GINGERBREAD HOUSES

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Las Vegas Christmas Train Ride

The kids were all smiles seeing Santa on the train ride. Check out Maren and Chris they had a ball!
Boston was so excited he could hardly stand it.

Congratulations Beth and Justin on another beautiful child. Justin Michael Hansen was born on November 7, 2009. I loved making a quick run to play with the kids and hold the new little one.

Happy Halloween

Annual Pumkin Carving Festival

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Spud

Chris had this aluminum foil from his science class project and was messing around one evening. I said he looked like rocket man or the man in the iron mask. Mike said,"some kids grow up to doctors or lawyers, our son is a baked potato".

It isn't Halloween yet guys!!

Kids were bored one afternoon while Rachelle was here so they got into the dress up clothes and this is what we got! Glad they had so much fun.

Fall Days

During fall break we took the kids for a hike up waterfall canyon. It was beautiful with all the fall leaves. The kids loved it and were like mountain goats climbing on the rocks around the waterfall. Chris taught us how to whistle with acorn shells.

Birthday Bash

Boston you are the man! Look at him eat the cake at his first birthday!



Journey turned 11 and Christopher turned 14.

Summer Events

It has been a GREAT summer!!!!


This summer we have celebrated birthday after birthday. A favorite is always homemade ice cream, especially when you have big boys to turn the crank on the old timer ice cream maker. Several of the neighbors came by to investigate the happenings and joined us for the spoils.



We also celebrated my dad's 70th birthday. Happy Birthday DAD!


We finally completed another HUGE summer project by getting the trampoline in the ground. Both Mike and I spent many hot, long hours digging. But the kids are loving it as you can see.

















I have had a great summer being a Grandma or Mamah as I am known. I got to spend a few days in Vegas and tended Madison, Jordan and Joshua while Beth and Justin took a little time away to celebrate their anniversary. We had fun playing and swimming. I also got to tend Boston while Arianne and Dustin took time to celebrate their anniversary as well. Pretty smart that they all got married in the summer so I can tend. Boston loved the little pool. Chris and Maren couldn't resist trying out their new swim goggles!



Rachelle is off to Cedar City working for the Utah Shakespearean Festival for the summer. She will be attending SUU in the fall. Me and my friend Marla went to visit her for a weekend and see three of the plays. We had a great time.









Maren has excitedly taken over Rachelle's larger room and redecorated.

Our FUN Vacation

Make a Smilebox slideshow

so much to do so little time. . . .

And this is just the month of May!! I should add that we also celebrated 6 birthdays, I filled out 56 report cards and packed up my classroom for the end of school. No wonder I was so tired.
Here is the run down:

Here we all are hanging out after Rachelle graduation from Weber High.

Rachelle and her BFF, Rissa

Rachelle got a full ride scholarchip to Southern Utah University. She is there now working for the Utah Shakesperian Festival for the summer. Yes, we do miss you already:)

Maren graduated from 6th grade and will be attending the jr high this next year. At graduation she was awarded the President's Education Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. Way to be cute and smart too!

She is now in young womens- woohoo!

This year Christopher was awarded a certificate from the Utah State Board of Education for Outstanding Performance on the Iowa Tests in Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Total Composite. Great job, Chris!!

Some how amongst all this I flew to California with my brother Ron to attend my uncle Doug Burts funeral. It was so great to see my cousins. Some of them I have not seen in over 10 years. I had a doll that had belonged to my Aunt Marilyn when she was a little girl. During a couple of late nights I finished sewing her a new body repaired her clothes and put her all back together. I gave it to her after the funeral and she was so cute and started to cry over her "Baby Betsy" doll. She held on to it the rest of the luncheon. It was well worth a few hours of lost sleep.

Joshua and Jordan know their mom's cakes are not only beautiful but yummy too!

We also had a wedding in May. Here is Mr. and Mrs. Phil and Chelsea Vause as they step out of the Draper Temple. It was such a great day. Beth did their wedding cake, it was amazing as usual. Thanks to Beth and Arianne for helping with the luncheon we could not have pulle dit off with out you .

Chris and Maren had their end of year piano recital. Here they are with their patient and wonderful teacher Marla Bailey.

The month of May was full of the end of school-year activities. Maren's class wrote an opera and she was the star-as the baby, she saved the family that had gotten trapped inside their TV. Way to monopolize the remote!!! She does that at home too!

Daddy Daughter

Maren had an 80's style Daddy Daughter activity for achievement days. She could hardly believe that people really dressed like that! Love the BIG bangs and glasses!!!!!

6th Grade 50's Dance

Maren has had a busy month. The sixth grade learned the swing, the waltz and several line dances. They had a big party all dressed in 50's style. Go Maren go! There was even an Elvis spotting!

Maren and all her cute friends. Savanna, Meredith, Jayna, and Kate.

Love those poodle skirts!

It's My Birthday- Surprise!

I want to start out by saying I hate birthdays, not all birthdays just mine. Birthdays are a reminder that I can't stop the aging clock and it's all down hill from here.

Beth, Justin and the kids came up to spend their spring break with us. Jordan started off my day by telling me that I was turning a really big number but that in 4 years I would really be old. So I decided it was time to head out the door and go to work!



My wonderful husband helped my day by having this incredible bouquet of flowers sent to me at work. He always remembers to include some of my favorite flowers, lilies and tulips. My entire dining room smells wonderful.



I had no clue that there were even more surprises instore because Mike, Beth, Arianne, Rachelle had been cooking up a surprise party. I can't believe they got away with it!



Beth spent her days baking one of her amazing cakes then hurriedly cleaning up all the evidence before I got home from work. It tasted as good as it looked.
While Mike and I took little Joshua for a lazy stroll up the street the house was descended upon by my parents, my brothers and their wives, almost all of our kids, and several neighbor families all with food. We had a great buffet for dinner, laughter and fun.
Arianne and Rachelle had gathered some pictures of me growing up and made a DVD that was running on the big screen the entire evening. I can't believe all the work and secrets that went into the evening. I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS, THANKS!

A fun Sunday afternoon in our backyard.