Christmas

Christmas is an exciting time in the Sorensen household. We haven't stopped going all week. I haven't even had time to look at my computer! We got up nice and early this year thanks to Mom! I woke up at 5am but I waited a whole 30 minutes before waking up the rest of the house! Alexia got her Hannah Montana guitar with a keyboard and a rug for her room! Rayden got a big train. He could have cared less about any other presents! That is all he has played with! Simon got a big dinosaur that he loves to sit on. He feels so big! Dad got his ginormous airplane. He still needs a motor but he is having a great time playing around with it! Mom is getting her scrapbook room. Dirk surprised me this year. He is having our neighbor custom build my desks and shelves! As soon as it is done you can bet there will be lots of pictures up. Can I just say I am WAY excited!!!!
We've had lots of family parties and get togethers all week! We are just keeping busy, busy, busy! So many memories and so little time to blog them all!

Milestones

It absolutely amazes me how fast kids grow up! I can't believe that Simon is 8 months old already! He is such a joyful addition to our family. He is always ready to charm everyone around him with his dimply smile. He brings new meaning to the phrase "Smile a Mile!" Everday he is learning more. On Christmas Eve he reached a milestone of his first haircut! He doesn't have much hair but it was starting to look like a combover on the top so I bit the bullet and had Dirk trim it up for me. Thankfully there was enough to save a lock for his baby book! He is such a handsome little guy!
This morning he finally reached a milestone that seemed to be taking him awhile. Simon LOVES to stand. He hates tummy time! I finally found the motivation to make him crawl! I put his favorite treats a few feet from him. He was soooo mad at me for not just giving them to him. When he realized I wasn't going to give in to him he got up and crawled to his treats. I knew he could do it but he likes to try and get us to give into him first! He has quite the stubborn streak! So YAY! my baby is kind of crawling but not to the point where he is into everything!

Thankful Thursday

For Thankful Thursday this week I wanted to list some of my favorite Christmas "things." They really make this time of year the best for me.

1. Christmas music-I have a few favorites here. I LOVE 'White Christmas' but only when it is Bing Crosby singing it. I am in love with his voice and for me you just can't mess with the classics! My other favorite is 'O Holy Night.' It is just a beautiful song. I also have added a couple new favorites this year. The first one is the song we taught the Primary for our Christmas Devotional, 'Could I Hold the Baby.' It is absolutely the best song. I actually started tearing up on Sunday when the kids were practicing. My other new favorite is 'Joseph's Lullaby' by 'MercyMe.' It is on my playlist so if you haven't heard it listen to it. It is another song that could make me cry if I let it. I know I am a baby!

2. Hot Chocolate and Homemade Goodies-I love when it gets cold and you have an excuse to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and gorge yourself on christmas cookies and chocolates. I think my favorite goodies are my mom's homemade chocolate covered cherries. She makes them every year even when she doesn't want to just for me. I am so grateful every year. It just isn't Christmas without them!

3. Snow!-The best of Christmas' have lots of SNOW!!!!! This year is looking to be a pretty good fall. I wish it would snow everyday in December and then go away with the new year. It seems to be doing just the opposite and most years now we are lucky to get any snow before Christmas. I am soooo glad that this year is looking to be a White Christmas. The kids are almost out of school and then I plan on doing a lot of sledding, and snowmen, and sledding, and snowballs, and sledding!

I am sadly very remiss in my posts lately. The last couple of weeks have been very busy for us. I am so glad Dirk and I got most of the Christmas shopping done long ago! I still need to go buy 2 presents for Dirk though.

Since our trip to Temple Square lots has been going on. I hope I can remember it all my mind is so frazzled lately! We went to visit Santa!



My kids were so excited to go! They had been begging me for quite a while. I am upset my picture didn't turn out better but when there is a line they only let you have one shot! At least I have one with all three kids and my sister is a bonus! Lexi hopped right up on Santa's lap and told him she wanted a Hannah Montana guitar. Ray told Santa he was too big to sit on his lap but he wanted a big train for Christmas. Simon just tried to steal Santa's beard! Now Lexi just keeps reminding everyone that the elves are watching so we have to be good. She doesn't always listen to her own advice though!

