Body Ball

Troy came home one day with this "body ball." We all had high hopes that this would somehow "strengthen our cores." I think I have sat on it twice...BUT the girls are having a blast!


This fabulous ball has successfully relieved me from hours and hours of bouncing them on my knees. Sorry, core...I'll get to you sooner or later. For now, I am having too much fun watching my kids.

Chuck

My sister-in-law, Kati, has been asking Troy and I to watch the first season of "Chuck." She gave it to use several weeks ago and I am sad to say we still haven't watched it. Nevertheless, it is on my "things to do" list. Anyway, Troy was not impressed (or pretended not to be) with the cover. See below...

He thought the dress may have been a bit too revealing. He decided to take it upon himself and "redesign" the cover. You know, a little alteration to make him feel better when the girls pick up the cover to have a look at what we may or may not be watching. Here are the results.

What do you think? Maybe he should design Mormon ads for modest clothing. Too bad sewing isn't as easy as drawing. He could retire.

Asparagus

I am proud to say that several years ago I learned that I LOVE asparagus. I had not had this as a child and would have refused to eat it had my parents made it. So, while Troy and I were on a trip to Chicago we went to a restaurant and I ordered a wonderful little steak. When it arrived, I looked down and saw a bunch of tiny, green trees had landed on my plate. I was a little upset at first because they had already made contact with my juicy steak. There had been possible cross-contamination and there was nothing I could do about it. Had it just been Troy and I, I probably would have carefully moved them to the side of my plate, cut off the contaminated piece of meat, changed forks, and moved on. However, we were with another couple that were very "mature" about eating and I couldn't embarrass myself with this kind of food segregation.

I worked around the other side of my steak but the time eventually came when all I had left to eat were the tiny trees. I had watched the others eat them with little problem. No one was pulling faces, gagging, spitting them out, etc. I decided I had better go for it. I added a little salt for good measure and took a bite.

Absolutely amazing! I loved those little things. I ate ALL of them. I was sad when they were gone. I wanted more! Was it proper to beg for more vegetables when I had obviously eaten 4 rolls, a 30 oz steak, several tiny red potatos with green things on top, and 4 glasses of water? I decided against but made a mental note to have Troy tell me what those little things were so I could buy them when we got home.

Now, I realize that this story makes me fairly pathetic. I admit it, I grew up on meat, potatos, corn, and green beans. I had parents that tried for several years to feed me other good things but to no avail. I am stubborn since birth. I am hoping to make amends with myself (and my parents) by feeding nasty things to my children. So far, they are eating them by force. The older ones pretend to be cooperating. No such luck with Aeva and Gracie. Good thing I am stubborn.

Easter 2010

With Easter falling on General Conference weekend this year, it made for a few changes to the "norm." We had our Hansen Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday instead of Sunday. Grandma Rett hides little eggs with money inside and all the grand kids go off on their hunt. This was the first year Ms. Aeva could truly understand and participate. I had the camera ready to go for this exciting event. Here she is...I am so glad I had my camera ready. Wouldn't want to miss the smiles and giggles coming from this little one...

Apparently Grandma Rett had found some new eggs that looked like little bugs. Aeva was having issues with having to pick up a "bug." She kept saying "that is gross." Eventually she caught on to the game and ended up having a good time. I am sure there is a smiley picture somewhere in here.

Gracie, on the other hand, had no problem finding dinero.

Easter morning they got to find their baskets. The Easter Bunny had left little eggs hidden around the house with clues in them. There had been some concern about the baskets never being found. The Easter Bunny must be very smart to plant small clues for worried children. They LOVED following the clues and getting their baskets. Then again, the Easter Bunny may have been tired as many of the girls things (clothes, flip flops) were somehow mixed up. Half of Maddie's things were in Gracie's basket and vice versa. Mr. or Mrs. Easter Bunny may need more sleep.

Preparing for our traditional fondu breakfast. Grandma and Grandpa Haun are awesome to bring such yummy food for us to eat. Ridger and Aeva decided to help...thus the pineapple with 7 tooth picks in each piece. Scrumptious as long as you didn't get poked.

Aeva is a fan. No bugs in this part of Easter.

Troy tried cooking a peanut M&M inside one of his scones. I think it may have cured him of his obsession with peanut M&Ms. Apparently this was a fairly nasty combination. Anyone else who has a weakness with a certain kind of food should definitely try wrapping it in dough and deep frying it. Maybe it will work for you too.

The snow was still trying to melt that morning. Ridge and Aeva couldn't have cared less. They jumped on the tramp until they were too soggy to walk. I remember those days...when chapped butts and soggy pants didn't bother me. Glad to have that in my past. I now prefer my rear end to be dry and non-chapped.

