Lydia's Swinging Accident

We wanted to catch on film how excited Lydia was to swing in the blanket. Like a good father, Mike took Lydia out of the blanket, so we could film her running to it. Well, she got a little over-excited. Is it terrible that we laughed?

Mike Snowboarding

Another fun thing Mike and I were able to do over the holiday was go snowboarding to Kelley Canyon. By mere luck, I got this video of his "180 toe grab" as he likes to call it. Make sure to watch the whole thing. He saved the best for last.

A tribute to the elderly

I consider myself to be "in the groove" of having one child, and thus I have free time on my hands. I hate to waste all of that time and so I have taken up some hobbies. One of those is joining Toastmasters, a public speaking club. Totally nerdy I know, but to each his own. It is a good way for me to get out of the house, develop a new skill, and learn from others. This week I am giving a speech on how the elderly are treated and viewed throughout the world. Researching this topic has made me more grateful to my grandmothers, so I thought I would showcase these wonderful women with Lydia, their great granddaughter. Grandma Margaret Rydalch- My mother's mom. Age 92 Served a mission in the United States. Suffered a stroke in her late 30's and had to learn how to walk, eat, and talk. Raised 7 children and now lives in an assisted living center. She has lost almost all of her eyesight.
Grandma Sharon Reed- My Father's Mom. Age 72 Married my grandpa at 17 while he was on leave in the Navy. Took care of her sickly mother at a young age. Raised 4 children. Was sealed to her family after almost 20 years of marriage. Her husband died of lung cancer almost two years ago.

I commend these women for the hardships they have conquered so gracefully and for love they have given that will continue to stretch through generations.

Also, just an interesting thing I found in preparing for this speech- The life expectancy in the United States is 77 years. In most parts of Africa, it does not get above 50 years. We have much to be grateful for.

Posting videos

Being new at this blogging thing, I need some advice. I have a very funny video of Mike snowboarding that I would love for all of his friends and family to see. However, try as I might, I have not been able to get it to load correctly. I promise that any help will be well worth the reward of watching Mike's "180 grab" as he likes to call it.

Big News

I forgot to mention one very important thing that happened over the holidays. Well, actually it happened around Thanksgiving, but we didn't find out until Christmastime! We are expecting another little Hansen to be running around some 6 or 7 months from now. I am feeling well and we are excited, but can the world handle another little Hansen? I don't think this little addition will do anything to help world hunger if the munchkin has any of their Daddy's genetics.

The Holidays

Over Christmas, we first visited the Hansen's in Ohio. Mike shot his first deer while we were there! And a buck even! We were so proud! We flew out to Idaho to see my family and went snowmobiling to Palisades. Dad's newest gizmo is "The Torpedo" as shown in the picture with little sister Latesha, and neise Kara. You hook it up behind the snowmobile and pull it with the grandkids inside! On Christmas morning Lydia loved opening her playdough and eating oreos.
One of the best things was getting a special tour of the Rexburg Temple! We hadn't been able to get tickets of the open house, but we went up to take pictures on a Sunday afternoon and someone let us in and gave us a tour when no one else was there! We got to take our time and see everything. It was so beautiful!
The whole Holiday season was a success. We were glad to see friends and family and hope to get back again before too long! As for now, it's time to get back to the normal routine, which I think we are all ready for.