Friday night was our ward Christmas party. Lexi was an angel for the Nativity play. She was so excited! She wanted to wear a halo so we made one out of some wire garland and did her hair like her dance recital. Lucky for me we already had to attempt that hairdo! She was beautiful on the stage with all the other beautiful angels! I got to watch from backstage. I ended up there helping the kids remember when it was their turn to go onstage and to keep some sort of order before then. Oh, young children are the best!

We got our first snow this week!!! YEAH!!! Christmas is always better with snow! The kids woke up and were so excited. They immediately put on their snow clothes and ran outside to help Dad shovel the driveway and sidewalk. I would say there was just shy of 6" outside and it was still snowing.

When Simon saw his first snow he got way excited. He grabbed the blinds are started to do his excited "Oooooo!" I bundled him into his snowsuit and took him out. He wasn't too sure about sitting in the snow but he loved the sled!

Every spare minute I have had this week I have spent on a special Christmas present for a family member. I can't say right now who or what because I don't want to ruin the surprise! It has taken hours so far and I have many hours yet to go!

This week's agenda is packed! We have our ward Christmas Devotional tonight. I am singing in the choir and I also have to lead the Primary kids in their song. I am so excited. I loved devotionals. They de-commercialize the holiday and bring it back to where it should always be! Thursday is Lexi's school program and I am helping out the Single's Ward in the evening. Friday is Lexi's school party which I am in charge of and I HAVE to work on that present some more! Friday night we have a Christmas Party that is going to be a blast! I still also have to finish my neighborhood gifts and deliver them and do my visiting teaching but I am looking forward to this busy week. Next week the kids are out of school so we are going to bring on the fun!

Friday Night Lights

Friday we went to SLC. We had to pick up my sister from the airport so we did our annual trip to see the lights at the same time. It was so much fun! We spent almost all afternoon at the Gateway doing some shopping. The kids loved seeing the waterfalls and the water spray there. We then went to temple square. We spent a couple hours in the north vistor center. I had never been in the basement of that building! They have some great displays there! Lexi and Ray loved going to each one and pressing the buttons to here the stories. I think Lexi's favorite part was listening to some of President Monson's talks. She kept going back to listen to some more. She has a great love for our prophet and I love watching her face as she intently listens to his words. We were joined at the visitor center by the Schwartz's. We went upstairs and saw the Christus. I turned to look at the temple out of the window and you could see the reflection of the Christus centered on the temple. Of course I had to take a picture. The pic turned out good but didn't do it full justice! We all walked Temple Square together. Rayden and Allie held hands the entire time. I loved it when Allie asked Ray if he wanted to get married to her when they were older! So cute! After Temple Square we all went to dinner, then to Toys 'R Us for more shopping. The kids were able to get their presents for each other. It was really late by the time we headed home and thankfully they all fell asleep! We had so much fun and I enjoyed every moment of my kids excitement throughout the entire day!

What a busy week we have had this last week! It has been jammed packed with lots of fun but not a lot of breathing room! I love kicking off the holidays with a great Thanksgiving feast and we got exactly that. It was a small group this year at the Sorensen household but those who were there had a great time. The kids loved every minute of it. We spent some time with Oma and Pop too at the Dixon household. Rayden LOVES my father's village and trains! You couldn't have pried him away from the tables with a crowbar! Dirk was able to enjoy Thanksgiving morning with his father and brothers. Every year they go target shooting. Dirk was able to take his new gun with him and he was like a kid again! Merry early Christmas Hun!

Friday I took Lexi with me when we went to Novemberfest. This is an annual event with Dirk's mom and whoever else likes to go. I actually didn't find anything this year to buy. I had specific things I was looking for and I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't find what I wanted. Oh well, I did find these really cute jingle bells though. In the afternoon Dirk, his sister Amanda, our cousin Parker, and me went to see Twilight. I liked it even more the second time around!
Saturday Lexi and I went to see the Nutcracker Ballet. Lexi loved it again this year.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were getting ready for Lexi's dance recital. She had class one day, dress rehearsal the next, and then last night was her recital. Her class was the best one there! I loved there dance and she looked like a beautiful princess. Now she has decided that she "needs a break" from dancing for awhile and just go to school. Good thing dance doesn't start up again until after Christmas! That should be a long enough break!

Thankful Thursday

1. Snow-I loved waking up this morning and finding a thin layer of the white stuff on the ground. It always makes it feel like the holiday season when you have snow! I know that this snow will be gone by the end of the day but I am going to enjoy it why we have it. Now if we can only get dumped on by Christmas.....