My older sister Cammie and her family have finally outgrown their little 4-wheeler. My children have been coveting and borrowing this for many, many years. We decided to surprise them with it on Easter. We did however make it very clear that this was from Troy and I...no need to raise any Easter Bunny expectations for upcoming years. Hard boiled eggs and nasty jelly beans will continue to be the highlight. Needless to say, they had a blast and only a few of my newly planted plants have been destroyed. Better a plant than a child. We'll keep our fingers crossed that they all stay in one piece.

Thanks Easter Bunny, Grandmas and Grandpas for another wonderful year!

And a carrot nose for you...

Since I am declaring winter "officially over" we decided to have one last hot chocolate/ marshmellow fest. We got out our snowman mugs, filled em up and went to town. That is one thing I love about winter. A nice cup of steaming, hot chocolate, apple cider, and wassail (when I can get someone to make it for me)!



Aeva wasn't big on the idea of sticking a carrot on her nose. Oh well, the rest of us have no problem with craziness.

So with that, "Goodbye, Winter. HELLO Spring!!!"

The other one thing.

So, beings that I took the time to tattle on myself about the vacuum, I figure fair is fair. Here is the ONE thing that may drive me a little crazy about my hubby. I wish, I wish that I had taken a BEFORE picture. Here is the issue...

We have a cord fest at our house. Now remember, it was not always this pretty. I took quite a bit of time wrapping up all of these wonderful, little cords. I think I counted approximately 65 of them. Is this normal? Do any of your hubby's purchase cords obsessively? I think it may be time for an "intervention." This will take all of us as Troy is not always with me. If anyone sees Troy circling any kind of electronics store, I need you to call me immediately. I would also like anyone who may need a cord for themselves to please check out the Haun Store prior to purchasing elsewhere. We have a wonderful return policy and will beat any advertised price!

This section of cords is "for your ears." I am pretty sure that, at a maximum, we only have 5 sets of ears in our entire house. I think I see 13 sets of ear phones. Troy's personal favorite is the pink set. Makes him run that much faster.

Through much diligence and prayer I have managed to contain all of these tangled cords into one medium size box.

I think that is much better (as long as I can remember where I put them next time he NEEDS a cord. If I can't find them, he will buy more!).

Maybe when I come home from work next week I will find my vacuum in a box. Fair enough.

The one thing.

I know that my husband absolutely LOVES me. Why (and how) else would he have stuck around for the past 10 years? However, his love for me does have one small, tiny, miniscule, crack. This is it...this is the one thing that drives him absolutely crazy.

I leave the vacuum on the stairs. I used to leave it on the floor but he said it was too dangerous. This was my cure for the problem. When I started doing it, the downstairs wasn't finished so the stairs didn't get used much. But now, the downstairs is done and my habit has not changed. He will often ask, "Why can't we put the vacuum in its correct and proper location?" I will then answer, "Because, Sweety, I am going to have to use it in 5 minutes (I have issues with crumbs on the floor. Something about having them stick to my feet as I walk about. Highly annoying).

So, I was very impressed when Aeva was using her popper vacuum the other day. I was sitting on the couch watching her when all of a sudden she went and stuck it on the top stair and said, "time to put the vacuum away." I was SO impressed that she new the correct place to put the vacuum. She didn't try to hang it on the hook behind the door in the pantry where it would take twice as long to get back out. She KNEW that it belonged on the stairs. I am so impressed with my little one. I can tell that she too will have issues with crumbs. Sorry, honey. Watch your step...there are now 2 vacuums on the stairs.

St George Temple

So, a few more pictures from my sister-in-laws camera. I know I posted about the St. George marathon that Kati and Troy ran last October but I forgot about this part. The night of the marathon Kati and I took the girls for a walk/drive around the St George temple. I once again did not have my camera but Kati did. Here are the pictures.




I LOVE St. George. These pictures make me wish I was there. They also give me hope that Spring might actually make it to the Valley at some point. I need a tan!

Vegas/U2 2009

This past weekend I stole my sister-in-laws camera and downloaded some of her pictures. I found some that I had forgotten all about and was more than happy to steal from her. These pictures are from our trip to Vegas for the U2 concert back in October. How did I not remember this? Probably because I am horrible at taking my camera with me. Good times.

This was taken while walking through one of the many hotel/casinos. This "statue" was very still until I handed out some money. All of a sudden I was being summoned up onto the stage. I think I may be famous! Can anyone dress in white, paint their face and then stand around all day for money? I am sure I would get a blood clot from lack of circulation before I made enough money to make it worth it.

We also found the Blue Man Group. Kati was able to be part of their show. Here she is making a request, or kissing his ear...she won't tell me which. BUT her lips were blue for days following our trip.

The infamous massage chairs. I had a hard time getting them out of these things.

This was one of my personal favorite places, The Rio. I didn't know it was my favorite until I saw these pictures lining the walls. What beautiful, beautiful walls.

