Up to

I haven't posted much lately, so here are a few things we have been up to. We went to the book fair and had Clifford sign a book. Colton loved him and followed him around. Lydia was terrified and stayed in the bleachers the whole time.
We said goodbye to our dear friend Swathi, who moved to California to be with her husband. She just completed all her bench work for her PHD. Yay Swathi!
We visited the fire department. Pretty sure I enjoyed it more than the kids.
We rode the bike to this park. They love tire swings.
Lydia got to bring this bear home for the weekend from her preschool. I think this is the only time Colton touched it because other than this, the bear was attached to Lydia's hip. It went to the mall, to the playground, to bed. I think the only place it didn't go was the bathtub!

In other news, Mike's intramural football team is 2-1. The tournament starts this week.
I just finished reading "The Host" by Stephanie Myer. (Author of Twilight) Can I just say without offending anyone, that I am tired of Stephanie Myer? Though a very different plot from the Twilight books, I still found a lot of parallel's in this science fiction. Drama, drama, drama. I enjoyed the Twilight books, but I don't think there is near as much talent there as what is celebrated. However, after "The Host" I read "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. HE is a writer! I cried and cried. Not about the romance part, but about the story of growing up and loving your family!
On the way home from Ohio, we hit a deer. The driver side door won't open. You can hardly tell there is a dent, but I think we will get that fixed tomorrow because already I am tired of crawling out the back!
Colton has learned to jump. He seems to now think this is the best mode of transportation.

I like hiking!

Awesome mall. I loved the architecture. It was such a calming place.
Impressive Michael Jackson impersonators on the Strip.
Mike's co-worker, Johnny. He's from China and never been around a horse before. He rode this big "powerful" horse.
Bryce Canyon. We drove up and enjoyed a half day there.
Mike on top of Angel's landing in Zion's. That is the scariest hike I've ever been on! I didn't make it all the way to the top because the last half mile you hang onto this chain that's secured into the rock and just shimmy around the mountain. If you mis-step, it's a 1000 foot fall! I know there was a time when I would have done this, but something about having the responsibility of children changes you. (Dad- you would have been proud. You would have been pretty upset with me had you seen this thing!)
Another hike at Zion's
The barn at Mike's house. The colors on the tree's got pretty washed out, but it was a beautiful evening. I thought the silhouette was cool.
Colton carrying this poor patient kitten around any chance he got.
The swing. Wee!!! It's a tall one. You glide through the air.
Mike's sister carved and painted these awesome veggi-tales pumpkins!

Call this a photo log. Over the last week, we went to Ohio and dropped off the kids where they stayed for the week. We flew into Las Vegas, stayed a night, and then headed up to Zion's National Park in Southern Utah where Mike had a chemistry conference. My mom even came down and spent a few days with us. The hiking was awesome! There are no real hikes in Indiana. It is too flat. Vegas was fun to see, but if you don't drink or gamble, the selection of awesome things to do is limited. We didn't catch a show or ride the rides on the stratosphere, which were about the only things that interested us, but that's alright. Zion's was much more our style. I read a book by the pool or window shopped while Mike was in his sessions. It was a nice week.

Indy Zoo

The kids had never been to a zoo, so we went with our good friends Elsie and Isaac. They had a wonderful dolphin show that we all loved. The giraffes were also a favorite.
Next to the Cheetah exhibit, they had this thing where you could run and see how far you could get before the cheetah would pass you. I made it a whopping 15 feet! A NFL lineman can get 24 feet. =
A shark touch pool. I think this was Colton's favorite.
Lydia made binoculars out of toilet paper rolls and used them to spy all the cool animals!

camping!

Our first ever Hansen family camping trip was a success! We had a great time. We tried just one night, and though the kids slept well, the parents didn't sleep so well, so it was a good thing we did just one night. Mike with his one match fire.
I think this is the best timer picture I have ever taken. Lydia is giving a peace sign- imitating the bunny ears she saw some other kids giving.
Cool waterfall and two happy, dirty kids.
The best part of a smore is the chocolate!
I ran upstairs to grab something while we were packing and when I came downstairs, the kids had packed themselves in the cooler.