2. Oranges-I just crave oranges this time of year. They are the holiday fruit to me. When I was a kid I always found an orange in the toe of my Christmas sock. So every year at this time I just can't seem to get enough of these! At least it is something good for me.

3. Little girls!-Lexi had her dance recital this week and I just LOVED getting her all dressed up and cutesy for it. She turned out beautiful and did a great job! I love being able to doll her up every once in awhile since she doesn't let me do it often. Thanks to Dirk's sister, Amanda, for helping with her hair. I don't think I could have done as good of a job!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thanksgiving so I am feeling extra thankful this week. Here is a list of things I am grateful for!
1. My kids

2. My husband

3. family not only to share the holidays with but also the entire year.

4. the gospel

5. our home

6. my sister and her husband for helping us get our business going

7. a good job

8. 2 cars that are still running (keeping my fingers crossed!)

9. good friends

10. the best neighborhood anyone could ask for!

11. cool weather

12. a sky full of stars at night (Rayden and I love to stargaze.)

13. food on our table

14. big heavy quilts to wrap up in

15. good books to read while wrapped in my quilt

16. slippers cuz I hate socks and cold feet

17. music, whether played or sung.

18. laughter, and there is a lot at our house

19. late night conversations

20. diet pepsi with cherry and vanilla

21. nursing my baby, it is our bonding time and I LOVE it!

22. lots of little arms wrapped around me in a bear hug

23. patience, this isn't always easy

24. a temple within view of my home

25. my kids excitement when they see the temple

26. christmas sunrises, this is the only morning I have time to stop and watch the sunrise. It is my favorite part of Christmas morning and the peace I feel lasts all year long.

27. shoes

28. weeding

29. scrapbooking

30. yoga, nothing gets me up better in the morning!

There are many, many more things I could list but I am running out of time for our busy day today. So these are just a few. One for each day of November!

TWILIGHT Weekend

So this weekend was suppose to be my 'Harry Potter' weekend. I was looking forward to it for a couple of years so I was one of those mad fans when they announced the 6 month delay. I got over it. Especially after they announced that 'Twilight' took 'Harry Potter's' spot! I ended up making a weekend in Salt Lake of it with my best friend, Britney, her family, and another friend. We had SOOOO much fun. We drove down on Saturday to Brit's sister's apartment. Shan lives two blocks from Temple Square. How cool is that? We rode the trolley everywhere and I got to have a taste of city life! Simon went with us and his eyes were huge when we first started walking around. He was the best little guy. He never fussed. (Why would he when he got to hang out with all us pretty ladies?) I think I held him about once all weekend! We spent our Saturday shopping! I know this is shocking but I had my FIRST trip to the Gateway Mall. I LOVED it! Too bad I couldn't afford most of the stores! We were there for hours and Si just rode around in his little taxi. He fell asleep in it. I love his little crossed feet!



After our hours of fun we went to Applebees for dinner. There were a lot of people in there watching the BYU and UofU football game. It was LOUD and Simon slept through the whole thing! Then it was off to the movie! Here's a pic of our group by the Twilight poster. It wasn't planned but it sure does look like Edward is kissing Jessie on the head! Lucky girl!

Pat, Britney, Jessie, Jalyn

Shan, Hanne, Alisa, Simon

Now something I love about the movie theater at the Gateway, asigned seating! You buy your tickets and you don't have to worry about lining up hours in advance to get a good seat. We had the best seats in the house thanks to Shan! She called a month ahead and said she needed a spot for a wheelchair and they had to be the best ones! She is GREAT! Since Simon slept so much he was wide awake for the movie. He just sat on my lap and ate Red Vines. By the time he was done he looked like he was a vampire!

So what did I think of the movie? I thought it was great! I always think that the book is better because you can say so much more with words and you don't have to fit it into a certain amount of time. The movie was really good. I wasn't a big fan of Edward until I saw him act. He did a great job and Bella was awesome. There was lots of conversation cut out that made some parts a little awkward if you hadn't read the book before, but lucky for me I have a few times. I LOVED the end fight scene! By far my favorite! It really got your blood pumping I thought. I can't wait for the next movie to come out but until then I think I am making another trip back to the theater!

Thankful Thursday

1. Thankful Thursdays-Let's face it, without my thankful thursdays I wouldn't have posted for 2 weeks! Our lives are so boring! Thursdays also have made me more thoughtful and positive as I strive to find the good in everyday so I have something good to post each week.