Troy thought he should try to become part of the wall in order for us to acknowledge his existence. I think he fits in rather well. Look at that physique...and the chain, and the gloves. So many things to truly analyze...you know, in an artsy sort of way. Could take hours upon hours.

We also stopped at Paris on our way back home. The Eiffel Tower is truly amazing.

And finally, the concert.

Pretty impressive stuff. In fact, we got tickets to go again in June. Can't wait.

Professional Photographer

Often times Gracie or Maddie will get a hold of my camera. Some time later I will download my pictures and find things that I know I didn't do. Here are a few of the latest. I guess you could call it, "the world from the angle of a 5 year old." Maybe she needs glasses. Then again, maybe she just needs to learn how to focus and "center" her target.

Then again, sometimes I am lucky enough to get a few shots that I wouldn't have gotten without this talented little being.



Priceless.

Moab 2010

We got to go to Moab for our annual half marathon and Zax pizza feast. SO much fun! It was a little cooler this year than we had hoped but ended up being nice enough to do all the fun stuff we like. We started off with a trip into Arches. I like to wear Kati and Troy out before their 13 mile run. I don't want them to be too fast and hurt themselves. This is how the morning looked as we climbed the switchbacks into the park. I thought it looked pretty cool.

Balanced Rock is one of the first things we always see. We like it because you can drive right up to the base. No need to fatigue ourselves before lunch.

I have always LOVED Delicate Arch. In past years I thought my kids were too little to make the hike. This year, we went for it. We took our jogging stroller, strapped Aeva in, and headed up the hill. Maddie and Gracie did great. Aeva loved the stroller ride and I felt that I burned enough calories pushing her that I could eat as much pizza as I wanted. After all, that is one of the main goals of our trip...we must get sick on yummy pizza. During the hike we had wind, snow, sun, and hail. No rain...which meant we stayed dry. Perfect. Well, we would have taken a little more sun and a little less wind but still better than it could have been. We found the top!

I like this picture because it makes us look brave. What family of 5 could stand on such a dangerous cliff without any ropes or nets? We hate to boast but...we must take credit where credit is due.


On the way back to the car we walked past the Indian writings on the wall. I am pretty fascinated by that kind of stuff. I would have loved to be there when this was done. I think the Indian culture is amazing. Makes me sad to think that much of the culture and people that created this have been destroyed.




This is Double Arch. An amazing arch that isn't far from the road. Gracie and Aeva were worn out so poor Troy had to sacrifice and stay in the warm car with all of the yummy food. Kati, Maddie and I headed out for a closer look. It was extraordinary!


We are pretty lucky to have an aunt, sister, and sister-in-law that likes us. My girls would be lost without her. Thanks aunt Kati for always being willing to hang out with us.

Maddie is really good at finding cute spots to sit her body down and get a picture. I like this girl.

I took this picture as we were driving out of the park. The sun had come out...we live in an amazing place!
Makes me remember how blessed I am.

The next day the girls and I slept in while Troy and Kati froze themselves at the start line. Another cold, cold day. I was so....so sad that I couldn't be standing in the freezing cold with them. Started out at 40 degrees or so. Not the 70 degrees I was hoping for. I sacrificed by staying in the warm hotel, eating Belgian waffles and making lunches. When the sun was up we headed to the park to play while we waited for our famous runners to make it to the finish line.



Here they come! Maddie and Gracie ran with them for the last 200 yards or so to the finish line.
They LOVE getting all the treats. Playing at the park and cheering is hard work for them. A little Gatorade and bananas is definitely in order.

I have convinced myself that Troy was following this group of 4 girls because he is humble and didn't want his picture taken. I am sure their long legs and tight pants had NOTHING to do with it. He is a happily married man....just ask me...I mean him. Ask him.

Troy and Kati's cousin Mark (left) also ran the half marathon. Apparently Troy and Kati couldn't catch him. Must be something in their genes. They all run faster than me.

Good work Kati! One day I will be inspired enough to join you. For now, I must play in the park, eat your treats, and cheer as loud as I can. Those are the things I do best.


I like this guy. I am amazed at his ability to run so well when he has such limited time to train and still be with his family. He makes me proud. His girls tend to like him too. Nothing better in the entire world than a good daddy.

That afternoon we drove up and down Wall Street. We like to watch the people climb up and down the rocks. I think Kati is daydreaming about someone...who could it be? D_ _ _ Y? I hear he is SO cute! We missed him too.
Finally I couldn't stand it any more and I got my ropes and climbing shoes out. This is my favorite climb of them all. I like to hold on to the tiny cracks and pull my muscular body up the side of the rock. I also like to look down at all of the wimpy people on the ground and mock them. I look forward to this every year. What a great, great place!

I took a picture of these Indian writings while I was climbing. I am amazing.

Goodbye Moab....see you soon.