Easter

We kicked off our Easter festivities with an Easter Egg Hunt  with Aunt Misty and Uncle Aaron.
The kids were separated into age groups, so I only got to see Alex.  It was pretty much a mob, but he had fun. Everyone managed to get plenty of goods.  Alex had the least amount so Nadya gave him some of hers. (Hallie spent Easter with her mom).

Later that day we dyed Easter eggs.

My cute (and a little o.c.d.) child numbered his eggs.

Of Course there were baskets and egg hunts.

 After our egg hunt we attended church.  That night we had dinner at my parents where I brought deviled eggs and potato salad. Kris and I made little Chick deviled eggs.  They turned out really cute but were definitely more work than regular deviled eggs.

Iowa

The  day before we left for Iowa was a whirlwind. We really didn't have time to stop and process everything; we were too busy preparing for our departure.  We were both doing okay until we hit Iowa.  Well, actually Alex had a hard time the night before in the hotel where he cried himself to sleep.  I wasn't quite sure why he was crying.  Whether he was upset over losing his grandma, or the fact that this trip was not his idea of a vacation or if he just didn't like our hotel. Or maybe it was a combination of all three.  He never said.  He just started crying at bedtime so I snuggled in next to him and stayed that way all night.  That night we stayed in a hotel that was new to us.  It reminded me and Doug of being in Russia.  It was an older hotel, pretty good in size with very few guests.   It was a little bit creepy to the girls,  but really the accommodations were adequate and we dined alone the following morning for breakfast.  (Always a plus with kids.)  It was your typical continental breakfast with bagels, cereal, biscuits and gravy.

The next day as we continued our drive to Iowa, we found that the closer  we got to Iowa, the harder it was. Usually it is the opposite. The closer we get, the happier we get, but not this time.  I think in some ways, the drive was where we started our grieving process.  Even though my mother in law was sick with cancer, her passing was sudden and caught all of us off-guard and we certainly didn't have time to grieve prior to leaving. So as we inched closer to the farm and the sights were becoming more familiar, reality set it.  We were beginning to realize that life at the farm wasn't going to be the same without Grandma being there. (Which it wasn't.) But we did find comfort in what was there.....  Most importantly, our family.  The farm house was full of family, just how Grandma liked it.

  We all enjoyed cuddling the little ones and we waited patiently for our turn with the newest addition.

  Oh baby Elliott how adorable you are.

And there was comfort in the usual farm activities.  

Feeding the cows is a favorite for my kids. 

 Although there is nothing usual about feeding  fries  to the cows,

 it just happened to be what the littler cousins had left over from lunch.

This was the first time I had ever traveled to Iowa in the winter.  I lucked out.  I've heard the horror stories of Iowa winters, but the weather was about as good as you can get for January.

There was some snow, just enough for a small snowball fight with most of the family.  I didn't get any pictures of that though. It was too fun to watch! But it was definitely a highlight. 

 (Gwen, can you send me a few pics?)

And we even had a couple of great sunsets.

There is something so peaceful and beautiful about those Iowa sunsets on the farm.  

It was a short trip for us.  Once again we found ourselves not wanting to say goodbye, and  at the last minute we decided that I would drive back alone with the kids so Doug could stay back another week to help finalize a few things.  The kids were absolutely amazing in the car.  The drive (all 1150 miles) was quiet and peaceful as the kids stayed pretty plugged into the television.  I broke the drive up into two nights and we made such good time on day one that we arrived in Cheyenne early enough for a nice dinner and swimming. Swimming was another highlight on our trip.  Well, it was a highlight for all of us except for Hallie.  Unfortunately, she had to watch as she forgot to pack her swimsuit.  :(   She had a great attitude about it though.  

Christmas Utah and Danish Traditions

I am going to attempt to get my blog caught up over the next few days. (Sorry for the delay.... I had to come up for air after Christmas!)  I thought about one long post, but I enjoyed Jessica's blog and her style of serving it up one piece at a time.  So I'll try and follow in her foot steps.

The weather has been unseasonably warm so it just didn't seem like Christmas around here.  We had all of our decorations out and what not, but without snow it just didn't feel very festive. Snow or no snow though, we carried on with our Christmas traditions.  First up- Christmas Utah!  About five years ago while driving home from the store I stumbled upon this house. I could just see part of the lights from the grocery store but  I could tell it was worth my time navigating through the neighborhood to find it.  It was an amazing sight!  The Christmas lights are set to music, reindeer fly, Santa waves in the window, the trees talk and tell jokes, bubble machines make bubbles and there are thousands of lights!  All you do is find a parking spot, tune your radio and sit back and enjoy.  We've been going every year since we found it.  Usually several times considering it's less than two miles away.   Sadly, this was going to be their last year.  So, I did take a little video to remember it. The girls at their age could take it or leave it, but the boys loved it!  We will be missing this tradition that's for sure!  

Growing up we always had Christmas Eve with the Hansen side of my family.  We celebrated it Danish style. There was always plenty of good food, all the traditional Danish meats and plenty of veggies topped with my favorite dessert,  Ris ala mande, (a traditional Christmas dessert similar to rice pudding). We exchanged gifts and the best part for me was to be able to see all of my cousins!  Both my grandparents have passed on, but that doesn't stop me from carrying on this tradition. I host it every year. I have to admit, I have no idea how my grandma did it for 20+ cousins and 8+ adults!!!  I've been told she would cook for an entire week and my numbers are fewer that's for sure. I am always so tired when it's all said and done, but grateful to have the opportunity for us all to get together.  And grateful to be carrying on this tradition for my children.

We drew names and each purchased and received one gift.   We had fun with Caitlin's Santa hat and a few of the guys volunteered to wear it.  (Sparkly crown and all!)

I drew Heather's name and I gave her a framed school picture of me!  I don't think she knew what to say after she opened it.  She just looked at me and said, "Thank You!"  I couldn't keep a straight face and was literally crying from laughing so hard, so she soon figured something was up.We all laughed and laughed and laughed.......  Truthfully though, the frame is really just part of her present.  I am also going to take their family pictures for them and I'll purchase the print for the frame as well. 

Later on that evening we dished out dessert and the kids came into the kitchen one by one to select their bowl.  Earlier that week Carter was whining about the fact that he has yet to get the bowl with the almond and I had my typical "life's not fair" response.  Imagine my surprise when Carter (who picked his bowl second to last) had the almond!  He got an extra present; a stocking with a few little treats and five dollars cash!  He was beyond excited!  The rest of the kids got an m&m candy cane too, just for safe measure.

And of course the evening would not be complete without a cousin picture! 

So that pretty much gets the ball rolling toward Christmas.....  Next up..... Gingerbread houses and Christmas Programs!

Misc September

I woke up one morning to find this......

Melt my heart!

I am used to finding Alex curled up with a good book,

but this is a new phase for Carter.

A phase I hope will stick around!  

He is really turning into such a good reader.

Nadya had an impacted tooth and had to have it surgically exposed.

(Top Left)

They attached a hook to her tooth and her orthodontist will be slowly

pulling it down and hopefully it will cooperate.

They have about a 90% success rate for kids her age, so we have our fingers crossed!

She did really well with the entire procedure.

We bounced back to Lagoon and had a great time.

We were able to get on ride after ride as we didn't have to fight the crowds or wait in any lines!

It was great! 

We went boating again at Utah Lake and while I did take some great pics,

I also took video!!!!!!

Nadya is getting entirely too good!!!!!!

And Hallie too!

I made 36 pints of Salsa and Canned two bushels of peaches/Jam.

Alex was my big helper making jam.

He liked peeling the peaches after I blanched them.