2. One Tough Baby!-As so many of you have seen this week Simon had an accident and I feel like the worst mom! My poor baby! He is so tough though. He somersaulted out of the truck the other day. They only damage done is a huge scary looking scrape on his forehead and cheek. No one has any idea how thankful I am that it wasn't worse! Talk about your heart in your throat moments! He only cried for a minute and then was fine and he has been happy and normal since. Mom wasn't so tough though. I was in tears for my little man!

3. Books, books, and more books-Ok, I LOVE to read! It is my escape from reality. I am thankful Dirk is so patient with me when I get a new book. I can get a little absorbed. This time of year I love reading Christmas stories. So I am very excited for the huge stack of books my MIL lent to me. Now I just need snow and a warm quilt and I am all set!

Thankful Thursday

1. Days that Fly by-Ok this one is a little strange and I will try to explain why I am so thankful for it but you all know me I can be confusing at times. When I was a kid the days always seemed to drag by soooo slow! I couldn't wait to grow up and be an adult and have my ultimate dream of becoming a mom come true. Now that I am at that point the days fly by soooo fast! Most days I feel like I can hardly catch my breath. So the other day I was thinking about all this. In those younger years the days that seemed to drag on forever were either because it was a bad day or I was anticipating something that was coming. Now that the days fly by it is because I don't need to anticipate anything. I enjoy living in the here and now. I love watching my kids everday and the things they learn. Right now is my childhood dream come true and I am trying to cherish every little moment I have. So in a way I am thankful for the days that fly by to fast because to me that means that my dreams have come true and that my prayers are answered. I do wish though that this time didn't seem like it was going to be gone in the blink of an eye. So bittersweet!

2. A new garbage disposal-yep, that's right. I need one and I am pretty sure that after the kids are out of school I am going to Lowes to get one and hopefully be able to install it before Dirk gets home. Anybody done this one before? I sure am going to be thankful to get the smell out of my sink from the old one!

3. DI drives-I actually get excited about these. The drive always gets me motivated to start cleaning out! I get to go through the house getting rid of stuff that is just sitting around collecting dust. I can't believe how much junk we collect! It feels so good to get rid of the old clothes, knick knacks, and stuff. While going through it always amazes me that I can also fill the garbage can in record time too. I am just thankful there is a place to send my unwanted stuff so that someone else can get use out of it that might need it.

Thankful Thursday

1. Rayden-This week was all about celebrating him! He is such a sweet kid and there isn't anything I can think of that I am not thankful for about him. Our family wouldn't be the same without him!

2. Prayer-It may seem to take time to get answers to prayer but you always do get an answer. Today brought the best kind of answer and I am so thankful for it!

3. Date nights-Dirk and I went on an impromptu date night last night. It was great. We were able to go to dinner and get most of our Christmas shopping done. We only have a few things left and it feels so good to be at this point! So I am thankful for that and for family to watch all the kids!

Happy Birthday Rayden!

I can't believe that my baby boy is 4 today! The last few years have flown by so quickly!

OnSaturday we had a birthday party for Rayden. He wanted a train party, no surprise! Dirk made an awesome cardboard train for him that we had all of his friends get in and we got a picture of each one. I made him a train cake which turned out ok. I am not a cake maker but it was what he wanted. He was ecstatic with it! All he wanted today was to go to work with Dad. The house is sooo quiet without my little guy running around!

Rayden,

You are the sweetest little guy Mom could ask for. You are always so good to your little brother and your big sister. The love you have for them shows in everything you do. You are always so willing to share with Lexi. The smile on Simon's face everytime he sees you shows just how much he adores and looks up to you. You put a smile on Mommy and Daddy's faces too, everyday. You are learning so much this year and are making us so proud. We know this next year is going to bring so many new things for you to tackle and we know you will take them head on and do great! We love you tons!

Mom and Dad

Halloween!

On Halloween the kids and I got together with their cousins and we all went downtown to trick or treat together. We first had lunch at Wendy's which is always a treat with a bunch of kids! Our first trick or treat stop was at Lazyone (work) to get some treats there. My brother-in-law, Travis, was working on a photo shoot for his catalog so we took advantage and decided to get shots of the kids. The kids were so excited that none if them turned out great but some were pretty good. Here is all the kids together!

