Becky and their cute little Owen and had a fun time chit chatting while we braved the lines. Thomas had a great time; Gordon and Owen just dealt with it.

After frantically making my traditional Halloween chili (well, it's really Marilyn's recipe, but I'm calling it mine), I took the boys over to our ward's Trick-or-Trunk a half hour late. I thought this thing would be one of those things that goes on for a while... apparently not. When we pulled up with our friends, Sean and Karin, we were among the last cars in the parking lot. Within moments, everyone else was gone and my kids were standing in the dark with no candy. Ugh.

Can I just go off on these Trunk-or-Treats for a moment? First of all, I do think they're a fun idea-- but so much better if they happen on a day other than Halloween. Halloween should be about going to the houses in your neighborhood, and trick-or-treating with your cute little kids. Instead, it's pulling up to a church parking lot and speed-trick-or-treating in less than a half an hour. Everyone runs out of candy, so all of the porch lights in our little neighborhood were off. And, we got a total of two trick-or-treaters! Sad!

So, back to our night. Next we headed over the Herald Journal offices to deliver the famous chili to Chris. He came with us and we went trick-or-treating at a few houses up by the Temple. It really was fun and the boys got some good candy. Gordon's favorite part was tromping through the leaves and trying to go in the houses where people were giving him candy. I had to pull his little Tigger tail. Tom got a little bit cold after a while, but he still had a great time.

All in all, it was a fun Halloween! 

So tired!

Chris was working at the computer and Gordon came over and put his head on Chris's leg and fell asleep! This position didn't last too long-- it isn't easy to sleep standing up! As Gordon's legs would give way, he'd startle awake. Chris finally scooped him up, but not before I got a picture. What a sweet little guy!