We also went hiking, and to a Frisbee golf course. The kids were the perfect age to take. I am so glad we finally did this. Hopefully we can continue every year. (Hopefully next year the raccoons won't be quite so anxious to eat our marshmallows!)

friends

"Hi Grandma!"
My most recent sewing project. Last time the kids were in Ohio, I found some fabric for cheap, so I decided to cover my couch. I thought it turned out very nice. It's a good couch, it was just outdated. I'm sure you have seen photo's of it in the background of older posts.
We went to Chicago for a weekend with Mike's brothers and their wives. It was so much fun. One of the stops along the way was a Harley Davidson dealership. Oh one day Mike and I will have road bikes. They don't have to be Harley's, but something to cruise around in. Yesterday after church I saw a girl hitch up her skirt and drive away on her bike. I loved it! That will be me in 10 years!


Today the breeze is blowing through my windows. The house smells great from baking and I am content. The kids rode their bikes this morning and I laughed when I noticed that Lydia was carting along her baby doll and Colton had chosen a Lighting McQueen car to tote around outside. I love that they both have their interests and identities, yet they remain best friends.

Happy Birthday Colton!

Colton turned 2! He got a punch bag for his birthday which is being used as a bench here.
This is Colton's cake. It was fun and pretty easy to make. I am far from professional with my cake decorating, but I'm improving.
We played in the sprinklers at a friends house on Colton's birthday. Another little girl was also there celebrating her 1st birthday, so our hostess gave the birthday kids ice cream cones with candles. They loved it!
Some interesting things about my little man. He is a huge tease and shows promise as a class clown. He thinks its really funny when people fall. He loves wrestling, movies, cars and horses. If you ask him how old he is, he will say 4. (Like his sister) Colton loves cookies, but doesn't care for icecream. I pray for Colton's safety everyday because he is always climbing on something or trying to jump off something. He must have one good guardian angel. This week Colton learned how to open doors!

Travel, and lots of it

*See bottom of post for detailed explanation of photo's. Park City Zip Line that we went down.
Watching skiier's jump off one of the Olympic jumps. Pretty cool watching them land in the water.
Colton and cousin Jackson riding a train at a birthday party. Colton adores Jackson.
Lydia and Colton on the train.
The view from our hotel room at Park City. It was ritzy. I felt out of my league.
Tractor ride with Grandpa Reed.
The Bear Baiters- minus the two that were pulling the 50 gallon barrel of bear bait up the hill.
Our attempt at a hike that was ruined by the mosquitos.
Can you see the cabin? Cool huh? Wouldn't mind that property!
My little sister- who looks a lot taller than me in this picture! Drat!
Father and Son.
Grandpa and the grandgirls.
Mike exhausted after riding the banana boat forever.
The Grandkids 'practicing' riding the banana boat!

Over the last three weeks, I stayed in 5 different places! We flew to Jackson Hole and spent the 4th with my family. We saw the fireworks, boated, dirt biked, and even bear baited. We ate lots of delicious food and enjoyed good company. I must say, Palisades is my favorite place! Everyone was there in Mom and Dad's 2-room cabin. It was great! The only bad thing was I didn't get to wake board too long because it was so tiring! The next day I was sore, which made me feel old! We ran up to Rexburg and spent a day with Mike's brother and his wife. The kids loved going to demolition derby where they got to see the "cars crash!" We also visited Mike's sisters, Jen and Dedee in Provo. We tried Tucano's Brazilian Grill and enjoyed it. Mike had a chemistry conference in Park City, so Jen watched the kids while I went up there with him. He learned, I just sat by the pool and read a book all day! It was great! (I'm addicted to Fablehaven) We stayed a night with my brother in Bountiful. I was so glad to get to spend the time with everyone. It was a whirlwind! The kids were great and now we are just trying to get our sleep schedules back on the right time zone. Sunday we head to Ohio for a week, so our travels are not yet done! Wish us luck!