Even though all my sisters live in the valley we rarely ALL get together at the same time. We get together in small groups but hardly ever all of us. Since we all went trick or treating with the kids and my mom went also we got our picture together too. So here is a pic of my mom with her daughters.

Maybe someday we will get one with all the boys too.

The kids had a blast heading downtown for candy. They got a ton. We thought about going to the mall too but the littlest ones needed a break so we went back to Oma's house and rested for a couple of hours. We then headed off around the neighborhood and the kids came home loaded! Isn't Halloween the best?

Tagged Again!

Ok Taryl, here I go! I just hope I can find 7 interesting things about me.

1. I have a yellow daisy painted on the cap of one of my molars. If you ask me I will show it to you.

2. I love shoes! Dirk thinks I have tons of them but I probably only own about 4-5 pairs that I wear regularly.

3. I play the flute and still have it and my piccolo. I also have dabbled in playing piano, clarinet, bass clarinet, and french horn. I never stuck with them for long but I got the basics down. I do have a clarinet hiding in a closet somewhere.

4. I prefer going to a good play then to the movies. Unfortunately I don't get to go very often.

5. I really enjoy weeding and working in my garden. This year has been a real disappointment for me. With a newborn all summer I didn't get outside near as much as I wanted to. Sad to say but my yard is in a poor state for fall.

6. I love surprises. Dirk isn't very good at it though. He usually gets so excited about whatever it is and tells me beforehand.

7. I am extremely claustrophobic. Just the thought of small spaces gets me all freaked out! I'm also afraid of heights. Dirk has to put the tree topper on our Christmas tree every year! (Seriously.)

Pumpkin Walk and Halloween Carnival

On Saturday night we went to the Pumpkin Walk with Dirk's family. This year's theme was "Calling all Heros." The kids loved all the pumpkins. Here is one of my favorites. I LOVE the waterfall out of the pumpkin. This one was of Dads as heroes by taking their kids fishing. Sorry I kinda cut the dads and kids out of the picuture.

I really love this picture of Lexi and Grandma. Lexi adores her Grandma and I thought it was so cute to see them holding hands. Last night was the church Halloween Carnival. The last few years I was always in charge of a booth with my Young Women and Dirk brought the kids on his own. Since I am no longer in the Young Womens I was able to go with Dirk and the kids. Lexi was a witch, Rayden was a ghost, and Simon was a frog. Ray's costume took some time and lots of baby powder and hairspray!

I have lots of fun with Halloween and I once again dressed up. I don't really know what I was but I had fun putting it together! I had lots of comments on the eyes!

I dyed my contacts in food coloring to try and make them all black. It worked for awhile but as you can see that after a couple of hours they went to a reddish brown. I felt like I was looking through sunglasses all night long. It was weird!

This picture we took when we got home. Lexi was being goofy and the paint on my cheeks is from one of the Young Women. She got me!

Thankful Thursday

1. Perfect weather-I love the cooler weather. It isn't too hot or too cold. I love being able to still go outside without a coat. The air is crisp and makes me want to curl up with a good book and some hot cider. I love this time of year!!! It is so pretty with the changing colors. I would be really thankful though if I get to take full advantage of this weather this week and actually get my fall cleanup in the yard done! Whether I do or not I will enjoy this weather and be thankful for everyday it lasts!

2. Quiet Time-I think this one speaks for itself!

3. Innocence-I love the innocence of children. Some of the things they say or observe either get me to thinking or just plain crack me up! I am so grateful I have my kids to help shift my perspective on life.

The Best FHE

I love when Dirk plans a Family Home Evening because he gets so creative and into it. He planned last nights and it was so much fun. We started by making caramel apples. These are a favorite of mine and the epitomy of Fall for me. We let Simon play with an apple while we unwrapped caramels. I love this picture of him. It makes you wonder what he is thinking!

Lexi and Ray LOVED that we let them do the caramel themselves! They did such a good job.

While the apples hardened we read a little bit about Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon. We have been reading this story all week. We usually only read a handful of verses at a time so we don't give the kids information overload. We read last night about how the Lamanites were afraid to fight the Nephites because they Nephites were wearing armour. On Dirk's mission he had a chance to make some chain mail, so we pulled it out and let the kids try it on and told them all about why armour is important. Dirk even took a sharp knife and showed them how it couldn't cut through the metal. They LOVED it.

At the end we all enjoyed a good apple. It was sooo messy but sooo tasty at the same time. We made a lot of apples and I think I know what the kids are going to want for lunch today....

Zoo Time

Ugh, that last post was a real downer. Sorry everyone. I promise I am over it and it doesn't bother me at all now. I'll try to never be such a downer again. Now on to some fun pics. Like a lot of others, we went to the zoo on Saturday with my parents and my sister's kids. The weather really is perfect for the zoo. It was around 70 degrees all day so we never needed jackets and we weren't sweating to death! Lexi and Ray always have so much fun when we do stuff with cousins. The three girls were inseperable all day long!

Lexi, Sidnee, and Navy in front of the elephants.

Simon LOVED everything. He pretty much had this perma-grin the whole day!

Rayden's favorite part of the day was the train ride. This kid loves his trains! He woudn't even look at Dad for the picture. He was too busy looking at the engine.

Besides hanging out with her cousins I think Lexi's favorite part of the day was the carousel ride. I know, we go to the zoo and the kids like the rides more than the animals! They did have favorite animals though. Rayden LOVED the giraffes and Lexi just wanted to see the snakes. She is definitely her daddy's girl! They had so much fun and can't wait to go again. Mom and Dad had a pretty good time too!

Why?

That is what I keep asking myself this morning? Rayden and his good friend Allie were playing this morning in the basement. They always play really well together so I rarely go down and check on them. They came running up the stairs today and told me they wanted to dry off in the sun. !!!!!!!! Wait, why do they need to dry off? I take a good look and Rayden is SOAKED from head to toe. Allie wasn't quite so wet. I asked what they were doing. They were playing with Lexi's tea party set. I went downstairs and this is what I found.
The picture actually makes it look not so bad. There was an inch of water on the bathroom floor. The spots you see in the pic are where the carpet is REALLY saturated. The whole hallway was wet. They had more water all over Lexi's floor and Rayden's floor. This all happened 10 minutes before I had to get Lexi from school.
After I sent Allie home to get dried off I put Rayden in a timeout while I called Dirk to calm down. I felt like snapping. After I was sure my head would stay attached to my neck. I had Rayden help me get some towels and lay them out on the floor. Then we went and got Lexi from school and finished the job when we got back. The carpet is still pretty damp but I think it will be okay. Rayden is now being the biggest helper around the house. He knows I was pretty upset. At least there is a bright side to how it all ended!

Thankful Thursday

1. UEA-Because both Lexi and Ray don't have school today. It is 9:30 and we are all still in our pj's and cuddled up watching cartoons. I love mornings like this when there is no hurry to be any where and you can lounge around and take your time. So much fun!

2. A workout buddy-Dirk has been keeping me motivated! Every night after we put the kids to bed I pop in one of my workout videos and Dirk does his own thing. It is so much easier to keep going if you aren't doing it alone so I am glad that I have him there to keep me going. I especially am thankful that he doesn't make fun of me when I am trying an exercise that I can't do. I know I look absolutely ridiculous!

3. Wii Time-My younger sister and I played Wii with my mom yesterday at my sister's house. My mom had never played before and we had a blast! Then Marte and I battled each other in American Idol. I am thankful for the hours, yes hours, we were able to spend together bonding and goofing off! I think the kids saw a new side of all of us yesterday!

I had to share this video with everyone and a few things I learned from it.

1. I don't realize how much I talk "babytalk" until I hear myself in video. Then I get really bugged at myself for it!

2. Simon has a longer reach than I anticipated.

3. Simon is also showing off his new skill of waving!

4. I do believe that Simon is going to be left handed just like his mommy!

5. Isn't he the happiest baby?

Weekend Fun and Another First!

Okay so the weekend started out with me and Lexi getting our hair cut. I once again decided to try a new hairstyle. Hello, my name is Hanne and I have a problem. I am so indecisive! I love how my new style turned out!
Friday night we once again headed to the bowling alley. This time we went with our friends the Schwartz's and the Knight's. We had a blast. Dirk redeemed himself this week and totally killed the rest of us! I really sucked it up and lost to almost everyone, including the kids!
My little sister had a blind date on Friday night and they decided to go bowling. They ended up in lane right next to ours! It was fun to see her on her date but I hope we didn't scare the guy off. He seemed really nice! That is my little sister, Marte, in the background of the family shot!
The kids had a great time eating pizza and Simon loved gnawing on the crusts. After bowling both Lexi and Ray went to Nate and Sarah's to watch Barbie and Diamond Castle with Allie and Kylie. Yes Rayden is not opposed to watching Chick Flicks with a bunch of girls! They came home tired but they loved every minute of it.

Rub a dub dub, Three men in a...HOLE! On Saturday Dirk was out in the yard and for some unknown reason he decided to check the water meter. I'm glad he did because he noticed that we had a water leak happening! We don't know exactly how the water main got broken but it was and water had filled up inside the water meter thing. (Anybody know the techincal name for it?) Our friend and neighbor, Nate came over and helped Dirk dig the 5 feet into the ground to find it. This is the third or fourth time we have dug that thing up for various reasons! Then Nate called his brother Layne, the plumber, to come take a look. They found the water main was bent and they were able to bend it back to where it wasn't leaking until Dirk can get a permanent fix. It was too cold to do much else! It will be interesting to see what our next water reading comes out too! YIKES!
This last week Simon had another first! He took his first bath in the big tub! He is getting so big! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He goes in for his 6 month checkup on Wednesday! He loved the tub and kept splashing around. He probably would have sat in there forever except Mom didn't want him to get chilled so I pulled him out after 10 minutes.
Yes, I am one of those moms who has a million pictures of my kids taking baths! I think they are adorable!

Tagged!

Thanks Melissa! I haven't done a tag in awhile and they are so much fun!

2 names you go by:
(besides Hanne)
-Jack
-Max, to select members of the fam

2 things you're wearing right now:
-Sweater
-Jeans

2 things you want very badly at the moment:
-my laundry to disappear!
-to curl up in a big quilt with a cup of hot cider and a good book and not to move for the rest of the day!

2 favorite pets you've had:
-The dog I had growing up, Sven
-and though I know most people in the neighborhood are glad he is gone, my dog Kowa

2 things you did last night:
-had the missionaries over for dinner
-went to Dirk's parents house and bowled on the Wii

2 things you ate today:
-a banana shared with Simon
-a bowl of raisin bran

2 people you talked to last:
-Dirk
-Dirk's parents

2 things you plan to do today:
-laundry, yuck
-start some crocheting projects

2 longest trips you've taken in the last 5 years:
-when Rayden was 6 months old we went to Nauvoo and Kansas for my neices' baptisms
-to Dirk's brother's house in Midway. I know we haven't done a whole lot of traveling. We are planning a trip to Nova Scotia in the next couple of years though!

2 favorite holidays:
-Christmas!!
-4th of July

2 favorite beverages:
-Hot Apple cider
-Diet Pepsi

People I tag are Courtney, Courtney, and Sarah!

Thankful Thursday

1. My House-A little over a year ago Dirk and I were living in our 2 bedroom upstairs with 2 kids and one on the way. Our basement was being rented to Dirk's brother and his family. They moved that summer and we were able to spread out to the basement also. This gave me a total of 2600 square feet to live in. It felt HUGE! I know my house is smaller than most peoples' homes but I love it! I am not a huge person to wake up in the morning and just get up to my elbows in cleaning. I am so thankful that my house isn't any bigger. As my kids get bigger I am sure that I will wish that I had a little bit bigger of a house but it's small size will hopefully keep us close. If Dirk could grow up in a house smaller than ours with 4 brothers and 1 sister and they still like each other I am sure we can do it also! So here is my shout out to small homes that are easier to clean!

2. Mechanical Abilities-Not my own but Dirk's. It is that wonderful time of year again where we need to register our truck. In years past Dirk was working for Accurate Automotive and he never really 'did' an inspection on the truck. He just kind of passed it every year. Shhh don't tell! This year he had to take it in to be inspected. He took it to the local tire shop and they called him an hour later to let him know that we had $1000 of repairs that needed to be done. He kindly asked the guy what and then told him that he used to be a mechanic and would fix it himself. So yesterday he went and got the parts to do the job and it only cost $150. So, yes, I am extremely thankful that Dirk can do this job at home! He just saved Christmas!!!!

3. Hot Shower-Oh that sounds so good right now! I am really looking forward to jumping in the shower this morning. I love hot showers! I love to sit in there forever and let the steam melt away all my stress for a few minutes before I have to join reality again. There is nothing better than this for me. It is my "me" time! I am soooo thankful for a hot shower and the water heater that can accomodate my pleasure!

Teething

Isn't this the cutest thing you ever saw!?!? Since he started teething he will chew on his binkie any way he gets it to his mouth first. I LOVE it!

Bowling

Friday night we headed out for some family fun! The kids love to go bowling and have been begging to go for a few months now. We went to The Gutter before Cosmic Bowling started. It wasn't crowded at all. We got the pizza and soda deal with our bowling and the kids had a great time! Dirk tried to show both Lex and Ray how to bowl with their fingers in the holes but they just don't have the spread for it yet. After the first time of Dirk helping Lexi she didn't want any more help. She bowled the whole game by herself and did great. She beat her dad's score!

Thankful Thursday

I keep thinking that today I should do some sort of special post for my birthday but I am not creative enough to come up with anything. So if you have a great idea let me know and I might post something special.

1. My Heavenly Father-For placing me on this earth when he did and with the family I have. I have truly lived a blessed life and I am extremely thankful.

2. My age-Yes I am actually admitting that I don't mind getting older. I have thought a lot about this this week. I don't like the signs of aging that come with getting older. I do not enjoy that part at all and I know I have a lot more coming! There are so many other benefits for me. I have been thinking about how much has happened to me in the last 10 years or so. If I never got any older than I would not have Dirk or my 3 beautiful children. I wouldn't have experienced so much of life that I learned from and I wouldn't have near as many friends as I now do. So when I look at life from that perspective I welcome the coming years!

3. Simon's present-Simon has been fussy for the last couple of days and has had a slight fever. I was 90% positive that I knew what was wrong with him and today I became 100% positive. Si's first tooth has broken the gum line! I am so glad that it has finally made it's appearance. I am thankful that he is his happy self again! I wanted to post a picture of his tooth but he is being camera shy! So later I will get that pic and post it!

Back in Business

Today I went from having no dishwasher to this....

This picture is proof that men do read the instructions occassionally!
It didn't take Dirk long to get the new dishwasher in. I am so excited to not have to wash dishes by hand anymore. I was failing miserably at trying to keep up! Here is a pic of the new one.

Thankful Thursday

1. Hugs-I went scrapbooking this last Friday and Saturday with my mom and sisters in Salt Lake. We had a blast! When I got home Lexi came running up to me and gave me the biggest hug. She didn't want to let me go when I had to go back out to get my bags. When I finally got settled inside she climbed on my lap again and hugged me so tight. She told me she wasn't ever going to let me go. It just makes me feel so good to know that she missed me while I was gone.

2. MY RING!-Seriously I am excited about this one. Three months ago I took my wedding ring in for it's semiannual cleaning. They gave it back to me informing me that one of my prongs was broken and the others were in bad shape. I was devastated. I had them give me an estimate and I called Dirk. He told me to hold off for awhile. I was thinking awhile meant no more then a couple of weeks but after about a month I realized that Dirk had no immediate plans of having it fixed. I had kept my ring on a ring stand in the bathroom but I ended up putting it in it's ring box. I was actually really shocked at how much it upset me to put it away. I just bawled! So then I started telling Dirk every other day that all I wanted for my birthday was my ring fixed. I didn't think was listening most of the time but last weekend while I was gone he took my ring in and had them remove the cage around my diamond and put a new one on. They also redipped the white gold on my bottom band and polished the heck out of it. Dirk suprised me Monday night telling that for lunch on Tuesday we were going to pick it up. So yay, yay, yay! I have my ring back!!!!! Doesn't it look beautiful?



3. My Mom-My mom is the best. Yesterday was horrible. It started out fine but about a half hour after I woke up I realized that I had a migraine coming. No big deal. I took some tylenol and figured that once I had Lexi off to school Ray could watch cartoons while Simon and I took a nap. Usually after tylenol, a good nap and a few more hours they go away for me. Not yesterday. I got Ray's cartoons going and Simon in bed and I went to lay down. My migraine exploded into the worst pain of my life! I couldn't move my head without throwing up. I called Dirk and told him he had to come home NOW! He did and he took the kids to my mom's house. Mom thank you so much for taking my kids on short notice. I know it is hard to have them all day but I REALLY, REALLY appreciated it. I don't know what else I would have done with them. The kids had a blast and I was able to calm down knowing they were in good hands. So thank you, thank you, thank you Mom. I love you!